"Will she be alright?" Api asked Tanah in the trip to the hospital. He took the liberty of sitting at the front so Angin and Air could comfort Daun, who was terrified out of her mind. "Who was that?"

Tanah's expression was solemn. His hands gripped the steering wheel, veins showing. He was restraining himself from crushing the plastic, lest they end up in a river.

"Petir's strong." Was all he could give the youngster.

Api frowned. "Why would her opponent attack her? What a sore loser."

Tanah's eyes were fixated on the road ahead.

"I should have stepped out," he murmured. "I could have prevented it."

"Come on. There's no way you could have known, let alone stop it," Api said. "No matter how strong you are, you can't go up against a weapon like that."

"Speaking of which," Angin spoke up, "what was that? You don't seem surprised."

"Neither are you, bub." Api didn't turn.

"We're all too worried, I guess." Air stroked Daun's hair. "We can only hope for the best."

Api frowned. "Where's Cahaya?"

This time, Tanah didn't have an answer.

* * *

As much as he was worried for his girlfriend, Cahaya had pressing matters to deal with. He could see that Petir would survive. He had to believe his girlfriend's willpower.

Now he was facing his girlfriend's assailant, sitting across him on a metal chair with her hands cuffed together. Being an intern in a detective agency, he had access to the prisoner's files. He requested to interrogate her and swear that he would not bring personal feelings into the investigation.

"What's your motive of your murder?" Cahaya's glare was as cold as steel. His glasses reflected the dim illumination of the room, KikiTa's smug expression reflecting upon the glass.

She sneered. "You angry I messed with your girlfriend, little boy?"

Cahaya didn't flinch. "Did you commit this crime due to petty insecurity?" he said emotionlessly. "Or are you paid by someone else? You're 23 years of age, eligible of execution and a life sentence."

He adjusted his glasses. "So I'll repeat myself. What is your motive, and where have you obtained such a weapon?"

Sliding a metal case with KikiTa's weapon across the table, her smile only widened. It was shaped like any regular training sabre with a dull grey blade, but Cahaya knew fully well that this was no simple weapon. The lines just didn't add up. Up until now, Cahaya hadn't figured out how she was able to convert energy into a controlled layer.

"Ask yourself that, young man," KikiTa purred. "You and your girlfriend know fully well. You two and five others pose a threat in the captain's plans, and we are going to pick you out one by one."

Her eyebrows quirked. "Starting now."

The wall beside them suddenly heated up into a vibrant red. Instincts taking over, Cahaya shot up from his seat, but it was too late. The wall exploded into smithereens, the debris all directed towards him. He held his arms up in a desperate act of self-defence, but it proved to be in vain as he was buried under the cement, like a human being buried alive in a coffin.

* * *

The moment Tanah and his friends stepped into the lobby, there was another stretcher being rushed around. Despite the fast movements, they could see the wounded's facial features, even if bloody and scratched.

Tanah paled. The blood drained from his body.

"What happened?" he demanded the nurse at the counter, heart pumping in his chest.

The nurse frowned in worry. She checked the data in her computer. "There was an explosion at a Detective Agency. Apparently the young man injured was in charge of interrogating a criminal."

Api and Angin exchanged sceptical glances, expressions strained to a maximum. Both of their nerves were stretched to the limit, and the only thing that kept them from bursting was the serenity of the hospital's atmosphere.

Daun's expression was petrified. She stared at the hallway that Cahaya had disappeared into, devoid of any tears like she'd seen a ghost. Even Air didn't know how to respond. There were too many casualties in one day, and they were the people that her brother was supposedly close to.

"Daun?" Angin's voice shook. "Are you alright?"

Daun lifted a shaky finger at the empty hallway, tearing up. "I—It was Cahaya," she breathed. "He—he used to play with me when I was 4—"

"You know him?" Api blurted. He turned to Angin. "How do you not know him?"

"Daun snuck out a lot. I don't know what she's up to," Angin argued. "That was way before we moved here, alright?"

"Boys." Air's voice ripped through their argument. "Not now."

Tanah tried to comprehend all of this. All of the rising information that he'd just witnessed.

"We're here to see Petir," Tanah said, voice shaking.

The nurse nodded. "Who are you to her?"

"I'm her brother."

The nurse swept through the databases and gave him a look of sympathy. "I'm so sorry you had to experience this again. She's in room 403."

Tanah thanked the nurse. Beckoning his friends to come, they journeyed to his sister's room.

* * *

"She escaped?" Tanah demanded, barely able to veil his tone from disbelief. "Where did she go? How? We're on the fourth floor!"

The doctor gestured towards the window. There was a makeshift ladder created of sheets and duvets.

"We're tracking her down as we speak." The doctor left the room.

Api and Angin swallowed. Injury or no injury, that girl was a total badass.

Tanah fell to the visitor's seat, pulling at his hair in desperation. His sister was nowhere to be seen and his best friend is surviving by a sliver. His life fell apart faster than Cahaya's chances of getting laid. In spite of this, he couldn't break down in front of his friends. He was a leader—he was portrayed as strong, and he can't let them worry about him.

It didn't matter how much he valiantly tried to stop the tears from coming. Petir's injury was severe and Cahaya's is so much worse. All of this was his fault and he was suffering the consequences. He could have prevented both of this from ever occurring. Now Petir was walking around with a gaping hole in her stomach and Cahaya is living on life support. How can he not blame himself?

He knew Petir resented hospitals as much as he resented villainy. He had the power to stop this from occurring but he didn't.

A hand was put on his shoulder.

"You're not alone in this, Tanah," Angin said softly. "They'll be alright. As you said, they're strong. They'll be back before you know it."

Tanah nodded and wiped his tears.

As long as they had hope, they had a chance.

* * *

'If you don't stop screaming, I'll also kill your brother.'

She shut up. Fear was the only emotion that obscured the rest. She could not see her assailant or the sun, only eternal darkness that swallowed her whole.

Weeks had passed. The cloth on her eyes segregated her from the outside world. Her wrists and ankles ached and burned from the rope.

For days, she'd wondered why she was here. She questioned herself why she had to suffer.

'She's a waste of oxygen. Why can't we just kill her?'

'We're still waiting for the cash. After we get it you can.'

Her questions were answered. Her existence was a nuisance, breathing to let others use her for money.

Petir bit her gag to stop herself from sobbing. As if her heart had been slowly encased by a coat of steel, her sadness and misery faded away as she was determined to get stronger.

I am not weak.