Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 207 - 206 Evolution

Madison walked slowly across the room, her bare feet silent against the floor as she approached the window. Her steps were unsteady, as if her mind still hadn't caught up to the reality standing before her. There he was—Nate. Sitting calmly on the edge of her window frame like he had never left, like it hadn't been two long, aching years since he disappeared. The sunlight poured over his skin like a blessing, and for a moment, Madison felt her breath hitch in her throat.

She reached out slowly, fingers trembling, and touched his face. Her hand brushed over the stubble on his jaw, and she felt the undeniable warmth of his skin. That was all it took. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

"You're back…" she whispered, her voice catching as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face into his shoulder.

Nate smiled softly, closing his eyes and breathing in the familiar scent of her hair, her body, everything he had missed for so long.

Madison didn't let go. Her hands clung to him with desperation, and then, before another word could pass between them, she pulled back slightly and kissed him. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was filled with hunger, longing, and two years of buried emotions. Her lips moved urgently against his, and Nate responded with just as much intensity, his hands cupping her back like he was afraid to lose her again.

When the kiss finally broke, she stared into his eyes, her own clouded with emotion. Then she punched him—softly—in the chest.

"Where have you been?" she demanded, her voice cracking. "It's been two years, Nate. Two years."

He pulled her back into his arms. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I should've come sooner."

Suddenly, the door to Madison's room burst open. Alice stepped in, carrying a massive cardboard box that blocked her view.

"Madison, how many clothes are you gonna have me order? This is like the fourth—"

She dropped the box with a loud thud and looked up, dusting off her hands. The words died in her throat the second her eyes landed on Nate. Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened.

Nate.

Standing right there.

She didn't move at first. Her brain seemed to freeze for a second too long before her body jolted to life. She slid across the floor like a missile, pushed Madison to the side, and threw herself at Nate, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Nate!" she gasped, voice filled with shock and disbelief.

Madison stumbled and landed on the bed with a grunt. "Really? Do you seriously have to do that?!" she grumbled.

But Alice ignored her completely. She kept her head buried in Nate's chest, squeezing him like he'd vanish if she let go.

Nate just laughed quietly, patting her head with one hand while he reached out to help Madison up with the other. "If everyone reacts like this, I'm in trouble."

His mind flashed back briefly.

The first person he visited when he returned was his mother. The moment she saw him at the door, she dropped the pot she was holding and sprinted towards him, wrapping her arms around him as tears fell uncontrollably. She didn't let go for over thirty minutes.

Then he saw Cleo and Sera. Cleo's lollipop fell straight from her mouth when she saw him, and Sera… she simply broke into tears. Silent ones.

Now Madison and Alice.

He had missed them all.

Nate looked down at Alice, then over at Madison, who was now sitting cross-legged on the bed, arms folded and pouting.

"Come here," he said, reaching toward her.

Madison rolled her eyes but came anyway, crawling over to sit beside him. As soon as she got close enough, Nate pulled both of them into a hug, wrapping one arm around each of them.

"I missed you both more than I can explain," he said, his voice quiet, sincere.

The room went silent.

Alice, still clinging to his chest, asked, "Are you back for real? Like… for good?"

He looked between them and nodded. "Yeah. I'm back. For good this time."

Madison looked up at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You better not disappear again or I swear—"

"I won't," he promised, gently resting his forehead against hers. "Not ever again."

The wind outside rustled the curtains, but the room felt still, frozen in this one perfect moment.

They were finally together again.

And the storm that once took Nate away… had finally passed.

Nate looked down, his fingers curling slightly as he spoke in a soft, serious tone. "There's something I have to do," he said. His voice was calm but layered with weight. "Keep my return a secret... at least until I get back tonight."

Madison and Alice exchanged a glance, then nodded slowly. Before either could blink again, he vanished.

They didn't even see him move. One second he was standing in the middle of the room, the next he was gone. A silent gust of wind brushed past them, and a tiny bolt of static snapped in the air. Nate had leapt straight out the window. The moment his foot hit the ground, black lightning exploded around him, wrapping his entire body like a living storm. Sparks danced violently in the air, then with a sharp crackle, he disappeared from sight.

He was running.

No—flying.

Not in the air, but with such incomprehensible speed that nothing could track him. Trees blurred, cities flickered by, mountains came and went in seconds. Nate wasn't just moving fast. He was slicing through the very fabric of the world.

As he moved, something odd hit him.

Everything looked different.

Not in the way of time or memory, but in infrastructure. Buildings were stronger, more refined. Roads were broader, reinforced with metals and polymers that hadn't been there before. Entire neighborhoods had changed shape. He saw drones flying above for security, public vehicles that moved on invisible rail systems, and even the skyline looked subtly advanced.

He narrowed his eyes.

Jack.

There was no doubt this was his doing. Whatever changes the kid had triggered with that strange stone, it had affected the world—and fast.

But Nate had no time to dwell on it.

He finally arrived.

The place.

The street.

The one where everything changed.

Where he had fought Zoro.

The ruins still stood like ghosts of the past. The ground was fractured. Buildings leaned and crumbled in unnatural directions. Scorch marks and claw-like lightning burns scarred the land. The air felt... broken.

But more than that, it felt alive.

His presence immediately picked up on it.

Someone was here.

Nate's brow lowered. Who would willingly be in a place like this?

He took a step forward, past the boundary. The moment his foot crossed over into the zone, his senses snapped to attention. Energy here was unstable. Unpredictable. Violent.

And yet someone dared to train here?

He dashed toward the center.

Closer. Faster. Until he saw her.

Bella.

She was in the middle of it all. Her long hair danced slightly in the wind. Her face was focused. Serious. Her eyes locked on nothing, yet everything around her moved.

She was practicing.

A lightning bolt struck dangerously close beside her, and in a fluid motion she dodged, moving almost too naturally. Like she had done this a thousand times. Nate watched in stunned silence.

She bent down slowly, her fingers touching the cracked ground, and closed her eyes. For a few seconds, everything went quiet.

Then, Nate felt it.

It was so subtle, almost invisible to normal senses, but he felt it. The earth responded to her presence. A tiny tremble. A heartbeat.

Then her eyes snapped open.

She raised her hand.

Boom.

Six massive pillars erupted from the earth, encircling her like the walls of a fortress. Nate took a step back instinctively. The force behind them was no joke.

He watched with wide eyes as she grunted softly and waved her hand in a clean, powerful motion. The six pillars responded instantly, shifting and forming a perfect combat formation around her.

Two of them moved forward and hovered beside her, clearly meant for offense.

The other four closed in around her, rotating and shifting to shield her from every angle.

Nate couldn't believe it.

She was controlling all six.

Simultaneously.

Not one mistake.

Not one slip.

If he didn't know she was a telekinetic, he would've sworn she was a geomancer manipulating the very earth.

This was no ordinary training.

This was evolution.

Her control, precision, and awareness had reached a terrifying level. Even as lightning danced unpredictably from the sky, she adjusted her pillars smoothly, ducking and weaving between the sparks like she knew where they'd hit before they came.

Nate didn't interrupt.

He didn't speak.

He just stood there, silently watching, eyes gleaming in awe as the wind howled around them and Bella stood strong in the center of chaos, her powers dancing like an orchestra of force.