Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 15: The Ant & The Wasp

Adzima POV 
After taking a morning shower, I saw Falco in the kitchen, cooking something. I sat down and leaned against the cabinet, smiling at him. The cozy atmosphere made me daydream about us being married, and it felt so wonderful. Falco snapped me out of my daydream by placing a dish in front of me with a smile. Then he sat across from me and placed the same dish in front of himself. 
Adzima:"Is this for me?" 
Falco:"Yes, Princess. I have tried your cooking, now I want you to try mine" 

I nodded and tried the dish in front of me. 
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Adzima.exe has stopped working. 
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Falco:"Thank you, Princess" 
I immediately looked at him, chuckling. 
Adzima:"I haven't even said anything yet" 
Falco:"Your face says it all, and you finished your meal so fast" 
I looked at my empty plate and felt my cheeks heat up. 
Adzima:"Thank you for the meal, my Prince. This is the best thing I have ever eaten, and somehow, it feels nostalgic" 
Falco:"I felt the same after tasting your cooking yesterday" 

Soon after, I heard giggling, and Falco gestured for me to look behind. When I turned, I saw the others watching us, trying to hide but failing completely. The giggling I heard came from them. I immediately glared at them, and they ran off in fear. Falco and I couldn’t hold back our laughter at their reactions. After finishing the meal, I stood up to wash our dishes, but Falco wouldn’t let me do it alone. He came over to help dry the dishes. As we worked together, my daydream reappeared, and I imagined us as a married couple. 

I blushed again, chuckling to myself. 
Adzima:'I need to stop thinking about this' 
After washing the dishes and calling the others, we headed to a village in the Albanian mountains. We arrived at a breathtaking village with a turquoise lake beside it. The village was called Ulza, which was also the name of the lake. The air here was clean and fresh, and we took deep breaths, savoring the cool mountain air. The beauty of the scenery and the serenity of the surroundings made the moment feel almost magical. 

Fian:"I really missed this. It feels so refreshing, like home" 
Aditya:"Yeah, me too" 
As we enjoyed the mountain air, we realized how quiet the village was, as if there were no residents at all. The air around us grew colder, and we saw a few Soul Devourers fighting with something—or someone—that we couldn’t see. Falco acted immediately, attacking the Soul Devourers and helping whoever they were fighting. Soon, we joined the battle. After defeating the Soul Devourers, two figures dressed like an ant and a wasp appeared before us. They were Riski and Fahra. 
Riski:"Thank you for your help, guys" 
Fian and Aditya immediately hugged Riski, their old friend. 

Fian:"Hey, Riski, long time no see, buddy" 
Aditya:"Riski, so you’re in Albania" 
Riski:"Fian, Aditya, long time no see. How have you been?" 
Fian:"Sucks" 
Aditya:"Meh, could be worse" 
Riski:"Yeah, same here" 
Meanwhile, Qori, Elsa, and Hilda immediately hugged Fahra. 
Fahra:"Hey, girls, I missed you so much" 
Elsa:"We missed you too, Fahra" 
Falco glanced at me as I watched the girls hugging each other. 
Falco:"Don’t you want to join them, Princess?" 
Adzima:"They are already like sisters; I would just be intruding them if I joined" 

Falco then asked them after they released their hugs. 
Falco:"Riski, Fahra, this village is too quiet. Do you know where the locals are?" 
Riski:"No, the village was already empty when we got here" 
Fian:"When we got here? So you two have been together all this time?" 
Riski and Fahra immediately blushed at the question. 
Riski:"Long story, and yes, we’re together now" 
Aditya and Fian suddenly grinned mischievously. 
Aditya:"So, are you two dating now?" 
Fian:"Congrats! How long has it been?" 

The two of them turned even redder at that. 
Fahra:"No! No! No! Not like that!" 
Fahra then muttered softly. 
Fahra:"Though I wouldn’t mind, but not yet" 
Hearing this, I gave Fahra a small smile, while Riski, who seemed to have heard it, quickly tried to change the subject. 
Riski:"What about you guys? What are you doing here?" 
Adzima:"We are gathering a team of people with extraordinary abilities to save the world from Zalgo and the Soul Devourers. Would you like to join us, Riski, Fahra?" 

Riski and Fahra looked at each other and nodded. 
Riski:"We’d be happy to" 
Riski:"But first, who are you?" 
Riski looked at Falco, but before Falco could respond, Fian interrupted. 
Fian:"He’s our captain, Falco" 
Riski then approached Falco, and they shook hands. 
Riski:"Nice to meet you, Captain" 
Falco:"Nice to meet you too, Riski" 
We then headed back toward our vehicles. However, as we drove back home through a tunnel, I noticed a few people above the tunnel holding RPGs. They launched rockets toward us, and Falco quickly maneuvered his car to shield the other vehicles from the incoming rockets.

However, the car's defense system didn't seem strong enough to withstand the rockets. When the last rocket hit, the car we were in was thrown and fell into the valley near the tunnel. I briefly lost consciousness, but soon I could hear the others calling me through the intercom and feel someone shaking me to wake me up. As I regained consciousness and opened my eyes, I saw that Falco and I were still in the car, now upside down. Falco, who had been shaking me, was trying to bring me out of my unconscious state.

Falco:"Thank goodness you are awake" 
He quickly cut his seatbelt, got out of the car, and helped me out from my side. 
Falco:"Can you stand, Princess?" 
Adzima:"Yes, thank you, my Prince" 
Falco sighed as we got out of the car, looking at his now badly damaged car. 
Falco:"I liked that car" 
Looking back at the road from where we were shot, we saw that this valley was so deep that the top was barely visible. 
Falco:"I am sorry for bringing us down here, Princess" 
Adzima:"It’s okay, if you hadn’t helped the others, they would be the ones down here" 

Then I heard the others calling us over the intercom, their voices filled with worry. 
Ina:'Captain, Adzima, are you both alright?' 
Fian:'Captain, Adzima, if you’re okay, please answer' 
After a moment, Falco spoke to reassure them. 
Falco:'We are alright. Wait for us at the mansion, we will catch up with you there' 
Artha:"Thank goodness, and thank you for protecting us, Captain" 
Falco:"No problem" 
After the others calmed down, I turned my attention to the car that was still overturned. 
Adzima:"How do we get back to the mansion?" 

Falco:"Don't worry, I built that place, so I know the way there" 
Falco:"Can you walk, Princess?" 
I smiled at him, even though my legs hurt from hitting the dashboard repeatedly, and I struggled to hold back the pain just to stand, but I didn't want to worry him, so I nodded. Unfortunately, my legs couldn’t hold up, and I stumbled when I tried to walk. Thankfully, Falco quickly caught me and immediately carried me on his back. 
Falco:"Please don’t push yourself like that, Princess" 

Adzima:"Please put me down, my Prince. I am worried about you too" 
Falco:"Don't worry, I am fine. Just rest, Princess" 
I sighed, realizing I didn't have the strength to refuse his request, so I simply wrapped my arms around his back and smiled. Not long after, I started feeling very dizzy and lost consciousness again. When I came to, I found myself in my room, with a bandage wrapped around my head. I immediately jumped out of bed and went to look for Falco. I found him talking with the others in the garage, and I ran to hug him without saying a word, ignoring the confused looks from everyone.