Chapter Two: Constructing Resolve

The Carlein Household: Morning 6:35:23 AM

After performing the daily routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face, flexing in the mirror, and combing his hair, the young boy steps out of the bathroom. Currently, he is wearing a white shirt with "North Pole" strewn across the front, black athletic pants with a white stripe going down the side, and black shoes. He glances over to his parents room, seeing the door more than ajar, then with a sudden click He flips his gaze towards the other end of the corridor, watching his mother's shadow slowly receding into the den. "Good morning, Mom!" he whisper-shouts as he slides his way across the carpet towards the entrance of the room. She'll return the greeting with a smile. "Good morning, Lephy. How are you feeling?" Addressed with the sudden question, his smile dims a few watts as he hums in thought.

He is trying to decide if he wants to be honest or not; he hates making her worry, but lying would just make it worse. "Honestly, it's not all bad." He shifts uncomfortably against the opening, crossing his arms. "I have Leon and the boys to talk to while I'm there, and we have most of the same classes too!" His smile begins to slowly return to its previous glow. "Not to mention, I awakened my Forte two years ago. So getting hurt is the least of my worries nowadays. I wish I hadn't awakened it under those circumstances, though." He'll shrug at the last part, but his mood has improved thanks to saying how he was feeling out loud. His mother nods, accepting the answer, as she walks over to hug him. "That's just the nature of growing up, sweetie. Forte's come when they're least expected, especially for a late bloomer. Sure, the situation could have been better, but I don't think it would have happened otherwise." His mother offered with a grin. Lephantis couldn't argue with the logic, and it was exciting to use during his encounter with Oskar. "You're right, mom. I'm probably just overthinking things." He checks the clock on the wall behind her, noting that ten minutes have passed. He quickly hugs his mother goodbye and wishes her a safe day at work. She wishes him a good day at school as he collects his things and makes haste for the door.

Walking out to the front porch, Lephantis adjusts his backpack straps, making sure that they're firmly in place, and then checking if his shoe strings are tight enough. "Everything is in order! Shoes are tied tight, bracelets and other stuff are in my inventory. We're all set!" With the declaration, he steps off the front porch and saunters towards the street, crossing the threshold of his home's gate. "I'm a few minutes late, but I don't think it's too big of a margin. Children my age don't usually get up this early, right?" He pondered turning a corner onto the main road and picking up his pace. "I should probably hurry just in case. That hasn't happened in a few months, but it also doesn't mean that they've given up as well." Reassuring himself that his line of thought is correct, Lephantis closes his eyes. His hair begins to swish involuntarily as his skin begins to have a muted gleam go up from his feet to the top of his head. His eyes snap open, feeling completely different as he opens and closes his right fist, and then short hops in place. "Even after two years of adjusting to it, I still feel so giddy to be under its effects. Is it the feeling of being true to oneself? Or am I actually believing myself to be strong?" Saving the philosophical questioning for later, he takes one step forward to prepare his running stance. Imagining a counter going down from three, he braces, then leans forward at one and dashes off at zero. The only things that could be heard or seen by the people of Dreamy Town are footsteps and the blur that used to accompany them.


In another part of town 6:40:12 AM

Departing from his home was a young man wearing a brown and white varsity jacket along with blue jeans and loafers. The adolescent in question seems to be sporting a particularly nasty glare as he reads what he has reread for the past two years. "Forte. A supernatural manifestation from the human body. It is unknown exactly when humans have developed such abilities, but scientists suggest it's always been a part of human physiology since the dawn of time." A frustrated groan escapes him, but he presses on to read further down past the history lesson. "Generally, the usual timing for a Forte to awaken is 4 to 6 years after birth. Any later borders near impossibility, but there are some cases when a person's ability has awakened as late as 10 years."

Just as he was about to close the tab and read the news, he received a call. Raising an eyebrow at the name, he smiles and clicks accept, raising the phone to his ear. "Good morning, big brother! I hope this call finds you in a good mood." Chuckling at how high-pitched his younger sibling's voice was over the device "It's good to hear from you, Ian. I didn't see you this morning; have you left early?" Usually he wakes up around 6:00 AM so he can get Ian up for school, but he found his bed already made along with his backpack missing.

