Two weeks passed. During those two weeks, Ilyas, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka helped the villagers. In addition, Ilyas also told the villagers about the Evo-Virus.
Ilyas asked Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka to train the villagers in handling the Evo-Virus, while Ilyas personally trained Badang.
Ilyas explained to Badang the mysterious power he had gained.
"Bad, do you know why you suddenly became strong in an instant?"
"No."
"After the Armageddon disaster, many people turned into monsters, while those who didn't transform had the Evo-Virus in their bodies..."
"...There have been several cases where, suddenly, someone becomes stronger, even gaining powers like super speed, flight, or even mind manipulation..."
"...This phenomenon is called a Gift. And those who receive a Gift are called Receivers. After I saw you lift a huge boulder and kill a Giant with a single punch, it's clear that you have the Gift of super strength."
"... After you awakened your Gift, did you feel something at the center of your torso?"
"I did."
"That's the core, also known as the second heart of a Receiver. It's a vital medium that allows you to use the power you've awakened."
"Oh. But how did I get the super strength type of Gift?"
"Honestly, I don't know when or how someone will receive their Gift. But those who do will experience something that causes their Evo-Virus to activate violently..."
"...As for the type of Gift, every Gift a person receives is based on either their trauma or their desire..."
"...For example, if you have a strong desire to fly, then you'll gain the power of flight."
Badang looked at his hands, as if he couldn't believe what he had just experienced.
"Where exactly did this Evo-Virus come from? So many strange things suddenly started appearing after this virus showed up," Badang asked.
"Don't dwell on what has already happened."
Since Badang had already received a Gift, Ilyas intensified his training. If Badang did the same training as Khai and the others, it would have no effect on him.
After finishing their training with the villagers, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka played football with the village kids. When they were done, they rested for a while by the field.
"Bang Khai, Bang Khai!"
"Hey kid, don't call me 'Bang Khai'—it sounds weird."
"Abang Khai, Abang Khai!"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Are you going to stay here with us?"
Khai fell silent. He didn't know whether Ilyas planned to stay here longer or not. Besides, they still had somewhere to go—Sungkai, the destination of Agus, Raden, and Raka.
"We'll see," Khai replied, gently patting the boy's head.
The day was growing dark. The villagers returned to their homes, while those without homes went back to the hall.
A villager named Jinn approached Ilyas.
"Ilyas."
"Yes?"
"Tok Hussein wants to see you at his house."
"Just me?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
After putting Luna to sleep, Ilyas went to Tok Hussein's house, accompanied by Jinn. Upon arrival, Tok Hussein invited Ilyas inside.
Inside, many people were gathered—Badang, Atan, Abu, Samar, and Tok Jenin, the Rock Village deputy chief.
"Tok has called you all here to discuss about Ilyas..."
"...The person who has brought many changes to the village, including informing everyone about the mysterious virus known as the Evo-Virus..."
"… Therefore, as a way of thanking Ilyas for all he has done, I would like to ask you, Ilyas..."
"... Would you like to stay here for a bit longer?"
The question was briefly contested by Samar, but the majority agreed with Tok Hussein's decision, as Ilyas had helped the villagers a lot.
Ilyas briefly thought about staying here longer, but he knew what would happen to the village in two days and didn't want to put Luna in danger.
"Thank you, Tok, for inviting me to stay in this village..."
"...But, as I've said from the beginning, I only wanted to stay here for a few days and then continue my journey to Teluk Intan."
"That's alright. If you don't want to, there's nothing we can do. I just hope you'll come back to visit us sometime," said Tok Hussein.
"Alright, Tok."
After the discussion, Ilyas was allowed to return to his tent. He planned to leave for Teluk Intan the next morning because he didn't want to get involved in the problems that would arise.
All of this was done so that Badang could become the version of himself that Ilyas knew. If anything changed again, Ilyas didn't know what would happen to Badang.
At a place not far from the Rock Villlage, Badrul, along with his team of monsters, arrived at the wall surrounding the village.
"It's time for you all to have a feast."
On a quiet night, as the entire village slept, a terrifying rumble echoed from the distance.
In the pitch-black darkness of the night, a group of monsters appeared, attacking without warning, causing panic and chaos among the villagers who were still awake, running in fear and scrambling to find places to hide.
Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka, who were sleeping, woke up upon hearing the commotion outside.
"What's happening?"
The monsters were already outside the hall where they were staying.
"Why are there monsters here?" asked Khai, bewildered by the events that had just occurred.
"Where's Ilyas? Didn't he go to meet Tok Hussein earlier?" Raden asked.
Ilyas, who was on his way back to the tent, saw a horde of Demigons attacking.
"Looks like the attack came two days earlier than expected."
The Demigons, seeing Ilyas alone, began to attack him.
Several homes had already been breached by the monsters. A woman was fleeing from the monsters, but she tripped and fell, injuring her leg.
The Demigon approached the woman and prepared to kill her. Before the Demigon could strike, Badang arrived and killed the Demigon.
"Abu, Atan. Take her to the hall!"
"Alright!"
"Jinn, help me assist the other villagers."
"Okay."
Badang and Jinn moved to help the villagers, while Abu and Atan escorted the villagers to the hall.
Inside the hall, the situation was becoming more chaotic. Khai and Raka could only hold the entrance, preventing the monsters from getting in.
"Ugh, damn it. Ilyas, hurry up and come!" said Agus.
Suddenly, a loud scream from a Demigon was heard. The monsters that had been charging at the entrance stopped.
"Heh... speak of the devil."
Outside, Ilyas killed all the monsters surrounding the hall. The people who were hiding inside the hall watched in awe.
After finishing off all the monsters, Ilyas entered the hall to check on Luna. Ilyas felt relieved to see that Luna was still peacefully asleep.
"Ilyas, why did you take so long meeting with Tok Hussein?" Khai asked.
"There was a Demigons blocking my way."
But the problem didn't end there. Three Giants arrived, along with several Demigons and Crawlers. Seeing this, Ilyas stepped out of the hall to fight the monsters.
However, before that...
"Khai, Agus, Raden, Raka..."
"...You all can remove those bracelets now."
Hearing that, the four of them felt relieved as they could finally remove the bracelets that had been torturing them.
Once removed, they felt their bodies become lighter. A Giant launched an attack.
"Alright, I choose you to be my first victim!"
Khai stepped forward and struck the Giant with a powerful blow, killing it in a single attack.
Agus, Raden, and Raka joined the battle against the monsters that began to pour in.
Inside the sturdy, dark hall, the villagers hid, their faces pale, their eyes wide and fixated.
From inside, they watched the fierce battle outside, where Ilyas, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka fought bravely, struggling against the horde of monsters that continued to charge.
Each time the roar of the monsters echoed, the villagers jumped, gripping the walls of the hall tightly, afraid that they too would be attacked.
Their hearts pounded, praying that Ilyas and the others would defeat the darkness that approached, while they could only watch helplessly.
After several minutes, Ilyas, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka managed to kill all the monsters that had attacked.
The villagers cheered with joy and sighed in relief after seeing the outcome.
Abu and Atan, along with the saved villagers, arrived. They were shocked to see Ilyas and his friends standing amidst the pile of monster corpses they had just slain.
"What happened here?" Atan asked.
"Nothing, we were just dealing with some unwanted guests," said Agus.
"Where's Badang?" Ilyas asked.
"He went to find the remaining survivors," answered Abu.
"Khai, what time is it now?" Ilyas asked.
"Uh... it's 2:30 AM."
"We don't have much time left."
"Khai, don't let anyone leave the hall at 3 AM. Agus, Raka, close all the windows and entrances to the hall. If you hear any sounds, Ignores it..."
"...Raden, watch over Luna. Don't let her wake up."
"Where are you going?" Khai asked,
"Looking for Badang."
Ilyas went to search for Badang, while Khai quickly informed the villagers to go into the hall immediately.
Abu and Atan wanted to search for any survivors, but Khai stopped them.
"Why are you stopping us?" asked Atan.
"If Ilyas has said that, you just have to follow. Don't argue."
With no choice, Abu and Atan took shelter in the hall.
Meanwhile, in another place, Samar was in an abandoned house. It was Nisa's old home.
He looked at and gently touched Nisa's photo for the last time. Samar loaded bullets into his firearm and set out to search for Badrul's whereabouts.
"I will kill you, Badrul!"