Xander's eyes snapped toward Marcel, his chest rising and falling with panicked breaths. In that instant, realization dawned—Marcel had just saved him.
"Marcel…" he muttered, his voice tinged with a rare hint of relief.
"Yeah…" Marcel's lips twisted, but before he could continue, his expression faltered. Shock rippled across his face. His palm throbbed violently from the strike, the strength behind Orion's punch far greater than expected but there was more. A wave of lightheadedness washed over him, and his knees wobbled dangerously.
Still, he held his ground, planting his feet firmly. His eyes burned with fury. "This brat…!"
Marcel snarled. He gripped Orion's fist tightly, yanked him forward, and swung his own free hand at Orion's face with every intention of smashing it in.
But Orion wasn't about to take another beating. His instincts screamed, and in a desperate surge of resistance, he caught Marcel's fist mid-air. The collision shocked Marcel. Orion, despite being younger and smaller, had managed to stop his strike dead in its tracks.
"Why you…!" Marcel growled, straining against Orion's strength. Both young men locked hands, their muscles tensing in a dangerous stalemate. Orion, however, struggled more. His balance was off, his body slightly unsteady from the earlier pull he got from Marcel.
That small opening was all Xander needed. With a burst of movement, he lunged forward and slammed his fist across Orion's face. The blow landed squarely, sending Orion crashing to the ground.
Xander exhaled harshly, adjusting his jacket with exaggerated composure. "Samuel's right," he said between breaths, glaring down at Orion's sprawled form. "He's dangerous."
He raised his foot high, ready to stomp Orion into submission. Orion instinctively curled into a defensive position, shielding his vital organs as best he could.
But before Xander could strike, a voice cut through the tension.
"What's going on here?"
The words froze the moment in place. Xander halted and along with Marcel turned their heads sharply. Samuel and Eden had just returned, confusion written across their faces. They had only been gone for a few minutes, yet the living room had erupted into chaos in their absence.
Xander's gaze flicked to Samuel's hand. His carrier was there. Relief and satisfaction loosened his tense shoulders, and he sighed.
"Nothing," Xander said, lowering his foot and tossing Orion a final glare. "Just teaching the brat some manners. Things got a little… heated."
Samuel's sharp eyes lingered on Marcel, whose simmering anger made it obvious more had gone on than Xander admitted. But Samuel decided not to press the issue. The answer was good enough for him.
"Anyway," Samuel said, stepping closer, "I got it."
He handed Xander the carrier, while Eden crouched beside Orion, inspecting the fresh bruise blossoming across his cheek.
"What happened?" Eden asked softly, his concern genuine.
Orion frowned, brushing Eden's hand away roughly. "I'm fine," he muttered, though his voice betrayed both pain and pride.
Meanwhile, Xander eagerly opened his carrier and rummaged through its compartments. His eyes immediately went to the pocket holding his gold coins. His expression darkened.
"A couple of coins are missing," he snapped, his glare shooting straight at Orion. "Cough them up, punk."
Orion clicked his tongue, annoyed but cornered. With a reluctant sigh, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small handful of coins, and extended them toward Xander.
Xander didn't take them directly. Instead, he shifted his eyes toward Eden. His unspoken command was clear: You get them for me.
Eden hesitated but obeyed. He reached for Orion's outstretched hand. "Give them to me," he said softly.
Orion stared at his brother, annoyance and then acceptance flickering in his eyes as he let the coins drop into Eden's palm.
Eden quickly stood and carried them to Xander.
"Here," he said, placing the coins in Xander's hand.
Xander tossed the coins up and down a few times, silently counting. Once satisfied, he tucked them back into the carrier at his waist—keeping one coin aside. He flicked it toward Eden with a cocky grin. "For you. A reward."
Eden caught it awkwardly, glancing at the small coin in his palm that was worth a lot due to the material it was made from before closing his fingers around it.
Xander scanned the room with a smug air of triumph. "Now that I've gotten what I came for, I think it's finally time to leave."
He jerked his chin at Samuel. "Bring the brat."
Samuel moved toward Orion, preparing to drag him along.
Then Xander turned toward Eden. His grin returned, sharper this time.
"A deal is a deal and you kept to your end so it's only right I would mine. Lucky for you, I found my carrier here after it was stolen" He reached into another compartment of the carrier, separate from the coins and teramyth crystals. From it, he pulled out a strange-looking bottle that was completely opaque its content couldn't be seen.
"Here you go," he said, handing it to Eden.
Orion's curiosity spiked instantly. He watched Eden clutch the bottle with both hands, his demeanor suddenly shifting. Embarrassment flooded Eden's face. He couldn't even look at anyone in the roo. Instead, he stared at the bottle like it was the most precious thing in the world.
"What's that?" Orion asked sharply, his voice rising with suspicion.
"Oh, that?" Xander smirked, pointing lazily at the bottle in Eden's trembling hands.
"That is a trade," Xander said, his voice thick with amusement. "A trade for something very special."
Orion's eyebrows knitted together. "A trade for something special? What do you mean by that?"
Xander walked closer, placing a heavy hand on Orion's shoulder. He leaned in, his wicked grin spreading wider. "How do I put this… Your brother gave you up for that bottle. So now that the deal's been made—you'll be coming with us."
Orion's eyes widened instantly. His stomach dropped, and the world seemed to spin. He whipped his head toward Eden, horror and disbelief painted across his face.
"Ed…" His voice cracked. "You did what?"