Reborn As A Haier-Elvian: The Blood Hunter And The Warlock (Replace To New Account)

Chapter 01 "Mysterious Objects"

Grey clouds swarming through the sky, bringing down millions of raindrops is what I saw when I first opened my eyes. My body was floating on the sea in a great storm. On a battleship that's about to sink. The assault of dozens of cannons was finally able to hole the hull of the largest and strongest ship in the entire ocean. The ship tilted 45 degrees to the left. Make things slide to one side.

A wooden crate hit my head before it finally hit the fence and splashed into the sea. My fate would have ended the same if only the stake had not held back my body. My breath's congested. This ship is on fire. Fire tongues are everywhere. Lick anything that can be devoured. Heavy rain is not able to extinguish it, it makes it worse. An explosion was heard from the hull of the ship. His voice was deafening. Shaking the entire ship. Thick smoke followed the wind, up this deck.

If only my body could be moved, I would have done it before. But I can't. A puncture wound in the stomach held me on this ship. Draining blood, draining energy, and drain hope. Not to mention the bruises and other injuries that exist all over the body. Which actually makes me grateful to still be able to survive until now.

The sound of the cannon's thumping sound was heard to be mutually unpretentious. Similarly, the clanking of metal and the rumbling of lightning roared in the air. The ship's engines are roaring faster. They don't care. They pretend not to see. Thousands of people who died and were wounded were ignored for the victory of each camp. No one wants to give up. Go ahead and win, that's what's on everyone's mind in this ocean.

Including myself, who had to run aground fighting for everyone's hope. The pain from my wound began to numb the entire senses. Can't move. Can't hear. I can't see either. All I can do is accept the situation. Befriend the darkness that begins to envelop. This tranquility was the only luxury I never felt during the war. I don't know why I remembered a few years ago. Once upon a time, I felt this calm. When my body floats in another dimension. Suddenly I miss the past.

Time where I ... started everything.

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'Box' is his nickname. Taken from her hairstyle like a star. As her hair grows long, she will trim it with the same cut. That's why the word 'Brain' always stuck with him. However, only his peers dared to call him that. For those of us who are new members, doing so is like looking to die.

"Hey, Boncel! Give me that soy sauce!" his orders are sitting across from me.

My hands trembled after hearing her startling voice, trying to give her a bottle of sweet soy sauce from inside a plastic bag. The light source in this darkness was just a campfire and incandescent lights. When I wanted to give it, the sudden mountain breeze crashing down plus my inattentive eyes made me drop it by accident.

"Hey, you fool, yeah! Give it to me carefully!!" he rebuked me with a high voice.

"D-yes! Sorry, Brother Indra!"

My hand hastily picked the bottle back, then gave it to her. In a moment, his gaze pierced me deeply. I gulped my saliva as I watched his arm muscles that were formed almost perfectly. Set against a large tree that was watered by the light from the incandescent fire, his figure who was grilling fish was similar to a soldier who was surviving in the wild.

Indra Pradipta or 'The Bald', right now I'm dealing with a man who spends almost all his free time exercising and building his muscles. No doubt, now his body shape is not inferior to professional bodybuilders who often appear on television. With that kind of posture, let alone fellow schoolchildren, I'm sure many adults feel disinclined by it.

Compared to me who was thin and small, I was like a pebble to him. It was only natural that I felt a little afraid of him.

"Haha. Don't be rude, Captain! Poor Anggi to such fear," said the girl who had just come and immediately rubbed my head. His hand, which had just picked up firewood in the forest, gave dust and dirt to my hair. Then put the firewood close to the big tent.

"Masa' is just so scared? So don't be a whiny man!"

I am currently participating in the inauguration of a new member of eskul Karate on the mountain slope. This place is far from the city and the crowd, the natural conditions also seem savage, suitable for galvanizing the mentality of the new members.

"Don't put it in the heart! His words are hard, but his heart is good" said the girl.

