-Alexander Hamilton

Due to a miscalculation on my part, John missed a level-up during a prior chapter. I don't want to edit prior chapters without mentioning anything to prevent confusion or readers thinking they missed something due to my fuck-up, so I will rectify this here and proper stats shall be noted in the character sheet at the bottom of this chapter.

John's mother greeted him at the bottom of the stairs with a smile and another awkward hug. She tittered about for almost a full minute, grabbing him a bag that she said was in case he "didn't like the food where the rich people live", as well as repeatedly wishing him well on a variety of things, including his studies, his health, and his happiness. By the time she was finished, John had absolutely no idea on what excuse Moira had made up for his departure.

Even his ride was rather unexpected. A part of John had expected Moira on her motorcycle again, ready to carry him all the way personally. Instead when his mother finally finished her barely-concealed emotional breakdown, she ushered him out the door to find a lengthy black limo awaiting him. John fought the urge to jump upon seeing it - he'd been trying to keep this entire thing under wraps, and a vehicle that probably cost as much as their house waiting outside to pick him up, where anyone could easily see it, was not his idea of subtle.

John quickly made for the side door. When he closed to within ten feet of the door, it slid open, revealing Moira inside. Instead of the few outfits he'd seen her wear to school, Moira was now wearing a set of loose exercise pants and what appeared to be a modest sports bra. Despite the fact that it covered a significant amount considering what it was, John couldn't help but catch himself staring, surprised by the amount of skin the Warden was showing off. Thus far, all he had ever seen her wearing covered almost everything between the neck and ankles; seeing a significant amount of arm, chest, and midriff revealed was shocking to John… and, as he saw the Warden in something more revealing than a trench coat for the first time, he realized how attractive she really was.

The sports bra covered Moira from her collar bone to nearly the bottom of her ribcage, but it revealed a significant amount of muscle and tone that must have taken hours of dedicated work to hone down. Moira's arms were like marble sculptures, hard and toned while giving only the impression of softness, and her abs didn't even have that. They were like stones, hard and unyielding even as she bent and flexed in her motions to summon John into the limousine.

"Hurry, John, we have much to discuss."

John stepped into the limo as quickly as he could, tucking himself in against a seat across from Moira. She looked odd, so familiar and yet so different. The necklace that was normally hidden behind her very concealing attire dangled precariously over nearly-exposed cleavage, and oddly enough despite the revealed skin, she looked even more intimidating now that John had a good look at her physique. Moira looked like the bombshell fitness fiend so many guys wanted to land - and without breaking stride, she looked far too intimidating to ever approach in that way.

"What did you tell my mother?" John asked immediately, glancing back toward his house as the limo door slid shut behind him. "Somehow she managed to make me think I was leaving forever, but only until dinner at the same time."

"I informed her that your essay had won a contest," Moira said with a smirk, resting her hand on her interlaced fingers. "For your well-thought out piece on the historical significance of gambling and card-based entertainment in the development of social bonds and a sense of community, you have been given the opportunity to attend Brighton Academy's extracurricular courses outside of normal schooling hours."

"…So you told her I was going to a cram school?" John said, shaking his head. "How did you convince her of that? I've nearly broken doors trying to escape my normal school as fast as possible."

"Brighton Academy is a highly prestigious educational facility which has proven to boost college acceptance rates as well as average GPA by nearly 25%," Moira bragged, sounding entirely too pleased with yourself.

"And let me guess, it also didn't exist until a week ago?" John said, crossing his arms.

"Actually, it has existed for nearly three years - I suggested it myself as a cover, should we ever need to explain the absence of an outsider to a non-Abyssal relative or caretaker. Most have heard of the Brighton Academy but only rarely enough for it to be somewhere in the back of their mind while still remaining relatively mysterious. Any parent or guardian who hears the name and that their child has been accepted knows just enough to feel proud while not being particularly suspicious, especially when we send such an expensive vehicle to bring them to class."

"But if you told her that, what do you have in mind?" John's suspicion was growing rapidly now, his alarm bells ringing as he realized the extent of Moira's lie. "If you told my mother I will be attending this extensive, well-renowned after-school program, she's going to expect me to leave the house-"

"-several times a week, yes, I'm well aware, Mr. Newman," Moira said, smirking at him. Her use of his last name did nothing to comfort John or ease his tension.

"In fact, that's exactly what I've arranged for. I believe my father promised you a tutoring in Abyssal society and the role that magic plays behind the scenes of what you believed to be a mundane world until just a few days ago… I intend to go beyond that. Believe it or not, it's not every day that we discover a new mage. As extensive as the Brighton family may be, this is a rare opportunity for us. I want to help you as you grow and learn in the magical arts, and in exchange, I hope that you will help us in our future battles… for instance, the invasion of the Cabal's residential area this Friday."

"Friday?" John asked, eyes widening in surprise. "I thought we'd have more time to prepare than that!"

"I said by week's end, John, and I'd rather do it a day sooner than even a moment later," Moira scolded, shaking her head. "Take a Warden at their word and you'll almost never face disappointment. I want you to join us in defending our territory - your safe haven - from those who would rather see it destroyed."

"I mean…" John sighed, realizing that even though Moira wasn't aware of it, he'd placed his life on the line already and had no reason to avoid this particular one, "…that's not unreasonable. I did agree to help you. I can control the elements, so I guess I could-"

Moira shook her head, holding up a hand to stop John before he could continue any further.

"I do not intend for you to fight alongside us, John. We have Paladins, Knights, and Squires of the Golden Rose to do that, warriors who have trained for years to earn the right to see the field of battle. No, more honestly, I simply want you to prove that you have some level of dedication and loyalty to us for our arrangement of service to you. I will teach you to fight, but that is a process that may take years to hone to an acceptable level, depending on what degree of natural talent you display. No, for this battle, the only thing I want you to do is learn a few basic healing spells and support our front lines."

"Oh… really?"

John's voice must have conveyed a small amount of the disappointment he felt, as buried as it was beneath layers of shock. Moira threw her head back and laughed wholeheartedly, furthering John's embarrassment.

"You play too many games, Mr. Newman," Moira said as she finished up her well-deserved chuckles. "It is true that some mages display an abnormal level of talent and power in their abilities, and in some cases a newborn mage gifted with a power that blooms later in life may surpass natural-born mages in a short frame of time, but you would be hard-pressed to make yourself useful in any fashion even if you were gifted near-legendary levels of power. Less than a week ago, you weren't even aware of the Abyss; to tackle even the mid-tier Cabal foes we seek to face in direct combat will require a great deal of practice for you."

"Yeah, sorry, don't know what I was thinking," John murmured, turning toward the window. John wondered what kind of training Moira had in mind, whether it would be difficult or not to conceal his strange abilities from her. How would Moira react if she learned about the things, people, and places he had created? She'd nearly arrested him upon seeing creatures she wasn't even certain were his and which were easily dispatched… if it came down to it and John revealed his ability to Purify creatures or accidentally showed off his numerous other abilities, how would Moira react?

John almost wished he could believe Moira about being just another mage, just someone nearly anonymous in a sea of talented warriors and mages. But the events of the past few days rang in his head any time he tried to believe that, filling his mind with surety that he was not a simple mage whose powers had recently bloomed. Something was afoot.

John only hoped that he could survive Moira's vengeful war long enough to discover what it was.