Chương 61: Episode 6: Meet Strength

Eddy and I sat beside the lake on a weathered log bleached pale by years of sun and rain. Most of the bark had long since peeled away, leaving the wood smooth as old bone beneath us. Reeds swayed lazily along the shoreline. Dragonflies skimmed across the water in flickering blue streaks. Somewhere deeper in the trees, birds chirped without a care in the universe. It felt like one of those moments you accidentally remember forever, except we weren't alone.

Across from us, seated on another fallen log like he owned the entire shoreline, was something that completely shattered the mood. He was enormous. Muscles layered across his frame like forged steel beneath skin lit by a faint crimson glow. It pulsed softly across his arms and shoulders, subtle but constant. Brass knuckles wrapped around each fist, every slight movement produced a muted metallic click. This was him. Another Zenith. Strength. The name carried weight even in silence.

Beside me, Eddy sat cross-legged near the water, unusually quiet for once. His eyes kept darting between Strength's glowing fists and his face like he was trying to calculate how fast we'd both die if things went wrong. I forced myself to stay relaxed, or at least pretend to.

"What are you doing here?" Strength's grin deepened by maybe half an inch. His voice rolled across the lake slow and heavy, each word landing with calm certainty.

"I know how this feels," he said.

"Like your life suddenly accelerated without warning. One day you're surviving…" His gaze narrowed slightly.

"…the next day the universe expects you to carry it." Okay. That was already too serious for me. Strength rose to his feet. The log beneath him creaked like it had just survived an earthquake. CRACK. He rolled one shoulder. CRACK. Then his knuckles. The sound cut through the peaceful air like snapping branches.

"I'll simplify things," he continued.

"I'm your assigned trainer. Courtesy of Power." My brain immediately disconnected, "…My what?" Before Eddy could even react, I launched upright so fast the log tipped backward into the dirt behind me.

"MY personal trainer?!" I pointed at him as he'd just announced he was legally adopting me. Strength didn't even look mildly offended.

"Yes, But don't get attached. I'm only here for several hours. After that, survival becomes your responsibility again." Eddy scrambled to his feet beside me, nervously scratching near the base of one horn while his tail whipped behind him in irritation.

"Power never informed us about this," he muttered suspiciously. Then he pointed dramatically at Strength.

"Olsen, do NOT train with this overgrown jolly rancher."

"HAHAHAHA!" Strength laughed. The sound pressed against my chest hard enough to feel physical.

"Your triceratops friend is really—" he glanced at Eddy, snickered and covered his mouth, " Interesting."

"But I'm also here," he added, his tone lowering slightly, "because things are becoming unstable." That got my attention immediately.

"There are forces already moving," he continued quietly.

"On this world. Beyond it. Names you haven't even heard yet are already shaping the future around you." The smirk faded from my face. Yeah. That sentence sucked to hear. Strength reached his side— Except there wasn't anything there. One second, his hand was empty. The next, he held a silver object shaped like a hexagon forged from polished metal. Symbols lined its surface in glowing patterns, pulsing rhythmically like a mechanical heartbeat. He stepped closer and handed it to me carefully. Oddly carefully.

Like the object mattered more than he was willing to admit.

"This is a Zenith Transceiver," he explained.

"You activate it only during genuine emergencies." His eyes narrowed.

"And I mean genuine." I turned the device slowly in my hands. Cool metal. Perfect weight. No visible seams. Definitely alien.

"Right," I said carefully.

"No stupid uses. No accidental button pressing. No 'lemme test this real quick.' Got it." Strength stared at me for a long moment. The silence alone told me he already knew I was capable of doing exactly that. Eventually, he sighed through his nose. Eddy folded his arms tightly.

"How did you even arrive here?" he demanded.

"And if your answer somehow involves—""I entered through the atmosphere." Eddy froze mid-sentence.

"…From space?"

"From space." A vein immediately appeared in Eddy's forehead.

"THAT EXPLAINS MY SEISMIC READINGS!" he shouted, pacing aggressively near the shoreline. Wait. Seismic readings? He whipped around dramatically.

"Are all the glow-stick guardians invading us, or just the red one?!" Strength nodded once. Which somehow made everything worse.

"They're already here." Eddy stopped walking. Completely.

"Dironyx has already begun moving pieces into position," Strength said evenly.

"A Xenith empire."

"That idea came from Dironyx," he continued.

"And we have no intention of allowing it to happen."

