Slowly, her vision shifted into a vast white space.
A distortion rippled through the air, and before her appeared a place filled with towering, dense trees.
Massive trunks stretched high into the sky, their enormous roots buried deep in the earth. Vines hung from the canopy above, revealing the place to be a wild and untamed jungle.
It was a thick and terrifying forest.
Within that vision stood one tree larger and taller than all the others.
Beneath it lay several human bodies sprawled across the ground, motionless.
Lifeless corpses.
Suddenly, the scene distorted again.
And there—sitting atop the pile of bodies—was a gigantic, muscular creature with glossy pitch-black skin. It wore black pants reaching its knees and no shirt at all.
Two horns like those of a bull protruded from its head. Its face looked horrifying, with sharp fangs jutting out from both sides of its mouth, while its eyes burned with a crimson glow.
White smoke was coming out of both of his nostrils
The creature wore a blazing red crown adorned with black gemstones around its edges. Above the crown danced crimson flames that twisted and swayed in the air.
It looked almost human, yet every detail about it felt grotesque and unnatural, as though a being from another world stood before her.
The girl jolted in shock.
The vision distorted and vanished.
Now she found herself standing beside a roadside cliff.
"Ya Allah… what kind of creature was that?" "Will some disaster be caused by an evil being from the supernatural world?" "What am I supposed to do?" "I need to tell Mom and Dad. Maybe they'll understand what that vision meant."
***
"I'm going to the village hall with Fariq's father. When the kids wake up, just tell them I went there. And if Fatheema comes home, ask her to help clean the poultry cages. Once I'm back, I'll make new water containers for the birds." Fatheema's father was already prepared, carrying a black shoulder bag while a machete in a leather sheath hung from his waist.
"Alright, dear. I'll let the children know. Hopefully there'll finally be some clue about those missing kids," his wife replied with a nod.
The two men rode their motorcycles to the village hall. The plan was to gather there, prepare supplies, and head together into the Alas Purwo forest to begin the search.
When they arrived, many people had already gathered. Among them were SAR rescue officers and police personnel.
"Assalamu'alaikum, Mr. Ahmada. How are you?" the village chief greeted Fatheema's father while extending his hand for a handshake.
"Wa'alaikumussalam, Mr. Village Chief. Alhamdulillah, I'm well and still blessed with good health. I came with Fariq's father here. Fariq is one of the children who disappeared in the forest."
"Several other families will also join the search, though it seems they haven't arrived yet."
"Very well, Mr. Ahmada, Mr. Fariq's Father. We'll be working together with the police and the SAR team to continue the search. Actually, the search has been ongoing since the report about the children's disappearance was made, but unfortunately we still haven't found the results we hoped for."
"This time, we have a much larger search team, led by more experienced SAR personnel."
"Thank you, Mr. Village Chief, for all your help and concern."
"We'll be leaving for the search location immediately now. Come along, gentlemen," the village chief said, inviting everyone to depart.
They left the village hall and headed toward the search area. Their vehicles were parked in a wide clearing near the border of the Alas Purwo forest.
"Look, brother. Besides the officers and village volunteers, some of Fariq's Scout friends came too. I recognize a few of them—they're from Fatheema's school. There must be more than fifty people searching together. Hopefully we'll find something."
"Yes… your sister Nurul hasn't stopped crying because of this.Your nephew Fariq always loved wandering around. It was impossible to make him stay home. And now this happened…" Fariq's father replied weakly, his voice heavy with sadness.
The search began.
Divided into groups, they entered the Alas Purwo forest equipped with cell phones for communication.
At a flat clearing near the forest's edge stood two dome tents, still intact. The remains of a campfire could also be seen nearby.
The search teams began from that point before splitting up and venturing deeper into the forest.
***
One group of five people followed a narrow trail through the woods. They wore orange safety vests distributed earlier at the village hall.
Eventually, they arrived before a gigantic banyan tree. Its trunk was so massive that even four people together could not wrap their arms around it. Its leaves were thick and lush, while long hanging roots dangled heavily from its branches.
"Hey, guys, it's still morning, but because of these giant trees the forest already feels dark." "You should turn on your flashlights if you brought any," one of them said while fastening a headlamp onto his forehead.
Another man planted a small flag as a trail marker.
They continued deeper along the narrow path. After some time, they stopped and looked around.
Once again, they found themselves standing before the same gigantic banyan tree.
"Guys… isn't this the same banyan tree from before? Haven't we already passed this place?" asked a man with a thin mustache.
"Huh… yeah, you're right, Joko. Did we somehow turn back?" the heavyset man behind him replied.
"Everyone, I think we took a wrong turn earlier. The marker flag is still here. Bowo, what do you think? Should we keep going?" Joko asked the overweight man beside him.
Bowo nodded slowly.
"I don't get it either, Joko. Maybe we should keep moving. We might still find some clue."
They continued following the trail deeper into the forest.
But after a while…
They arrived at the same place again.
"What the hell?! Why are we back here again? We must've taken the wrong path.
Wait—something's seriously wrong here," Joko shouted, signaling everyone to stop.
"I'm calling the others."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cellphone. After pressing several buttons, he attempted to make a call.
"Sorry, the number you are trying to reach is currently out of coverage," the automated operator's voice replied.
"Damn it! Stupid operator!" Joko cursed in frustration after failing to contact anyone.
Suddenly—
The atmosphere darkened.
Heavy clouds covered the sky above them, swallowing the sunlight that had managed to pierce through the thick trees.
Thick black smoke appeared before them, right in front of the giant banyan tree.
It rose from the ground as if being sprayed out through a pipe. The black smoke emitted a hissing sound, like air blowing through a bamboo flute.
Strangely, red and blue sparks burst from within the smoke, like metal being scraped together, creating sharp crackling noises like tiny firecrackers.
The five people could only stare in shock and confusion, unable to move, their feet seeming rooted to the ground.
***