Odyssey Of Survival - Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Chapter 196 Three Days
Nate suddenly heard a distant voice behind him.

“You found them~”

He spun around immediately, his body tense. Sera and Alice turned too, their eyes widening at the sight before them.

Jack was levitating a few feet above the ground.

It wasn’t just that he was floating—something was wrong. They couldn’t feel him. Not a single sound, not a shift in the air. No presence. He was there… but he wasn’t. His eyes were completely black, void of light or thought. He looked at them, but it felt like he wasn’t looking at all.

Jack’s lips moved, his voice calm, eerie, and monotone.

“Prepare for Zoro’s full force.”

Nate took a step forward, his face twisted in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about? Jack… what did they do to you?”

No answer.

Jack slowly descended until his feet touched the ground. As soon as his boots landed, the black faded from his eyes, replaced by his usual warm brown. Nate blinked. In that moment, he felt Jack’s presence return like a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“Jack?” Alice whispered.

Jack smiled gently at them, his expression soft and familiar. “Hey.”

It was him. The real Jack. The pressure in the air vanished as if someone had turned off a storm.

“What was that just now?” Nate asked, stepping closer. “You—your eyes…”

But Jack only chuckled, lifting his hand.

With a casual swipe, a long, elegant sitting bench formed in front of them out of thin air. Smooth, polished wood with faint golden lines running across it. No smoke, no glow—just there.

Nate froze, staring at it. “Okay. Since when can you do that?”

Before Nate could ask anything more, Jack motioned to the bench. “Sit. Please.”

Sera hesitated, but eventually nodded. She and Alice sat first. Nate glanced at Jack again before finally joining them.

Jack sat down across from them, his expression calm but heavy. “Let me explain everything.”

And he did.

He told them about his kidnapping, the dark experiments, the mind-breaking pain, the endless whispers from the stone, and the moment his body stopped being just his own. How he became something else. A vessel. A connection to something beyond this world. He didn’t need to say everything—they had seen the pieces—but hearing it from him made it all too real.

When he was finished, silence settled.

Nate’s voice finally broke through it. “So you were made… for some sort of vessel.”

Jack nodded, his smile faint. “Yeah.”

“And what does it want?” Nate asked, eyes narrowing. “The stone. What’s it after?”

Jack looked down, then up again with a grim smile. “I’m afraid… I can’t say. Not yet. But it mean no harm to us”

Nate’s brows tightened. He didn’t like that answer.

“Where’s Bella and Madison?” he asked, more sharply than he intended.

“They’re safe,” Jack replied without hesitation. “I kept them far from the explosion.”

Sera leaned forward, her voice quiet. “Wait… so you destroyed the base?”

Jack nodded slowly. “At first, I lost control. I didn’t mean to. But… no casualties. I made sure of that.”

Nate rubbed his face, letting out a breath. This was too much. But Jack didn’t give them time to sit with it.

He stood up.

Nate looked up at him. “What now?”

Jack turned toward him, his voice firm but not forceful. “You need to assemble everyone. Three days from now. Be ready.”

“Ready for what?”

Jack’s eyes gleamed for a second. “The final battle. With Zoro. I’m opening the portal to the island.”

Nate stood too, his face hard. “Wait, wait—what? You’re opening that portal? Why?”

Jack smiled, but it wasn’t a peaceful smile. It was… resigned. As if he didn’t want to explain. “It’s important for the survival of humanity.”

Nate stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Survival? That island nearly killed all of us. And now you’re saying it’s important?”

Jack didn’t answer.

In fact, before Nate could even say another word—

He was gone.

No wind, no flicker. Just vanished, like he had never been there.

Nate’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

“What the hell…” he muttered.

Alice slowly stood up too. “He’s… different.”

“Different?” Sera asked quietly. “He’s broken. That wasn’t just power. That was something else entirely. That wasn’t Jack talking to us, not all the way.”

Nate nodded, his fists clenched.

Yeah… something was wrong. And the worst part?

Jack didn’t look afraid of what was coming.

He looked ready for it.

And that terrified Nate more than anything else.

A sudden light shimmered in front of Nate, and before anyone could react, two figures appeared—right out of thin air.

“Wha—” Nate stepped back.

Madison and Bella stood there, looking around with wide eyes, both of them clearly confused.

“This… isn’t the base anymore,” Bella muttered.