"Y-yes!"

Shella Rinjani, a woman who is the same age as Indra, she is the upperclassman who always encourages and listens to the complaints of others with full attention. The type of sister who can be a place to lean her sisters. With a very oriental facial equivalent, it makes it popular among men. It seems that many members of this Karate club also joined for her sake.

Yeah, but it's got nothing to do with me, anyway. Rather than chasing a girl, I would rather find a way to become a hundred times more manly than I am now. Like I said before, I have a short and small body. Because of my circumstances, this is what makes many people often prank me and call me 'cebol' or 'boncel'. The heartache was obvious, but as it was common to hear it, it seemed to be my middle name.

The frequent bullying I experienced in the past made me mentally flaccid. In my dark days in Junior High, I always resigned when classmates or upperclassmen bullied me. I was often yanked, made into a ranger, or grazed all out just to be their laughingstock when bored. Of course this heart wants to fight, but I don't have the strength to do it. Because even if I fight, with my strength like this I will still lose in the end.

That's why I wanted to change myself when I went to high school. I tried to enter the martial arts that I had never thought of at all. I follow every direction and material from the coach. Of course, at first I was very difficult to follow this eskul because my body and stamina were weak. But I am very grateful, because all the members of Karate nobody bullied me. They have always encouraged and encouraged me.

I am grateful for the bitter experience when Junior High did not repeat itself.

"Where is Dimas? Where are the others going?" said Sister Shella who suddenly came patting my shoulder from behind.

Shocking me all of a sudden, my mouth unintentionally let out a shrill scream in the style of a woman. Indra suddenly squinted his eyes here. Maybe he was uncomfortable with my voice.

I decided to ignore it and turned to Sister Shella, "the others I don't know. If Dimas had gone to the river. He said he wanted to wash his clothes, because he had fallen into the mud."

"Hmm, so. Though I want to ask him to concoct the seasoning. If it's not wrong, he said he'd help me cook. But, actually she can cook, can't she?"

"Of course you can. He is the son of a restaurant owner. No need to ask the quality of the food. I guarantee it tastes delicious." It seemed like the answer cleared his doubts. "Should I call you?"

"If I could, I would be very helped" Shella replied with a big smile.

"Well, I'll get Dimas."

"Be careful! Make sure you don't get swallowed by a crocodile!" chirps Kak Indra. The existence of the beast is almost impossible to be in the shallow downstream of the river, especially on this mountain. But his face was too serious to be considered joking.

I who was intimidated just gave a small nod without answering, and left immediately. From behind my back the sound of a slow blow accompanied by the sound of a small laugh belonging to Sister Shella was caught by my ears. Looks like that woman hit the captain for scaring me before.

Ignoring those who were laughing chuckling, I immediately left the place. Armed with lighting from a cell phone flashlight, I stepped foot very carefully. The surroundings were very dark, I had to pay close attention to where I was resting if I didn't want to fall. In addition to rocky, this path is also filled with roots of trees that grow on both sides of the road.

In the veil of fear, my head reflexively turned to the right-left when there was the sound of an animal heard. Sometimes there was the sound of birds perching on the tree branches above me, and several times my ears caught the sound of howling like a wolf. My cowardly nature makes my body goosebumps whenever I hear a voice I don't know. But, I decided to hold back my fear in order to speed up my pace and find Dimas as soon as possible.

The more I stepped, the clearer my ears heard the sound of water rustling. A cold wind blew between the tree trunks and tickled my body. I set both my hands together to warm my body, and broke through the wind.

When the sound of water reached the point where it was very clear I heard it, I arrived at the edge of a fairly large river. The flow of water is not too heavy, so it gives rise to a harmony of sound that is quite syahdu in the evening. A calming place in the middle of a gripping forest, I thought.

Instantly both of my ears caught the unusual sound of water. It sounded coarse and different from the river current. I looked towards the source of the voice. My eyes found the water falling down profusely from a piece of squeezed clothing.

