Title: RWA BHINEDA ─ Beneath My Skin, She Lives
Story by Nor Liyana Safitri
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This story is purely a product of the author's imagination. Any similarities in character names, settings, or tragic fates are entirely coincidental! Thank you for reading wisely.
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***
On one of the highest points of the building, a creature stood staggering. Its body resembled that of a human, yet its form was far from normal.
The demon's skin was peeling in various places, hanging like rotten flesh that was nearly detached from the bone. Its face was covered in cracks resembling dry earth, while thick yellow fluid continuously dripped from the gaps of its open wounds.
The demon let out a low growl, sending an aura of terror into the night air. However, just as its voice echoed, a crescent-shaped arc of wind suddenly shot through the darkness.
Sensing danger, the demon was startled and immediately threw itself to the side. The wind attack passed only a few inches from its head before crashing into the building's barrier wall behind it, shattering it into pieces.
Across the rooftop, a girl in a black cloak clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Ah, I missed."
Her fingers tightened around the scarf wrapped from her arms to her wrists beneath her cloak. The fabric looked ordinary, but whenever the night wind blew, its ends moved on their own as if they were alive.
The girl raised her hand again, preparing another attack. "Stay still for a second, okay? I'll definitely hit you this time."
However, before her attack could launch again, a firm voice interrupted from behind. "Candrani!"
Candrani immediately stopped her movement with irritation.
On the other side of the rooftop, another girl wearing a similar cloak stood in a lowered stance, ready to charge at any moment. Although most of her face was hidden beneath her hood, her sharp gaze remained locked onto the demon's movements. "You're too close," the girl continued coldly without taking her eyes off the target.
Candrani let out a long sigh, her shoulders drooping. "Yeah, yeah. You're so fussy."
Kalantaka paid no attention to her friend's grumbling. She flicked her fingers through the air in a random motion before suddenly stopping. Her hand clenched tightly, as though gripping something invisible.
The demon frowned in confusion. A moment later, the sound of a faint slice could be heard. Its cheek was cut, leaving behind a line of yellow blood that slowly trickled from the thin wound.
The creature froze instantly. It did not understand what had just happened. Nothing had touched it, no weapon had flown toward it, and there had been no sign of an attack. There was only an ordinary breeze.
Slowly, the clouds covering the sky shifted, allowing silvery moonlight to illuminate the rooftop. That was when something horrifying became visible.
A glimmer so thin that it resembled strands of glass. There were no longer dozens of them, but hundreds. Those deadly threads had already surrounded the demon's body from every direction, trapping it inside an invisible web.
The demon's eyes widened in panic. In another corner, Candrani smiled in satisfaction. "There we go. Take that."
Kalantaka raised both hands high before slamming her palms together with a firm motion.
At that very instant, all of the shimmering threads tightened and moved simultaneously.
A horrifying scream immediately shattered the silence of the night as the demon's body was filled with massive cuts. Yellow blood sprayed in every direction. Without mercy, the threads continued to constrict, tearing through flesh, bones, and muscles within seconds.
The demon's body was destroyed, sliced into dozens of pieces that scattered across the concrete rooftop.
Plak. Plak. Plak.
Silence returned, leaving behind only the gruesome remains. Candrani immediately jumped in excitement while clapping her hands. "Yes! We did it!"
However, before her fifth clap landed, Kalantaka suddenly raised a hand. "Wait."
Candrani instantly froze. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Kalantaka did not answer. Her eyes narrowed sharply toward the pile of flesh before them. "That was too easy."
Before Candrani could tilt her head in confusion, the chunks of flesh on the rooftop suddenly began to move. The scattered yellow blood started crawling in the opposite direction, gathering and merging together as though it possessed a life of its own.
A severed hand moved closer, followed by a pair of crawling legs. Even the detached head began sliding back toward its neck.
Candrani immediately made a disgusted face. "Ugh... that's disgusting!"
"Its regeneration rate is high, just as I expected," Kalantaka said as she resumed her battle stance.
The demon's body continued to reassemble rapidly. Just a little more. Right as its head was about to lock back into place, Kalantaka shouted loudly, "NOW!"
