The morning light filtered through the jungle leaves, casting golden patterns on the stone walls of Thorn's cave. Serah woke up tangled in his arms, her skin still warm from their night together. His breathing was deep and steady, and for a moment, she felt like the world had stopped just for them.
She gently pressed a kiss to his chest.
Thorn stirred, one arm tightening around her waist as he opened his eyes. "You're still here," he said, his voice deep and rough from sleep.
"Of course I'm still here," she smiled. "You think I came all this way just for one night?"
He chuckled lightly, the sound low and sexy. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, soldier girl."
"Maybe saving my life had something to do with it."
They lay there in silence for a while, the jungle alive outside, birds calling, trees whispering in the wind.
But peace never lasted long in Thorn's world.
---
Miles away, deep in a research lab hidden beneath the city, glowing monitors beeped.
A man in a white coat stared at a blinking dot on the screen.
Dr. Soren Vex, head of the Genetic Supernatural Research Division, narrowed his eyes. "There. Movement detected."
Behind him, a soldier in black armor leaned forward. "Are you sure it's him?"
Soren smirked. "Only one creature in this country gives off that kind of biological frequency when he moves. Thorn Everhart. The Porcu Man."
He turned to the soldier. "Prepare the team. We move at nightfall."
---
Back in the jungle, Thorn was standing shirtless outside the cave, sharpening a bone spear. His body glistened in the sunlight, the scars on his back a silent testament to the battles he'd survived.
Serah walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're tense."
"I feel them," he murmured. "Something's coming."
"Who?"
Thorn turned, locking eyes with her. "Hunters. The kind that won't stop until I'm dead… or strapped to a lab table."
Serah's heart dropped. "Scientists?"
He nodded. "They've been trying to capture me for years. I don't know how they found me again—but they did."
"Then we fight," Serah said, fierce determination in her voice. "Together."
Thorn shook his head. "You don't understand what they're capable of. Guns, drones, traps… and I'm not just their target anymore. You are too, now."
"I don't care," she said, standing firm. "I'm not leaving you."
---
That night, while the jungle slept, the hunters came.
Camouflaged in dark gear, they crept through the trees like shadows. Red lasers danced across the ground. Motion detectors hummed. Tranquilizer guns were locked and loaded.
Inside the cave, Thorn's eyes snapped open.
"They're here."
Serah bolted upright. "What do we do?"
He reached for his weapons. "We run. Then I fight."
"No," Serah said, loading her own rifle. "We fight together."
They moved swiftly, exiting the back of the cave through a narrow tunnel Thorn had carved long ago. It led deep into the jungle, away from the main path—just as the hunters entered the cave.
Too late.
"They're gone," one soldier barked.
Soren stepped forward, examining the bedding. He picked up a single golden strand of hair. "He's not alone anymore."
---
Deep in the trees, Thorn and Serah paused.
The air felt thick. Thorn could hear the slight hum of drones. He looked back at her.
"You ready?"
Serah nodded, gripping her rifle.
Suddenly—a rustle.
Then a dart whizzed past them, embedding into a tree.
"MOVE!" Thorn shouted.
They darted into the shadows, but the chase had begun. Lasers danced through the night as drones gave chase, flashing bright blue lights and releasing stun shots.
Thorn turned mid-run, the skin on his back rippling. Then—
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Porcupine thorns shot out with force and precision, striking the drones mid-air. Sparks flew.
Serah fired beside him, taking down a soldier with perfect aim.
They were a storm together.
---
Eventually, they reached an ancient waterfall. Behind it was a cave Thorn hadn't used in years.
Breathing hard, they ducked inside.
"I think we lost them," Serah panted.
"For now," Thorn said, blood dripping from a shallow wound on his side.
Serah quickly moved to tend to it, using cloth from her shirt to stop the bleeding.
Her hands trembled. "You could've died."
Thorn caught her wrist. "But I didn't. Because you were with me."
They stared at each other, fire sparking between them again even in the danger.
"I won't let them take you," she said.
"And I won't lose you," he replied, his voice raw.