Fatheema jogged casually along the quiet village road as the morning sun began to grow warmer.
Every now and then, motorcycles passed by along the road.
The fresh morning air filled her lungs, making her body feel even more refreshed.
From the distance, her house came into view.
It was a simple house with a modest design, partly roofed with metal sheets and partly with a concrete rooftop terrace. Behind the house was a staircase leading up to the rooftop. Across the road was a slope descending toward a small stream.
Several vegetable plants could be seen growing on the rooftop in planter bags and polybags.
As soon as she entered the yard, she saw her mother sweeping the front yard with a bundle broom made of sticks tied to a wooden handle while waiting for the washing machine running near the front-right corner of the house.
Fatheema stopped running when she reached the gate.
"Mom, I'm home! Do we have any cold water? I'm thirsty!" Fatheema shouted.
Her mother turned around and nodded slowly.
"Just get some from the refrigerator. There are also fried sweet potatoes on the table. You can eat them for breakfast. Your younger siblings already ate, only you haven't yet," her mother replied while continuing to sweep the yard.
"Okay, Mom. Thanks. I'm starving," the girl said before quickly entering the house.
A moment later, she returned to the front porch carrying a plate of fried sweet potatoes and a bottle of cold drink.
Sitting with her legs stretched out and leaning against the wall, she bit into the fried sweet potatoes her mother had made while casually playing with the gadget in her hand.
"My daughter, after you finish eating, help me split the bamboo behind the house. Your father is going to repair the poultry coop. It seems like the position needs to be changed so it won't get too hot. Also, so civets or monitor lizards can't easily get inside."
A few moments later—
"Mom, I'm done eating. Let's start now so we can finish quickly," Fatheema said as she stood up from her seat.
"All right, dear. Come with me," her mother replied while walking toward the backyard.
In the backyard, beside the poultry coop, lay piles of bamboo and long tree trunks that had clearly already been cut down and prepared earlier.
"Yesterday your father gathered these bamboo stalks and Banten tree trunks to make fencing for the coop. But he didn't have time to cut them into fence-sized pieces."
"Earlier he said they should just be cut to the size of the fence panels. Later, he'll arrange everything himself."
"Okay, Mom, don't worry. If I handle it, it'll definitely get done!" the girl said while raising her right thumb and flashing a wide smile at her mother.
"You just wait in the living room, Mom. I'll cut the wood and bamboo myself."
She grabbed a saw and measuring tape before beginning to measure and cut the wood.
"For the outer fence, one meter. For the coop fence, sixty centimeters. All right, let's measure them first," the girl muttered while moving the saw back and forth.
Without realizing how much time had passed, the sun had already climbed high into the sky.
Fatheema's mother sat on the back porch peeling papaya and cutting vegetables. It was already time to prepare lunch.
"Your father sure has been gone a long time with the village volunteers. He still hasn't contacted home," her mother complained while chopping vegetables.
"Just try calling him again, Mom. If you still can't reach him, maybe he's busy or the signal there is weak," Fatheema responded while standing and stretching, both hands resting on her hips.
"I already tried, but the operator said the number is out of coverage," her mother answered.
"Your father didn't bring any food earlier, and he didn't even have breakfast. I'm getting worried."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm sure the village team is providing food. Dad will probably be able to eat there."
"The search location is in the Alas Purwo forest, right Mom?" Fatheema asked, trying to reassure her.
Her mother slowly nodded before continuing to peel the root vegetables.
Suddenly—
Fatheema, who was sawing through a tree trunk, felt a cool wind blowing around her.
Both of her eyes glowed purple, while her irises turned into a deep dark red.
Her vision distorted.
Then it changed, revealing the image of a massive black creature as tall as a house, muscular and terrifying, with blazing red eyes. White smoke poured from its nostrils, and it wore a red crown adorned with black gemstones, with burning flames blazing above it.
It was the same black creature she had seen in previous visions.
The creature stood in a dense forest before a giant banyan tree.
The creature growled in a deep voice.
The vision distorted again.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground. People screamed in terror. Even several scout children were there—her school friends were among them!
Anik, Andi, and Odah!
Her vision shifted once more into a dark prison with black iron bars, filled with people lying collapsed on the floor. It was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead.
Among the bodies, one looked familiar.
A tall, thin man with a faint black beard and a green knitted cap—
Her father, Mr. Ahmada!
Then—a black hole appeared in the sky.
Everything turned dark.
And—her vision ended.
Her sight returned to normal.
"No!!! Dad… my friends… what is happening?! What kind of demon is this now?!" Fatheema gasped in shock. The vision she had just seen was horrifying.
Without wasting another second, she threw the saw in her hand onto the ground and ran toward her mother.
"Mom! Mom! So-something… bad… h-happened!" she shouted stammering in panic.
Hearing her daughter scream, her mother immediately stood up and rushed outside.
"What is it, dear?!"
"Mom! Where exactly did Dad go?!"
"Did he really go to the Alas Purwo forest?!" the girl nearly shouted.
"H-he did, dear! W-what's wrong?" her mother answered in shock.
"Something happened. Something terrible!"
"Dad and the others… I think they're in danger. I saw a vision," the girl said fearfully.
"What did you see, dear? Did you have another nightmare?"
"I saw a terrifying black creature capturing Dad, my friends, and the villagers."
"Mom, I have to go find them in Alas Purwo. Quickly get help if you can't contact me or if I don't return by tonight!"
"But what if it's only another nightmare, dear? It doesn't necessarily mean something really happened," her mother said anxiously.
"This is different, Mom. Just like before… the dreams become real," Fatheema answered.
Without waiting, she sprinted toward the Alas Purwo forest.
Within seconds, the girl disappeared from her mother's sight.
She ran swiftly, occasionally leaping across rocks and small hills. Instead of following the footpath leading to the forest, she cut straight through the trees toward Alas Purwo.
Meanwhile, her mother stood frozen in place, shocked and confused, unsure of what to do.
Within minutes, Fatheema had already run far away.
"My visions… those nightmares about that terrifying black creature… this is really bad."
"Is that thing threatening Dad and the people in the forest? Why can't anyone contact them?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. I'll run faster using Nirvanic Wind Sprinter."
Fatheema thought, then began chanting her mantra.
And—
***