Determination and fear

Rizal and Asih's feelings are mixed, between fear and a strong enthusiasm to learn magic.

"Let's go," Rizal said as he opened the door of the room.

They exited the room and headed towards the harbour. On their way, they saw a group of Azazel's warriors checking everyone who passed by.

"We have to be careful, Asih," said Rizal, pulling Asih's hand.

"Yes, I know. We have to find a way to get past them without being noticed," Asih replied while observing the soldiers from afar.

They walked slowly and tried not to stand out. When they were almost past the soldiers, suddenly one of them turned and saw Rizal and Asih.

"Hey, you two! Stop right there!" shouted the soldier brandishing his sword.

Rizal and Asih looked at each other, they knew that they couldn't beat those soldiers head on.

"Wait here, Asih. I will distract them," said Rizal as he walked towards the soldiers.

"Damn, both of you will be arrested for being suspicious," said the soldier as he approached Rizal.

Suddenly, Rizal took out a stick from under his cloak and hit the soldier swiftly. The soldier immediately collapsed to the ground without a sound.

Asih looked at Rizal admiringly, "Very good! We have to go now."

The morning sun began to shine on the small town on the east coast of the south coast of Java Island. Rizal and Asih ran quickly to the harbor which was bustling with shipping activities. The two of them are determined to find Asih's friend who can help them charter a boat for their journey north.

"Your friend lives here, Asih?" Rizal asked breathlessly.

"Yes, in a fishing village near here," Asih replied, pointing to the right.

They kept running, avoiding the sailors carrying their luggage. After some time, they finally found a simple house by the beach. In front of the house, a young man was tying a ship that was stranded on the beach.

"Gee! How are you?" greeted the man with a bright smile.

"Jack, we need your help," Asih said quickly.

"Of course, how can I help you?" Jack asked excitedly.

"We need a ship for the journey north. Would you find one suitable for us, please?" asked Rizal.

"This is Rizal, my friend," Asih introduced Rizal to Jack.

Jack nodded and walked into the house. He immediately came out with a piece of paper listing the ships available at the port.

"Here is a list of ships that can be chartered. There are several ships ready to sail north today. Choose the one you like," said Jack, handing the piece of paper to Rizal.

Rizal glanced at Asih, and the two immediately chose a ship that suited their needs.

"Thanks for helping us, friends," Asih said as he gave Jack the money.

"Don't worry, I'm glad I could help you. Take care on the way," Jack said as he waved goodbye.

After paying their rent, they boarded the ship and prepared to cross the sea to the north.

"Now we will explore the wide sea, Asih. Prepare yourself!" Rizal said excitedly.

Asih smiled broadly and replied, "I'm ready, Rizal! Let's start our adventure!".

Rizal and Asih started their journey to Xyrel. They lay on the deck of the ship, contemplating and thinking about the journey they were about to face.

"It's not easy to defeat Azazel, but we have to try. We have to learn strong enough magic to defeat him," said Rizal in a low voice.

"We can definitely do it, Rizal. We will learn the strongest magic and we will defeat Azazel," Asih replied enthusiastically.

They continued their journey to Xyrel with mixed feelings, between fear and high spirits. After several hours on the ship, they finally arrived in the city of Xyrel.

They got out of the ship and walked through the dusty streets of the city. Asih showed me the way to an old house that was said to be inhabited by a very famous magic teacher in the city of Xyrel.

"They say this person can do extraordinary magic. He can help us solve our problems, Rizal," Asih said seriously.

"Magic? Can we really learn it?" Rizal asked a bit skeptical.

"Of course you can, Rizal. This person is very famous and has extraordinary power. We have to try it," said Asih convincingly.

Rizal and Asih continued to walk through the streets of Xyrel city which were crowded with futuristic vehicles and magnificent buildings. The atmosphere of the city looks very up-to-date with such advanced technology that it amazed Rizal and Asih.

However, amidst that beauty, there were many Azazel soldiers standing guard there. Some of them committed violence against residents who did not comply with their regulations. Rizal and Asih tried not to be conspicuous and continued to tread carefully.

"This situation is getting worse," said Rizal in a worried tone.

"Yes, Rizal. We have to be more careful," Asih said in a low voice.

They tried not to attract the attention of Azazel's soldiers standing guard around them. They kept walking, looking for a way out of the city.

However, suddenly, they stopped in front of a large building which was being guarded by Azazel's soldiers. Rizal and Asih felt trapped, not knowing what to do.

"We have to find another way," said Rizal in a low voice.

"But how? All the roads around us have been guarded," Asih said in a desperate voice.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching from behind. They turned and saw several of Azazel's soldiers approaching them with their weapons at the ready.

"Catch them!" shouted one of Azazel's soldiers.

Rizal and Asih tried to run, but Azazel's soldiers chased them. They ran as hard as they could, through streets packed with futuristic vehicles and majestic buildings. They had to dodge the shots that kept chasing them.

"Come on, keep running!" Rizal shouted while holding Asih's hand.

Rizal and Asih continued to run without stopping, chasing every opportunity to get out of the reach of Azazel's soldiers who were chasing them. They ran faster, but closer to their enemy.

"Can't stop now!" exclaimed Rizal while continuing to pull Asih.

"Don't worry, we can get past them!" Asih replied in an optimistic tone.

However, as they ran faster and faster, a masked figure suddenly appeared in front of them, and immediately jumped towards Azazel's soldiers standing in front of them.

"Who's that?" asked Rizal with a trembling voice.

"Now is not the time to ask," Asih said, looking at the masked action.

