As the Gloomshroud Behemoth successfully entered the nexus breach the breach abruptly snapped shut, cleanly severing its venomous stinger. The detached tail landed heavily on the ground, spraying blood and writhing like a lizard's tail.
Kira and Theo, undeterred by the unexpected turn of events, walked closer to the beast's severed stinger to examine it. As it came to a stop with its twisting motion, they exchanged a glance, silently acknowledging the success of their efforts. While their initial goal was to eliminate the behemoth, they had effectively neutralized the threat and safeguarded terra for a certain amount of time until the next potential attack.
Their attention was diverted when they noticed Lennox, who had seemingly come out of his shock, but something was off. His eyes closed multiple times, and he swayed before collapsing to the ground unconscious.
"Twinkle!" Kira shouted with surprise.
Kira and Theo swiftly reached Lennox's side, with Kira sitting down and placing his head on her lap. They noticed multiple sliced-open wounds on Lennox's body, realizing that the strain he endured had pushed his element to the limit. Lennox had exerted more power than his body could handle.
The paralyzed S.O.T. Force, initially shocked, quickly transitioned from that state to exultation upon realizing the success of their mission. As the paralyzing effects wore off, they regained control of their bodies, erupting into cheers, tears, and embraces. The sense of relief and victory permeated the air, despite the concern for Lennox's condition.
"Lennox, why did you have to push so hard?" Kira said with a tinge of sadness.
John, now free from the paralyzing effects, walked past Theo and Kira, displaying an indifferent demeanor. Kira was on the verge of shouting at him, but Theo gave her a look of caution, advising her against it.
John quickly organized the S.O.T. members to move multiple jeeps inside the perimeter and hook up the severed stinger to it. Kira and Theo watched with curiosity, wondering What are they going to do? But John had a plan, he decided to split up pieces of the stinger and distribute them to the other three outposts and scientists for research, particularly focusing on the paralyzing effect for potential defensive use.
After a few hours, everyone returned to the Serenity Outpost. Families were reunited, and a whole night of celebration ensued. The following day, plans were made to clear out the remaining Bramblethorn in the city and retrieve the bodies of fallen comrades. Commander Sirion surprised everyone by deciding to provide Lennox with the best medical care in the outpost, despite the circumstances involving Alex and Eve.
Several days after successfully eliminating the behemoth and addressing the Bramblethorn threat, Kira and Theo decided that it was the opportune time to depart. Despite Lennox not being fully healed neither woke up even when absorbing another health potion, they chose to leave because everyone in the outpost looked at them with a side eye, so they decided the best decision was to leave before potentially causing more tension or conflicts within the outpost.
Inside the command room, Kira, Theo, and Commander Sirion engaged in a conversation, discussing their departure and likely addressing the concerns of those within the outpost.
"Thank you, Commander, for your hospitality," Kira expressed, extending her hand for a handshake.
"No problem," Commander Sirion replied, shaking Kira's hand. "Without your help, we wouldn't have gotten rid of the bramble and that behemoth."
"So what will happen now that Eve and Alex are dead?" Kira asked sadly.
"For John and Jake, I don't know. But for Eve and Alex, after a couple of days, when everything returns back to normal we will see if it's possible to retrieve their bodies," Sirion answered.
After the discussion with Commander Sirion, Kira, Theo, and the still unconscious Lennox were driven away from the outpost, heading back to the Nexus Academy. Finding a suitable location, Kira took out a crystal clear shard an item known as a Dimensional Beacon Shard. This shard, given by Nadia as part of their equipment, had the unique use to act as a beacon. When cracked or destroyed, it could instantly open a portal back to the Nexus Academy. It was a one-time-use item, but fortunately, they had it when needed.
Kira slammed the shard into the ground, and a tear in the fabric of space slowly opened up in front of them. Holding Lennox on their shoulders, they moved into the tear, unsure of what awaited them on the other side if it's good or bad but trusting in Nadia's intentions as she doesn't have bad intentions right?
As they entered the tear, it instantly closed behind them. They found themselves in the courtyard of the academy, where they had first entered the students' Nexus portal. Nadia was already there, nodding at them as she noticed Lennox's fully bandaged and injured body looking at him with sad eyes. Despite having witnessed what happened to Alex and Eve, Nadia understood the rules of engagement between the S.O.T. and the Nexus Academy, that the S.O.T. had a standard alliance protocol in place. This meant that in the event of an S.O.T. member's demise during a mission from the Nexus Academy, no blame would be assigned, and the same applied vice versa for Nexus Academy personnel.
"Carry Lennox back to my training room." Nadia instructed. "Also, you two can take a good rest after."
Kira and Theo nodded, following Nadia's orders. Although they had been contemplating Lennox's health for the past few days, they didn't realize that they hadn't gotten enough sleep. Nadia, however, keenly observed their energy levels.
After a few more days, Lennox finally woke up. Nadia immediately called Kira and Theo to her training room.
"These are your rewards for completing the mission." Nadia said, taking out multiple items from a nearby chest.
"Kira, Night Insignia." Nadia handed Kira a small silver-black stone pendant. "Infused with Nexus energy, it enhances your physical and shadow abilities under the night."
"Nexus Enhancement Elixir." Kira said, handing Kira a vial of silver-clear liquid.
Kira and Theo were already familiar with Nexus Enhancement Elixir, a concoction crafted by the academy's alchemists. When consumed, it temporarily boosted the user's Nexus energy reserves, enhancing their combat capabilities and allowing for more potent use of their abilities.
"Theo, Air Cloak." Nadia said, handing Theo a white, lightweight cloak infused with air element. "This cloak grants agility and control. It also acts as a protective barrier against elemental attacks."
Nadia didn't take out any more items as she decided to give them to Lennox when he finally healed properly.
"Twinkle, how are you feeling?" Kira asked, looking at Lennox, who just kept looking up at the ceiling during the reward giving.
"I'm not sure, I just need some time alone." Lennox replied in a deep, sad tone.
"You can come talk to us whenever you feel better. We are always here for you." Theo said, offering support.
Kira wanted to help Lennox out of whatever he was going through but decided not to, as she couldn't help what she was going through herself.
After Lennox closed his eyes, Kira and Theo said goodbye and went on their way.