The view from the Bimo apartment window on the ninth floor usually shows an endless sea of Jakarta city lights. Tonight, the lights feel like a spy watching him. Every shadow between buildings seemed to hide threats. The smiling man made an impression on his mind, a clear picture of the dangers he now faced.
He turned back the incident at Lani's house. Feelings of fire that darted from his hands, jinn screams that deafen, and relief on Andi's face. Then, the man's cold smile. The two opposing reality fought in his head.
The next morning, Bimo returned to Pak Daru's shop. This time, he did not hesitate. The need to understand and defend yourself encourages it.
The shop still smells of incense and mystery. Pak Daru is waiting, his face is more wrinkled than usual, as if he also did not sleep all night.
"We must discuss the syndicate," Bimo said directly, without further ado.
Pak Daru nodded slowly. "I know. Sit." He handed a cup of warm tea to Bimo. "They are secret organizations. Very old. Its members are humans who have sold their souls to high -level destroyers for strength, long life, and worldly wealth."
"Why? What did they get?"
"They get protection. They get the strength to manipulate others, to control the flow of money and power. The jinns need physical intermediaries in the human world to do their dirty work, and the syndicate members are happy to do it. In return, they are given everything, except for peace."
Bimo took a sip of his tea, digesting the information. "So the man in suits ... he is one of them?"
"Most likely. He is a surveillance. Syndicate eyes and ears. Now they know your face, and they know you are still young and not trained. It makes you very dangerous ... for them and for yourself."
"What will they do?"
"They will try to think first. They will offer the temptation of strength, recognition, everything you have not had. If you refuse, what I really expect," said Mr. Daru with a sharp gaze, "they will try to destroy you. They will send a stronger jinn. Or worse, the human killer."
Bimo felt his throat dry. This is much bigger than he imagined.
"We can't just wait," Bimo said, his voice was bolder than he felt. "We must find them first."
Pak Daru smiled faintly, a rare proud expression. "The mind of a warrior. You are right. And for that, you must learn to use your other abilities, red lines."
Pak Daru brought Bimo back to the basement. This time, he rolled up a large paper full of complicated diagrams on the floor. That is a map of Jakarta, but not an ordinary map. It was filled with strange stripes and thinning symbols.
"This is a map of city energy," explained Mr. Daru. "Every time you or jinn use spiritual power, it leaves a trail on the fate network, on a red line. The trail is like a stain on a cloth. We can track it."
"How to?"
"By touching a location on this map and focusing your mind, you can 'feel' the latest disturbance on the network. You can feel where the last jinn appears, or where the syndicate members use their strength. This is like being a hunter that follows in the trail of blood."
"Let's try to trace the man in a suit," Bimo suggested.
"First, you have to find the 'taste'. Touch the place on the map where you see it last time. Close your eyes. Feel the energy. Remember his face, smile. Connect the memory with a red line at that location."
Bimo obeyed. He emphasized his finger at the point on the map representing the road in front of Lani's house. He closed his eyes, emptying his mind from everything except the picture of the man in a suit. He remembered the details of his black and neat coat, his thin and cynical smile, the way of standing confident.
Initially, all he felt was the cold floor. Then, slowly, he began to feel something else. A sensation spread from the tip of his finger, rising through his arm. It is a feeling ... cold and slippery oil. A deep disgust. That is the taste of the man.
He opened his eyes. "I feel it. Cold and slippery."
"That's it," confirmed Mr. Daru. "That is the taste of someone whose soul has been tarnished by the jinn. Now, with that feeling in your mind, try to follow the footsteps. Move your fingers slowly on the map. Feel where the feeling is strengthening."
Bimo did it. He moved his fingers randomly on the map, concentrated fully. Most areas feel neutral, like touching glass. But suddenly, when his fingers passed through the Menteng area, he felt a cold electric jerk. The taste of oil and cold return, stronger.
"Here!" Exclaimed Bimo, his finger pointed to an area. "He is here, or at least just here."
Pak Daru saw the location, his face was grim. "Menteng. The center of power and money. That makes sense. Syndicate will hide in the most unexpected places." He saw Bimo. "Now, we go."
"Now? Go straight there?"
"That trail will not last forever. We must move quickly."
They took Pak Daru's old car to Menteng. Along the way, Bimo continued to feel the cold point in his mind, like Kompas who guided him.
"What are we looking for?" Bimo asked.
"A base. A place where many red lines are connected and stained. It will feel like a spider's nest full of poison."
They went around around the area that Bimo pointed out. Bimo closed his eyes occasionally, trying to feel the energy around him. The ordinary world faded, replaced by a sparkling common thread network. Most look healthy, shining calmly. But then, he felt it. A node of chaos.
"From there," Bimo said, pointing to a magnificent old building, surrounded by high walls. The building looks like an embassy or exclusive club. There are no placards or signs that indicate its function. "The red line around that place ... they are tangled. And there is a black color around it."
Pak Daru parked the car across the street, hiding behind another car. "That's the place. I can feel the darkness from here. It's like a tower full of flies."
"What are we doing now? Enter?"
