𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙑𝙀𝙉𝙇𝙔 𝘽𝙊𝘿𝙔 | 𝙅. 𝙃𝘼𝙇𝙀

27| Preparation

Orion never considered himself the spontaneous type, and he's not, but impulsive, on the other hand, he is.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of his dream. It plagued his mind. Which is the reason he's on the road, driving at 4 a.m. It's dark out, and he can barely make out his scenery-the trees surrounding the road appearing nothing more than a blur.

He knows Victoria is coming, and he knows she has a plan. His dreams-they're stories, ones that haven't played out just yet. He needs to be prepared. His abilities need to be sharp. Orion's powers have advanced a great deal since he first discovered them, but once things became semi-normal again, he stopped using them as often.

His destination is near; he can sense it. Orion remembers an open field deep within the forest that Jasper had taken him to once. They haven't visited in a while, but Orion went around the time Jasper left, and it was perfect-a perfect spot to practice.

Orion sees a familiar sign, indicating he's arrived. He slows the car he borrowed from his mother down, parking it right in front of the sign. It's cold this morning; the breeze picked up slightly as his foot made contact with the dirt-covered road.

Orion looks forward, spotting an opening in trees, leading to a familiar trail. The moonlight provided a well enough light to drive, but now, out of his car, he can't see anything. He looks around, making sure there are no cars passing by before he waves his hand, pushing it slightly in front of his.

A bright light emits from his palm, forming the shape of a ball. He smiles to himself, now being able to see better. He makes his way down the trail, listening out for any little sound. The walk is no longer than ten minutes.

Finally, the trees disappear, revealing the field he sought out. He quickly puts out the light in his hand, noticing the plenty of junk that would make good targets. He walks to the middle of the field, taking a look around.

He stops in his tracks when his eyes dial in on four beer bottles set perfectly up on the stump of a tree. He stands a few yards away, creating distance between him and the bottles.

He brings up one of his hands, calling forth his energy. A white aura begins to form around his hand, highlighting it. He sends a beam of energy directly toward the bottles, aiming to only hit one, but his powers had other plans.

The beam of light causes anything within a 10-foot radius to explode. Orion slightly flinches, not expecting that to happen. "The hell?" he whispers to himself. He looks up to see the moon peering down at him, lighting up the field.

Rye raises an eyebrow. It hadn't been there before. The woods have become eerily silent, not a single sound within earshot. He senses something.

He takes slow, careful steps forward, walking through what used to be old beat-up cars and beer cans, but those were now dust. That's when he sees it. A raven, resting on top of the hood of a car.

It stares at him for a moment, tilting its head ever so often before it makes a gurgling croak noise.

The sound echoes throughout the woods, and it causes Orion to freeze. He continues to stare at it, but now, deep inside of his body, there is a sense of dread forming. He can't move; it won't let him.