^^**Orion concept art included**^^
Prominent footsteps cut through the still air in the lowest level of the Erebus Dungeon. The footsteps of the Devil himself, Damien Erebus. He slowly walked down the hall of the dungeon with his hands behind his back and a look of subtle irritation on his face. He had two other men following behind him, and it seemed like Damien's presence had shifted. He was always insane and frightening, of course. But now, Damien appeared to be calmer, but still fueled and driven by pure rage and vendetta. He craved vengeance for his father's death.
Damien stopped walking when he reached a cell and he turned to face the prisoner inside. "Well, you're in luck. I have a proposition for you, a chance to earn your freedom." Damien spoke coldly at the man in the cell. He was bruised, bloody and had many small puncture wounds on both his arms. His dark hair was messy and hanging in his face, but it was still him. Zachariah.
He lifted his head slowly to look at Damien with disgust in his eyes. "What do you want?" He said slowly, clearly exhausted from being locked away from everyone who knew could help him for so long. Damien looked down at him through the bars with a dark grin.
"To use that devious little mind of yours, what else?" Damien responded coyly. Zachariah chuckled softly before he smirked slightly.
"Well, lucky for you, I have a lot of connections."
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"Nyx...I gotta tell you something." Oliver started in the hallway of Sanctuary's dormitories. "There's a very good reason that I've been avoiding you, but frankly, I don't want to stay quiet anymore." He stepped forward and his gaze hardened on Nyx. "My dad's name is Maxwell Grey."
Nyx's eyes jolted open as a gasp escaped her lips. Her mother wouldn't give her much information about her father, all she ever got was his name. And that was it. "W-what?" Nyx stuttered out barely above a whisper. Nate leaned down slightly and placed a hand on her upper back, letting her know that he was there. Even though he was shocked himself.
"Your mom didn't want me to tell you, but...after what happened, I can't keep it quiet anymore. Our dad had two kids with two different women before he was killed in a public attack by the Erebus Mafia. Your mom also said that he was ungifted." Oliver rubbed the back of his head as he held an uncomfortable posture. Nyx was speechless, her mouth hung open slightly as she struggled to find her words.
"I...have a brother?" Nyx finally choked out as a small smile found its way to her lips. Oliver looked down as a small smirk graced his lips as well. Nate looked between them and gently nudged Nyx's back towards him. Nyx stepped forward and hugged Oliver tightly. Oliver held his arms away from his body for a moment before he hesitantly hugged her back.
"I have...a little sister." Oliver whispered as he hugged Nyx warmly. Nate stepped back and watched the two with a smile on his face. He was happy that Nyx could finally feel a sudden and unconditional connection with someone. He was happy that Nyx could rely on someone other than him...just in case. Oliver backed away from Nyx a bit so he could talk. "I'm uh...I'm sorry that I switched partners...but I wanna switch back, if you want." He said with a slightly embarrassed tone for the way he acted.
Nyx playfully punched his shoulder, but hard enough to jolt him back a bit. "Of course, you idiot." She said with a small restrained smile. Oliver smirked back before his eyes darted slightly between the two in front of him, and his smirk got wider.
"Also, since Nyx is my little sister, and I've always wanted to say this. If you hurt my sister, I'll kill you." Oliver said playfully as he leaned towards Nate. Nate smiled as he shoved a hand into his pocket.
"I don't plan on it, buddy." Nate responded with a smile. "You wanna come with us? We're going to get some food."
"Sure." Oliver responded as he started walking alongside them down the hall. "You guys know what you're gonna be for Halloween?"
"Hopefully drunk." Nyx responded with a small laugh as Nate gave her a high five. The banter between the three of them continued as they walked down the hall. Nyx felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and on the plus side Nyx wouldn't have to deal with Kyle anymore...
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Nerissa was in her room laying comfortably on her side in bed. She was scrolling through her phone to try and distract herself from her own mind. The strange feeling of jealousy she felt upon seeing Danny's wonderful and loving parents made her... embarrassed. So she had been avoiding Danny for the past few days, which she felt wrong doing, of course. Nerissa looked up at her door when she heard a gentle knock. She yelled "come in" and her door opened, and Danny walked in.
"Hey, where have you been?" He asked her quietly as he entered the room fully and shut the door. "I haven't seen you since you met my parents." Danny walked over to Nerissa's bed and sat down next to her.
Nerissa locked her phone and set it down on the bed before she sat up straight. "I know...I'm sorry but I just...wanted to be alone for a bit."
Danny looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "Nerissa, ever since we discovered that we're family, you've hardly left my side. Now suddenly you want to be alone? I'm not sure I buy it." Danny said with a slightly accusatory tone, Nerissa cursed under her breath, she should've known better than to try and lie to Danny. "Do you not like my parents?"
