Ayu explained that the red armor from earlier was called Agni, a Garuda-type model.
Rafka immediately stared at the ring on his finger in awe. A Garuda model? he thought.
Of course, he was confused. Even someone as up-to-date as him had never heard of it before.
Is this a new model? Rafka wondered. Why am I able to use it?
"Hey." A hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.
Rafka reflexively turned around.
Two men in black suits stood behind him, their sharp, serious gazes making their presence feel completely different from ordinary civilians.
"You're the one who activated and controlled that red armor earlier, right?" one of them asked.
Rafka swallowed hard. "I guess that's ... me." He let out an awkward little laugh. "Um ... who are you guys?" he asked, trying to suppress his trembling.
Every muscle in his body felt tense, as if he had been thrown into the middle of a storm without preparation.
His palms were cold, while his heartbeat was so loud it felt like it was echoing in his ears.
In front of him, the men in black suits still stood with unreadable, serious expressions.
From the corner of his eye, Rafka could see Ayu also talking to another man wearing a similar outfit.
They all looked like secret agents, or professional kidnappers, or maybe both.
"Whatever, I don't mind," Ayu said calmly.
"The important thing is that the armor can be activated and used properly," she added firmly, crossing her arms.
Ayu glanced briefly at Rafka while crossing her arms. "Agni's armor has already found its compatible Knight," she added, still speaking in that flat tone, no nervousness, no fear, no panic.
Meanwhile, Rafka was already close to losing half his lifespan just from standing there.
Their conversation sounded similar to what he was experiencing now, about Agni's armor and the Garuda ring, and then about him.
"Ah ..." Rafka sighed while glancing at the red ring on his finger. "Should I just take this off?" His hand quickly tried to pull the ring off his left middle finger.
But it did not move.
"Huh?" He pulled harder, but it was useless. Rafka started to panic. "Huh? Wait? What?" he muttered.
He tried again and again until his finger turned red, but the ring did not budge at all.
And then he suddenly remembered something, once worn by a compatible user, an Anima Drive ring could not be removed easily.
His face turned pale. "I'm screwed."
Meanwhile, the two men in black suits exchanged a glance for a few seconds, then nodded at the same time. That small gesture felt even more terrifying to Rafka than a shout.
"Come with us." One of them immediately grabbed his arm.
Rafka instinctively tensed up. Should I run? No way!
At this point, he looked exactly like a suspect who had just been arrested. The only difference was that he had no idea what crime he had committed.
With sluggish, resigned steps, Rafka finally followed them as terrifying scenarios filled his mind.
Interrogation, prison, secret experiments. Even memory erasure.
"Don't worry," Ayu whispered beside him. "You'll be fine."
That boy immediately let out a relieved breath.
But Ayu continued in a flat tone, "Probably."
"PROBABLY?!" Rafka almost shouted, if not for the tense situation.
How was he supposed to stay calm? Just a few minutes ago he was an ordinary high school student who had just finished his final exams.
Then suddenly he was given a Knight ring by a mysterious girl, defeated a Walpurgis-class Lamia, and used an unknown high-tier armor.
And now he was being taken away by men in black suits who looked like members of a secret organization.
No sane person could stay calm, Ayu!
Rafka was now sitting inside a large black car. The silent interior felt suffocating.
Ayu sat beside him calmly, as if she were simply on a casual trip.
Meanwhile, Rafka was still sweating coldly while desperately trying to remove the red ring from his finger.
But it still wouldn't come off. The ring didn't move at all.
"Why is this thing so stuck?!" he muttered in panic. "Come off! Seriously! There's no way I was chosen by something this powerful!"
Throughout the ride, the atmosphere inside the car remained almost completely silent.
The men in black suits sat still with serious expressions. No explanation, no casual conversation.
The only sounds were the engine and Rafka's own heartbeat.
Fifteen minutes felt like fifteen years until the car finally stopped.
"We're here," Ayu said as she opened the car door first.
Rafka stepped out slowly. Then his eyes widened and his breath caught. "This is ...?"
In front of him stood a massive building with the ARMOR emblem displayed prominently on the front.
ARMOR Fourth Division Headquarters.
A place he had only ever seen in the news, documentaries, and internet articles.
So he wasn't being taken to a police station or interrogation room, but to one of the Knights' headquarters.
The place of his childhood dreams.
"Come on, Rafka. Follow me," Ayu said, walking ahead toward the main entrance. "We're going inside."
For some reason, the girl felt different now. The way she spoke sounded like a tour guide leading visitors.
Rafka looked back.
The men in black suits were nowhere to be seen.
He glanced around, but they were completely gone. "That's creepy ...!" he muttered.
This was a place he had always wanted to visit. But not as a suspect carrying an illegal Knight ring, he wanted to come here as a proper Knight.
As a real ARMOR member.
"Rafka! Hurry up!" Ayu called from ahead. She had already walked quite far.
As Rafka stepped deeper into the headquarters, memories from the past flooded his mind.
His father.
He remembered the accident from three years ago.
His father's body crushed under collapsed materials, the hospital scene, and his mother crying.
All those memories surfaced without warning.
Rafka's steps slowly weakened. And before he realized it, tears began to fall from his eyes.
He quickly lowered his head. "Damn ...." He hurriedly wiped his cheeks. "Not now." He bit his lip softly.
I can't believe I'm crying in the place I've always wanted to come to, he thought.
"Ayu! Wait up!" he called out quickly, speeding up his steps. "I'll get lost!"
Ayu glanced back briefly before continuing forward.
The two of them walked through a long corridor inside the headquarters.
Bright white lights filled the ceiling, and the sound of footsteps echoed softly.
Several passing personnel paused their work just to glance at Rafka.
Or more precisely, at the red ring on his finger.