He hears a nervous chuckle over the line. "Well, I was just excited to meet up with some friends this morning, so I left early." He shakes his head, grinning. "So you're trying to get a head start on your crush?" Answered with sputtering and rapid denials, the elder brother speaks up over the clamor. "Just kidding. Just kidding. Man, you have it bad for her, jeez. For a transfer, she's quite the looker but way too tall for my liking." Ian manages to get his thoughts back in order. "It's not like that! Don't make fun of another man's desires. Shame on you!" They both snicker at the statement, then Ian continues, his attitude turning a little sour. "I'm only up here this early because I learned some information about a certain someone I want to confront." Noticing the unusual tone shift, the elder sibling scratches the back of his head uncomfortably, knowing where the conversation is most likely heading. "You're only going to talk to him, right?" Answered with silence, Oskar detects a delay in Ian's response; he removes the phone from his ear and is greeted with his home screen. Locking and putting it in his pocket, he sighs in exasperation.


Iguru Chugakko Courtyard[1] 7:00:23 AM

Lephantis, after taking an unusual route, manages to make it just short of the school's gate. His legs, wobbly from exertion, give out below him as he shifts his weight to the wall on his left to maintain his balance. The gleam from earlier travels down his body from his head to his toes, signifying the change he made to his body has been reversed. He takes a moment to catch his breath before sliding further down the wall, sitting sideways on the floor. With the feeling in his legs turning numb, he hurriedly reaches into the inside of his jacket, his hand disappearing once behind the fabric. Grabbing a flask that seems larger than what any pocket could carry, he uncorks it, letting the scent of citrus hit him before downing the light yellow-orange liquid. Putting the now-empty object back in his jacket, the feeling in his legs slowly returned, and he steadily stood up. Keeping his hand on the wall. "Well, at least the taste improved! I'm going to have to stay vigilant, as I'll be a little off balance for a few minutes until it takes full effect." He licks the residue off his lips and begins to trudge his way towards the school grounds.

As he got closer to the gate, he could barely make out a hushed conversation from behind the wall. He couldn't really put together what they were saying, but he presumed it was nothing that should concern him. Keeping his head down, he rounds the corner and takes his hand off the gate, swaying a little while trying to get his weight underneath himself. He takes a deep breath and steps forward, not feeling any immediate pain. He takes another step, feeling the strain, but maintains a slow rhythm. As he hobbled through the courtyard, a group of students immediately snapped their attention to his back, narrowing in recognition. One of the juveniles points at him, whispering. "There he is, right there! I told you he would be here early." Nodding in acknowledgement, the leader of this group removes themself from the wall, whispering for the two to get ready for their signal.

Making it to the midpoint of the courtyard, he's faced with the outstanding flora that surrounds the fountain. "Dahlia, Roses, and Chrysanthemum... How do they even make these grow here? Imported soil?" Astonished by the arrangement, he couldn't help but unconsciously relax for a moment, removing the tension he tried to maintain. Leaning too much weight on the right side of his body, he begins to lose his footing. Panicking, his arms started to flail as he tried to right himself to no avail, looking around for anything to grab on to but seeing only the flowers that waved at him as he began his descent. Cursing to himself, he closes his eyes and begins to brace for the painful impact of the solid ground, only for said pain to never come. Lephantis' eyes snap open as the sky meets his gaze. "H-Huh? I don't remember the ground being this soft." Sitting up and looking around, he noticed that the greenery from the fountain extended towards where he landed and cushioned his fall.

