The days at the Cengkareng hiding house feels long and isolated. Bimo spent his time practicing. He practiced calling the fire, extinguished it, and formed it into a controlled burst. He practiced reading the energy map made by Mr. Daru, tracking small spiritual disorders throughout Jakarta without having to leave home. Fear of syndicates and Kesha still exists, but now it has turned into fuel for his discipline.
One afternoon, when Bimo practiced focusing the fire into sharp rays and emitting heat to a scrap metal (which did not melt but became very hot), Mr. Daru approached him with a serious face.
"You have developed rapidly," said Mr. Daru. "But the fire is not enough. You need knowledge. You need a strategy. And for that, you need to meet other people."
"Other people like us?" Bimo asked, deflating the fire in his hand.
"As I said, we are small, but we are there. There is a woman. His name is Riani. She is a Seer, a fortune teller. She has no offensive powers like us, but her ability to read red lines and feel the disorders in the future is very sharp. He can help us predict the syndicate movement."
"Where is he?"
"In Pasar Senen. He operates as a potion and talisman trader. That is a good camouflage. I have sent a message that we will come."
They left the hiding house when dusk began to arrive, using public transportation that is different from a complicated route to avoid tracking. Senen Market is crowded with afternoon activity, full of traders and buyers. The smell of spices, meat, and garlic filled the air.
Pak Daru led Bimo through a narrow hallway, stopped in front of a small kiosk filled with herbal bonds, dry roots, and various hanged amuits. A middle-aged woman with a head covering shelter sitting behind a kiosk, her sharp eyes were watching people who passed by.
"Riani," said Mr. Daru.
The woman raised her head. A small smile appeared on his lips. "Daru. It's been a long time." His eyes turned to Bimo, checking him from head to toe. "And this is definitely him. The child is fire. I already feel your energy wave."
"Bimo, this is Riani," said Mr. Daru.
"Your strength feels ... hot," Riani said, holding out his hand. Bimo served him. The touch of his hands is cold and wrinkled, but there is a strange warmth behind it.
"Can you feel it?" Bimo asked.
"Everything is connected through thread, son," Riani answered, giving up her position. "Your energy is like a bright knot in a very large net. It is very easy to find, unfortunately, by both sides."
"We need your help, Riani," said Mr. Daru, directly to the point. "The syndicate is active. They met with Kesha."
Riani frowned. "Kesha. That's a bad name. His red line is almost entirely black. He has sold almost all of his souls." He took a brass bowl filled with water and a few dried leaves. "Let's see what we can see."
He sprinkled the leaves into the water and around the bowl with his hands, his eyes closed. Bimo could see the red line around Riani shaking and glowing, cushing towards the water bowl. The surface of the water that was initially calm began to ripping, forming vortex patterns.
"I'm looking for a knot," Riani murmured. "I'm looking for the plan ..."
Bimo and Mr. Daru were silent, waiting. Bimo felt strange energy in the air, like static electricity before the storm.
Suddenly, Riani stomped her body. His eyes wide open, filled with fear.
"He knows! He knows you guys will come to me!"
"How?" hissed Mr. Daru.
"A traitor ... among us ..." Riani's breath was panting. "Someone leaked ... he sent ... he sent a cleanser!"
The term hangs in the air like poison. Even Mr. Daru looks pale.
"What is a cleanser?" Bimo asked.
"It's nothing, but who," Mr. Daru answered quickly, pulling Bimo's arm. "They are human syndicate assassins. They are equipped with talismans and weapons protected by jinn to fight people like us. We must go. Now!"
But it's too late.
The lights in the market hall began to blink and then extinguished, one by one, trapping them in an increasingly long shadow. The boisterous voice of the market slowly disappeared, replaced by an unnatural silence. A form appears at the end of the hallway. A big man, wearing a black raincoat even though it doesn't rain. In his hand, he held something similar to the club, but the edges were filled with rusty iron nails that radiated an unnatural green aura. The red line around him was tangled and broken, contaminated by dozens of black spots.
"Cleanser," murmured Mr. Daru, pushed Bimo back. "The talisman in his baton is designed to hurt spiritual essence. It can turn off your fire, Bimo. Be careful."
The raincoat man began to walk closer, his steps were heavy and certain.
"Riani, Run!" Pak Daru ordered.
Riani nodded in fear and turned to escape through the back door of her kiosk.
Men raincoat lifted the other arms. A weapon like a small crossbow pistol visible. He fired a pistol that glowed with purple light towards Riani. The gun hit Riani's back. He did not scream in pain, but screaming in fear and loss, like something vital has been revoked from him before he fell and did not move.
"Riani!" Bimo shouted.
"He doesn't die!" shouted Mr. Daru. "The gun only paralyzed his spiritual perception! He faint! Focus!"