"CAN'T YOU PEOPLE THROW ASTEROIDS AT EACH OTHER— SOMEWHERE ELSE?!" Eddy yelled. I slowly sat back down on the log and rubbed both temples. Cool. Awesome. Space war. Ancient empires. And now I apparently had a trainer who could survive orbital entry.

"When does training start?" I asked, because apparently I lived in chaos now. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Strength folded his massive arms across his chest and studied both of us carefully. He turned toward the forest behind the shoreline. THOOM. Each step carried enough weight to make the ground subtly tremble beneath our feet. Sunlight streamed through the trees ahead in fractured beams while shadows stretched across the earth like reaching hands.

"Now," Strength called without looking back. He continued deeper into the woods.

"Try not to fall behind." Eddy and I exchanged a long look. We are absolutely cooked. I slipped the Zenith Transceiver into my pocket and stood up slowly.

"Well," I muttered, squaring my shoulders before following the giant into the forest, "guess this is happening."

The sun sank slowly beyond the horizon, dragging the last streaks of orange light beneath the endless canopy. Night took over fast. Stars flickered awake overhead while silver moonlight spilled across the Lost World, turning the jungle into a sea of shifting shadows. Massive trees stretched endlessly in every direction, their tangled branches locking together high above the forest floor like giant claws. Thick vines swayed in the cool air. Strange cries echoed somewhere far in the distance.

Tiny dinosaurs darted through bushes with nervous chirps. Something much larger answered them deeper in the dark. Class 101 sat stranded in the middle of it all. Cooked. The bus had crashed into a circular clearing surrounded entirely by dense jungle, leaving the area looking like a battlefield. Broken branches littered the ground. Tire marks gouged through mud and uprooted plants. Half the front bumper hung off the vehicle like it was reconsidering life choices.

Angel sat beside one of the tires with a notebook balanced on his knee, glasses reflecting pale moonlight while he rapidly scribbled calculations.

"I still don't understand how this many disasters happened back-to-back," he muttered.

"Statistically, the probability should be astronomically—""THANK YOU," Emely interrupted, throwing both hands into the air.

"Because first we got attacked, THEN the bus got folded, THEN Don disappeared, THEN Olsen disappeared, THEN those ugly illegal nightmare people showed up, and NOW we're trapped in Jurassic Park with no GPS!"

"Emely," Sophia sighed from nearby, "your lungs are fighting for their lives."

"I am literally breathing."

"No. You're speedrunning sentences." Sophia leaned against a tree with her boombox beside her while Jocabed sat cross-legged nearby sharpening one of her glowing Winter Blades with slow, controlled movements. SHINK.

"That thing they unleashed was Vironos, right?" Sophia asked.

"Because if I imagined all that, I deserve compensation."

"Most likely," Jocabed replied calmly. SHINK.

"Based on the energy signatures and damage output." She adjusted the blade slightly beneath the moonlight.

"Though most records describing Vironos-level entities are centuries old." William suddenly rolled out from beneath the bus holding three tiny rocks in both hands.

"GUYS LOOK WHAT I FOUND." Ryan didn't even glance at him from the open engine compartment.

"Those are pebbles." William blinked at them.

"…I thought the explosion turned the bus into LEGO pieces." A glowing moth fluttered near his face. His attention vanished instantly.

"WAIT. WHY IS THAT BUG RADIOACTIVE?!" Nearby, Anhia stared down at her ruined shoes in genuine horror.

"Can we suggest some actual devastations?" She lifted one muddy sneaker like courtroom evidence.

"These cost more than ALL OF YOU AT ONCE."

"You're standing in prehistoric dirt," Mason replied flatly from a tree branch overhead.

"And you're standing in MY emotional distress."

"Your emotional distress is loud."

"Because none of you respect fashion."

"Yet fashion never respected you," Mason shot blatantly.

"Damn," went everyone in sync. Let's just say that Mason had a large bump on the head a few moments later. Keyler dangled upside down from a massive spiderweb stretched between two trees, lazily spinning himself in circles.

"If Anhia dies out here," he said thoughtfully, "I bet a Tyrannosaurus would piss on her outfit." Anhia looked personally betrayed, "EXCUSE ME?" Keyler snorted and flicked a pebble toward William. TOK. William grabbed his forehead dramatically, "OW—WHO DID THAT?!" Keyler immediately pointed at Daysni. Daysni floated several feet above the ground in ghost form, blinking slowly.

"…I'm literally transparent."