The masked one fought back with incredible speed, dodging every enemy attack with incredible skill. The barrage of attacks from Azazel's soldiers continued to be launched at him, but he continued to fight back tenaciously. He watched every move of Azazel's soldiers that were trying to attack him, and with that incredible speed, he managed to dodge their attacks with ease.

The enraged Azazel's soldiers continued to launch barrages of attacks at the masked one, but he defended himself with overwhelming skill. He jumped, rolled, and dodged every enemy attack with a speed that frustrated Azazel's soldiers.

Suddenly, the masked one jumped towards one of Azazel's soldiers, and with one swift movement of his hand, he managed to kick the soldier in another direction with tremendous force. The soldier was sent flying through the air, and fell heavily to the ground.

The rest of Azazel's soldiers were shocked by the masked one's strength, and then became even more determined to capture him. They released successive attacks towards the masked one, but he still managed to dodge their attacks with ease.

The masked one then jumped towards Azazel's two soldiers at once, and with an astonishing speed, he managed to attack them with swift movements. Azazel's soldiers were blown up into the air and fell to the ground hard, powerless.

Azazel's surviving soldiers immediately retreated, afraid to continue their attack. They knew that they couldn't beat the masked one who was skilled in combat.

The Azazel soldiers who were trying to catch Rizal and Asih were sprawled and unable to move anymore. The masked looked at them with sharp eyes, then darted away leaving Rizal and Asih after glancing at them briefly.

Rizal and Asih were silent for a moment, watching the masked man's departure with great amazement.

"He shot so fast," muttered Asih.

"That's extraordinary magic," said Rizal.

"Quick, let's get out of here," Asih said.

Without waiting too long, they continued on their way, passing through treacherous streets, hoping to get out and find a place to study magic.

"From his stature, it looks like he's a woman," said Rizal, following Asih's steps.

***

Asih and Rizal continued to walk in the small alleys located on the outskirts of the futuristic city of Xyrel. Although the streets they passed looked deserted, several groups of homeless people were squeezed here and there.

Asih led the way to a magnificent building that seemed to be a place where people studied magic. But when they got there, the building looked deserted and unkempt. Some parts of the building looked destroyed and had big holes, as if indicating that there was a big battle in that place.

"It seems we have to be careful here," said Rizal while looking around.

Asih nodded in agreement "Yes, there might be danger around here. Let's stay alert."

They walked slowly toward the building. His condition was even more apprehensive when they were near him. Several windows were broken and the roof leaked. It looked like no one was still occupying the building.

"But why does this building look empty? Has the magic teacher left?" Asih asked confused.

Asih and Rizal stepped into the deserted building. The air inside the building was cold and damp, making them tremble. They walked slowly and looked around. Some of the rooms looked quite well maintained, but some were destroyed and had big holes. They continued walking and arrived at a fairly large room. There were some remains of a table and chairs there, and in the corner of the room was a fireplace that looked as if it hadn't been used in a long time.

"We can rest here for a while," Rizal said, looking around. "Maybe we can find some fuel and food around here."

Asih nodded in agreement, "Yes, we have to look for the materials soon, because we don't know how long we have to stay here."

They then split up to find ingredients they could use. Rizal looked outside the building, while Asih searched inside the building. A few minutes later, they returned to the same room with firewood and some cans of food.

They lit a fire and warmed themselves. After that, they sat down on the remains of the table that were still intact and ate the food they brought. There was no sound other than the sound of the wind blowing gently outside.

"Geez, how do you think this building got to be like this?" Rizal asked, looking around.

"This palace used to be very grand and beautiful," Asih answered, "But it seems that there was a big battle here. Many parts of the building were destroyed and had big holes. Maybe the war caused everyone to leave this place."

"Yes, it's very sad to see a place that used to be beautiful become like this," said Rizal sadly.

The night went on, and they remained inside the building. No one was coming or going, and they didn't know how long they would have to stay there. However, they could at least take a break and prepare for whatever came next.

Then Rizal slowly pulled his cellphone out of his bag and opened his father's and mother's contacts. Rizal's heart was pounding when the phone line connected.

"Father, mother," he greeted in a hesitant voice.

"Rizal. Where are you?" asked his mother in a soft voice.

"Rizal is in Xyrel, mother. I want to fight against the demonic dictatorship named Azazel," said Rizal firmly.

"You have to be careful son. You know how dangerous this situation is," his father interjected in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, Father. I fully understand the risk. But we cannot stand by and let Azazel continue to rule," said Rizal with firm determination.

"But Rizal, how can you leave without saying goodbye to us?" asked his mother in a hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry, mother. I didn't dare to ask permission directly because I knew that your father and mother would not allow me to go. But I ask for your blessing and prayers," Rizal replied in a voice full of regret.

"Of course, son. Father and mother will always pray for you. You must always be careful," his father said in a broken voice.

"Thank you, father. Thank you, mother. I will always be careful and try my best," said Rizal in a voice full of emotion.

They talked for a while before Rizal finally hung up the phone. Asih was silent and stared at Rizal. Rizal looked at Asih. Then Rizal seemed to suddenly realize something.

"Who, are you actually Asih?" Rizal asked urgently.

"I'm Asih, your friend, we will fight against Azazel together," Asih explained, looking surprised at Rizal. "Why are you Rizal?"

"You came to me on the roof of my house, we just met, suddenly we planned all this," Rizal sighed briefly and looked at Asih, "I really wanted to fight Azazel, but suddenly I feel very close to you, and feel we have same goal, that's weird," said Rizal while taking out a stick from under his jacket.

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps of people walking into the room.