Sera POV
"John!!" Sera exclaimed, rushing forwards as her best friend stumbled backwards. She barely managed to grab hold of his shoulders before he sagged into her, eyes drifting shut. Just before they closed, however, she noticed something; they were glowing a bright amber. Her own eyes widened. But his ability is gone!
There was a sharp gasp from the hospital bed in front of them. Sera turned to see that Jane, John's mother, had glowing eyes too; just as John's had, they slowly faded as she fell backwards and closed her eyes. Suddenly, Sera was left alone in a room full of unconscious people. It seemed that both John and his mother had passed out.
Fighting back waves of confusion, Sera slowly lowered John into a chair that sat against the side of the room. He made no movements, his head lulling to his shoulder as she let go of him. She frowned, glancing back at his mother.
It had all happened so quickly. She herself barely even knew what had happened... one moment, John's mother had mentioned something about John's ability being closed off. The next, they'd both gone very still, their eyes lighting up with a matching glow, before each fell backwards. Whatever had happened seemed to have exhausted each of them. She only wished she understood what exactly it was that had taken place.
Something about it stuck with her, though. She couldn't deny that John's eyes had lit up brightly. She couldn't deny that, for a moment, his ability had been active. How, though? Spectre disabled it, just like they did with mine. She hadn't been able to use hers after their machine's dose had worn off. So how...?
She paused. John's uncle had mentioned something about this. He'd mentioned that he couldn't wake John's ability himself, though he wasn't as strong as Jane... She was more powerful than anyone Sera had ever met. Maybe it really was possible. If she could control aura channels, to an extent much greater than John or even his uncle, than who was to say she couldn't overpower the disabler?
If she had used her ability to awaken John's, then, did that mean he would be okay again? Would it make up for the fact that I let him go into danger? She sighed. He'd forced her to involve him in the plan, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. She'd been the one who needed help with Spectre. She couldn't help but feel like she was partially the reason he'd lost his ability, because she'd been so desperate for her own back.
She'd wanted it back, though, to help him... even if causing his ability loss felt like it had done more things wrong than anything else. That always seemed to be the goal, even now. They'd gone to his uncle and then to his mother to try and help him. She'd tried her best to comfort him through the hard times, to tell him that she wanted to be there. She wanted him to be able to move forward with his life, even as things kept dragging him back.
"John..." She whispered, reaching a hand out to gently touch his face. Is it too much to hope that he'll just be okay? That we all will? She didn't know if there was such a thing as happy endings, not after everything. Not after either of their pasts.
Suddenly, his amber eyes opened. Sera pulled back her hand as he jolted to his feet, nearly hitting her from where she'd been leaning down next to him. He turned to look at her, eyes wide.
She found herself hoping that he wasn't reacting to the fact that she'd touched his face. She hadn't meant anything by it, really. It just felt right. Just as it always felt when she held him close.
"What happened?!" He asked, raising his hands and staring at them. Sera frowned. He's not talking about that, then.
"You passed out, John. You tell me," She reminded him. John's mouth gaped open and closed for a second. He turned to look at her, eyes wide.
"I... I did? Then how..." He turned to look at his hands again. Suddenly, she thought she understood why. Her eyes widened.
"Is your ability working?!" She asked, standing up too. He continued to stare at his hands for a moment without answering.
"She did something... I felt aura rushing through me, and darkness, then there was light again, and I saw you..." He paused and looked at her, cheeks flushing. "B-because I woke up, obviously."
She nodded slowly. "But... your ability?" She had to know.
He bit his lip and stared back at his hands. "I think... I think it might be back. I can sense something from you, some sort of light aura, and something strong from her direction..." He glanced in the direction of his mother's bed. She still hadn't woken up.
Sera's eyes widened a moment later. "Wait. You sensed aura... from me?" But that would mean my ability isn't gone. Unless... it's just hidden? Does the disabler hide abilities, not truly remove them-?
Before she could finish the thought, John spoke again.
"My ability feels a little different, though. It feels almost... stronger, as if she woke up more of it than before," He said slowly. "But even that is strange. If this really is my ability, that means... she can overpower the disabler."
They both stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide. Sera could barely get herself to ask the next question.
"Could she wake up my ability?"