Moments after his cuffs clicked open, Orion lunged.
"You bastard!"
Before anyone could blink, he launched himself at Bastion like a cat pouncing on a tree. Unfortunately, his "tree" was roughly the size and shape of a small mountain.
Bastion barely budged. "Oi! What the hell-?!"
The two of them crashed into each other, Orion hanging off his brother's neck while Bastion simply tried to pry him loose. They rolled and wrestled across the floor, the metal plating echoing with thuds and grunts.
Kalen and Elena just stood there, watching. The swordsman's silver brows lifted slightly. "Is this normal?"
Elena folded her arms, expression flat. "Apparently."
If nothing else, it was entertaining.
The sight was almost comedic - one scrawny, bruised teen clinging for dear life to a brick wall of muscle. Bastion tried shaking him off, but Orion only tightened his grip like a rabid koala.
"You disappeared for months! You didn't answer any calls!" Orion yelled between gritted teeth. "You owe me an explanation, you overgrown piece of-!"
Bastion sighed, his patience already fraying. "Still running your mouth, huh?"
And then the "gentle" giant began flinging him around.
Orion yelped as he was effortlessly hoisted and spun like a rag doll before being dropped back on the floor with a thud.
'This gorilla! He's gonna kill me before the demons do!'
The two glared at each other in a tense stare-down. Then, as if nothing had happened, both started laughing. The tension snapped like a weak thread.
To anyone else, it might have looked like a fight. But for the Graves brothers, that was their greeting - one that said more than words ever could.
"Still alive, then," Bastion said, kneeling beside him.
"Barely, but no thanks to you," Orion groaned, clutching his side.
Bastion's expression softened. "Hold still."
He placed a massive palm over Orion's chest, and a golden light pulsed from his hand - warm, steady, and alive. It spread across Orion's body like liquid sunlight, flowing through every inch of him.
The gashes on his arms from those pesky little demons sealed shut without a trace. The acid burns on his chest vanished, leaving smooth, unblemished skin. Even the deep soreness from Mason's beatdown and being tossed faded in seconds.
In moments, every wound, bruise, and ache was gone. Orion felt light, refreshed, almost reborn, as if he'd just woken from the best sleep of his life.
'What the hell?' he blinked, staring at his healed arms. 'Can all exorcists do that? Or is my brother secretly some gentle healer in disguise?' He eyed Bastion's bulky frame and snorted inwardly. 'Yeah, right. This guy's about as gentle as a wrecking ball.'
Orion had a hundred questions spinning through his mind, but he swallowed them for now. There'd be time later, and he fully intended to drag every single answer out of his brother when they were alone.
For now, he was just… glad.
Glad that Bastion was alive. Glad that he was safe. Glad that, despite everything, his brother hadn't changed much. And most of all, glad to have discovered the supernatural.
His gaze shifted to the two others in the cell.
The tall one - Kalen, if he remembered right - stood with his arms crossed, silver eyes gleaming faintly under the flickering lights. His silver hair fell straight to his shoulders, almost glossy enough to reflect the glow. His frame was lean, built for precision and speed, and his face… well, his face could probably sell anything.
'He's even prettier in proper light. Honestly, he looks like a K-pop idol. He's the type that most girls would swoon over. Hell, I might even fall for him,' he joked internally.
Then there was the other one - the short woman. Barely over five feet, with bright ginger hair cut cleanly in a bob and eyes that burned like living flames. Small, sharp, fierce.
'She's pretty much the opposite of her type,' Orion mused, smirking internally. 'Short, no curves to brag about… but hey, someone out there must like that. Maybe if she and Bastion had kids, they'd come out normal-sized.'
He wisely didn't say that out loud. Something in her fiery gaze screamed, "I can incinerate you with a flick of my fingers."
Still, he wasn't exactly the quiet or reserved type.
"So," he said aloud, eyeing them both, "who are these two? I've unfortunately met the uptight pretty boy before, but who's the shorty? Another weirdo exorcist friend of yours?"
The temperature in the room seemed to rise.
Both Bastion and Kalen froze and turned to look at Elena, bracing for impact.
But instead of exploding, she just… exhaled, somewhat calmly.
"What?" she said, seeing their wary expressions. "I've changed. Been working on my temper with a therapist, actually. I'm a Supreme now. I wouldn't let a kid get under my skin."
"Kid?" Orion shot back instantly. "You look younger than me. Have you even gone through puberty yet?"
Despite gauging the dynamic between the three figures, where the short woman was somehow their senior, he couldn't resist the retort.
Orion was always unapologetically himself, though he couldn't help but step back when he saw her reaction.
A visible vein twitched on Elena's temple. The air shimmered around her as thin wisps of flame curled up from her shoulders. Kalen took half a step back, and Bastion quietly acted and stepped between them.
"She's Elena," Bastion said firmly, giving his brother a warning look. "A friend and peer of mine. So... show some respect, brat."
He smacked the back of Orion's head, not hard enough to hurt but definitely enough to make a point. Thankfully, it was enough to stop Elena from unleashing the inferno building around her.
Orion rubbed where he'd been hit and glared up at him. "Hey, you muscle-for-brains bastard! You miss my birthday, ignore my calls, and now you wanna play responsible big brother?"
And before anyone could stop him, he leapt at Bastion again.
"You little-!"
The two brothers started tussling once more, Bastion holding him back effortlessly while Orion tried to lock him in a headlock that had absolutely no effect.
Kalen just sighed and muttered, "What did I expect?"
"Yeah, he seems like he's gonna be trouble just like his brother," Elena replied, though there was a faint smile tugging at her lips now.
It looked ridiculous - but for the Graves brothers, it was normal. Beneath the chaos, there was relief. Joy. Love.
And maybe, for the first time since his world had been flipped upside down, Orion felt safe.
But as the laughter faded, the most important unspoken question settled heavily between them...
What happens now?