15 Stronger Together

Ian slowly woke up with a blurry vision. He groaned in pain from a nasty headache. Ian felt a throbbing sensation against the side of his brain as if his head is being smashed in by a hammer. Ian's brows furrowed as he used his fingers to massage his temples. A feeling of nausea overcame him, and he tried his best not to vomit.

Ian's vision cleared, and he saw the minivan's ceiling. He glanced at his own body covered in gauze all the way down to his feet. Ian winced in pain as he struggled to sit back up against the seat. Bounye licked Ian's hand while whimpering. Ian smiled and stroked its head while Bounye wagged his tail in delight. Flashbacks from the battle with Galthroworm flowed into Ian's mind like a movie on replay. However, Ian's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard Lily shouting his name.

"Ian!" Lily tightly hugged him.

Ian smiled and hugged her back. He wanted to stay like this forever. Ian gently pulled back her hair and kissed her lips. He felt a small fist hit against the top of his head and saw Lily's angry face.

"Ouch!" Ian rubbed his head from the pain.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Ian!" Lily scolded him with fury.

Ian slouched his back against the car window. He didn't have the nerve to go against her when she's angry, and he quietly listened to her rant. After letting her emotions out, Lily grabbed Ian's cheeks and kissed him again. She parted his lips after a long while.

"While you were in a coma, I was able to get stronger myself." Lily closed her eyes and raised her arm.

Lily opened her palms and a small flame formed. It shined brightly with a beautiful cyan color that pervaded the car's interior. A tranquil feeling flooded Ian's mind as he stared at the flame in Lily's hand. She gently moved the flame onto her other hand and played with it. After a while, Lily closed her palms, and the flames dispersed.

"I got this ability when I summoned a fire spirit called Kleramone that now resides inside my body," Lily said softly.

"That's amazing, Lily!"

Lily smiled at Ian's compliment. With this new ability, she felt that she would be able to fight alongside with Ian.

"By the way, how long was I out for?" Ian suddenly asked.

"Six days."

"That long!" Ian was shocked.

Lily told Ian a long story of the group's adventures while he was still in a coma. Conner and Mrs.Willard also had their own summoned beast. Conner summoned an entity called Oneiro with the ability to manipulate space. The entity resides inside Conner's dream world. Conner received an ability called Domain Control; it allowed him to control space around him for a period of time. Mrs.Willard, on the hand, had an ability called Psionic Healing that restores body wounds with her mind. She received her ability from her summoned beast called Palomyne, a living flower residing in her heart.

As of now, Ray and the other three were gathering fuel and supplies to continue their road trip. Lily stayed in the car to watch over Ian. She had been taking care of his wounds for the past six days. The group's current location was in South Colby, one of the thirty states of Condria. South Colby had a heavy military presence ever since the monster invasion. Its one of the states where monsters haven't invaded. Millions evacuated from the coastal states, away from the monster invasion, and moved toward mainland Condria. Traffic on highways stretched across for miles without end, and Military checkpoints at state borders made it even worse for people.

Lily and Ian heard the car door opened and turned their heads towards it.

"You're awake, you crazy bastard!" Ray stuck his head inside the car with his arms on the doorframe.

"Ian!" The rest of the group cried out in unison. They ran to the car and looked inside.

"Hey, guys." Ian smiled at them.

Lily helped him get out of the car and onto the ground. He glanced around and saw that he was at a gas station. Ian saw many people rushing around to stock on supplies before entering Lakemere City. A long line of cars was surrounding the gas station as others waited for their turn. Humvees and other light-armored vehicles patrolled the town to prevent any riots or monster attacks. The government was trying to maintain order and stability across the country.

"How are you feeling, Ian?" Mrs.Willard felt worried about Ian's body condition.

"A bit better." Ian didn't want Mrs.Willard to worry too much for him.

A loud voice interrupted them.

"I can't stand this shit anymore!" A scarred-face man screamed.

A parasite crawled onto the back of his neck, and his body transformed into a non-human appearance. The man's shirt torn off, only leaving his pants to cover himself. Green scales covered his entire arms and chest. A shiny, black armor covered his abdomen that looked menacing. His hair turned silver and grew below his waist. The man had red eyes with long, sharp teeth. He charged at a Humvee in a rage with incredible speed. Onlookers were running away in fear.

