[September 2015]

Wellston Private High School.

The most prestigious school in the entire region, if you're able to graduate from this school, you're likely to have a bright future ahead of you.

It's where the best of the best attend and often holds the highest concentration of High-Tiers. In recent years, they've held the title of being undefeated in Turf Wars.

Currently, they also hold the strongest student in the entire region in their school body...

"Seraphina, good work on the test!" The teacher spoke, handing the results back to the magenta-haired girl. "You're always able to do a perfect job. Class, you should follow her example!"

The other students groaned in various ways.

"Come on teach, she's on a different level compared to us!"

"Everything's way easier for her!"

"We can't all be born perfect..."

Seraphina gripped her paper just a bit tighter. She nodded before going back to her seat, almost mindlessly running through her notes again.

Idiots. Good grades and strength don't just come from nowhere. She wrote down practice problems with a hidden fury. They don't realize how much it takes to reach so far.

She sighed. But they don't need to, that's the role of the weak, they're allowed to be clumsy. They're allowed to make mistakes.

"...Ina?"

But I can't, I have my role.

"...Phina?"

I have to be perfect.

"Seraphina!"

"What?" She muttered, facing the person who was talking to her with a glare. A girl with long aqua-blue hair and green eyes.

Elaine. Her roommate and Turf Wars healer.

"Uhm..." Elaine had a hard time speaking, seeing someone as strong as Seraphina becoming angered was always a bad sign. "A-Arlo said there was going to be a rank fight for the Jack title, he wanted to talk to you about it." She explained.

Seraphina sighed, cursing at herself for not keeping her emotions under control. "Where is he?"

"O-On the rooftop is what he texted me."

The ringing of the bell signaled the end of class.

Seraphina gathered her supplies, placing them in her bag as she left the room.

No matter where she goes, the whispers and mutterings follow her. But nothing could be done about it, it was simply the way it was meant to be.

She opened the door to the rooftop, and sure enough, there he was. The tall, blonde, third year stood by the fence looking down at the various students from it.

He turned back to look at Seraphina, a satisfied smile on his lips. "Ah, good to see my message was received. I'm sure Elaine gave you some of the details?"

"A rank fight." Seraphina stated. She walked closer, standing to the side of Arlo, doing as he did. "Who's it between?"

"Cecile has been challenged by Remi for the position of Jack."

"Remi..." Seraphina recalled. She was a fellow second-year, and a rather strong one as well. Sure, she couldn't compare to her or Arlo in terms of strength, but it was respectable at least. "Don't you and her...?"

"She's the sister of the previous king, Rei, when I was Jack, so we share some history. But, none of that matters in a rank battle, it will all be decided by who's stronger. The way it always is."

"Of course."

"We're required to be there to make it official. After the school day ends."

"Is that all you needed to tell me?"

"Pretty much, yes, but—."

"Then we're done. I have work to do." She ended the discussion, leaving Arlo alone on the rooftop.

Arlo sighed. He would've wanted to talk more, but there'd be no point in convincing her. The rank match they had when she first arrived proved the gap in their strength.

He continued to overlook the students he ruled over, the smile from before still present.

Things have started to go back to normal. Those who are weak don't step out of line and the strong listen to the strongest.

It's calm, orderly, the way it should've always been.

"Where is she?" Asked an irritated Cecile. "You'd think the challenger would have the decency to show up on time."

Arlo waved off her complaints. "She never was much for punctuality, unfortunately. Just relax, Cecile."

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute!" Elaine assured.

Seraphina didn't much care for any of it, she'd rather not be here at all, there's work that needs to get done. But, that's what's required.

She scrolled through her phone's app store, looking for academic apps with advanced learning when something caught her eye.

Slappy Pig? What kind of name is that? She scrolled through the pics and clips of the game provided by the app store, she wasn't aware why she even clicked it in the first place.

For only a moment, her thumb hovered over the bright green install button...till she quickly backed out of it, returning to installing the other apps. I can't waste my time on stuff like that.

"Hmph, maybe she backed out of it at the last second like a coward." She muttered. Wouldn't be surprised, considering who her brother is.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Shouted a girl's voice, making her way to the rest of the Royals. She had long pink hair worn down with bangs, with some of it pulled back and tied with a bow, and light red eyes.

"You're late, Remi." Arlo mildly berated.

"I know, I know, I dozed off while I was studying and before I knew it, it was past 3, my bad!" Remi apologizes. "Didn't mean to make you wait, Cecile!"

