Our office was nothing more than a two-story shophouse casually transformed into a simple office. The room dividers were minimalist; there were not many partitions. On the first floor, there was a complete workspace, while the second floor served as employee dormitories.
"Prabu! I'm thirsty, please get me some water!" The Boss's voice boomed from the loudspeaker.
I headed to the back kitchen. It's been two years since I worked as an assistant here. The job was simple, just running errands and and playing receptionist. Thrilling.
Soon, I bring a glass of water to the boss's room. As soon as the door opened, a gloomy aura immediately seized me. This kind of thing was no longer new. This gloomy aura usually appeared when the boss's favorite team lost.
I found him, face buried in papers, muttering about the useless coach and team captain. The TV replayed the match highlights of the previous match. Score 0-3, the Red Devils are still fasting (TL: not winning).
"Here, Boss!" I place the cold glass of water near him.
Luk gave me a thumbs-up and then ask me to leave. In this state, he wouldn't want to be disturbed for the whole day. In fact, instead of being sad, I hope Luk would be more serious about the fate of our business. It was noon, but he is busy crying over a football club.
It's been two months, and not a single client has come. In other words, no income. I haven't even received my salary since last month. Besides, the landlord had asked about the overdue rent three times this week.
The sound of the bell broke my reverie. A courier came in and handed over a brown envelope. I received the envelope and give him a small tip.
My eyes lit up. The solution to this two-month deadlock arrived uninvited. I hurriedly go into Luk's room.
"Boss! Look! We got a job," I say excitedly.
This brown envelope is no ordinary envelope. On the front page was printed a twin kujang symbol flanking a tiger's head. If Luk and I took this job, we could live decently for the next few months.
"From Ashatara again?" Luk asks while arranging the papers.
I nodded. Ashatara was the name of the "association" where Luk used to work.
Luk suddenly approached me. His hand moved to grab the envelope and tear it into two pieces. He then laughed in satisfaction while I restrain myself from punching him.
"Boss! WE'RE ALMOST BANKRUPT! WE HAVE A LOT OF DEBT!" I explode.
Luk smiled while patting my shoulder.
"Prabu! I know our condition right now. But remember! business, they will squeeze us dry. They are vultures," said Luk while lighting a cigarette.
He was right. Indeed, Ashatara was not a good organization for our business. Even with our shared ... nature, they were difficult to be trusted.
Actually, II couldn't blame Luk for our predicament. Our services were... unconventional. IIn a world ruled by logic and material gain, supernatural consulting was a tough sell.
The sign Suso Agency | Horror Consultant hung prominently above the office entrance. As the name implies, we tackled supernatural problems: hauntings, possessions, anything beyond the mundane.
Amid the deadlock, suddenly the bell at the door rang sharply. A young girl entered, her steps faltering. Anxiety etched her face, and her swollen eyes spoke of recent tears. She looked around, then approach Luk.
"Is it true that you can help cure people who have been hexed?" she says nervously.
Luk's eyes lit up, he glanced for a moment and smile happily as if he had just won the lottery. I looked away.
"Welcome to our office, Sweetie. Let us hear your problem first, then we are ready to help."
The girl's expression became relaxed. Then, she introduced herself as Aigin. A student of Bintang High School. Her uniform confirmed that she was indeed a student from there.
I observed our prospective client carefully. For a high school student, she possessed a strikingly beautiful and graceful face. Her flowing black hair combined with her sharp nose and the intense look in her eyes. I looked away, the sheer beauty of her face was too much to take in.
Luk led our guest to a special room for a consulting. They were immediately involved in a deep conversation. I served them warm tea and snacks. Then sat in the chair beside my boss.
"My sister, she's been hexed!" Aigin began, her voice trembling. starting her story. She told a long story about the problem she was facing. Her sister suddenly fainted a week ago and remained in a coma.
Oddities occurred on the second day of the coma. Her sister's body aged rapidly, transforming her into an old woman. Her hair turned white, her skin sagged, and her organ functions weakened.
"The doctor said, my sister has a rare disease," Aigin said, her voice strained. "But... I don't believe them! Because..." Aigin continued her story.
The symptoms resembled Werner's Progeria, a disease of extreme premature aging. There is no cure for this disease and, unfortunately, it's unrelated to hexes.
"I'm sure my sister was hexed!" I'm sure my sister was hexed!' Aigin declared, her voice firm.
Luk glanced at me for a moment. "So, Aigin... are there any signs or strange events before and during your sister's coma?" Luk asked.
The girl was silent for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought. Then she nodded. "Before the coma, she kept dreaming of a huge snake. It always caught her, wrapping itself around her."
My previous guess was wrong. There's definitely a magical element here. Snake dreams always mean bad luck. in certain instances, it's a clear sign of magic or witchcraft.
From here, I took over.
"Alright, Aigin. If that's true, we will take initial action. But we need two things." I slid an MOU across the table.
"What are they?" she replied.
"One, we need permission to check the patient's condition directly," I said.
Aigin nodded in agreement, she says she could handle it easily.
"Two, we also need a down payment. At least this much!" I held up five fingers.
Aigin's eyes widened. "Five hundred?"
"No, Fifty million," I corrected.
"STOP!!!" Luk interrupts. " down payment? Are you insane, Prabu? That's outrageous!"