"Bro just blamed a spirit for assault," Sophia said.

"That's generational stupidity." Fedjina remained sprawled across the dented roof of the bus as she'd emotionally accepted death hours ago.

"At this point," she groaned, wings hanging over the edge, "our only survival strategy is hoping something bigger eats us quickly." Ryan suddenly rolled backward out from under the engine on his wheel-feet, holding a wrench.

"Incorrect." He pointed the wrench toward himself with unnecessary confidence.

"You all keep forgetting I'm the only mechanic here. Which is disrespectful considering I'm also the only reason we might actually leave this reptile terrarium alive." CLACK. He snapped open his toolbox dramatically, "Witness greatness." Lonnie immediately straightened up on her thick forest vines.

"Everyone, give Ryan room to work," she ordered.

"Angel, perhaps you should assist him." Angel looked up from his notebook.

"…Assist how?"

"With the intellectual portions." Ryan slowly turned toward her.

"The intellectual portions?" Angel awkwardly adjusted his glasses, "I mean… technically I could help calculate fuel distribution or engine stress—""SEE?" Lonnie said immediately, pointing at him with excessive pride.

"Academic excellence." Sophia looked exhausted.

"You hype this man up like he's your husband." Her face flushed, "NO! I-I simply appreciate intelligence."

"You are one compliment away from building him a cathedral." Angel's face immediately turned red, "CAN WE PLEASE PRIORITIZE THE FACT WE'RE STRANDED?"

"Angel is correct," Lonnie agreed instantly. Sophia tilted her head back toward the sky.

"Oh brother." Meanwhile, Kwa'asja lay half-asleep in the grass nearby.

"…Can y'all argue quieter?" she mumbled.

"I'm trying to sleep." Daysni floated upside down above her.

"You can sleep anywhere."

"And I'm elite at it." From somewhere near the bus tire, Drake slowly raised his hand.

"…I gotta use the bathroom." The entire class recoiled immediately.

"Oh nah."

"DO NOT announce that."

"Take that problem into the wilderness."

"Go negotiate with the dinosaurs." Drake looked horrified.

"At NIGHT?!" William pointed dramatically toward the jungle.

"A TRUE WARRIOR CONQUERS FEAR."

"You screamed at a butterfly yesterday."

"Because it approached with hostile energy." Ryan kept tightening bolts without looking up, "If he gets eaten, tell me after I fix the radiator."

"RYAN?!"

"What? Transportation first. Mourning second." Drake looked around desperately for support. Nobody volunteered. Kwa'asja lazily pointed toward the dark forest.

"You got this, gang."

"…Don't call me gang during my final moments." With the energy of a doomed soldier, Drake slowly disappeared into the jungle. Daysni floated after him with immediate curiosity.

"If he gets eaten," she asked excitedly, "can I haunt the dinosaur afterward?"

"DAYSNI."

"What?! I'm exploring options!" The clearing slowly settled again once the arguing faded. Crickets filled the silence. The distant roar of something enormous rolled through the trees. Then Mason finally spoke.

"…So we ARE gonna talk about Don and Olsen, right?" The mood shifted instantly. Even Ryan stopped turning his wrench. Mason leaned forward slightly from his branch, elbows resting on his knees.

"This stopped being random a while ago." Nobody joked now.

"Don's been acting differently ever since those people showed up," Mason continued.

"And the Illegals returning right now? That's not a coincidence." Sophia folded her arms, "They came specifically for him." Nobody argued. Angel slowly stood from beside the bus— —and immediately tripped over William, who had somehow materialized upside down beside him without explanation.

"WHOA—" Angel barely caught himself. William blinked.

"Sorry. I was studying ants."

"HOW ARE YOU EVERYWHERE AT ONCE?"

"I genuinely don't know." Angel inhaled deeply and forced himself back on topic.

"The point is," he said, pacing now, "their strategy only makes sense if Don was the real objective from the beginning." Jocabed quietly closed her survival guide, "That would explain why they barely acknowledged the rest of us." Angel pointed at her immediately.

"Exactly." Lonnie nodded proudly.

"Excellent observation." Sophia whispered under her breath, "She says that as if she likes someone." Angel's pacing quickened as his thoughts connected.

"They attacked the convoy, separated the group, isolated Don, then vanished without finishing anyone else." His voice sharpened.

"That's coordination. Not chaos." Ryan crossed his arms tightly.