"Dimas!" I say to the one who sits on the rock. It's not too far from the river where I stand.

Whether it was because my voice was too small or the man was focused on washing his clothes, he did not hear my voice. I couldn't make a sound any louder, so I walked up to him and greeted him.

Dimas was a little surprised because of my sudden appearance. His face showed a little emotion, but he could bear it when he saw the person who surprised him was me.

"Damn you! I'm surprised, you know!" spray while splashing the river water on me. My clothes are around my left chest until they get wet from it. After venting his frustration, he smiled in excitement as his little retaliation succeeded.

"Hey, why did you do that? I did it accidentally."

"Wittingly or unintentionally, you still surprised me" Dimas said. Knowing I wouldn't return his words, he continued, "what are you doing here? If you just want to bother me, you better go."

"Wicked! I just surprised you. You promised Sister Shella to help her cook, right? Now he's charging it."

"Ah, right! All right, but wait after I finish washing my clothes first."

The man threw his shirt back into the water and rubbed a stone on the dirty part. Once clean, he repeats it on the other dirty part.

I sat down on a rock by the river and waited for Dimas to finish. Her upper body part was wearing nothing, so I could clearly observe her from behind. Muscles of his arms and back although not perfect like Kak Indra, began to form beautifully like athletes. He has the ideal body shape I dreamt of.

Then I saw my own arm. Skinny, muscular, even looks fragile. It seems like to chase after him I still have to go through a very long and terraced road. Being aware of such a sad thing made me laugh to myself.

"Hey ... You're crazy, huh?! Why laugh at yourself?" ridicule Dimas who heard my laughter.

A little embarrassed, I bowed my face. "No. I'm just laughing at myself."

The man looked at me with a strange look. Then he laughed out loud while shaking his head. Looks like I have to admit to Sister Shella's previous words, Dimas is quite charming when smiling. Even though I'm a man, I can't argue. It is fitting that many women who pursue it during this time in school.

Another point appeared that made me envious of him. This guy named Dimas Permana was my childhood friend. He has a white face and a super sharp nose in the Arabian Peninsula. Perhaps he inherited this from his father who is of Yemeni descent. His height can be proud for the size of a teenager who has just stepped in High School.

He may not be very good at academics. But when it comes to non-academic matters, he cannot be underestimated. In athletics and sports, he has always been a champion among a generation. Dimas also has a great martial skill. He used to pursue pencak silat, then he switched to wushu, and now he tries to get into the world of karate.

Suddenly a thought rattled in my head. If Dimas fought against Indra, who would win, huh?

"When I first met you, I thought you were a weird kid. But now I'm sure, you're getting even stranger now!" he said while laughing.

Although sometimes his words sound harsh, but his heart is not like that. I dare say that. Because he was the one who always came to defend me while being bullied. To me, he was a hero like in the movies.

"Let's go back! I want to change!" bring Dimas after the last squeeze on his shirt. "I hope this shirt gets dry tomorrow morning."

I nodded slowly. The man came down from the rock. His hands were holding the wet clothes he had just washed. Then walk down the riverbank with the upper body open. It is quite extreme when the wind blows breezy. Not to mention the added cold night on the low-temperature mountain. It probably meant nothing to Dimas. But for me, it was enough to suffocate me and lose consciousness.

Right behind him, I walked in his footsteps. The difference in leg length made the distance between us widen several times. Rather than asking him to adjust my speed, I was more trying to equalize his speed. Walking quickly on the small rocks on the river bank is quite difficult. I almost lost my balance due to the stone I was stepping on, suddenly rolling to the side. I deliberately didn't tell Dimas so he wouldn't think me weak. Trying to not worry him.