The raincoat man is now only ten meters away. He swung his clubs, and Bimo could hear the strange hiss that came out of him, like the sound of millions of insects.
"Bimo, fire! Now!" Pak Daru ordered, taking a stick from Riani's kiosk and prepared to block.
Bimo raised his hand. He focused his anger, fear, and worry for Riani. The fire was burning in his hand, bright and hot.
He threw the fireball at the man.
The raincoat is not trying to avoid. He swung his club. When the fire ball approached, the battle sucks the fire like a sponge. Rusty rusty pikes for a moment before returning to the dark green color. The man wasn't even staggered.
"His talisman absorbs spiritual energy!" shouted Mr. Daru. "You can't attack him directly!"
"Then what should I do?" Bimo shouted, panicked.
"Target jinn! Every cleanser is accompanied by a protective genie who gives strength to his weapon! You have to see it!"
Bimo forced himself to calm down. He focused his eyesight, ignoring the man's physical form. And he saw it. A creature like a short and fat monkey, attached to the man's back like an evil baby. His mouth was full of pointed teeth, and his eyes radiated the same green light as the battle. That jinn gives strength to the weapon.
The man approached and swung his club at Pak Daru. Pak Daru dispelled with his stick. Once the battle and sticks touch, there is a spark of green and blue energy. Pak Daru was thrown back, falling between a pile of sacks.
"Mr. Daru!" Bimo shouted.
The raincoat man now turned towards Bimo. He raised his crossbow pistol again.
Bimo doesn't have time to think. He dived to the side, avoiding the purple bolt that darted right next to his head and stuck on a pole, hissing.
Bimo rolled and returned to standing position. The man was very close. Bimo can smell sweat and scrap metal from him. He swung his clubs towards Bimo's head.
Bimo instincts take over. He did not try to create a big fire. Instead, he focused all his desires to survive into a very small and intense hot spot at the tip of his finger. When the battle plunged, Bimo dodged and stabbed his fiery finger not towards his male, but towards the small jinn on his back.
He did not stab his physique, but stabbed the essence of the genie.
There was a shrill scream that was deafening. The little genie screamed, burning from the inside by the spiritual fire of Bimo which was concentrated. The green light in the eyes and the batons went out instantly. The iron battle is now only a usual rusty iron.
The raincoat was stopped, confused. The expression of stupid confusion adorned his face. He could no longer see Jin or feel his strength. He was just a big thug with a strange weapon.
"Hey! What are you doing?" he shouted, his voice was rude and confused, now fully human.
Bimo did not give him time to react. With anger overflowing, Bimo pointed his palm at the man's chest and released a full fire. Without Jin's protection, spiritual fire did not burn his skin, but lunged directly to his soul.
The man screamed pure human screams full of pain and fear. He fell to the floor, floundering like a ground fish before finally fainting, his body trembled violently.
Bimo panting, standing on the body of an unconscious man. His hands still emit smoke. He rushed over to Pak Daru, who had risen and looked in pain but was fine.
"You succeeded," said Mr. Daru, impressed. "You find the weaknesses."
"They ... they can be paralyzed," Bimo said, still in shock.
"Yes. Humans are often just tools. The jinn is the target."
Suddenly, they heard the police siren approaching. The battle must attract attention.
"We have to go," said Mr. Daru, pulling Bimo. "Help me with Riani."
They lifted Riani who was still fainting and took her out through the back door, leaving the unconscious chaos and cleaners behind. They took him to a small pharmacy not far from there, which was managed by an old man who knew Mr. Daru. The old man, whom they called Doc, nodded seriously when he saw Riani.
"Pistol pressure," murmured Doc, checking Bolt who was still stuck in Riani's jacket. "He will be fine. It took a few hours to realize. He would be dizzy and could not 'see' for a few days, but he would recover."
While Doc took care of Riani, Bimo and Pak Daru sitting in the back room.
"Traitors," Bimo finally said. "He said there was a traitor."
Pak Daru nodded, his face was gloomy. "That is always my biggest fear. Syndicate has a way to find people who are weak and bribe them. Someone in our network gives information to Kesha about our meeting today."
"So we can't trust anyone?"
"We must be more careful. We must change the way we communicate. Meet directly, like before." Pak Daru put his hand on Bimo's shoulder. "But what are you doing today, Bimo ... it's amazing. You are not just fighting, you adapt. You learn. That is the most important quality."
Bimo looked at his hand. He was almost defeated by a human with the right weapon. It is a valuable lesson.
"We must find the traitor," Bimo said.
"We will," promised Mr. Daru. "But first, we must make sure Riani is safe. Then, we will contact the others. One by one. With great care."
The meeting should be a step to build an alliance. Conversely, it actually becomes a strong warning. Their war is not only against invisible creatures. It was a war on fear, greed, and betrayal in the human world. And their enemy knows exactly where to attack.