AN: This took a stupid amount of time as this chapter was delayed because of my writer's block and also being too busy in personal situations, though thankfully this December I hope that I can write more frequently as the year is about to end, personally I dislike this chapter as this made me brainstorm too much to the point of completely forgetting the thing, I wish to see you all next week, peace.

- Z

Yolk soared into the sky, its powerful wings cutting through the air. The hut shattered under the force of its landing, debris raining down on Kate. She shielded herself, her heart pounding. The hawk's imposing silhouette loomed over her, a villainous presence like Segment.

The sky darkened, the clouds twisting into unnatural shapes. Yolk, positioned directly between the sun and Kate, cast a chilling shadow. The temperature plummeted, the air freezing. Kate shivered, fear gripping her. The hawk's war cry echoed, a terrifying sound that sent chills down her spine.

Yolk swooped down, its beak aimed at Kate. She dodged just in time, the force of its dive sending her crashing into the trees. Dust and debris filled the air. Kate struggled to her feet, her legs weak. She was injured, but her spirit was unbroken.

"What in the ever..." Kate gasped, the dust settling. She expected to see Yolk trapped in the dirt, but he was gone. A bitter laugh escaped her lips. She scanned the area, her senses heightened.

Suddenly, a chilling laughter echoed through the air. Yolk, the monstrous hawk, reappeared, his shadow looming over her. "Well, rodent of queens, has your mind wondered how I could dodge your attack?" he taunted. "Easy, it's just good old teleportation. I know, it's too much of a coincidence, but since I got it from Segment, a man without a trace of loyalty, it was expected that the bastard kept the best of the best. After you perish, I will take down my creator, to prevent another race from being wiped out. Besides filthy humans, of course. His actions, his consequences, and I, Yolk, will give you your corpse..."

Before he could finish, Kate's tail wrapped around his beak, halting his words. "So, Mr. Bird Man, you're saying that you're going to prevent your creator, Segment, from causing another extinction, but you're also doing his dirty work? I guess you're hypocritical," Kate retorted.

Yolk struggled, his eyes filled with rage. "I mean, Segment is already using you, laughing until he dies," Kate taunted him. "You're just another pawn in his game."

The eight-foot hawk, Yolk, was enraged. His beak, a lethal weapon, darted out like a bullet, aiming for Kate's foot. As he soared upward, a furious cry escaped his lips, "I AM NOT SEGMENT AT ALL, BURN IN HELL YOU FILTH!" His beak, miraculously, regenerated. The voice from within the hawk grew increasingly deranged.

With her nimble, rodent-like legs, Kate dashed behind trees, evading the wrath of the mighty hawk. Like bullets from a rapid-fire aircraft, the hawk's beaks tore through the forest. The once peaceful woods became a chaotic battlefield. Kate's heart pounded as she dodged the flying projectiles.

The air was filled with dust and debris, and the once-lush trees were reduced to splinters. Kate, covered in mud, was a target on the run. Though not always precise, the hawk's attacks were relentless and destructive. Its beak, a tool of destruction, was not meant for a clean fight.

The hawk's deranged voice cackled in Kate's mind, "Now, do I resemble Segment? I'm not my creator, a man ignorant to the true nature of the Great Yolk! You, a mere street urchin, are akin to Segment! Even without his prophetic sight, you're both criminals, cast aside. That's why he wants you. Or is it the bead tempting you to hang?"

Kate, her seaweed hair clipped by the hawk's beak, ducked behind a log. She scanned for the bird, her hand clutching a rock. A smirk played on her lips, though her heart pounded. "I've heard that before. Even though we weren't friends, can I ask a question?"

The hawk's voice laughed bitterly, "I don't care about your questions. I'll tear you apart, vital by vital!"

Kate chuckled, "Like creator, like creation. Using words I don't understand." The Yolk fire burned brighter as she provoked the screeching creature.

The hawk charged like an enraged bull. Kate hurled the rock with the force of a sniper's caliber, but the creature, unfazed, ducked. Yolk glided to the ground, his movements ethereal, a ghost in the material world. Kate's smirk turned to fear as the hawk's shadow loomed over her.

"GREAT VULTURE BOLT!" the hawk shrieked, spinning like a drill. Debris flew as the creature bore down on Kate, its beaks piercing her scales like bullets. It struck her stomach, lifting her into the air. Agony shot through her as the hawk tore at her flesh.

"Quick and easy death, or a meal?" Yolk taunted.

Kate gasped, "A third."

The hawk's smile faded, "Fine. I'm feeling generous..." A weak smile crept onto Kate's face. "The question thing..." she wheezed. "Who is Segment?"

Yolk snarled, then, with a held rage, explained, "Segment, or Semen, as I call him, craves power. He was once a force to be reckoned with..." Kate's vision blurred, the world fading to gray. Her scales pierced her skin, and she gasped for breath.

Yolk, amused by Kate's desperate struggle, casually bit into her innards. She thrashed wildly, her scales scraping against the hawk's beak in a futile attempt to free herself. Her throat, dry and raw, let out a final, tortured scream. Blood splattered the hawk's beak as he spoke, "If you won't listen, let's move to option two."

Kate, her vision blurring, sought a way out, her limbs useless. Yolk continued, his voice muffled, "Now, about your third question. Segment... well, he found a way to split himself or something like that. There are rumors of three of them, but I'm not sure. The one you're looking for is the one with the big arm. He's pretty obvious. As for the bead, it's a powerful magic source. Segment would love to have it, but he can't use it fully. Now, I, the great Yolk, will grant you a favor, Rat!"

