Chapter 178 Uncertain future

Chapter 178: Chapter 178 Uncertain future

Ethan caught the moment Adrian’s body began glowing, and his heart nearly stopped.

Despite his weak, trembling legs, he struggled against the vines holding him, desperately trying to reach them. His knees wobbled beneath him, and his body felt as though it could give out at any second, but he couldn’t stand there and watch what was about to happen.

"What do you think you’re doing, Luna? He’s going to die if he does that!" he shouted, hoping his words would finally reach her.

He wanted her to understand the danger. Adrian was about to unleash an explosion powerful enough to destroy the entire tree, and they were still trapped inside it. If Luna had ordered him to release that much power, then she had to know what it meant.

Didn’t she?

But before Ethan could say anything else, something tore through the air.

The entire place lurched violently, and the ground beneath them seemed to plummet. A sharp sensation ripped through his chest, leaving him gasping as though something had pierced straight through him. His heartbeat raced wildly, and before he could understand what was happening, an invisible force lifted him from the ground.

Everything became confusing.

He couldn’t tell whether he was falling, flying, or being dragged somewhere else. His body felt strangely weightless, yet the fear gripping his heart was painfully real.

Still, his thoughts remained fixed on Adrian.

The last image burned into his mind was the look Luna had given him. It hadn’t looked like an ordinary request or even an order to attack. To Ethan, it had almost seemed like a command to die.

Adrian’s entire body had lit up like a living bomb, and then the explosion had swallowed everything.

Ethan could still remember the vibration that followed. Even when his vision disappeared, he had felt the force of the blast, and for one terrifying moment, he was certain that they had all died together.

No way. Luna can’t be that reckless.

He struggled to make sense of what he had witnessed.

She wouldn’t kill one of us, would she? She loves us, right?

He wanted to trust her judgment. After everything they had survived together, he knew Luna wasn’t someone who would deliberately throw their lives away without a reason.

But this?

This had been a crazy, life-threatening decision, and Ethan couldn’t understand how she had been so confident.

He tried calling their names.

"Luna! Kai! Rowan! Adrian!"

Nothing came out.

His throat felt restricted, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t force a single word past his lips. Panic crept through him as he struggled to move, feeling as though he were the only person left in an endless darkness.

Where were the others?

Had the explosion separated them?

Were they even alive?

He wanted to keep fighting against whatever was holding him down, but his strength had abandoned him. His consciousness slipped further away until, at last, he opened his eyes.

Ethan found himself sprawled on the ground.

For several seconds, he simply stared ahead, struggling to understand what he was seeing. The other men were gathered around him, some looking exhausted while others were trying to help him sit up.

They were alive.

All of them.

His gaze moved across their faces until it landed on Adrian, who was standing beside Luna.

More importantly, Luna had her arms wrapped tightly around him, holding him as though she had no intention of letting him go anytime soon.

Ethan blinked.

Was he hallucinating?

He had just witnessed an explosion that should have killed them, yet here they were, standing together as if the worst had already passed.

His throat was painfully dry. When he tried to speak, his voice came out hoarse, and his eyes wandered around until he noticed the person pressing a cloth against his forehead.

Kai.

"Kai, what happened here?" Ethan asked weakly. "The tree? I thought Adrian had exploded it and we’d all died."

Kai paused in the middle of tending to him.

Then he turned his head, glancing at Adrian and Luna, who were still standing close together.

"They both saved us," he explained. "Especially Luna, who came up with the idea, and Adrian, who made it possible."

He shook his head, still looking somewhat amazed by everything that had happened.

"It’s crazy, but Adrian can control fire now. And I think he can summon lightning, too, which is so damn cool!"

Ethan stared at him.

"Fire and lightning?"

"That’s what it looked like."

Still confused, Ethan slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. He glanced around, taking in the strange landscape, and gradually realized that they were still on the island.

However, something was different.

The enormous tree roots that had covered the ground and spread throughout the island were gone. The vines that had once surrounded everything had disappeared, leaving the ground exposed.

Farther ahead, a massive fire was burning. Its flames stretched toward the sky, illuminating the surrounding area with an intense glow.

