"Why..."
He clutched her hand until it bled, anger surging in his chest.
"Why are you all cheering?!"
"What's there to be happy about?!" He thought, his eyes staring sharply at the villagers who were cheering joyfully at the death of his twin, Badrul.
"Actually... what do you all think Badrul is?"
The villagers began to pour out their long-held feelings.
"Hahaha... finally, I haven't liked that kid for a long time."
"Huh... I already figured that. He's just pretending to be nice in front of all of us."
"Just by looking at his face, I already knew he was a bad guy."
One by one, insults poured from their mouths – without the slightest hint of pity.
Tok Hussein and Mak Sari could only cry in silence.
Badang, hearing all the insults and curses, began to tremble—not from fear, but from the burning anger within him.
"He deserved to die in disgrace!"
That sentence—
That's what broke the thread of his patience, which he had been holding back for so long.
Badang wanted to kill them all, without exception, young or old.
Everyone cheered and laughed at that moment.
However—
"Why are you all cheering?"
The voice stopped him in his tracks.
Ilyas stood before them all, his face blank, his eyes sharp as he stared at the humans who had lost their sense of humanity.
"Someone just died, and this is how you all react?"
One of the residents spoke out, their voice loud.
"What do you know?! If you knew what he did to our village back then, you'd agree that he deserved to die!"
"That's right!"
"Outsiders don't need to get involved!"
Some villagers supported with cheers and shouts—adding fuel to the already raging fire.
Ilyas stepped forward. His voice was calm, but firm.
"So... you're angry because of what he did in the past? Because of the incident that you feel is detrimental to everyone here?"
Without hesitation, they answered in unison—
"Yes!"
Ilyas nodded slowly. His eyes looked at them one by one.
"So that means..."
"...all the defenses he built in this village, all his efforts to protect you all..."
"It's completely pointless, isn't it?"
At that time—
The atmosphere became silent.
No sound. No cheers.
The scene that was previously bustling and overflowing... is now gone,
Like the wind that disappears quickly.
"So it's true."
Ilyas shook his head slowly. He gave a thin smile—
But his face was cold, empty, without a trace of warmth.
"Your situation is quite funny, all of you."
"When he was desperately trying to protect all of you... you turned a blind eye."
"But..."
"When everything has been destroyed, everyone wants to open their eyes and find fault with others."
He stepped forward, each step echoing in the silence.
"You guys were great speaking just now. Bold and brave..."
"But when tested— Everyone's silent. Like a stone. Lifeless."
His eyes swept over their faces one by one.
Sharp. Stabbing. Judging.
"No wonder this village fell so easily... It turns out they weren't defending humans."
"But..."
"A bunch of blind, stupid animals."
She laughed softly—a hollow, empty laugh.
"And Badrul... He really believes you're worth protecting."
Ilyas's words struck right to the heart of everyone who insulted Badrul.
No one could argue back—because what he said was a fact.
With a single breath, Ilyas turned his body, facing away from the villagers.
"It's a waste of my time talking this much."
Without looking back, he walked away—towards Khai and the others.
The atmosphere is still quiet. Frozen.
No one spoke.
But in silence, Badang, Samar, Tok Hussein, and Mak Sari breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Ilyas was just an outsider, with no connection to Badrul...
Only he dared to defend Badrul's honor.
Badang slowly loosened his grip on his hand.
His intention to kill them all... is now extinguished.
He turned to his mother and father and held their hands.
"Dad... Mom... Let's go inside."
Samar followed them, leaving the villagers still stunned.
However...
In a hidden corner, a voice whispered slowly—filled with disappointment and resentment.
"Damn it... my plan completely failed."
The voice was briefly heard by Samar—a voice familiar to his ears.
He turned around, looking for the source of the sound.
However, he let go his intention because he couldn't find it.
The days passed as usual.
The villagers returned to their routines—repairing homes and roads damaged by the battles.
However, there is one thing that has changed 180 degrees.
Their nature.
After hearing Ilyas's words that day, the next day they came in droves to Tok Hussein and Mak Sari's house.
With faces full of regret, they bowed and apologized to them.
The scene was witnessed by Samar and Badang from a distance.
Without a word, their hearts were touched.
For the first time since the tragedy... they felt a little relieved.
Now, Badrul's grave is no longer lonely.
It was filled with fresh flowers—placed one by one by the hands that once despised.
