"What? H–How'd you… How'd you find me?" Orion stammered, his voice breaking under the weight of panic. His eyes darted nervously between Samuel, Marcel, and the man standing in front of the invading party—Xander. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to retreat, and he subconsciously stepped back, trying to place as much distance between himself and them as possible, but his feet felt like lead against the floor.
Orion's gaze flickered toward Eden, who stood silently behind the group. Eden's expression wasn't angry yet; instead, his face was twisted in confusion, his brows drawn together as though he were trying to solve a puzzle that didn't make sense.
'Why are you acting so strangely?' —that was the obvious thought Orion predicted was forming in his younger brother's mind.
He instinctively wanted to keep Eden in the dark, to protect him from the full truth of what had happened, but his mind raced desperately for an answer that would fix this. No matter how hard he tried to think of a way to smooth things over, there was nothing—no plan, no lie convincing enough.
After everything he had done to Xander—stealing from him and then trying to escape when he was discovered—there was no way the truth wouldn't come out now. The walls around his secret were collapsing, and Eden would inevitably know what his brother had done.
Yes, Eden was aware of Orion's petty theft and always warned him against it, but this was the first time something this serious had come from his actions, and Orion really didn't want his younger brother to have been right.
Xander slowly looked around the humbly structured room, his sharp eyes scanning every detail. An impressed, almost predatory grin curved his lips.
"Not too shabby," he murmured, nodding his head slightly, as though acknowledging something about the place or about Orion himself. "I guess this puts some perspective into why you stole what you did."
The words made Eden jolt. The intrigue that had been on his face a moment ago dissolved instantly, replaced with shock.
"Steal? What did you—?" Eden's eyes widened further as his memory flashed back to seeing Xander's carrier in Orion's hands mere minutes ago. The puzzle pieces clicked together in his head. "Wait… Don't tell me you did what I think you did."
Orion turned toward his brother, a nervous smile flickering across his face as though he could somehow charm his way out of this.
"I might have bitten off more than I can chew this time—" Orion began, trying to downplay the situation with his usual nonchalant tone, like he always did, but his attempt was cut short.
Xander moved with lightning speed. His hand shot out, gripping Orion's shirt in a tight fist and yanking him forward until they were face-to-face.
"Where the hell is my carrier!" Xander snarled, his voice low and threatening, his aura radiating like a physical force.
"It's in my room. I can go get it for you if you just let go of my—" Orion's plea was cut off once again, this time by a sharp, stinging slap that cracked through the walls of the room. The blow was so strong it almost tore the face cover from Orion's face.
The entire room went silent. Even Eden flinched.
Xander, who stood several inches taller than Orion, leaned down until his nose was almost touching Orion's. He tilted his head slightly, his tone dropping to a cold whisper. "I should what?"
Orion's teeth clenched violently, his fists tightening as he stared straight at Xander's face, fury blazing in his eyes despite the pain.
"That's interesting… such dangerously fierce eyes for someone your age," Marcel remarked, his voice laced with biting sarcasm
"If I didn't know better, I'd have called him a beast," Samuel added with a dry chuckle.
Xander noticed the feral glint in Orion's eyes and chuckled darkly, tearing his gaze away briefly to glance at Samuel, who was standing to his left.
"A beast? This kid?" Xander turned back to Orion, his grin widening. "The look in his eyes is nothing compared to a real beast—the kind that wants to tear you limb from limb. Not because they think you're a threat or food… but because they crave chaos."
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating.
"Tell me, thief. Have you ever seen a Splinter Beast before? How about a Wraith-Liar? Or perhaps something as simple as riding along the follicles of the world's horn?" Xander smirked, dangling the words like bait.
Orion said nothing. His silence was heavy.
"Last time we stood this close, you had plenty to say. What's the matter now? Cat got your tongue?"Xander mocked, his laughter cold and cutting. "That reminds me—you claimed you had a sick cat to care for. Go on then, show me where it is—"
Before Xander could finish, a sound cut through the room. From the inclined chair positioned so that whoever sat in it faced away from the door, a low groan echoed. It startled everyone—Eden, Orion, even Xander himself. None of them had expected any noise from that corner.
