Thrilled

After that, the three of them chatted casually. Liam answered Hannah’s remaining questions while they waited for Jack to finish merging with his newly awakened powers.

Water continued running in the bathroom, accompanied by the occasional crackle of electricity. Flickers of firelight could still be seen beneath the door.

However, since Jack remained conscious and could still communicate with them, neither Liam nor Hannah was overly worried. After grabbing something to eat, they continued sorting through their supplies.

While they worked, Hannah suggested they go shopping again the following day. She urged them to hurry and gather as much as possible while they still had the chance.

Another two hours passed, bringing them close to midnight. Jack’s condition had finally stabilised, so he told Hannah to go home first, buy enough supplies the next day, and then remain indoors.

“Alright. Liam, if anything happens, remember to call me.”

With the situation under control, Hannah knew there was little point in staying. After reminding Liam to be careful, she finally left.

The apartment grew quiet.

Still surrounded by crackling flames and electricity, Jack turned towards Liam.

“Liam, you don’t need to stay awake for me. Go and sleep in the other room.”

“No, I’m not tired.”

Liam refused stubbornly. His boyfriend was a man with knowledge of the future who had just awakened supernatural powers. How was he supposed to sleep at a time like this?

“Fine.”

Jack could only give in.

“If you get tired, go and rest. Otherwise, tell me more about those dreams.”

“Alright. After the zombies appeared, disasters came one after another. The first was extreme cold…”

Liam picked up some food from the table and ate as he spoke, telling Jack everything he had seen, heard, and experienced in his previous life, or at least everything he could safely share.

Since they had already settled on the explanation that Liam’s knowledge came from prophetic dreams, and Jack believed him, there was no reason to keep everything to himself.

Jack listened quietly until sleepiness began to overcome him. He told Liam that he wanted to get some rest, then leaned against the bathroom wall and closed his eyes.

Despite the sparks and lightning running over his body, he no longer felt the unbearable heat. After the initial adjustment, his body instead felt light and full of energy, almost like the body tempering described in cultivation novels.

Liam dragged an armchair closer and curled up in it, hoping to catch a little sleep himself.

When he finally woke, morning light was filtering into the room. It was already past five.

He glanced towards the bathroom. Everything was quiet. The water had stopped running, and there was no sign of firelight or crackling electricity.

Liam immediately woke up properly and hurried to the door.

“Jack, how are you feeling?”

After a brief pause, Jack’s voice came from inside.

“I’m fine. Get me a change of clothes from the bedroom.”

“Okay, okay. Just a second!”

Liam hurried into the next room and returned with a clean outfit consisting of a suit and dress shirt. Given Jack’s profession, his wardrobe was rather limited.

Just as Jack was getting dressed, Hannah burst into the apartment, looking unusually energetic despite the breakfast she was carrying.

“Bloody hell, I barely slept last night because I was worried about you! Jack, hurry up and come out. Let me see that you’re alright!”

Jack stepped out of the bathroom looking much the same as before. However, his mental state seemed noticeably better, and his gaze had become sharper.

Hannah looked him up and down before clicking her tongue.

“I honestly thought you’d come out of there bald.”

Liam couldn't help laughing at the thought of Jack losing all his hair.

“Even if he were bald, Jack would still be handsome.”

Hannah rolled her eyes.

“Honestly, you’d praise him no matter what he looked like, wouldn’t you?”

She had always assumed Jack was the hopeless romantic in their relationship. Now she realised the two of them were equally bad.

Under their astonished gazes, Jack turned his right palm upwards. A small flame appeared above it.

With a mere thought, lightning crackled visibly across his hand before merging with the fire.

“Whoa! That’s bloody amazing, mate!”

Hannah’s eyes sparkled. If Liam hadn't been standing there, forcing her to maintain some dignity, she would have cheered at the top of her lungs.

Liam was just as excited.

He had never expected Jack to become one of the earliest people to awaken a superpower, let alone a rare dual attribute ability.

No wonder Jack had become so formidable in their previous life!

Liam was practically ready to cry with happiness. With such a powerful boyfriend, nobody would be able to bully him anymore. They also wouldn't have to worry nearly as much about protecting their supplies.

After withdrawing his powers, Jack described the changes he had experienced. His senses had become much sharper, he no longer felt the heat, and his entire body seemed filled with energy.

“Jack, when you start ruling the streets, don’t forget to take me with you!”

Hannah looked at him with undisguised envy. Having witnessed his awakening firsthand, she now knew they had a powerful ally to rely on when the apocalypse arrived.

Jack nodded.

“Alright. But focus on gathering supplies before dark. Tell the others to hurry as well, and make sure they get some winter clothes. Once the rain starts, everyone stays indoors until I give the word. You know what to tell them. Liam and I have other things to take care of, so we’ll catch up with you later.”

“Don’t worry, Jack. Leave it to me!”

Hannah was already contacting the others. For someone as capable as her, organising the team was nothing difficult.

……

Jack and Liam returned to the hotel, partly to collect Liam’s luggage and partly because neither of them had slept properly the previous night.

They planned to get some rest there before returning to the safe house, this time for good.

As Jack drove, a sudden question crossed his mind.

“Liam, if people can awaken supernatural abilities, can ordinary objects change too?”

Liam paused before answering.

“They can, but it’s rare. Most cases seem to depend on the energy released by the person awakening. It’s completely random, so there’s no way to predict what might happen.”

In his previous life, Liam had met someone who awakened the ability to manipulate metal. The ordinary fruit knife that person had been holding during the process had transformed into a blade capable of cutting through metal as easily as butter.

According to the story, the knife had absorbed some of the energy released during the awakening and changed along with its owner.

However, such cases were incredibly rare. More often, objects were simply damaged or destroyed.

“Oh.”

Jack seemed to understand.

But Liam noticed something unusual in his expression, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Jack, why are you asking about this all of a sudden? Did something you were carrying change?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Jack smiled mysteriously, making Liam even more curious.

Still, he clearly remembered that Jack hadn't been holding anything when his powers first awakened.

After returning to the hotel and tidying up, Jack took out a pair of men's rings.

“I had these specially made before my business trip. I originally planned to give them to you last night, but my awakening interrupted everything. Since I'd been carrying them around, the packaging burned away, and the rings changed colour. I hope you don't mind.”

“O Of course I don't mind.”

Liam stared at the rings, which had originally been bright platinum but were now a dull, greyish gold.

His breath caught in his throat.

Mind? He was thrilled!

They were two grown men, and neither needed to make a big show of being romantic. Still, who wouldn't appreciate a thoughtful gesture from the person they loved?

Jack continued explaining.

“I didn't take them out while Hannah was here because I thought they might look a little strange.”

Liam immediately caught on to what he meant and asked eagerly,

“How strange?”

Could they turn into wheels of fire? If they did, Liam would be over the moon!

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he slipped one ring onto Liam's finger, then held out his own hand so Liam could put the other ring on him.

Perhaps because of their awakened abilities, the moment the rings touched their skin, a faint electric shock passed between them.

“They look great!”

Liam examined the ring on his finger with obvious delight.

Jack had chosen wedding bands, perfectly sized for their ring fingers. That possessive streak of his was simply irresistible to Liam.

Once the rings were in place, Jack noticed Liam watching him expectantly. He reached for the car keys lying on the table.

Thinking about putting them away, he concentrated.

The keys vanished from his palm.

With another thought, they appeared in his hand again.