Inside the cell, Orion's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He was fuming—boiling with rage at Xander's callousness—but beneath that fury was a deep, bone-crushing sadness. He wanted to scream, to deny it all, but part of him believed it. He was convinced that Eden's fate, whatever it would be, was already sealed.
Xander turned to his companions. "We're done here. Come on, let's go get some fresh air—and remind the chieftain's daughter to keep her mouth shut if she doesn't want to make things worse for all of us, but mostly me."
He started toward the exit. Marcel followed close behind, but Samuel lingered for a moment longer, casting one last sympathetic look at Orion.
"It's been a while since I pulled that cloth from your face," Samuel said softly, his eyes falling on the mask hanging around Orion's neck. "You should wear it back. You'll be here for a while, so better get comfortable while you're at it. Your breathing issue coming back is the last thing you want."
With that, Samuel turned and followed the others out, their footsteps fading down the corridor until only silence remained.
Orion sank to the ground, his body trembling. The weight of everything he'd heard pressed down on him like a mountain. His brother's fate was a mystery, but for all he knew, Eden's life hung by a thread—and so did his own sanity. Kay, their foster father, was a hollow shell whose recovery was far from certain, and now Eden might be next.
For a long moment, Orion just sat there, breathing unevenly, the damp air of the cell closing around him like a suffocating shroud. Then, suddenly, his arm began to itch—an unbearable, crawling sensation that spread across his skin. His chest burned as if fire had ignited beneath his flesh. His oxygen toxicity rising.
Orion tugged the cloth mask over his face, trying to steady himself. His vision blurred as he dropped his head against his knees, the world spinning violently around him.
In that suffocating darkness, he could only think of one thing—Eden. And as the wave of rebirth loomed closer, Orion could only pray that, somehow, his brother would survive what was to come.
A few hours had passed. Orion now lay on the makeshift bed in the corner of his cell as night settled heavily over the town.
Everywhere was quiet with the occasional sounds of guards sipping into his cell as they walked by.
Then came a low, grumbling noise.
Orion's face twisted slightly as he pressed a hand against his stomach, realizing just how hollow it felt. The ache reminded him that he hadn't eaten a single thing all day.
"Are they seriously going to let me starve in here?" he muttered bitterly, his voice echoing softly in the confined space. "I know I'm being punished, but the least they could do is—"
Before he could finish, a thunderous sound tore through the air. The impact was so powerful it seemed to shake the very walls of his cell, an almost ear-splitting roar that made his heart skip a beat.
Orion froze. His eyes widened as he quickly sat upright,
"Don't tell me…" he whispered under his breath. His gaze darted toward the door, where a faint yellow glow of burning torch leaked through the bars. "Eden."
A sound like thunder rolled through the town, shaking even the iron bars of his cell.
---
Outside, standing before the town's local enforcement headquarters, was Xander. His eyes were fixed on the full moon above, its pale light washing over his face. The cool night breeze swept past him, rustling his hair and making the nearby tree sway and creak as though it were alive.
The door behind him creaked open, and two figures stepped out—Marcel and Samuel.
"Looks like it's started," Xander said, his voice low but firm as he lowered his eyes from the moon to his companions. A faint smirk curved his lips. "The Wave of Rebirth is always loud when it begins."
The air seemed to pulse with a strange rhythm, a deep, resonant thudding that felt almost alive—like the heartbeat of the world itself.
"Captain," Xander called out, turning to address the man who stood at the front of the gathered town guards inside the building. The captain's face was grim, his eyes sharp with focus as the unnatural hum continued to ripple through the night.
"Let's go check on your townspeople, shall we?" Xander said, turning around with a measured calmness. "Make sure nothing bad happens to them or this town incase your years of good luck have finally run out."
Without waiting for a response, he began walking toward the residential part of town. Samuel and Marcel followed close behind, their boots echoing against the cobbled street as the guards moved to join them.
All around them, the sound of the world's heartbeat echoed, bringing with it a change for the better or worse. Only time will tell.