And she's trying to become Jack? No way. Cecile narrowed her eyes at the 2nd-year. "Let's just get this over with."

Remi and Cecile stood a sizable distance from each other. Remi had a competitive, determined smile, while Cecile's gaze couldn't be any more ice cold.

"This battle is a rank match for the position of Jack, between the challenger, Remi, and the defender, Cecile!" Elaine announced, acting as referee.

She raised her arm in the air, holding it there for a moment.

"May the better fighter win!" Remi spoke.

Cecile gave no response.

Elaine brought her arm down. "Begin!"

Immediately, Cecile formed vines of energy at her feet, shooting them toward Remi. She has a Lightning ability, just like her brother. The priority is locking her down and keeping her at bay. In contrast, she likely doesn't have much information on mine, putting me at an advantage.

Remi activated her ability quickly, streams of lightning dancing along her body, using the enhanced speed to dodge to the side and continue doing so as the ropes continued their attempt at her. She can maneuver them well!

Having been kept busy with the vines, Remi almost failed to notice the energy spikes that were aiming at her as well, but she was able to redirect herself to avoid major damage, just a few scraps and cuts getting her. I need to get in close!

While this dance of vines and lightning occurred, Arlo and Seraphina had some small talk.

"So, who's stronger?" Seraphina asked.

"Hmm." Arlo crossed his arms. "They seem to be of equal strength. Remi must've finally reached high-tier status, that's good to see."

"And you don't have any sort of bias for who you want to win?" Seraphina found it hard to believe.

"If I did, it wouldn't matter. The one who wins will hold the position and we'll do as we've done."

Now's my chance! Remi made a break for it, dashing towards the ropes before sliding underneath as she gathered streams of lightning between her hands and blasted it towards the green-haired 3rd year.

What the hell? Cecile withdrew her vines back, then created more before extending them up, acting as a wall between her and the lightning. She leaped back. I gotta keep my distance.

"Gotcha!"

Cecile froze momentarily, hearing her opponent's voice from behind as she felt a grip on her shoulder. How fast is she?!

"AGH!" She screamed out as Remi laced her with lightning, electrifying her. She gritted her teeth, fighting through the pain just enough to form an energy whip.

You pink little bitch! She threw enough force into the whip to knock back Remi a considerable distance.

Man that thing stings! Remi used her arms to take the brunt of the damage. She gathered more lightning and shot it at Cecile, attempting to spread it out in order to circle around her.

She's trying to trap me? Cecile's ability wasn't one that offer much mobility, but she made it work. She formed a vine along her arm and shot it into the ground, readying the whip over her shoulder. Then, she jumped and pulled herself forward out of the lightning trap as she aimed at Remi with another whip attack. I'll make you beg!

Remi appeared to hesitate for a moment, but she stood her ground, following the direction the whip was treading. It aimed for the side of her head, so she raised her arm to take the hit, then she wrapped her arm around the whip and gripped it.

Is she trying to pull me in? ...No! Cecile's eyes widened, realizing that Remi was using the whip to connect the lightning to her! I won't have time to—!

Cecile screamed as her body convulsed from the lighting, having been amped to a much higher voltage than before. Her whip dissipated as she dropped to the ground on her knees. She tried to keep control of her labored breath.

After a few moments, with Cecile not having the energy to stand, Elaine called the match.

"This match has been decided! Remi wins, dethroning Cecile of the Jack Position!"

Cecile wanted to whip the annoying mid-tier's vocal cords out of existence.

Arlo held a small smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Seraphina.

Cecile looked up in anger as she saw Remi walk toward her. She was holding a hand out with a smile on her face.

"That was a heck of a match, you really made me work for it! Good game!" Remi offered in the spirit of good sportsmanship. She turned to Elaine. "Elaine, could you come over here and heal her?"

Cecile dug her nails into her palms. How in the hell...could I have lost to such a naive brat?!

"That's not the way it works, Remi." Arlo spoke, coming over. "You're the winner, so you'll take priority. Elaine, heal our newly crowned Jack." He ordered the Royal healer.

"What? No, Cecile's more injured than me, so she should receive it first! Help Cecile, Elaine!" Remi ordered.

"Uh...I..." Elaine wasn't sure what to do. She tried looking towards Seraphina for help, but she was still strolling through her phone, completely absent from the situation.

She cried mentally. Why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this?!