Rafka immediately felt awkward. "Why is everyone staring at me like that? Am I going to get executed here or something?"
"We're going in here," Ayu said, stopping in front of a large door. She glanced slightly back. "Remember, stay calm."
She then pointed at herself lightly. "Just like me."
Rafka almost wanted to protest. Of course it was easy for her to say that since her expression was almost always blank.
Meanwhile, he had been shaking like a leaf in a storm since earlier.
Ayu slowly pushed the door open.
Once it opened, a spacious room came into view.
Several high-ranking ARMOR officials stood inside.
Their presence felt heavy, stern, and deeply intimidating.
As soon as they noticed Ayu and Rafka entering, everyone turned toward them at once.
"Ayu!" a tall, broad-shouldered man shouted. "What do you mean by bringing in a Garuda ring without authorization?!" he barked, his deep voice filling the room.
The man was large and imposing, with sharp, authoritative eyes. He was the captain of the ARMOR Fourth Division, Rangga.
Rafka froze instantly, his eyes widening.
He knew exactly who that man was, everyone did.
Seeing Captain Rangga up close already felt like a dream.
"What's wrong with it?" Ayu replied without any fear. "Besides, Agni's armor has already found its compatible Knight."
Rafka stared in disbelief at how boldly she was talking back to an ARMOR captain. "If that were me, I'd already be dead," he whispered.
But what happened next was even more shocking.
Captain Rangga let out a long sigh and gently patted Ayu's head. "Good grief ... you," he muttered. "that expression of yours is just like hers, and your stubborn, fearless attitude is definitely comes from me."
The muscular man finally shook his head in resignation. "Typical. Like father, like daughter!"
Rafka blinked twice slowly. Huh? Wait. Don't tell me ...? he thought.
He immediately looked back and forth between Ayu and the captain. "They're family?!"
"So you're the kid who activated Agni's armor?" Captain Rangga stepped closer to Rafka. "What's your name?"
Rafka stiffened completely. "Rafka," he stammered. "Rafka Absyari."
And instantly, the captain's expression changed. "Rafka ... Absyari?" His eyes widened. "Are you Herdi's son?"
Rafka was surprised but nodded hesitantly. "Yes."
Then suddenly, Captain Rangga pulled him into a tight embrace.
So tight that Rafka almost lost his breath.
"I'm sorry ..." the captain said, his voice trembling. "I'm really sorry ...."
Rafka froze.
"I couldn't save your father three years ago ...," he continued softly. "I was a terrible captain." The man lowered his head. "Herdi was the best technician and an incredible friend. I truly regret being too late."
Rafka stayed silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No ...," he replied softly. "my father's death wasn't your fault."
And at that moment, he suddenly remembered something.
Three years ago, there had been a man who hugged him like this at his father's funeral.
And now he realized, that man was Captain Rangga.
A few seconds later, the captain released him. But admiration was still clearly visible on his face. "But I really didn't expect this," he said while patting Rafka's shoulders firmly. "Herdi's son ended up activating a Mythical Armor."
"Not to mention it's Agni!" the captain chuckled in disbelief. "I thought you'd follow your father's path as a mechanic!"
Rafka looked down at the red ring on his finger.
Mythical Armor. Of course he knew what that meant. It was a special armor system far above normal Anima Drive units. There were very few of them.
There were supposed to be only nine in the world, and each ARMOR headquarters in the country was said to have at least one Mythical Armor user.
Meaning Agni was the tenth. And now, it had chosen him.
"So ...," Captain Rangga spoke again. "you want to join ARMOR, right?"
Rafka hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Yes!"
The captain smiled in satisfaction.
But one of the officials behind him did not immediately agree. "Captain, what about that Agni armor?" he asked seriously. "We cannot just hand it over to that boy."
Rafka lowered his head slightly, understanding the concern.
After all, everything felt far too sudden.
But Captain Rangga simply scoffed. "It's pointless to take the ring by force," he said casually. "Each Anima Drive armor can only be used by one person."
He glanced at Rafka, then at the red ring. "And Agni seems to have already found its soulmate."
The official fell silent, unable to argue.
Captain Rangga patted Rafka's shoulder again. "Then welcome to the Fourth Division, Rafka!" he said with a wide grin. "Let's just say you came in through a direct appointment."
"Sorry ..." Rafka raised a hand slightly. "I haven't graduated high school yet ... and I feel bad joining without selection."
He looked down awkwardly. "It felt unfair."
The captain chuckled. "Selection doesn't matter if you're already compatible with the Garuda ring." He pointed at the red ring on Rafka's finger.
Then he glanced at Ayu. "If I'm not mistaken, you're the same age as Ayu. You'll be graduating soon anyway, right?"
Rafka fell silent.
"And one more thing," the captain continued, crossing his arms. "Don't be too stiff in my unit. Manners are important, sure. But you look way too tense and way too nervous."
He laughed lightly. "Just relax. Think of us as friends or family," he added. Then his expression turned serious again. "So, are you still going to refuse?"
Rafka panicked immediately and shook his head. "No! That's not it!" He quickly stood straight. "Alright ... I accept it." Then he awkwardly saluted. "Thank you very much!"
Applause filled the room.
Ayu also clapped lightly while secretly smiling.
Some even whistled teasingly, making Rafka turn completely red.
"Head home for now," Captain Rangga said with a smile. "We'll handle the rest." Then he turned to Ayu. "Ayu will explain everything next."
Rafka nodded quickly. He saluted once more before walking out of the room.
His mind was in chaos. Everything felt too fast, too good to be real.
Just this morning he was an ordinary high school student who had just finished his exams, but now he was about to become a Knight in ARMOR's Fourth Division in the most unbelievable way he could ever imagine.