Chapter 8: Heart Darkness
The crystal dumped with an unnatural rhythm, such as a giant heart. Each pulse emits a negative energy wave that is seen by Bimo as a jet black fog that spreads throughout the room, seeping through the walls and ceiling to feed the entire club above. Dozens of small jinn, creatures such as transparent bats with red eyes, sticking to the fog, inhaling it greedily.
Bimo knows he doesn't have time. The guard above will definitely realize the door is not locked or something is wrong with the safety system.
He stepped in, closing the steel door behind him as much as possible. The sound of the rumbling music from the club above to be reduced, replaced by low hum and hissing from crystals and jinn.
He raised his hand, focusing his purification fire. He must end this quickly.
Suddenly, the little jinn stopped inhaling. They rolled their heads simultaneously, their red eyes fixed on him. They hissed, showing sharp small teeth. They are not individual threats individually, but as groups, they can distract them long enough to call help.
Before Bimo could release the fire bursts, a cold and familiar sound echoed in the small room, originating from the crystal itself.
"I thought I felt a moth that got lost into my heart."
The crystal glowed brighter, and a holographic projection from Kesha appeared in front of him. That is not his physical body, just a picture. He smiled, but his eyes were full of cold anger.
"Bimo. The child is fire. I dare to enter the lion's nest."
Bimo did not answer. He immediately threw a burst of white fire at the crystal.
Kesha's picture disappeared for a moment as the fire enveloped the crystal. Little jinns screamed in fear and flying scattered. However, when the fire subsided, the crystal remained intact. It even looked more shiny, as if it had absorbed some of its energy.
Kesha's laughter echoed indoors, now harder and echoed.
"Naive! You think source can be destroyed so easily by raw power? That is the core of the oldest agreement. It is fed by the greed and despair of every human being at the club above. To destroy it, you must decide on each relationship first. A impossible job for a child like you."
Bimo frowned, frustrated. He tried again, with greater strength. The result is the same. The crystal absorbs its energy, keeps it.
"You're trapped, wash," whispered Kesha's voice, now as if he was right next to his ear. "Every pure energy that you release will only make me stronger. And while you play here, my guest is having fun."
The picture reappeared, this time showing the scene from the club above. Bimo saw the visitors dancing. But now, he can see more clearly. Their emotional energy - the pain, passion, even sadness - absorbed by the floor, flowed down like a river that was not visible directly into the crystal. The visitors seemed more lethargic, their eyes were empty, but they continued to dance, influenced by crystal charm.
And then, Bimo saw something that made his blood frozen. Among the crowd, Pak Daru stood. He disguised with a hat and glasses, but Bimo recognized him. He is talking to someone. Anton. The taxi driver was also there, looking awkward and not wearing a uniform.
* What are they doing here?* Think Bimo, panicked. *The plan is that I go to myself!*
"Ah, look," hissed Kesha triumphantly. "A larger net ensnares more flies. I know the bait about Leo will make you bolder. I'm just waiting to see the extent of you will go."
Bimo realized the terrible truth. They did not trap Kesha. Kesha who trapped them. He knew they would come for the source. He let Bimo come in.
"Mr. Daru! Anton! This is a trap! Get out of there!" Bimo shouted, even though he knew they couldn't hear it.
At the club above, Mr. Daru suddenly raised his head, as if he felt something. He looked at Anton and nodded sharply at the exit. They began to rush through the crowd.
But it's too late.
The club's lights suddenly went out, causing screams in panic. Then, the red emergency lights light, illuminating the place with scary light. The doors come out mainly automatically locked with a loud 'click' sound.
Kesha, in her physical form, stood on the DJ stage. He holds the microphone.
"Good night, honorable guests," he said, his voice was strengthened and charming. "Sorry for this disorder. We have a little ... pest problems. But don't worry. The problem will be eradicated soon."
He raised his hand, and from the shadow around the club, the cleansers appeared. This time, there are six people. They wore the same black raincoat and carried the same weapon protected by jinn. They moved towards the center of the room, where Mr. Daru and Anton are now standing facing.
Bimo felt helpless. He was trapped in the basement, could not destroy the crystal, and could not help his friends.
"Look, the wash," whispered the voice of Kesha from the crystal. "This is the end of your annoying rebellion."
Bimo hit the wall in frustration. He must do something. He could not let Mr. Daru and Anton killed.
He looked around the room. Little jinns are still scared, crowded in the ceiling. The crystal continues to blush.
Then, a crazy idea appeared in his mind. If he can't destroy the crystal, maybe he can plow him.
He remembers Agni's words: "Your strength is to restore balance." And also: "They take. You give."
He approached the crystal, ignoring Kesha's ridicule. He placed his hands on the cold crystal surface. Instead of trying to burn it, he did the opposite. He is interesting.
