As rare as they were to come by, Halilintar was having a pretty nice day.

Aside from the Karen who'd marched up to his shop, demanded a refund using a crumpled receipt from the local WFC, then threatened to sue when he refused to give her the "apology drink" she "kindly" requested. Still, a minor inconvenience, nothing to think back about.

He kept his positive mood even when a random kid spilt his hot chocolate all over the counter just because he didn't like the foam art done for his drink.

He kept his positive mood even when some ass of a teenager decided it was a mighty fine idea to play hot potato with their paper-thin bag of cheese tarts and ran away when the bag hit a random weightlifter in the back and burst into a slop of cheese and crust.

He kept his positive mood even when the latte machine broke down for the third time this week, despite the machine being only a month old and worth a whole three weeks' worth of profit to purchase.

Halilintar no longer had his good mood.

He was banging at the latte machine, empty paper cup in hand as he demanded the damn thing to just work—when a huge gust of wind swept over the Kokotiam, sending all the paper cups, tissues, plastic utensils and chairs flying. Customers looked around in a myriad of confusion and panic, the screams of young toddlers and teenage boys alike filling the air.

Halilintar whipped around in surprise, only to be smacked in the face by flailing tissues. By the time he pried them off his face, the wind had completely died down, and in a distance sat a spaceship that clearly was not there before.

The paper cup and tissues in his hand turned to ash as murder flashed in his eyes.

Yeah, his day was completely ruined now.

Before they stepped out of the ship, they had a mandatory meeting.

Cahaya mapped out a rough estimation of Pulau Rintis' outline on a holographic screen, using his fingers as a pen to trace white lines. "This island is considered mediocre by scouting standards, so we should take around 3 days to find our target."

He drew a circle in an area. "This is where we are at the moment." He marked several areas around the island, assigning a role to each one. "Because Air and Api have previously lived on Earth, I suggest we split into teams of two. We can cover more ground that way and have less chance of standing out to the natives. Api with me, Daun with Air. Any less-than intelligent questions?"

Air raised his hand.

"Yes, Air?"

"You know... we can just use the internet," Air informed him, dousing him in a metaphorical bucket of ice water. "Taufan already told us the name of the place. Tok Aba's Kokotiam. We punch in the name into Loogle, wait for it to respond and—ah, would you look at that. We're only fifty meters away from our destination."

Api choked. "We're right next to the damn place?"

To prove his point, Air slammed his hand onto the hangar switch. The joints creaked and whined as the slab of metal released to the ground, sunlight spilling into the rest of the electrically lit cockpit.

Air smirked. "How's that for a 'less-than intelligent question'?"

Across the ship and within walking distance was an open-air coffee shop, the name Tok Aba's Kokotiam emblazoned on the sign hanging by the roof.

The burn in Cahaya's face was as much as an answer as any. Air puffed his chest out, ready to rub it in the light wielder's face, only for his grin to die down a split second after as a chilling aura flooded the room.

The four spun around in a mad panic, eyes widening to see a man in a barista apron sitting atop their controls with crossed arms, leg folded over one knee as he levelled them with a withering stare.

"What business do you have with Earth?"

Red electricity cackled on the edge of their skin, especially prominent on the tip of their fingers.

Api was at a complete loss for words, snapping to Cahaya accusingly. "You didn't see him come in?" he demanded, voice hushed but sharp to everyone's ears.

Cahaya's blush spread to his neck now. "I did, but he was too fast for me too—"

"I believe I asked you a question," the man interrupted unkindly, drumming their fingers along their bicep. Everything about them screamed danger! "Answer me before I decide to destroy your ship and only way back."

Air blanched. "You can't—"

Wait.

Electricity?

The pieces clicked in all the right places in Cahaya's head, the gears fitting perfectly together in the larger system, sending power to a light bulb to illuminate them on the mystery man.

"You're Halilintar," Cahaya said before anyone could stop him. "You're the elemental Taufan and Gempa told us about."

The murderous intent did not die down, but the dark look on his face shifted to something more akin to doubt.

"They sent us here," Cahaya forged on in spite of everything. "We're—we're elementals like you, too! But sometimes we can't control our powers, and we—"

"—'break a fuse'?" Halilintar supplied, but still full of uncertainty. The electricity had completely faded from his arsenal, but not the tense stature he carried himself in. Like a crouching predator waiting to pounce on its prey, was the only way Cahaya could describe him.

"... yes." Cahaya lowered his voice bashfully.

Are they really talking to the right person? If they were, then he doubted that Halilintar would be the type to be closely acquainted with people like Taufan and Gempa, who had mild personalities in comparison. Taufan's playful descriptions of his "old friend" was completely contradictory to the man before them.

"Don't worry about little ol' Hali! He may look intimidating, but he's really just shy to meet new people!"

"He doesn't look it, but he's a big softie underneath all that gloom and doom. Oh, and his favorite dessert are strawberry ice pops, the cheap ones that taste like medicine. It's gross, I know."

"Hmm, how would I describe him? He does have a quick temper—don't give me that look, Gempa. You can't speak but I know what you're thinking—but he's quick to cool off. When in doubt, throw cake at him. He has a terrible sweet tooth."

Thanks for the advice, Taufan; but they'd much rather keep their heads. Halilintar did not seem like the type of man to be won over by dollar store popsicles.

"Where are they, then?" Halilintar drilled them, unconvinced. "Are you running from TAPOPS?"

Daun yelped. "You... know about TAPOPS?"

Cahaya whipped to him, scandalous. Of course he would know about TAPOPS. Two of his best friends were their teachers, for hell's sake!

"I know enough," Halilintar replied gruffly, but his hostility had visibly decreased, his sharp edges relaxing to hesitance instead. "Answer the question."

"We have a message from them to you," Cahaya cut in. "Api, if you will."

Api nodded quickly, fumbling to fish out his phone from his pocket. They'd recorded a video earlier, which was essentially a permission slip to dump them into their friend's care. Halilintar snatched the phone out of Api's hand, uncaring for the 15-digit password that was set.

His eyes flashed red momentarily, and the phone unlocked itself. The screen shifted to depict a paused video of Gempa and Taufan, smiling dumbly at the camera as if half their organs weren't disintegrated.

Much like their mentors, Halilintar hardly reacted to all the gore they were subjected to, though he displayed more concern than them by the slight furrow in his brows. (Maybe Taufan's retellings weren't complete bull after all.) By the time the video ended, his face was encased in a mask of neutrality. No antagonism, but no welcoming notes either.

"They put me on babysitting duty," Halilintar muttered, sounding utterly horrified by the revelation.

"Hey!" Api protested, before he realized who he was talking to. He shirked away like he's been burned. "Wait, um—I don't mean it like that..."

The sigh that escaped Halilintar's lips weighed heavier than any of the barbells Cahaya had seen Gempa use.

"Three weeks," Halilintar declared with finality in his voice. "After three weeks, you go back. No sooner, no later."

Huh?

Just like that?

It was as if a huge boulder had simultaneously been removed from everyone's chests, allowing them to breathe freely for the first time. Cahaya's shoulders sagged in relief, looking around and vaguely wondering how it was a miracle that they haven't had any outbursts since—

Api's hair was set ablaze, his body bathing in a curtain of amber energy. Daun shrieked, bolting away before he was caught in the fire.

Halilintar massaged the tip of his nose, cursing all the known deities in one short breath. Without a second's notice, he strode across the room, towering over Api by his sheer presence alone, never mind his superior height.

Api swallowed nervously as Halilintar opened his palm, staring intently at calloused skin while he asked himself whether if it were a wise idea to deal with the devil.