Odyssey Of Survival

The monstrous Govark descended from the sky like death itself, claws stretched wide, aiming to crush Madison and the others below. Its face twisted into a savage grin, victory already in its eyes.

But then, midair, it froze.

BOOM!

A massive chunk of rock, larger than a boulder, slammed into its ribs with bone-cracking force. The entire Govark was flung sideways like a ragdoll, crashing into the trees with such power that the ground quaked beneath them. Leaves and debris scattered everywhere, and the impact left a dented trail of destruction as the beast skidded through the jungle.

Gasps and wide eyes filled the air.

The silence that followed was louder than the crash itself.

Everyone turned towards where the rock had come from.

Even the second Govark, the calm and stoic one, raised an eyebrow in visible surprise, as if the appearance of this new presence had genuinely caught it off guard.

Then they saw him.

A lone figure walking calmly out from the shadow of the trees, brushing dust from his worn-out clothes.

It was Nate.

His posture was relaxed, but the air around him radiated tension like a coiled spring.

His expression was unreadable, but his presence… it was heavy. Almost like he carried a storm with him.

Everyone—Madison, Bella, Ray, Ryder, Amara, even Claire's group—stood frozen, their hearts pounding in unison.

"N-Nate?" Madison whispered, her voice cracking.

The blood drained from Claire's face instantly. Axel and the traitorous squad behind her stiffened, eyes wide and jaws slack. Fear spread through their ranks like wildfire. The same man they conspired to cast away had returned, and from the looks of it, he was not the same person they had forced out.

"He's back," Bella breathed, her voice barely audible.

For a split second, nobody knew whether to feel hope or dread.

Madison felt her throat tighten. Emotions welled up uncontrollably in her chest all crashing together. Her vision blurred as tears threatened to fall, but she bit her lip and steadied herself.

Nate scanned the scene, piecing things together quickly despite the chaos. His sharp eyes fell on Claire holding Jack hostage next to Axel and the other defectors.

His brow furrowed.

He didn't know everything that had happened, but that alone told him enough.

But what cut him deeper was when his gaze landed on Alice, limp and bleeding in Bella's arms.

His fists clenched.

Without hesitation, he disappeared from his spot, reappearing right beside Bella, who was still kneeling on the dirt.

Bella blinked up at him, still stunned. For a moment, her dazed mind couldn't process that he was truly standing there.

Nate's face was different. Scarred, rugged, but his eyes… his eyes were colder than the last time they had seen them.

Bella noticed faint claw marks on his face and neck, still healing right before her eyes.

She could only whisper softly, "She'll be okay, Nate… I promise."

Nate nodded once, but the storm inside him only grew darker. His voice was calm, yet the rage beneath it simmered. "Who did this?"

Bella slowly pointed at the Govark who was now climbing out from the rubble where the boulder had sent it crashing.

Nate's eyes followed her gesture, landing on the wounded Govark, its body still dripping with blood but standing tall, snarling as if insulted by the interruption.

Without another word, Nate stood up, straightening his back as he slowly walked toward the Govark. His movements were deliberate, steady, like a predator closing in.

Behind him, nobody dared to speak.

Madison, Ryder, Amara, Ray, even Elena—they all stood silently, watching Nate's back as he walked ahead of them, like a shield against everything that threatened them.

A quiet but undeniable shift settled in the air.

For so long, they had been on the defensive—running, surviving, hoping.

But now, as Nate moved forward, they felt it.

For the first time in what felt like forever… they were safe.

Madison couldn't help but exhale shakily, her lips trembling.

Nate didn't glance back.

He didn't need to.

Because right now, all eyes were on him—and for the first time, even the Govarks were watching closely.

Staring down the massive, wounded Govark that towered before him. Its eyes burned with malice, fangs bared as green energy pulsed across its body, regenerating wounds at an alarming rate.

Nate's gaze remained calm, but inside, there was only one desire.

Kill it.

Without a word, he raised his hand, palm open, and the air shimmered as flames flickered to life. At first, they were small embers dancing around his fingers, but in the next instant, they roared into a blazing inferno that lit up the entire battlefield.

He hadn't used his fire powers in true combat for what felt like forever—but now, the heat was intoxicating.

With a faint smirk, Nate's feet left the ground, and he hovered high above the cracked earth. Flames licked his body as he became like a living furnace. Fire streaked behind him like comet trails, distorting the very air around him.

Then—he exploded forward.

A fiery streak tore across the battlefield as he closed the distance in seconds.

The Govark sneered, unfazed. This human was nothing different than the last.

"Foolish," it growled as it calmly raised its massive green shield again, the same energy barrier that had deflected Alice's strongest attacks.

Behind the safety of the shimmering green wall, the Govark grinned, expecting the same result—Nate slamming into the shield and bouncing away like a toy.

But what happened next erased that smugness in an instant.

Nate's eyes narrowed as he charged straight into the shield.

CRACK!

The green shield shattered like fragile glass the moment his fist touched it. The force didn't even slow him down as he passed through the remnants of the barrier, his flaming fist continuing forward until it collided directly with the Govark's monstrous face.

BOOM!

The impact echoed like a cannon blast across the island, sending shockwaves through the air.

The Govark's head snapped back violently as its body was engulfed entirely in flames. It flew backward, crashing into the jungle like a meteor, ripping through trees and stone as it tumbled uncontrollably.