A shadow shot forward from behind them, causing the black cloak to billow violently in the wind. A gleaming sword suddenly appeared in the figure's grasp.
With a single large step, the young man was already in front of the demon. In one precise swing, the blade pierced straight through the creature's head.
The demon's eyes widened completely before its entire body froze. Then, it slowly crumbled into reddish fragments of light that vanished into the night wind.
Silence once again settled over the rooftop. The young man withdrew his weapon, which transformed into particles of light before disappearing from his palm.
Wiraatmaja stood firmly in the center, flanked by Kalantaka on his left and Candrani on his right. The three demon hunters stood proudly beneath the moonlight. Their black cloaks, adorned with silver ancient batik vine patterns, reflected a faint and elegant glow.
The night breeze caused their cloaks to flutter, creating an atmosphere that was majestic, heroic, and undeniably cool.
However, the cool moment did not last long.
"OH MY GOD, IT'S SO HOT!" Candrani suddenly threw back her hood, destroying the entire aesthetic of their pose in an instant.
She frantically fanned the neck of her cloak. "Seriously, who designed such a thick cloak?! It's like we're being sent to the South Pole or something!"
Kalantaka could only close her eyes in embarrassment, while Wiraatmaja chose to stare straight ahead, pretending not to hear anything.
"I'm sweating like crazy, I swear," Candrani complained again while continuing to fan herself. "If I end up fainting later, please write this on my tombstone: the hero fell in battle due to overheating."
Her two companions remained silent. Feeling ignored, Candrani turned toward them irritably. "Why are you two just standing there? Say something! Seriously, I feel like I'm talking to a pair of utility poles."
Kalantaka took a long breath to suppress her irritation, while Wiraatmaja rubbed his throbbing temple. But at that very moment, a deep and authoritative voice came from behind them.
"Candrani."
Instantly, all three froze. They knew that voice very well.
Slowly, the three of them turned around. There stood a figure in a black cloak whose body was far taller and sturdier.
His cloak was decorated with luxurious ancient motifs of silver-gold. His aura was calm yet filled with pressure, as though his mere presence was enough to make the atmosphere around them several times heavier.
The three young demon hunters' eyes widened completely. Without any command, they simultaneously dropped to one knee in respect.
"Elder," they said in unison.
The figure nodded slightly, looking at them kindly. "There's no need to be so formal."
Thinking the situation was safe, Candrani immediately started lifting her head. "Understood, Elder."
"That is still formal," the Elder calmly interrupted.
"...Sorry, Elder," Candrani squeaked once more. Kalantaka, exasperated, immediately elbowed the girl's arm hard, while Wiraatmaja simply lowered his head even further to avoid trouble.
The Elder let out a soft sigh at the behavior of his juniors before his gaze suddenly turned extremely serious. "I have come with new orders from headquarters."
The atmosphere on the rooftop instantly changed. Candrani stopped joking around, Kalantaka's expression became alert, and Wiraatmaja slowly raised his head to listen.
The Elder looked at each of them in turn with a deep gaze. "The three of you must depart at dawn. This mission is outside our regular surveillance territory because reports have just come in regarding unusual demonic activity there."
The night wind blew once again, gently stirring the edges of their cloaks.
"This mission... will be the greatest test you have ever faced."
********
The morning sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, reflecting softly across the floor of the modest room. Sia stepped out with a towel draped over her shoulder. Her hair was still messy, and her face looked half-asleep as she walked toward the back of the house.
The sound of a frying pan clanging against a spatula could be clearly heard from behind the kitchen door, carrying with it the savory aroma of sautéed onions and eggs that spread throughout the room. Sia paused briefly at the doorway. Her eyes fell upon her mother's figure, busy cooking with her back turned toward her.
"..."
No greeting left her lips. Sia only stared at that familiar back for a moment before turning away and heading toward the bathroom once more.
Yana, her mother, paused in her movements. The spatula in her hand lingered in the air for a second. She glanced over her shoulder, watching her daughter's silhouette disappear behind the tightly closed bathroom door. The corner of her lips lifted into a faint, sorrowful smile before she returned to her work at the stove.
