Redacted
What Will Happen
Updated: 11/17/2024
Orion knows that Angel is only three years older than him.
Despite that, he had always seen him as someone who knows what to do. Reckless at times but understands how to get around danger. So, seeing Angel now, curled up into Akiva's arms like a child while they all sat around a makeshift pit, it finally hit him. Although Angel may be older, he is still young.
Looking on as he spotted tears building and falling on Angel's slumbering face, Orion then heard the humming from Akiva, the latter of whom is rocking back and forth as he held the Hunter.
His instinct as a father has taken over. Right now, at this moment, Angel and Akiva aren't Guardians, but two individuals who are comfortable in each other's presence. Or more like Angel taking in Akiva's warmth.
Nonetheless, Orion is glad for it, as the echoes of Angel's cries, his wailing still rang clearly in his head.
What had the Blossoms of Hope done to him?
"Did someone hurt Pure One?"
Tearing his optics away from Angel and Akiva, Orion turned his attention to Vraldyks. The Baron had somehow garnered enough strength to stand not long after Angel's outburst, snarling and growling. It had taken some time to calm the Baron down. Currently, he is seated near the pit where their makeshift fire currently burns. Slouched, but his four eyes were narrowed and locked onto Orion.
He wants an answer.
Breathing though through his nose, Orion flicked his optics to Varathis, the Dreg having taken a seat next to the Baron and was chittering quietly, four eyes glowing with concern. Then, he looked out towards the rest of the Eliksni. Most were asleep, finally confident enough that closing their eyes does not mean death. Even Tiphaxis and Darivion were curled into each other, fast asleep.
In other words, most ears won't be listening. Orion isn't sure if that is a good or a bad thing.
"Yes." Orion finally answered, turning his attention back to Vraldyks.
He heard the latter let out a low rumble.
"Who?"
Orion barely suppressed a groan.
Eliksni's pack mentality, strong to the point where they will do anything to avenge those who had been hurt amongst them. And it is obvious that Angel is considered one of them.
Which means that if Orion doesn't answer, he is going to earn the ire of not just Vraldyks, but all those who stand with him. Which means that if hierarchy stands, it would be all of the House of Kings.
"They are called the Blossoms of Hope." He answered and he took notice of the way Vraldyks subtly dipped his head, eyes glowing dangerously, "They are Lightbearers who had formed centuries ago, and they had been trying to find a missing leader."
There is a huff from Vraldyks. This signaled Orion to continue.
"Angel knew of his whereabouts." At least, he thought so, "but he had promised not to tell others of it. The Blossoms of Hope did not take kindly to that."
Another low rumble from Vraldyks but this time, the Baron lifted his head, glowering down at Orion. Fortunately, he could tell the glare was not pointed at him.
"Did they lose their leader?" He asked, "Or did their leader leave?"
An acute question. One that Orion is more than happy to answer.
"He left." If he remembers correctly, "all because the clan rejected him." At least, Orion thinks so. He had only recently learned of Isamu and the Blossoms of Hope.
Another huff from Vraldyks.
"A good reason to reject their head, I hope." He said.
Orion made a face, sifting through his meager information. Honestly, Pluto had given a brief history of notorious clans back then but, in honesty, Orion had only been half-listening. History had never been his strong point.
"I don't know." Orion admitted, "But he is a good man."
A rumble from Vraldyks, "And you know this?"
Carefully picking out his next words, Orion then said, "We had made a bargain with him to save a friend's life. But my pack and I were unable to uphold it." He eyed the Baron, gaging his reaction, "Despite it, he still decided to save our friend's life. In exchange for his own."
Another rumble, but this one was soft, thoughtful, and Orion saw Vraldyks dip his head, eyes narrowed in thought.
"A good man." He heard Vraldyks mutter to himself.
And Orion knew that the Baron was already plotting. He wouldn't be surprised that once the House of Kings are back on their feet, that they would start the hunt for the Blossoms of Hope. For Angel's sake, Orion hopes that their hunt will be successful.
"Here."
A piece of bark – shaved down to smooth the surface – layered with what Orion recognizes as harmless weeds and mushrooms is held out in front of his face, prompting him to jerk away. He then flicked his optics to Taylor, the Revenant Warlock simply raising a brow as he gestured with the plate. Breathing out through his nose, Orion decided to give a nod of thanks before taking the makeshift plate from the Revenant. Not long after, Taylor picked up a stick next to his feet and started prodding at their makeshift campfire. Its warmth made Orion realize how cold it had been in the cave. It is a miracle that the Eliksni hadn't died before he and the others found them.
