ASTAKONA [COURSE EIGHT]
Chapter 5

Zara gasped amidst the vast prairie, staring intently at Indra who stood before her confidently. The light of the setting sun emitted a golden color on Indra's long hair, adding to the impression of uniqueness in the young man.

In silence, Zara and Indra stared at each other intently with wooden swords in their hands. The atmosphere became tense, and the gentle blowing wind created a movement of their long hair.

"So, who will win this time?" zara said in a confident tone.

"Of course, it will be me" Indra replied with a defiant smile.

Without waiting any longer, they moved almost simultaneously, clashing swords quickly and agilely. Their movements were so beautiful and skillful, as if they were dancing on an invisible stage.

Attack after attack was launched, yet they were both formidable and dodged deftly. Zara showed her prowess with agile and deadly sword techniques, while Indra displayed her agility in the face of Zara's attacks.

However, as time went on, Zara began to dominate the fight. He is more experienced and has trained his skills diligently. Indra tried to defend himself as best he could, but he was eventually forced to take a few steps back.

"That's enough, Indra. You lost," said Zara, holding off further attacks.

However, Indra did not give up just like that. With a sly smile, he threw out an unexpected trick. He smiled sinisterly, then with a quick movement, he plucked a finger and chanted the 2nd Astakona Maroon spell, creating an illusion of fire that surrounded Zara.

"Astakona Maroon 2nd. Illusion of Fire." Indra.

He released a small illusion that made Zara slightly disturbed.

It was the opportunity Indra had been waiting for. With a lightning move, he launched an unexpected counterattack. However, Zara quickly recognized her illusion and immediately retorted.

"Look, who was his childhood friend, but when he was big, he fought?" challenge Indra with a resounding voice.

Zara closed her eyes and relied on her sensitivity to the aura of Astakona. He inhaled a deep breath and steadily revealed his reply, "Fire!"

Zara's eyes opened, and with a quick movement, she attacked Indra's true body. Tuk' the sound of a wooden sword rang out as his sword linked to Indra's body.

Indra felt a great pain in the seeds, and the illusion of fire disappeared and he drooped down on the green grass. "Ouh no. My descendants," he murmured while black.

Zara approached Indra with a satisfied smile on her face. "But he can be killed with water" he said with a triumphant smile.

Kedidi who saw the incident from a distance shook his head, a little surprised by the behavior of Zara and Indra. He jumped off the bench because his feet could not reach the ground while sitting there.

He also patted his forehead, dizzy to see Indra's condition.

"Help. You two can't seem to live without fighting. I'm really tired of having to always heal your wounds."

Kedidi approached Indra attentively, her knees touching the ground as she grabbed Indra's stomach with her small palm.

"Astakona Seij is the first Leaf to Heal" Kedidi said solemnly.

A magical green light shone on the surroundings. The senses that were in a coma, are now awakened. He immediately examined his injuries by groping the area. A sense of relief emanated from his face when he realized his lato-lato was still two left.

"Ouch. Be ill. This is how many times I got hurt." lamented Indra who at the same time he was relieved.

Indra glanced at Kedidi who was sitting next to him, giving a thank you expression.

However, his gaze turned towards Zara who was chuckling.

"Huh, laugh again. This thing is not a joke! Because of you, almost my descendants are gone. Lucky there's Kedidi."

"Yes, sorry." Said Zara.

The green light that appeared earlier attracted the attention of the human group. Suddenly, from behind the tall trees behind Kedidi's house, several black-robed figures appeared and watched them from a distance. A snide smile adorned their faces.

"Research detected. A Seij. Female. About 10 years old, short redhead face neck."

"accepted."

Indra watched Zara who was staring at the forest behind the house with worry.

"Zara" he called, but there was no answer. Indra understood that Zara felt something strange.

Kedidi also saw Zara who suddenly froze, her face full of worry.

"Kedidi, quickly get into the house," said Indra, showing signs something serious will happen.

Without much of a problem, Kedidi ran into his house, with a heart agitated about what would happen next.

Indra stood up straight, patting Zara's shoulder gently, making Zara aware of her condition.

"What do you see, Zara?" ask Indra attentively.

Zara simply shook her head, still dumbstruck with the feeling she had just experienced.

"Jomlah back," asked Indra so that Zara returned home.

...

That night, Kedidi's home is brutally robbed, and Kedidi is kidnapped by an unknown black-robed group.

At the time of the incident, Zara was on her way to Kedidi's house with food. However, before he got there, there were screams from the Kedidi family about 50 meters away from home. He saw the unconscious Kedidi being carried by the black-robed group. Zara then followed them from afar. Luckily, Zara was undetectable to them because she was a Tias, able to hide her whereabouts.

The group takes Kedidi to an old cottage hidden in the forest. Several other black-robed people were already waiting there.

Kedidi, now conscious, panicked and thrashed in fear as she was lowered and tied to a wooden chair using a dark purple-black Astakona.

He tried to scream, but his voice was prevented and silence enveloped the place. Her tears flowed, but her cries remained inaudible.

Zara who hid behind the dark trees felt uncertain. He was dead-end and didn't know what to do. Her heart rippled, wanting to help Kedidi, but her courage was being tested in this tense situation.

Zara watched the terrifying scene that was happening before her trembling. Bodies were strewn in front of him, blood turned black, and the pitch-black atmosphere made him feel afraid and threatened. He held his breath, afraid of making his existence detectable by the black-robed crowd still standing there.

One of the group gave a signal and they planned to leave. But before they left, the person who had given the golden coin raised his hand and smiled, then opened his palm.

Suddenly, sharp ice sprung up from the ground, piercing all of them violently, causing them to fall to death in deadly straits.

Zara could not hide her shock, her eyes were rounded, but she was forced to refrain from making any sound that could betray her existence.

The remaining black-robed group took off their robes, revealing their true identity. One of them, Cinn, talks about their less extreme mission.

"Did? Kill people not yet extreme? What do you want, Cinn?" reprimand Maria, a long purple-haired girl.

Cinn looked rather agitated and realized something was amiss in that place.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh. There is something wrong here" said Haise, the white-haired young man in the group.

The corpses lying on the ground suddenly began to emit black-colored puffs of smoke, filling the air with darkness.

"They're creeping?" asked Cinnyrix, agitatedly.

"It's not steam, it's a black hole. Buceros. The shield," Haise said, gave instructions.

Buceros nodded and stuck his spear into the ground. A golden-yellow light began to appear slowly around them.

"Brown's second stakona Shield of the Earth" said Buceros.

A shield created in the black hole was protecting them. They were swallowed up there including Zara who was there.