"Elaine, as King, I order you to heal Remi first." Arlo said, with a small bit of irritation beginning to leak through.

"Elaine, I refuse the healing, do it for Cecile first!" Remi responded.

"Why are you always so difficult?"

"Why do you always have to be such an ass?"

"I don't need the healing!" Cecile spoke, exasperated by the two's conversation. She was a little wobbly, but she stood up without too much difficulty.

She aimed another glare at Remi. Why is he always so lenient when it comes to her backtalk? It's so irritating!

Remi didn't take much notice of it, "Are you sure? If you need help, just—."

"Well, I don't." Cecile snapped back. She sighed, giving her a bow, out of necessity. "Congratulations on the position." She practically muttered, before heading out on her own.

Remi looked on, feeling some concern for her. "Is she alright?"

"She's lost her position as a Royal, anyone who did would have their pride bruised. She'll be fine, just needs to get used to it." Arlo replied. "So then, Elaine, heal her."

"R-Right." Elaine activated her ability, a greenish aura glowing around her hand as she healed Remi's injuries.

"Well, thanks for this, Elaine. Good to have a pretty good healer on our side!" Remi complimented.

"O-Oh, it's no problem. Just doing my job." Elaine responded. She wasn't used to receiving thanks for what she did, it made her happy whenever she was.

"So, you're the Jack now, congrats." Seraphina offered as well. She may have been impressed but her cold tone didn't offer much hint to it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty proud of being able to do so. Glad to be working with you!"

"Hey, since it's a special event, maybe we can go out somewhere! Us royal girls!" Elaine offered.

"Sounds fun, sure!" Remi responded.

Mhm, I'm not here anymore. Arlo thought as he discreetly left the area.

"Can't. Need to focus on my studies." Seraphina declined.

"Aw, come on, Seraphina. Can't you take one day to—"

"No."

Elaine visibly stiffened. "O-Oh, okay. You're probably right, always got to make sure you're at your best!"

"Exactly." Seraphina went to turn away but Remi stopped her.

"Wait! Before you go, could I take a picture with you?"

"A...picture?" Seraphina was rather confused.

"Well, I get you're busy with being on top of everything, but I'd like something involving you to commemorate this! B-But if you're uncomfortable then it's okay!"

"No, it's fine. Go ahead." Seraphina quickly responded, still rather monotone.

Remi lit up at Seraphina's approval. "Really? You're so awesome, thank you!" Remi put the phone in front of herself and Seraphina, throwing up a piece sign. "Isen and Blyke are gonna be so jealous!" She remarked, before taking the picture.

It didn't reach her lips, but Seraphina could feel there was something resembling a smile.

Remi fell flat on her bed, having finished drying her hair after a shower. After the hangout with Elaine, she got around to sending the pic to the group chat between her, Blyke, and Isen. She got back a pair of texts from the two just a couple of minutes after.

You got a pic with her? Nice. - Blyke

How much did you have to beg for that? - Isen

None ?. She may act distant, but I just asked and she was cool with it!?- Remi

You're braver than most. A glare like hers could probably kill me! - Isen

Aren't you into that, though? - Blyke

Isen? ? - Remi

Hey, what do my preferences have to do with anything?! - Isen

Oh, wait, that tracks actually! Weren't you into Cecile? - Remi

That's a fact. He tried shooting his shot too. - Blyke

You did?! ? You never told me! What happened? - Remi

We focus on Isen, reliving the short and awkward attempt of talking to Cecile.

―

"Soooo, Cecile..."

"I'm into girls." She didn't even look up from her laptop.

"S-So am I! Great how much we have in common!"

"Only girls."

"A-Ah."

"Get back to work."

"Yes, ma'am..."

Yeah, that's about it - Isen

Well, at least she was upfront and polite about it! - Remi

And you definitely have a type. - Blyke

It makes me wonder how the two of you... - Remi

I have two types, one for women and one for men - Isen

And those are? - Blyke

Remi took a long sip of her smoothie from when she and Elaine went to the mall.

Dommy Mommies and Himbos. - Isen

Which ended up going down the wrong pipe as she coughed it up after seeing the text Isen sent.