Looking down at the meager rations, Orion turned to Varathis – the latter giving him a curious click – before holding out the plate. He saw the Eliksni's face bunch together.
"Orion." He heard Trikxas whisper, hearing her hover close, pulling herself away from the fire, "Eliksni are carnivores."
"Ah, right." Orion set the plate on his lap, dipping his head to the floor. He can feel his core heat up within his chest, "Sorry."
"It's fine. I appreciate the thought." Looking up, he could see the look of disgust had vanished and replaced with a soft look, "Many assume Ether to be my people's diet, when that is far from the truth." Then, Orion watched as the Dreg dipped his head, jaws clicking together, "although it does help when food is scarce."
There is a huff from Vraldyks at his words and Orion couldn't help but worry. True, the Eliksni could survive off of Ether but it has been a while since they last ate. This pack of survivors must be starving.
It made Orion lose his appetite.
Setting his plate onto his lap, Orion resigned himself to staring at the fire and picking at the food on his makeshift plate.
That is when he heard Akiva's humming coming to a pause followed by a cough.
"So, what will happen once we head back to your base?" Orion lifted his optics to the Titan; he can see now that he was giving Angel gentle pats upon his back. Like a child, "specifically, what will happen to Angel once they learn what he did to Onosi?"
The question made Orion flinch. He turned his optics to his plate and started sifting through the cooked weeds, sorting the mushrooms to the side. He is afraid to hear what Taylor has to say.
There is a huff from the Revenant Warlock.
"In most circumstances, us Revenants are, aggressive, when it comes to our own." Taylor started, "if one of us is killed by a Guardian, well." A deep exhale, "Usually we return the favor."
The side of Orion's plate snapped. He hadn't realized his grip had gone tight. Beside him, he heard Vraldyks let out a snarl.
"Don't you dare harm Pure One!"
The Baron's roar caused Taylor to jerk away, his eyes wide.
"It's okay." Orion was quick to jump in, raising a hand in Vraldyks' direction. He heard the Baron let out a low growl, "They're not going to kill him." Then, Orion hesitated before turning his attention to Taylor, "They aren't, are they?"
There is another huff from the Revenant Warlock.
"That is wholly up to if the Preceptor can convince the others to spare him." Taylor went on to explain; Orion watched him push a particularly large wood in the campfire, "if they are convinced, likely he would just owe a debt to the Revenants."
"A debt?" Orion jumped at Hope's question; she had been so quiet that he thought that she had been asleep, "what kind of debt? And convince? What do you mean convince? I thought this Preceptor was your leader or somethin'."
"He is our 'advisor'." Taylor corrected, "Unlike you Guardians, we mostly govern ourselves." He pushed another piece of wood in the fire with his stick, "We listen. And then we are on our own."
"It didn't seem that way, especially for this little operation." Akiva commented; Orion saw Taylor frown, "to be honest, it reminded me a lot of the Speaker, the way all of you flock to him like lambs."
The way Taylor's face twisted, his scowl deep, that Orion expected the Revenant to argue, to retort. Instead, the Warlock remained quiet. Akiva's words must have rung true.
"Who's the Speaker?" Taylor asked.
Or probably not.
Orion couldn't help but raise a brow.
"For someone who keeps claiming that Tower Guardians know 'nothing', you surely are out of the loop." He said.
Despite himself, he snorted at the way Taylor turned and gave him a dirty look.
"Nonetheless, as I said before, once the Preceptor is able to convince the others, your friend will simply owe us a debt." Taylor continued, turning his attention back to the fire and poking at it, "for a time, he will perform missions for us that is not possible for us to do ourselves."
"Oh?" Akiva's curiosity seemed piqued, "What missions can Angel do that the Revenants cannot?"
"Go near the City." Taylor's answer was quick and prompt, "per this substandard treaty, us Revenants are not allowed near the City." He then scowled, "why else did you think Isamu needed help to sneak in to treat this ailing friend of yours?" Again, the Warlock frowned, "I am quite surprised that you weren't caught."
There was a cough from Akiva and when Orion looked over, he saw the Titan had looked away, rocking in his seat.
Right.
Pluto did say that Akiva and the others needed his help. But they will just let the Warlock Revenant think otherwise.
"And what would you have him do while he is within the City?" Akiva then asked, "hopefully not sabotage."
Orion leaned back when Taylor sputtered.
