Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 7: Sirens

Aditya POV

Anjas complained to us who were still at the house about his hunger. 
Anjas:"Guys, I'm so hungry. Can someone cook something for me?" 
Qori:"Why don't you cook for yourself, Anjas?" 
Anjas:"I'm lazy" 
I decided to tease Anjas a little. 
Aditya:"You’re lazy, or you just can't cook?" 
Anjas:"I can cook, Aditya" 
Aditya:"Then prove it. Don't just bark" 
Anjas:"Alright then" 
Qori:"Are you sure you want to let Anjas cook?" 
I shrugged casually. 
Aditya:"Come on, how bad can it be?" 
. 
. 
. 
. 
. 
Aditya:'I regret saying that' 
I don't know what exactly Anjas did, but somehow he managed to burn the kitchen in no time. Qori shot me a terrifying glare, while Ina, who was shocked by the situation, immediately tried to put out the fire with Agus' help.
Aditya:"Okay, okay, this is my fault. But how did he burn the kitchen so quickly?" 
We then heard the sound of a car engine from the garage. Looking down, we saw Falco, Adzima, and the others had just returned. 
Aditya:'Shit' 

Adzima POV

When we got back to the house, I saw Aditya and Qori greeting us with sweat and panic clearly visible. 
Aditya:"Welcome back, everyone. So, this time it’s Galuh, huh?" 
Qori immediately hugged Galuh, greeting her warmly. 
Qori:"Galuh, long time no see! How are you?" 
Galuh:"Could be better, but I'm fine, Qori" 
They glance at me few times while sweating, so I immediately got suspicious about their unusual behavior and asked them. 
Adzima:"Okay, what is wrong, you two?" 
Aditya and Qori, both sweating harder, immediately started looking for excuses. 
Aditya:"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong. Everything is completely perfectly absolutely fine" 

Qori quickly nodded in support of Aditya’s words, while Falco checked his phone then he glance at me, I don't know why. He then looked at Aditya and Qori with worried in his voice.
Falco:"What did you do?"
Aditya:"It's not us, I swear"
Aditya immediately confess after Falco ask them, Falco then sighed and tapped his smartphone, and we heard the sound of spraying from above, specifically from the kitchen. We all immediately ran to the kitchen but Falco stop me before i can reach the kitchen.
Falco:"Princess, please stay here"
Adzima:"Why?"
Right after I asked that, Anjas, Ina, and Agus coming out from the kitchen covered in foam and ashes, looking embarrassed and frustrated. 

I was so shocked by the sight and asked Ina. 
Adzima:"What... happened...?" 
Ina sighed and pointed to Anjas. Anjas then explained what had happened, and Artha immediately scolded him for his actions. I glance at Falco when Anjas explained to us what he did, then I smiled at Falco.
Adzima:'So that's why he was stopping me'
Then, Anjas, along with Aditya and Qori, apologized to Falco. 
Anjas:"Falco, I'm really sorry about this kitchen" 
Aditya & Qori:"We’re sorry too" 
However, Falco seemed relaxed and quickly forgave them. 
Falco:"It's fine, but... this is going to take a while to fix" 

Galuh:"Don't worry, leave it to me" 
Galuh snapped her fingers, and her magic quickly restored the kitchen to its original condition. 
Falco:"Thank you, Galuh" 
Galuh:"No problem" 
Artha, who was shocked by Galuh's magic, nodded in agreement. 
Artha:"Now I believe in magic, and I like it" 
Fian, who overheard, teased Artha a little. 
Fian:"Nah, Mate, you just in love with the person who casts the it" 
Artha:"Yeah, I guess you're right" 
Artha and Galuh immediately turned red, adding a bit of awkwardness to the moment.
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We are currently looking for new recruits, and this time, we used various cars since everyone is joining. As usual, I rode with Falco in his car while the others used different ones. We soon arrived at an abandoned asylum, overgrown with vines. Inside, we encountered several statues shaped like Soul Devourers, some of which were broken, leaving fragments scattered along the path. The eerie atmosphere heightened the tension, prompting Fian and Aditya to make a joke. 
Aditya:"Are we here to check Fian’s mental state?" 
Fian:"No, Aditya, we’re checking yours" 
Aditya:"What do you mean, buddy? I’m fine... Being crazy" 
Fian:"So do I, Mate"

We all laughed a little at Fian and Aditya’s antics, even Falco managed a soft chuckle. However, our amusement didn’t last long when we sensed another presence approaching us and we saw three female silhouettes in the distance. Eager to make contact, Fian called out to them. 
Fian:"Who’s there?" 
In response, the silhouettes spoke in unison. 
Girl 1:"We" 
Girl 2:"Are" 
Girl 3:"SIREN!!!" 
The scream from the third girl was so loud that it threw us against the wall. As we collided, the vines on the wall came to life, wrapping around us and immobilizing us. 

