Collapsed

The story ended here first, because I had to go to work. This time I have to go check the progress of the construction of Ace's café. If I don't go, I'm afraid Ace will know that I haven't been there since I met Victor. I admit, the story is very interesting. There is stealth in this city. 

I think it could be the title of a mystery novel. I'm really interested in making it. I've made a transcript of Victor's story so far. I'll tidy up and add a dramatic plot to it.

Wow, I got excited after a long time. Routine makes me a writing pattern that I have to work with. As a fresh graduate, at that time I was excited, because I was in the stage of learning a new pattern of life. But now, after five years of experience in SEO writing, I have memorized the pattern. Then, I started to get bored. I've been feeling that since a while ago. 

I wanted to resign as one of the contributors, but I was quite self-conscious that I shouldn't have done that. I still need a job that promises monthly income, so I stay here, so I can pay my electricity bills, boarding, and also... to support my family's living expenses. I don't know how long I will be like this. I don't know the exact answer. I don't even know the difference between fighting for my dreams and fighting for my breath tomorrow. 

I've almost forgotten my dream. I wrote fiction not even because of the ambition to become a literary expert, but it had turned into an effort to feel the dynamics because of the monotonous pattern of writing for hard news and soft news, I needed something more flexible and flowing, writing that allowed me to express emotions, so I started writing fiction again. Is this just a place of escape?

I don't know either. As a reader, you probably understand my problems better than myself. 

However, when I heard Victor's story, I felt that passion again, a passion I felt when I was still studying as a literature student. 

There was a time when I desperately wanted to create a story that was evocative, mysterious, and had something that no one else could find in other novels. Something that makes me as a writer flutter, and I hope readers will be pounding too. Therefore, I am determined to expand Victor's story into a mystery story in the future. 

But for now I have to focus first on work. I will modify Victor's story slowly when my work is done. I hope I can make time for it. 

I have arrived at the land where the Ace café was built. I can already see the foundation. I sent a message to Ace. He replied with a happy emoticon and said he was on the way to the airport. It is likely that he will arrive in Yogyakarta in two days, because when he arrives at Jakarta's Soekarno Hatta Airport, he will stop by his parents' house first. 

I didn't want to ask what he was going to do in that house. Ace always said his house was big, like a castle, but it had an aura that was uncomfortable for ordinary humans. Ace himself said he didn't feel comfortable living there. His grandfather got the house from his parents and now the house is inherited by his grandfather to Ace. Ace himself was confused why the house was not given to his parents. Currently, his parents have moved to Canada. 

I've told you, Ace got a lot of inheritance from his family. His grandfather donated most of his property to Ace, making his extended family jealous. However, when Ace would hand over some of it to them, they refused and said, "We are not caretakers like you. We won't be able to handle the inheritance that grandpa gave you."

When Ace told me that, my forehead squashed. What do these Ace brothers mean? They seemed to be making fun of Ace. 

Ace laughed as I pouted and was annoyed at his extended family's treatment of him. Indeed, they are typical Javanese aristocrats who often fight for thrones, treasures, and inheritance. 

Ace thanked me for sympathizing with him. It also makes me feel weird. At that time, I jokingly asked, "Is your grandfather related to the phantom who can give you your wealth? And that phantom may reside in the land handed down to you! What a big strange family you are." 

I was surprised when Ace responded to my question with a sad face. I almost choked on my drink because I didn't feel good. 

"Is that true?" 

I have often heard that in Java there is something called a phantom, a creature that can be cooperated with by humans to realize human dreams. In return, people will give sacrifices to them because they have given wealth to people. I thought it was a fictional story, a folktale of the horror genre of its time and it was getting more enduring because it was liked by its audience. In ancient times, fictional stories were told orally, so there is no record of who the author was. This oral story was intended to entertain the public, but over time it became something that most people believed.When Ace confessed like that, I froze. "You're kidding me, aren't you?"

I'm confused. Whether Ace is joking or is serious, because his face is sad and serious. I don't know what the meaning behind that expression is. Does phantom really exist? 

"My family is related to the snake phantom and since I inherited the treasure, I should also start connecting with it," Ace said, looking into my eyes fiercely.

At that moment I laughed at his explanation with that sharp, cold gaze. "Bravo! Excellent! You win! You made me scared! Damn it!" 

He laughed along. 

To be honest, I was really scared. Seeing the look in his eyes that turned cold, Ace looked like a different person. 

Now, after hearing Victor's story, my brain began to think that phantom really existed. They don't live in the shadows I think they are, but rather they are among us. They live comfortably, some of them even have important positions, play an important role in the wheels of the world economy and politics, some also have children so that there is half a phantom. The question is, what is their purpose? To make a peaceful life between human and phantom nations or, secretly they want to rule this entire world, make this world their own? 

My imagination becomes more and more creative every time I think about it. At first, I didn't want to believe it, but the land where the Ace café was built also gave me another fact. The workers were crushed when the ground suddenly fell down, creating a hole with a diameter of one meter. We heard a bang. Everyone stopped working. There were no casualties. 

Despite our fear, we peered at the ground that fell to the bottom. We saw a hole with a whirlwind down there. We don't know what the depth is. The construction foreman reported the incident to firefighters for them to check. 

I thought there was no poisonous gas coming out of the hole. Because we can breathe comfortably. It's just that, I saw that there was a light rising upwards. People can't seem to see that. The colorful light of mixed purple, white, pink, and red appeared only on the glass wall. I was fascinated by the flash of light that was there, like lightning. What is it?

After the firefighters came, there was another team coming. They call themselves Mantis. A woman approached me and introduced herself as JoydaG. That's when I was stunned, silently speechless, "JoydaG is the Mantis member Victor told me about before. In that case, they really exist?"

JoydaG looked at me. 

"You seem to be able to see that vortex of light?" her eyes scanned me.

I couldn't answer immediately. My consciousness was disturbed. Long enough for me to gather the facts together. 

"Your eyes will come in handy, come with me," JoydaG said. 

I followed her without many words. Shouldn't I report this incident to Ace? But I couldn't move my hand to type a message. 

"So..." I wanted to tell JoydaG that I wanted to call Ace, but my tongue and voice wouldn't come out. As I continued to follow JoydaG, we stood closer and closer to the colorful tomb. 

"This is called the dimensional door. Welcome to the world of demons," JoydaG said near my ear. She was taller than me, so she had to bend down slightly in order to whisper those words in my ear. Instantly I got goosebumps. After that, I don't remember what happened. My head was so dizzy and I fell unconscious. Collapsed.