I Can Copy Curses

"Tracy, sit down," Henry ordered, his voice dripping with authority.

Tracy trembled at his command and was about to return to her seat when Erza caught her hand.

"Are you not going to do anything?" Erza glared at Orion with disdain. "Don't tell me you're a coward?" She taunted him, but Orion stood motionless, like a puppet. "Is that it? Is that all you have?" she shouted.

"Hmph, I was wrong about you." She shook her head, disappointment clear on her face. "I thought if you were willing to go through all of this, you might actually have some guts, but I was wrong. You're just like everyone else—a pathetic person who doesn't even have the courage to help his own sister."

Orion remained silent. He wanted to help her but not like this. He had thought he would take care of Henry when he found him alone somewhere but the situation he found himself in made him decide otherwise he had to help her now or else the situation might get worse.

But there was also the situation with Mark. He couldn't understand why Mark hadn't done anything either. Why had Mark let Tracy remain with the Black Reaper Guild? Why?

"Big Brother, it's not your fault," Tracy said, tears streaming down her face.

"Big Brother..." Orion muttered softly, understanding the deep meaning behind these two words.

'Now that I am Ray Wiser, and Tracy believes me to be her big brother, I'll do what her brother is supposed to do,' he resolved. He didn't care why Mark hadn't helped her; as Tracy's 'Big Brother,' he would help her regardless.

He turned to Henry, his eyes gleaming as he activated his Malevolent Gaze. "Stay away from her," he commanded.

Henry trembled slightly when he saw Orion's eyes but gritted his teeth and spat, "Are you really going to do this? Think about what might happen to her if you interfere."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his body was sent hurtling backward like a broken kite, slamming into the metallic wall.

Everyone was shocked. They didn't see what happened. It was too fast, even for them. One moment Henry was speaking, and the next, he was gone. They only felt a strong gust of wind pass by.

"You!" Henry growled, blood dripping from his mouth. His arms, now coated in a blue metallic sheen, were crossed in front of his chest, and a fist print could be seen on his right hand, where he had blocked Orion's attack.

"You'll keep this distance from her wherever we go from now on. Otherwise, it won't end like this next time," Orion warned, his eyes emotionless.

"Nothing will happen now, alright?" Orion patted Tracy's head before deactivating his Malevolent Gaze.

Tracy nodded, wiping her tears away before hugging him. "Big Brother, thank you for coming to help me. I knew you would come when I saw you at the Hunter Association."

Orion's eyes widened slightly as she hugged him, and a wave of intense guilt washed over him. But he gritted his teeth and replied, "I-I'm sorry it took me so long to help you," he said awkwardly.

"Big Brother, you're as clumsy and awkward as ever," Tracy said with a small smile. "I'm just glad that whatever was troubling you all this time has been sorted out."

Orion nodded, gently separating from her.

"Thank you, Erza, for taking care of my brother," Tracy said, bowing to her.

A smile appeared on Erza's face as she saw Tracy return to her normal self. "It's alright. He's part of my guild, so of course I'll take care of him."

"Tracy! Don't forget our deal! Both you and your brother Ray will be killed if you don't obey my orders!" Henry shouted, his eyes turning red with rage.

Orion turned to look at him and was about to give him another blow to keep him shut when a flash of purple lightning flashed as Mark appeared in front of Henry and punched him with his fist full of purple lightning.

Henry was once again slammed into the wall, his body hitting it with a sickening thud. This time, smoke rose from his charred form, his face blackened and burned. Mark's lightning had taken a devastating toll on him, made worse by Henry's metallic talent and the metal that encased his arms.

In a sense, he had been electrocuted by Mark's attack, his body unable to resist the surge of electricity. The pain overwhelmed him, and before he could even process what had happened, he lost consciousness, his limp body sliding down the wall.

"Ray... can we talk privately?" Mark's eyes gleamed with an unsettling coldness as he turned to Orion.

Orion frowned but nodded. "Sure."

Mark addressed the others. "Everyone, excuse us for a moment," he said, then turned to Tracy, his voice softening. "Would you mind if I speak to your brother alone for a bit?"

Tracy's expression filled with concern. "Don't hurt him."

Mark smiled wryly. "I won't. I promise."

Reluctantly, Tracy nodded, reassured by his words.

"Ray, shall we?" Mark gestured toward one of the smaller hallways branching off the room.

Orion gave Tracy a final look. "Wait for me," he said before following Mark into the narrow hall.

***

Just as they reached the secluded hallway, hidden from view in the void shuttle, Mark suddenly slammed Orion against the wall, gripping his neck tightly.

"You!" Mark snarled, trying to control his anger through ragged breaths. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Orion's lips curled into a small smile. He clutched Mark's wrist with growing force. "Didn't we already have this conversation a day ago?" he said, his tone eerily calm. "I told you, I have nothing to do with you or Tracy. My goals lie far beyond the two of you."

Orion met Mark's glare with a cold stare, increasing the pressure on his grip. Mark's eyes widened—he couldn't comprehend how Orion, supposedly of the same rank, was overpowering him with such ease.

"You're giving her false hope!" Mark shouted, his voice strained. "What happens when you disappear from her world? When she realizes you're not her brother? You'll leave her heartbroken!"

Orion paused, sensing something deeper in Mark's words. "Is that why you didn't save Tracy?" he asked, his voice now edged with accusation. "Because you thought if she learned about Ray's death, she might do something drastic?"

Mark's face stiffened, but he remained silent.

Orion's smirk widened. "That's your excuse? You left her in a den of wolves, suffering, because you were afraid of how she might react? You had the power to save her, but you did nothing."

With a final surge of strength, Orion twisted Mark's hand away from his neck and slammed him against the wall. "Don't ever try this again, or I won't hesitate to kill you." His voice turned colder, more dangerous. "You're too weak to challenge me, so stay out of my business."

He released Mark, who stumbled backward, glaring at Orion with a mix of frustration and helplessness.

As Orion walked away, Mark clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I'm still too weak!" he muttered, his body trembling. He had failed to save Ray, and now, despite everything, he was powerless to help Tracy.

The weight of his failures crashed down on him. Should he try to talk to Tracy? To make her remember him? But what if that only led to her death, just like Ray's?

Mark clutched his head, pacing frantically. 'No… I can't let that happen. I can't let her die. I have to stay away from her.'

His thoughts spiraled into chaos as he tried to make sense of it all, guilt and fear warring inside him.

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