"The woman admitted that she was sacrificed by her uncle for a quick gambling money. My hypothesis is correct, the plague spreads because people voluntarily or whatever provide sacrificial lambs to the cult. People are worshipping these abominations," In front of Haryono, and Prince Pujokusumo I reported my findings.

  "Aside from the testimony, how are you so sure? The lady was certainly set up, but I have never heard of this trend," Pujokusumo asked.

  "Sardjito wrote a study that indicates psychological factors caused the plague to spread yet none of the lab rats showed any mental distress when they were near an affected individual. I'm sure you have read that one, Your Majesty," Haryono came in with an explanation.

  "I shall talk to the Kauman clergy to construct a campaign in battling these sacrilegious acts," the Prince wrote down something in his small notebook.

  "Any other findings?"

  "Nothing I can conclude directly," although I tried to hide the real answer, I was not even lying. I did not know what happened today and I have to conduct some additional investigation with that boy.

  "Why?" But somehow Pujokusumo sounds offended.

  "It's too early, Milord... I prefer to give you an answer, rather than another mystery to solve," the answer I gave was certainly just a diplomatic way to prolong my alibi. But I don't see any rejection from both of my employers.

  "Very well, you both are dismissed. Great work on saving the poor woman,"

  "It was Airlangga, if it was me I couldn't care less about her. She's as good as dead without her limbs-"

  A sharp pain hits the back of my head.

  "Allow us to leave, dear Prince," the Lieutenant said his goodbye.

  We both left the pavilion, yet that head-smack's heat lasted longer than I would have anticipated. I did not think that this mind-reading freak would have the power of a fucking horse to do so. He gave me some gesture to follow him, into a certain corner near the complex. The palace is somehow quiet, not a lot of people today for whatever reason. It's pretty weird in my opinion, but whatever agenda the servants have it's probably the King's order.

  "Go ahead, spill the truth," the old man began the interrogation.

  Was the slap necessary?

  "Not being able to develop sympathy and feelings does not mean that you're excused from obeying morals and ethics"

  Cool.

  I guess I cannot run away from your ability. So when we were at the spot where you talked with Airlangga, something happened for the first time. The ground shook and it reacted as if it wanted us to drown, but no blood spilt. My theory is that it has something to do with the kid, so all I'm saying is that-

  "You're inviting the kid to tonight's mission?"

  Bingo.

  I don't intend to sacrifice the kid, but maybe we can finally find a way to get rid of these abominations tonight. The Mother, after all, is the one that has been preventing these astral invasions. Take it with a pinch of salt but I would be lying if I say that I'm pessimistic. Something feels right, nephew, we find answers tonight I can guarantee you that.

  "I trust you, but still... that kid's safety is our priority. Do not be reckless"

  I nodded before finally going out on my way. Surprisingly it was kind of easy, maybe he finally trusted me as a professional not a small uncle with less experience than himself. Sort of a relief I think, yet I'm still a first sergeant with no medals or honour, only a killing machine and it's probably why it's kind of difficult for me to rank up. In the middle of my walk to the stable, a commotion at the main gate prevented me from fetching my horse. Some guards and a woman in Western summer clothing. I walk over to find out that the lady is my own wife.

  "Noni (Ma'am), you cannot enter without any written permit!" a guard said.

  I sprinted before everything evolved into a bigger matter.

  "It's okay, she's with me," I dismissed those guards.

  Wife looks relieved and somewhat happy to see me, despite the unrequited love she experiences.

  "I... sorry to trouble you. I brought you some lunch and your uniform"

  "If anything I made you tired after corporate work. You should have let it be, Miriam"

  She handed me the metal lunch box she had received from company ransom. Surely it's going to be a bland Dutch meal because she never touched the lunch from her office. I received the box before Miriam helped me with the lapel. I tidied everything and her face turned worried.

  "Something wrong?" I asked.

