His attempts to get comfortable sitting in what had to be the most uncomfortable seat in the history of uncomfortable airplane seats had turned out to be an exercise in futility, so Adrian eventually found himself staring out of the tiny window next to him. As someone who hated being in any vehicle for more than ten minutes at a time, he had hoped he'd be able to manage sleeping through the entire flight, but in the back of his mind, he knew that sleep was never a real possibility. There were too many people around, too much talking, too much movement, too much... everything. Seven years living in what had basically equated to hell had taught him not to lower his guard around anyone, ever, and that sleeping around others nearly always led to disaster.<br/><br/>But as his grey eyes scanned the darkening sky, filled with clouds turned shades of pink and purple by the setting sun, he knew that that wasn't really the reason sleep continued to elude him.<br/><br/>As a sixteen year old boy, he had been ripped away from the relatively happy life life that he had known and cast into a world where he had known nothing but sorrow and agony. And all those years he had spent fighting for his survival, the main thing that had kept him going was the thought of some day escaping and being able to return home to the father who loved him. Finally fulfilling his role in the liberation of Orexis and earning his right to return, his only thoughts were of home - his dad, his small, but comfortable bedroom, cheeseburgers and pizza, video games; all the things that he had left behind. But time after time, for months now, he had made his way to his house, stood on the front porch in front of the door, prepared to knock... and found himself unable to go through with it.<br/><br/>It had taken him time to fully realize the reason for his hesitation, and in the end, it all boiled down to one simple fact: He was afraid. Adrian Maxwell, who had cut down hundreds of demons without flinching, stood toe-to-toe with horrors that the average person couldn't even begin to imagine, and led magic wielding men against some of the most powerful and terrifying devils that existed, was utterly terrified. He'd changed a lot since he'd been gone, done tons of things that he wasn't proud of, but were still necessary. He wasn't worried about his dad not being able to accept him for his powers. He was afraid that, somehow, his dad would just... Know. Know that he wasn't the same slightly annoying, but loveable teenager he had been; know that he had become a man who had been capable of taking life without thought or hesitation. And that thought scared him more than anything.<br/><br/>That morning, before he had left for the airport, he had found himself standing in front of that old, familiar front door once again, ready to let his father know that hadn't simply dropped off the face of the Earth... Or more accurately that he<span style="font-style: italic">had</span>fallen off the face of the Earth, but had managed to make his way home. But there was a difference this time. He had caught a glimpse through the window and found, much to his surprise, that his family had grown in his absence. There, on the living room floor, was his old man, wrestling on the floor with two young boys, neither of which could have been more than five years old. A single glance at the two of them was more than enough for him to realize they were his little brothers. There were some slight differences in their facial structures, of course, as they would have had a different mother than he did, but they had the same thick, dark hair and almond shaped eyes that he and his dad had. In fact, the older of the two looked so much like a younger Adrian that it was almost eerie.<br/><br/>The surprise that his dad had had more children in his absence hadn't bothered him much, but something about how happy they seemed together shook him to his core. But it wasn't jealousy that was gnawing at him, it was the fact that he felt that somehow, his presence would only serve to destroy that happiness. He knew that this feeling was completely irrational, but he just couldn't shake it. And so, yet again, he found himself running away, back to the hotel room his handler had set him up with since he'd come back. And even though he felt that it was for the best, he hated himself for it.<br/><br/>Frustrated by the memory replaying in his mind, he shut his eyes tightly and cupped his face in his hands to calm himself. His powers were still in a weakened state, they were fueled by emotions, and he knew that if he didn't center himself, the markings on his arms would begin to glow with Ouriel's violet light, along with his eyes. And sending the other passengers into a panic midair was definitely something he didn't want to do.<br/><br/>Luckily, it was shortly after that moment when it was announced that they were about to land, and Adrian's thoughts became focused on his destination rather than where his journey had begun.<br/><br/>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Though it had taken much longer than anticipated to escape from that madhouse they called an airport, Adrian had managed to arrive at the docks on time. Feeling a bit claustrophobic and having never been on a boat before, it wasn't long before he found himself out on the deck, enjoying the night air. And that was where he stayed, until his final destination came into view. He inhaled deeply to calm himself, not really knowing what to expect from this place, but he knew that he was ready for something in his life to change. He only hoped that the changes would be positive...