*
After finishing her preparations, Sia stepped out of her room again. Her hair was neatly combed now, and her new uniform still looked stiff, not yet accustomed to resting against her body. She walked into the kitchen, where the dining table had already been neatly arranged with a plate of rice, a fried egg, vegetables, and a packed lunch wrapped in wax paper.
However, something unusual caught her attention. A small folded note had been placed on the table, right beside her lunch. Sia picked it up and unfolded it with a lazy motion.
Her mother's handwriting was clearly written on it:
"Sorry, Sia. I have to leave earlier today, so I can't take you to your new school. You know the way, right? I've left your transportation money on top of your lunch. Good luck."
Sia let out a short sigh. Her eyes shifted toward the lunch package and found a neatly folded bill resting on top of it.
"...Know the way on my own, huh," she muttered softly, sounding almost like a bitter complaint.
Her hand crumpled the note into a small ball before tossing it into the trash bin in the corner of the kitchen without a trace of expression. Then she sat down, pulled out a chair with a slight screech, and began eating alone.
The clinking of her spoon against the plate sounded unusually loud within the silent room.
After finishing her meal, Sia placed the spoon on the plate and stood up without a word. She grabbed her school bag from the back of the chair and stared at the kitchen for a moment. The place felt empty, leaving behind only the fading scent of breakfast slowly evaporating into the air.
"I'm leaving," she murmured quietly, even though she knew there was no one there to hear her.
She stepped outside. The morning air felt cool and damp after the rain that had fallen the night before.
The asphalt road was still wet, and small puddles shimmered golden beneath the reflection of the sunlight. Sia walked steadily toward the bus stop, her shoes making soft splashing sounds as she stepped through the puddles.
The bus stop was not crowded. There was only one other person sitting there. A young man sat quietly at the end of the wooden bench, holding a black umbrella tightly as though it were a walking cane. The hood of his hoodie was pulled low, concealing part of his face, while his head remained lowered. A black backpack hung from one of his shoulders.
Sia glanced at him briefly before looking away. She chose a seat on the opposite side of the bench, deliberately leaving a considerable distance between them. The sound of passing vehicles drifted through the street, accompanied by the morning breeze that still carried the lingering scent of rain.
Then, a car sped past.
Splash!
Water from a roadside puddle suddenly burst upward, heading straight toward where they were sitting. Sia instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and raised her arm in front of her face, bracing herself for the cold splash that would soak her face and new uniform.
Yet the cold never came.
She slowly opened her eyes. In front of her, a black umbrella had already been opened wide, blocking the entire wave of water that should have drenched her.
Startled, Sia turned her head and immediately realized that the stranger's face was now incredibly close to hers. Close enough for her to clearly see his pair of bright blue eyes, clear and mysteriously shimmering.
A gentle smile rested on the young man's lips. But it was not the kind of friendly smile one would normally receive from a stranger. It was a faint smile that seemed to conceal a great secret.
"The water didn't get a chance to touch you," he said softly. His voice sounded warm, yet there was an undertone in it that, for some reason, made Sia hold her breath.
The young man gazed directly into her eyes, then tilted his head slightly in a slow motion. "It's a beautiful morning, isn't it? But it would be even more beautiful if you weren't daydreaming all by yourself like that, darling."
Sia froze instantly. The last word rolled off his tongue so naturally, as though they were lovers who had known each other for years. Growing uncomfortable, Sia quickly straightened her posture and shifted farther away, directing her attention firmly toward the road.
"I... don't know you."
The young man chuckled softly before closing his black umbrella with a smooth and elegant motion. "Not yet. But we can fix that, can't we?"
Sia chose to remain silent, yet she could not deny that her heart had suddenly begun beating a little faster for no clear reason.
Not long afterward, a bus approached with the heavy, noisy rumble of its engine. Sia immediately stood up and hurried aboard without looking back again. However, as the bus began moving down the road, curiosity compelled her to glance out the window.
The blue-eyed young man was still sitting calmly at the bus stop, staring directly at the bus as it slowly drove away. The mysterious smile on his face had yet to disappear. He looked remarkably calm.
The bus continued moving faster and farther away, leaving the bus stop behind until it gradually shrank into the distance and vanished from Sia's sight.