The morning in Bandung felt unusually calm. Inside a small workshop on the upper floor of an old mall, activity filled every corner of the room. Kaivan, Zinnia, and Radit were immersed in a maze of cables and computer parts spread across the worktable. Thin wisps of smoke drifted from the soldering iron, carrying the scent of burnt metal and plastic, fusing with the quiet concentration shared between them. Words were scarce; only hand movements and brief glances kept the workflow alive.
In another corner, Frans, Isabel, and Felicia were dismantling old phones, searching for tiny flecks of gold hidden inside, a small project that never truly ended.
The door opened. Light footsteps followed. Raphael and Ethan arrived, their faces tired yet satisfied. Raphael carried a small box wrapped neatly, held with the careful reverence of someone bringing something precious.
"Kaivan," Raphael called, approaching the worktable. "This is the part you needed, right? I stopped by Jakarta to pick it up."
Kaivan looked up from the circuit board, relief washing over his expression. "Thank you. This component is crucial. That must've been a long trip."
Raphael simply shrugged with a soft smile. "It's fine. I'm curious to see how all this turns out."
Beside him, Ethan crossed his arms, eyes surveying the workshop. "How's the progress?"
Kaivan wiped his forehead. "The physical build is almost done. But the software… it's complicated. More than I expected."
A brief hush settled over the room once more, only the faint clinks of tools echoed between them. Isabel, still dismantling phones with Frans and Felicia, lifted her gaze. The Tome Omnicent lay open in her hands.
"According to the tome," she murmured, eyes tracing the page, "you can buy the software at BEC."
Kaivan paused, staring at the ancient book in her hands. A mix of awe and relief flickered across his eyes. "You're right. Building it from scratch would take too long. I'll buy it at BEC instead."
Slowly, he rose from his chair, movements steady, almost solemn. The tiny world inside the workshop seemed to acknowledge that a phase of the task had reached its end. He closed his laptop and pulled off his leather gloves. Small cuts and faint scratches lined his fingers, marks of sleepless nights and relentless tinkering.
His eyes drifted to the corner of the room. Felicia sat cross-legged on the floor, deftly disassembling an old phone. Her small screwdriver twirled lightly between her fingers. Her focus was absolute, brows slightly furrowed, lips pursed as she tugged at a fragile wire.
"Felicia," Kaivan called.
She looked up, pink eyes widening for a moment before a gentle smile bloomed across her face. She set the screwdriver aside, slipped off her gloves, and stood gracefully. Her long black hair swept down her back, catching the light like a quiet autumn silhouette, soft, understated, impossible to ignore.
"Ready," Felicia replied, short, steady, yet carrying a tenderness she only ever used with Kaivan.
Before moving, Kaivan turned toward the other side of the room. Frans was hunched over with his usual posture, eyes fixed on the dismantled phone before him. His fingers moved with swift precision, almost mechanical.
"Frans," Kaivan called, tone more casual, "pick up Thivi later, okay? She's probably bringing more old phones."
Frans nodded without looking away, expression unchanged, as if wired to a single purpose.
Near the door, Raphael stood with arms crossed, leaning casually. He stepped forward and gave Kaivan's shoulder a firm pat, a gesture full of quiet understanding.
"I'll handle the gold," he said lightly, though his eyes were certain. "Just focus on your device. I know you'll finish it faster than you think."
Kaivan responded with a small nod, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He opened his backpack and carefully placed the Tome Omnicent inside. As the tome disappeared into the bag, the air seemed to shift, heavier, deeper, as though something within it was alive and aware of its next destination.
As soon as they stepped outside, the cold Bandung morning brushed against their skin. The mountain air slipped through their jackets, carrying the scent of mist and wet asphalt. A thin veil of dew covered the streets, and the headlights of passing vehicles glimmered like stray stars in a grey sea.
Felicia drew a slow breath. She adjusted her hair and tucked it beneath her matte-black helmet, her movements simple, yet somehow graceful. Kaivan started his custom black motorcycle; its low, rumbling engine sounded like a creature of the night waking from slumber.
Felicia climbed onto the back seat. She leaned forward, her palms resting on Kaivan's shoulders before slowly sliding around his waist. The gesture came naturally, like clinging to the last solid thing in a world that kept shifting.
The motorcycle surged forward, cutting through Bandung's morning traffic. Honking horns, roaring engines, and the murmur of early conversations blended into a noisy rhythm. Yet amid all that, the two of them remained silent.
Felicia gazed at Kaivan's back. Her eyes were soft, yet heavy. Something unfinished lingered between them, an old promise abandoned somewhere along the flow of time.
Her hold tightened slightly, as if hoping he would hear her without a word. She remembered that night… when Kaivan promised to explain everything once all of this was over.
They finally arrived at BEC. The tall building stood firm, its glass surface reflecting the heavy clouds hanging over Bandung. Felicia dismounted first, her shoes meeting the damp asphalt with a soft tap. Her eyes swept across the parking lot, already filling with vehicles.
Kaivan parked with controlled ease. He removed his helmet and looked up at the building with a focused expression. Beside him, Felicia clutched her helmet tightly. A breeze brushed past, stirring strands of her hair around her face.
As they headed for the entrance, Felicia glanced at Kaivan from the corner of her eye. The way he adjusted the strap of his backpack, the tension in his shoulders as the wind hit him, everything hinted at a burden he still hadn't shared.