The battlefield, once a scene of chaos, now lay in eerie stillness, save for the occasional groans of the wounded and the rustling of fabric as Ann moved swiftly between the injured, her small fra darting from one person to another like a flickering fla in the aftermath of destruction. The air slled of blood, ash, and burnt flesh, a grim reminder of the carnage they had barely survived.
Ryder, still clad in his gleaming battle armor, stood amidst the devastation, his massive figure resembling an immovable pillar in the storm of their struggles. His gaze, sharp and unwavering, swept across the bodies that littered the ground, so breathing, so forever still. His jaw clenched, his fists tightened at his sides, and then, in a voice that carried both command and underlying sorrow, he turned to Ray.
"Numbers. I need numbers, Ray."
Ray, his face grim and streaked with soot, exhaled deeply, as if forcing himself to confront the weight of his words before he spoke. His staff, the one he had wielded to protect them during the fight, was still faintly glowing, remnants of the protective barrier he had conjured earlier.
"Ten dead," he said after a pause, his tone devoid of any false comfort. "Thirty-nine injured."
Ryder closed his eyes for a brief mont, breathing in the bitter truth. They had fought, they had survived, but the cost was undeniable. Even the ones who lived bore wounds that might never truly heal.
Ann, in the midst of her healing, moved with an unnatural grace, her feet almost dancing over the bloodstained ground as she placed her hands over each injured fighter, a soft, golden glow pulsing from her palms, sealing deep cuts and restoring broken bones. Her small fra was deceptive—she carried a burden far greater than anyone else at that mont.
anwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Bella, standing with her arms crossed, suddenly spoke, her voice cutting through the thick air like a blade.
"Did either of you see Claire while we were fighting?"
She turned towards Madison and Alice, her brow furrowed.
Madison shook her head without hesitation. "Nope. Didn't see her. Didn't see Axel either."
Alice mirrored her response, her expression equally unreadable.
A scowl twisted Madison's face as she muttered under her breath. "I hate that bitch to the core."
Alice, who had remained mostly silent until now, suddenly lifted her head, her eyes glinting with sothing deeper—sothing beyond re observation.
"I think Zoro is controlling the Gorvaks," she stated, her voice firm but quiet.
Madison snapped her gaze toward her, blinking in disbelief before letting out a dry laugh.
"Isn't that common sense, Alice? Everybody already knows that." She gestured vaguely toward the battlefield. "The sigil on their foreheads was proof enough. He commands them."
But Alice shook her head, her expression serious, her gaze unflinching. "No, that's not what I ant."
Madison frowned. "Then what the hell do you an?"
Alice took a step forward, her hands tightening into fists.
"What I an," she began, "is that Zoro isn't just giving them orders from afar. He's not just their master—he is their will. He is directly controlling them, as if they were extensions of himself."
A beat of silence stretched between them. Bella and Madison exchanged uncertain glances, still not fully grasping what Alice was implying.
Seeing their hesitation, Alice exhaled sharply before explaining further.
"When I closed the portal," she continued, "I noticed sothing. Every single Gorvak on our side suddenly beca… lost. They didn't know what was going on. They hesitated, looked around in confusion, and then they ran. They scattered like mindless animals without a purpose."
Madison's expression slowly shifted from skepticism to realization.
"So, what you're saying is… Zoro was on the other side of that portal, controlling them like a puppeteer, and when you cut off the connection, they lost all sense of direction?"
Alice nodded. "Exactly."
Bella's brows furrowed as she processed Alice's words, then she crossed her arms, tilting her head.
"That changes everything," she muttered. "If Zoro's connection to them is that strong, then breaking it could cripple them completely."
Alice's eyes glead. "That's what I'm saying. And here's the most interesting part."
Bella's gaze sharpened. "Explain."
Alice took a deep breath before speaking again, her tone carrying a weight none of them could ignore.
"The Gorvaks don't want to fight us."
Madison narrowed her eyes. "What do you an? They were tearing through our people without hesitation."
Alice shook her head. "No. Think about it. When the portal closed, the ones left on our side didn't even try to fight back. No matter how much we attacked them, they just ran. Not a single one retaliated."
Silence stretched between them as the realization sunk in.
Bella was the first to speak. "Are you saying… these creatures aren't actually violent? That the only reason they fought us at all was because Zoro was forcing them to?"
Alice nodded. "Exactly. They may be monstrous, but without Zoro pulling the strings, they don't have any desire to kill us. That ans if we can find a way to break Zoro's control over them in the next battle, we won't have to fight an army at full strength. We'll be cutting their numbers drastically without losing any more of our own people."
Madison exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Damn… that actually makes a lot of sense."
Bella's eyes darkened as she processed the information. "Then that's what we need to do. We're already too few as it is. If we thin out any further, we'll be wiped out."
Alice nodded in agreent. "This next fight isn't just about survival anymore. It's about strategy. And if we play this right, we can turn the tide in our favor."
