Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 18: The Mutant

Adzima POV

While Ina, Elsa, Qori, and I were relaxing in front of the flower bed, we saw the Troublemakers running towards us. 
Fian:"Girls, come with us" 
Ina:"Why?" 
Aditya:"We found something interesting, you have to see it" 
Although we were hesitant, their constant urging eventually made us agree to follow. We went to the backyard and stopped in front of a cave on the cliff. Our other friends were already gathered there, waiting in front of the cave. 
Elsa:"A cave?" 
Riski:"Not just any cave. Come on in" 

We entered the cave, which was surprisingly neat, almost like a man-made structure. Inside, the air was cool and very calm. A stream of water formed a small river flowing through the cave, and the sound of the trickling water added to the peaceful atmosphere. When we reached the end of the tunnel, we found ancient text carved into the cave walls, along with other ancient images that seemed to convey a message. Unfortunately, none of us could interpret the writing, so we couldn't understand the meaning behind these mysterious symbols. 

Ryan:"Look! Interesting, right?" 
Fian:"We found it while exploring and got curious about the meaning of these carvings because we can't read them" 
Suddenly, Falco appeared next to me, surprising all of us. 
Falco:"That is an ancient prophecy" 
Adzima:"Since when have you been here, My Prince?" 
Falco:"I just arrived" 
Fian:"So, Captain, what does the prophecy say?" 
Falco:"It’s better if you don’t know" 
Artha:"Is it about Zalgo?" 
Falco:"Worse! Much worse" 
Fian:"Now I'm even more curious" 
Aditya:"Me too" 
We all turned our attention to Falco, wanting to know more.

Falco:"Fine"
Falco then sighed and started reading the prophecy.
Falco:"In the shadows, secrets hide, unseen,
A mask concealing darkness, ever keen.
As the seal of separation starts to break,
The world trembles in a chilling quake.

Pure evil, lurking, seeks to devour,
In the dead of night, it gains its power.
The moon cowers, dare not reveal its face,
While the sun retreats from its rightful place.

Eternal darkness, cold and void,
No warmth or hope to be enjoyed.
For in that moment, dreadfully nigh,
The Prince of Darkness shall arise.

He'll bring the terror, the world undone,
In his wake, chaos for everyone.
So beware the day when the mask is shed,
And fear the darkness that lies ahead."

As we heard the prophecy, our bodies shivered. Falco sighed again at our reaction. 
Falco:"I told you, it’s better if you don’t know" 
He then patted my shoulder and gestured for us to leave. 
Falco:"Don’t think about it too much, guys. For now, we need to defeat Zalgo first" 
Falco:"Let’s go, we need to find the next person" 
With that, he led us away, trying to focus our attention on the immediate task rather than the disturbing prophecy.

We then boarded the jet and landed near an abandoned building. A heavy silence surrounded us as Falco opened the entrance. It turned out the building was a laboratory, and the scene inside was very disturbing and terrifying. Human bodies were chopped up, transferred to other bodies, and placed in tubes filled with water, in an unconscious state. The tubes also contained many mutated human forms. The horrific sight made us all feel nauseous and almost vomit. 
Fian:"What the fuck is this?" 
Falco:"The dark side of humanity" 
I saw Falco clenching his fists tightly, trying to hold back his anger.

I immediately grabbed his hand and gave him a gentle squeeze to calm him down. We smiled at each other and continued our exploration of the laboratory. Our mood shifted when we saw one of the tubes, number 23, labeled Luna. Inside the tube was the body of our friend, Rima. Ryan, unable to control his anger, broke the tube to free Rima. However, when he moved to hug her, we saw Rima's nails turn long, black and very sharp. She then attacked Ryan with her claws, but Falco quickly pulled Ryan away, preventing him from getting hurt.

