Chapter 21: The Edge of Desperation

The earth trembled beneath Alec’s feet as the tribes encircled him and his group. The air was thick with tension, every breath feeling like it could be the last. Alec’s mind raced, but his body was on high alert. Every muscle screamed for him to act, but he knew rushing into the fray would mean certain death. The seven tribes surrounding him were the most powerful forces in the land, each with its own lethal capabilities, and they were here for one thing: the relic.

The woman, the one who had been his supposed ally, stood at the forefront of the approaching tribes, her expression cold and triumphant. Alec could see it in her eyes — she was savoring this moment, knowing that she had orchestrated everything with precision. The couple had never been on their side. Alec had been nothing more than a tool, a pawn in a larger game. And now, the consequences of that betrayal were unfolding before him.

Ken’s voice broke through the heavy silence, low and urgent. “Alec, we can’t stay here. They’ll slaughter us if we don’t move.”

Alec’s eyes scanned their surroundings. The odds were insurmountable. Seven tribes against him, Ken, and the rest of the team. The sound of their footfalls was deafening as they closed in, their faces masked with greed and bloodlust. The relic in Alec’s hand pulsed with an eerie energy, but right now, it felt like both a blessing and a curse. He had no idea how to use its power, and without understanding its true potential, it could be as dangerous to him as it was to anyone else.

He stepped back, pulling Ken and the others with him. They needed to regroup, to think of a strategy — any strategy. But the tribes weren’t giving them any room to breathe. Every step they took backward was met with the forward march of their enemies. There was no escape.

“We need to stall them,” Alec said, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling in his mind. “Buy some time.”

Ken nodded, his hand never straying far from his weapon. “I can hold off a few, but not all of them. We need to get to higher ground. Maybe we can use the environment to our advantage.”

Alec’s eyes flicked to the craggy cliffs that loomed in the distance. There was a chance they could use the terrain to give them some leverage, but getting to that position would require a fight, and right now, they didn’t have the numbers to go head-to-head with the tribes. They needed an opening, a distraction.

The woman, still standing a few feet away, raised her hand. The tribes halted. It was almost as if they were waiting for her command. Alec’s heart skipped a beat, his grip tightening on the relic as he wondered what she would do next. Was this where everything ended? Would she take the relic from him, ending everything he had fought for?

“Step forward, Alec,” the woman called, her voice clear and commanding, like a queen addressing a subject. “It’s time to stop running. You’ve played your part, but now it’s over. Surrender the relic. There’s no point in fighting anymore.”

Alec’s teeth clenched. The arrogance in her voice, the certainty that she held all the cards—it only fueled his anger. He had been a fool, trusting her. But he wasn’t about to give up now, not when they had come so far.

“No,” Alec said, his voice steady, defiant. “I won’t let you have it. You think you can control everything, but you’re wrong.”

The woman’s lips curled into a smile, but it wasn’t one of satisfaction. It was a smile of pity, as if she had already won and was simply waiting for him to realize it. “You’re deluded, Alec. You can’t win this. The tribes are already prepared. You are just a spark in a storm.”

Without warning, she raised her hand, and the tribes moved. In an instant, chaos erupted. Warriors from each tribe lunged forward, weapons drawn, eyes burning with hatred and the desire for power. Alec barely had time to react before the first wave of attackers was upon him.

Ken stepped forward, his own weapon drawn, cutting through the air with precision. But even his skill was no match for the sheer number of enemies. Alec fought back instinctively, dodging and weaving through the onslaught, but it was clear that they were outmatched.

“We can’t hold them off much longer!” Ken shouted, his voice strained as he blocked another blow from a towering warrior.

Alec’s mind raced. There had to be a way out of this. He could feel the relic vibrating in his hand, its energy pulling at him, urging him to unlock its true power. But how? How could he control something so dangerous?

“Yusen,” Alec muttered into his earpiece, trying to get any communication through. “Get us out of here.”

There was a brief static-filled silence before Yusen’s voice crackled through. “Alec, I’m working on a plan, but I need time. You need to survive until then.”

Alec nodded grimly, though he knew time was running out. The tribes were closing in on all sides, and their chances of escaping were dwindling fast. He could hear the roars of battle, the clang of steel, the cries of his comrades as they struggled to fend off the advancing warriors. But Alec couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not now.

The relic pulsed again, more violently this time, and for a brief moment, Alec felt a strange connection to it. The power within the relic—it was immense. But it wasn’t just a weapon. It was alive, almost sentient, as if it had a will of its own. Alec could feel it urging him to tap into its power, to unleash its potential. But at what cost?

“Do it, Alec,” Ken shouted, his voice full of desperation as he sliced through an opponent’s defenses. “We need to end this now.”

Alec’s mind was spinning. He had no choice. With no other options, he raised the relic high, its energy swirling around him like a storm. For a moment, everything seemed to stop—time, the chaos, the noise. It was just Alec, the relic, and the overwhelming sense of power that surged through his veins.

Then, with a single motion, Alec released the energy. A wave of pure force shot from the relic, cutting through the air like a sonic boom. The tribes were thrown back by the blast, their warriors knocked off their feet, scrambling to regain control.

Alec’s eyes burned with the intensity of the power he had just unleashed. He could see the fear in the eyes of the woman, her confident demeanor faltering for the first time since they’d met. She hadn’t expected this. None of them had.

But Alec wasn’t finished yet. The relic’s power was now in his control, and he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers.

“We’re not done yet,” Alec growled, his voice low and determined.

Ken, panting and covered in sweat, nodded. “We’ve got a chance now. Let’s make it count.”

With the relic’s energy still crackling in the air, Alec and Ken prepared for the next phase of their fight. They had to take down the remaining tribes, and this time, Alec wasn’t going to hold back.

The fight was far from over. And now, Alec knew that the real battle was just beginning.