Aditya pov
While Falco, Adzima, Fian, and Artha searched for the magician, Anjas complained to those of us who remained in the mansion about his hunger.
Anjas:"Guys I'm hungry. Can anyone of you cook something, please?"
Qori:"Why don't you cook for yourself, Anjas?"
Anjas:"I'm lazy"
I then mocked Anjas and challenged him a little.
Aditya:"You're lazy, or you can't cook?"
Anjas:"I can cook, Aditya"
Aditya:"Then prove it, don't just said it"
Anjas:"Okay"
Qori:"Are you sure about letting Anjas cook?"
I just shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.
Aditya:"Come on, how bad can it be?"
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Aditya:'I regret saying that'
I don't know what Anjas did, but somehow he managed to set the kitchen on fire in a short period of time. Qori then glared at me, while Ina, who was stunned by what had occurred, instantly attempted to extinguish the fire in the kitchen with Agus' help.
Aditya:"Okay, okay, that was my bad, but how the hell did he manage to burn the kitchen in such a short period of time?"
We then heard the sound of an engine coming from the garage, and as we looked down, we saw that Falco, Adzima, and the others had returned.
Aditya:'Crap'
Adzima pov
When we returned to the mansion, I saw Aditya and Qori welcome us, sweating and panicking.
Aditya:"Welcome back guys, so this time is Galuh, huh?"
Qori then hugged Galuh as she greeted her.
Qori:"Galuh, long time no see girl, how are you?"
Galuh:"Can be better, but I'm fine, Qori"
I quickly questioned them since I was suspicious of their unusual behaviour.
Adzima:"Okay, what's wrong, you two?"
Aditya and Qori are perspiring while looking for excuses.
Aditya:"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong, in fact, everything is perfectly fine"
Qori instantly nodded to support Aditya's words, while Falco checked his smartphone before deadpaning at the two of them.... Or so I assumed because his face was obscured by his sunglasses and hat, so I can't be sure.
Falco:"You both are bad liars"
Falco then tapped his smartphone, and we heard a sound that sounded like spray coming from above, or more specifically, from the kitchen. We all went to the kitchen to see what was going on, but we were surprised to see that the kitchen had been burned and that Anjas, Ina, and Agus were coated in ashes and fire extinguisher foam.
I was flabbergasted by the scene and asked Ina about it.
Adzima:"What... Happened....?"
Ina just sighed, pointing at Anjas. Anjas then told us what happened, and Artha immediately scolded Anjas for his conduct. Later, they apologised to Falco, and somehow, Aditya and Qori also apologized.
Anjas:"Falco, I'm very sorry about the kitchen"
Aditya & Qori:"We're also sorry"
But Falco quickly forgave them, and he seemed nonchalant about it.
Falco:"It's fine, but... It will take a lot of time to repair this mess"
Galuh:"Don't worry, just leave it to me"
Galuh snapped her fingers and used her magic to restore the kitchen to its original condition.
Falco:"Thank you, Galuh"
Galuh:"No problem"
Artha was astonished and nodded after he saw Galuh using her magic.
Artha:"Now I believe in magic, and I love it"
Fian then teased Artha a little when he heard that.
Fian:"Nah, mate, you're just in love with the person casting it"
Artha:"Well, you're right"
Artha and Galuh immediately blushed after that.
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We are currently searching for new people to recruit. We used various cars this time because we were all going, and as usual, I went with Falco in his car while the others were in another. We soon stopped in front of an abandoned asylum. We saw that there were many vines surrounding the building, and when we entered, we found several statues shaped like Soul Devourers inside. We also noticed that several of the statues appeared to have been destroyed, as we noticed statue fragments scattered throughout the road. After noting the tense mood, Fian and Aditya cracked a joke.
Aditya:"Are we going to examine Fian's mental state here?"
Fian:"No, Aditya, we're going to examine yours"
Aditya:"What do you mean, mate? I'm perfectly fine..... Being crazy"
Fian:"So do I, mate"
We all laughed a little at their antics, and even Falco chuckled softly at that. However, it wasn't long before we were aware of another's presence and noticed three girl silhouettes in the distance. Fian then tried to call them out right away.
