Odyssey Of Survival

Nate didn't fully understand how the time-space thing worked, but he had always been able to tell when he was about to exit it. There was a strange feeling, an instinct, almost as if something inside him just knew when it was time. But this time, before he could even react, the Time Keeper appeared beside him, its dark, ghastly form moving unnaturally fast. Without hesitation, it slashed at him, and before he could do anything to stop it, he felt himself being yanked out of the time-space, forced into existence when he wasn't ready.

The moment his feet hit solid ground, his mind quickly assessed his surroundings, and he immediately realized something was wrong. He was back on the island, but it wasn't the present. He didn't know exactly when he had landed, but he knew this wasn't the right time. That meant the Time Keeper could still track him here, and he needed to leave as soon as possible before it caught up to him again. But just as he was about to take off, his body froze.

Because right before his eyes was a scene that made his blood boil.

Bella was sitting on the ground, her face bloodied, struggling to breathe. Alice was pinned beneath a man's boot, her entire body trembling from the sheer pressure being applied to her back. And Madison lay sprawled on the dirt, her wrist trapped beneath another man's boot, her face twisted in pain and frustration as she struggled to free herself.

A sharp surge of anger shot through Nate's body, his fists clenching involuntarily. Then, without hesitation, his eyes sparked with lightning, and he hunted them down.

When it was over, he turned back toward the girls, his body still radiating with the remnants of his fury, but just as he took his first step, he felt it again.

The Time Keeper.

It was coming.

His time in this timeline was up, and if he didn't leave right now, he would be dragged out against his will again. Without wasting another second, he took off, running as fast as his body could handle, pushing himself past every limit he thought he had. But as he ran, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye, and when he turned his head back, his breath hitched.

Alice.

She was chasing after him.

His heart clenched, but he didn't have time to communicate with her, didn't have time to stop and explain. Because before he could do anything, the air around him twisted, and suddenly, the Time Keeper appeared right behind him.

He barely had a second to react before its cold, clawed hand reached forward and grabbed him by the neck, yanking him off his feet as it pushed him into another portal that appeared before him. The world around him distorted into a swirling tunnel of black gas and flickering lightning, the same eerie void that had first brought him into the past. But this time, something was different.

Because Instead of beating the hell out of him, the Time Keeper did something Nate never expected.

It gripped him tighter.

And then it carried him forward.

Deeper.

Faster.

He felt himself being pulled through an endless abyss, rushing toward something beyond his understanding. It wasn't stopping this time. It wasn't letting go. It was dragging him toward something, something he couldn't see, something he wasn't prepared for.

And then, suddenly, it reached its limit.

With a violent force, it threw him forward.

Nate felt himself being launched through space, his body twisting and turning uncontrollably as he crashed onto the ground with a heavy thud. His vision blurred as he groaned, forcing himself up, dusting off the dirt clinging to his clothes as he tried to regain his bearings. His head pounded, his breathing was uneven, but none of that mattered, because as he finally steadied himself and looked around, his entire body went still.

He was back on the island.

But something was different.

The air felt heavier, thick with a strange energy he couldn't describe, something that vibrated deep within his bones. It was subtle, yet undeniable, a presence in the very atmosphere itself.

And for the first time since all of this began, Nate had a feeling that the island had changed.

---

The air was still for a moment, a deceptive silence that held its breath before all hell broke loose. Then, without warning, a portal tore open in the sky, swirling with violent energy as if the very fabric of reality was being ripped apart. From within its dark, chaotic core, thousands of Gorvaks surged forward, their monstrous forms spilling out like a black tide crashing against the land. Their shrieks pierced the air, their single tails whipping behind them as their grotesque bodies moved with terrifying coordination. Their minds were linked by a singular purpose, their thoughts driven by one relentless command—destroy, kill.

As the horde stormed across the land, the very earth trembled beneath them, each step shaking the ground with a force that sent loose rocks tumbling and dust billowing into the air. They came with an insatiable hunger, their piercing red eyes locked onto the distant cave that stood as the last line of defense for the survivors. Their claws ripped into the soil, their movements fast and unrelenting, their sheer numbers stretching as far as the eye could see.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Alice stood at the front of the group, her expression calm but her mind sharp and focused. She was ready. She had been preparing for this moment, training tirelessly to strengthen her ice powers, honing her abilities to the point where she knew she could change the battlefield if she needed to. She wasn't alone. The survivors had organized themselves into seven separate teams, each stationed at key locations where they predicted the portal could open. If the Gorvaks emerged somewhere unexpected, those positioned elsewhere had to regroup as fast as possible, providing reinforcements wherever they were needed. It was a risky plan, but it was the best they had.