"Sabotage!?" He saw some of the Eliksni stir in their sleep at the Revenant's shout, "Darkness, we're not that cruel or stupid!" There is a slow exhale from Taylor, "No, mostly for items that we do not have easy access here and for some, to check on friends and family."
That made Orion pause.
He hadn't really thought about it, but he did overhear some Revenants murmuring to themselves, showing concern and worry about those 'outside'. Orion had thought that they were talking about Revenants who had left the safety of their makeshift home. But now, with the meager knowledge of Revenant history, there is no doubt that some would have friends back in the City, especially other Guardians.
"Ah, so just another set of eyes then?" Akiva's words pulled Orion out of his thoughts, "better than the alternative of execution, that is for certain." Then, there was a brief pause, "although then again, if the Consensus were to learn of this debt."
Before he could stop himself, Orion let out a groan.
He could feel Taylor's eyes settle onto him.
"I am going to take a guess that you do not favor this Consensus of yours?" Orion heard him ask.
Orion gave him a look before raising a brow, "How young are you? Have you ever been to the City?"
Taylor reeled, "How is that relevant to what we are talking about?"
"Let us just say that the Consensus can be a bit, bias, when it comes to us Guardians." Akiva interrupted, "most times when it comes to us, they tend to work against us."
That is when Orion saw Taylor's expression twist, brows furrowed.
"What?" He said, "and you stay in the City and actually listen to them?"
"We listen to the Speaker." Orion retorted before he could even think, "he is at least reasonable compared to the dumbass Consensus."
There was another pause.
And then a snort.
"Now I know what the old geezers are talking about." Taylor said, "I would hear them talking of 'Tower politics.' Now I see it is not them being bias." He poked at the fire again, "I am glad that I never got to experience it."
Calculating the possible years that Taylor has lived through, Orion opted to say nothing and instead, finally decided to toss his makeshift plate into the fire. The food had long gone cold by now. This earned him a raised brow from Taylor but nothing else was said.
"So." Akiva coughed, "Back on track. Any advice on how to convince the other Revenants not to execute Angel?" A deep inhale, "and firstly, are you convinced?"
Orion then saw Taylor make a face.
"I don't know." The Revenant admitted, "he killed Onosi but…" He paused, and Orion noticed him poke a particularly burned piece of wood. It fell apart at the touch, "what happened earlier, it seemed he had been hurt, and recently too." Taylor lifted his eyes to Akiva, "What happened?"
That is when Orion saw Akiva shift uneasily in his seat, the comforting pats he had been giving Angel coming to a pause. Fortunately, the Hunter remained restful. In contrast, he spotted Hope's optic harden as she finally hovered from her place in the crook of her Guardian's neck.
"I don't know if we can trust you with that." He heard Hope say.
Orion couldn't help but give her a concerned look.
In turn, there is a scoff from Taylor.
"I asked in order to help you find a way for your friend to avoid execution." And then, he paused, eyes narrowing before turning and finally, he tossed his stick into the first. It gave a short burst of flames, "and I am curious, as to why he reacted so strongly to Onosi's attack." Orion heard him sniff, "we have a few short-tempered Chosen amongst our ranks, but none react that strongly." His face twisted, "however, the ones that I have seen are those who acted out of duress, out of fear, almost out of primal instinct to protect themselves. Borderline irrational." Taylor then sighed, "If you want my help to convince the Revenants, then you have to tell me his story." Then, Orion watched him raise a hand just as he saw Hope's shell bristle, "doesn't have to have specifics, just enough for me to understand."
Fair enough.
But Orion doesn't feel like it is his place to tell, especially such a fresh wound as this. And when he looked at Akiva, the expression on his face told Orion that he thought the same.
Thus, Orion shifted his attention to Hope, and he can see that the Ghost had pressed her shell against her core, her optic narrowed. Then, moments later, her shell deflated, and Orion heard her sigh.
"I don't know if you know this but, Angel encountered Isamu first." Hope started, "and before they parted, he promised Isamu that he would keep anythin' about the Revenants secret."
Taylor raised a brow, "Really?"
"We didn't know about the Revenants beforehand, if that helps." Hope added, "but Angel found him interestin' and well, we decided to keep that promise to heart." Then her shelf bristled, "but it didn't take us long to bump into Guardians who had been lookin' for him and, well." Orion watched as her shell shifted, her optic glancing away, "and they didn't like it when Angel and I said no."
Orion watched as Taylor sat straight up on his seat.
"You didn't give Isamu, us, away." He said.
"We didn't." Hope confirmed, "even though they…"
Her voice faded and Orion didn't blame her.
