They lay on cold grass, panting. The night sky above the peak looks very normal, very peaceful, after hell the dimensions they leave. The full moon shines brightly, illuminating their dirty and fatigue faces.
"We ... successful?" hissed Anton, his voice was hoarse. He pushed himself to sit, staring around the lonely field as if they did not believe them back.
Riani nodded slowly, her eyes still wide open because of shock. "We succeed." He looked at Bimo, who was still lying on his back, his eyes closed. "Bimo? Are you okay?"
Bimo sighed deeply, then opened his eyes. Pale blue flames flicker in it before fading. "I'm fine. Just ... empty."
Then, he remembered. "Mr. Daru!"
They rushed up and ran towards the veranda. The wheelchair was empty, lying beside him. Pak Daru lay on the wooden floor, pale and not moving.
"No ..." whispered Riani, squatting beside him.
Bimo knelt down, put two fingers on the old man's neck. The pulse is very weak and irregular. Shallow breathing. Pak Daru's eyes trembled and opened, trying to focus on Bimo.
"Bimo ..." His voice was barely heard, like the hiss of the wind. "You ... successful?"
"We succeeded," Bimo answered, gripping the cold hand. "He is no longer there. His world ... purified."
A faint smile appeared on Mr. Daru's chapped lips. "Good. Very good." He coughs, and a red spot appears in the corner of his mouth. "Talisman ... that. Too ... strong for me. But ... it worked. It held the door."
"You saved us," Bimo said, his voice was heavy.
"My job ... finished," hissed Mr. Daru. His eyes began to glaze over, no longer seeing Bimo, but seeing something far away. "My wife ... he is waiting for me there ... at the end of the red line ..."
His breath stopped. His old chest did not move anymore. Peace expression carved on his face.
They were silent for a few moments, only the sound of crickets at night. Riani cried calmly. Anton looked away, wiping his eyes roughly.
Bimo sighed, then carefully closed Mr. Daru's eyes. "Goodbye, teacher."
The next day feels gloomy. They brought Mr. Daru's body to the nearest small hospital, said that he was their grandfather who died of a heart attack on the villa. They avoid difficult questions. Dr. Maya, which they contacted, came quietly and helped take care of death and cremation certificates. He didn't ask much; He can see the sadness and fatigue in their eyes.
In three days, they brought Pak Daru's ashes home in a simple jar. They don't know where to place it. He has no family.
"Maybe we should sprinkle it in a place that he likes," Riani suggested.
"In the library," Bimo said suddenly. "He loves his knowledge. That is his real home."
Rely infiltrated Pak Daru's private library which is now quiet. With a little help from the power of Bimo to unlock, they entered. The room was still messy like when they left, dusty and quiet.
They sprinkled his ashes among the piles of old books, on his desk, around the world's outdated world globe. It feels right.
"Goodbye, Mr. Daru," Riani whispered. "Thank you for everything."
Now, all that remains is the three of them and a city that slowly starts to heal.
Return to boarding houses in Jakarta. Life tries to return to normal, but nothing is really normal anymore. Bimo is no longer hiding. He walked on the streets, and he could feel the difference.
The air feels lighter. The colors look brighter. People walk a little faster, their shoulders are not too drooping. In its vision, Jakarta is still full of jinn and spirits, but without the command of the syndicate or influence of the ruler, they mostly only roam without purpose, like ants who lose their nests. Some even began to fade, losing energy to defend themselves in the physical world.
"Look at them," Bimo said one afternoon, pointing to a park where a group of small children was playing. Previously, the place was surrounded by small jinn who eat their fear energy. Now, there is only one or two that roam, looks confused and weak.
"Do we have to ... clean them all?" Anton asked. "I mean, there are still many out there."
Bimo shook his head. "No. They are part of the ecosystem. Like bacteria. Some evil, some do not. Without a control center, they are not dangerous. Leave it. Or let the guards handle it."
"The guards?" asked Riani.
"Creatures like those in Monas," explained Bimo. "They are the guardians of the balance. Now the big threat has been lost, they will be active again. We will begin to see it."
He's right. In the following weeks, strange reports began to appear in local newspapers: the appearance of creatures such as lions around Monas, a woman who protects children from traffic accidents in dangerous areas, the roar sound that stops the robbery. The city is heating itself.
