Chapter 70 - Attack (16)

Nathan landed with a soft thud, his boots crunching against the charred earth.

He surveyed the battlefield, his expression unreadable as he took in the fallen Fantasians.

Natasha and River exchanged glances, their faces softening with relief as they saw him standing there, alive and mostly unharmed.

Nathan caught their looks and offered a small, tired smile, but it didn't last long however. His expression hardened as he turned to address the group.

"Alright, listen up," he began, his tone casual but laced with an edge of seriousness. "I might've miscalculated. That guy I just fought? He was no joke. And if he was that strong, then whoever's in the control room… well, let's just say we're probably out of our league."

The group fell silent, the weight of his words sinking in. Natasha crossed her arms, her calm demeanor unwavering, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of concern.

River adjusted herself, her usual composed self, though her jaw tightened slightly. Alicia, ever the arrogant one, rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Oh, please. You're just being dramatic," she said, flipping her hair. "We've handled worse."

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her. "Did you miss the part where I almost died? Or maybe you don't remember but I'm the strongest one here—well, maybe tied with Lucas and Natasha—but like I said we're in over our heads"

Alicia opened her mouth to retort, but Natasha cut her off. "Nathan's right. We need to think carefully about our next move. Charging in blindly isn't an option."

Lucas, who had been silently staring at the dead bodies, finally spoke, his voice low and somber. "So what do we do? We can't just turn back now."

Maria, usually the cheerful one, was uncharacteristically quiet.

She hugged herself, her eyes darting around the battlefield as if searching for something to lighten the mood. But there was nothing.

Anabelle, Patrick, and Kevin remained silent, their faces grim.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair, thinking. "Alright, let's lay out our options. One: we go to the control room anyway and hope for the best.

Two: those of us who can fly try to go get help from the academy assuming we aren't shot down by their magic.

And Three…" He paused, glancing at Natasha. "You had something else in mind, didn't you?"

Natasha nodded slowly. "We find Stella. She's here as well remember?. If we can get her on our side, we might stand a chance."

At the mention of Stella, Nathan's expression darkened immediately. His jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists.

"No," he said sharply. "Definitely not."

Natasha held his gaze, unflinching. "I know you have history with her, Nathan, but we need all the help we can get. She's powerful, and right now, that's what matters."

"History?" Nathan snapped, his voice rising. "Thats putting it lightly, Natasha. She... you know what she did to me. What she did to Liza. What they did."

River getting what he meant stepped in, her tone calm but firm.

"Nathan, I get it. I really do. But Natasha's right. We're outmatched here. If Stella can tip the scales in our favor, we have to consider it."

Nathan shook his head, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "No. Hell will freeze over before I work with her. Or ask her for help."

Alicia let out a derisive laugh. "Oh, great. So we're just going to ignore the one person who might actually be able to help us just because Nathan's feelings are hurt? Real mature."

Nathan shot her a glare. "Because my feelings are hurt. Do you even... Do you even know what she's done to me. She's tormented me my whole life. She... Haa."

Maria quickly spoke up, her voice soft but steady. "What if… what if we split up? Some of us go to the control room to scout, and the others try to find Stella? That way, we're not putting all our eggs in one basket."

Patrick, who had been silent until now, nodded. "It's not a bad idea. We can't just sit here arguing. We need to act."

Kevin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I hate to say it, but Maria's right. We're running out of time."

Nathan looked around at the group, his frustration evident. "Fine. But if anyone goes after Stella, it's not going to be me. I'll take scouting the control room. Someone else can deal with her."

Natasha nodded. "I'll go with you. River, you and Maria try to find Stella. The rest of you… stay here and hold the line in case more Fantasians show up."

Alicia smirked. "Finally, a plan that doesn't involve sitting around doing nothing."

Lucas finally tore his gaze away from the bodies and looked at Nathan. "Be careful. If the person in the control room is as strong as you say… don't take unnecessary risks."

Nathan gave him a curt nod. "I won't. Let's move."

As the group split up, Nathan's mind raced. He couldn't shake the anger that flared up at the mention of Stella.

But even more than that, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into something far bigger than they could handle.

He glanced at Natasha as they moved toward the control room.

"You think this is going to end well?" he asked quietly.

Natasha didn't look at him, her eyes focused ahead. "It has to."

Nathan sighed, his grip tightening on his weapon. "Yeah. Let's hope so."