Raden pedaled the rented bicycle back home with mixed feelings. His body was sticky with sweat, dust, and oil from the iron graveyard in Cakung. His clothes were filthy, but his soul felt new and sharp.
The new power felt strange.
[Steel Skin (Level 1)] didn't make him immune, but he could feel a thin layer of Echo energy just beneath his epidermis. It was slightly itchy, as if he were wearing a thin wool shirt all over his body.
Several times, he intentionally grazed his arm against the rough alley walls. In the past, his skin would have been scraped. Now, it just felt like a dull friction.
[Lightning Reflex (Level 1)] was even more tangible. When a cat suddenly leaped from a pile of trash in front of him, Raden braked and slammed the bicycle handlebars in a split second, avoiding it by mere millimeters.
His heart didn't even have time to race. It was no longer a conscious reaction. It was instinct.
He arrived at his rented house just as the sun was about to set. The aroma of stir-fried green beans and fried tempeh wafted from the kitchen. Nila was home.
Raden parked the bike and entered quietly. His Silent Step had become a habit.
"Assalamualaikum," he said from the kitchen doorway.
"Waalaikumsa..." Nila dropped her wooden spoon. It clattered loudly on the floor. "Mas! Goodness! You scared me!"
Nila clutched her chest, slightly out of breath. "How long have you been standing there, Mas? Why didn't I hear you?"
Raden froze for a moment. "Uh... sorry, dear. Just arrived. You were probably focused on cooking."
Nila picked up the spoon, looking at her husband strangely. "No... I usually hear your footsteps. That's weird." She then sniffed. "Mas, what do you smell like? Like oil mixed with... rust?"
"Ah, yeah," Raden laughed awkwardly. "I was dismantling an old engine at the stall. Made a decent profit. I'll go take a shower first."
"Alright, the warm water is ready in the bathroom. Put your clothes outside, I'll soak them in hot water."
Raden nodded. As he walked past Nila, his wife touched his sleeve. "Mas, but... are you really okay?"
"I'm fine, darling. Why?"
"Your eyes... they look different. Sharper. It scares me a little."
Raden's heart sank. He forced a smile. "Maybe it's just iron dust in my eyes. Anyway, I'm showering now."
Under the cold shower, Raden stared at his reflection in the small, cracked mirror. Nila was right. His eyes were different. The tired, hopeless look was gone. In its place was a cold, intense focus.
"I have to be more careful," Raden muttered to himself. "This power could hurt her."
The Echoes of the Butcher General and the Ghost of Kemayoran were wild, aggressive echoes. Neither was suited for a peaceful home life. He had to learn to control them.
Dinner was peaceful. Nila happily reported that she had paid the rent for the next three months with the money Raden gave her. She also bought the best quality rice and some chicken.
"We don't have to eat tempeh every day anymore, Mas!" she said cheerfully.
Raden's heart felt warm. This was his goal. This was why he risked his soul in the iron graveyard earlier.
After dinner, they sat relaxing in front of their 14-inch tube TV with its static-filled picture. Nila leaned on Raden's shoulder while folding clothes. Raden, though tired, felt this was the most peaceful moment in his life.
A cheap local news program was on, discussing urban myths around Jakarta.
"And viewers," said the host in a deliberately spooky tone. "Our Mystic News team tonight will thoroughly investigate the mystery of the 'Van Hoorn Villa' in Puncak, which has once again failed to sell at auction..."
"Ugh, change it, Mas. It's creepy," said Nila, shuddering.
"Wait, dear. This looks interesting," said Raden.
The screen showed night-vision drone footage, revealing a large, magnificent Dutch colonial building, now dilapidated and swallowed by vines.
"This villa," the narrator's voice continued, "is known as one of the most haunted places in West Java. Built in 1850, this villa was the silent witness to the massacre of an entire family by robbers. Since then, no one has been able to last a single night there. Local residents often hear the sound of a piano playing and a woman crying."
The camera panned to a close-up of a large, intricately carved teak wood door. The door looked intact, a stark contrast to the rest of the ruined building.
"This is the main Gebyok of the villa," said the narrator. "Strangely, this is the most feared door. It is said that anyone who touches it will see their own death..."
As the camera zoomed in on the carving on the door, something happened in Raden's eyes.
His vision sharpened. The static on his TV screen vanished. It was as if he could see through the glass, directly to the villa's location.
DING! DING! DING!
The Echo System in his head blared an alarm, louder than when he encountered the Echo Scavenger Beast.
[Long-Range Energy Anomaly Detected!]
[Object: Teak Wood Gebyok (Year 1850).]
[Warning: High-Quality Negative Echo detected. Concentrated aura of sorrow, rage, and fear.]
[Analysis: Echo energy is so dense it is leaking through the television broadcast signal.]
[POTENTIAL: VERY HIGH.]
Raden leaned forward, his eyes glued to the screen. He no longer saw Nila, or his living room. He saw the door. And the door seemed to be... calling to him.
He could feel the pain trapped within that wood.
"Mas? Mas, what's wrong with you?" Nila shook Raden's arm. "Mas! You're so pale!"
Raden snapped back. He was back in the real world, panting for air. "Dear... that villa. Where did he say it was?"
"In Puncak, Mas. Why? That's enough, change it! It's scary!"
Nila snatched the remote and changed the channel to a dangdut soap opera.
But Raden was no longer paying attention. His mind was already racing.
The iron graveyard in Cakung gave him Medium-Grade Echoes from common workers and street racers.
But an old villa that witnessed a family massacre? That was a High-Grade Echo. That was the Echo of nobility. An Echo of suffering hundreds of years old.
What kind of power could he get from that?
"Mas," Nila called again, worried. "You're acting so weird tonight."
Raden turned, looked at his wife, and smiled. This time, his smile was full of confidence.
"Nila," he said. "I think, Mas is about to get another big payday."
He had to go to Puncak. He had to get that door.