He reached home.
The front door swung open into a silent house. Kael's heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat of dread.
Is he alive? Did changing the future actually work? Or did I just imagine it all?
His eyes scanned the living room, searching for any sign of his father. Nothing.
"Dad?" His own voice sounded strained, desperate.
"Seriously, Abang?"
The familiar, dry tone of his younger sister cut through the tension. Kael's head snapped toward the sofa. Maya was lounging there, remote in hand, an unimpressed look on her face. "A 'hi' would be nice before you start yelling for Dad."
Maya. Right. He had forgotten about her.
His focus narrowed again, a predator locking onto its target. "Where is he?" Kael demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Is he here?"
"In his study, obviously," she said, rolling her eyes as if it were the dumbest question in the world.
"I need to talk to him."
He was already moving, taking the stairs to the second floor two at a time, leaving his sister staring at his back. Maya just shrugged. It was just her weird older brother being weird again.
He reached the heavy wooden door of his father's office and paused. His hand hovered over the knob.
What if he remembers? What if time didn't reset cleanly? What if he saw the monsters, the void, his own death?
He had to know. He pushed the door open.
Sutan looked up, his expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. His glasses were perched low on his nose, and the desk before him was a mountain of documents and artifacts. The room itself was less an office and more a private museum; hundreds of books lined the walls, and strange, ancient relics sat on every available surface.
"What a pleasant surprise, son," Sutan said, taking off his glasses. His voice was calm. Normal.
So far, so good. Act naturally.
"Dad," Kael started, his own voice sounding foreign to him. "Did you see my reply?"
Sutan picked up his phone, his thumb swiping across the screen. "I see it now," he replied, his eyes meeting Kael's. "An exam, you say? Alright, we can postpone the trip. Next week, then. I understand."
Kael held his breath. This was the critical moment. He had to probe, just to be sure. "Do you… remember anything strange happening today? A little while ago?"
"Yeah," Sutan replied with a casual nod.
A shard of ice shot through Kael's veins.
Crap. He knows.
"I was just enjoying this excellent coffee and sorting through these land deeds from Padang," his father continued, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Something wrong? You seem on edge."
The tension in Kael's body evaporated in a single, silent rush. The weight that had been crushing his shoulders since he'd woken up in the warung simply vanished.
He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember anything.
"Nothing, Dad," Kael said, his voice finally steady. "It's nothing. I'm just gonna go to my room."
"Alright, son."
As Kael turned to leave, another voice stopped him.
"What brings you home so early, honey?" His mother, Dr. Emi Tanaka, stood in the doorway, holding a fresh cup of coffee for his father. "Are you skipping class?"
"No, Mom. Class finished early," he lied, the words coming easier this time.
"Alright, dear. Change your clothes and come down for dinner soon."
"Okay, Mom."
He walked past her, his mind already racing. The timeline was secure. His family was safe.
But as he closed his bedroom door behind him, he didn't hear the quiet conversation that followed.
"Don't get me wrong, my dear," Sutan said to his wife, his gaze thoughtful. "But our son… he was acting very strangely just now."
Emi smiled gently. "Let him be, love. You were just like that at his age.