  "I'll be waiting"

  "Don't, I won't come home tonight"

  She smiled before leaving the palace. I felt something inside the lapel's pocket. A note,

  'I have been eating lunch alone, you should do that as well'

  This is the first time she has done something like this. Is it just some small trivia or is she trying to tell me about something? The square is empty, with only a pair of sacred weeping figs in the middle. I should be alright unless the tree's spirits decided to say something about my presence. On the way, I opened the lunch box. A sandwich with cheese and butter, with another Broodje kroket, is a weird combination. Under the food, some papers were folded so they could fit the square tin box. Some of the papers are yellow-coloured, so it's only logical that they're translated telegrams. I picked one of them.

  "The Red Kingdom agreed to help, the black fire will be extinguished. Sweet place, but bitter in the end for them"

  It doesn't take much thinking to understand that tonight's mission is an execution stage prepared for me. I am the only one I can trust. Haryono might know about this, but I could never be near his presence without having a thought like this. He's too powerful for someone who doesn't have a destructive astral power. Nobody lies in front of him and no truth hides from his ears. This is difficult, what if he is cooperating with them? It's too early for me to conclude anything. I pick the next yellow paper to read.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Our informant inside their secret service will meet you at the Sweet place. D"

  My heart boils, my stomach curls, and I feel disgusted. I guess two people know that there is a mole inside the Ghost Secret Service, yet I'm not sure who it is. It can't be the boy, but it could be anyone. I don't want to trouble him, but he's the only clean paper at this moment. Calm down, If you're dying tonight there's no point in avoiding it, but what can I do to somewhat protect him even after tonight's event has passed?

  I can't...

  I can't....

  I FUCKING CAN'T!!

  Miriam risked herself to remind me of this. God, why is suddenly everything crumbling apart? I can't form a single thought. Even she could be in danger right now.

  -------

  The horse stops in front of Soedirohoesodo's residence. I led my horse in, a small girl playing doll house in the veranda. She stares at me without a single fear shown on her face, everything is just pure curiosity. I approach her.

  "Is your brother home?" I asked

  "Yes, but I don't know if he's willing to see anyone right now. Who are you?"

  "Just a friend. What about your Father?"

  "Do you have an appointment?" A lady came from inside the main room.

  The Mother is surely different than I thought she would be. She picked up her little daughter before approaching me directly. Sure she has any right to be cautious, someone wants me dead and it would be better if she protects her loved ones.

  "I'd be grateful if I'm allowed to have an audience with your son, Airlangga"

  "He locked himself again. However, I will let you try to knock"

  "My gratitude to you, Ma'am"

  The Mother led me inside. The living room is full of the doctor's diploma and achievements given by the Kingdom of Netherlands. Family and individual pictures of each family member yet no photos of the precious housewife can be found anywhere in the room. Surely the doctor took this matter seriously in order to protect his family, but no matter how he hid it.. duty will always find its way to call you. The lady finally stopped in front of a door, the smell reeks of hospital bleach and some splash of almond scent. I bowed my head and the woman left with the girl in her arms. I knocked on the door three times.

  "Brother, it's me, Banaspati. May I come in?"

  Click!

  The lock made a noise when the key was turned from the other side. I pushed down the door knob. Entering the room I was welcomed with a scent of death, as if something dead had been living nearby. Something was not right with this room, so I decided to lock the door back. On the bed, Airlangga in his uniform sat down looking at the empty floor, contemplating. I grabbed his chair and sat down in front of him, something had happened to him. I gazed at his eyes yet he was not doing anything back to me.

  "Talk to me," I said

  "Something is wrong, and I will prove it to you.."

  He reached for his gun. At first, he stared at it blankly before aiming it at me.

  "I'm here to help"

  "How are you so sure?"

  He swiftly aims his on the head. I stood up, trying to reach for his gun before he could do anything stupid.

  BBANG!

  A loud bang was echoed across the room. I found myself sitting on the chair. No blood, no brain splatter, no dead bodies. I stared down confused. Clearly, I stood up to stop this kid from killing himself, but here I am back on the starting line. I stared down at Airlangga, and now he stared back at me. The room is quiet, so quiet that you can hear the wall clock's mechanism clicking at every turn and every second. I looked at the clock, the hands were moving back and forth without any meaningful progression.

  "Need another example?" He asked

  "What example?"

  I saw that finger about to pull a heated lead onto his brain. I reached my hand out for that gun-

  BANG!

