Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 12: The Man With Laser Eyes

Adzima pov

Today, we are going to Verlaten. Falco told us that the person we are meeting has the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes. 
Fian:"Someone who can shoot lasers from his eyes? Kryptonians?" 
Falco:"No, mutants" 
Falco:"He also can’t control his power, so he has to wear special glasses to direct the laser" 
Ina:"What happens if his glasses break?" 
Falco:"I don't know" 
When we arrived in Verlaten, we stopped in front of a cabin that looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, its appearance adding to the eerie atmosphere around us. 

The cabin looked dirty and fragile, as if it could collapse at any moment. Tall grass surrounded it, covering the path leading to the entrance. There were no other buildings in sight, making the place feel so empty and creepy. 
Fian:"Hooo, spooky place!" 
Fian:"Are we looking for ghosts here?" 
My face turned pale at the thought. 
Adzima:'Oh no, please no. I can’t handle things like that' 
Ina noticed my pale face and, concerned, asked me. 
Ina:"Are you okay, Adzima?" 

Adzima:"I am fine. I am fine. Don’t worry, Ina" 
I tried to smile at Ina, but then I realized Fian and Aditya were also looking at me. Instead of looking concerned, they were grinning at me with sly smiles. I had a bad feeling about those two, so I chose to ignore them and followed Falco, who was walking through the tall grass toward the abandoned cabin. But Fian and Aditya started teasing me, poking my back and calling my name in an annoying voice. At first, I managed to ignore them, but eventually, I got irritated and decided to confront them. 
Adzima:"What do you want?" 

Unfortunately, I fell right into their prank. When I turned around, instead of seeing my friends, I saw two pocong with black faces right in front of me. Terrified, I screamed as loud as I could and immediately ran toward Falco, hugging him tightly. 
Adzima:"KKKKKKKYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" 
My scream shocked everyone, leaving them confused. Meanwhile, the two pocong I had just seen began laughing and then turned into ink. It turned out the pocong were actually Fian and Aditya, using Aditya's ability to disguise themselves. 

Qori and Elsa immediately slapped Fian and Aditya on the head to make them stop laughing. 
Fian:"Ouch, Elsa, why did you slap me?" 
Aditya:"You too, Qori?" 
Meanwhile, Falco held my hand and gently patted my back to calm me down. 
Qori:"You two, apologize to Adzima, NOW!" 
Fian:"Aw, come on, Qori, it was just a little joke. No need to get so mad" 
Qori:"I really hope Falco punishes you for this" 
Fian and Aditya laughed nervously at Qori's comment. 
Fian:"He won’t" 

Falco then signaled for Fian and Aditya to come over to us, his expression neutral. 
Falco:"Fian, Aditya, come here" 
Fian and Aditya immediately panicked. 
Fian & Aditya:"Oh, no!" 
As they came closer, sweat trickling down their faces, Falco acted. He blindfolded them and tied them to a tree, then adjusted something on their intercom. After that, he invited us to continue toward the cabin, leaving Fian and Aditya behind. 
Falco:"Let’s go, everyone" 
As we walked away, Fian and Aditya started whining in fear. 
Fian:"Wait, wait, wait, guys. You’re really going to leave us like this? Please help us, we’re sorry!" 

Aditya:"Come on, guys, we’re sorry! Please untie us, come on, Captain? Adzima? Anyone?" 
Even though they begged, we kept walking, ignoring them completely. 
Artha:"Isn’t Fian a jumper? He should be able to teleport and free himself easily" 
Qori:"They’re both idiots, so they won’t realize it" 
Dwiyan:"I think you’re right" 
When we reached the cabin door, a voice from inside commanded us. 
Voice:"Don’t you dare open the door. Who are you?" 
Voice:"Answer my question, or I won’t hesitate to shoot a laser at you" 

Falco:"Relax, we’re not your enemies, and we’re not possessed" 
Voice:"Why are you here? What do you need from me?" 
Adzima:"We are forming a team of people with extraordinary abilities to save the world from demons, and we want you to join us" 
Voice:"Saving the world, huh? Sorry, but I can’t" 
Adzima:"Why not?" 
Voice:"Come in and see for yourself" 
When Falco opened the cabin door, we saw Edno sitting with his eyes closed, facing the door. 
Anjas:"Edno?" 
Edno:"How do you know my name?" 
Anjas:"It's me, Edno. I’m Anjas, and we’re your friends" 

Edno:"Anjas? Sorry, my glasses broke, so I can’t open my eyes, or the laser will shoot everywhere" 
Falco approached Edno and handed him a pair of mechanical glasses. 
Falco:"Put these on" 
Edno:"Thanks, but I need special glasses to suppress my ability" 
Falco:"Just put them on" 
Edno put on the glasses and opened his eyes, but nothing happened—no laser, nothing. He looked confused. 
Edno:"How is this possible?" 
Falco:"I don’t know how your original glasses work, but the ones I gave you are made of several layers. They should help" 

Falco:"When activated, it will suppress your ability. If you control the layers, you can adjust the laser you shoot, including its density, speed, width, and more" 
Edno was silent, listening to Falco’s explanation. 
Edno:"Who are you?" 
Falco:"My name is Falco. Nice to meet you, Edno" 
Edno:"Nice to meet you, too" 
Falco and Edno shook hands, and I looked back at Edno. 
Adzima:"So, Edno, will you join us now?" 
Edno:"Of course" 
Edno:"By the way, Adzima, I heard you scream earlier. What happened?" 
I replied with a blank face. 
Adzima:"Stupid stuff, don’t worry" 

We then left the cabin, and Edno looked confused, seeing Fian and Aditya tied to the tree, blindfolded, and whining. 
Edno:"Why are they tied to a tree like that?" 
Elsa:"They are the stupid stuff" 
Edno:"What? Oh..." 
Edno glanced at me, slightly surprised. 
Edno:"I didn’t know you could be that cruel, Adzima" 
Adzima:"I am not the one who tied them; it was him" 
I pointed at Falco, who walked over to Fian and Aditya and started untying them. 
Falco:"Have you learned from your mistakes?" 
Fian and Aditya nodded nervously. 
Falco:"Good"

As we headed back to the car, we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of terrifying flying creatures. Upon seeing them, everyone except Falco screamed in fear. 
Falco:“It's just the Soul Devourers, guys. Why are you so scared like that?” 
We relaxed a bit after realizing it wasn’t something worse. 
Adzima:“Oh, just Soul Devourers… That doesn’t make it any better” 
Falco:“But it makes it a bit less scary” 
Adzima:“Good point” 
After defeating the Soul Devourers, we returned to the mansion. Once there, we split up to do our own things, each heading in different directions. 

After finishing my shower, I noticed Falco alone in the garage, with dim lighting creating a dark and atmospheric mood. An idea popped into my mind, and I smirked mischievously. I moved as quietly as possible, hoping to surprise him. However, just as I was about to succeed, he turned around, startling me and causing me to stumble. Fortunately, Falco caught me before I fell, holding me securely with both hands, bringing our bodies and faces close together. 
Falco:“Sorry to startle you. Are you alright, Princess?” 
Seeing his face this close made my mind go blank. 
Adzima:“Y-y-y-y-yes, m-m-my Prince” 
Adzima:'Thank goodness I already showered' 

Third Person POV

Meanwhile, the others were gathered in the kitchen, unintentionally witnessing the interaction through the kitchen window facing the garage. 
Edno:“Guys, correct me if I’m wrong, but are they dating?” 
Hearing this, all of them grinned widely. 
Fian:“Not yet”