Ethan stared at it, his confusion deepening.

Something about the scene didn’t feel normal.

He remembered the tree’s terrifying strength, the way it had trapped them, and the vines that had drained their blood. Now, all that remained was a blazing inferno.

He turned back to Kai.

"Talk to me normally. How did Luna do it?"

Kai smiled faintly.

"The protection shield from her system was cast over us. It was almost magical. For a moment, it felt as though we were floating, and before we knew it, we were here."

He pointed toward the spot where Ethan had been lying.

"You were screaming when we landed, then you passed out. I stayed with you and tried to get you back on your feet."

Ethan fell silent.

That was exactly what he remembered feeling. He had been weightless, unable to control his body, and completely unaware of what was happening around him.

So Luna’s system had protected them after all.

But what about Adrian? How had he managed to unleash that much power without destroying them?

"The same thing happened to me," Kai continued, noticing Ethan’s troubled expression. "Everything went blank. I couldn’t see anything except that explosion before the darkness swallowed us. I don’t know exactly what happened after that, either."

Ethan nodded slowly.

It wasn’t a perfect explanation, but it was reasonable enough for now. At least they were alive, and he could ask Luna about the details once they had a chance to talk.

However, one thing still bothered him.

"But she should have come to check on me," he muttered. "I passed out, yet she’s over there with Adrian. That’s not fair."

Kai stopped smiling.

Before he could respond, Rowan approached them carrying two bottles of water. He handed one to Ethan and kept the other for himself, looking between the two men with a curious expression.

"Dude, are you jealous?"

Ethan scoffed.

"I thought I was the one who usually got jealous around here. It’s good to see that you’re capable of getting insecure, too."

He took the water bottle, twisting the cap open before taking a cautious sip.

"But don’t worry. I’m not going to start a fight over it."

Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"First of all, I wasn’t the one complaining. Second, Luna was sitting here the entire time, blaming herself because you passed out. She was worried about you, and she only went to check on Adrian a little while ago."

He shook his head as though Ethan were being unnecessarily dramatic.

"Luna prioritizes every one of us. So stop worrying as if she’s going to abandon you because she hugged someone else."

Ethan’s expression changed.

He wasn’t the only one surprised by Rowan’s words. Kai also stared at him, apparently wondering when the cold, possessive man had become so comfortable talking about their feelings.

Rowan noticed their expressions and frowned.

"What? Don’t look at me like that. I’m not some horrible human being."

He sighed, then continued.

"Inside that illusion, I think it was your voices, especially Kai’s, that made me realize we were a family. We were losing ourselves in that place, and the only way we could fight it was by remembering who we really were."

His expression softened.

"I love all of you, and family is the most important thing to me. Anything that makes Luna happy makes me happy, too. If that means sharing her attention with the rest of you, then so be it."

He shrugged.

"Why should I be jealous if we’re all together? It’s childish, and I’ve grown past that."

For a moment, neither Ethan nor Kai said anything.

Coming from Rowan, those words were unexpected. He had always been protective of Luna, sometimes to the point of making it difficult for anyone else to get close to her. Yet now, he was openly admitting that he didn’t want jealousy to destroy the bond they had begun building.

Ethan couldn’t help looking at him differently.

Rowan gave him a small shake, then grabbed his arm and helped him stand.

"Come on. Let’s get you moving."

Ethan stumbled slightly but managed to regain his balance.

"The water in that bottle contains healing energy from Luna’s space. It should help restore your strength until we get home."

He gestured toward the others.

"We’re leaving this island. It looks like the tree was keeping it alive, and now that it’s gone, the entire place is starting to collapse. We can’t afford to stay here."

Ethan glanced toward the burning remains of the tree and swallowed.

He didn’t want to imagine what would have happened if Luna hadn’t acted when she did.

"Fine. Let’s get out of this damn place."

Rowan gave his arm another tug before walking away.

Minutes later, Ethan could already feel the healing energy working through his body. The weakness in his limbs gradually eased, and his breathing became steadier. He took another sip of water and released a relieved breath.

