Spiral Island – Midnight
Rain lashed against steel. Thunder rolled over the coastline. Inside the war room of the Spiral Fortress, Siddik stood before the holographic map, surrounded by his closest allies.
Siddik (calmly):
"We have two plans. One if we win… one if we lose."
He tapped the map – red markers moved across defensive lines.
Siddik:
"If we win, we seize the head. We break their spirit. But if Grok overwhelms us…"
(He looks directly at Rafiq)
"You take the civilians. You take Rafi. You move the lab. We lose Spiral, not everything."
Rafiq (firmly):
"Understood. But we won't let that happen."
Fakhrul (clenching fists):
"Let's just ends this. Tonight."
The alarm blared.
Zara (from the watchtower radio):
"Siddik… he's here."
All eyes turned to the storm-drenched battlefield outside. Through the lightning flashes… they saw him.
Grok, standing tall in obsidian-black armor, red veins glowing, leading a massive human army – each soldier twisted, unnatural, trained only to kill. Behind him marched giant beasts, weapons from the forgotten world, and flying machines corrupted by dark tech.
Everyone was frozen for a second.
Nafisa (whispering):
"What… are those?"
Siddik (low voice):
"Monsters. Built from pain."
Grok raised a hand. The human army charged like a black tidal wave.
Siddik (commanding):
"DEFEND THE ISLAND!"
The battlefield turned red.
Fakhrul and Hridoy fought like fury. Nafisa unleashed the full potential of her suit – blades, thrusters, shields. She danced through the battlefield like a flame. Zara sniped enemies from afar, precise and cold.
Siddik moved alone – a shadow of death.
Every swing of his blade shattered bones. Every step was fire.
Then – Grok entered the battlefield.
He didn't fight. He walked through the fire. Untouched. Unbothered. Unshaken.
Siddik saw him. Their eyes locked across the chaos. They stepped toward each other as the world blurred around them.
Siddik vs. Grok – The Confrontation
Rain hammered the steel courtyard as the two figures closed the distance. Lightning split the sky, painting their faces in cold blue light.
Siddik (gritting his teeth):
"So… you made yourself a god now?"
Grok (removing his helmet halfway, voice like gravel):
"No. I made myself the monster you created."
Siddik:
"I saved your life!"
Grok (growling):
"You abandoned me like an animal!"
The clash was instant—Siddik lunged, blade sweeping in a deadly arc, Grok's blackened sword meeting it with a flash of sparks.
Steel screamed against steel.
Siddik's foot slammed into Grok's chest, forcing him back half a step. Grok answered with a hammering punch to Siddik's jaw that cracked the air.
They moved like predators—every strike heavy enough to break bone.
A sweeping kick from Grok sent Siddik sliding across wet stone, but he rolled, came up low, and slashed upward. Sparks erupted as Grok blocked.
A shockwave burst between them, shaking loose chunks of the fortress wall.
Grok's sword came down in a brutal two-handed chop—Siddik raised his gauntlet to block.
The metal shattered under the force.
Siddik roared, pivoted, and drove his dark blade into Grok's side—armor cracking, a faint hiss of red steam leaking out.
Grok staggered, then brought his own blade around in a vicious backhand that tore Siddik's weapon free. His helmet split open at the side, revealing his scarred, twisted face.
Grok (panting):
"They beat me. You left me. I rose alone. Now I rise above."
Siddik (bleeding, eyes locked):
"You rose on corpses. And you'll fall just the same."
Grok slammed Siddik into the ground with a bone-rattling impact.
Stone cracked beneath them.
Siddik gasped for air—only for Grok's boot to pin him down.
From the smoke, Fakhrul and Hridoy appeared, weapons blazing.
Explosions flared against Grok's armor, forcing him a step back.
Fakhrul (shouting):
"Back off!"
Hridoy (firing):
"We're not done yet!"
Grok waded through their attacks, shrugging off the blasts.
Grok (coldly):
"So tragic. So loyal. Defending a legacy already turned to ash."
He advanced, sword raised. Siddik forced himself upright, calling out:
"Elian! Spare them. You have me!"
Grok stopped, eyes narrowing. Slowly, he sat on a chunk of fallen stone, looming over Siddik like a predator at rest.
Grok:
"Is this the Spiral King I once admired? Gasping for breath in his own ashes?"
(pauses)
"You built this place with brilliance. I'll bury it with rage."
They exchanged words—bitter, personal, poisoned with history—until Grok's patience ended.
He hauled Siddik up and hammered fist after fist into his face.
Suddenly, Nafisa struck from behind—her blade slashing deep into Grok's back.
The hit staggered him, but he turned with a snarl and smashed her aside with his massive hammer. She hit the ground hard, her weapon splintering.
Grok stood over Siddik again, blade raised for the kill.
But he stopped. The rain slowed, the battlefield's noise faded.
Grok (quiet, cold):
"You owe me, Siddik. You made me. You left me. And that's why… I won't kill you now."
(steps back)
"Live. Watch everything fall. I'll come back… and that day will be your final day."
He turned away, his army falling back into the storm.
Hours later – inside Siddik's castle
A cold silence hangs. The medical hall is dim, filled with the soft hum of machines and the occasional cough of soldiers being treated.
Fakhrul lies bandaged, unconscious. Hridoy breathes through an oxygen mask. Zara, still awake, stares blankly at the ceiling. Nafisa, her suit removed, sleeps in a chair beside Siddik's bed–her arm in a sling, blood dried on her forehead.
Siddik, barely alive, rests in the main bed. No gauntlet. No Spiral suit. Just a man–scarred, beaten, almost dead. But not broken.
Rafiq enters quietly with a report in hand. He looks at the team–his expression unreadable.
He sits next to Siddik and speaks softly, not knowing if Siddik is awake.
Rafiq:
"They're calling it a retreat, but it wasn't a victory. Spiral lost too much. Too many."
(pauses)
"You said if we failed, I'd have to protect what's left. I did. But I'm not sure what's left to protect anymore."
Siddik's fingers twitch. His voice is cracked and low.
Siddik:
"They are alive… That's enough for now."
Rafiq (leans closer):
"Grok could've finished us. He didn't. Why?"
Siddik (weak smile):
"Because he's not done breaking me yet."
(eyes flutter open)
"He wants me to live… so he can destroy everything I love when he comes back."
Nafisa, half-awake, stirs at the sound of his voice.
Nafisa (softly):
"Then we'll be ready next time. No matter what it takes."
Siddik (looks at her, barely a whisper):
"I couldn't protect you. I failed."
Nafisa (sits up, serious now):
"No, Siddik. You led us through hell. You fought until your body gave up. But you're still here. We all are."
Zara (from across the room, her voice steady):
"If Grok wants to return… then let him. Next time, he won't walk away."
Hridoy groans, waking up slowly.
Fakhrul blinks open his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, then to Siddik's bed.
A long pause. Then Fakhrul says:
Fakhrul:
"We live. We rebuild. We strike back."
Siddik lies silently in his bed, eyes open, scars deep–not just on his body, but in his soul.
Outside, Spiral Island smolders. What was once a symbol of power and protection now lies broken–yet still standing.
And as the night deepens, so does a vow in Siddik's heart:
"The next time we meet… I won't just survive. I'll end him."