As Lephantis was lost in his musings, a shadow cast over him, making their presence known with the clearing of their throat. He jolts in place and redirects his attention towards the stranger. At first glance, he couldn't discern who the person was but only saw the hand that was offered to him, and with a slight wave of impatience, he gingerly placed his hand on the one offered to him and stood up. Observing the newcomer, he takes in a few key details about her appearance. She was about his height with forest green hair done in a waterfall flower braid, shiny clover eyes, very soft countenance, and lastly, as his eyes quickly drift downward but dart back up, lime green sandals with miniature lilies embedded in the straps matching the knee-length dress. His eyebrows furrow in suspicion, slipping his hand out of her grasp and taking a few steps back, maintaining eye contact and his balance. "Sage Pearce?"

She flips her hair behind her right shoulder as she places her hand on her left hip, cocking it. With an arrogant grin. "Now is that anyway to thank someone for cushioning your fall, hm?" Lephantis' visage softens a hair at the remark. "Even with how egotistical she sounds, it's good manners to thank someone for helping you when they don't have to, but why is she here so early in the morning? Conversing with me on top of that is unusual for her." Contemplating just a little too long, he notices the raised eyebrow on her face, taking the social cue that she's getting irritated with his silence. "Thank you, Sage." Her grin widens at his compliance. She stands up straight, crossing her arms just under her bust, leveling a glare, and walks him down to just about a couple steps out of his reach. She looks him up and down, noting how he bristles at her proximity. "He feels threatened by me. Perfect!" Sage then sprouts two thorned roses behind her in obvious view of the ones she's collaborating with.

Among the shadows of the portables, located towards the right side of the courtyard, are two boys lying in wait. One of them was sitting at a height of 5 '7 with a golden brown caesar cut, dark navy blue jeans, blue and white running shoes, and a white sweatshirt with the words "Dreamy Carnival" printed on the front. The other was present, but the only thing that one could see was the bracelet and ring that floated in mid-air. Ian spots the thorned roses behind Sage as she begins to circle Lephantis, turning his attention away from them. "Looks like we're up. Thierry, be sure to keep a watchful eye on him and interrupt him in case he tries anything. I don't want any chance of what happened to Oskar to occur." The bracelet jingles in mock salute before it is removed,along with the ring, and placed within his pocket. The two boys leave their hiding spot and rush over towards Lephantis and Sage.

Sage was having her fun with Lephantis; the way he responded to every little comment and action taken by her filled her with glee! From poking fun at his appearance to shunting him left and right with the undergrowth beneath his feet, no matter how much she aggravates him, he only stays silent and tries to put up with the abuse. "You know, you're not all too awful-looking; if you smiled and talked a bit more, then maybe some of us girls would spare a glance in your direction!" She haughtily laughs as she maneuvers grassy hands to force Lephantis onto his knees while conjuring some vines to keep his arms restrained. Lephantis didn't fight against the restraints; the more he struggled against her, the more she would keep meddling with him. "Eventually she'll get bored of this… right?" Looking up at her, trying to keep his facial expression as neutral as possible, he noticed that her attention was elsewhere. Making a face as her fun was cut short. "You couldn't wait just a little longer? I wanted to torture him some more!" She crosses her arms in mock anger as he hears a voice behind him. "You can do that literally any time of the week with your occult following. We need this to be quick before the student body begins trickling in." With a hand placed on Lephantis' shoulder, the voice he was hearing makes his way into his field of view, kneeling in front of him. "Do you know who I am?"

Lephantis was confused by the events that were unfolding around him. Firstly, getting harassed by one of the school's divas, Sage, and now being questioned by the younger brother of his childhood bully. He sighed to himself as he began to run quickly through his memories of early elementary and the beginning of middle school. After coming up with nothing, he returns his gaze to Ian. "Nope. I can't say I know your name, but you were usually around when Oskar's group was present." He idly shrugged against the restraints on both his arms. Ian grits his teeth but lets an exhale flare out of his nose. "Then you at least know why we have you restrained?" Lephantis was about to shake his head, but thought better of the circumstances given the two people standing over him. With a soft sigh, he carefully chooses his words in an effort to avoid conflict. "I'm assuming it has something to do with Oskar?" Ian raises an eyebrow, like it wasn't already obvious to him, but nods for him to keep going. "If the previous encounters are to be considered, then it's for the reason of "embarrassing" him in front of the school, right? I won't apologize for defending myself." At the statement, Ian shakes his head and removes his hand from his shoulder, causing Lephantis' unease to grow.

