The truth was, something about the Order unsettled Orion deeply. The control. The secrecy. The fact that they could pry into his mind. Not to mention the outrageous options he was presented with.
Was that what all the other marked, including his brothers, had to choose between?
Orion had also already seen exorcists fighting among themselves - weren't they meant to be allies protecting humanity from demons?
Well, wherever there was power, there was corruption. As such, it would be naive to believe the largest group was in the right.
Honestly, he wasn't sure what to believe or think.
It was similar to the instinctual distrust many people held towards the government, but this was on a much larger scale - it was literally the supernatural.
Until he understood the full picture, Orion wasn't going to pick sides.
And then there was the Warlock.
The one they called dangerous - evil, even - but who had saved him, warned him about the Order, and said they would meet again.
That thought alone was enough to keep his curiosity burning.
'My brothers might work for them,' he reflected, 'but I'll walk my own path. Or at least until I have more insight.'
His confidence didn't come from arrogance. It came from the glowing notification that shimmered in his mind.
{The host can rest assured that as long as he completes the system's missions, he will become a mighty exorcist.}
Orion almost grinned.
'I'm putting my trust in you, System. Don't let me down. I might be missing out on an academy full of hot exorcist chicks, so you'd better make me overpowered instead.'
Meanwhile, he wasn't the only one thinking to himself.
'He strikes me as a smart, curious individual, and he didn't seem scared off by the existence of demons. If anything, it seemed to draw him in out of fascination.' Elena thought to herself. Orion's eyes spoke truths he couldn't hide. 'Yet, he declined the opportunity to be trained and become an exorcist like his brothers?'
She couldn't see through his intentions, as he expected. But he had massively underestimated just how much insight she could get by studying him with her amber eyes.
'Declining such an opportunity means he either already has Spirit Energy and somehow concealed it from me, or he is confident he can somehow figure things out on his own.'
Neither felt likely, but she couldn't think of any other possibilities.
Either way, both made him suspicious, and she was planning on keeping an eye on him, at least indirectly.
As the internal voice faded, Elena spoke once more, business-like now. "Your handler will be Kalen - the Silver Blade. It wouldn't be appropriate for it to be your brother. I don't have the time, and no one else will know of this arrangement. Kalen will set the ground rules and handle the logistics."
Kalen groaned audibly. "Why is it always me? I've already got enough on my plate."
Elena shot him a look that silenced any further complaint.
She turned back to Orion. "We'll meet again in June. If I see you before then, it means something's gone wrong. Don't give me a reason."
Her amber eyes burned like molten metal, and Orion just smiled faintly. "See you then."
That left him with Kalen and Bastion.
"I'll need to handle some things with the kid," Kalen said tightly. "Wait outside and try not to destroy the headquarters again."
'Destroy the headquarters?' Before Orion could ask his brother anything, the silver-haired man grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out. The corridors shimmered with warded light as they moved through a series of restricted areas.
Officers saluted Kalen as they passed.
They stopped at a small lab-like room, where Kalen ordered a technician to prepare something. A moment later, he fastened what looked like a sleek black smartwatch onto Orion's wrist. It hissed softly as it locked in place.
"This will allow us to reach you - and for you to reach me, if absolutely necessary," Kalen explained. "Standard issue. It also tracks your movements, so don't try anything stupid."
"Nice," Orion muttered, turning it over. "Stylish prison tag."
Kalen ignored the comment, handing him a small black badge engraved with a faint insignia. "This identifies you as an auxiliary. If you ever run into other Order operatives, flash this. I'll have you logged in the system under just your first name."
"I definitely won't be calling for your help, so just stay out of trouble for this time period. That's all you need for now. And remember..." his silver eyes narrowed, "I'll be watching you."
"Yeah, whatever."
With that, Kalen dragged him to where Bastion waited with a spare shirt that Orion changed into. A final portal rippled open, spitting them back into the same dark alleyway he had first entered through. The night air felt almost unreal after everything that had happened.
Orion stood there, dazed, barely processing the whirlwind of decisions that had just rewritten his life. Then - smack! - a heavy palm landed on the back of his head.
"What was that in there?" Bastion barked, glaring down at him. "You think you're some big shot now? Making demands of Elena like that?"
The giant man had supported and stood by his brother, trusting him to speak for himself, but even he couldn't read what Orion was up to.
How would he possibly be able to become an exorcist without the Order's training?
Was he really that frightened by the demons that he didn't want to join them?
But he came across as too calm and confident for that to be the case - was he hiding something?
These were the same three questions that were bouncing around Kalen and Elena's heads, but they couldn't pay him much mind. He was insignificant in the current turbulent landscape, at least for now.
Rubbing the back of his head, Orion gave a small, tired grin. "Who is she anyway?"
That question led to a long, winding conversation as they walked back to their home, or whatever was left of it...