Instead of explaining, Kaivan handed the Tome to Ethan, who instinctively pointed his phone camera at the page, a method they'd gotten used to. On the screen appeared the ID card of a young girl with dark hair. Her face was calm and innocent, yet held an inexplicable depth.
Radit peered over Ethan's shoulder. "She's young… probably younger than us."
Their steps led them to a small café at the end of the street. Its brick walls were warm red, large windows glowing with soft light, and the gentle aroma of coffee drifted out to greet them.
They entered quietly. Kaivan swept his gaze across the room, Raphael stayed alert behind him, Ethan brushed his hair back in a feigned attempt to look relaxed, and Radit scanned the area without drawing attention.
They chose a corner table, a small, round one just big enough for four. Kaivan sat with his back to the wall, Raphael on his right with a hand in his pocket, Ethan on the left leaning back while scrolling his phone, and Radit facing the door with his legs crossed.
Ethan's watch read 13:21. He tapped the table lightly before lifting his gaze. "Weren't we supposed to meet her around this time? Where's the girl in the hijab?"
Kaivan set down his glass, a subtle crease forming on his brow. "Yeah… she should've been here by now," he murmured, scanning the room again. "But there's no sign of her."
Their eyes met. A quiet tension settled over the table; even the scrape of chairs from other customers sounded sharper.
Radit, leaning his chin on his hand, picked up a french fry and tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe the Omnicent Tome's busted. Gave us the wrong info," he joked, though his eyes stayed sharp.
Kaivan reacted immediately. He pulled the Tome from his sling bag. It flipped open on its own, the pages blank but glowing faintly. "No way it's broken," he whispered, pressing his palm to the page.
Soft words began to emerge, glowing like fading starlight:
"In front of you, near the window. She is sitting."
They turned at once.
At the farthest table, a girl with caramel-brown hair sat alone, gazing out the window with a quiet, distant look. The warm afternoon light brushed her features, tracing a gentle outline along her cheeks. She looked like someone who carried entire seasons behind her silence, like autumn holding back its rain.
Her face resembled the one in the Omnicent Tome, yet something about her felt different. Her eyes were sharper now, holding a firmness that never appeared in her profile. She no longer looked like a gentle girl frozen in memory, but someone who had walked through a storm and chosen to remain standing.
Raphael, sitting at the end of another table, unlocked his phone and frowned at the screen. His thumb hovered above the old photo of the girl.
"No way that's her…?" he muttered to Kaivan, his gaze never leaving the figure by the window.
Kaivan didn't answer right away. He observed the girl in silence, weighing something behind his eyes. The girl in the photo had looked younger, softer, almost naïve. But the one sitting there now… carried a quiet tension, something unspoken.
As if the world had forced her to learn vigilance.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, stealing a quick glance before whispering lightly, trying to ease the tension. "Maybe she dyed her hair?" he murmured with a faint grin.
Radit, who had been observing quietly, nodded. "You might be right. Maybe she colored it, then tied it up like that. Look, it actually matches if you stare long enough."
All their eyes shifted to the girl again. She was still gazing at the sky outside, the shadows of swaying trees reflected on the window. It made her expression look as though she was standing between two worlds: the person they once knew, and the one she had become.
A tall man in a leather jacket walked in with relaxed confidence. He approached the girl, pulled a chair, and sat beside her. His voice was low, almost swallowed by the noise of the cafe. "Been waiting long? Come with me."
The girl turned to him and nodded softly. She rose to her feet without haste, but there was a clear sense of purpose in the way she moved. For a moment, her pastel hoodie and gentle expression shifted into a sharper silhouette, someone who shouldn't be underestimated.
Tension thickened in the air.
Raphael pocketed his phone, his expression tightening. Ethan, who had reached for his e-cigarette, stopped midway. Radit set down his fries and pushed himself up quickly.
None of them spoke. They simply understood, then moved.
They slipped out of the cafe and blended into the noise outside. The air felt warmer. Car horns and rushing footsteps merged into a dull backdrop. Their eyes stayed fixed on the girl and the man as they crossed the road toward an old, faded building.
A worn-out sign hung above its entrance: "HOTEL MELATI."
They stopped across the street, sheltered behind a parked truck.
Radit leaned toward Kaivan, whispering, "Kaivan, what if that guy is her boyfriend? Why are we even following them?" His tone carried uncertainty.
Kaivan didn't answer right away. He drew out the Tome Omnicent. The book trembled in his hands, pages fluttering on their own. Then, faint golden letters slowly appeared:
"After she enters the hotel, drive the man away. Help Livia."
Kaivan's gaze sharpened. He closed the tome carefully, then spoke in a low, weighty voice, as if marking the beginning of something they could no longer turn away from:
"According to the Tome Omnicent, we wait until he comes out, then we move."