Ian stands up at full height, placing his right arm behind his back. "I'm not looking for an apology or some way of humiliating you like the others have attempted. I'm more interested in restoring the honor of our name as The Strongest." Lephantis' eyebrows raised in alarm at the statement. Ian, reading the panicked look on his face, continues. "Why did you pretend to be weak? Why did you make an example out of my brother?!" Before Lephantis could respond to the allegations, a fist coated with a transparent sphere collided with his face with a THWOOM breaking the bindings holding him in place and skipping across the brick fountain onto the grass just off the path. Staring blankly at the sky as the clouds seem to multiply endlessly. "Of course, they're brothers. What sibling wouldn't want to get payback against someone who "wronged" their family?" He slowly sits up with one of his hands holding his head. "Why does everyone have to stand atop one another to assert their power?" Standing back up, his legs begin to feel stable beneath him as he shakes his head to straighten his vision. Looking to where he was blown away, he sees Ian charging directly at him already with both his hands drawn like pistols, firing high-speed, finger-sized projectiles at him.

Ian Wright's forte is force! He has the ability to emit and shape kinetic energy from his hands and feet. Thanks to his elder brother's guidance, he has gained enough proficiency over his Forte to crush most ability types on his level, even if they are twice his size. His fellow third-year students hail him as a prodigy in a much different league than his brother. That's what Ian seeks to change the most, which is the perception of the student body to prove that his brother hasn't lost his edge. Once he's dealt with the nobody who besmirched his reputation, everybody in the school will think twice before they cast pitiful glances at him or Oskar Ever again!

As the missiles came flying, Lephantis managed to barely dodge a few while getting tagged by the others. Ian was closing in, channeling his forte into his left hand. Lephantis brought up his arms in order to defend against the strike, but he felt a pair of hands wrench them out of position the moment Ian's fist came crashing into them. Though he wasn't knocked off his feet, he felt a dull pain shoot across his cheek and nose as a cut grew between the two features. Trying to recover before the next strike landed, Lephantis quickly glanced around to see who intervened with his guard. He tries to make space, but Ian stays right next to him. "Where are you looking? I'm right in front of you!" Ian lands another strike, targeting his chest, making him stumble backward, almost tripping on himself. "Was it fun? Did you enjoy obliterating what Oskar had built?!" Again, Lephantis tries to defend himself from the onslaught, but now he feels a pair of arms under his, causing his guard to be too high. Ian elbows him in the stomach, like a sword is trying to skewer its target, making him crumble, but he is forced to stand up. Ian cocks a fist back,catching his breath, as he regards Lephantis' frazzled state. "We're going to make you pay for what you did! Then things will go back to how they're supposed to be! " Simultaneously, Ian decks Lephantis in the temple while Thierry punches his spine.

Yelling out in pain and coughing violently from the brutal tag team, Lephantis manages to catch on to what Ian just said. "We're?" He looks past Ian, seeing Sage distancing herself from the violence. "Wasn't it just these two?" Flexing his arms and trying to wrench back control, he observes that someone's body is pressed up against his back. "I see it wasn't a duo, but a trio this time around." With the dots connecting, he looks back up at Ian. "If it helps, I wasn't trying to pretend to be weak. The whole ordeal happened on the spur of the momen-" A knee drives itself into his stomach, causing Lephantis to sputter and curl over from the sudden strike. He gets lurched back into a standing position, recovering from the pain and clenching his fists. "I had no Inten- '' A foot swiftly rakes across his face, followed by a punch in the gut, and finished by an elbow across the left cheek. Lephantis, getting fed up with the one-sided conversation, begins to activate his forte as he decides that conversation is no longer an option. A crimson aura violently erupts from his body, causing his eyes to glow as the previous gleam recedes.