Nerissa's eyes widened, "No! Gods no, Danny I love them. They're sweet and caring. I just..." Nerissa trailed off and lost track of her words.
"Nerissa..." Danny said softly to get her attention, she looked at him and saw that the gears in his head were turning. "Why won't you tell me what my birth parents are like?" His face was subtly confused and concerned.
Nerissa tensed and gulped, "I...fuck-" Nerissa cursed under her breath, dreading this conversation. "I...I wish I could tell you that they're good people, but they aren't." Nerissa averted her gaze, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.
"What'd they do?" He asked her hesitantly. Nerissa shook her head swiftly before she cleared her throat.
"No...I don't want to talk about it." Nerissa responded in a somber tone. She didn't want to do this, she didn't want to say this.
"Why? Nerissa please, they were my parents too." Danny pushed her more, subtly hurt from Nerissa trying to hide this from him.
"No." Nerissa started as she snapped her head to him swiftly. "No, you have your parents. Your amazing, loving and understanding parents, you should just be happy with them."
"I am happy with them, but that doesn't make me any less curious. What could they have possibly done that was so bad?" Danny said with a bit of anger in his voice. As he spoke, Nerissa's posture shifted as something was building up inside of her before she eventually erupted.
"They killed my twin okay?!" Nerissa suddenly burst out with anger at Danny and his eyes went wide. Nerissa stood up before she continued. "They shot Dante right in front of me the moment his powers showed up because they were beating me for a mistake I made and he wanted to save me! He bled to death and died in my arms while they called the cops and got away with murdering him in so-called 'self-defense', and after that, they made me clean the fucking blood of my twin off the floor! THEY are the reason I never show my back because it is covered with marks they left as 'lessons'! You don't get how fucking lucky you are, Danny! I love you and your family is great for accepting me, but do you have any idea how frustrating it also felt?! To find out that I had a sibling I didn't even know about and he got to live such a love-filled life while Dante and I suffered with our biological parents?! Do you have any idea how frustrating it was to be hugged by your parents and realize I will never receive that type of love from my parents?! So no, they're not your parents, they never will be! So just fucking drop it!" Nerissa left the room and slammed the door shut, leaving Danny alone in her room.
Danny sat on her bed, still in shock from the information that was just thrown in his face. He was suddenly acutely aware of his own breathing as it rang in his ears. He had a baby brother too? A baby brother that was taken away from him before he even knew he existed. Danny looked down into his lap, silently cursing himself for pushing it so far. Part of him was wishing that he hadn't known, but things were suddenly different now that he did. Everything made more sense, why Nerissa took on such a protective role for Danny after they first met. Danny now realized that it was probably because he resembled Dante, and Nerissa saw it pretty fast. Danny knew he would have to apologize to her, but right now she definitely needs some space to cool off...
Outside, Nerissa stomped towards the garden, hoping to be alone, however upon approaching, she paused seeing Rhys there. Part of her wanted to approach, but after having heard him snap at Soul...she hated to admit it, but she didn't feel trust in him anymore. Soul was her best friend and while her actions were not the greatest, she knew her friend just wanted to keep everyone safe. If Rhys couldn't understand that, maybe he wasn't as great as she thought he was. If he thought less of Soul for that...then maybe he lied when he told her no one would think less of her for killing those men. More doubt and negativity crashed into her like a tidal wave, all in Rhys's voice.
Killer
Useless
Why can't you do anything right?
You're just like your parents
Dante would be so disappointed in you
Hopeless
As it only seemed to get louder in her mind, she stumbled back away from the garden and began to jog to anywhere she could find that was empty and away from her friends. Knowing an area that was usually sparsely populated so she knew she could be alone, she took off towards it, a small lake where she would often visit when she was feeling stressed or anxious. Nerissa approached the edge of the lake and gazed across the water, the tranquil scenery calmed her slightly. But it didn't completely stop her rabid thoughts.
It still astounds me that you constantly allow the people near you to be brought to the brink of death.
Nerissa's head twitched as she tried to shake Ezekiel's words from her mind. She closed her eyes in a deep melancholic sigh. He was right, it started with Dante, then Drake, then Jack, then Danny, then Nyx and Rhys. Time and time again she was right there and couldn't do anything to help them. She remembered breaking her personal law of not killing anyone, but when Danny was in danger...she just couldn't allow her brother to die again. Why couldn't she do it for everyone else? Her mind wandered to the unlucky ones, Drake...just a quiet but kind guy who was killed...saving Rhys' life, her mind remembered Rhys' face as he begged for Nerissa to heal him. Her heart broke when she had to tell him that she couldn't do it. She simply wasn't skilled enough to heal a gunshot to the heart. She remembered Jack...a brave and genuine soul and an incredible fighter...she certainly didn't think he'd go out like that. She remembered her brother, Dante. The most incredible person she had ever known. What she wouldn't give to have him beside her now.
