Bimo can't sleep all night. Every time he closed his eyes, he looked back at the dark creature of the dark creature and felt the heat of the fire in his hand. Pak Daru's words echoed in his head, a fire god who was born again, a destroyer jinn, a syndicate of darkness. It all sounds like nonsense, but the fire in his hand is real. The paper with Mr. Daru's address lying on his desk, looks striking and threatening.
The next morning, with pied eyes and tense nerves, Bimo decided to leave. Curiosity and urgent needs for answers to defeat their doubts. The address took him to an old shop in the Glodok area, a shop that sells equipment and materials for traditional Chinese rituals. The smell of incense and dry roots fill the air.
A small bell rang when he opened the door. Inside, the shelves are full of bottles filled with liquid and herbs, statues of gods, and old books. Pak Daru was standing behind the counter, checking a ledger with a leather cover.
"I know you will come," said Mr. Daru without turning his head. "Close the door, Bimo."
Bimo obeyed. He felt strange here, as if he had stepped into another world.
"Is this your shop?" Bimo asked, trying to break the silence.
"One of the many hiding places," answered Mr. Daru, finally looked at him. His eyes were sharp and attentive. "We don't have much time. Show me your hands."
Bimo reached out his hand, trembling a little. Pak Daru holds it, checking the palm. The touch is cold.
"Fire ... that didn't appear again," Bimo said.
"That's because you haven't learned to call him. Yesterday, it arose because of pure emotions, survival instincts. That was out of control. You can burn the entire bus if you are not careful."
Bimo took a sharp breath. He didn't think about that.
Mr. Daru let go of his hand. "Follow me."
He guided Bimo through the curtain behind the counter, down the narrow stairs that led to a basement. The room is spacious, the walls are coated with bricks, and decorated with strange symbols painted with red paint. The room was empty except for a pillow in the middle of the floor and some candles that burned in the corner.
"This is your training ground," said Mr. Daru. "Here, you are safe from surveillance. The jinn and humans who work with them can feel a big disturbance to spiritual energy. We must make you strong enough before they find you."
"What should I do?" Bimo asked, feeling overwhelmed.
"First, you must learn to focus your mind. Your strength comes from desires and will, but is channeled through emotions. You must learn to turn it on without being controlled by it. Sit."
Bimo sat on a pillow, cross -legged. Pak Daru sat in front of him.
"Close your eyes," Mr. Daru ordered. "What do you see with your eyes closed?"
"Dark," Bimo answered. "And ... the red line. They are still there, like the light pattern behind my eyelids."
"Good. That's good. That means your perception of them is strong. Now, don't see them. Look for something else. Feel the room around you. Feel the energy in yourself. Find the point of warmth in your chest."
Bimo tried. He tried to ignore the threads of red light that constantly danced in his eyesight. He focuses on his own body. Initially, all he felt was his nervous heartbeat and the cold floor. But then, slowly, he began to feel something else. A warm point, like a small coal, resides right behind the bone of his chest.
"I feel it," he whispered. "Warm."
"That is your fire," said Mr. Daru, his voice was calm and guided. "That is the source of your strength. Now, without opening your eyes, try to move the warmth. Bring it to your right arm. Slowly. Imagine it like a warm liquid that flows through your blood vessels."
Bimo mobilized his concentration. He imagined the warm point was moving. It took a few minutes, and he was sweating because of the effort, but finally he felt his right arm began to feel warm, like exposed to sunlight.
"Good," said Mr. Daru. "Now, to your hands. To your palm."
Bimo imagined the warmth flowing into his wrist, then to his palm. Suddenly, his palm felt very hot, like yesterday.
"Open your eyes," Mr. Daru ordered.
Bimo opened his eyes and looked into his hand. A small flame, the size of a coin, blazing in the middle of his palm. It was orange and gold, blinking unstable, but did not burn it. Euphoria's feelings ambush Bimo.
"I succeeded! I ..."
The concentration of dispersed, and the fire was extinguished.
"Control, Bimo," said Mr. Daru. "Control is everything. Fire is an extension of your will. That is not magic magic. That is part of you. Try again."
They practice for hours. Bimo learned to light the fire, put it out, and move it from one hand to the other. It was tiring mentally. His head throbbed.
"Why can this fire burn jinn but not burn me?" Bimo asked at one time, staring at the small flame that was now stable in his index finger.
"Because this is not a physical fire," explained Mr. Daru. "This is a spiritual fire. It burns the essence, soul, energy. That only affects spiritual creatures and destiny relationships. It will not burn wood or paper. But for jinn and evil spirits, it is the purest hell."
After training, Mr. Daru took him back to the main store. "Now, a more difficult part. Theory."
He took an old sketch book and opened it on the counter. Inside there are pictures of various terrible creatures.
"You have to learn to distinguish," said Mr. Daru, pointing to a picture. "This is a curious spirit. They are ordinary ghosts. Souls are lost. They are trapped in our world because of trauma, regret, or uninterrupted bonds. They are not evil. They suffer. Your fire is not for them. Destroying them is a cruel act."
Then he pointed to another picture. It was a picture of a thin and dark creature that was similar to what Bimo saw on the bus. "This is a destroyer. Pay attention to its unnatural shape, the aura of darkness. They are parasites from other dimensions. They have no emotions or regret. They only have a hunger of negative energy. They turn red backlines, converting destiny into poisons. This is your target. They are cancer that must be burned."
