Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 152 - The Revelation II

Nate's eyes fluttered open to the sound of distant commotion. The muffled noise of shuffling feet, grunts, and the metallic clang of chains echoed through the air, forcing him out of the light sleep he had fallen into. The cold morning air seeped into the tent, carrying with it the scent of dirt.

He sat up slowly, listening.

Outside, voices overlapped in urgency. Movement was everywhere. The once-quiet camp had turned into a hive of activity, men shouting commands as beasts roared in distress. The familiar sound of chains dragging across the ground sent a sharp unease through his chest.

By the time Nate stepped outside, the scene before him was already unfolding.

People were awake, some still groggy from sleep, others fully alert as they prepared for whatever was coming. The hunters, the kingsmen, even the lesser nobles—all were working in unison, dragging the captured beasts toward the dark abyss at the center of the camp.

The creatures resisted.

Some thrashed wildly against their restraints, their claws digging deep into the dirt as they tried to fight back, their monstrous roars piercing through the air. Others, already too weak from days of captivity, merely stumbled forward as they were pulled by their handlers, their eyes vacant, their will to resist long broken.

Nate scanned the area.

He was looking for the smaller cage.

The one that should have contained the prisoner.

But it was nowhere in sight.

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His expression darkened slightly. He knew what that could mean, but he wasn't ready to accept it. Not yet.

"You seem troubled."

Nate turned to find Tiaa standing beside him. Her dark eyes studied him carefully, her usual sharpness dulled only slightly by the morning light.

He didn't answer right away.

Instead, he simply looked at her.

Tiaa had always been perceptive. She had a way of reading people without them even realizing it, of picking up on the smallest changes in expression, the unspoken thoughts hidden behind a glance. And now, she was doing the same to him.

She knew something was wrong.

But she didn't press.

If he wasn't going to tell her, she wasn't going to force him.

Instead, she simply exhaled softly, as if accepting his silence, before turning her attention to the crowd ahead.

Nate followed her gaze.

The king had begun walking toward them.

There was no rush in his steps, no urgency—only a quiet certainty, a presence that demanded attention without needing to say a word.

When he reached the gathered hunters, he stopped, allowing his gaze to sweep over each of them.

Then he spoke.

"I suppose it is time I reveal everything to you."

A hush fell over the group.

The hunters, many of whom had only been following orders up until now, exchanged glances. There was tension in the air, a mixture of curiosity and unease.

The king, sensing this, didn't hesitate.

"Tell me," he continued, his voice calm, almost conversational, "have any of you ever wondered why the beasts in this region are not as widespread as the stories claim? Compared to what we've been told of the rest of the world, we should be seeing far more of them. And yet, we live a relatively peaceful life here. Why do you think that is?"

A few of the hunters frowned.

Some looked at each other, searching for an answer, but no one spoke.

The king's lips curved slightly.

"Some brave explorers," he went on, "took it upon themselves to investigate this mystery. They traveled far and wide, searching for answers where no one else would dare to look. And in the end…"

He stretched out a hand.

His fingers pointed toward the abyss.

"…they found it."

The hunters turned their heads.

For a moment, confusion clouded their faces.

Because there was nothing there.

Nate's gaze remained locked on the king, watching carefully. He could see the satisfaction in the man's eyes, the quiet confidence of someone who had long known the truth and was only now choosing to share it.

Then, finally, the king spoke again.

"Follow me."

There was no hesitation in his tone, no room for argument.

And so, the hunters obeyed.

Nate moved with them, his thoughts racing as they followed the king toward the abyss.

And then they saw it.

The cages.

The same cages that had been dragged across camp were now being lowered into the darkness below. The creatures inside howled and shrieked, their bodies thrashing violently as they were forced downward into the unknown. The sight of it sent a ripple of unease through the gathered hunters.

The king turned back to face them.

"This," he said, his voice firm, "is what the beasts fear."

Silence.

The hunters looked at each other again, but this time, their expressions had changed. Confusion, uncertainty, even a hint of fear—it was all there.

Nate remained quiet, his mind already ahead of the conversation.

"And when we discovered this place," the king continued, "we also discovered something else."

He paused, allowing the weight of his words to settle over them.