"No! It committed suicide. A place like that will be tightly guarded, both by humans and by jinn. We only observe today. We gather information."
They sat in the car for hours, alternately on guard. Bimo uses his eyesight to scan the area. He saw some men dressed in thugs around, his eyes were alert. They are not just ordinary security guards. There is malignancy in their eyes. And more scary, Bimo saw high and thin shadows that occasionally crossed behind the window of the second floor, moving unnaturally.
"There are many jinns inside," Bimo whispered, feeling nauseous.
"I thought," murmured Mr. Daru. "This is their Regional Command Post."
Suddenly, a luxury black car approached the main gate. The gate was open, and a man came down. Bimo immediately recognized him.
"There he is!" hissed Bimo. "The man in suits from yesterday!"
The man spoke briefly with a guard before walking into the building.
"We must follow him," Bimo said.
"No. It's too risky. We know the location now. That's what's important."
But Bimo has opened the car door. "I just want to look closer. I'll be careful."
"Bimo, wait ..!"
But Bimo has jumped out. He crossed the road quickly, using trees and cars parked as a barrier. He approached the tall walls around the property. He found a small wooden door that might be used by gardeners. It was locked, but through the gaps, he could look inside.
He saw a wide and well -maintained yard. The man in a suit was talking to a blond woman wearing a black dress. The woman looked elegant and dangerous. The red line that connects the two of them thick and jet black, like a dirty mine.
Bimo focused his hearing, trying to catch their conversation. Their words were muffled, but he could catch a few pieces of sentences.
"... the appearance again in Glodok ..." said the man in a suit.
"... The god of fire is still green ..." the woman answered, her voice was like ice. "... don't kill. Catch. He can be useful ..."
Bimo felt his blood froze. They talked about it.
Suddenly, the woman turned around. His eyes, pale blue, stared directly at the door where Bimo was hiding. As if he could feel his presence.
"Someone is peeking," said the woman, without changes in expression.
The man nodded and gave a signal to the two thugs standing near him. Both of them immediately rushed to the door.
Bimo turned and ran. He heard the wooden door slammed open behind him and the footsteps chased after him.
"Bimo! Run!" Pak Daru shouted from across the road, the car was on.
Bimo ran as hard as he could cross the road, almost hit by a motorcycle. He opened the car door and jumped in before the car really stopped. Pak Daru immediately stuck the gas, his car darted away.
The two thugs stopped on the side of the road, seeing the car that left. One of them picked up the phone.
In the car, Bimo was panting.
"They ... they know about us. They want to catch me."
"I heard," said Mr. Daru in a flat voice. His face was pale. "That is Kesha. He is one of the high-level operators of the syndicate for the Jakarta area. He is very dangerous, Bimo. He is not just an ordinary person. He has been integrated with a high-level jinn. His strength exceeds the paid thugs."
"What should we do?"
"We have to disappear. They know my car. They know my shop. Those places are not safe anymore."
"Where are we going?"
Pak Daru paused for a moment, concentrating on the streets. "We have another hiding place. It's safer. But first, we must make sure we are not followed."
He turned the car toward the small road, then to a smaller road, touring in a narrow alley. Bimo continued to look back, hoping to see the black car chasing them, but it seems they managed to escape.
After being sure they were not followed, Mr. Daru headed for an old housing complex in the Cengkareng area. He parked the car in the garage of a plot that looks normal and empty.
"This house is safe," said Mr. Daru after they entered. The house is simple and dusty, but complete with food supplies and generators. "They won't find us here for a while."
Bimo sat in a wooden chair, his body was still trembling because of adrenaline. "I almost made us killed."
"You are careless," said Mr. Daru, but his tone was not angry, more tired. "But you are also brave. Now we know more. We know their headquarters. We know one of the leaders. And we know their plans for you."
"They want to catch me. For what?"
"To study. To be brainwashed. Or to be a sacrifice for their stronger jinn. You are a very large source of energy, Bimo. For them, you are treasure."
Bimo looked at his hand. The power that he just started to learn to be proud of now feels like a deadly burden.
"This is too big, Mr. Daru. I'm just one person."
Mr. Daru sat in front of him. "You are not alone. I'm here. And there are others."
"The others? There are other people like us?"
"It's not like you. There is nothing like a fire god that was born again. But there are people who can see. People who refuse the syndicate. People who want to fight. We are small, and we are scattered, but we exist. That is why we must survive. You are our biggest hope, Bimo. Your fire can burn off their crime."
Bimo nodded slowly. The fear is still there, but now mixed with determination. He had seen the enemy's face. He had heard their plans for him. That is no longer abstract.
He stood up and raised his hand. He focused his mind, calling the hotspots on his chest. The fire was burning in the palm of his hand, this time bigger, brighter, and more stable than before. The light illuminates a bleak room, chasing out the shadows.
"Fine," Bimo said, his voice was great. "If they want to fight, we will give them a war."
The fire in his hand was blazing, reflecting the fire of anger and determination that was now burning inside him. The pursuit has turned around. The hunter is now being hunted. And Bimo did not intend to become prey.