They hurt him, Ianos. And I couldn't do anythin' but watch.
Orion remembered the words she had said back when all this was a simple mission of tracking Eliksni trespassers, and he remembers the emotion, the grief behind it.
With her words and how Angel acted when Onosi attacked, Orion truly wonders what the Blossoms have done to make him act like so.
Fortunately, Taylor seemed to understand, as he watched as the Revenant leaned back, a visible frown upon his face.
"You were hurt by fellow Guardians." He heard Taylor mutter as the latter crossed his arms, tapping a finger against his chin, "and for the sake of the Revenants."
Spotting Hope press her shell against her core once more, Orion decided to remain quiet, and looked on as Taylor's eyes narrowed.
"You were hurt by fellow Guardians for the sake of the Revenants." Orion said again as he lifted his head and set his arms onto his lap, "I believe that is enough to garner sympathy from the others."
Orion couldn't help but lean back, optics wide. He saw Hope do the same.
"Really?" Akiva is the one who spoke for their surprise, "That simple?"
There is a shrug from Taylor.
"You may sway most but not all." He admitted, "But it should be enough to keep your friend safe, especially if you to recount your tale to the Preceptor."
"Because he has influence." Akiva said.
"And he tends to heavily by sympathetic to Guardians such as yours." Taylor added, "if we aren't convinced the first time around, the Preceptor will try heavily to sway them." And then, he made a face, "especially since he himself knows how it feels to be hurt by fellow Guardians."
That made Orion jerk away.
He had only heard minimal, if nothing, about the Preceptor from Pluto, not even his identity. All he got was that he was someone who was once close to Ianos. To hear that he had been hurt by other Guardians is a clue, especially since Guardians do not hurt their own. At least, not intentionally. Or publicly. This gives him a hint, at least, until Pluto is ready to share. If he is ready to share.
"So, he has a chance to get out of this alive, at least." Akiva sounded relieved, "although…"
Orion heard him pause and when he looked over, he saw the worry on his face. He was staring intently at Taylor. Orion raised a brow at that.
Taylor scoffed.
"I am not forgiving him, if that is what you are wondering." He glowered at Akiva, or more specifically, at the Hunter laying upon on his lap. Then, his brows furrowed, the anger fading from his eyes, and replaced with conflict, "but he has been through enough." Then, he exhaled heavily through his nose, "and this at least would allow the Revenants some connection to the City."
An attempt to rationalize his conflicting thoughts. And a weak reason, in Orion's eyes. But nonetheless, he is appreciative for Taylor's help.
And so is Akiva, considering the way the tension eased from his shoulders and his eyes softened. Orion even heard him let out a breath.
"Thank you." He heard Akiva say.
There is another scoff from Taylor and this time the Revenant Warlock stood up from his seat.
"I want some time alone." He practically demanded and Orion looked on as he walked to an empty space of the cave.
Far enough where he can get some privacy but close enough where he can still be seen. A sign that he still remembers his status as being the group's 'prisoner'. Not that he and Akiva consider him so. Everything that had happened till now were all just unfortunate events. At least, to Orion.
"How about you get some rest?" Orion turned his attention to Akiva. He can feel the gentle smile behind the Titan's helmet, "I recall Trikxas saying you got little to no sleep, and the last time you tried to get some shut eye it was interrupted."
By Angel's wailing.
Not that Orion had been annoyed by it. He was more disturbed by the Hunter's breakdown, at how much damage the Blossoms have done to someone he considers a friend.
He found himself flicking his optics to Vraldyks and Varathis.
The two were murmuring to each other now, likely taking advantage of the group's conversation to have one of their own. Orion wouldn't be surprised if they were currently planning for their little hunt. He might have to ask them later if he could join.
But for now, Akiva has a point. Orion hardly had time to get some sleep. Perhaps now is the best time to garner some. Especially for what is to come when they finally return to the Revenant base.
Hence, giving Akiva a single nod, Orion rose from his seat with Trikxas following close, and went to find – at least he hopes – a comfortable spot in a cave. He found one near Darivion and Tiphaxis, and he took a seat just a couple of arm's length away from the Vandal pair. They were curled tight around each other and Orion's thoughts immediately went to guess if they were mates or if they from the same clutch. Then he shook his head.
No more distracting thoughts.
Laying down onto his side, Orion waited until Trikxas hovered above him, her pink optic smiling back. Raising a hand, he waited until she settled into his palm before bringing her close to his chest and closing his optics.
And he fell into a deep slumber.