Madison blinked rapidly as her eyes scanned the area. Then she turned—and froze.

“Nate?” Her voice cracked slightly.

The moment she saw him, and then Alice and Sera standing beside him, her face lit up. Without warning, Madison ran straight into all three of them, arms wrapping tightly around each one. She didn’t care how long it had been. They were here. They were alive. That’s all that mattered.

Bella walked forward too, but slower. Her eyes were serious, her steps steady. She stopped a few feet in front of Nate. “We need to talk.”

Nate looked at her, already sensing something was wrong. “Yeah… I know Jack’s changed. We saw him.”

Bella shook her head. “No. Not like this.”

She turned her head slightly, raising her voice so everyone heard her clearly.

“He controlled an entire military base.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“I’m serious,” Bella said, folding her arms. “The moment we woke up, we saw it. The guards, the staff… everyone. They were following him. Like mindless dogs. Not one of them questioned his orders.”

Alice’s mouth dropped slightly. “How? With what power?”

“That’s the scary part,” Bella said. “We don’t know. He didn’t even lift a finger. They just listened.”

Madison finally let go of the others, nodding beside Bella. “It was like they worshiped him. Not out of respect… but fear.”

Nate turned his head slowly, staring off into the distance as he processed what they were saying.

Jack… controlling an entire base?

“Even if he didn’t mean to…” Sera muttered. “That’s not a power a kid should have.”

Nate ran a hand through his hair, his voice low. “I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

Jack had warned them. Three days. Prepare for the final battle.

Nate knew he wasn’t joking.

Whatever Jack had seen… whatever he was now… it wasn’t some bluff. He had become something different. And this whole situation? It wasn’t just about saving friends or escaping labs anymore.

This was war.

Real war.

“The portal…” Nate said, mostly to himself. “He said he was opening it.”

Bella’s brows furrowed. “He’s what?”

“Yeah,” Nate nodded. “In three days. He said it was important for humanity’s survival.”

Madison stepped closer, face tensing. “Then… he’s serious. He’s really opening the way.”

Sera looked at them all. “That means the Gorvaks…”

Nate closed his eyes for a second.

Exactly.

The moment that portal opens, the Gorvaks would flood through. And not just them.

Zoro.

His entire army.

They were going to invade Earth.

“I never really understand Zoro even while on the island?” Alice whispered. “What do they want with us?”

Nate opened his eyes. “Zoro’s not just some warlord. He works for the Koryathans. And we…”

He paused.

“We broke our promise to them and drove them away from earth.”

No one spoke.

It clicked all at once.

Zoro wasn’t just attacking Earth for fun. He was seeking revenge. Retribution. Maybe even orders from above. And when that portal opens in three days, it wouldn’t just be a battle.

It would be a purge.

“They’ll kill everyone,” Nate said quietly. “They’re not gonna hold back. They’re not gonna wait. If Jack’s right… we’re the last line between Earth and extinction.”

The others said nothing.

There was nothing to say.

Three days.

That was all they had.

The next morning, Nate called everyone they had originally crashed on the island with. Tomorrow, they would meet. Not just to prepare—but to make a choice. Fight or flee.

But that wasn’t all.

Somehow, Jack had sent a message to the world leaders. Nate didn’t know how—maybe it was that weird voice, or maybe they just sensed the power behind his words—but whatever he did… it worked.

They listened.

All across the globe, humanity was being evacuated. Every major city, every corner of civilization—people were moving. Planes flew nonstop. Shelters filled. Panic spread faster than any disease ever could.

Nate stood on the porch of the small house they were using as a base now, his arms folded as he watched the chaos unfold before him.

People ran down the streets with bags in hand, children crying, sirens blaring in the background. Cars smashed into each other, horns blared, and voices screamed directions no one was listening to. The air felt thick with fear.

All the girls had left earlier to say goodbye to their families. Alice, Madison, Bella—even Amara and Elena. One by one, they’d gone, leaving him to think.

Sera was the only one who hadn’t gone yet.

And right then, she stepped out the door behind him.

She didn’t say anything. Just came beside him and gently wrapped her arms around his hand, holding it softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“They’re scared,” she whispered.

Nate nodded, eyes still watching the madness. “They should be.”

Sera looked up at him. “But they still have you.”

He didn’t answer. Because in his heart, he wasn’t sure if that would be enough.

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