Zainal glanced at someone and called him over. Once the person approached, Zainal asked him to take Asa to his new place.
"His name is Asa Arjuna. Asa, this is Jaka."
Zainal then introduced the two of them to each other.
"I can't take you myself because I have to go to the hospital. But don't worry—Jaka will take you to your boarding house. There's also someone there who'll help guide you to your room."
They parted ways, and Asa went with Jaka to his new place.
Asa arrived at his new living space: a modest boarding room, three by four meters. Nothing luxurious—just a study desk, a chair, and a mattress. The desk was completely empty, and the mattress only had a blanket—no pillow.
He had already sold all the furniture from his old place in Bandung, and spent a month arranging it all.
The train ride had been exhausting, but instead of lying down to rest, Asa chose to sit and take out a book from his bag.
What he pulled out was his diary.
That day, he wrote about the incident that had just occurred.
"The world hasn't known peace or rest for the last ten years. Especially in this country—centered in Bandung. I've seen many anomaly cases there, but this type of possession? I've only seen it three times—four now, if I count today."
He recalled the fight between Zainal and the attacker, then turned the page and started sketching the attacker's figure in pen.
After finishing the drawing, he continued writing, adding details from memory:
"Officer Zainal is trained law enforcement, but he struggled against just one attacker. In Bandung, I've only seen possessions where the brain is controlled. The host body remained the same—no enhancements, no mutations.
But this time was different. The 'vampire' grew claws and had enhanced strength—possibly even increased durability.
Did the [Solid Platform] anomaly grant him those enhancements, or was there interference from another [Solid Platform]?"
"Still, possessed people retain some part of their mind. Their motor and sensory functions are partially hijacked, but the rest... it's still there."
Asa remembered how Zainal handled the situation—seemingly unfazed. But when the attacker suddenly turned violent, even after being shocked with high-dosage stun rounds, Asa was forced to act.
"It was unexpected..." Asa wrote.
"I almost failed to save that officer. If anything had happened to him, I would've been detained again—restricted and locked up until they found me a new supervisor."
Asa had known who Zainal was from the beginning. He had been assigned as Asa's parole officer in Torja. Asa's goal here was to be a model student and complete his education.
"I'm already on the red list in the BIN organization. Any disaster that happens near me, I'll immediately be suspected and locked up again.
Truly, being a criminal is never something to romanticize."
"In the end, I was the one who took control of the vampire's mind.
Controlling possessed individuals is the easiest type of mental intrusion. Without saying a word, I entered his mind."
He remembered sweating, his nerves shaking. He'd even torn the new shirt he bought due to the tension.
"I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't a Techmancer.
I've never used a [Solid Platform] in my life.
But I have something that surpasses almost every Techmancer."
"It's a mental ability—
A powerful strength that doesn't rely on [Solid Platforms] or anomaly-enhanced force.
I learned it from my grandfather, a former Nethunter with BIN.
Its core was a method for healing trauma and maintaining mental resilience.
But over time, it was developed into a weapon—capable of dismantling someone's psyche, seeing truths no one else can... even glimpsing the future or the past."
"My ability is still incomplete. My training stopped halfway when my grandfather passed away from chronic ulcers.
That's why I want to finish my training. He left behind manuals—PDFs stored on my computer.
But the police confiscated it. They won't give it back."
"So, I chose another path—to find the 'meditation house.'
I don't even know where it is. But..."
He pulled a small piece of paper from his wallet.
Kadic, 0604, Torja, West Java.
"I don't know where this is. It's not even on any map.
But I'm certain it exists—
And that it holds my grandfather's legacy."
It was impossible for Asa to simply ask for his hard drive back. So now he had to search for this place. Maybe he could find it on old maps in the Torja Public Library, or ask people who knew the local geography.
"Huh, let's hope I don't get dragged into more madness while I'm in Torja..." he muttered.
He stared out the window of his room—the only source of outside light.
"Where... am I?"
Asa stood alone in complete darkness. He turned to his sides and behind him—nothing but blackness.
"Child... where are you?"
He flinched. A woman's voice—an elderly one—came from behind. Asa slowly turned.
There was an old woman wearing a kebaya. He couldn't see her face.
"Come closer, child."
Sweat rolled down Asa's face. He shook his head. He had no intention of going near.
But the floor beneath him began to shift, sliding him toward the woman. Panicked, Asa ran the other direction.
"Where are you going?"
Voices—dozens of them—called out to him. He didn't dare look back.
He was terrified. Deeply, utterly terrified.
"No... you're all dead. Stay away from me!"
He knew who they were. They were supposed to be buried. They shouldn't be walking toward him.
"Come here, young man!"
Someone grabbed his hand. Asa finally looked back.
A collection of torn faces—some with shattered skulls—were now inches from his own.
Asa couldn't move.
He screamed in silence. His mouth opened but no sound came out.
They were horrifying. Monstrous.
Then the ground swallowed him. He was pulled downward—sinking.
"NO!!!"
Asa woke with a jolt, gasping for breath. He scanned the room, confused and shaken.
For a moment, he'd forgotten he was in his new boarding room. Panic still gripped him.
"Damn it... even here, I'm still haunted by the same dream."
He clutched his forehead, glancing at his watch. The time read 2:34 AM.
He'd lain down at 12.00 AM. Just two hours of sleep.
He exhaled deeply, trying to steady his breath.