Da fuk, Isen? - Blyke

Hey, you roped in what I liked into this conversation first, Blyke! This is on you! - Isen

Oh god, some of my drink went out my nose. It's burning ? - Remi

What the hell is a himbo anyways? - Blyke

You really need to brush up on your internet lingo, bro - Isen

Well...that's what I have you for? - Blyke

That's...sweet? - Remi

It's one of his better attempts - Isen

Okay, let's just move on from that. Are we still down for the marathon tonight? - Blyke

I got the snacks and drinks. - Isen

I got the blankets and pillows! - Remi

And I got the shows, looks like we're ready to go. Start heading over. - Blyke

Remi's phone began to ring, the contact showing her who it was, causing her eyes to widen in realization. Oh crap, I totally forgot we were gonna talk tonight!

I'll be a little late. - Remi

Typical Remi behavior - Isen

Shut up! - Remi

How come? - Blyke

I forgot me and my brother were gonna chat a little, I'll be over right after! - Remi

It's cool, we'll be waiting. - Blyke

Then, she picked up on the Facetime call.

"Hey, Rei!" She waved.

"Lil' sis! Good to see you, it's been a while!" Rei's expression became a faux sadness. "I thought you'd forgotten me..."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just got caught up in other stuff! Stop being so dramatic!" She apologized before calling him out. "But I have pretty cool news! I'm the Jack now!"

Rei's feign of sadness quickly disappeared, replaced by excitement. "Seriously? That's awesome! It took me till the end of my 2nd year to get to that." He looked back on the memories. "Do you know what your level is at now?"

"Hmm, I think I'm a High-Tier now! A bit ago, I started being able to sense electricity without needing to activate my ability. That's..what was it called again?"

"A passive. Yep, that means you're at least a Level 5 now." Rei nodded. "I'm impressed, you've surpassed me at that age. Maybe you'll end up being Queen!"

Remi chuckled. "I doubt it, our current Queen's pretty much unstoppable, she's waaaay stronger than me. I've heard she's able to win Turf Wars all by herself in seconds!" She spoke in awe of Seraphina's power.

Rei whistled. "Yeah, she sounds terrifying. Well, I still think you got plenty room to grow, I bet you can even surpass me!."

"Oh come on, you're overestimating me." Being stronger than her brother? Remi couldn't even imagine that. But if she was...She could probably beat Arlo. I like the thought of that.

"So, how's my inheritor doing?" It's like Rei read her mind.

"Arlo...He's been doing his best, even if he can be a jerk about it." She grumbled.

Rei grew curious. "What's been happening?"

"He had been having trouble with some of the stronger students listening to his orders from what I've heard? They were taking their anger out on the weaker students, hurting them. But, Arlo put a stop to them!" Remi explained, retelling what she's heard from around the school and from Arlo himself.

Rei's smile withdrew. "Is that so..." That didn't assure him. Had something changed after he left? It felt like whatever it was, it wasn't for the better.

"Well, enough 'bout me. How've you been?" She asked.

He pushed the thought aside. "Oh, nothing much, academics kicking my ass as usual." He casually replied. Then, he perked up. "I have been keeping tabs on a favorite author of mine recently, there's news he's going to be releasing a new book soon."

"Ooooh sounds nice! What's it called?" She asked.

Rei shrugged. "No clue, no mention of a title from what I could find. I'll just have to find out at the midnight release in about a month."

"Well, tell me about it when you finished reading it! I might grab a copy!" Remi realized the time. "I'm glad we could catch up, but I should start heading out. I'm having a marathon night with some friends!"

Rei cocked an eyebrow. "An anime marathon?"

"An anime marathon." She confirmed.

Rei nodded with a smile, satisfied. "I've taught you well. Have fun, Remi!"

"You bet! Oh, and tell Kuyo I said hi!"

"I will." Rei threw up the peace sign. "Talk to ya later, love ya!"

"Love you too!" Remi did the same, before ending the call.

She threw on slippers before grabbing the bundles of blankets she had made beforehand.

"Sleepover, here I come!"

Notes:

Name: Cecile
Ability: Conjure: Vines
Level: 5.0
[Power: 5 Speed: 3 Trick: 6 Recovery: 3 Defense: 5]

Name: Remi
Ability: Lightning
Level: 5.0
[Power: 6 Speed: 5 Trick: 3 Recovery: 4 Defense: 3]

Name: Elaine
Ability: Healing
Level: 3.2
[Power: 1 Speed: 1 Trick: 1 Recovery: 5 Defense: 2]

Felt like writing this out to give a little bit of shine to Wellston before John comes around. Hope I wrote the characters well!

And yeah, I'm writing Blysen, I've grown to love the chaotic ship that is this duo.

A/N: Feedback is always appreciated.