Arcane Anew (Rewrite)

The door slowly creaked open. A faint blue light faded just as Powder's head poked inside. Her eyes, filled with wonder and excitement, darted around the room searching for the source.

Powder frowned, her excitement shifting to disappointment as her gaze fell upon Orion, sprawled out across the floor. Her eyes remained glued on him, as if waiting for him to trip up and reveal the nighttime secrets, but nothing happened. His chest rose and fell peacefully.

Pouting, Powder slowly closed the door and returned to her room with a dissatisfied 'Humph'.

'I'm not seeing things! I'm not crazy!'

She slid under her blankets, curling up into a ball as her mind raced.

'Why does it disappear when I approach? Is it scared of me?'

When morning came and Vi looked at Powder with a concerned expression, she asked, "Didn't sleep well?'

"No...A night light keeps making fun of me..." Powder yawned.

"Night...light?"

--------------------------------

Orion chuckled after returning to Emberflit Alley. Stepping into the street, he twirled a full silver coin between his fingers, unconcerned by his surroundings while it glinted under the Chemtech lighting.

'This feels so good,' Orion beamed, watching it sparkle.

He hadn't been doing it the entire way, only once he neared his street. Perhaps it was the other self influencing him, but he was fascinated and transfixed by the beauty of it. His wet footsteps echoed down the alley before he finally clutched the coin into his palm.

The total haul by the gang was three full silvers.

It was Vander's decision to give him one full silver, which of course brought on Mylo's vocal disapproval and mixed looks from the girls. Claggor didn't seem to mind, at least not on the surface, and nodded.

'I get why Vi was a little confused and agitated,' Orion mused. 'A stranger showed up and gets acknowledged by Vander on his second day with a silver coin?'

He could still recall her crossed arms and wide stance, combined with a conflicted expression.

'Now Powder... She's been an oddball.'

All morning Powder had been throwing him off. She kept staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes. It was starting to make him uncomfortable before he left.

Shaking his head, Orion was almost home.

Home.

Such a strange word to describe this place; an alley with the occasional steam whistle, toxic sludge on every surface, and a cold, green-tinged smog that never dissipated.

Thud!

Orion's vision went white as pain exploded from the back of his head. He stumbled forward as mad, cackling laughter filled his ears.

A sharp tug on his hair yanked his head back, giving him a glimpse of his assailant- a rat-like humanoid creature.

Thump!

Saliva sprayed from Orion's mouth as another fist drove into his abdomen. The air was forced from his body, leaving him gasping as he fell forward onto his knees clutching his stomach.

His vision swam. Their words and bickering were blocked out by white noise, but a few words reached him. Words that set off alarm bells.

"...test subject... organs... tasty..."

"...Big-boss wants him..."

Panic surged while they argued. Adrenaline surged through him, bringing clarity to his vision. He recognized their positioning- one on his left, the other in front.

'Fuck,' Orion gritted his teeth. 'I'm going to have to...'

Perhaps due to their overconfidence or being distracted by arguing, Orion had time. His hand darted into his jacket. Time slowed. His grip tightened on his pistol and his head snapped up to lock eyes with a smirking, augmented human thug.

A typical thug with many scars and deformities with arms that were swapped out for cybernetics.

The thug's smirk vanished and his eyes betrayed a single, damning realization.

They'd fucked up.

Bang!

The rat-man froze as the deafening shot echoed through the alley.

Stunned, the thug slowly looked down at the golf-ball in his chest as he stumbled backwards into the alley wall. He groaned, face contorting in agony with hands that hovered above his wound that wanted a solution but none came to mind as he crumpled into a heap.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then came the rage.

"Vermin!" the rat-man howled, his metallic gray claws clinking.

He lunged, claws aimed at Orion's eyes.

Orion shifted his head but the claws still grazed his cheek. He caught the rat-man's arm and slammed a wild punch into its face.

Thick green blood oozed from its nose but the creature's bloodlust didn't fade. Its yellow eyes glinted with madness and feral hunger- and Orion's moment of hesitation upon seeing this cost him.

White sparks danced in his vision. Sharp pain shot through his side as the claws tore open two-inch gashes.

