Slowly, her consciousness returned.
Her gaze fixed on the bedroom ceiling. A floor broom leaning against the wall and a single light bulb above appeared blurry at first before gradually coming into focus.
Faintly, she heard the voice of a little girl beside her.
"Mom... Mom... wake up. Are you still hurting?"
The young girl's voice helped bring her awareness back even further.
"What happened? Where am I?"
Mrs. Kartini slowly pushed herself upright. Her body still felt weak, and her head throbbed with dizziness.
Gradually, she tried to remember what had happened before.
"I'm home? The last thing I remember was being at Fatheema's school, and then..."
"Alice, sweetheart, Mommy's still dizzy. Could you get me some water? I'm thirsty."
The little girl hurried off to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Meanwhile, a boy around sixth-grade age remained seated beside her.
"Husein, my dear, don't worry. Your father should be coming home from out of town tomorrow. Be good, okay?"
Mrs. Kartini gently stroked the boy's head.
The boy merely mumbled in response, seemingly uncertain whether he fully understood her words.
Fatheema had two younger siblings: a first-grade girl named Alice and a sixth-grade boy named Husein. Husein was a unique child. His cognitive abilities were limited, and doctors had diagnosed him with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).
"Mom, here's your water."
Alice returned carrying a glass of drinking water.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Mrs. Kartini took the glass and drank several gulps.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"You fainted at Sister Fatheema's school. Then the teachers drove you home."
Alice sat down on a small chair beside the bed.
"Hmm... So I was unconscious for quite a while."
"What happened at Fatheema's school?"
"Did Mrs. Yuyun succeed?"
"I need to find out."
"I promised I would help, and instead I fainted at the school."
"That vision..."
"Was I hallucinating?"
"Fatheema looked so terrifying..."
"I was shocked, and then I blacked out."
"What really happened?"
Lost in thought, Mrs. Kartini's mind wandered.
She slowly rose from the bed and walked toward the door.
"Where are you going, Mom?" Alice asked.
"Just for a moment. I want to take a look outside."
She stepped into the living room and pulled aside the curtains.
"Hmm... it's already nighttime."
She switched on the lights in the living room and the front yard.
The house felt strangely quiet.
Fear and worry for Fatheema weighed heavily on her chest.
She sighed deeply, thinking of her daughter whose fate remained unknown.
Then her eyes drifted toward a bedroom in the corner of the house.
Fatheema's room.
The room was dark.
Through the ventilation opening above the door, she noticed the bedroom light flickering.
"Oh, Fatheema's light bulb needs replacing. It's been over a year already."
Mrs. Kartini walked toward the bedroom, carrying a replacement bulb she had taken from the utility cabinet in the living room.
She opened the door.
And—Standing beneath the flickering light was a girl with shoulder-length wavy hair wearing a vocational high school uniform.
The girl stood with her back facing the door.
"Fatheema... my daughter! You've come home?!"
Mrs. Kartini cried out, barely able to contain herself.
The girl slowly turned around and smiled.
"You..."
"You're not my daughter."
"Who are you?"
"Ah... I remember now."
"You're the girl from the hallway at Fatheema's school."
"Are you my daughter's friend?"
"Did you come to tell me something about her?"
"My daughter is safe, isn't she?"
The girl remained silent.
A sinister grin spread across her face.
Sharp fangs emerged from the corners of her mouth.
Her eyes gradually glowed a bright crimson.
Thick black smoke poured from her hands and surged toward Mrs. Kartini.
---
Inside a vast cavern chamber, several enormous gorillas were gathered.
Three massive doors stood in the area, each guarded by four gorillas.
Not far from the doors was a gigantic tunnel entrance.
Several gorillas and giant centipedes could be seen moving in and out of it. It appeared to connect this chamber to other parts of the cave complex.
Hidden behind a large boulder, two girls sat watching the guarded doors.
"Fatty, those doors must be important if they're being guarded by giant apes. What do you think?" Akane whispered to the girl dressed in white beside her.
"I want to find my missing friends."
"That demon might be keeping them behind one of those doors. I have to check."
Originally, Fatheema had intended to help Mrs. Yuyun rescue the kidnapped students.
Instead, Hanako had dragged her into this place.
She had already resolved to find the missing children and discover a way out.
"Akane, how did you end up here?"
"Were you kidnapped by that spirit woman too?"
"Me?"
"Hmm... I'm looking for a friend as well."
For some reason, Akane chose not to tell the truth—that she was searching for a Power Orb.
"Looking for a friend?"
"So we're in the same situation."
"All right, then. How do we inspect those rooms without getting caught?"
Fatheema rubbed her chin, thinking hard.
"I have an idea. Don't worry."
Akane stood up and spun around.
And—Standing before Fatheema now was a man.
He was tall, dark-skinned, powerfully built, and covered with thin body hair.
His yellow eyes shone sharply.
He wore ankle-length trousers, a large silver belt, and black armor with short sleeves.
His reddish hair flowed freely down his back.
Akane had transformed into the appearance of the dark-skinned man, Bruggman.
She grinned at Fatheema's astonished expression.
"Hey! How did you do that?"
"What exactly are you?"
The girl stared in shock and disbelief.
---
The two successfully slipped past the gorilla guards by disguising themselves as Bruggman.
They chose the first room, which appeared to be a prison.
The chamber contained rows of cells lining both sides of a corridor approximately fifteen feet wide.
The corridor stretched so far into the distance that its end was impossible to see.
Each cell had black stone walls reaching shoulder height.
Above them were black iron bars.
On every cell door was a hexagonal pattern that appeared to function as a lock.
There was no visible keyhole.
Whatever mechanism controlled the locks was clearly not ordinary.
The two girls proceeded deeper into the prison, carefully observing the cells on both sides.
Fatheema, now wearing the hooded cloak Akane had given her, examined each cell closely.
Some of what she saw left her stunned.
The prisoners were not human.
Among them were small green humanoids resembling goblins.
Others were gigantic black creatures standing nearly ten feet tall.
Some cells even contained humanoids with deer heads or the heads of other animals.
"What kind of place is this?"
"Why are there so many strange creatures?"
Fatheema muttered in amazement.
"Fatty, stay focused on what you're looking for—your friends."
"Don't get distracted by everything else. We don't need more problems right now."
Akane spoke quietly.
A moment later, purple light shimmered within Fatheema's eyes.
The irises darkened into a deep crimson hue.
The girl activated her mystical sight.
Every cell radiated dense black energy.
A dark force enveloped and sealed each chamber.
"These rooms are like prison cells."
"They're not only locked by doors and bars—they're also wrapped in dark energy."
"Maybe it's meant to keep the prisoners from escaping."
Fatheema spoke softly.
"How can you tell, Fatty?" Akane asked in surprise.
"I can see a strange black aura surrounding the cells."
"I don't see anything except the prison cells themselves."
"You really do have special eyes, don't you?"
"Hmm... maybe."
Fatheema smiled.
Then suddenly her expression changed.
"Stop."
"Wait..."
She raised a hand, signaling Akane to halt.
***