Nerissa took a deep breath before she turned around and let herself fall backwards into the water. Of course, Nerissa felt more calm and free when she was submerged. But right now, even though she could breathe perfectly fine underwater, it was as if she didn't want to breathe anymore. Although, Neri knew this wasn't a long term solution, it comforted her for the time being.
Orion walked around the back end of campus and towards the pond just in time to see Nerissa fall backwards into the water. His eyes widened and his pulse quickened for a moment before he ran forward to the edge of the water. He looked into it and saw Nerissa floating there with her eyes closed, she was still and calm. Orion saw her hand start to slowly reach out in front of her like she was reaching for someone. He held his breath before he jumped into the water with her, Nerissa eyes snapped open upon hearing another body enter the water. She saw Orion floating in front of her, reaching out his hand to hers before they gently touched. Orion was trying to show Nerissa that she wasn't alone, that he was just like her. Nerissa stared at him in amazement for a moment, his jet black hair dancing in the water before fading into the perfect shade of blue that blended with the pale blue of the water. His mystical blue eyes glowing softly, even though his Gift wasn't active, he looked...so much like Jack. It made her heart hurt a bit.
Nerissa's mind focused back onto Orion's face again and her eyes widened when she saw him struggling to breathe. Nerissa reacted and swam upwards, scooping him up with one arm as she lifted him to the surface. Once the two had broken the surface of the water and climbed back onto dry land, Nerissa sat down on the ground next to Orion. He was on his hands and knees, coughing and breathing deeply. "Are you okay?" She asked him in an even tone.
After he coughed a few more times, Orion looked up at her as he leaned back onto his knees. "Yeah, I'm okay...are you?" He answered back with another question that made Nerissa's blood turn hot.
"No...no, I don't think I am." Nerissa answered softly as she looked down into her own lap. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Then don't." Orion answered, which caused Nerissa to look back up at him in surprise. "Not everything needs to be said out loud." Nerissa was caught off guard by Orion's strange answer. "If you ever do want to talk about it, I'll be glad to listen...but only if you want."
Nerissa smiled a warm smile at him, "Thanks, Orion." She said as she leaned forward and hugged him gently. Orion tensed a bit, he had never been hugged before. He didn't really know...what to do. Nerissa leaned back a bit, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry." Nerissa mumbled. "It's just been a rough day, but you seem really easy to talk to."
Orion shuffled slightly before he peeled his soaking wet hair off his face, "Well, before I met you guys I didn't really talk much. I mostly listened and took orders, but I think I like talking." He said as a small smirk crept onto his lips. Nerissa's heart hurt again as she saw the resemblance to Jack yet again. Nerissa lifted her hands and swirled them in a circular motion in between them. She lifted her right hand high above her head, Orion watched as the water was drawn out of his clothes, lifting off of his skin and snaking out of his hair, lifting it slightly before it fell back in place. Orion closed his right eye to prevent his hair from falling into it before opening it again to look at Nerissa. She was mimicking the same motion to remove the water from herself before she motioned towards the lake and the excess water was flung into it.
Orion looks at her and he smiles weakly. "I get it, you know? Not wanting to breathe anymore. I haven't been alive for long, but well...from what I can tell this world kinda sucks" he says, his voice deadpan. Nerissa snorts and for the first time in a while, she smiles. Shrugging, she looks at the water in front of them, looking so still, yet still slowly moving before speaking, "Yeah, sorry about that. The world used to not suck so much, but well. People are scared of what they can't control."
Orion pauses upon hearing this, "We're just humans though. We're still just barely not kids anymore. We didn't ask for this..." he murmurs. She looks at him before squeezing her hand in his, making him look at her as she gives him a small smile, "No we didn't. But, I believe one day things will change. Just like we have." He looks at her in confusion and motions to the school behind them, "The place you came from made you do horrid things, but you changed. You broke out of the mold Kuroi tried to force you in. I think if the world can learn to break out of the forced mold of societal norms...maybe, just maybe, we can finally all learn to co-exist."
Nerissa goes to stand up and begins to remove her hand from Orion's, but he only tightens his grip and looks at her, "What happened. Why were you in the water like that?". She freezes before sighing and sitting back down. "Two reasons I suppose. The first is...well I made a promise a long time ago, to myself and to the grave of my brother. To never be a killer like my parents were. I broke that promise the first time the Erebus clan captured one of us...Danny. I heard him scream and these guards taunted me, revealing he was my brother. I saw red and I guess I didn't really think about my actions till we got back to the cabin. And then it hit me like a truck. It still hasn't left me and it's so stupid, because I know I was in the right in some twisted way since I helped save Danny. But a life is still a life. I took their lives. Took them away from their families. Even if they were assholes, they were still sons to people. Maybe even fathers," she rambled, her leg starting to tap against the ground anxiously.
