"So, Ilyas. Are you just like Badang?" asked Tok Hussein.
Everyobe looked at Ilyas with eyes full of curiosity.
"No."
"Hahaha, well, if you don't want to answer Tok's question, that's fine. I won't be upset if you choose not to tell. I just wanted to know…"
"… Alright then, the five of you may return to your place. Tomorrow, there will be work for all of you—if you plan to stay here for a while..."
"... Did you think you could stay here for free? Hahahaha."
The five of them returned to their tent. After putting Luna to sleep, they had a brief discussion about what had happened earlier at Tok Hussein's house.
"Il, why didn't you just tell Tok Hussein about it?" asked Khai.
"What's the point? He already figured it out himself."
"What was that just now, anyway? How could he be that strong? Are there other people who know about this Evo-Virus?" asked Agus.
"For now, no one else knows about the existence of the Evo-Virus."
"Then how could he crush that huge rock with just one hand?" Raden added.
"I'll explain later. It's late. Go to sleep."
"Ugh, come on. Just tell us already," Khai grumbled.
"You'll find out soon enough. Now go to sleep. I'm heading out for a bit..."
"...And don't forget about your training tomorrow. Anyone who wakes up late gets extra drills. Got it?"
Upon hearing that, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka quickly went to sleep in their own tents.
Ilyas stepped out of the hall to clear his mind.
"So this is Badang's village... I never knew he could put on a face like that."
"...He's so different from who I remember. Why have I never known about this village before? I used to pass by here all the time in my past life..."
"...That man named Samar mentioned someone called Badrul. So that means... this is all happening before that incident. Now I know what I need to do here."
Ilyas walked to the center of the field and began to meditate.
Morning arrived. Ilyas, Khai, Agus, Raden, and Raka were taken to a certain location by Tok Hussein and Badang, while Mak Sari stayed behind to take care of Luna during their absence.
They arrived at a place that looked like a food storage facility. They were instructed to organize all the supplies inside according to a list given by Tok Hussein.
Once that was done, they were taken to a villager's house with a leaking roof. They were asked to repair it.
After finishing the repairs, they were brought to another location to help villagers with issues there.
They ran into Samar a few times, but he only gave them a cold stare before walking away without saying a word.
Over the course of nine days living there, they continued helping the villagers. The locals had begun to welcome them warmly—but Samar still regarded them as people who couldn't be trusted.
In the evening, while Ilyas was enjoying the night breeze, Badang came over to greet him.
"Greeting, Ilyas. What are you up to?"
"Just enjoying the night air. Why?"
"Nothing, just wanted to chat with you."
"Oh."
"Mind if I sit next to you?"
"Go ahead."
Badang sat down beside Ilyas, and they began talking about various things.
"Badang."
"Just call me Bad."
"Bad, I want to ask you something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"What's up with that Samar? Every time he looks at the five of us, his expression changes 180 degrees from how he acts around the villagers."
Badang paused for a moment, deep in thought. Then he began to share a bit of the past.
Badang had a twin brother named Badrul. He, Samar, and a girl named Nisa were close friends since they were kid.
Samar liked Nisa because of her beauty and kindness, but he kept his feelings hidden because he knew that Nisa liked Badrul.
A week after the disaster happened, Badang and Badrul helped all the villagers in need because Tok Hussein was too old to assist anyone.
Seeing Badang and Badrul helping the villagers, Tok Hussein told them that he was considering appointing one of them as the village chief.
At that time, Badang wasn't concerned about becoming the village chief. But one day, the villagers caught Badrul doing something all villagers despised the most—he was involved with drugs.
This led to Badrul being expelled from the village.
Although Samar and Nisa tried to defend him, Tok Hussein's decision was final. That very day, Badrul was cast out of the village.
"..."
One day, while Badang was carrying out his usual duties, the village wall was suddenly destroyed by a massive monster, followed by several others that began attacking the village.
At the time, Badang had no knowledge of monsters. He immediately instructed the villagers to take shelter in the community hall, while several armed men stepped up to fight the monsters invading the village.
In the midst of the monstrous horde, Badang spotted Badrul—standing there unharmed, as if the monsters were under his control, attacking the village at his command.
Badang tried to speak to him.
"Badrul! What are you doing?!"
"Hahahaha! Why, you need my help now?"
"Are you the one who sent these monsters into the village?!"
"And if I am, what are you going to do about it?"
"Stop this now! If you don't, the villagers will die!"
"You care more about these villagers than your own brother, who was cast out of his home..."
"...All because of one mistake that I never made—and just like that, all the good I ever did was completely forgotten."
"...And now, the person I hate the most comes begging me."
"Hahaha. Badrul, Badrul... I couldn't care less about this village anymore. With the power I have now, I can do whatever I want!"
More and more monsters began pouring into the village, destroying every house in sight. Many villagers were killed by the monstrous onslaught.
Samar and Nisa were running for their lives, pursued by a demigon. They dashed into a nearby house and hid inside. The demigon followed, sniffing them out, but eventually left when it couldn't detect their presence.
