Celis walked toward the entrance gate of the Waduk Park.
"I'd better go inside rather than stay out in the field."
As he stepped through, Celis didn't notice the CCTV camera mounted on the gate, quietly watching him.
Celis took the right path. There were no lampposts there—it was pitch black. To his left, tall trees towered over him, blocking out the sky, and fallen leaves littered the path. A dried-up river could be seen with an old toy boat left abandoned on its bank. To his right stood a high concrete wall, above which lay a forest shrouded in mystery.
"I didn't expect the Waduk to be this dark."
Venturing deeper into the park, he arrived at a playground area. To his left were small gazebos alongside kindergarten play equipment—wooden swings, a slide, and monkey bars. To his right, about fifty meters away in the distance, stood an apparently abandoned house with wild plants covering its roof.
Suddenly, the howling of a wolf echoed through the air, followed by the crying of a baby.
Celis readied himself, gripping the hilt of his sword, Sumitsu, as he walked slowly toward the source of the noise.
The sound shifted again into loud, eerie, and horrifying laughter. The laughter faded into the distance, but from behind Celis, something resembling a giant pink worm slid out, aiming to impale the back of his head.
The closer it got, the quieter it became, triggering Celis's instincts. Sensing danger, he spun around and slashed his blade, cutting the worm to pieces.
Once sliced into bits, the worm fell to the ground. A piercing scream shocked Celis.
He had thought it was a worm, but it turned out to be a large intestine that had attacked him—a creature belonging to a ghost from Indonesian mythology.
It was a Kuyang, a terrifying creature characterized by a floating head severed from its body, trailing its own internal organs beneath it. It flew through the air with glowing red eyes and long, matted hair.
In Kalimantan, the Kuyang is widely regarded as a malevolent and terrifying entity. Typically, they come in two forms, male and female Kuyang.
Celis was shocked to see a Kuyang roaming around, thinking to himself, "A Kuyang?! That means..."
His suspicion was correct, Robert Pattinson was still alive! He was the one who had summoned the Kuyang.
Robert stood behind Celis. Before Celis could attack the Kuyang, he realized Robert wasn't alone; alongside the Kuyang, he also had a Kuntilanak lurking behind his right shoulder. Floating above his head were dozens of female Kuyang brought by Robert.
Robert flashed a faint smile and greeted Celis.
"How have you been?"
Celis turned back around to face him, then spat on the ground right in front of Robert's shoes.
"Why are you still alive?"
Celis was stunned to see him alive and looking so pristine.
"Those who make a pact with Calumny are called Witches. Bound by destiny because of their promise, they will be resurrected to fulfill their fate. In other words, a Witch can come back to life because they are bound by destiny. Oh, by the way..."
Robert pointed at Celis. Celis stood there, confused and hesitant.
"...that doesn't include someone like you, whose power is merely borrowed or given by someone else."
Celis was infuriated by the condescending remark. His mood burned with fierce determination. With a smirk, Celis spoke to Robert in a venomous tone.
"If that's the case, I'll just keep killing you over and over until you stay dead."
"Give it a try."
The Kuyang and Kuntilanak lunged forward together to attack Celis. Anticipating their strike, Celis used his Slashing Durability technique from a distance of five meters.
They collided in combat. According to Robert's observation, Celis was dodging with much more patience and composure than in their previous fight.
Robert's fighting style relied entirely on the army of ghosts he summoned. Celis was now fairly capable of anticipating the Kuntilanak's attacks, though he was still adapting to the Kuyang.
Robert had to admit that Celis had grown remarkably faster over the last few days.
"Adapting, are we?"
Celis sliced through Kuyang after Kuyang, beheading the Kuntilanak as well. From a distance, Robert smiled as he watched.
Celis then taunted him by brandishing his sword, slightly lifting it from its sheath.
Robert snapped his fingers. Instantly, hysterical screams of women filled with agony echoed all around—not just one, but countless voices wailing in unison. They were the rest of the Kuntilanak army Robert had been holding in reserve.
"I admit, the ghosts I've gathered are formed from souls that shouldn't be vulnerable to physical attacks. Yet, you can harm them with that Sumitsu sword. I suppose that blade suits me far better than it does you... Mr. Borrowed Power."
Celis lowered his sword and let out a soft chuckle.
"Heh, you finally noticed. No matter what trick you pull, I'm the one who's going to kill you. You'll never have it—you won't even be able to touch it, let alone take it from me. Because..."
Celis's body dissolved into innumerable blue butterflies, vanishing into thin air. Moments later, the swarm gathered behind the army of forty Kuntilanak, three meters away, reassembling into his human form.
Realizing Celis was now behind them, Robert turned around to face him.
Celis unleashed a distant slash, sending a V-shaped shockwave that neatly severed the necks of ten Kuntilanak lined up side by side.
"...I am the one who will slash through your army of ghosts, and eventually, I will cut down your very fate."
Transforming back into blue butterflies, Celis flew off, escaping deeper down the path of Waduk Park.
Noticing Celis fleeing in his butterfly form, Robert ordered his spectral army to hunt him down. They scattered in all directions to search for him.
"Blue butterflies that emit a light blue glow on the outside, huh?"
Robert walked casually, placing both hands in his pockets.
"I don't think that sword is just an ordinary weapon that grants the power Deru possessed—'Infinity', which allows him to move faster than anyone else. It's also the very blade that healed his severe injuries during battle... the extraordinary 'Godly Regen' his mother had. I must take it, by any means necessary. And I will revive Lembuswana, the mythical creature revered by the people of Kalimantan. I need to harvest her blood as a ritual requirement for its resurrection—the blood of the Aji lineage."
