They went home.
And Putih began to dig.
He broke into Surya's old online patient files.
Each case the same.
Sudden trauma. Grief. Hallucinations.
But there was a pattern. A strange one.
Every patient claimed to see a loved one… standing beside them.
Always just one.
Always after a mirror encounter.
One man saw his dead daughter.
Another, his brother.
None of them lived more than a year after the visions began.
Putih scrolled to the last file.
Subject 009: Bawang Putih.
"Subject continues to reject reality. Jahe's presence appears to have evolved. Subject claims shared memories and conversations."
Putih's throat tightened.
At the bottom of the page, a single sentence was scrawled in Surya's handwriting:
"I fear he is no longer hallucinating."
The next night, Jahe didn't smile.
He stood in the corner of the room, watching the mirror.
"It's almost time," he whispered.
Putih sat on the floor, knees hugged to his chest.
"What are you?" he asked.
Jahe looked down at him.
"I was your friend."
A pause.
"And now I'm what's left."