As the three of them stood amidst the wreckage of the battlefield, the weight of their discovery settled over them.
This wasn't just a war against Zoro.
This was a war for control.
---
Few hours later
The night air hung heavy over the camp as Madison sat by the fire, her fingers absentmindedly running along the surface of her newly crafted crystal bow. The flas flickered in her blue eyes, but her thoughts were distant—far from the present, far from the warmth of the fire, far from the people around her.
Her voice, quiet yet firm, suddenly broke the silence. "Don't you two ever wonder where he is? Or... what he is doing?"
Bella and Alice, who had been engaged in quiet conversation, stopped imdiately. They didn't need to ask who she was referring to.
Nate.
A shared look passed between them, and after a mont, they both nodded.
"All the ti," Bella admitted, her voice softer than usual, the usual sharpness missing.
Alice exhaled slowly, folding her arms across her chest. "He disappeared without a trace, and we have no idea what happened to him. No idea if he's even alive."
Madison frowned, her grip tightening around the bow. "I don't believe he's dead."
Bella smirked slightly. "Neither do I."
Alice, however, remained silent. She had her doubts. But deep down, she wanted to believe that if anyone could survive, it would be him.
They all fell into silence, lost in their thoughts, their unanswered questions hanging in the air like an unspoken weight.
---
anwhile…
ni's breath ca in ragged gasps as he sprinted through the dense forest, his feet pounding against the uneven ground, his muscles burning with exhaustion. Behind him, the snarling beast tore through the underbrush, relentless, rciless.
He jumped over a fallen tree, twisting mid-air to glance back at the monster that pursued him—a massive, muscular beast with jagged fangs and glowing yellow eyes, its breath steaming in the cold night air.
And then, just as the creature closed the distance, ni clenched his teeth and shouted, "NOW!"
The mont his voice rang through the trees, a sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by the deadly twang of a bowstring.
An arrow shot past ni's ear with frightening precision, and before the beast could react, the projectile pierced its eye, burying deep into its skull.
The monstrous creature released a terrible shriek as its massive body crashed to the ground, its montum carrying it forward until it skidded lifelessly to a stop.
Panting heavily, ni bent over, his hands gripping his knees as he fought to catch his breath. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, but the imdiate danger was over.
From the shadows, Tiaa erged first, lowering her bow. She barely spared the fallen beast a glance before scanning the surroundings, ensuring nothing else lurked nearby.
Behind her, Nefer and Djer stepped out, their movents swift and efficient.
Djer, silent as always, approached the fallen creature and knelt beside it, pulling a curved blade from his belt. Without hesitation, he sliced into the beast's thick hide, reaching inside and extracting a glowing crystal—the core of its power.
Tiaa exhaled, rolling her shoulders before turning to the others. "That should be enough," she said. "We need to head back. It's getting dark, and we all know what happens when we stay in this forest too long."
Djer wordlessly tossed the glowing crystal toward her, and she caught it with ease.
As Tiaa inspected the crystal, Nefer frowned slightly and glanced around. "Where's Nate?"
Tiaa didn't even look up. "He left a while ago," she answered simply. "Said he'd be waiting outside. Also said that if we didn't see him, we shouldn't wait."
Nefer's frown deepened. He wasn't the type to worry about people—especially soone like Nate, who had proved himself more than capable. But sothing about the way Nate had left without a word unsettled him.
But there was no ti for questions. They had what they needed, and they weren't about to risk their lives staying out here any longer.
Without another word, the group started toward the exit of the forest, moving swiftly through the trees.
---
At the Edge of the Forest…
The mont they erged from the treeline, the first thing they saw was Nate.
He stood there, arms folded, his expression unreadable—completely unbothered, as if he had been waiting for them for hours. But it wasn't just him that caught their attention.
It was the creatures at his feet.
Four massive beasts, battered and broken, their enormous bodies barely breathing, their blood staining the ground.
ni's jaw dropped. Nefer stiffened. Even Tiaa, who had started growing accustod to Nate's unpredictability, felt her fingers tighten around the crystal in her grasp.
Nate had brought them live beasts.
With a calm expression, he glanced at the stunned group and casually said,
"I thought you might need these."
There was a beat of silence.
Then ni burst into laughter—a genuine, amused laugh, as if all the past tension between them no longer mattered.
Even Nefer, though still sowhat wary of Nate, couldn't suppress the small smirk tugging at his lips.
Because they all knew the truth.
The king had ordered them to bring back live beasts.
But catching a live beast was near impossible—the creatures were too strong, too aggressive. If they didn't kill them first, they risked being killed themselves.
And yet, sohow, Nate had done the impossible.
For the first ti, the group looked at Nate not as an outsider, not as a stranger, not even as a rival—
But as a warrior.
And in that mont, all past grudges were forgotten.
****
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