Odyssey Of Survival-Chapter 57 Bottomless Hole

It had been five days since Nate had been captured. Five days without food or water, but starvation was the least of his worries. Every single day, without fail, the robed man would visit him. Each visit brought hours of relentless torture—pushing Nate’s body and mind to their absolute limits.

Every time the torture ended, a young girl would be brought in to heal him. Her small hands would tremble as she worked, her face pale with fear. Though she mended his surface wounds, Nate could still feel the internal damage festering inside him. His ribs ached with every shallow breath, and the constant agony felt like it was eating him alive.

He hung limply from the chains that bound his wrists above his head, his feet barely grazing the cold stone floor. His muscles screamed from the strain, but his exhaustion had dulled the pain to a distant throb.

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the dark chamber. Nate weakly lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes narrowing as two figures emerged from the shadows—the robed man, lightning crackling faintly at his fingertips, and the Keeper with the spiked wire wrapped around his arm.

The man stopped a few feet away, his piercing gaze fixed on Nate. For a moment, he said nothing, letting the tension build in the room. Then he gestured to the Keeper, who yanked Nate’s chains, forcing him upright.

Nate’s wrists burned as the metal dug into his skin. His body slumped forward, but the chains held him in place.

The robed man studied him with an expression of cold amusement. "Five days," he said, his voice smooth and venomous. "Five days of lightning, and yet you still refuse to tell me where Earth is. You’re quite resilient, I’ll give you that."

Nate’s head lolled forward, his breaths shallow and labored. He forced himself to look up, his voice hoarse as he croaked, "I… I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know where Earth is. We weren’t supposed to be here. We don’t even know how we got here."

The man crouched in front of him, tilting Nate’s chin up with a gloved finger. He stared into Nate’s eyes, searching for any sign of deceit. For the first time, his smirk faltered.

"You really don’t know," the man said softly, almost to himself.

Nate coughed weakly, his voice barely a whisper. "I’m telling you... we crashed here by accident. None of us know anything."

The man straightened, his expression unreadable. Then a cruel smile spread across his face. "Interesting. If you don’t know, perhaps someone else does."

Nate’s stomach twisted as the man continued. "You see, I’ve been hearing rumors about survivors from the lower half of the plane. I already have some from the upper half working in my mines. If I could acquire those from the lower half as well… well, let’s just say productivity would improve significantly."

Nate’s mind raced. He clenched his teeth, ignoring the searing pain in his chest as he quickly spoke. "There… there is no lower half. I’m from the top half. I didn’t hear about any others."

The man turned to him, his smile widening. "Oh, is that so?"

Nate nodded weakly, his heart pounding in his chest.

The man stared at him for a long moment before stepping back. "Perhaps you’re lying. Perhaps not. Either way, you’re of no use to me now. But before I decide what to do with you, let’s see how much more you can endure."

He nodded to the spiked Keeper. "Proceed."

The Keeper grinned, stepping forward as he raised his barbed hand. Nate’s breath caught in his throat, his body tensing as he braced himself for the fresh wave of torment.

Madison and Alice stood in front of the underground mine entrance, its massive boulder looming before them. The air here was heavy, filled with the scent of damp soil and the faint hum of distant mining echoing from within.

Alice stared at the entrance, her mind drifting back to twenty days ago. Memories of Nate flashed in her mind—his confident smirk, the way he always seemed to believe everything would work out, even when it seemed hopeless. She clenched her fists as his smile replayed in her head.

Madison’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Why did you bring me here, Alice? How are we supposed to get inside?"

Alice hesitated, still staring at the entrance. "I thought your powers had improved," she said, her voice unsure.

"They have," Madison replied, her tone sharper than usual. "But I still need to know where I’m going. I can’t just teleport into a place I’ve never seen before."

Alice bit her lip, frustration building as she tried to think of a way in. "There has to be another way…" Her voice trailed off as a thought struck her. She looked at Madison, her eyes lighting up. "Wait. I remember something. Back when we were washing by the water, Nate saw a flickering light above. He also said the water was coming from somewhere up there. If we can find that opening, maybe we can use it to get inside."

Madison’s brows furrowed. "Where is it?"

Alice turned toward the mine entrance, trying to piece together the memory. She squinted at the surrounding terrain, mentally tracing the path they had taken twenty days ago. Finally, she pointed to a spot near the edge of the cliff. "There! It should be over there!"

Without another word, Madison and Alice broke into a run, their footsteps crunching against the gravel. When they reached the spot Alice had pointed to, they stopped, scanning the area.

But there was nothing.

Alice frowned, her confidence wavering. "I swear it was here… It has to be here…" She spun in place, trying to recall the exact location, her frustration mounting.

Madison raised a hand abruptly. "Shut up."

Alice froze, blinking at her in confusion. "What? Are the Keepers coming?"

"Shut up!" Madison hissed again, her gaze narrowing as she tilted her head slightly, listening.

For a few moments, the only sound was the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze. Then Madison heard it—a faint trickling sound, just barely audible over the wind. She grabbed Alice’s wrist and began pulling her toward the noise.

"Wait—Madison, what is it?" Alice stumbled as she followed, her voice laced with confusion.

Madison didn’t answer until they reached the source of the sound. There, hidden among a cluster of rocks, was a stream of water flowing into what seemed like an endless hole. The water moved unnaturally, defying gravity as it flowed from the high ground into the hole below.

Both women stared in disbelief. The way the water twisted and spiraled, as if drawn by some force, sent shivers down their spines.

Madison pointed toward the stream. "This is what you were talking about?"

Alice bent down, scooping up a handful of water and tasting it. After a moment, she nodded firmly. "Yes. This is it."

Madison raised an eyebrow. "How are you so sure just from tasting it?"

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Alice wiped her mouth and stood up. "It’s salty. Ocean water."

Madison’s brows furrowed as she stared at the strange hole. The impossibility of the scene only made her determination stronger.