  Another shot was heard, but all I was doing was just sit still and wait for him to kill himself with a gun. Does he want me to get demoted to the regular army? We barely interact at school but somehow he's that vindictive?? Surely there is something that I have missed, but I could not even think of anything. It feels like a Deja Vu, but I can't recall what day I received this vision. His gaze clearly shows distress and questions but I don't even know what is wrong with this kid.

  "Talk to me," I said.

  "Someone killed me today"

  "Quit playing"

  "I wish I were. And then suddenly a force within me somehow twisted the timeline. Rewinding it a couple of seconds before I died," he explained.

  "I mean, your recovery is beyond science. But do you know how did you gain this power?" while the boy emptied his barrel, a spirit came by. A woman in her twenties, in white attire, in a way expressing concern on her face.

  "Right, that forest might know something. However, I cannot guarantee any good percentage of survivability. The best bet is for me to go alone," Airlangga explained with his troubled face.

  It seems that he will gain power whenever he's in touch with his mother's soul. It's a hypothesis but I think from the first data, you can already conclude an answer when it is compared to previous events. When he fought Bram, this time controlling ability did not exist, now whenever he tried to expire himself even the time itself forbade such things to happen. This is why the Dutch are dying to get their hands on the Apple. I heard that France is taking control of their Kingdom so I guess it only makes sense if they need power to fight back.

  "Anyway don't worry about that girl. She's with the family. Think of it like an astral servant"

  "You love her"

  "I do... but She's been dead for like... five years. So, yeah what brings you here, First Sergeant?"

  I took out some telegram papers Miriam gave me through her lunchbox and put them on his desk. The boy then reached out to them with papers while screening them one by one. His brows are tense yet he doesn't show any signs that these yellow papers carry a somewhat news that could put anyone in danger. Airlangga returned his gaze to me after reading all of them.

  "Are we going to play by their game?" he asked.

  "I'd rather shoot myself. Question is how,"

  "More like who"

  I took a deep breath. It's unfair and cruel to entrust him during his first day of work. Technically I recruited him to conspire against a shadow inside the Secret Service. As if I had a choice, I'd be babysitting him if Haryono has no particular order anyway. As heavy as the burden on my back, this mask put a quite of weight on my facial muscles, so I decided to put it down somewhere. When I started to lift the wooden thing, Airlangga put on a serious face while staring at me. Weird, I thought he had seen it already at the sanctuary. Well I guess he was sedated but at some point, I was pretty sure that he's wide awake. This... stare makes me quite uncomfortable in the same way that excessive admiration could poison your brain and heart, twisting them around or just making you feel tired.

  "Stop it..." the lad broke his focus after I ordered him to do so.

  "Sorry, I was just curious about how Father and Professor Soedomo attached your mandible"

  "Why don't we discuss something far more important... ehm... such as your experience inside forbidden areas like today? I mean, I might as well start putting the pieces together before the mission starts," I reached for a cigarette from my pocket.

  "Man, you really grew up parentless-"

  "Fact," I cut his words while lighting up the tobacco with my fire.

  So what? It's not like my parents are going to rise from their graves just to stop me from smoking in someone else's house. I bet his dad also smokes handmade rolls that he got from someone he knew at the cigar factory. Which makes sense since he has to stay up late for his research about the plague and kinds of stuff, hence why the 'very' old look despite him not being that old in numbers. The same pattern can be shown on Airlangga's face. What is wrong with people nowadays, any Book certainly mentions that God created day and night as a guide for human activities, yet here they are abusing their free will. Like father like son, an apple does not fall far from its tree, whatever you call it. I know he rested like a deadman a few days ago but who knows that the eyebags are so severe that they went back in a matter of hours. I don't think it's genetic, or is it?

  "When was the last time you slept?"

  The boy inhaled deeply before he lay down on his bed.

  "When people say seeing the future is bliss, but where is the blessing if the future is dark"

  True, even when people say it's convenient the cost is just too big compared to the momentary benefits. The same theory also applies to the Apple, but it seems like People are willing to do anything and everything in desperate times.

  Just I wonder what kind of place will people like us reach in the afterlife...