"Inside," he said slowly, "we found a book."

A book.

Nate's stomach tensed.

"It gave us instructions," the king said. "Instructions on how to open a door. A door to another world."

He let the words linger in the air.

A few of the hunters stiffened.

The king's gaze darkened slightly.

"…And it told us exactly what we needed to do to ask for help."

Nate's fingers curled slightly at his sides.

He already knew what that meant.

He had seen it himself, read it with his own eyes.

And now, everything was falling into place.

Nate's expression remained neutral, but inside, his thoughts were racing. He had already pieced most of this together the previous night, yet hearing the king say it aloud, confirming it all so openly, only made it worse. They were doing all of this—capturing beasts, sacrificing them, embedding crystals into the altar—for a single reason.

To open a portal.

But there was still something the king hadn't said.

Something crucial.

"How exactly do you know this will work?" Nate asked, his tone deliberately calm.

The king turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Nate, but there was no surprise in his eyes, no hesitation in his movements. He had expected this question.

Meni, who had been standing beside Nate, nodded in agreement. "Yes, how do you know?" he repeated. "You claim that this place holds the key, that this ritual will summon help, but how can you be certain? You've told us the method, but not the proof."

The king let out a soft breath, almost amused.

Instead of answering, he simply raised his hand and gestured toward the abyss.

"You will see for yourselves."

And just like that, the conversation ended.

No further explanations. No reassurances. No attempt to justify his words.

Just a simple, unshakable certainty.

As if the outcome had already been decided.

As if their understanding no longer mattered.

Nate narrowed his eyes slightly, but he said nothing else.

The process continued.

One by one, the captured beasts were forced toward the abyss, their resistance met with brutal efficiency as handlers pushed and dragged them down into the depths. Some creatures roared in fury, thrashing wildly against their chains, while others whimpered, their spirits already broken.

Then came the humans.

The hunters.

The nobles.

The kings and their men.

Nate, Tiaa, Meni, Nefer, and Djer followed as well.

As they descended into the tunnel, a strange glow met their eyes.

The crystals lining the walls were different now.

Brighter.

The night before, they had been dull, barely illuminating the space around them. But now, as they walked deeper into the underground chamber, the Niyx crystals pulsed with a strange, almost unnatural light, filling the air with an eerie energy that prickled against Nate's skin.

Meni let out a small breath, looking around in wonder.

"These crystals…" he muttered, reaching out a hand but hesitating before touching one. "Have you seen anything like it before?"

Nefer nodded in agreement. "No. This is… different than anything I've seen."

Even Djer, who had remained mostly silent up until now, glanced around warily.

Nate said nothing.

But he, too, was surprised.

The previous night, the Niyx crystals had given off only a faint glow, just enough for him to see where he was going. But now, they were alive, radiating light as if responding to something unseen, something stirring beneath the surface of this ancient place.

Something was happening.

Something big.

As they walked further, the tunnel widened, the space opening into a vast underground chamber.

And that's when Nate saw it.

The altar.

The ritual had already begun.

Blood pooled across the stone floor, thick and dark, flowing from the bodies of the beasts that had been slaughtered just moments ago. Their carcasses lay limp on the ground, their once-powerful forms reduced to lifeless husks as their crimson essence was drained.

Nate's eyes flicked to the altar itself.

The beast crystals had been carefully embedded into the carved sockets of the ancient structure, forming a precise pattern that pulsed with dim energy.

But none of that was what caught his attention the most.

At the center of it all, tied to a thick wooden pole, was a woman.

Her body was still.

Her head was covered with a rough, worn sack, hiding her face from view.

Nate didn't need to guess who she was.

It was her.

The girl from the smaller cage.

The final part of the ritual.

His jaw tightened slightly.

Slowly, he turned his head, his gaze landing on Tiaa.

"…You were right," he murmured.

But there was no response.

Tiaa wasn't beside him anymore.

His brows furrowed as he looked around, scanning the chamber for her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

A sudden unease crept into his chest.

Where did she go?.

Meanwhile Tiaa was already walking toward the altar.

Her steps were slow, deliberate.

And her eyes—

Her eyes were completely white.

Expressionless.

Emotionless.

As if she were in some kind of trance.