Odyssey Of Survival

The dimly lit room was silent except for the faint sound of breathing. Nate sat cross-legged in the middle of the cage, eyes closed, his mind deep in meditation. He was calm—too calm for someone locked away like a criminal. But he didn't care. His anger had already burned away, leaving only cold resolve.

Then, suddenly, a shift in the air. A flicker of energy.

Madison appeared.

Her form materialized just outside the cage, but the second she tried to step forward—she couldn't move in. A sharp force repelled her, something invisible yet impenetrable. Confusion crossed her face. This had never happened before.

She frowned, trying again. This time, she pushed harder, attempting to phase inside—but she was blocked once more. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't pass through.

"What the hell?" she muttered, frustration creeping into her voice.

Then, from the shadows, Nate's voice emerged—calm, steady.

"Don't waste your strength."

Madison's head snapped toward him, but the room was too dark. She couldn't see his face. He was seated just beyond the reach of the dim light that spilled through the small window.

"This place," Nate continued, his voice carrying an eerie certainty, "was built by Ray. Your powers won't work here."

Her hands curled into fists. "Damn it."

In frustration, she slammed her palm against the cage, putting all of her strength into the hit—but nothing happened. The bars didn't even rattle. It was as if the material had absorbed all the force, leaving no sign of impact.

Then, movement.

From the darkness, Nate stood up. Slowly, he stepped forward, the dim light revealing his face piece by piece as he emerged.

His expression wasn't one of anger or sadness—just quiet acceptance.

Madison's breath caught as he reached the edge of the cage, standing just inches from her, only the cold iron bars separating them.

Then, he stretched out his hand.

Madison felt a familiar warmth as his fingers gently wrapped around hers, the simple touch grounding her.

Then, softly, he spoke.

"Take care of Alice."

Madison blinked. "What?"

But Nate wasn't done. His voice, though gentle, carried an undeniable weight.

"Tell Ray…" He paused, as if considering his next words carefully. Then, with certainty, he continued, "…I can't help him find the culprit anymore."

Madison's brows furrowed. "Nate, what are you talking about?"

His grip tightened slightly, then released.

"I have a place to be," he said.

Confusion flashed in Madison's eyes. "Where?"

For the first time since he had been locked away, Nate smiled. A small, knowing smile.

"To find out who I am."

Madison parted her lips to say something, but Nate had already turned away.

He stepped back into the darkness, his gaze drifting toward the small window at the far end of the room.

Outside, the sky had changed.

The clouds stretched unnaturally, twisting into elongated shapes that seemed to reach across the heavens like shadowy fingers. But beyond them—on the farthest edge of the sky—a strange light shimmered.

A sliver of ice-blue radiance.

A streak of cold, glowing mist ran along the horizon, unmoving, untouched by the sun's warmth. It was subtle, almost easy to miss—but Nate recognized it instantly.

His lips parted as he whispered the words the old man had told him long ago.

"When the shadows stretch longer than the sky itself, follow the path to the frozen horizon."

And there it was.

The Frozen Horizon.

The air in the chamber suddenly grew thick with static. A sharp crackle echoed through the dimly lit space as lightning flickered across Nate's body, arcing along his arms and shoulders like living serpents. The faint blue glow of the sparks illuminated the cold iron bars that had once contained him—until now.

Then—BOOM.

In the next instant, an explosion ripped through the air. The wall behind Nate detonated into a storm of debris, rock and dust scattering in all directions as a shockwave blasted outward. The sheer force of the blast sent a deafening ring through the entire cave system, making Madison flinch as her ears throbbed in pain.

For a moment, she could barely hear anything but the distant, fading hum of the explosion.

Her heart pounded violently.

She had just been standing there, listening to him talk about some cryptic journey—and then he had obliterated a reinforced stone wall like it was nothing.

How?

Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him, and what she saw made her breath catch in her throat.

Lightning swirled around Nate's eyes.

Not just ordinary lightning—but something raw, something beyond control.

The air itself felt heavier, and time seemed to slow down as he tilted his head slightly, his gaze meeting hers for one final moment.

Then, without a single word, he turned.

Beyond the shattered wall, the sky loomed open—and there, in the farthest reaches of the horizon, the strange, ice-blue glow shimmered faintly, already beginning to fade.

The Frozen Horizon. Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

Before Madison could even react—Nate moved.

And by "moved," it was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

One second, he was standing there.

The next, he was gone.

Her eyes barely processed the motion—a blur of electric energy bursting forward with inhuman speed. A streak of lightning flashed across the ground where he had been, the heat of his departure scorching the floor beneath his feet.

Madison took a sharp step back, her heart still racing. She hadn't even seen him leave. It was as if he had simply blinked out of existence, vanishing into the wind before her mind could catch up.

A few seconds later—two figures appeared behind her.

Ray and Ryder had just arrived, their eyes instantly locking onto the scene before them. Their gazes swept across the chamber, taking in the destruction left in Nate's wake.

The reinforced stone walls, which had been specially designed to suppress ability users, were completely incinerated. The area behind the bars was nothing but charred remains, large cracks crawling along the cave walls as if an earthquake had just shaken the place apart.

Ray's eyes narrowed slightly as he stepped forward, inspecting the destruction with careful scrutiny. His mind was racing.

"This shouldn't have happened," he murmured under his breath.

The suppression field should have kept Nate's powers in check. The orb he had created—**specifically designed to neutralize ability users within its range—**had been active the entire time. And yet, somehow...

Nate had torn through it like it was nothing.

Ray's fingers tightened slightly as his mind processed what this meant.

Just how powerful is he?

Ryder, standing beside him, exhaled deeply, shaking his head in disbelief. "Even after all this time, we still don't know the full extent of what he's capable of…"

Ray remained silent, his eyes scanning the destroyed chamber. If the suppression field had failed against Nate, that meant… Nate was far beyond what they had originally assumed.

Ryder turned toward Madison, his expression tense. "Where did he go?"

Madison barely spared him a glance, her frustration clear in her tone.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" she snapped. Then, without another word, she turned on her heels and walked away, her mind already set on finding Bella.

Ray and Ryder remained behind, staring at the aftermath of what had just occurred.

After a long moment of silence, Ryder finally turned toward Ray, his voice quieter this time.

"…How strong do you think Nate really is?"

Ray was still staring at the destroyed wall, his fingers lightly brushing the scorched remains of the stone.

Then, finally, he shook his head.

"Too strong."

Ryder let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples as he tried to piece together his thoughts. They needed him.

With the appearance of that strange creature Madison and Bella had captured, they needed every strong ability user they could get. If something happened—if something even worse was waiting for them out there—Nate would have been their best chance.

But now…

Now he was gone.

Ray, noticing Ryder's troubled expression, crossed his arms. "What do you think of him?"

Ryder exhaled through his nose, rubbing his chin as he thought. After a brief pause, he finally murmured,

"…I think Nate is a selfless person. Someone who will stop at nothing to protect innocent people."

Ray—laughed.

Not a mocking laugh, but a quiet, knowing one.

Then, shaking his head, he replied,

"Then you don't know anything about him."