Chapter 20: Mission Unboud Qorins Start
Once the village head handed over the tools—Ardian wasted no time. He squatted on the floor, his hands moving with the precision of someone who'd spent years in the art of ritual magic. The tools were simple, but to Ardian, each item was an essential brushstroke in the canvas of his supernatural investigation.
Drawing several large sigils, he created intricate, overlapping circles and lines on the floor. His chalk moved swiftly but deliberately, and the patterns he left behind hummed with ancient intent.
The Village Head, watching from the sidelines, leaned forward, squinting at the markings.
"Ustadz, that kinda looks like Arabic, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice low but curious.
Pak Ustadz, too, leaned in for a better look. "Looks similar, but it's not Arabic I recognize. This…" He pressed his lips together. "This feels like cousin of Arabic language."
Rendy, standing just behind the village head, let out a quiet hiss. "Ssshh! Keep it down. You mess with his focus, we will get yelled at. And trust me, you don't want to see my boss angry."
The older men nodded, staying silent as Ardian worked his sigil.
With precision, Ardian completed four identical sigils, each one forming a perfect circle with ancient symbols etched inside. There was a rhythm to the way he worked—a tempo only he seemed to understand. Then, with a deep breath, he began drawing a different sigil, one with a large dot in the center, surrounded by four sharp arrows pointing in each direction. His hand hovered over it for a moment, then with a final flourish, he completed the symbol.
"They're meant to unravel," Ardian muttered, his voice focused and low. "We're not just breaking a seal; we're retrieving what's been taken."
After placing the four smaller sigils beside the four unconscious young men, Ardian carefully set a glass of clear water on each of their chests. He stood up, glancing at Rendy.
"Ren, I need to borrow your vision. This sigil's for tracking their Qorins. If my guess is right, they're being held by spirits out there."
Rendy nodded, sitting cross-legged in front of the four youths. Ardian followed suit, sitting behind him, and placed his palm gently on Rendy's back, the sigil pressed firmly against his skin. Both closed their eyes.
The air grew heavy as Ardian's shadow seemed to stretch and twist, pulling the darkness into shape. Four small ethereal rats—the size of field mice—scurried out of the shadows and into the night, vanishing as swiftly as they had appeared.
Through Rendy's eyes, Ardian could see the rats darting across the forest, their tiny forms moving like wisps of smoke. Their vision was sharp and unencumbered by the dark, and they passed through the night with ease. Their ethereal eyes—linked directly to Ardian's—allowed him to see the supernatural world in vivid detail. It was as if he were watching surveillance cameras flicker through a dozen different locations simultaneously.
The rats darted in every direction. Ardian's thoughts were steady, focused.
"Gotcha," he muttered under his breath.
Through the rats' eyes, Ardian discovered the locations where the young men's Qorins were bound. Four places, each guarded by something dark and formidable:
A towering mahogany tree at the western edge of the village, its twisted roots gnarled around other trees.
A massive white boulder in the east, perched above a meandering river with thick grass growing in patches.
A large black rock in the north, slick with moss, where the roots of a young teak tree curled around it.
A vast banyan tree in the south, its roots dangling like thick ropes, brushing the ground.
Each of these locations was marked by the presence of tall, shadowy figures—dark-skinned and imposing, their claws long and sharp, keeping guard over the trapped Qorins.
Just as Ardian began to plot the next steps—
BOOM! CRASH!
The glasses of water exploded in unison. Shards of glass flew in all directions, and the water splashed across the floor with force, the ritual disrupted in an instant.
Rendy and Ardian snapped their eyes open simultaneously. The connection was severed.
"What's going on!?" the village head shouted, his panic clear. The families that had been reading holy verses fell silent, unsure of what was happening.
"Don't stop! Keep reading!" Rendy barked, rushing toward the door with urgency in his voice.
Ustadz, his hands trembling, continued chanting as best as he could. Ardian gripped his head in pain—his concentration shattered.
Rendy, returning to Ardian's side a few moments later, offered a glance of concern.
"You okay?" Rendy asked, his voice softening.
"Damn. My spirit rats were killed," Ardian muttered, standing up slowly. "But… the locations are locked in. We've got to move quickly."
They were about to leave when a familiar voice echoed from above, dripping with playful mischief.
"Heeheehee, where ya going, Handsome? In a hurry, huh? Forgetting us already?"