"I’m glad we escaped that shit together," he muttered. "And would you look at that? Kai, Rowan has changed."

Kai nodded.

"Not just him. All of us have changed, and I’m happy about it."

Ethan studied him for a moment before reaching out and catching his hand.

"You’re supposed to tell us something about yourself."

Kai’s smile faded slightly.

Ethan lowered his voice so the others wouldn’t overhear.

"You promised to tell us something you’d never told anyone before. I know what happened in the illusion wasn’t real, but the pain on your face was. You looked like you were remembering something terrible, and I want to know what it was."

Kai turned toward him.

For a moment, his expression looked so vulnerable that Ethan almost regretted asking.

Then Kai forced a smile.

"It’s not that serious. Don’t worry. I can survive."

Ethan didn’t look convinced, but he eventually released Kai’s hand.

He understood that some wounds couldn’t be forced open, no matter how worried someone might be. If Kai wasn’t ready to speak, then perhaps they needed to give him time.

Still, Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever Kai was hiding had hurt him far more deeply than he wanted anyone to know.

As they finally moved away from the subject, Kai felt tears gathering in his eyes.

He quickly turned his face aside and wiped them away before Luna could notice.

He couldn’t let her see him like this.

He didn’t want to ruin anyone’s day, especially after everything they had just survived.

For now, he would keep the pain to himself.

*******

When they finally gathered near the aircraft, Luna stepped forward and placed her hands on her waist.

"The aircraft is ready. We need to leave now. The island is going to collapse any minute."

Nobody argued.

They had already witnessed what happened when the tree fought back, and none of them wanted to remain on an island that was literally falling apart beneath their feet.

They hurried toward the aircraft, their tired bodies moving as quickly as possible.

Ethan stayed close to Luna. As they ran, he leaned toward her and spoke quietly.

"Talk to Kai later. Something is affecting his mental health, and he looks terrified."

Luna glanced at him.

For a brief moment, her expression became serious. She had noticed Kai’s unusual silence, but hearing Ethan confirm her suspicions made her more concerned.

She looked ahead, toward the aircraft, then back at Kai.

Whatever he was hiding, she would have to find a way to help him face it.

But first, they needed to get off the island alive.

A violent rumble shook the ground.

The entire island began to plummet, its surface breaking apart as enormous chunks of rock and soil separated from the main landmass. Cracks spread across the ground, swallowing trees and tearing through the remaining landscape.

The sound was deafening.

Behind them, the enormous humanoid figure that had once formed part of the island began to crumble. Its body shattered into pieces, which tumbled into the abyss below.

Luna and the others rushed into the aircraft.

The moment everyone was aboard, the vehicle lifted into the sky, leaving the collapsing island behind.

Through the windows, they watched the landmass break apart. What had once been a terrifying prison was now nothing more than a collection of falling rocks, burning debris, and shattered ground.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

They had been so close to dying there.

If Luna hadn’t figured out how to turn the tree’s own strength against it, they might never have escaped. The island had been designed to trap them, drain them, and ultimately destroy them.

Yet they had survived.

Again.

Kai sat quietly, staring through the window as the island grew smaller in the distance.

He didn’t join the others in discussing their escape. He barely reacted when the aircraft climbed higher, and his expression remained troubled even as the danger gradually disappeared behind them.

His mind had returned to the past.

The conversation they were supposed to have had brought back memories he had spent years trying to bury. He had wanted to believe the illusion was merely another trick designed to break them, but the pain it had uncovered was real.

He could still feel it.

Every word, every forgotten memory, every painful detail seemed to be waiting for him the moment he closed his eyes.

Kai clenched his hands and stared out at the endless sky.

He wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Not yet.

Around him, the others were relieved to have escaped the island, unaware of the full extent of what Kai was going through. Even Luna, who had noticed his silence, didn’t know the truth behind it.

For the moment, their attention was focused on returning home and recovering from the ordeal.

But they had no idea what awaited them.

Far away, a mad scientist was already hunting for them.

And after everything they had survived on that island, their next battle might be even the most dangerous ever.