Odyssey Of Survival

Nate's eyes darted through the crowd, scanning every face, every movement, searching for Tiaa—but she was nowhere to be found.

He turned his head toward the tunnels, wondering if she had stepped outside for air. It would make sense—most people wouldn't be able to stomach the sight before them. The thick, iron scent of beast blood filled the underground chamber, and the sounds of bodies being dragged, chains rattling, and low murmurs of the gathered kings created an unsettling atmosphere.

If she had left to escape the horror, he wouldn't blame her.

He took a slow breath.

If she wanted space, then he wouldn't go after her.

Right now, his focus was here.

His hands remained at his sides, his expression unreadable as he told himself—I won't interfere.

Not now.

Not ever.

This was their history.

No matter how much he wanted to step in, no matter how wrong it all seemed—this wasn't his world. He had already made his decision.

He wouldn't change anything.

Then, a hush fell over the chamber.

A figure stepped onto the raised altar.

Nate's eyes lifted, and he saw him.

The King of Kemet-Ra.

Barefoot.

His robe, once grand and pristine, now soaked in thick beast blood. The dark red liquid clung to the fabric, trailing down his legs, pooling around his feet as he stood at the center of the altar.

And in his hands—

A stake.

Sharpened.

Glinting under the eerie light of the glowing Niyx crystals.

The king's expression was calm, yet there was a heavy weight in his eyes, a solemnity that came only with the burden of knowing what was about to happen.

When he spoke, his voice carried through the chamber, deep and commanding.

"As you all know," he began, his gaze sweeping across the gathered kings, nobles, and hunters, "the final ingredient required for the opening of the portal is the blood of a virgin—"

He paused.

Not just any virgin.

"A Dilmunite virgin," he continued, his voice steady. "A woman born from the lost bloodline of Dilmun in the Persian Gulf."

Nate's breath slowed.

But the way the king spoke—

It was as if this was the rarest thing in the world.

The king exhaled slowly before speaking again.

"Eighteen years ago… that bloodline ceased to exist."

The chamber remained deathly silent.

"Every last one of them," he said, his voice heavy. "Wiped out. Erased from the earth."

A finality hung in the air.

Nate frowned slightly.

If they were all wiped out, then—

The king let out a slow breath, gripping the stake in his hand a little tighter.

"When I realized this," he continued, "I thought all hope was lost. That there was no way to complete the ritual."

He took a step forward.

"So, I did what any desperate man would do. I sent word. Quietly. Secretly."

Nate's stomach clenched.

What was he about to say?

"I told the world—"

His gaze darkened.

"If anyone could find a surviving Dilmunite woman, I would give them anything. Anything."

The murmurs in the chamber grew louder, whispers of intrigue and curiosity spreading like wildfire.

Nate remained still.

"And then…" The king's lips curled into something almost unreadable. "She was brought to my doorstep."

A silence fell over the crowd.

The king let the words sink in before continuing, his tone shifting slightly, a note of amusement creeping in.

"I must admit," he said, "when I saw her, I was tempted. Tempted to make her mine."

A few chuckles echoed across the chamber, but there was something dark behind them.

The king's fingers tightened around the sack covering the prisoner's head.

"But the sacrifice…"

His voice grew softer, reverent.

"…is far more important."

And with a swift motion—

He ripped the sack away.

The chamber fell into stunned silence.

Even the kings, the nobles, the hunters—

All of them froze.

The glow of the Niyx crystals bathed her in pale light, and for a moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.

Nate hadn't planned to look.

He had no reason to care.

But the shift in the air, the weight of the silence, the sudden pull in his chest—

His head lifted.

His eyes locked onto the woman.

And his breath—

Stopped.

Her once-dark, wavy hair was tangled, matted with dirt and dried blood, no longer cascading in silky perfection but hanging limply around her bruised face. Her smooth, sun-kissed skin was marred with cuts and bruises, her lips cracked, her wrists red and swollen from the tight ropes that bound her.

Her simple, loose robes, once clean and elegant, were now torn and frayed, clinging to her frail frame like a ghost of what they once were.

Her chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths, her body weakened, exhausted—

But even through it all—

Even in her current state—

She was unmistakable.

Unforgettable.

Nate's fingers curled into fists.

And before he could stop himself—

A single word escaped his lips.

So quiet.

So disbelieving.

"…Sera."

His mind raced.

Wasn't she safe?

Didn't I leave her with User?

They had agreed to wait until nightfall. They were supposed to make the trade under the cover of darkness.

So how?

How the hell did she end up here?

His stomach twisted, his fists clenching at his sides as his gaze flicked from Sera's bound form to the shameless kings murmuring among themselves.

Low voices, chuckles, and admiration.

Compliments.

Comments about her beauty.

Words like "a fine sacrifice" and "it is almost a shame" slithered through the air.

It made Nate sick.

What the hell was the point of praising her looks when they were about to kill her?

What kind of twisted logic was that?

He had promised himself he wouldn't interfere.

He had told himself he wouldn't change anything.

But now—

Now, he wasn't so sure.

Because this wasn't just some stranger.

This wasn't just another nameless sacrifice.

This was Sera.

And while he wouldn't call what they had friendship—

There was something there.

A familiarity. A history, however brief.

And he couldn't just stand here and let this happen.

Not to her.

The king of Kemet-Ra took a step forward, the blood-drenched stake glinting under the eerie glow of the Niyx crystals.

He lifted the weapon high above his head, his voice echoing through the chamber.

"Kings and guards—"

The stake gleamed.

"The time has come."

Then—

The stake descended.

A blur of motion. A glint of steel.

Nate's breath locked in his throat.

Move.

His muscles coiled, lightning flickering within his veins as he took the first step—

But the moment his foot hit the ground, something changed.

Time—

Stopped.

Not slowed. Not staggered.

Stopped.

The flickering torches along the stone walls froze mid-dance, the embers trapped in their glow. The slow-moving blood of the fallen beasts, once oozing across the cold stone, became as still as glass. The breath of the gathered kings, the shifting of their robes, the tension in the air—

All of it—

Silent.

Still.

Unmoving.

Except for him.

And one other presence.

A feeling.

Cold.

Unseen, but watching.

Nate's eyes darted around the chamber.

There was nothing there.

And yet—

He had felt this before.

Back in the forest when they hunted the beast.

In the palace.

And now.

Here.

It was closer than ever.

It was as if something unseen had been watching him this entire time—waiting.

Lurking just beyond sight, beyond reason, beyond the fragile perception of reality.

And now—

It was right here.

The weight of its gaze was suffocating.

It was a warning.

Don't move.

If he so much as lifted his second foot, he knew—it would be there.

Ready to tear his throat out.

His muscles tensed.

His mind screamed at him to stop.

To hesitate.

To consider.

But then his gaze flicked to the altar.

To Sera.

Frozen in place.

Her face locked in an expression of sheer terror.

She knew.

Even in this frozen moment, she knew what was coming.

And she was afraid.

Nate clenched his jaw.

He looked at his own foot.

The moment he moved it—

He knew there was no going back.

His heart pounded against his ribs.

His breath was sharp.

The cold presence curled around his skin like invisible claws, pressing just enough to remind him—

It was waiting.

Testing him.

Daring him.

And Nate—

He narrowed his eyes.

Then—

"Fuck it."

And he moved.