//Gang PoV//

  "Aaaaah!" One by ohey fell down the chute into a trash pile, esg the enforcers.

  "What the hell happened back there?" Cggor demanded angrily as he sat up, his breaths ing in heavy heaves as the se repyed over and over in his head.

  Mylo shook his head, staring at the ground in shoow that they had a moment.

  "I 't believe we left him..." Mylo's voice cracked, disbelief g his words.

  Everyone's gaze slowly shifted to Powder. She holy didn't know, gring back at everyone. Her face was still stained with tears.

  "It wasn't my fault!" Powder retorted with emotion and aggression. She cast her gaze down at the trash, "Orion will make it back..."

  Her expression softened, hope liftione as she looked back at everyone. "You all saw it! That was magic!"

  "That's what it was?" Vi croaked, her voice low as her eyes flickered on Powder.

  Powder nodded eagerly, her tone growing brighter. "Yeah! He heal people! He healed your forehead, Vi!"

  They exged uain gnces befgor slowly spoke up.

  "So, he's like those stories we've read? The oopsiders eople about?"

  "He's not bad!" Powder snapped, gring at Cggor- an unusual dispy of defiance. "You saw him! He was trying to stop us! To protect us- again!"

  Cggor winced, and the gang fell into silehey couldn't argue against Powder. Even Mylo g her before his gaze returo the trash. He said nothing, guilt etched across his face as he pulled his legs in close.

  Vi, doubtful as visions of his bloodied face repyed, softly asks, " he recover from that?"

  Powder opened her mouth initially before uainty took hold. A small breath escaped her- a feeling of realization dawning on her- and disillusio from her ambitious hope.

  They could see her expression, her imaginary bunny ears, falling with depression and shoulders slumping.

  "We should move..." Vi's voice struggled to carry any resolve or determination. Only despair. "...Vander o know."

  ------------------

  //Caitlyn PoV//

  "Jayce? Jayce!" Caitlyn stumbled to Jay the hallway, who had colpsed after the explosion. They had just returned from a local shop, pig up more tools for his experiments.

  Her head and ears rang from the bst, and Jayce looked injured. Stumbling closer, Caitlyn could hear shrieks and cries of sorrow ing inside.

  'Those sound like kids? A robbery?' Caitlyn thought, slowing her pad moving cautiously. Her eyes fixed on the door in case someone ran out.

  When Caitlyn reached him, she whispered with frantic worry, "Jayce?" as she touched his neck. A small breath of relief escaped her when she felt a pulse. Her eyes sed him, searg quickly for injuries but finding none- just soot and small cuts from debris.

  Ihe chaos tihe cries grew louder, pierg her ears, making her wih sympathy, and causing her heart to skip a beat.

  A loud rumble started to shake the grouh her, f her to brace protectively around Jayce.

  "NO! GET OFF ME!" Anguished cries echoed out from inside.

  Caitlyhed out and tried ing her arms under Jayce's shoulders, pulling. Despite her efforts, he barely budged.

  Her gaze so the blown-out windows, catg hazy figures retreating through the smoke. Caitlyn pulled harder, managing to jerk Jayce away from the door.

  "Orion!" A tearful scream echoed through the air, "It's my fault! Let me go!"

  Caitlyn froze. 'What? No...' she thought, her stomach sinking.

  "--We o run!" Another voice, thick with emotion, snapped her back to reality.

  She let go of Jayce, standing with raised fists, anticipating them to charge out in their escape! Nothing.

  Seds ticked by. Still, nothing- just an eerie silend faint shouts from the outside streets below. Every muscle in her body tensed, her heart pounding. 'Why aren't they running?'

  Caitlyn gritted her teeth, the memory of the Cultivar fshing in her mind- her injured family, the helplessness, and watg Orion flee. Jayce was already hurt. Was she going to let this tinue?

  With a sharp ihose childish voices from inside eg in her mind, she stepped forward and kicked the door open.

  She tensed again, ready for a fight- but nothing happened. Her eyes sed the room, fear tig at her subscious with subtle, insta for her choice.

  Caitlyn couldn't believe her eyes. Charred walls, shattered debris across the room, and at the ter- a horrifying sight.

  "Orion?" she trembled unsciously, her fists falling to her sides.

  His body was drenched in blood. Even from the entrance, she could see it sprayed across the floor.

  'UGH' Caitlyn vomited, tears blurring her vision.

  Her gaze flicked to the shattered baly, pieg together the horrific se. Breathing heavily, she trembled and took a hesitant step closer to the bloodied figure sprawled on the floor.

  Caitlyn froze as Orion's head turned slowly, his bloodshot eyes log onto her. A faint, knowing smirk tugged at his lips before his eyes closed again.

  She couldn't believe it- he was alive? Caitlyn stared in disbelief at the multiple injuries c his body.

  "What are you—" she choked, panic rising in her voice. "Someone help!" she shouted, croug o Orion, her skirt soaking in the blood pooled around him and her hands putting pressure on his side.

  The door, creaking closed behind her, burst open as if to ahe call.

  Marcus, an Enforcer officer, and two other enforcers charged into the room, ing to an abrupt halt. Their eyes widened in shock at the se before them. Marcus's gaze flickered with sorrow between Caitlyn's tearful and shaken expression, and the bloodied body on the floor.

  "He's still alive," Caitlyn stammered out, her face pale and voice trembling. Her arms shook as she applied pressure to Orion's side, hands covered with blood.

  Marcus's expression hardened, speaking firmly as he gestured her away. "Step away, Kiramma us hahis."

  Caitlyn obeyed, rising slowly and stepping aside without a word.

  Her mind reeled, uo make sense of it all. 'Why was this happening again,' she thought bitterly, her gaze flig back to Jayce with Enforcers attending him.

  Raising her hands, Caitly her heart pounding through her chest. Her vision blurred and shook, uo tain herself as she vomited again, body shaking.

  Caitlyn barely registered the hands that gently gripped her shoulders, guiding her away. Her mind was fogged, the deyed shock finally overtaking her sehe vivid horror repyed in her mind over and over, drownihoughts away.

  Marcus waved to an enforcer and anded, "Get her out of here."

  An Enforcer walked past Caitlyn aed, "He's alive- just cussed."

  Marodded sharply and poi Orion, "Find a doctor or an alchemist. This one's still alive. We need answers."

  The words echoed in Caitlyn's mind as she was guided away, her body trembling. Gng back, she g to those words, a flicker of hope pierg the haze of despair.