Odyssey Of Survival

The dense canopy of trees above them swayed slightly as the wind whispered through the branches, sending shadows shifting across the mossy ground. The three girls—Madison, Bella, and Alice—moved steadily through the overgrown forest, their boots crunching against fallen leaves and twigs as they navigated the uneven terrain.

Madison, lagging slightly behind the other two, groaned in frustration. "Seriously, how much longer? This is getting ridiculous."

Alice glanced over her shoulder but said nothing, while Bella simply rolled her eyes.

"Can't I just teleport us there?" Madison complained again, rubbing her sore calves.

Bella scoffed without breaking her stride. "And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the strongest of us. You can fight an army, but you can't handle a little walking?"

"It's not about strength, Bella. It's about common sense. Why are we walking when I can literally teleport us?" Madison shot back, waving her hands for emphasis.

Bella smirked and shook her head. "Because walking reminds us that we're still human."

Madison snorted. "Human, my ass. We lost that luxury the moment we stepped onto this damn island."

The conversation quieted for a moment as they continued moving through the trees. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth, and the distant calls of unseen creatures echoed through the forest.

Then, out of nowhere, Alice spoke up, her voice quieter than before. "What are you going to do when we leave the island?"

The question caught Madison off guard, and for a moment, she didn't answer. Even Bella, who had been busy keeping Madison in check, felt the weight of the question settle over them.

It wasn't like they could just go back to their normal lives.

Madison clicked her tongue in irritation. "Why the hell are you asking me that? Not like we can just return to school and pretend we don't have powers."

Bella exhaled slowly. "That's the problem, isn't it?" She glanced at Alice before continuing. "If people on Earth find out what we can do, we'll probably get locked up in some government facility and experimented on like lab rats."

Madison folded her arms, scoffing. "Let them try. I'd like to see some scientist try shit with me. The second they do, I'll make sure they regret it."

Bella chuckled. "That's not exactly a foolproof plan."

"It doesn't need to be. It's simple. If they come for me, I'll kill them." Madison's tone was casual, but the weight behind her words was anything but.

Bella shook her head with a small laugh. "You're impossible."

"And you're dramatic," Madison shot back, though her lips twitched slightly in amusement. "We'll figure something out when we get there. First, let's just get off this ridiculous island."

Alice, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, suddenly stopped walking. Her gaze flickered toward the trees, her body tensing.

The others noticed immediately.

"What?" Madison asked, her tone suddenly serious.

Alice didn't respond right away. Instead, she listened, eyes narrowing. A faint rustling noise reached their ears—soft, barely noticeable, but there.

Bella turned in the same direction. "Did you hear that?"

Alice nodded, still focused on the sound. "Stay alert, everybody."

For a few tense moments, none of them moved. The forest around them remained still, as if holding its breath. Then, just as quickly as the sound had come, it disappeared.

No movement. No sign of anything.

Madison exhaled sharply. "Damn animals. Let's just go."

Alice hesitated for a second longer before nodding.

They continued in silence after that, moving carefully through the trees until they finally reached their destination—a seemingly unremarkable clearing deep within the forest.

The second they stepped forward, however, a strange sensation washed over them.

Madison stopped, eyes narrowing as she glanced around. "You feel that?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah… strong space energy."

Bella crouched slightly, studying the ground. "Looks like you were right, Alice."

Scattered across the area were countless footprints, pressed deep into the dirt. The distinct clawed impressions matched those of the Gorvaks they had fought before.

Madison sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "So, this is where Zoro opened his portal?"

Alice nodded. "No doubt about it."

But aside from the footprints and the faint lingering energy in the air, the area looked… empty. There was nothing but more trees and wilderness in every direction.

Madison turned, scanning the clearing with a frown. "I don't see anything."

Suddenly, Bella raised a hand.

Madison barely had time to react before she was lifted into the air, caught in Bella's telekinetic grasp.

"Hey! What the hell?!" Madison yelled, her arms flailing in surprise.

"Look down," Bella instructed.

Madison did—and the moment she saw what they were standing on, her eyes widened.

Below them, barely visible beneath the layers of dirt and overgrown moss, was a massive circular array.

Alice's voice was quiet but certain. "It's just like the one in the cave. The one where the Keepers first captured us."

Madison's stomach twisted slightly at the memory.

Still mid-air, Madison's sharp gaze suddenly snapped toward a shadowy figure lurking in the distance, barely visible among the thick, twisting branches. Her breath hitched for just a moment as her eyes locked onto the dark form of a Gorvak, its piercing gaze locked onto her as well, completely silent, unmoving, almost as if it were studying her.

In a blink, she vanished.

A pulse of purple energy flickered as she teleported, reappearing just a few meters away from the creature, her movements seamless, fluid, precise. The moment she landed, her fingers were already drawing her quiver, and as if answering her call, a glowing blue energy arrow materialized between them.

Without hesitation, she loosed the arrow.

The air hummed and cracked as the energy projectile tore through the space between them, its speed blindingly fast, a streak of blue light aimed directly for the creature's head.

But the Gorvak—**unlike the hundreds she had encountered before—**did not panic.

It didn't snarl.

It didn't roar.

It didn't even flinch.

Instead, with an almost unnerving calm, it simply moved.

And not just moved—it vanished.

A blur of movement, an impossible burst of speed, and suddenly the Gorvak was gone, evading the arrow at the last possible moment with a precision so unnatural, so inhuman, that Madison's eyes struggled to even track it.

Her heart pounded.

She had fought hundreds, thousands of these things yesterday. She had slain them by the dozens, watched them fall like weak beasts under her bow and blade.

But none of them had moved like this.

Before she could react, a shadow appeared in front of her.

A low growl—then a sharp, slicing sound.

Madison's instincts screamed.

She barely managed to teleport in time.

A fraction of a second before impact, she blinked out of existence, her body disappearing in a flash of energy just as a razor-sharp tail cut through the empty space where her neck had just been.

Madison reappeared a few feet away, her boots skidding against the damp forest floor as her breath came short and sharp.

Her eyes widened.

Two tails.

This Gorvak had two tails.

And they weren't just any tails—they were sleek, bladed, and gleamed with an edge so sharp that she had no doubt they could slice through flesh, bone, even armor, as if it were paper.

A bead of sweat trickled down her temple.

This wasn't like the others.

Bella and Alice, already sensing the danger, rushed to her side.

Bella's hands were already raised, her powers humming in the air, ready to grab and crush the creature with invisible force. Alice, standing slightly behind, already had ice gathering around her fingers, the air around her dropping several degrees in an instant.

The three of them now stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes locked onto the two-tailed Gorvak, which now simply stood there, watching them with an eerie intelligence.

None of them moved.

The Gorvak stared.

The air felt heavier.

Madison tightened her grip on her bow.

Whatever this thing was—it wasn't just another Gorvak.

****

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