Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 9: The Rulers of Atlantis

Adzima POV

Dwiyan and Dela’s smiles vanished as soon as they heard Falco’s question. Falco kept pressing for an answer. 
Falco:"What about Queen Atlanna?" 
As soon as Dwiyan and Dela heard this, a wall of water, seemingly controlled by Dela, pushed my friends and me away from Falco. Dwiyan quickly threw his trident toward Falco, but he dodged it easily. Confused, Falco asked. 
Falco:"What? Why?" 
Dwiyan didn’t answer; instead, he charged at Falco and attacked without a word.

Falco kept dodging and blocking Dwiyan’s attacks, but Dwiyan’s blows became faster and more precise over time, making me worry about Falco’s stamina. Eventually, Falco managed to push Dwiyan back, but Dela immediately launched an attack using her waterbending abilities. At the same time, Dwiyan called his trident and joined the assault. Despite facing both their attacks—Dwiyan's trident and Dela’s waterbending—Falco held his ground, fending off their combined strikes and throwing them back with incredible force, leaving us all stunned. 
Fian:"How can he fight both of them bare-handed?"

Aditya:"Not only that, but he’s not even injured. Who is he?" 
Adzima:'My thought, exactly'
Even though Falco held off their attacks, he was still up against two individuals who seemed to be masters of the seas in their own territory, putting him at a disadvantage. As I had guessed, Dwiyan and Dela surrounded Falco. Dela wrapped Falco in a ball of water, while Dwiyan aimed his trident at him. Seeing this, a wave of anger surged within me, and my body moved on its own. I shattered the wall of water separating us, then charged forward, using my airbending to throw Dwiyan and Dela away from Falco.

Soon after, Fian, Aditya, Ina, and Qori joined me, ready to protect Falco but grumbling a bit. 
Fian:"Adzima, we’re on your side. Why are you blowing us away too?" 
Adzima:"Sorry, my body just moved on its own" 
Dwiyan and Dela, still stunned from being thrown, suddenly yelled at us. 
Dwiyan:"What’s going on, guys? Why are you protecting him?" 
I shouted back just as loudly. 
Adzima:"On the contrary, why are you attacking him without reason?"

Dwiyan and Dela got into their stances, ready to strike again. 
Dwiyan:"You don’t need to know why. Stay away from him!" 
Dwiyan:"If you keep defending him, we will fight you too" 
We took our stances, preparing to fight. Just as we were about to clash, a firm woman’s voice cut through the tension. 
Woman:"Enough!" 
We immediately stopped and turned toward the voice. There stood a middle-aged woman in a white gown. All the Atlantis guards, including Dwiyan and Dela, immediately bowed to her.

Dwiyan:"But Queen Atlanna—" 
Atlanna:"It’s fine, I know him" 
Dwiyan and Dela then followed Queen Atlanna as she walked toward us. Meanwhile, Falco, who had broken free from the water ball, approached the queen to speak with her. 
Atlanna:"Hello, Falco" 
Falco bowed slightly and replied. 
Falco:"It’s good to see you again, Queen Atlanna" 
Atlanna:"What brings you here?" 
Falco:"Before that, where are Arthur and Mera?" 
Atlanna’s expression turned serious. 
Atlanna:"They are gone" 
Falco:"Gone? You mean they..." 
Atlanna:"No! I don’t know... I hope not..." 

Atlanna:"They left few months ago, but they never returned" 
I decided to ask further. 
Adzima:"Pardon me, but may I ask, when did they go missing? Was it after or before the demon attack?" 
Mentioning the demon made Queen Atlanna, Dwiyan, Dela, and the entire palace guard freeze in shock. 
Atlanna:"Demon? What happened?" 
Falco:"You don’t know?" 
Atlanna:"No. After Arthur and Mera went missing, we lost contact with the surface" 
Atlanna:"What happened up there?" 
Adzima:"The world is on the brink of destruction. A demon that had been sealed for thousands of years has awoken and is controlling everyone" 

Adzima:"That’s why we are gathering a team of extraordinary people to save the world" 
Atlanna:"Just you?" 
Falco:"The others are at my mansion" 
Atlanna:"Alright then" 
Atlanna:"Dwiyan, Dela, I want you to join them and help them. You can also search for Arthur and Mera along the way" 
Atlanna:"Leave Atlantis to me" 
Dwiyan and Dela:"Yes, my Queen" 
As Dwiyan and Dela approached Falco, I quickly stood in front of him, wary of their intentions. 
Dwiyan:"You don’t need to be wary of us, Adzima. We just want to apologize to him" 

I saw the expressions of Dwiyan and Dela soften, and it was clear they were very embarrassed. Falco then touched my shoulder and smiled. 
Falco:"It’s okay, Princess" 
He then turned to Dwiyan and Dela. 
Falco:"It’s fine, you don’t need to apologize. If I were in your position, I might have reacted the same way" 
Dwiyan:"But we still want to apologize. Sorry for attacking you without reason" 
Dela:"I’m sorry too, really" 
Falco:"Okay, okay, I forgive you" 
Dwiyan:"Thank you"

We bid farewell to Queen Atlanna and headed to the submarine. As we left the palace, we activated the masks to breathe underwater. Dwiyan and Dela, intrigued by the sight, asked: 
Dwiyan:"How can you breathe underwater, guys?" 
Falco:"This mask extracts oxygen directly from the seawater, so breathing is easy. It also creates a thin layer around the body to keep us warm" 
Dwiyan:"Amazing" 
We soon arrived at the submarine. After inspecting it closely, I realized that Falco’s submarine resembled Atlantis’ submarines, but with a clear difference—his sub looked more like an eagle than a fish.

Dwiyan and Dela seemed to have the same thought, as they quickly asked Falco when we boarded the submarine. 
Dwiyan:"The mask and the submarine are very similar to Atlantis technology. How did you get them?" 
Falco:"Of course, they are similar; I used some Atlantis technology to make them" 
Dela:"Did Arthur give you access?" 
Falco:"No, it was Volco" 
Dwiyan:"Once again, we’re really sorry for attacking you" 
Falco:"As I said, it’s fine. It’s all forgiven" 
Despite the apologies, the tension still lingered as we continued our journey.

Not long after, we finally arrived back home. The others got out of the submarine first while I waited for Falco, wanting to ask him something. 
Adzima:"Why did you forgive Dwiyan and Dela so easily? You could have been seriously hurt or even killed by their attacks" 
Falco:"But I wasn’t hurt, so it’s doesn't matter, Princess" 
Adzima:"Coming from someone who hates humanity, that means a lot" 
We exited the submarine together, and Falco spoke again. 
Falco:"Thank you for helping me earlier, Princess" 
Adzima:"You’re welcome, my Prince" 
I replied with a warm smile and then joined the others.