"Oh, Big Bro Ardi! If there's a party, invite us! Let's make it a blast," came the second voice, equally teasing.
Ardian looked up, his expression deadpan. There, lounging casually on the roof, were the usual troublemakers—Kinarsih, Ucil, and Mr. Poci—dangling their legs over the edge. The rest of the spirits had vanished into the night.
With a heavy sigh, Ardian pointed upward, his voice tired but authoritative. "Kinarsih, Ucil, guard this place. If anyone causes trouble, show them how we deal with it. Mr. Poci, you're coming with me. You've got nothing better to do, right?"
Om Poci groaned loudly. "Great. Me again… doing all the work for no pay. Wait a minute—this isn't even slave labor. At least slaves get paid. They just… get their wages taken by corrupt overseers."
"Careful, sir," Rendy warned. "You never know when a meatball-selling pocong with a walkie-talkie might hear you and go boom. Shot your head when you starts complain about government."
Mr. Poci paled. "I swear, I'd die again if that happened!"
Ucil rolled his eyes. "Man, Big Bro Ardi picked him again. Lame."
"Heehee, don't be so hard on him, Cil," Kinarsih chimed in with a wicked grin. "If he needs us, we'll come running."
Mr. Poci leapt down from the roof but immediately slipped and landed headfirst into the dirt.
"Damn! My head!" he yelped, his voice high-pitched like a child.
Ardian sighed deeply, walking over to him and grabbing the cloth tied around Mr. Poci's head. "Get up. If this comes off, you'll be naked. And you didn't bring spare clothes, did you?"
"Bro! Let go! I'll be naked! Not my problem that I didn't pack extra clothes!"
"I don't care," Ardian said flatly, dragging him along.
"Please, someone! Save me from this savage human!" Mr. Poci wailed dramatically.
The scene was enough to have Kinarsih, Ucil, and Rendy doubled over with laughter. Even Ustadz and the village head, still stunned, exchanged glances, unable to suppress their amazement at how casually Ardian handled the spirits.
Minutes later, the trio—Ardian, Rendy, and Mr. Poci—were trekking through the dense pine forest, the sounds of the village growing distant.
"We need to free their Qorins," Ardian said, his voice serious, his focus unwavering. "But keep in mind, each of these locations is guarded. This isn't going to be easy."
"But there's only three of us," Rendy pointed out. "We need four to tackle this."
Ardian smiled slightly. "Already thought of that."
His shadow began to shift again, stretching unnaturally. The ground seemed to ripple as thousands of rats poured from the darkness, surging to the locations where the Qorins were held. The swarm split into three distinct groups, quickly forming into large humanoid rat creatures. They were monstrous, man-sized, with long claws, sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes.
Mr. Poci recoiled slightly. "Ugh… gross! You're not going to let them eat me again, right?"
Ardian gave him a wry grin. "Wolves are for speed and mobility. These guys? They're for brute force."
Om Poci's voice squeaked from behind. "Yeah, well, don't forget how these guys nearly ate me last time."
Rendy raised an eyebrow, unsure. "Are you designing a character for a game?"
"Imagination is the key to transformation," Ardian replied, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "Our spirit metamorphosis techniques relies on it, but it takes a lot of energy."
"Right, right," Rendy muttered, still trying to process what was happening.
The group quickly formulated a plan:
Rendy would head north.
Ardian would go south.
The giant rats would take the western route.
Mr. Poci would go east.
Each would be guided by a small rat as a compass.
"Remember," Ardian said, his voice heavy with urgency, "you'll face opposition. Many spirits won't like what we're doing here."
Rendy nodded firmly. They all understood the risks. The spirit world wasn't a neutral place—it had its own laws, and many of them didn't take kindly to outsiders meddling.
Ardian stood tall, locking eyes with each of them, his tone serious yet encouraging.
"And that's why…" He paused, a smirk tugging at his lips. "...you have my permission to go wild."
The others grinned. Rendy cracked his knuckles. Mr. Poci puffed up his chest.
"Let's light it up, Boss!" Rendy shouted, his enthusiasm rising.
"Let's make this a bang!" Om Poci added, clearly excited despite himself.
Ardian raised his hand, his voice cutting through the air. "Let's go!"
And with that, they charged off into the darkness, each ready to face the unknown dangers that awaited them.