Tiba-tiba saja, mataku secara tak sengaja menangkap sebuah kilatan cahaya keemasan dari dasar sungai. Kemudian aku menghentikan langkah dan mencoba mengamati dengan seksama. Entah mengapa aku sangat penasaran dengan ini. Ada kemungkinan itu sebuah logam. Namun buru-buru kutepis pikiran itu. Meski logam sekali pun, sangat mustahil bisa memantulkan cahaya bila tak ada sumbernya. Hutan ini cukup gelap. Penerangan di sini hanya lampu senter dari ponselku serta cahaya bulan yang redup, yang kupikir sangat lemah untuk bisa menembus ke dasar sungai.

"Hei, ada apa?" tanya Dimas yang menyadariku terdiam. Namun aku mengabaikanya. Tidak beberapa lama kemudian, kilauan cahaya itu kembali terlihat. Kali ini cukup terang dan jelas, hingga membuatku percaya bahwa itu bukanlah halusinasi semata.

"Lihat!? Apa kau lihat cahaya itu?" ucapku seraya menunjuk ke arah cahaya misterius yang kini sudah lenyap.

"Cahaya!? Aku tidak lihat apa pun. Matamu kelilipan apa?"

Aku bisa lihat ekspresi kesungguhan di wajah pria itu. Dimas memang suka bercanda, tapi karena sudah lama bersamanya aku bisa tahu kapan ia sedang bercanda atau serius. Cahaya itu sekali lagi berkilau, akan tetapi Dimas kembali mengaku tak melihatnya.

Ini cukup aneh. Karena aku bisa melihatnya dengan sangat jelas. Sedetik kemudian, entah apa yang merasuki raga ini, aku mencoba masuk ke dalam sungai setelah melepas alas kaki. Dengan mengindahkan peringatan Dimas yang terus meneriakiku, otomatis membawa diriku ke luar dari tanggung jawabnya bila sesuatu terjadi. Telapak kakiku merasakan dinginnya air sungai dan tajamnya permukaan batu sungai di saat yang bersamaan. Dengan perlahan, aku terus mendekat ke arah cahaya keemasan yang berpendar berulang kali.

Semakin aku menuju tengah sungai, maka semakin dalam pula permukaan airnya menelan tubuhku. Air sudah membasahi punggung dan dadaku. Aku tidak pernah mengira sungainya akan sedalam ini. Rasa penasaran membantu mengalahkan rasa takutku dan membuatku terus melangkah ke depan. Selangkah demi selangkah, jarak diriku dan sumber cahaya itu semakin menipis. Sepertinya tidak butuh waktu lama lagi untuk—.

Tiba-tiba saja aku kehilangan keseimbangan. Karena salah perhitungan, aku tak mengira pijakan kakiku selanjutnya jauh lebih dalam dari sebelumnya. Arus yang cukup deras di tengah sungai, membuat tubuhku tenggelam hingga menyentuh bebatuan. Kucoba mengepak-ngepakkan tangan dan menendang-nendang dasar sungai agar bisa kembali ke permukaan. Napasku semakin sesak setiap detiknya, seakan ada sesuatu yang mencekik leherku dan membuatku kesulitan bernapas. Saat itu aku baru saja tersadar, bila aku tak bisa berenang.

Aku terus mencoba dan mencoba sebisaku untuk kembali mengapung. Tapi itu tidak berguna. Di saat berpikir bahwa dasar sungai adalah tempat terakhirku, tiba-tiba ada sesuatu yang membuatku bertahan walau untuk semenit lagi. Tepat ketika berada di dasar sungai, mataku tertuju pada sesuatu. Itu adalah sumber cahaya keemasan yang berkilauan sebelumnya. Dasar sungai ini begitu gelap, aku tidak bisa melihat apa pun selain cahaya itu. Dengan susah payah, aku mencoba mendekat ke arah cahaya itu.

