Chapter 123 Stronger Together

"We tried to fight back, but then within a single moment, all three of us had fallen to the ground and were gasping for air as a sharp pain started to register in our chests," Andrew explained.

He explained that one of the cadets in their group was a speedster and he had attacked them while moving so fast that they didn't even register the pain from his attack until they had already dropped down on the ground.

"Everything was a blur, we didn't understand what was happening as we didn't expect to be knocked out so easily. As we tried to stand back up again, a weird sensation started to grow in my heart. It looked like... Sven and... Finn also felt the effects as they also stopped resisting immediately and gave up."

"All three of us started to have a weird feeling in our stomachs and our bodies began to shake as if we were afraid to stand up again. I still don't know what exactly happened to us, but we gave up the fight before it even began and they tied us up in our own hut."

"They stayed in the hut with us still tied and unable to move. The speedster that had attacked us before was trying to convince the leader to just finish us off, but he for some reason denied the proposal, saying that it would be rude to get rid of the people who built this place while giving off the biggest sadistic smile I had ever seen."

"They searched through our supplies and were quickly disappointed seeing that we didn't have much. Soon they were beginning to leave and that was when the girl from their group said to the leader that she needed a servant to carry her backpack. It looked like she and the leader were in a relationship because the leader smiled and ordered two other cadets to untie the... the... twins and made them come along with them."

"After the others had left, leaving me tied up inside the hut, the leader turned back around and faced me. I could see the sadistic smile still lingering on his face as he summoned a fireball with red flames. I didn't even know that a person could create fire in such a manner, yet he casually threw the fireball onto the ground, and it rapidly began to spread, engulfing the hut completely."

"I thought that maybe even the patrolling officers wouldn't be quick enough to save me as I stayed tied up inside the burning hut while using all my power to protect myself from the intense heat, and well you guys know the rest." Andrew finished his narration.

As Andrew finished narrating his story, the group was left stunned and silent. They couldn't believe what had happened to Andrew, Sven, and Finn, and were horrified at the sadistic behavior of the cadets.

"I can't believe they would do something like that," Iris said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"That's just... awful," Bill added with his voice filled with anger as Andrew's story reminded him of a similar situation that happened to him.

The group fell into a deep silence as they tried to process what they had just heard. They knew that Sven and Finn were in danger, but not only that those cadets had left moments before they had arrived, which meant that they still needed to be on high alert in case they decided to return.

"We have to go after them," Mako said, breaking the silence. "We can't just let them both be on their own with those people. If they were so bold enough to try and burn Andrew alive, who knows what they will do to them?"

After a bit of consideration, the group nodded in agreement with Mako's plan. It was decided that they would leave as soon as dawn broke and follow the same path that Andrew saw them take.

Mako offered to keep watch over the others during the night and Leon wanted to join in too. At first, Mako tried to say that he was okay keeping watch alone and that Leon should probably get some rest.

However, Leon insisted that he keep watching with him. Sensing that there was hidden agenda at play, Mako didn't resist much and allowed Leon to accompany him while keeping guard over the others.

Erin and Andrew took one of the corners for themselves and lay next to each other while cuddling at staring at the stars.

Iris was left alone at the campsite. She was sitting on a smooth rock with her knees close to her face and her arms hiding her face. On the inside, she was actually crying as she couldn't believe what had become of her team, the team that she was so proud of when they entered the test, the team she was meant to lead...

"Hey... Are you alright?" A voice stopped Iris from being consumed by her own thoughts as she quickly used her Water ability to hide away her tears before looking up to see who had approached her.

The voice turned out to be Bill's as he was the only person besides Iris who was still sitting near the campfire. Bill asked if Iris would mind if he sat beside her which she didn't mind at all.

"I can feel your stress," Bill said as he stared up toward the stars as well.

Iris was confused as to what Bill meant by this because she had made sure that nobody could hear her cry and she even removed all the tears making it look like maybe she was just resting her forehead on her arms.

"What do you mean?" Iris asked as she turned to face Bill.

"You are angry at your own weakness. I know that feeling quite too well. You wish that you were strong enough that you didn't fall prey to that bear beast's attack. You think that if you would have stayed with your group then maybe the outcome would be different and your teammates would all still be here." Bill explained in a somber tone while continuing to stare at the stars above.

"How do you know?" Iris asked, now intrigued by what Bill had to say because even though they had spent some time talking about things after she healed him, he never mentioned anything about responsibility or being weak.

To Iris' question, Bill just smiled, he looked toward his right hand which had a fingerless glove on it. Bill had been wearing that glove ever since they came to the island and now in front of Iris, he took it off to reveal what he had been concealing all along.

His hand still had the key burn mark from when Bill had picked up the key he had forged when it was still hot in order to hide it from the guards during the time when he was imprisoned in the warehouse.

Bill went on to narrate the entire tale to Iris, how was he like before getting an ability, the whole ordeal with El-Diablo, and then finally becoming friends with Mako from where he started to improve and become a better person.

Iris was left speechless by the end of the story as she truly had no idea how much Bill had gone through. Compared to him, she had quite an amazing childhood even if she didn't have an ability.

"Even after going through all that, I still got poisoned on my first day on this island and then I get attacked by an advanced tier beast which left me almost dead, and both times my friends saved me. I still beat myself over it thinking that I am still so weak and that I can't handle everything myself, but the truth is I don't have to." Bill said.

"And why is that?" Iris asked.

During their conversation, Bill and Iris had slowly shifted their position and were now laying down on the ground with their heads resting against the smooth rock. Bill finally turned his head toward Iris and made eye contact after she asked Bill the question.

"The truth is that I am stronger than I have ever been. I admit that self-growth and improvement are a very important part of everyone's life but what most people fail to understand is that they are not in this alone. With friends and rivals, you can find the motivation to get better and surpass them, you share your stress with them, and you revel in victories and gloom in defeats together." Bill said.

"Don't try to put all the blame and all the pressure on yourself. It is okay to rely on others and work as a team. It is when we work together that we are at our strongest. Don't worry, we will find Sven and Finn and we will teach those bastards a lesson." Bill added to assure Iris and to console her.

Bill's words were finally enough to break Iris' dam and once again tears began to fall down her face. Bill tried to speak again, but without any warning Iris' reached forward and hugged Bill just as he was about to speak.

Shocked by what had just happened, Bill couldn't find any words to speak out and he just held her as he returned the hug.

"Thank you..." Iris whispered in a low voice as she continued to hug Bill.

************

'He was always the charmer,' Mako commented in his thoughts as a smirk appeared on his face while observing Bill and Iris hugging each other from a distance.

Mako and Leon had moved a bit away from the campfire and toward one of the bigger boulders right next to the lake so that they would have a height advantage and could observe greater distances.

Mako and Leon didn't exchange any words for the longest time as they both quietly sat on the boulder while observing opposite directions.

Once it looked like everyone at the campfire was asleep, even Bill and Iris, Mako finally decided it was time to initiate a very important conversation with Leon, one that was long overdue.

"I know you want to speak with me Leon, what do you want?" Mako asked.