Lephantis' Forte is called Game Freak! It allows him to mimic character abilities from video games he's played, manipulate the attributes (stats) of his body, and store various objects in his inventory. Currently, due to his anger reaching a boiling point, he has decided to stop being a punching bag and fight back! Thinking of his current favorite game, Final Trail [2], he decided to use the abilities of his main, Jein of the Knights of Gold [3]. He's a martial artist who reached enlightenment, and his chi manipulation is second to none within the army. In the game itself, each character has a total of four jobs, each differing in power. This particular one he's chosen was the hardest to master but also the strongest of his four jobs, Ramah. Armed with a vajra in each hand, Lephantis aims to strike back!

Ian and Thierry took a few steps back from the outburst, and with them momentarily stunned, Lephantis heard the jingle of jewelry when Thierry stepped back and jutted out his hand, grabbing him. In one fluid motion, he turns and throws him into Ian, causing the two to roll backwards into a heap in front of the fountain. Placing an open palm upon his fist, Lephantis begins to inhale and exhale to reign in his anger. As he does so, the chi flaring around his body begins to soften and contour around himself. After getting a proper grip on his emotions, he starts to walk over towards the fountain, keeping an eye on the now-visible Thierry and Ian. Ian recovers first but, pinned against the fountain by the knocked-out Thierry, tries to keep Lephantis away by shooting a force barrage at the fastest rate he can as he tries to rouse his partner in crime.

Due to the chi flowing through his body, Lephantis' focus was freshly renewed, as if the world had a different filter. With the barrage of projectiles coming at him, they seem to be moving in slow motion in his eyes, easily picking out the safest route to make it from B to A. Stepping through with the gracefulness of a flowing river, he dances through the hail of force bullets until he is about two feet from the two boys, causing Ian to halt his fire because of the overuse. He narrowed his eyes at Thierry with a voice bereft of hostility. "So this was the one interfering?" Locking eyes with Ian pointing the base of the vajra at him, an amber glow begins to emit from his hand as a sphere of chi, with the Yin and Yang at the center, manifests in front of him. Eyes widening in alarm, Ian immediately puts his hands up in surrender, fear present in his eyes. "I can respect you wanting to restore your brother's reputation, but I ask this of you. How many people did you and Oskar step on to get where you are today?" Not paying any heed to his capitulation, the sphere in front of the vajra intensifies in magnitude. "Motionless Fist: Wa-[4]" Ian quickly covers Thierry with his body as a thin kinetic field spreads to cover his back.

"Alright, that's enough!" Momentarily distracted by the callout, a bandage quickly wraps around his wrist, wrenching his arm up and away from the two boys. The technique firing into the sky and harmlessly dispersing like a giant firework. Before Lephantis could take stock of what just happened, the bandage went limp, and his body began to feel extremely heavy, dropping him into the kneeling position. Feeling nothing strike his kinetic shield, Ian slowly looks back up to see the vice principal and the nurse rushing over. "What happened?" The one who asked the question was the nurse. She is 5'5 and wearing a blue blouse under a white lab coat, black dress pants, black slippers, arm-length auburn hair, and brown eyes. The person accompanying her was 6 feet tall, hazel-eyed, wearing glasses, a slicked-back taper fade, a white button-up with a black vest, and wearing black slacks and loafers. Ian glances at the currently incapacitated Lephantis, and with Thierry slowly rousing from his unconscious state, an idea comes to mind. "We were approached by him when we got through the school gates, Mr. Newman and Ms. Woods. He seemed to carry a chip on his shoulder, and so we tried to walk around him, but he wouldn't leave us alone. Then he attacked us because of my relation to my older brother Oskar."

