"Hey! I'm here to help!" shouted an 8-year-old boy standing tall, without a trace of fear on his face.
"Haha?! A kid?! What are you doing here?!" asked a man in a black cloak with a mask covering his face.
"As I said, can't you hear? I'm here to help. I'm going to save those people over there." Behind the masked man were five children whose bodies were tied up.
"I'm going to save them all and rescue my little brother over there!" the boy said, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Come to save them?! Hahaha, you're so funny, kid. I wonder how you got into this room?" asked the masked man.
"Huh?! How did I get in? Of course, I came in through the front door. Are there any other doors in this room?"
"The front door? I clearly locked that door!" The man looked incredulous.
"Huh, so what if it's locked? I can just open it again or smash it down!" replied the boy casually.
"Hah?! You opened that door by yourself?"
*This is absurd*, thought the masked man. *That door is made of thick iron. How could a kid like him open or smash it down, unless he has the power to do so...?*
"Oh, of course not!" the boy answered. "I came with my friends!"
"Friends?! Hah?!" At that moment, the masked man felt someone behind him.
"You were slow to notice, huh?! Now, Liu!!!"
"I know, Aliff!" A boy named Liu, who appeared from behind the masked man, swung his right hand, engulfed in flames, towards the man's stomach.
"Ahh!!!" The masked man felt the heat in his stomach and was thrown back, landing on the floor.
"Damn brats!!!" cursed the masked man as he struggled to stand. "So you're kids with powers?"
"Hey, Liu! Look at him! He looks really angry now, hahaha!" Aliff walked over to Liu and stood beside him.
"I think he's angry because of you!"
"Eh?! Why me? You were the one who attacked him from behind?!"
"That was your plan! You told me to attack him from behind?!"
"Hah?! You're right too, hehe!" Aliff laughed.
"What are you two talking about, huh?! I'll kill you, kids!!!" threatened the masked man angrily.
"Huhuhu, come and kill me now!" Aliff replied with a mocking smile.
"DIE!!!" The man pulled out a weapon from his cloak. But just as he was about to shoot at Aliff and Liu, his body suddenly became trapped in hard stone. Half of his body was encased in rock, causing the weapon in his hand to fall to the floor.
"Hey, Aliff, Liu, stop playing around!!!"
"Ooh, why did you both come?"
In front of Aliff and Liu appeared three people walking. They were Naim, Bima, and Ravi, all of them were Aliff's friends.
"If we hadn't come, we wouldn't know what would happen to you!" Naim replied.
"Hey, hey, do you think I'm that weak? No one can do anything to a weakling like him!" Aliff said, pointing at the masked man encased in stone.
"Hah?! I forgot about that!" Aliff hurried to the tied-up children. They were kidnapping victims being extorted for money from their parents.
"Hahaha, sorry I forgot about you guys." Aliff untied the ropes around their bodies and the cloth that gagged their mouths.
"Ahh... Finally I can breathe properly. Why didn't you open it earlier, huh?!" complained Aina, one of Aliff's kidnapped friends. She was a beautiful girl, even though she was still young.
"Hahaha, I already said sorry, my cute little sister!" Aliff replied, tugging at her cheeks.
"Hmm, stop pulling my cheeks, and I'm not your little sister!!!"
Suddenly Aliff turned to look behind. "Huh?! Is someone coming?!" With his sharp hearing, he detected the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Ooh?! Little kids?! Boss, how did you become like that?!" Four people in cloaks and masks, like their boss, appeared in the room.
"Alright, boss!!!" The four henchmen immediately pulled out weapons from their cloaks, ready to shoot at the kids present.
The weapons they pulled out were explosive types; when they shot and the bullets hit any part of the body, the bullets would explode like a bomb.
"Goodbye, you unfortunate kids!!!" But just as they were about to pull the trigger, their bodies suddenly froze in place. Their hands couldn't move, as if they had turned to stone.
"Hehehehe, unfortunately, the unfortunate ones are all of you," said Aliff.
"What are you doing?! Hurry and shoot them all!!!" shouted their boss angrily.
"Boss!!! Our bodies and hands can't move?!"
"What?!" The boss looked incredulous upon hearing his henchmen's words.
"Haha! Alright, let's stop playing around!!!" With a swift movement, Aliff dashed in front of Naim.
"Naim?!" Aliff looked at Naim's face, and just by looking at Aliff, he understood what he wanted.
"Alright, I understand. Come forth, lightning sword!" A lightning sword appeared in Naim's right hand, which he immediately handed to Aliff.
"Alright, thank you!" Aliff disappeared from in front of Naim and reappeared in front of one of the masked men.
"What is this?! Why did this kid suddenly appear in front of me?!"
Without hesitation, Aliff swung the sword towards the man standing before him. The man was sent flying into the air before falling unconscious.
*What is up with this kid?! Why is he so fast?!* The boss was shocked to see Aliff's speed.
One by one, Aliff attacked all the masked men. Their fate was the same as the first man who was struck down.
"Alright, now it's just you left!" Aliff approached the boss.
"You... What do you want to do with me?!" Fear was clearly reflected in his voice.
"Why ask?! Of course, I want to make you like your henchmen!" Aliff replied.
The four henchmen who couldn't move were actually bound by invisible lightning. Only certain people could see it, and Aliff was one of them. The binding lightning was Naim's special power; he used his power when they were about to shoot.
"You... who are you really?!" the man asked hesitantly.
"Who am I?! "Hheeaa! "Remember this name well, my name is Aliff, and I will be someone who becomes a hero in this world one day!!!"
"Hahaha! A hero?! You want to be a hero?!... Hahaha! That's so funny, kid! Heroes in this world are all garbage. When you grow up, you'll understand what I mean, and one day you'll see the true side of heroes! And you will surely hate them!"
"Hmmhhm," Aliff looked at him with a flat gaze, "I don't know what's funny, but I've decided to be a hero, and that is my decision!" With that, Aliff swung his sword towards the man's face with great force, sending him flying far away and leaving him unconscious.
And the lightning sword also disappeared from Aliff's hand.