unforgiven ➽ a Halilintar-centric fic

21 | you took everything from me

Tucked away in Api and Air's guest room, the four surrounded a deck of cards like a satanic ritual, only in the form of +4's and blocks.

"Oh hecking hell," Api hissed, glaring at the deck of UNO cards he had at his disposal. "Why do you people hate me so much?"

Daun threw him a shit-eating grin. Compared to Api's massive stack of cards, the two remaining ones in his hand appeared relatively light. He turned away and whistled innocently when Api whipped to him, murder in his eyes.

Air sighed. "Why did we teach Daun how to play UNO again?" Like Api, he too had an unfortunate number of cards in his arsenal, though less bulky by a margin. "He's already won three times."

Cahaya pushed up his glasses, raising an eyebrow at his four cards. It was only because of his meticulous planning and calculating all the possible cards the nature elemental had on his hand that spared him from his onslaught, but there was only so much he could do when Api dropped down two Plus Four's for him.

"If I can't win," Api deadpanned, meeting Cahaya's intense glares with a monotonous expression, "y'all are coming with. Red, by the way."

Daun rose from his chair, tossing down two red 4's on the deck. He cheered and celebrated his fourth victory, while the others slammed their heads on the table accepting their inevitable defeat.

"I call foul." Air slammed his deck in front of him, nose crinkled. "There's no way in hell that he just won. Again. I swear—"

The door to their room slammed open, shocking them still in their places. Four heads whipped towards the newcomer, who looked panicked and disheveled, untied barista apron still hanging around his neck.

"Has anyone seen Gempa and Halilintar?" Taufan demanded, breathless. If the element of wind was out of breath, something was seriously wrong.

"We have not," Cahaya said. "Is Halilintar not in the kitchen?"

"Is Gempa okay?" Api asked instantly, worried.

Taufan shook his head. "The only thing left in the kitchen is burnt fish stew and an apron," he stressed. "Where could they have gone? They can't have vanished into thin air; only I can do that!"

He was interrupted by a loud ringing from his holopad, the device tucked away in his pockets. Taufan scrambled to get the damn thing from his pockets and activate it, only to come face-to-face with a green head and a pair of sunglasses in a hologran.

"General Ciciko?" he demanded, both frustrated and confused that it wasn't Gempa. "Is this a butt-dial?"

"No, I'm afraid it isn't." Their general's voice had an urgent tint to it. The hologram only projected a three-dimensional image of him, along with a small patch of his surroundings. The usual pristine floor was littered with debris and exposed wires. "Are you and the cadets safe?"

Taufan nodded. "Yeah, we're fine. I'm just looking for Gempa, though—"

"Lance Corporal Gempa's missing? Then I'll cut to the chase." A file replaced Ciciko's image, revealing a face they haven't seen in a long time. Cahaya turned as white as a sheet. "Vargoba, one of your previous enemies, has escaped our containment unit with the help of his loyal followers. We've caught one of them, and though they haven't revealed any critical information, we believe that they were also responsible for the explosion that put you two out of commission."

"That explosion?" Ah, the entire reason that they had to send the four to Earth in the first place. Taufan's skin still tingled from the memory, nails digging into his elbow. "That was Vargoba?"

"Unfortunately. At the moment, Vargoba has stolen one of our ships in storage and has made his way to Earth. We can't trace his exact location, but be aware that he has also stolen several power spheres from us to use at his disposal