He pulled the negative energy that came out of the crystal.
It is like sucking up poison directly from the source. The sensation is disgusting. Cold and slippery energy flows into his arm, spread throughout his body. It tried to fill his mind with despair and greed. He bit his lips to bleed, holding fast to the essence of himself, in the purification fire on his chest.
He did not absorb the energy for himself. It will poison him. Instead, he acts as a conductor. He pulled the dirty energy, filtering it through himself, and changed it.
He focused all his memories of light, about warmth, about hope. He thought of Andi and Lani's smiling. He thought of Pak Daru's determination. He thought of the relief of the victims of soul -eating.
The fire on his chest was burning, but this time, the fire did not come out. It burned inside, heating the dirty energy he pulled, purifying it.
He began to emit light. Warm golden white light spread from his body.
At the club above, something strange began to happen. The cleansers who approached Mr. Daru and Anton suddenly staggered, holding their heads. Their protective jinn screamed in pain, could not stand the changes in the frequency of sudden energy.
The red emergency lights began to blink and then turned white. Music that broke up suddenly returned to life, but not a hard techno music. Instead, soft and soothing songs may be played from the emergency system.
The listless club visitors began to blink, looking around with confusion. Their empty expressions were replaced by confusion and then, a glimmer of consciousness. The charm has been cut off.
Kesha, on the stage, screaming in annoyance. "What happened? Stop him!"
He could feel the source of the disturbance originating from the bottom.
In the basement, Bimo continued to hold the crystal. The black fog that came out of him now turned golden white when passing through Bimo, filling the room with positive light and restoring. The little jinns hissed and escaped, could not stand the new energy.
The crystal itself began to change. The dark red color faded, became pink, then orange, and eventually became pure white. Irregular pulse becomes stable and soothing.
Kesha's projection appeared for the last time, his face distorted in anger and fear.
"No! What are you doing? That's impossible!"
"Balance," hissed Bimo, with the last effort.
He gave the last push. A large purification energy wave spread from his body, through crystals, and throughout the building.
Above, the door keys electronically open. The headlights lit up. The cleansers, losing the strength of their jinn, look confused and scared, only become ordinary thugs with strange weapons. Some visitors who are now aware of starting to scream and run to the exit.
Kesha is angry. He jumped from the stage and disappeared into the panic crowd.
Pak Daru and Anton, who are still standing in the midst of chaos, look at each other, are equally confused but relieved.
In the basement, Bimo releases crystals. The crystal is now clean, throbbing with soft and healthy light. He fell into his knee, fatigue spiritually and physically. His whole body trembled, but he felt ... peaceful.
A few minutes later, the steel door opened. Pak Daru and Anton stood there, their faces were full of worries.
"Bimo!" Pak Daru ran and knelt next to him. "What happened? We felt ... big changes."
"Crystal ..." Bimo's breathing limp. "I ... purify it."
Pak Daru saw the crystal that is now shining white. His eyes enlarged in distrust. "A good god ... you don't destroy him. You heal him."
Anton helped Bimo stand up. "This place now feels ... different. Cleaner."
"Kesha?" Bimo asked.
"Run away," answered Mr. Daru. "But he lost this." He pointed to the crystal. "This is the center of strength in Jakarta. Without this, the network will be chaotic. The jinn will lose their main energy source."
They heard the police siren approaching. Chaos in the club must have been reported.
"We have to go," Anton said. "Now!"
Before leaving, Mr. Daru approached the purified crystal. He pulled out a cloth bag from his pocket and carefully wrapped the crystal.
"We can't leave this here. It's still full of energy. Can fall into the wrong hands."
They came out through the delivery door of goods, sneaking into the dark back hallway right when the police stormed the front door of the club. Anton guided them through a small alley labyrinth until they found their faithful taxi parked several blocks away.
On the way back to the boarding house, no one spoke. Fatigue and the size of what just happened to wrap them.
Arriving at home, Mr. Daru put a pocket of crystal on the table. It emits soft warmth.
"You did something that had never been done by anyone, Bimo," said Mr. Daru, finally broke the silence. "You don't just defeat the enemy. You turn their weapons into something good. That is a true victory."
"But Kesha is still free," Bimo said.
"Yes. But he was hurt. He will be angry. And the angry enemies are careless enemies." Pak Daru put his hand on Bimo's shoulder. "Tonight, we give big blows. We save many people. We must focus on it."
Bimo nodded, seeing the crystal. That is a reminder of his potential. He is not just a burner. He is a recovery.
The battle for Jakarta is not over. In fact, with Kesha who is now cornered and angry, it might be more dangerous. But for the first time, Bimo was really sure. He understands his purpose. And he won't stop.