Falco quickly gave orders to close our eyes as one of the figures began removing her glasses. 
Falco:"Close your eyes, everyone" 
I immediately followed his command and shut my eyes. A moment later, I heard slicing sounds and felt the vines loosening their grip, allowing me to move again. I then heard clapping sound then panicked screams from the three silhouettes. 
Falco:"You can open your eyes now"

When we opened our eyes, the light from the cars outside illuminated the room. We could now clearly see the three girls—they were Arga, Ayu, and Desi. They seemed very annoyed by the sudden bright light. As they prepared to attack again, I quickly called out to them. 
Adzima:"Wait, girls! It’s us!" 
The three girls stopped momentarily, surprised to see us. However, before they could react, the locals and the Soul Devourers attacked by destroying the wall next to us. The explosion threw us quite far, and  the collapsed floor caused us to fall to the level below, separating us from each other. 

After confirming that I was okay, I quickly tried to contact the others. 
Adzima:'Is everyone alright? Can you hear me? Where are you guys?' 
Fian:'Yeah, I’m with Aditya and Anjas here, we're okay' 
Artha:'I’m with Chandra and Agus' 
Qori:'I’m with Ina and the girls' 
Adzima:'Desi, Arga, and Ayu?' 
Qori:'Yeah. Are you with Falco, Adzima?' 
Adzima:'No, I am alone here. I don’t know where he is' 
Falco:'I am fine, I am fine. Sorry, I am fighting the Soul Devourers here'

Adzima:'Where are you? Do you need help?' 
Falco:'I don’t know where I am, and no, I don’t need help' 
Falco:'We can regroup at the cars. Be careful, everyone' 
Everyone:'Understood!' 
After replying, I saw several Soul Devourers approaching me. I immediately ran to avoid being caught, because if I use my power to fight them here, this place will collapse. Unfortunately, I tripped and nearly fell due to my carelessness. Just as I was about to hit the ground, I see a hand caught my body and stopped me from falling. I then heard some gunshots beside me. 

When I saw who had saved me, I found it was Falco again. While continuing to shoot at the approaching Soul Devourers, he gave me a brief scolding. 
Falco:"Are you okay, Princess? I thought I told you to be careful" 
Adzima:"Yeah, I am sorry... And thank you, again" 
He extended his hand to me. 
Falco:"Come on, we need to regroup with the others quickly" 
I nodded and took his hand. Our bodies then became invisible, allowing us to move quietly and meet up with the others without the risk of being attacked by the Soul Devourers or the locals. As we approached the cars, we saw that the others already gathered next to it. Falco deactivated the cloaking device, making us visible again. I sighed in relief when I saw everyone was safe and smiled as I called out to them. 
Adzima:"Guys, I’m glad you are all okay" 
They smiled at first, but their expressions quickly turned into teasing smirks when they looked at my hand for some reason.  

I then look at my hand, and I realised that I was still holding hands with Falco. With my face flushed red, I quickly released Falco’s hand as soon as I saw their smirks. 
Fian:"You said you weren’t together, but what we just saw tells a different story" 
Aditya:"Smooth moves, Adzima, very smooth" 
Adzima:"We were not together, trust me! We just met after I was chased by the Soul Devourers, and he saved me—again" 
Anjas:"Sure, Adzima, whatever you say. But that face? You can’t never fool us" 
Their laughter made my face turn even redder, and I pouted at them. 
Adzima:"I hate you guys" 
We then got into the cars and began our journey back home. While the others continued teasing us, I glanced at Falco, who remained silent throughout it all. 
Adzima:"Why didn’t you say anything to them?" 
Falco:"Because whatever we say, Princess, they won’t listen. Sometimes it’s better to just let them have their fun" 
Adzima:"You are right. I guess I will do that too"