Everyone on the battlefield stood frozen.

What?

Even the calm, second Govark watching from afar flinched at the sheer raw power Nate had just displayed.

The injured Govark writhed on the ground, flames eating away at its tough skin as it shrieked in pain, flailing wildly as it rolled back and forth, desperate to extinguish the inferno.

But Nate wasn't done.

Hovering midair, he raised both hands this time. His eyes glowed crimson as flames burst from the ground all around the burning Govark, cutting off every escape route. Rivers of molten fire formed in a ring around it, turning the earth into molten glass.

It was as if the island had been dragged into the depths of hell itself.

The sky darkened under the crimson glow as Nate clenched his fists.

"Burn," he whispered.

The flames answered with a roar.

The Govark's screeching became frantic as its body thrashed one last time before collapsing under the unbearable heat, smoke rising into the air. The stench of burnt flesh filled the battlefield, heavy and sickening.

The ground shook as the Govark's corpse slammed against the floor one final time.

And then… silence.

The monster didn't move again.

Dead.

Just like that.

Everyone watching—Madison, Bella, Ryder, Ray, Elena, Amara—they all stood speechless, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Alice, weak and bruised in Bella's arms, stirred slightly.

Her heavy eyelids fluttered open, and she coughed as a small smile formed on her cracked lips. "He's… incredible," she whispered weakly.

Bella gasped, looking down at Alice in shock. "You're awake?!"

Madison, who had rushed to Alice's side, stared in disbelief. "How…?"

Alice winced as she tried to sit up a bit, still clearly exhausted. "I… heard his voice," she murmured, smiling faintly. "The moment he spoke… I woke up."

Bella's eyes softened, tears threatening to spill as she supported Alice. Madison, still overwhelmed, reached over and gently grabbed Alice's arm.

"You're insane," Madison said with a shaky laugh. "You almost died."

Alice grinned faintly. "It's not my style to die yet."

Their attention turned back to Nate, who now stood calmly in the crater where the Govark had fallen, flames flickering softly around him as the winds shifted, carrying away the ashes of the fallen beast.

Behind them, Claire's group stood frozen in pure fear.

Axel's lips trembled. Claire's grip on Jack loosened just slightly as her mind raced, panic overtaking her composure.

For everyone watching, one truth was now clear.

The Nate they had exiled was gone.

The man standing before them now… was a storm they couldn't control.

Nate slowly turned his head toward Claire and the remaining three-tailed Govark, his crimson eyes burning like twin furnaces.

Claire took an unconscious step back, her hand still loosely gripping Jack's collar, but her mind was spiraling into chaos. Axel and the other traitors stood frozen behind her, unable to even reach for their weapons.

This wasn't the Nate they remembered.

This Nate radiated a suffocating heat, his very presence warping the air. Scars clawed across his face.

The three-tailed Govark stepped forward, towering over everyone. Despite witnessing what Nate had just done to its kin, it remained calm. Its three tails swayed lazily behind it as if it were toying with the situation.

With a guttural growl, it glanced at the charred corpse of the fallen Govark lying in a smoldering crater.

So… that one was weak… injured… it thought.

But me?

I am stronger.

The Govark's piercing green eyes locked onto Nate's as it rolled its massive shoulders and cracked its knuckles, the sound echoing like boulders grinding together.

Madison, still kneeling beside Alice and Bella, stared in disbelief. "It's not scared…?"

"No," Alice muttered weakly, forcing herself to stay conscious. "It's confident. That Govark… it's on a whole different level."

Nate, however, remained unfazed as he hovered gently to the ground, the fire around him calming into a steady glow. His expression was unreadable.

Claire's grip on Jack tightened again as sweat ran down her temple. "Stay back!" she hissed, trying to reassert control.

But Nate didn't even look at her. His attention was fully locked on the Govark before him.

The Govark took another step forward, towering above the treetops. Its green skin shimmered with a faint glow, and the air around it pulsed with raw, heavy energy. The ground beneath its feet cracked with every step as it closed the distance.

Then it spoke.

Its deep voice rumbled across the battlefield like a storm.

"You killed an injured one," it said in near-perfect human language, though its voice still carried that monstrous, guttural tone. "But me? You'll burn before you break me."

A grin tugged at Nate's lips, but his eyes remained cold.

He casually tilted his head, speaking softly. "Is that so?"

The Govark's three tails flicked sharply behind it, stirring the winds as dark green sparks of energy began to crackle at its fingertips.

The standoff was unlike anything the others had ever seen.

Behind them, Ray clenched his fists tightly. "That's no ordinary Govark," he muttered. "This one… is a higher class."

Ryder swallowed hard, his armor vibrating as the Govark's sheer power made the ground tremble. "Do you think Nate can handle it?" he asked, voice shaking.

Madison didn't answer right away. She simply stared at Nate's back. There was something different about him. It wasn't just his strength—it was how calm and detached he was.

"...He'll handle it," she finally said, more to convince herself than anyone else.

The Govark's mouth curled into a wicked smile as it slammed its fists together, sending out a shockwave.

"You should run," it growled. "While you still can."

Nate's response was to slowly lift one hand. A small flame flickered to life on his fingertip, calm and steady.

"No," Nate replied. "I think you should do the running."

Without another word, the Govark roared and stomped forward, its enormous form blotting out the remains of the sun as its green aura flared brighter.