Gasping, Orion instinctively pressed a hand to the wound, leaving himself vulnerable.

The rat-man continued its assault, slamming into him and driving its forehead into Orion's chin. Blood spewed from his mouth but he refused to fall. Glaring, and with pain fueling him, Orion grabbed the creature's clothes and threw it sideways with everything he had.

'Shit,' Orion gasped, stumbling. 'I need to run!'

Or so he thought, prepared to brace for another attack that never came.

Instead came gurgling and the sound of thrashing.

Orion blinked through the dizziness and intense pain to see the rat-man writhing with a jagged pipe sticking through its neck, impaled against the alley wall.

Its yellow eyes burned with rage, confusion, and desperation. Green blood oozed freely. It remained on its tiptoes, locked between the instinct to fight and the urge to cling to life.

It was a horrible, slow death to witness.

And Orion could nothing but watch.

'I should feel satisfied but...' Orion leaned over, vomiting into the alley before the creature that now dangled lifelessly in front of him.

'Shit, it hurts!'

Orion groaned, looking down at his hand pressed against his wound drenched in blood.

'There could be others nearby...I need to get out of here! I need to get to safety before the adrenaline wears off!'

-------------------------

Staggering, Orion made his way back to his home, not even fifty meters further down the twisting alleyway. It took only a moment to remove the 'barricade' he had put up and crash through the door.

His gaze quickly darted around for any signs of intrusion before he shut the door behind him. He took small, quick steps toward the bathroom.

One hand kept pressure on his side, the other shakily opened cupboard drawers and cabinets.

'Fuck... There's nothing here?!' Orion cursed mentally. 'Something to sterilize the wound... anything!'

Drawers slammed. Hinges broke. Nothing.

The adrenaline had started to fade and everything was hurting. Standing, walking, even touching objects somehow sent blinding pain rippling through him.

Through the agony, he did a thorough check of the downstairs, tearing through every crevice. He knew he wouldn't find anything upstairs but still, no luck.

His frustration grew. Tears started to form, his mental state unraveling as he cursed the world and his voice filled with raw emotion.

"Why the fuck was I thrown in here?! Killing, getting fucked up- for what? Some retarded kids? For him?" Orion's words spilled out, venomous and raw.

"My life was about to start!" His knuckles whitened as he gripped the countertop.

With a roar of frustration, Orion slammed the cupboard door with enough force to break it from its hinges. The broken piece clanged against the metal counter. His tears fell freely now with barely audible whispers slipping through sobs of despair.

"My life was about to start..."

It took him a moment to recompose himself, gritting his teeth angrily before staggering back to the bathroom. Struggling, he removed his jacket and shirt to better inspect the injury, then sat down on a metallic stool.

His entire abdomen was an angry shade of purple, and the cuts were deep and inflamed. Just running his fingers along the skin sent painful static sensations throughout his torso. His head was no better. Purple bruising along the chin and a shallow gash on the back of his skull.

"I was lucky to survive the first blow," Orion grimly thought, continuing to analyze his condition. "Medicine Topside is too expensive and the Black Lanes are too dangerous to reach- especially in my condition. A-"

Orion hung his head in despair. "The silver coin..." The sensation of it slipping from his fingers gnawed at him; it was gone. "Lady Luck strikes again."

For a moment, Orion thought about returning to Vander and the others.

'Charity case.'

Mylo's taunting voice echoed inside his mind.

Stubbornly, he shook his head and rejected the idea, insisting aloud, "No. I'm not a charity case."

Raising his head, Orion met his gaze in the mirror he had brought downstairs.

"Magic," he muttered.

That small, budding idea began to bloom, curiosity scratching at his consciousness. Self-doubt crept in too, and his inner voice battled it out.

'I've practiced three times... Two, three minutes before I lose consciousness? Could it work?'

A light rekindled behind his sunken eyes and pale, sweating skin. His gaze hardened in the mirror as if to challenge himself. The sensation of warm blood dripping down his hand and his swimming vision also forced the decision.

'I don't have any other choice... I might lose consciousness in the streets if I leave now.'

With a deep breath he grabbed his clothes and headed upstairs, grim determination taking hold.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, the little blue bird had returned and watched the entire encounter.