Destinies: The Origin

Chapter 23: Storm Girl

Adzima POV

I was in my room, lost in my thoughts.
Adzima:'I think it's time to tell him about 'that' accident'
Adzima:'I hope he doesn't hate me after learning the truth'
After steeling myself, I left my room to find Falco. I found him talking with the Troublemakers on the sofa.
Adzima:'He's been spending a lot of time with them lately'
Adzima:'I hope he hasn't picked up their stupidity... Who am I kidding? Of course he won't'
I approached and sat next to Falco.
Adzima:"Can I talk to you, my Prince?"
Falco looked at me, smiling warmly.
Falco:"Of course, Princess, what do you want to talk about?"

I took a deep breath and began speaking.
Adzima:" I think I am ready to tell you about 'that' accident"
The Troublemakers were shocked to hear this.
Falco:"Princess, I have already told you, there is no need to tell me about that"
Adzima:"But I want you to know"
Falco:"Alright, tell me"
Just as I was about to start, I saw the Troublemakers stand up, looking like they were about to leave. I quickly stopped them.
Adzima:"You don't have to leave, guys. I might need your help telling this story"

They sat back down after I spoke.
Adzima:"So, where do I start?"
Adzima:"Okay... A few days after graduation, we held a graduation party at a cafe"
Adzima:"It was only for our class; I don't know what the other classes did"
Ryan:"They held their graduation party at a different cafe on a different day"
Adzima:"At first, everything was going well. We talked and encouraged each other while waiting for the others to arrive"
Adzima:"But when I was talking with Qori and Ina, my hand suddenly felt really hot, so I went to the bathroom to wash it, which helped cool the heat down"

Adzima:"At first... But when I dried my hands with a tissue, my hand felt hot again, and the tissue I was holding suddenly caught fire"
Adzima:"I panicked and threw the tissue, but the fire from the tissue spread from my palm and burned the wall as I tried to throw it"
I lowered my head as I remembered that moment.
Adzima:"That's what triggered 'that' accident"
As I spoke, tears began to well up in my eyes, and my body started to tremble.

I tried to continue my story, but my voice came out like a whisper. When Falco noticed this, he gently rubbed my hand to calm me, while the Troublemakers continued the story.
Fian:"When the cafe staff saw the fire, they initially tried to put it out"
Aditya:"But when the fire spread quickly, their priority shifted to evacuating the customers"
Riski:"So, except for Adzima, who was still in the bathroom, we all made it out safely"
Ryan:"Unfortunately, we only remembered Adzima after we were outside, and the staff stopped us from going back in to try to help her"

Fian:"We are very sorry about that, Adzima"
I just nodded in response, not blaming them for leaving me behind.
Tetron:"While we were all worried about Adzima, one of our friends, a latecomer-one of our bestfriends..."
Tetron seemed like he wanted to mention his name but decided not to and continued his story.
Tetron:"When our friend arrived, he was shocked to see the cafe on fire and asked us what had happened"
Fian:"Then, when we told him that Adzima was still inside, he rushed in, ignoring the staff trying to stop him"

I started sobbing as memories of what he did flooded my mind, but I quickly composed myself and continued the story.
Adzima:"As the fire grew larger, I couldn't get out of the bathroom because the door suddenly locked. The fire that had already consumed the cafe spread so quickly that I started to lose hope and accept my fate"
Adzima:"Just when I was about to give up, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and he grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the burning cafe that was about to collapse"
Adzima:"Unfortunately, as we approached the exit, we saw that the cafe's ceiling was about to collapse. He firmly held my hand and threw me out, making sure I could escape"

Adzima:"But as soon as I was out, the ceiling fell, blocking the exit and trapping him inside the burning cafe"
Adzima:"We could still see him through the cafe window, and he didn't look worried at all. In fact, he smiled at us"
Adzima:"Then, he moved his lips, saying one word to us just before the cafe collapsed and fell on him"
Adzima:"One word I will never forget for the rest of my life"
Adzima:"He said..."
Adzima:"Live"
Adzima:"When I saw that, I cried and told everyone it was my fault, but no one wanted to listen to me"
After saying this, I hugged Falco and cried on his chest.
Fian:"We still can't believe what happened that day, so we didn't know what to do"
Falco:"Do you blame her now?"
Tetron:"No, our friend sacrificed his life for her, so we won't dishonor him by hating her. We know that's not what he wanted"

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Right now, we are in the foggy forest looking for the next person, a woman who, according to Falco, could control lightning and storms. Falco had been holding my hand since we entered the forest, which helped calm me after I became emotional recalling the details of 'that' accident. As we went deeper into the forest, we heard the rumble of thunder above us. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck right in front of us, and from the place where the lightning struck, a woman appeared. Before I could see her face, the girl ran toward me and suddenly hugged me.
Girl:"I'm so glad you're okay, Adzima"
When I realized the girl who hugged me was RJ, I froze.

Adzima:'Oh no... If she's here, then he's here too'
I stepped closer to Falco, who was still holding my hand, as RJ let go of her embrace. RJ smiled at me when she saw this, but I couldn't return her smile and just lowered my head. RJ then turned to the Troublemakers.
RJ:"I'm glad you guys here too. I need your knock some sense to Arvin"
I immediately felt worried, and my fear was proven-he was also here.
Tetron:"What did he do this time?"
RJ:"Follow me"
RJ asked us to follow her, but I rejected her by shouting.
Adzima:"NO!!!"