"The second thing is recent I suppose. Back in the Erebus Compound...Ezekiel, he said something I can't forget. He told me, "It astounds me that you still allow people around you to be brought to the brink of death". And all I can think about is that he's right. I heal, yes, and I've killed. But I can't protect my friends. Every time I try to make a shield with my water, all I can picture is...someone I lost. The failure to protect him. And suddenly I'm powerless all over again." Orion blinks, not having expected all of this hurt and pain out of the person he had been told was the cheerful one, who had always given him blinding smiles whenever she hung out with him.
In his eyes, he thought she was handling everything perfectly, but it showed him just how good a smile can hide hurt. "Killing people is never great and it never gets easier...but you have to remind yourself that those guards chose their fate the moment they decided to work for the Erebus Clan. If you hadn't killed them, not only would someone else have killed them later down the line, but Danny would've died. It's shitty I know, but you kept your brother safe and that's what matters. You and your brother survived. As for the second part, if you were powerless, I wouldn't be here. Most of us wouldn't. Protecting people can be hard, but even after they're hurt, you still manage to patch them up. I don't...I don't know what it's like to lose someone I care for. But think about it like this. Have you lost anyone else since then? Even if they do get injured, you've healed them right?", he responded.
Nerissa seems frozen as she takes in his words before nodding meekly. He nudges his shoulder against hers as he continues to talk, "Then you're not powerless. Just hurt from the past. Not being able to do one thing doesn't invalidate everything else you can do." She mulls over his words for a moment before speaking up, "Could you train me?". Caught off guard, he looks at her with wide eyes, "Train you? Wha- no, I- Nerissa I'm not the person for that." Shrugging again, she leans her head onto his shoulder, "I think you are."
There's a long moment of silence, both of them just watching the water before Orion speaks again. "I killed people-" he says, his voice cracking. She nods as she speaks, "Yeah, you did." Orion tenses as she confirms it, but then she speaks again. "Guess what though? So did I, like I just told you. And you don't think of me any less right? Honestly...most of us have killed people I think. We did what we all had to, to survive. To make it here alive," her voice wavered before she nudged her shoulder against his and gave him a small smile. "It's not easy to live with the guilt, as you've seen from me literally falling into water-" she joked while readjusting her legs, Orion grinning slightly, "-But, from one survivor to another, I'm glad you're here with us," Nerissa finished her little speech and rested her head back on Orion's shoulder. Worry filled her as she worried maybe it wasn't enough to comfort him, especially as he removed his hand from hers, but her worries quickly subsided when he draped his arm around her from behind, his hand resting on her waist, as he held her to him closely. And for a small moment, both of them forget their worries for a bit, and just watch the water as they leaned against each other, snug and content. A silent promise that the other isn't alone.
Around the corner of the large stone building stood a figure watching them. His amber eyes narrowed on the two sitting on the edge of the water. It was Rhys. He was there for a while, the entire time a strange feeling was clawing into his chest. It was a feeling that he knew too well. Rhys clenched his jaw before he turned on his heel and walked back inside. Originally he wanted to find Nerissa to try and bring some light into his day, but now? Now, he just wanted to be alone.
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"My my...that twisted little mind of yours comes up with the most devious plans, doesn't it?" Damien teased Zachariah as he glared at him with an amused look through the bars of his cell. Damien knew better than to release him without striking a deal.
"Does that mean I've earned my freedom?" Zachariah asked in a slightly irritated tone, like this whole situation he had found himself in was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Damien chuckled darkly, "It'll take more than that to get away from me, I'm going to need something else from you. I'm going to need those connections of yours to accomplish my goals. Then, and only then, will you earn your freedom." Damien growled out as he glared down his nose at his prisoner. Zachariah straightened his back in the chair he was bound in before he locked eyes with Damien.
"Your goal of killing those Gifted kids who ran away from me, right? You forget, you used to be under my thumb too, Masamune." Zachariah taunted him with a small smile on his face. Damien's lip curled as he growled under his breath before a shadow tendril snaked up from Damien's shadow and swiftly stabbed Zachariah's shoulder. He yelled shortly before he gritted his teeth to choke down the pain.
"You better watch your mouth, mongrel." Damien growled in anger again with menace and rage lacing his tone. "You're under my thumb now." Damien stepped closer before he leaned forward, his face inches away from the bars of the cell.
"Now...what about these connections you have?" Damien finished with an amused grin on his face.