Their lives take a new routine. Anton, with his family money, rented a small apartment that was more comfortable for the three of them. Riani registered back to her graphic design course. Anton ... remains Anton, but with a new purpose. He became a kind of manager and researcher for Bimo.
And Bimo? Bimo learned.
He spent days in Pak Daru's library, reading every book, every note. He does not only learn about the unseen world; He learned about himself. About Agni. About previous life. He learned to control his strength with precision, not only to destroy, but to heal, to protect, to feel.
One morning, Dr. Maya visited them in the apartment. He brought a cake and a request.
"The hospital," he said, after a cup of tea. "Hospital Doc. The leader was arrested because of corruption and relations with drug syndicates. They clean the hospital. They need a new doctor. And ... they need someone who understands strange things that sometimes still happen there."
He looked at Bimo. "I want to apply to become the medical director of a new psychiatry unit. A unit that is secret also handles cases ... extra-sensory perceptions. But I can't do it myself."
Bimo understands. "You want us to help."
"You and Riani," said Dr. Maya. "You two can see what others cannot see. We can help people who experience spiritual trauma, people who are followed by an entity, people like us. We can do what DOC always wants to do, but in the right way. Help. Explore."
Riani looks excited. "That's ... it's amazing. Like our version of X-Files!"
Bimo considers it. That is a goal. That is a way to use its strength for good things, without having to keep fighting.
"I agree," Bimo finally said. "But with one condition. There is no exploitation. There is no pouring. We help, then we release."
"Agree," said Dr. Maya with a smile.
Their new project began. The unit was officially named "Perception and Trauma Research Unit", but for them, it was the "Red Line Office". Dr. Maya handles her medical aspects. Riani uses her illusions to calm patients and hide their actual work from ordinary staff. Bimo is the last assessor, which distinguishes mental disease and real spiritual influence.
One day, a case came. A boy named Dio who does not want to talk and always paints scary pictures about a woman who cries. Ordinary doctors diagnose it with selective mutism and depression.
Bimo sat next to the child. He doesn't need to touch it. He could see it: a thin black thread that wrapped the child's neck, connected to the ghost of a woman who was desperate maybe her mother who could not move on and unconsciously strangled her child with her sadness.
Bimo did not burn the ghost. He approached him, talking to him. He showed the ghost of his own red line, which was connected to the next nature, and convinced him to release Dio. The ghost, after hearing Bimo's words, finally understood. He let go of the child and disappeared into the light.
The next day, Dio spoke for the first time a year.
They help other cases. A woman who was followed by a pet jinn who was too possessive. A man who accidentally brought home curious spirits from the cemetery. Every time, Bimo and his team completed it without violence, if possible.
That is a satisfying job. But Bimo knows that not all threats can be resolved peacefully.
One night, Anton received a call from his contact in the underworld. "Hey, Bimo. There is something you might want to know."
"What's that?" Bimo asked, looking from the top of his report.
"The police raided a night club last Sunday. The place was very luxurious, where people were. They were looking for drugs. But what they found was ... something else."
"Explain," Bimo insisted.
"They found a room behind. Full of candles, strange symbols, and ... a famous TV celebrity tied to an altar, half-conscious. It looks like he will be sacrificed for something."
Bimo frowned. "The syndicate has been destroyed."
"Not a syndicate," Anton said. "This is something new. Or something old that rises again. Reportedly, these people worship something they call 'the eyes closed'. And they are very angry because their big plans failed."
Bimo stood up and walked to the window, looking at a bright city. He can feel it. A different darkness, older, and deeper than the ruler. Something that woke up from his sleep.
"Are we going to check it?" asked Riani.
Bimo nodded, the Familiar Determination fire burned in his eyes. The fire was no longer angry blue, but the stable white fire of a guard, not a destroyer.
"Yes," he said. "But this time, we will not react. We will be proactive. We will look for them. We will find the remnants of this darkness, wherever they are hiding, and we will extinguish it."
He looked at Jakarta, the city he now protects.
"The power of the ruler may have been lost, but the battle has not ended. As long as there are people who choose darkness, there will always be a job for us to do."
He turned to his friends, a small smile on his face.
"Let's work."