Meanwhile, Shintia was sleeping in her room, tears still visibly staining her face.
At the exact same time elsewhere, Mitha was asleep in her room alongside her younger siblings.
Hella was still in the living room, sitting on a stool while smoking a cigarette, lost in thought.
"His way of thinking really baffles me."
Earlier that night.
Hella was lying flat on her back, having pushed her strength far beyond its limit. She was panting heavily from overusing her powers, and blood had begun to seep out.
Celis lowered his head.
"Hella, I'm sorry."
Despite her labored breathing, Hella managed to speak to Celis in her usual nonchalant tone.
"Idiot. Someone like you deserves to be hated."
"Yeah, I do."
"Whatever."
Celis turned around and said to Hella.
"I'll return your powers to you. How do we break the contract?"
Hella let out a faint chuckle.
"Take me home first. We'll talk about it then."
"I have one last request. Please look after Shintia for me. No matter what happens, protect her."
Hella was taken aback by his words, but she chuckled again.
"Hahaha... You really are an idiot."
Celis opened a portal. He then returned Hella's powers to her—dimly glowing sea-blue bubbles emerged from Celis's body and floated into Hella's.
Hella said casually.
"Simple, right? Powers can be returned as long as both parties agree to it."
"Yeah. Thank you, and goodbye."
Celis tossed Hella into the portal, and she landed right in front of her house.
Now back in the present, Hella exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke, feeling lost about what to do next.
"So... what am I supposed to do now?"
The next day, the bell rang for the first recess.
Inside the classroom, Shintia was still preoccupied with thoughts of Celis.
As Hella was about to head out, she noticed the sad expression on Shintia's face. She walked over and asked.
"Let's go for break. Are you still fighting with Dea?"
Shintia replied flatly.
"No..."
"Then what is it?"
"Nothing."
Hella teased Shintia, covering her mouth with her hand while trying to suppress a laugh.
"Is it because you don't have any friends other than Dea?"
Shintia shooed Hella away with her hand.
"Aaargh... What is your problem?!"
Shintia's face shifted from annoyed to slightly flushed and tearful, which only fueled Hella's desire to tease her more.
"Or maybe it's because Celis left you last night? So now you're feeling all lonely? Ahahaha—"
Shintia slapped Hella, no longer able to hold back her tears.
"Why did Celis leave me... waaaaaa~~~"
Instead of stopping, Hella kept going.
"Poor thing, boohoo... poor baby... Ahahaha!"
"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!"
"Huuu... huuuuu... Look who's crying!"
Annoyed, Shintia punched Hella in the stomach. Hella bent over in pain. Shintia ran out of the classroom, wiping her face as she pushed through the crowd.
"Ouch, she punched right where my wound was."
Hella straightened up, her face turning serious.
"Did I go too far?"
Shintia stood in front of a mirror above the sink.
"Why do I keep crying over him?"
She stopped crying, turned on the tap, and washed her face. Mitha came through the doorway, surprised to see her.
"Shintia?"
Finished washing her face, Shintia replied.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Um... it's about Celis."
They sat down at a table in the cafeteria, facing each other in awkward silence.
Mitha broke the ice first.
"Um... Hella talked to me last night..."
The night before, after Mitha treated Hella's injuries.
"How did your body end up like this, Hella?"
"I got into a fight with Celis."
"How could Celis be so cruel to do this to you? Why did he do that?"
Hella leaned back against the sofa and said casually.
"It's nothing. We just had a small clash and a brief sparring session."
"No sparring session looks like this. Tell me the truth."
Hella's eyes widened. That stern tone reminded her of her mother's care and concern—a familiar feeling repeating through someone else.
"Mom?"
A tear slipped from Hella's eye without her realizing it, and she quickly wiped it away. Mitha grew even more concerned seeing Hella like that.
"..."
Sighing, Hella finally came clean about what happened.
"Celis betrayed us. He fully recovered and said he wouldn't bother us anymore, just so he could go meet his ex. I was furious. We fought, and in the end, I lost."
Back in the present, Mitha asked for Shintia's thoughts.
"What do you think we should do?"
"I... I don't know."
Hella suddenly appeared, sitting in the chair next to Mitha.
"In that case, we'd better go look for him."
Both of them jumped at Hella's sudden arrival.
"Hella?!"
"Hella, when did you get here?!"
Hella rested her chin on her hand, acting entirely too relaxed for the situation.
"What? I have teleportation, why are you guys so shocked?"
Shintia slapped Hella's face out of frustration.
"IT'S CALLED BEING STARTLED! YOU IDIOT, HELLA!"
Mitha panicked for Hella.
"Hella!"
Hella got a nosebleed from the hit. Wiping the blood away, she said.
"There's only one way forward, we track him down. For now, our goal is to gather information on how to travel to Java, since he wants to meet his ex there."
Confused by Celis's reasoning, Shintia asked Hella.
"Why would he do something like that? If he goes to another island, it's going to become a massive problem."
"How should I know? Why are you asking me?"
"Seriously, Hella, you've been so annoying since the day I met you!"
"Huh?"
Shintia took a deep breath, trying to stay patient and think through their next move.
"Anyway, we have to find Celis. No matter what happens."
Hella nodded, though Shintia was still irritated with her.
"Shut your mouth!"
"What? I was literally agree—"
Shintia grabbed the empty chair next to her and threw it at Hella, hitting her square in the face and knocking her down.
"Fine. Tomorrow, we'll discuss this at Celis's house."