Caelan gripped his sword tightly, shocked at Orion's words. His hands shook, but as he breathed, they became firm.

  He looked over at Orion, who stared at him calmly.

  "Why, why do this?" Caelan asked him.

  He stood firm on the ground. He didn't practise much with a sword. This weapon was practically useless for him. However, in his current state, he couldn't use his mark again. The last encounter had made him incredibly weak. Another use would either kill him or make him mentally unstable for the rest of his life.

  He was already getting visions and dreams of repetition.

  Orion stared at him when Caelan asked that question. He thought for a while.

  "I don't kill those who are unarmed," he said.

  Every muscle in Caelan's body tensed. Should he make the first move? That would not be good. He barely knew how to use a sword. Did he even have a chance?

  They stood in silence for a moment. Then Orion lunged at him. He was fast, as if he was skipping steps. He wasn't even using his fractal mark.

  He swung his arm at Caelan's head. At the last second, Caelan ducked. There he saw it, an opening. But could it be this easy? He swung his sword towards Orion's abdomen.

  Orion grabbed it with his hands calmly, holding Caelan in place.

  He looked at Caelan, confused, as if he expected more.

  "Why don't you use your mark?"

  Caelan didn't answer. Instead, he looked at Orion, trying to get free.

  Orion stepped back, letting go of Caelan.

  "You're the same as me, right?" he asked calmly whilst pulling his pants slightly up to his ankle.

  The branch mark was embedded there on his lower right leg, the green branches stretching into thinner branches. It looked complex and tangled. How far did it stretch?

  This wasn't good. He expected Caelan to use the branch mark, but Caelan didn't have one. His mark disguised itself as a branch to avoid detection. What could he do? Orion himself had the branch. He would know instantly if something was wrong. He definitely couldn't reveal his mark.

  "I can't. That fight with your brother left me wounded," Caelan said, his voice shaky.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Orion looked at him. He raised his eyebrow. He gave a look as if he was confused about the statement, but also understood it perfectly.

  He put his hands in his coat pockets and sighed.

  It seemed as if he backed off.

  Large, spiked vines came hurtling towards Caelan, aiming to rip through him. They grew out of Orion's back, tearing through his clothes.

  He looked tired, mentally drained.

  "Well, I guess that's it," he said under his breath.

  Caelan ran to the left of the corridor, sprinting forward to the end. Orion stood still, not moving an inch, his hands still in his pockets.

  The vines followed him endlessly, no matter the distance, twisting and turning in the wind. It was as if they had a mind of their own. The vines ripped the skin of Caelan's left foot.

  Blood dripped down. He kept running. At the end of the corridor was a narrow opening leading to the wider sector. That was his only hope. They wouldn't follow him there, right?

  The vines sped up, approaching him. Caelan tried to cut them with his curved sword. No effect. They were tough as steel, or Caelan wasn't swinging with the right technique. He dropped the sword on the ground. It was just extra weight.

  He continued running. The vines caught up before he could reach the opening. They entangled his entire body like rope, ripping through his clothes and piercing his skin. It wasn't death by suffocation, but more so death by blood loss.

  ----

  Orion looked at the entangled boy, sadness in his heart. He saw the boy suffering before he would perish. This wasn't right, but it had to be done.

  He walked towards Caelan calmly. He was miserable inside, but he couldn't show it to the outside world. Reputation in the dominion was determined by how one carried himself, even through trauma and pain.

  He stopped near Caelan, eyeing him carefully. The vines penetrated his skin. He looked at Caelan's wounds.

  "Hmmmm," he said, his eyes narrowing as he placed his fingers on his chin.

  "Why aren't the wounds healing?"

  Branch marks had extraordinary power compared to the rest. They allowed their users to regrow tissue and muscle when damaged, just like a plant growing.

  But why wasn't it working for Caelan? Was he so wounded that he couldn't use his mark at all, not even in a life and death situation?

  "How badly did you get wounded?" Orion asked him.

  No response. Caelan's skin became pale. He squeaked as the vines got tighter, squeezing his body.

  Orion inhaled. Seeing the boy's suffering, he knew he should end it soon. He picked up his sword and pointed it at Caelan's heart. Caelan's eyes slowly started shutting, his mind losing consciousness.

  He swung.

  ----

  "Huh, what was that?"

  A strange feeling, as if something wasn't right, like something that shouldn't exist. His stomach dropped suddenly. Why was he afraid? His body trembled, but his mind was calm. What was happening?

  He looked over at the boy losing consciousness.

  "Did he get… further away from me?" Orion thought.

  No. He must be hallucinating. What was that feeling? Where did it come from? Why at this moment?

  He loosened and retracted the vines, dropping Caelan to the ground.

  Caelan huffed rigorously, his eyes wide as he coughed blood onto the ground. Blood leaked from his open wounds.

  He looked at Orion, unable to speak.

  Why did he do that? He should have just killed him.

  Orion sat next to Caelan's body. He looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact.

  "You're one lucky man. Be more careful next time," he said, patting Caelan on the back.

  He then stood up and gave Caelan one last look.

  "Don't stress. They should heal quickly."

  He walked away, not looking back.

  "Oh, and," he stopped in his tracks.

  "If you ever do anything like that again to my brother, know that I won't spare you again."