"He has an ability!" One of the soldiers shouted.

The soldiers near the Humvee concentrated their fire at the man. Multiple bullets pierced through his head and chest, and the man fell before he had a chance to reach the Humvee. The blood soaked the street beneath his corpse.

"Grab his body." The corporal said as he blew out a puff of smoke. He was staring out of his window in the Humvee.

Two soldiers grabbed the body and placed it near the Humvee. They wrapped his body in a shroud before placing him inside the vehicle. The soldiers got in the Humvee before it drove off into the distance.

"We should get out of here." Mrs.Willard felt worried that more violence will erupt out.

Ray finished fueling the car, and the group left the gas station. They drove to a nearby park and settled down to rest. Mrs.Willard pulled a blanket out and flattened it on the grass. She pulled out canned food and snacks from her backpack before setting them down. The rest of the group sat down beside her and started chatting.

"Check this out, brat!" Ray wanted to show off again to the group.

Ray stuck his arm out and concentrated his mind. In seconds, his left hand grew longer and transformed into a blade. The blade was made of a metallic material, unlike his arm cannon's fleshy appearance. It shined with an incredible luster in the sunlight. The blade's color was similar to that of copper. Ray had a smile full of pride as he waited for Ian to be dumbstruck by his new weapon.

"You really are turning into a cyborg!" Ian laughed.

"Yeah, but I still have a cooler looking ability than just super strength." Ray retorted.

"Space manipulation is better than both of your abilities." Conner interrupted them.

Conner stood up, and the space around his legs began distorting. The floor beneath him curved like a rolled up piece of paper. Conner's feet slowly lifted off of the ground to Ian's astonishment. He flew above everyone's head at a steady pace.

"Conner, no one cares about your new method of running away." Ray snidely replied.

"You're the one to talk, Uncle." Conner rolled his eyes as he descended towards the ground. "Besides I could do many things as long as it's in my range of proximity."

The group ate together with cheerful moods. Each person told stories about their battles during the last six days. With Mrs.Willard's new ability, they didn't have to worry about sustaining life-threatening injuries. Mac hasn't got a summoned beast yet, so he watched from the sidelines with Mrs.Willard.

"Ian, I want to remind you that we are a team," Lily spoke out. "Whatever battle you fight, I'll be there with you."

"That's right!" Ray added. "We're not the weak shits that we were before."

Conner nodded his head. "Although I'm still afraid of fighting, I can offer my support from enemies that may have a direct counter to your ability."

"I can't do much, but I'll try my best to heal your injuries," Mrs.Willard said and smiled.

"Why do you guys sound so corny," Ian said, but he wore a grin on his face.

Ian couldn't help but feel happy deep inside. He felt a genuine camaraderie with everyone. Especially when he fought together with them for survival.

"Group hug!" Mac cried out and jumped on Ian's back.

Everyone followed suit and jumped on top of him. Ian cried out in shock and fell backward. Night arrived, and everyone fell asleep in the car. Ian sat on the grass while leaning against the car. He was currently checking his status system and leveled up Strengthened Form to six.

[Skills]: 1

1] Strengthened Form (Passive): Greatly enhances user's physical and mental condition. This includes strength, stamina, speed, accuracy, defense, perception, and immunity to diseases. (Level 6/50)

Cost to level up: 1500 Souls

Ian noticed a message box at the bottom of his system's screen.

[New reward has been given to user Ian Sawyer! Would you like to open it?]

[YES/NO]

Ian pressed yes, and the message box disappeared. A mystical, glowing light appeared in front of Ian before disappearing right afterward. A sheathed sword dropped onto his hands and shocked him. Ian slowly unsheathed the sword, and a crimson blade was revealed. The sword shimmered in the moonlight with a red glow as if it stained with the blood of countless enemies. The handle of the sword was black with a simple, yet elegant design. Ian held the sword up as he stared at it in awe.

Throughout the night, Ian was wildly swinging the sword with joy. He was chopping trees and slicing rocks like butter. Like a child with a new toy, Ian played around with his new sword until he felt tired. Ian wiped the sweat off his forehead before walking back towards the car. He quietly opened the door and went inside. Ian sheathed his sword before falling asleep next to Lily.