Now arrived with prayers and remorse
In the protection hall,
Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka were resting in their tent, their bodies is soaking wet after a tiring day.
"Ugh... so tired..." Khai groaned as he lay down on the floor
"Hahaha... it's tiring, but what matters is that our business in this village is almost done." Raden replied, wiping his forehead with a small towel.
Not long after, Ilyas arrived with Luna, carrying a water bottle in his hand.
"Here," said Ilyas, offering the water.
"Oh—thank you," Khai said, accepting the bottle with a weary smile.
They gulped down the water greedily, as if they hadn't taken a drink for a long time.
"Haahh... refreshing~" Agus sighed, leaning back and enjoying the fan's breeze.
"Damn nice, bro" Khai sneered,
"you just sit here, relaxing with a fan in the face, while the four of us have to go down to the field and work."
"I've done more than enough in this village. Did you hear me complaining?" said Ilyas.
"Cih, can't even take a little joke," Khai scoffed with a grin.
"Alright. Once you've rested enough, go get ready..."
"We will continue the journey at 5 o'clock."
"Finally..." Raden took a long breath.
"I thought we were going to stay here forever," added Agus.
Ilyas looked at the three of them.
"You all have your own destination, right?"
He paused for a moment before continuing in a firmer voice.
"We can't delay our journey any longer."
"A journey that should have taken a few days... has turned into weeks."
"Remember..."
"... time is the most precious thing."
"So don't waste it."
With those words, Ilyas stepped out of the council with Luna, leaving them in silence.
Agus leaning back, staring blankly at the hall door.
"I'm really surprised by him," he said suddenly.
The others turned toward him, each with a questioning look on their face.
"Why are you surprised?" Khai's ask.
"You see, Every time I talk to him... it feels like I'm talking to my own father."
Raden raised an eyebrow.
"How can that be?"
Agus slowly shrugged.
"I don't know. But yeah... that's just how it feels."
Khai fell silent. His face became slightly serious.
Actually, from the first time he met Ilyas, he already felt something strange about him.
There's something Ilyas is hiding from him.
But Khai chose not to ask.
He sure Ilyas had his own reasons for not telling them.
"That's enough. Don't think the wrong way."
Khai stood up and clapped his hands.
"Hurry up and pack up your things quickly. Otherwise, Ilyas will end up waiting for to long."
They nodded, and the conversation stopped.
Each of them began packing their belongings—it was quiet, but their hearts were still lingering on Ilyas's words from earlier.
Ilyas arrived at Tok Hussein's house.
"Eh, Ilyas. Come on in." Invites Tok Hussein.
They both sat quietly, enjoying the water served by Mak Sari.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment, accompanied only by the sound of cups being gently placed on the table.
"So... why did you come here?" Tok Hussein's question finally broke the silence.
Ilyas lifted his face, calm but something was clearly reflected in his eyes.
"My friends and I will continue our journey this evening."
Tok Hussein nodded slowly.
"Oh... so..."
"Sorry, I can't stay here," Ilyas continued, earlier than Tok Hussein expected.
Tok Hussein took a short breath and gave a thin smile.
"It's okay. I understand. You must have unfinished business."
Ilyas bowed slightly, a sign of respect. But he's not finished yet.
"I didn't come just to tell you about that."
"Hmm?" Tok Hussein raised an eyebrow.
Ilyas raised his face again. This time, his expression changed—more serious, more somber.
"I want to see Badang. There's something I need to tell him."
A man in a hoodie moved quickly down the quiet alley toward a hidden location.
His breath was rapid. His face was restless, as if he were hiding a secret.
He arrived in front of an abandoned house—silent, dilapidated, and looking as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
With trembling hands, he pushed open the rotten wooden door, which creaked loudly.
Without wasting time, he went straight to the kitchen floor and opened a secret door—descending the stairs into a dark and damp basement.
In a state of panic, he began arranging and hiding some important items in the space.
"Fuck... fuck... fuck!"
"How could this happen?! I've done everything they told me to! How could they fail?!"
He pulled his own hair, his breathing was erratic.
"I have to get out of here before anyone finds out!"
He immediately opened the oil drum and poured it all over the corners of the basement. His hands were trembling as he prepared to light the fire.
However—
Argh!!
His body suddenly stiffened. Trembling. His breath caught.
"K... why... can't I... move...?!"
Shadows moved around him—dark, forming human silhouettes. Figure after figure emerged from the darkness like a nightmare come to life.
And finally...
"You arrive,"