Odyssey Of Survival

The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating, as Nate took a slow step forward, his cold eyes fixed on Meni, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

"Why did you attack me?" Nate asked, his tone void of emotion, his steps measured, controlled—yet carrying a weight that made even those watching feel the pressure of his presence.

Meni, still burning with rage, was too blinded by his emotions to think rationally. His fists clenched, his breathing was heavy, and even though he had already been thrown aside once, he still refused to back down. His anger wasn't just about what happened—it was about the helplessness, the failure, the humiliation of being unable to stop what had happened to Hapu.

With reckless determination, he pushed himself to his feet, his body moving before his mind could catch up. His eyes burned with frustration as he charged forward, his voice raw with accusation.

"Why the hell didn't you help us when things got out of hand!?" Meni shouted as he rushed toward Nate, his emotions spilling out uncontrollably. "If you had stepped in, maybe Hapu's hand wouldn't be gone! Maybe we wouldn't have almost died out there!"

The words echoed in the quiet of the moment, the weight of them hanging between them like a challenge.

But Nate didn't flinch.

Instead, he simply exhaled, his gaze never leaving Meni's as he responded in a voice so calm that it was almost terrifying.

"What happened to the instructions you gave me?" Nate's voice was even, controlled—completely indifferent to the accusation thrown at him. "You told me not to interfere. You made it clear that I wasn't invited into your fight. So, I didn't. Whether you lived or died wasn't my concern."

The words hit harder than any physical blow.

Silence fell over the group as the meaning of his words sank in. The realization spread through them like a slow-moving poison, and for the first time, they all turned their eyes toward Tiaa.

Because they understood now.

They were alive not because they had fought well, not because they had any chance of survival—but because Tiaa had forced Nate's hand. If it weren't for her, they would have all been dead. Every single one of them.

Meni, who had already stopped his advance, now stood still, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts as his rage warred with the truth Nate had just thrown in his face.

His brows furrowed as another question formed in his mind.

"Then… what happened to the beast?" he asked, his voice quieter now, but still filled with uncertainty.

Nate's response was simple, almost dismissive.

"It ran away."

That was all he said.

And they believed him.

Because even though they hadn't seen what happened, they all knew how fast that thing was. It made sense—chasing it down would have been impossible.

Still, something about the way he said it left an uneasy feeling in the air.

Then, before the silence could stretch too long, Tiaa spoke up.

"We have to go back," she said, her voice urgent, her tone leaving no room for argument. "We can't continue like this. Hapu is barely hanging on."

Meni clenched his jaw, shaking his head.

"I wish we could go back too, Tiaa," he said, his voice heavy, almost defeated. "But we can't. We have until late night to deliver a live beast to the king. If we fail, we're as good as dead."

Hopelessness settled in the air like a weight too heavy to bear.

But then—Nate moved.

The group fell silent as all eyes followed him, watching his every step, sensing something was about to happen but unsure of what.

Without saying a word, Nate walked straight to where Hapu lay, his breathing uneven, his face pale from blood loss.

Then, without hesitation, Nate bent down, gripping the edge of Hapu's torn shirt, and lifted it.

What they saw next shocked everyone.

A heavy silence hung over them as their eyes remained locked onto Hapu's body, their minds struggling to process what they were witnessing. Black veins had spread like a poisonous web, stretching across every inch of his skin, twisting and pulsing as if the infection itself had a life of its own. The dark corruption had reached his heart, and from there, the very organ that had once kept him alive now betrayed him, pumping the venom through his veins until it consumed him completely.

His body trembled violently, his limbs jerking without control, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Hold him down!" Tiaa shouted, her voice frantic as she and Nefer rushed forward, pressing their hands against his shoulders in a desperate attempt to still his convulsing body. But it was futile. There was nothing they could do.

Hapu let out a sharp, gurgled breath, his body bucking one final time before the tremors ceased entirely. The rising and falling of his chest came to an abrupt stop. The light in his eyes flickered once, then faded completely, leaving behind a lifeless stare that sent a chill down their spines.

Tiaa's knees buckled beneath her, and she collapsed against Hapu's unmoving body, clutching at his chest as raw sobs tore from her throat.

To her, this wasn't just the loss of a teammate. It was the loss of family.

She had been a child when they took her in, a girl with nothing, no home, no parents, just the weight of survival pressing down on her tiny shoulders. They had been her world, her brothers, the only people she could trust in this merciless place. And now, Hapu—one of the very few who had been there since the beginning—was gone.

Her fingers dug into the fabric of his tunic as she cried, her entire body shaking with grief, unwilling to accept the reality before her.

A voice suddenly cut through the heavy silence.

"I suggest you don't touch his body."

The words were spoken plainly, void of emotion, and they belonged to only one person.

Nate.

Every single person in the group turned to him with seething expressions, their gazes burning with fury and hatred.

"You're still talking?" Meni snapped, his voice trembling with anger. "If you had just helped, he wouldn't be dead! And now you're telling her how to grieve?"

Nefer's lips curled back in a snarl, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides. "You just stood there and watched him die! And now you think you can order us around?"

Even Tiaa, who was still kneeling over Hapu's body, lifted her tear-streaked face to glare at Nate. Her chest rose and fell sharply, her emotions a chaotic storm of sorrow and rage.

She hadn't even fully registered his words before she felt a firm grip on her wrist.

Nate.

Without a word, he yanked her back, dragging her away from Hapu's corpse.

Her first instinct was to resist, her anger flaring at his actions.

"Let go of me!" she snapped, struggling against his grip, but he didn't let go.

Meni and Nefer reacted instantly, rushing forward, their expressions filled with fury. The moment they reached Nate, they forcibly tore Tiaa away from him, shoving him back as Meni snarled, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Nate barely moved from the push, his expression as unreadable as ever.

For a brief moment, his lips parted as if he were about to speak, but before he could say a word, another voice cut in.

"I think he's right."

The unexpected statement made everyone freeze.

It was Djer who had spoken, his voice calm yet carrying a weight that made everyone take pause.

Meni, Nefer, and Tiaa all turned to him in confusion.

"What?" Nefer asked, his brows furrowing.

Djer didn't answer immediately. Instead, his eyes slowly drifted back to Hapu's body.

Following his gaze, the others turned as well—and what they saw made their stomachs drop.

Hapu's body was… melting.

A sickening, acidic black liquid was dissolving his flesh, the substance hissing softly as it ate away at his skin, reducing it to nothing. The same dark corruption that had infected him in life was now consuming him in death.

Even the ground beneath him was disintegrating, the very soil beneath his body turning into a bubbling, oozing pit of corrosion.

A cold shiver ran down their spines as they stared, the realization sinking in.

If Nate hadn't pulled Tiaa away… she would have been caught in it too.

For the first time since Hapu's death, a thick silence settled over them—not just from grief, but from the unsettling truth that Nate had just saved Tiaa's life, despite their hatred toward him. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

And yet, Nate didn't look at them, didn't acknowledge their silent realization.

His focus had already shifted away from them, his mind somewhere else entirely.

Reaching over his shoulder, he gripped the iron rod on his back, pulling it free with a swift motion before letting it rest against the ground beside him.

Then, in a voice devoid of emotion, he spoke:

"You should decide whether you'll continue or quit. If you move fast, you might still catch up."

Without waiting for a response, he turned his back to them and walked away.

His pace was unhurried, his footsteps steady and purposeful.

He didn't care what they thought.

He needed more beast crystals. He needed strength. He wasn't at full capacity yet.

And until he was, nothing else mattered.

****

Support with Golden Tickets and Power Stones.