The two adults looked towards one another, then down at Lephantis. This time, Mr. Newman spoke. "Have anything to say for yourself, son?" There wasn't any derision in the question, only genuine curiosity. Lephantis started saying something but only closed his mouth and shook his head, staring at the ground. Taking the silent answer, he regards the nurse. "Ms. Woods, get those two checked out. I think one of them has a concussion. I'll stay with this one for a little bit longer." Ian quickly stands up while supporting Thierry, making sure he has a good grip, and starts making their way to the nurse's office. Ms. Woods, watching them leave, turns her gaze to Lephantis, scanning over him and noting the cut across his cheek. She seemed a bit pensive for a moment before she spoke up. "Make sure you also make the trip to my office when you're done here. I want to make sure you're okay." With that, she quickly scampered off towards the school to go treat her new patients.

Feeling the weight lift off his body, Lephantis went from kneeling to standing as Mr. Newman sat on the fountain. The vice principal seemed a bit nervous as he regarded the student in front of him. "I'm sorry we have to meet like this. I came in last Friday as a replacement for the previous assistant principal. Er, do you mind disabling your ability? Your control from earlier seems to be fraying, and you can't really have weapons on you outside of duels." As he pointed it out, Lephantis brought a vibrating hand into his view. Watching as the refined contours began to ripple, like a pond disturbed by stones. Closing his eyes, he takes a shaky breath as the chi slowly ebbs away inside his body and the vajras get sent back into his inventory. "I'm Sorry… Am I in trouble? I didn't mean to go that far…" Raising an eyebrow at the statement, the vice principal waves off the concern. "No No! You're not in trouble! You were very clearly defending yourself while being outnumbered." Lephantis was taken aback by the statement; he couldn't tell if it was a trick or an actual understanding. Seeing the surprised expression on his face, Mr. Newman pats the surface next to him, to which Lephantis obliges and sits beside him. "I saw from the second floor as I was getting familiar with the current principal. He was filling me in on how he runs this school." Glancing at the young man, he observes that he shudders a little at the mention of the principal. Smiling, he places a hand on Lephantis' shoulder. "Like I said earlier, you're not in trouble. In my opinion, you should've activated your forte the moment the green-haired one started to use hers on you. You tried to be civil even while being exasperated, and I commend you for it."

Before he could address the praise he was receiving from the vice principal, students started to walk in through the main gates of the school. Checking his watch, Mr. Newman notes that it's 7:30 AM and class will be starting in about 30 minutes. Giving Lephantis a parting pat on the shoulder, he stands up. "Class will be starting soon. Be sure to eat and go to the nurse's office to get checked out for any underlying injuries. See you around!" Lephantis stands up from the fountain as the vice principal disappears in the sea of students walking into the school. He holds his hands up in front of himself and clenches them into fists. Hoping to himself that today will be better, he quickly rushes to the cafeteria.


References and other stuff

[1] Iguru Chugakko → Translates into Eagle Middle School

[2] Final Trail → This is a reference to a game called "GrandChase." Really fun back in the day until it shut down around season 5ish. Plenty of great characters, pvp, and community to go around for a 2.5D side scroller.

[3] Jein of the Knights of Gold → My favorite Character and main from the game. Jin of the silver knights. I was really into martial arts/brawlers when I was younger. His character was everything I wanted to be in a video game. Hot blooded, brolic, and Red! He had it all and I was having a good time tearing up pvp with him too!

[4] Motionless Fist: Wa- → The full title is Motionless Fist: Wave! It's made up if you haven't already googled jins character and 4th job. Wave is a ranged move that all his jobs can utilize in different forms. I took some creative freedom to mix wave with his 4th job's 3rd bar move.

AN: Another chapter Down! Pardon me for taking so long *Bows* I've had it in my head for a while but you wouldn't believe how many times I've typed and retyped certain paragraphs. I think I'm getting better with balancing details with dialogue. Whenever I write down a scenario I have a habit of drifting or bleeding into a different but similar scenario if that makes any sense? Anyway I finally reached a proper point where I can happily end the chapter and after giving it a couple of reads it feels sufficient to me. Another question: How do you feel about the character and Forte intros? Are they too amateurish or is it okay? Assigning a Face, some swag, and a hairstyle is fun for me but I'm unsure how it's reflected to people other than me. .' Welp! See ya next time o/! Please Read and Review!