Bimo studied the pictures, trying to remember every detail.
"How to distinguish them in the field?" Bimo asked.
"By feeling their intentions. The curious spirit feels sad, confused, or empty. The destroyer jinn feels ... sharp, cold, and hungry. Like a knife in your mind. And the red line around them will look tangled, stained, or filled with black spots."
Suddenly, the bell on the front door rang. A young woman entered, her face was pale and full of fear.
"Mr. Daru?" he called, his voice trembled.
"Lani," said Mr. Daru, his face immediately turned serious. "What happened?"
"There is ... there is something in my house. Voices, objects falling. My husband ... he became very angry since the last week. He was like a different person. I felt someone followed him." Lani spoke in a hurry, almost unable to breathe.
Pak Daru nodded slowly. He turned to Bimo. "You hear that?"
Bimo nodded, his heart pounded.
"This is not exercise anymore, Bimo. This is real. Get ready."
The trip to Lani's house in a densely populated settlement was carried out in silence. Bimo can feel Lani's fear. She can also see the red line that connects Lani with her husband, but the color is almost black and throbbing unhealthy.
Arriving there, Mr. Daru did not immediately enter. He stood in front of the door, closing his eyes.
"Feel, Bimo," he whispered. "What do you feel?"
Bimo closed his eyes. He felt the hotspots in his chest. He expanded his perception. Inside the house, he felt two existence. One is the fear and panic sure Lani. Others ... cold. Very cold and full of unnatural anger. And there is something else, something darker and older, attached to the second existence like parasites.
"There's something to him," Bimo said, opening his eyes. "Something cold."
"Jin," said Mr. Daru. "He is being influenced. Let's go in."
Lani's husband, Andi, was sitting on the sofa, holding his head. He looked dazed. Once they entered, he jumped.
"Who are they?!" He shouted at Lani, his eyes were red and wild.
"Andi, dear, this is Mr. Daru, he can help ..." Lani tried to explain.
"I don't need help!" Andi snapped. He took a flower vase from the table and lifted it, ready to throw it.
Bimo saw it. He focused his eyesight. Behind Andi, the shadow on the wall began to elongate and change shape. A tall and thin figure emerged from the shadow. That is a destroyer. His mouth was like an open gap, and Bimo could feel his hiss that manipulated Andi's anger.
"Continue," Jin hissed. "Throw. They hurt. I'm thirsty."
"See him?" whispered Mr. Daru to Bimo.
Bimo nodded, his mouth was dry.
"This is your job, Bimo. Control your fire. Burn that jinn. Don't let it hit that man."
"But how? He sticks to him!"
"Focus on the essence. Your spiritual fire will know. But you must be sure."
Andi swung the vase at them. Lani screamed.
Bimo has no time to be afraid. He stepped forward, raising his hand. He focused his mind on the hotspots on his chest, moving the warmth to his hands quickly. He remembered anger towards injustice, given the disgust of the creature.
The fire was burning in the palm of his hand, bigger and brighter than before.
"Sacred fire!" screamed the genie, surprised. Andi staggered, surprised by the fire that suddenly emerged from the hands of a young man.
Bimo does not waste time. He aimed his hand towards the shadow behind Andi. He did not throw a fireball; On the contrary, he projects a bright beam of fire like a laser beam directly towards the genie.
The jinn screamed a shrill voice that was deafening that could only be heard by Bimo and Mr. Daru. The ray of the fire pierced Jin's shoulder, burning it with bright white light. The jinn let go of his grip on Andi and tried to escape into the shadow.
"Don't let him escape!" shouted Mr. Daru.
Bimo moved his hand, keeping the fire locked to the genie. Fire spread, wrapping the creature in a spinning fireball. His screams became more and more before it finally exploded in a burst of white light and foul-smelling black smoke. His last trace was a weak snack before disappearing forever.
The atmosphere in the room immediately changed. The air was previously heavy and cold to be light.
Andi fell into his knee, panting. The flower vase fell from his hand and rolled on the floor without breaking. He looked at his own hand, confused, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.
"Lani?" He said, his voice was weak and confused. "What ... what happened?"
Lani rushed to hug her, cry relieved.
Bimo looked at his hand. The fire was extinguished. He felt a very deep fatigue, like all his energy had been drained. He trembled.
Pak Daru approached and put his hand on his shoulder. "You do well for the first time."
"That's ... it's terrible," Bimo murmured.
"Yes," said Mr. Daru. "But that's necessary. Look at them." He pointed to Andi and Lani who were hugging. The red line that connects them is still vague, but the black color has faded, returning to a softer and more stable red color. "You don't just save them from the genie. You saved their destiny. You fix what has been damaged."
Bimo saw a husband and wife. For the first time, he did not feel like a crazy person or a monster. He felt ... useful. He has done something good with his strange power.
But then, from the window, he saw something. A man stands across the street, wearing a good black suit. The man did not look at the house; He was looking directly at Bimo. He smiled, a thin smile and unfriendly, before turning and disappearing behind the crowd.
Cold infiltrated the Bimo bone. It's not an ordinary smile. That is a recognition smile. A threat.
"Someone sees us," Bimo whispered to Mr. Daru.
Pak Daru followed his gaze, his face was immediately grim. "They have found you faster than I thought. Dark syndicate."
The feeling of relief felt by Bimo immediately disappeared, replaced by deeper fear. The battle inside the house was over, but the war outside had just begun. And now, the enemy knows his face.