Rima continued to attack us and anyone who tried to approach her. 
Adzima:"Rima, why are you attacking us? We are your friends" 
We repeatedly called out to Rima, but she didn’t respond and kept attacking. 
Falco:"Looks like she’s been brainwashed" 
Hilda:"What? Then how do we wake her up?" 
Falco:"I don’t know" 
As we dodged Rima’s constant attacks while searching for a solution, her attacks grew faster and stronger. Before I realized it, she was right in front of me, ready to tear my face off with her claws.

Luckily, Falco managed to grab Rima’s hand before she could scratch me. However, Rima was quick, scratching Falco’s arm with her free hand, ripping his clothes and injuring his hand. Despite the injury, Falco showed no pain and seemed impressed instead. Ryan appeared behind Rima, surprising her when he hugged her tightly. He whispered soft words in her ear, managing to free her from the brainwashing influence. However, once she woke up, Rima immediately fainted.

Ryan POV

I came up with the plan to wake Rima up while she was fighting with Falco and Adzima. I shared this idea with Fian, who agreed to help. I focused back on Rima, who had managed to injure Falco’s hand, and signaled to Fian. He then transported me behind Rima, and I hugged her more tightly this time. 
Ryan:"What happened to you, Rima? This isn’t you. Don’t let them control you" 
Ryan:"There’s so much I want to talk to you about, so wake up, please"
Ryan:"I really missed you, Rima"
I held her tightly, hoping my words would reach her.

Rima then slowly turned toward me and smiled. 
Rima:"I missed you too. Thank you" 
After saying that, Rima fainted. The others approached us, smiling warmly. 
Falco:"That was a reckless plan!" 
Ryan:"I don’t want to hear that from someone who looked impressed after injuring his own hand" 
Adzima:"Is she okay, Ryan?" 
Ryan:"Yeah, she’s just fainted, it seems" 
Falco:"Take her to the jet and let her rest there" 
Ryan:"Aye aye, Captain"

Fian POV

After Ryan took Rima to the jet, Falco walked over to a computer on the other side of the room, hacked it, and suddenly all the tubes in the laboratory opened, causing the bodies inside to fall to the floor. 
Falco:"We need to give them a proper burial. Help me, guys" 
We all nodded and helped him bury the bodies. We buried them not far from the laboratory and paid our last respects. Falco then squatted next to the graves, apologizing softly. 
Falco:"I am very sorry. I was too late to save you" 
I kneeled beside him, giving him a gentle hug. 
Adzima:"We are sorry, not just you, My Prince"

Falco:"Thank you, Princess. Can you check on Ryan and Rima in the jet?" 
Fian:'Strange' 
I knew their relationship wasn’t official yet, but Falco didn’t usually push Adzima away like that. Still, Adzima nodded and immediately went back to the jet. After she left, Falco spoke to us in a very cold and threatening tone that made all of us immediately shivers. 
Falco:"Anjas, burn down this place!" 
Anjas nodded and quickly got to work, burning the laboratory until it was reduced to ashes. 
Fian:'No wonder he asked Adzima to leave. He’s really trying his best to protect his Princess'

The others seemed to realize the same thing, and they all smiled at Falco. As we made our way back to the jet, we whispered behind him. 
Elsa:"He’s really sweet" 
Ina:"Adzima is so lucky to find someone like him" 
Aditya:"If only they would confess to each other" 
Fian:"That will be our job, Mate" 
Aditya:"You’re right" 
Qori:"You Troublemakers better not do anything stupid like meddling with their romantic affairs" 
Riski:"Why are Gimbul and I getting dragged into this too? It’s only Fian and Aditya" 
Qori:"I know you guys very well, You’re a flock, so you’ll end up involved in whatever they are planning"

Ryan:"Well, you're not wrong about that" 
Fian:"But we also want Adzima to be happy because, after everything that's happened to her, she deserves it" 
Aditya:"That's why we'll do whatever we can to help them be together" 
We arrived at the plane shortly after that, and Adzima immediately made Falco sit down so she could carefully and lovingly treat his injured arm. I grinned at Qori when I saw her reaction, and she sighed in resignation. 
Qori:"Fine"