Like synchronized machines, Xander, Marcel, and Samuel all turned toward the chair, their postures shifting into one of alert readiness, prepared for whatever might emerge.
"What's that?" Xander demanded, pulling back slightly from Orion and straightening to his full height as he turned halfway toward the chair.
"Is that the supposed cat?" His voice was sharp, threatening, each step toward the chair deliberate.
"There's no cat," Orion said quietly.
"No kidding. I knew that story was a lie the moment I saw you running after stealing from me," Xander replied coldly. He took another step toward the chair, still dragging Orion along begrudgingly. "But the question still remains. What made that sound"
Xander's eyes narrowed as more groaning sounds came from the chair. Suspicion colored his expression as he approached, tilting his head slightly.
Soon, he caught sight of a resting head.
"Hmm," Xander muttered, moving to the side to get a better view. He saw Kay—slumped, silent, vulnerable.
Xander studied the man for a long moment. Something about Kay was off. His skin looked pale, his breathing shallow. Waving his hand in front of Kay's face, Xander tested for a reaction—perhaps the flicker of pupils tracking movement—but there was nothing.
"What's wrong with him?" Xander frowned, his brows furrowing deeper as he pressed a finger gently to Kay's cheek but there was nothing. No focus, no awareness—like the man was a hollow shell.
"He fell sick years ago and hasn't been the same since," Orion said quietly, his voice tight with anger and humiliation. "This is our father. My brother and I have had to do whatever we can to survive and take care of him."
"So this is the sick cat," Xander murmured, his tone mocking as he stared at the burning anger on Orion's face.
"I've already told you, there's no cat—"
"Whatever." Xander dragged Orion back to where they had been standing, as if dismissing the subject entirely.
He glanced around the room again, his sneer deepening as a cruel chuckle escaped his lips.
"What a pathetic scene this is. I can't believe the idiot who managed to steal from me came from somewhere like this. On second thought, maybe it makes perfect sense."
"Yeah," Orion muttered, turning to glance at Eden, whose disappointed expression spoke louder than words. His younger brother's silence was a knife twisting in his gut.
He exhaled heavily and faced Xander again. "Why don't we just get this over with?"
"What?" Xander frowned, irritated by Orion's attempt to take control of the situation.
"You're here for your bag, right? So let's get it over with."
Xander groaned softly, the aura around him sharpening as if he disliked being told what to do.
"Okay," he said finally, a mischievous glint lighting his eyes.
"Cool. As I said, the bag is in my room, so I'll just go get it for you. You don't have to worry about me running like last time. You've already found my home so it's not like there's anything i can run to. Besides, you can always stop me like before if—"
"No need," Xander cut him off.
He turned to Samuel and Eden, who stood together some feet away.
"Both of you, go into the room and get the carrier," he ordered. His gaze fixed on Eden. "I'm guessing the two of you share the same room, so you'll know where to find it even if it's hidden."
"It's not," Orion interjected quickly.
"Good. That'll make this a lot easier," Xander said, then continued with his previous statement. "I'll keep this one here, and then we can all leave when you come back."
Samuel nodded silently, gesturing for Eden to lead him to the room. Together, they disappeared down the corridor, turning left into the bedroom.
Orion's eyes followed them until they were out of sight. His stomach churned with dread.
"So once you've taken back your bag—sorry, your carrier—what are you going to do to me?" Orion asked carefully, his voice shaky but laced with defiance. "I mean, you've already punished me enough with your—"
The sentence ended with another harsh slap. The sound cracked like a whip.
Orion blinked rapidly, stunned again by the sudden attack.
Before he could recover, Xander's hand shot up, ripping the cloth from his face. The knot at the back resisted for a second before snapping painfully, leaving a stinging ache on Orion's scalp.
"Now I finally see that ugly mug of yours," Xander said with a wicked smirk. "Which means you won't be able to run or hide from me ever again. It's over"