"I can pay," Aigin's words broke the atmosphere as she pulling out a credit card. Even so, Luk still disagreed.
The boss unilaterally lowered the rate. It is an unfair price for the risk of this job. I want to protest, but Luk glared at me. 'Never oppress a beautiful woman,' he'd always say.
The contract was signed. Aigin was officially our client.
...
That night, Luk and I went to the hospital. There Aigin's sister, Poppy, was being treated by several specialists.
At the hospital, a nurse led us to a private VIP room. I found there is only one bed in the room. Inside, a single bed held a patient. A board at the foot of the bed read: Poppy Kumalasari.
Just then, a weary-faced doctor entered. 'Who let you in, Luk?' she snapped
Luk scratched the back of his head though it didn't itch. "Dali How are you? I came here at the request of the patient's family, you know. Look at this! I brought an official referral letter."
Dali, a doctors and Luk's old friend. They'd had known each other long before I became the boss's assistant. However, for reasons I didn't know, they never get along. Dali always wore a look of disdain around the Boss, and Luk always brushed it off.
Luk showed a referral letter, bearing the distinct Aigin's family. An awkward silence settled. Dali looked confused, in disbelief. Maybe, she hadn't expected Luk to secure this job.
"Can I examine the patient now?" Luk said.
"I can't cure her. Do you think you can, Luk?" Dali said.
"We don't know until we try. Right, Prabu?" Luk said.
"Yeah,we have to try it," I said.
The patient, Poppy Kumalasari, 22, a student, had been comatose for a week. Her body exhibited rapid, unnatural aging. Initial diagnosis: Werner's Progeria syndrome.
Luk start the examination immediately .
"Should I go?" asked Dali.
"Not necessarily, but if you want to stay here, it's okay," I replied.
Usually, I chase everyone away when Luk is about to start working. However, considering Dali's true identity is aligns with ours, there is nothing to hide. People of our kind can always be trusted.
Luk slightly uncover the patient's neck. There was nothing suspicious. Then, it proceed to the abdomen and navel, but the results are the same.
The Boss once said magic, witchcraft, or the like must leave a mark on the victim's body. Luk continues to examine the patient's soles. In the ordinary view of the eye, nothing seemed strange. In the end, the boss touched the tip of his finger to the patient's ankle.
Not long after, the color of the entire patient's legs instantly turned black.
"Bingo!" Luk exclaimed. "I thought it would be difficult, but it turned out to be shallow."
"So, is it black magic?" Dali asked.
Luk thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I don't know yet. This is the first time I've seen anything like this. Maybe it's a new type of black magic?"
"So is she gonna die?" I interject.
"Not that, PRABU! But she's dying," his hands frantically searching something is his pockets. "Her energy's draining away. If we don't do something, she'll wither and die."
Luk pulled out a marker and swiftly drew a box symbol with a center line on the patient's forehead, navel, and soles. Then, he pressed his palms together.
"Prabu! Help me," Luk said.
I moved closer and positioned myself across from the Boss. "Which spell are we gonna use this time, Boss?"
"Wait... what about mantra number 30? Isn't that a sealing spell, right?' Luk asks, a half-joking grin spreading across his face.
I stare at him flatly, "You wanna try?"
Luk grinned widely. "Come on, Prabu. Loosen up. Let's use the number 35."
Then the series of spells began.
[In the depths of the earth, at the top of the sky,
We call upon the strength of Mother Earth,
The source of all energy, soul, and spirit,
Bless us in this oath.
The whirlwind wind sweeps the soul,
The ocean water shackles the body,
The fire of hell burns the bonds,
The earth buries all sins.
With the power of the great nature,
We seal your life energy,
Confined in an eternal prison,
There will be no way to return.]
We chanted the spell, line by line, our voices a low hum in the sudden chill. The room plunged into darkness as the lights flickered and died, and the symbols on the patient's body blazed a fiery red. When the final words echoed away, a faint crimson glow lingered, then slowly dissolved, sinking into her skin
Her breathing eased, her face flushed with returning life—a fleeting recovery. But until the source of the curse was destroyed, it would persist.
The work was far from finished, and I was drained, the spell having consumed a significant portion of my energy
"So, what's wrong with her?" Dali asked Luk.
"What do you think? You're the doctor," Luk replies.
Clearly, this case is beyond Dali's ability. Despite her talent in both medical and supernatural fields, she had no experience with curses or hexes, as Luk had previously mentioned.
Luk chuckled. "I'll tell you, but it'll cost you!"
"HAH? Seriously! Fellow practitioners, shouldn't we share information?!" Dali protested.
"Dali! I'm a freelance consultant now. No freebies. You can't force me!" Luk waved a dismissive hand.
Dali was silent at Luk's words, her expression darkening. I don't know what the woman was thinking, but she seemed offended. she turned and left without a word.
"Another mess," I say. "I think we're gonna have trouble again, Boss."
Luk flipped open his phone, dialing. "Relax, Prabu. We've got work to do. Stay focus ok?"
The moment the call connected, Luk was deep in a tense conversation. Names, whispered and sharp, cut through the air—one in particular, the name of Java's most feared figure.
I know that one day we will meet that person, but before that happens, we have to complete Aigin's request. Immediately.