Once the coast seemed clear, Samar and Nisa emerged from their hiding spot and prepared to flee again. But just as they were about to escape—
"Ergh!"
"Nisa! What's wrong?!"
"My leg…"
Nisa's ankle had swollen while they were running from the demigon.
"Let me carry you."
"But…"
"It's okay. You know I'm strong and fast, right?" said Samar.
He carried Nisa in his arms and ran as fast as he could. The monsters spotted them and immediately gave chase.
With every ounce of strength he had, Samar ran, holding Nisa tightly. Nisa knew he was struggling because of her.
Just as a Demigon was about to catch them, Nisa sacrificed herself to save Samar. She slipped out of his grasp—and the Demigon drove its blade into her chest.
Samar, witnessing the woman he loved stabbed before his eyes, broke down in tears. He couldn't hold back the pain as Nisa died right in front of him.
After slaying Nisa, the monsters advanced toward Samar, who was still frozen in grief. But before they could strike, the villagers opened fire, forcing the monsters to retreat.
Samar rushed to Nisa's side. She was gravely wounded. With her final breath, she whispered something to him before death took her away.
With trembling hands, Samar held Nisa's body close—her warmth fading, her once-lively face now cold and silent.
Samar screamed at the top of his lungs, but it was all in vain. Tears flowed endlessly, his body trembling with grief too heavy to bear.
The villagers who witnessed it were also overcome with sorrow—they had lost Nisa, someone who had always been kind to them.
Meanwhile, Badang was still facing off against Badrul but was powerless, as Badrul had full control over the monsters surrounding him. Badang could do nothing but watch as the villagers he had known since childhood were killed one by one before his eyes.
"Useless… As the village chief, I was supposed to protect them, to give them hope and safety—but look at this. The people I've known all my life are dying, and I can't do a thing. Forgive me, Father. I've failed them all," Badang said, his voice breaking as he knelt in despair.
Seeing Badang weakened and defeated, Badrul invited him to leave the village behind and join him.
"Give it up, Badang. It's pointless. You can't defeat me," Badrul sneered.
But slowly, Badang began to rise, emerging from the weight of his sorrow.
"No. I must become stronger—so no one else has to suffer because I failed to protect them!"
Badrul commanded the monsters to attack Badang. With all his might, Badang punched one of the Giants that was charging at him.
Badrul's eyes widened in shock when Badang killed the Giant with a single blow.
"That's impossible."
At first, Badang had no idea what was happening to his body, but he didn't care. He seized this opportunity to eliminate every monster that attacked him.
Without hesitation, Badang charged forward, facing the dozens of monsters coming his way. With his bare hands, he unleashed punch after punch with incredible strength. One by one, the monsters fell. No weapons, no armor—just pure fury and determination burning within Badang.
Unknowingly, Badang had slain them all. He stood tall, glaring at Badrul with a look filled with rage.
Badrul, realizing he couldn't win, decided to retreat. He called back all his monsters and fled the scene.
Badang tried to stop him, but he was already exhausted, struggling just to stay on his feet.
They exchanged one last look. Badrul then left, abandoning the village in ruins and chaos.
"..."
"After we repaired all the damage, we buried all the villagers, including Nisa, in their proper resting place…"
"… I told the villagers that all of this happened because of Badrul. The villagers were furious when they heard that, especially Samar, who had been friends with Badrul since childhood…"
"… From that moment on, they became wary of outsiders, believing that anyone who came to the village might be a spy sent by Badrul."
Badrul turned to Ilyas and asked,
"Ilyas..."
"… Should I have killed Badrul from the beginning?"
Hearing this, Ilyas remained silent, listening to Badang's story.
"If only I had killed him from the start, maybe I could have prevented the massacre in this village."
His voice cracked as if he were about to cry, filled with regret over past mistakes that could no longer be undone.
Ilyas took a deep breath and gazed up at the night sky.
"You know, I'm not great at giving advice, but if I were in your shoes, I might think the same way…"
"… If I had done this, maybe it wouldn't have happened…"
"… But you have to remember, every action has its consequences…"
"… If you had killed him before all this, you might have been haunted by guilt you could never forget. And that would affect your mental well-being…"
"… You have to remember, soon you'll be the leader of this village. If the village chief can't free himself from his own guilt, how can he save the people he cares about…?"
"… I'm sure, the decisions you've made so far have been the right ones."
Badang looked at Ilyas with a calm expression, feeling relieved after hearing the advice Ilyas had given.
"Thank you, Ilyas."
After that, they returned to enjoying the night breeze.
From a distance, something was spying on them. After gathering some information, the creature left.
Elsewhere, the creature who had been spying on Ilyas and Badang reported back to someone.
"Hm... Good. Continue investigating the village. Don't miss a single detail about it."
The person stood up from his chair and gazed at an old photo of himself with Badang. It was Badrul, the one who had destroyed Badang's village.
"Soon, I'll throw a grand feast in that village. I can't wait to see their faces full of fear."