Tapi ada sesuatu yang menahanku menggapainya. Sebuah kekuatan besar menarik tubuhku ke atas. Ketika aku membalikan badan, aku mendapati Dimas yang berusaha untuk menyelamatkanku. Dengan sekuat tenaga lelaki itu menarik tubuhku ke atas. Aku sedikit melawan dan bertahan. Bukan tidak ingin diselamatkan olehnya. Namun karena ingin mendapatkan sesuatu yang nyaris diraih dengan kemampuanku sendiri. Kuulurkan tangan untuk menggapai cahaya itu. Namun tak sedikit pun ujung jariku menyentuhnya. Hingga pada akhirnya, Dimas menggunakan seluruh kekuatannya untuk membawaku kembali ke atas.

"Haah ... hhh."

Dalam beberapa detik setelahnya, aku menghirup oksigen sebanyak mungkin setelah berada di permukaan sungai. Kemudian Dimas menyeretku ke tepian sungai guna menjauh dari tempat yang nyaris menghilangkan nyawaku.

Aku terbungkuk di atas tanah dan mencoba mengeluarkan air yang masuk ke dalam tubuhku. Keberadaan air di dalam paru-paru membuatku terbatuk-batuk. Tapi hal ini masih lebih bagus dari pada harus terbenam selamanya di dasar sungai yang gelap. Aku cukup beruntung masih bisa hidup dan menceritakan pengalaman antara hidup dan mati ini pada orang lain keesokan harinya. Jika saja Dimas tidak menolongku, mungkin saat ini aku—.

"Dasar tolol!!! Kau pikir apa yang kau lakukan tadi, hah!!?" bentak Dimas dengan suara yang keras. "Mengapa kau seenaknya saja menantang bahaya? Memangnya kau punya berapa banyak nyawa? Kau kira aku akan selalu ada di sampingmu dan menolongmu, hah? Bagaimana kalau aku tadi tidak ada di sini? Kau pasti sudah jadi mayat sekarang!!"

Ucapannya menggentarkan ruang hatiku. Meretakkannya, tapi tak membuatnya hancur. Tapi dia benar. Ini semua kesalahanku. Aku merasa malu. Begitu sangat malu dan menyesal hingga Dimas yang selalu baik padaku, murka sejadi-jadinya. Semua yang terjadi membuatku menundukan kepala dan hanya bisa mengucapkan sepatah kata, "maaf! Aku yang salah."

Tak ada kata-kata yang keluar dari mulut Dimas. Ia hanya melihatku dengan tatapan iba. Lalu menggaruk-garuk kepalanya dan menghela napas panjang. "Sudahlah! Yang penting kau selamat. Ayo kita segera kembali ke perkemahan dan mengeringkan diri." Lelaki itu membalikan badannya sembari menggerutu. "Sial! Tak hanya baju, seluruh tubuhku jadi basah semua!"

Ketika ia sudah melangkah jauh, aku mulai memberanikan diri mengangkat kepala. Jujur dalam hati, aku sangat berterima kasih sekaligus menyesal pada Dimas. Terima kasih karena sudah mau menyelamatkanku, dan menyesal karena sudah membuatnya khawatir.

Setelah memastikan lelaki itu sudah agak jauh dariku, aku membuka genggamanku. Di dalam telapak tangan kananku, terdapat sebuah benda kecil berbentuk poligon dengan ukiran bintang segidelapan. Memiliki dua sisi yang berlawanan. Satu sisi tampak menggembung dengan tulisan semacam aksara kuno. Sementara di sisi yang rata terdapat seperti pengait kecil dan sepucuk jarum. Bukankah ini semacam pin?

Aku mengamatinya lagi dengan seksama. Tak salah lagi, ini adalah sumber cahaya misterius yang kulihat sebelumnya di dasar sungai. Aku sangat yakin itu. Karena setelah kuambil benda ini, aku tak melihat lagi kilauan cahaya keemasan dari sana. Yang membuatku keheranan adalah benda ini tak lagi bersinar setelah kuangkat ke permukaan. Seakan benda ini memberi sinyal padaku untuk membawanya keluar dari dasar sungai.

"Benda apa ini sebetulnya?"