Before the hawk could strike, Kate, with a desperate lunge, tangled her tail around its wing. The hawk shrieked in pain as its wing snapped. A weak smirk played on Kate's lips as they plummeted towards the sea.

"What the hell, Rat?" Yolk's voice echoed in disbelief. "We're going to crash!"

Kate laughed, blood dripping from her mouth, "At least you kept your promise, Yolk, you rebellious creation."

The hawk snarled, its beak dripping with blood. Kate continued, "Don't worry, all-mighty Yolk. A rat like me isn't afraid of a little water."

The hawk's expression turned to horror as they plummeted towards the sea. "I hope you know how to swim, you silly bird!"

They crashed into the water, a crimson wave spreading outward. The hawk, a creature of air, had adaptations to survive underwater, but the broken wing and the salt water were a deadly combination. And Kate, a creature of water, was at home in this environment. The shadows of fish, an ally filled the water, a constant reminder of her advantage. The hawk, a creature of air trapped in a watery grave, was filled with doubt and fear. Was Kate truly a threat, or was she simply inexperienced?

Yolk struggled to surface, but a shillote, a torpedo-like fish, lunged at him. Kate, at the last moment, intervened, narrowly missing the hawk.

Kate, though healed, was disoriented. The familiar ocean felt strange, and a headache pulsed through her. The hawk's voice, mocking, echoed in her mind, "Sucker. You, a rat, should have been fish food. But this... this is pathetic."

Yolk, his eyes fixed on Kate, lunged forward. But Kate, with surprising agility, dodged. She moved with the rhythm of the waves, her body bending and twisting. She struck at the hawk, her blows as swift as lightning. Yolk caught off guard, spat out blood. He retaliated, his beaks firing like machine guns. Kate responded, weaving through the water, using the water itself as a shield. The beaks, aimed at her, instead struck the hawk's wing, piercing it like daggers. Crimson stained the water.

Yolk groaned in pain, blood staining the water red. His eyes widened in shock. "You... rat, your eyes... they were closed!" he sputtered. "How did you do that, street rat?"

Kate, her voice muffled by the water, replied, "Easy, I'm a fish." She surfaced, a few feet away from the hawk. Yolk, his good wing outstretched, posed defensively. "You're learning, aren't you, rat? You're just a snack, yet you've managed to wound me."

Kate countered, "You eat other creatures, yet you're picky about your food? And even if I've stolen, at least I can survive in this water."

A tense silence fell between them. Then, they lunged at each other, a battle of aquatic fury. They exchanged blows, each one a testament to their strength and skill. The water turned crimson as they fought, their bodies battered and bruised. Kate, healed by the water, pressed her advantage. Yolk, desperate, reattached his broken wing, a risky move that could claim his life. As they neared the surface, Yolk set a trap, his eyes filled with a dangerous glint.

Kate, trailing bubbles, lunged at Yolk. The hawk, grinning sinisterly, seized her head. A sharp pain shot through her as he lifted her into the air. "What now, rat?" Yolk taunted. "Cry? That would be the sweetest sound."

The hawk soared towards the island. "Let's eat at your place, one last view before I crack your skull," Yolk said, tossing Kate to the ground. He landed, his beak dripping with anticipation. But Kate, her mind racing, found a glimmer of hope.

Yolk roared, "Great Vulture Bolt!" A barrage of attacks rained down, but Kate, using the rubble, deflected them. The hawk's beak shattered, and his skull cracked. He fell, paralyzed.

Kate, unsteady on her feet, stood over the fallen hawk. "Now then, Great Yolk, what will be your ending? A quick death, or a few answers?"

The hawk, weak and bloody, chuckled ghoulishly. "You're not bad. The Great Yolk, fallen. I can answer a few questions."

"First, why is Segment here? How did he escape such a terrible crime?" Kate asked.

Yolk replied, "Charisma. Blame it on the devil's tongue."

"Is Segment really that evil? Are you still working with him?" Kate pressed.

Yolk coughed, his voice barely a whisper, "Of course, or at least, what I know of him. Half a missing piece, and hell no, I've said enough."

Yolk winced, his body wracked with pain. "Before I go, by rumors, Segment destroyed not one, but two races..."

Kate, stunned, couldn't respond. Yolk, took his final breath, his body dissolving into feathers, was gone. All that remained was the destruction in their wake as far as Kate sees, mountains, forest, animals, obliterated, the bead, a relic of a dangerous power gave crumbs to its mineral origin. Kate, battered and confused, realized she had more questions than answers. She knew one thing for sure: the island held many dark secrets, and she was just beginning to uncover them.

Kate refurbished the hut, the hawk's feathers a grim reminder of the past. The foggy swamp, filled with the croaking of unseen creatures, was far from peaceful. The recent ordeal, though blurred by dirt and makeshift medicine, had left its mark. A scar, a testament to the danger that lurked in the shadows.

Segment was still a threat, a looming darkness. But a new, more insidious danger had emerged: a swarm of insects. They formed a grotesque humanoid shape, a patchwork of countless species. Spiders, flies, worms, and more merged into a single, horrifying entity. The creatures were translucent, almost ethereal, their bodies shifting and merging. A fly, a part of the swarm, morphed into organic flesh and blood. Kate, her face pale, watched in horror as the insects continued to evolve, forming a human-like figure.

The man, an alien in human form, stood breathing in the damp air. His expedition gear, though practical, looked cluttered and strange. His face was covered in what seemed insects, and a strange, almost rancid odor clung to him. Despite his unusual appearance, he seemed relatively normal.

He spoke, his voice a harsh blend of accents, "Where am I this time?" He turned to Kate "And what the hell are you?"

TO BE CONTINUED.