Fian:"Who's there?"
The three silhouettes then responded to Fian's question in turn.
Girl 1:"We"
Girl 2:"Are"
Girl 3:"SIRENS!!!"
The third girl screamed, and her scream was so tremendous that it sent our bodies flying. Our bodies then collided with the wall, and the vines on the wall immediately moved and wrapped around our bodies, immobilising us.
Falco quickly instructed us to close our eyes as one of the figures started to remove her glasses.
Falco:"Close your eyes, guys"
I quickly obeyed his command and closed my eyes. Not long after that, I heard a slashing sound and realised that the vines that had wrapped around my body were gone, allowing me to move again. Then I heard a hand clap, followed by cries from three girl silhouettes in front of us.
Falco:"You guys can open your eyes now"
When we opened our eyes, we noticed that the lights from the cars outside had brightened the room. We could also clearly see the three girls in front of us, who turned out to be Arga, Ayu, and Desi. Which appears to be pretty irritated because they were abruptly exposed to the bright lights. When I saw them ready to attack us again, I instantly called them.
Adzima:"Wait, girls! It's us"
The three of them stopped when they heard my voice and were shocked when they saw us. However, before they could speak, the locals and the Soul Devourers attacked by destroying the wall beside us, causing us to be flung, and the explosion also shattered the floor we were standing on, causing us to fall to the floor below and separated from each other.
After making sure I was okay, I tried to contact the others immediately.
Adzima:'Is everybody okay? Where are you guys?'
Fian:'Yes, I'm with Aditya, and Anjas'
Artha:'I'm with Chandra, and Agus'
Qori:'I'm with Ina and the girls'
Adzima:'Desi, Arga, and Ayu?'
Qori:'Yeah, Are you with Falco, Adzima?'
Adzima:'No, I'm alone here, I don't know where he is'
Falco:'I'm okay, I'm okay, sorry I'm fighting the Soul Devourers right now'
Adzima:'Where are you? Do you need help?'
Falco:'I don't know where am I, and no I don't need help'
Falco:'We'll regroup at the cars. Be careful, everyone'
All:'Understood'
After I replied, I noticed that several Soul Devourers were approaching me. I quickly ran from their pursuit because I couldn't use my abilities in this place. Unfortunately, I tripped and nearly fell because I was careless and didn't check where I was going. Fortunately, I saw a hand holding my body, preventing me from falling to the floor, and then I heard multiple gunshots beside me.
When I looked at the person who had aided me, I discovered that he was Falco. He then scolded me briefly while continuing to shoot at several Soul Devourers that were chasing me.
Falco:"Are you okay, princess? I thought I'd told you to be careful"
Adzima:"Yeah, sorry.... And thank you"
He then extended his hand towards me
Falco:"Come, we need to regroup with the others ASAP"
I nodded and held his hand, and then our bodies became invisible. This way, we can regroup with others without fear of being attacked by the Soul Devourers or locals.
When we drew close to the car, we noticed that the others had all assembled beside it. Falco then deactivated the cloaking device, allowing our bodies to become visible. When I saw that they were all fine, I instantly exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled. I quickly called them.
Adzima:"Guys, I'm so glad you're all okay"
They all smiled at first when they saw me, but their smiles turned to smirks when they noticed Falco and I were holding hands.
With a flushed face, I let go of Falco's hand as soon as I caught their smirks.
Fian:"You said that you weren't together, but what we just saw says otherwise"
Aditya:"Smooth, Adzima, very smooth"
Adzima:"We were not together, trust me, we just met after I got chased by the Soul Devourers, and he saved me once again"
Anjas:"Whatever you say, Adzima, you can never fool us with that face"
They all laughed, making my face even redder, and I pouted at them.
Adzima:"I hate you guys"
We then got into the car and drove back to the mansion. On the way, I asked Falco, who was silent as the others teased us.
Adzima:"Why didn't you say anything to the others?"
Falco:"You know that they won't listen to whatever we say, princess, so just let them be"
Adzima:"You are right, I should have done that"