Alice had chosen to remain at the cave, the heart of their defense, alongside Ryder and Madison. Their presence alone was enough to instill confidence in the group, but there was another person with them—Elena. Alice didn't know much about her, but from what she had gathered, Elena and Madison were best friends back on Earth, inseparable. And, according to Madison, Elena's powers had the potential to shift the tide of battle in their favor. That was yet to be seen, but Alice wasn't one to place blind faith in things she hadn't witnessed herself.

For now, it didn't matter. What mattered was the fact that she was more than ready to cut down anything that stood in their way. Her strength had been growing steadily, her control over ice sharper than ever, and she knew, without a doubt, that if she went all out, she could freeze anything that came near the cave. The confidence she carried was unwavering, but that wasn't the case for everyone else.

There were only around thirty of them left here, the rest scattered across different locations. As the distant tremors of the approaching Gorvaks intensified, some of the survivors tightened their grip on their weapons, their knuckles turning white, their fear barely concealed behind their hardened expressions. It was understandable. The last time they had faced the Gorvaks, there had been over two hundred of them, and even then, they had suffered devastating losses. Now, they were just a fraction of what they had been, and the enemy was even more numerous. The odds weren't in their favor, but they had no choice but to fight.

Then, the first wave arrived.

The moment the creatures came into view, Ryder was the first to move, his armored form surging forward like a living weapon. His armor, crafted by Ray, radiated power as he charged headfirst into the battlefield. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he propelled himself forward, his raw strength sending shockwaves through the earth. The first Gorvak he struck was torn apart instantly, its body crumpling under the sheer force of his attack. And he didn't stop there. He moved like a juggernaut, plowing through the creatures, sending dozens flying with each step he took, his every movement leaving destruction in its wake.

Alice hovered in the air, her body radiating an intense cold that spread outward like an unstoppable force. Her silver hair whipped wildly in the howling wind as the air around her shimmered with frost. The moment her powers erupted, the battlefield transformed. The temperature plummeted instantly, and the Gorvaks, caught in the sudden freeze, recoiled in shock as their bodies began to stiffen.

Beneath them, ice surged like living veins of crystal, spreading with terrifying speed. The Gorvaks tried to move, but their feet were already trapped, frozen to the ground before they could even react. The ice slithered up their legs, swallowing them whole. In less than ten seconds, over a thousand of them stood immobilized, their monstrous forms locked in a prison of ice. Their black eyes flickered with panic, realizing too late that they were utterly helpless.

Then Alice moved.

With a slow, deliberate motion, she brought her hands together in a sharp clap. The sound wasn't loud—it was almost delicate—but the effect was catastrophic. The moment her palms met, a pulse of energy rippled through the frozen battlefield.

Crack.

A single fracture ran through the ice, then a deafening series of cracks followed as the frozen Gorvaks shattered into a thousand fragments. Their bodies, once solid and towering, exploded into shards of ice and frozen flesh. The air was filled with a crystalline mist of destruction, a storm of frost and death.

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.

The people stared in stunned disbelief. The sheer scale of what had just happened—one clap, a thousand dead—was beyond comprehension. Murmurs rippled through the crowd. They had seen Alice use her powers before, but never like this.

Even Madison, still gripping her sword tightly, was momentarily speechless. She had fought alongside Alice countless times, had seen her conjure ice walls, create weapons of frost, and freeze enemies solid, but this… this was something else. Alice had wiped out an entire army's worth of Gorvaks in mere seconds.

Alice slowly descended, her breath steady, her expression unreadable. She didn't gloat, didn't show any sign of satisfaction. She simply landed, her feet barely making a sound against the frozen ground.

Madison finally found her voice. "Alice… when the hell did you learn to do that?"

Alice exhaled, her breath visible in the cold air. "I didn't," she admitted, her voice quiet. "I just… let it happen."

That was the frightening part. She hadn't planned this, hadn't even known she was capable of such destruction. It had simply come to her, as natural as breathing.