After Trisakti called out the Tuyul's name, a thick bluish-purple aura erupted from his body, engulfing him like a roaring fire.
The flames flickered unnaturally, casting distorted shadows in every direction. The shadow creatures, which had been closing in, suddenly hesitated, their glowing yellow eyes flickering with uncertainty.
One second. Two seconds passed, Then-
"Kekeke~"
A mischievous, eerie laughter echoed through the air.
The swirling aura pulsed, then fused into Trisakti's body. His form shifted.
His already pale skin took on the faintest hint of green, and his normally sharp features softened just slightly, taking on an impish, youthful look. His red eyes gleamed with a new, unsettling light, and his white hair now carried a subtle wildness, strands floating as if touched by an unseen force.
Trisakti looked down at his hands. His fingers were still human, but his nails were sharper, almost claw-like. His body felt lighter as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders. A sly, involuntary grin tugged at his lips.
He could feel it. The Tuyul's power.
The creatures whispered among themselves, their hesitation turning to alarm. They could sense the change.
Trisakti didn't wait.
His body vanished in a blur. One moment, he was standing still; the next, he was behind the nearest creature, his fingers grazing its shadowy form. The moment they made contact, something strange happened.
The creature flinched, not just from the touch, but as if something was being stolen from it. Its form flickered, growing thinner, weaker, and then gone.
Trisakti's grin widened.
"Oh? Interesting~"
Before the creature could react, Trisakti disappeared again, reappearing in front of another shadow. His speed was unnatural, like a flickering light, unpredictable and erratic. With a swift movement, he plucked something unseen from the creature, an invisible force, like taking a coin from someone's pocket.
The creature let out a distorted shriek, its form collapsing in on itself before dispersing into the air.
The other creatures recoiled.
Trisakti flexed his fingers, feeling the stolen energy surge through him.
"I get it now…"
Trisakti muttered, a smirk forming on his face. Then said again.
"This is why Tuyul steals. It's not just about money; it's about taking what others don't even realize they have; this feeling is... Unbearable, Kekeke~"
His crimson eyes glowed brighter.
He turned toward the remaining creatures, who were now trying to back away.
Trisakti cracked his neck.
"Kekeke~"
Then with that strange laugh, Trisakti lunged toward the nearby creatures.
--------
Trisakti continued his relentless assault, his body moving with an unnatural speed and precision.
Every strike drained the shadowy creatures, sapping their strength and reducing them to wisps of darkness before they vanished completely.
The thrill of battle coursed through him, a wild exhilaration, unlike anything he had ever felt before. This power, this ability, it was intoxicating.
Then, amidst the chaos, a voice echoed inside his mind.
"Trisakti, finish it quickly. Your human body cannot bear my power for long, if not-"
Tuyul's warning rang clear, but Trisakti barely acknowledged it. He was too caught up in the battle, in the thrill of watching these creatures crumble before him. The fear in their glowing eyes fueled him and drove him forward.
More. Just a little more.
'Let me feel this feeling a little longer, Kekeke~'
Trisakti lunged at another creature, fingers brushing against its essence. Another shriek. Another disappearance.
The remaining creatures hesitated. Then, as if reaching a collective decision, they turned and fled into the darkness, their eerie whispers fading into the night.
Trisakti stood there, breathing heavily. He grinned. Muttered
"They ran… I actually made them run, kekeke~"
He laughed, exhilarated. He won.
But then-
"Ughh!"
A sharp pain shot through his chest.
His grin faltered. His limbs felt heavy. His vision blurred. The eerie bluish-purple aura surrounding him flickered, then dispersed like smoke in the wind.
His legs buckled. The strength that had filled him moments ago was gone in an instant.
Then, without a word, Trisakti collapsed.
His body hit the ground, dust rising around him. His breath came in shallow gasps. He could feel it now, the strain, the exhaustion.
His human body wasn't made for this.
Distantly, he heard Tuyul's voice again.
"I told you… Kekeke… but you never listen, huh?"
After that, His vision darkened.
--------
Trisakti woke up, looked left and right, but found nothing but empty space.
"... So, in the end, I still die, huh?"
Said Trisakti who then quickly stood up
"But where is this? Is this... Hell?"
"Why are you so obsessed with going to hell, Trisakti~?"
"!!!"
Trisakti was surprised to hear the familiar voice and tone of voice, then he quickly turned back.
"Hy~ we meet again~"
"Kekeke~ you want to go to hell that bad, huh?"
"This is the first time I've seen a human being want to go to hell, to the point of becoming obsessed, only you are a Trisakti"
"Why do you want to go to Hell that badly? Can you trip people too?"
"I heard hell is a scary place... There are no children there"
"How could children be in hell? You child thieves!"
"Child Thief? How can you say something so cruel, Bunian? I didn't steal them, I just played with them"
"Well, you ONLY take them out to play but never send them back to their families... That's what we call a CHILD THIEF, Wewe"
"You too, Jerangkong? NO! What's the point of them going back to their families if they're not happy? Then they should stay with me, right? Is that wrong?"
"Wrong, very Wrong, Wewe"
"It's not just me who thinks that way... We all think that way, wake up, Wewe, you're a thief of children, admit it"
Said Jarangkong, the Walking Skeleton, who was wearing tattered clothes, and had hollow, glowing red eyes.
Wewe Gombel, Tall and frightening with a grotesque face, wears traditional Javanese clothing but appears eerie and ghost-like; hearing what Jerangkong said, she immediately looked around at her friends, but when Wewe Gombel's eyes fell on them, they immediately looked away.
Seeing this, with a face of disbelief, Wewe Gombel, sadly, muttered.
"... You... Guys"
"Pfftt~ Ahahah~"
But amid the chaos, the sound of laughter was suddenly heard; the Ghosts who heard this immediately turned towards the sound of laughter and found Trisakti laughing his heart out while holding his stomach.
"Trisakti has gone crazy... How is this~?"
Said Kuntilanak, sounding worried because, during her time with Trisakti, this was the first time she had seen Trisakti laugh out loud like this.
"Kekeke~ What should we do, Genderuwo?"
"I... I don't know, this is also the first time I've seen him like this?"
"Hm~ Should I try to trip him?"
Hearing Pocong's suggestion, all their gazes immediately turned to him.
"What? I'm trying, you know?"
"... Haaa~ So you guys are still here, huh? Are you all so obsessed that even when I die you will still follow me? And what about that appearance? Where are your feet? Oops~ Didn't mean to offend you Pocong"
Trisakti said seeing his ghost friends, even the Genderuwo, now had no legs, they were like floating spirits.
"What?! I have legs too, you know? They're just wrapped in cloth..."
"Well~ Now it's nothing; I think it doesn't make any difference for you, but you guys... Pfftt~ Ahaha~ It's so funny"
Trisakti said once again and laughed out loud again; seeing this, the ghosts were initially offended and confused, but after a few moments, they also laughed with Trisakti, laughing at their own appearance.
....
...
..
.