"So either they know something about him…"

"… or they need something from him," Jocabed finished quietly. Silence settled over the clearing again. Heavy this time. A tiny Compsognathus burst through the bushes at full speed. The entire class lost composure instantly." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" William screamed. Anhia climbed halfway up Mason's tree in under two seconds. Lonnie accidentally smacked herself in the face with one of her own vines. Daysni wheezed laughing mid-air. And before anyone else reacted— SHINK.

The dinosaur split cleanly in half. Jocabed calmly turned another page in her book. The class stared at her. She blinked once.

"…Anyway," she said softly, "escaping this island should probably become our immediate priority." Fair point. Ryan leaned against the bus, wiping grease from his hands.

"The engine's salvageable," he admitted.

"But not tonight. I need parts, daylight, and preferably less emotional damage." Angel looked toward the endless jungle surrounding them.

"So we're stuck here until morning."

"Assuming nothing eats us first," Fedjina added from the roof.

"PLEASE stop manifesting that possibility," Drake yelled from somewhere deep in the trees. Everyone froze.

"…Is he… shitting…?" Sophia asked slowly. A distant scream echoed through the jungle. Then silence. Ryan pointed his wrench toward the darkness.

"We're leaving the Lost World immediately."

The open night sky stretched wide as two figures zipped through the air in a blur. The first figure was King Dominator, flying with both fists thrust forward, while Harbinger followed close behind with his hands tucked at his sides. Harbinger eventually caught up, gliding side by side; both bore the same stern, grim expression as they dove downward toward a violet stone platform. As Dominator drew near, he flipped backward, driving his talons into the stone and skidding across the ground.

Harbinger shot high into the sky, twisting and flipping through the air before descending to slam a fist into the terrain with a thunderous thud that shook the entire platform. Dominator spun to face Harbinger as he rose from his landing. Dominator's eyes narrowed, his talons gripping the ground as he surged forward.

"Harbinger… after being resurrected… I wish to learn more about this current generation," he uttered, his voice low and gravelly.

"Why has everything changed?" Harbinger stepped forward, replying calmly, "My liege, the Celestianites have swung the war in their favor, but it remains ongoing. There is no definitive victor yet." Dominator growled, puffing ancient moondust from his nostrils.

"It is NOT decided?!" He stomped toward Harbinger, thrusting a jagged claw directly at his chest.

"We must end this conflict immediately, using whatever means necessary to achieve our goal!"

"Master, the Celestianites are severely weakened," Harbinger urged.

"King Vigilzante has perished, leaving them without a true leader, save for a young ruler named Prince Lock." Dominator halted. He took a brief moment to regain his composure, calming his rage.

"Lock… Vigilzante's son?" he inquired.

"Then their forces truly have faltered."

"King Dominator," Harbinger intoned, sinking to one knee.

"If we are to eradicate the Celestianite race, claim victory for ourselves, and subjugate all of Avangard once we secure the Lost Key… what is your strategy for doing so?" Dominator hurled a harsh glare at Harbinger and let out a vicious roar, snapping his jaws. Slowly drawing back, he cast his gaze down at the stone beneath them. He began to pace.

"NO!" he bellowed.

"The Lunaranites are not here to rule the entire realm—we exist to crush a single faction! The Celestianites are the only target for total annihilation. The remaining tribes are irrelevant. We shall coexist with them!" Harbinger raised an eyebrow at the directive, but instantly smoothed his expression, nodding calmly as he returned to his feet.

"Understood, King Dominator." He hesitated for a second.

"…Shall we commence the purge?"

"Not yet," growled Dominator, turning away to stare toward the distant horizon of Foreshade.

"I bargained with a Xenith. He demanded the assassination of a prophetic child in exchange for precisely what we seek—paradise." Harbinger approached, standing beside his sovereign.

"Can we not accomplish this through our own strength? We are overwhelmingly superior to the Celestianites as we stand."

"Dironyx promised us a new world—a realm far beyond our own, Harbinger," Dominator explained.

"This world is a paradise, a sanctuary where the Lunarnaites can thrive without wasting further effort slaughtering Celestianites. Everyone achieves victory, and at last, the war concludes in peace. However, it resides in another dimension. If I eliminate the target, that home becomes ours." He faced the heavens, snapping his massive wings open. Harbinger mirrored the gesture. Dominator offered a single nod.

"If Dironyx's deal a hoax, I'll guarantee you that the Celestianites will be extinct." Moments later, the two launched into the sky.