Chapter 23 : Chilling Premonition

The preseason match has ended, and we've got a narrow win, but the atmosphere's still electric. Mr. Rahman's beaming with pride, and Coach David's holding the trophy, grinning from ear to ear. I need to make an early exit, though – all's well that ends well.

Sylvia and I sit outside, and she puts on her walkman, sharing her favorite song with me – "Hypnotise" by Notorious BIG. I'm surprised she's into rap and hip hop; I wouldn't have pegged her as a fan. We listen to the music, and it's like nothing else exists. The sounds of the city fade into the background, and all that's left is the beat.

I notice Priscilla and Siti trying to get my attention, but I'm not interested. I'm too caught up in the music and the moment. I start to feel sleepy, and before I know it, I'm lying down on Sylvia's shoulder. She hums along to the song, gently rubbing my hair. It's a tender moment, one that feels like we're a real couple, but I'm just too exhausted to care.

The music washes over me, and I let out a contented sigh. For a moment, everything's okay, and all I need is the rhythm and Sylvia's gentle touch.

I hear the sound of camera shutters, and I wonder who could be taking pictures of Sylvia and me being intimate. I assume it's Mariam, but as I turn to look, I realize it's someone else – a girl with Shinji. I get a bad feeling, sensing that Shinji's planning something.

I whisper to Sylvia, "Hey, I need to go to the toilet..." She's being her usual protective self, offering to accompany me. "Oh, let me accompany you then..." I try to reassure her, "Uh, I'll be fine…"

As Sylvia heads towards Priscilla and Siti, who's still arguing about something, I sneak away to find the cameraman. It's a girl and a guy who looks familiar. Shinji's there too, and I'm not sure what his angle is.

Just as I'm about to approach them, Mr. Akira appears out of nowhere, scaring the living daylights out of me. "Geez!!" I exclaim. He facepalms himself, asking, "Uh huh... what is my son doing right now…?"

The conversation between Shinji and the other person catches my attention. "Hey, is that Alex? The one everyone talks about?" Shinji asks. "Yeah, he's bad news among us. I'd rather not get involved with him. He's dodgy... You better not mess with him, or else I'll get it..." the other person warns.

Shinji playfully downplays it, saying, "Uh huh... he seems kinda dorky, though..." Mr. Akira's expression turns stern, and he apologizes, "Sorry about my son Alex. He's a bit difficult when he's interested in something... He goes for it…"

The other person nods understandingly, "Yeah, all good..." But I can sense the tension, and I wonder what Shinji's really after.

I suddenly remember the girl from the Siti Aishah school incident. I wonder where they all are now. "Two of them are with our school, but I'm curious about what's going on," I say to Mr. Akira.

"Your school is interesting, but I worry about Shinji. He's still naive about this," he replies.

"Yeah, I know..."

As we watch, Shinji walks out and rides off, while the two individuals are still lurking around. "Well, I'd better go back and see what else Shinji's got cooking in that feeble mind of his..."

Mr. Akira heads out, and I approach the two individuals. Once I reach them, I see fear in their faces. "Hey Alex, what's up?" one of them says, trying to sound casual.

The girl looks afraid, but I don't remember her name. "It's not nice taking pictures without consent, you know..." I say, my voice firm.

The guy avoids my gaze, while the girl tries to run away, but I hold her shoulder. "Just wondering why?" I ask, my voice rough with anger.

"Look... that guy wanted to know more about you, and he wanted this picture to be kept by him..." the girl explains, her voice trembling.

I narrow my eyes. "So... am I a target, including Sylvia?" I ask, my eyes fixed on them.

"Look, man... he offered us money..." the guy says, his voice barely above a whisper.

What have they gotten themselves into? I wonder, feeling a surge of anger and concern.

I snatch their camera and pull out the film, and the guy warns me, "Hey!! Don't!! You know what will happen, right?" I smirk, "Well, I'll take this film I'm going to extract this picture. Wondering what's happening…"

The two take off, and I examine the negative, deciding to print it and find out more about what's going on. As I look at the pictures, I realize they've taken more than what I saw.

Just then, Mariam appears out of nowhere. "Seems like you're famous," she says with a smirk. I look down and reply, "Kinda feel like this school is more than meets the eye, and the root is still not clear about it…"

Mariam teases me, "Sentimental, eh? Yeah, I kinda feel like that as well..." I respond sarcastically, "Where's your future husband then?”

Amin suddenly pops out from behind a bush. "Bro, what happened?" he asks. I show them the film, and Mariam snatches it. "Well, my home has a place to print it. Better do it there…"

We head back to school, and Sylvia, Priscilla, and Siti seem to be staring at me suspiciously. Mariam and Amin walk away, saying, "Well, that's your problem..." I'm not sure what to do about this situation. One thing's for sure – I'm stuck with these girl problems.

After the event, we all head home, but Maya approaches me. "Hey big brother Alex... Soro called me. He said something about a warning..." Suddenly, my phone rings. "Tell me about the clone village..." Shit, how does he know about this?

"Hey, Maya, could you tell the others that I'm going out?" I ask, and I take my bike to the hidden clone facility. When I arrive, Soro's there, smoking and looking intense. "This is interesting... Could you explain to me…"

I'm not sure if I'll spill the beans or play it cool. "It depends on your explanation, because this is also a threat..." Soro's expression is unreadable.

"Hey, they're innocent... and they wanted to find a home..." I say, trying to gauge his reaction. Soro's not fazed, and instead, asks me to explain further.

I recount my strange visions to him, and surprisingly, he seems to understand. "Why the hell do you have the same dream and vision as mine?" Soro asks, throwing me off guard.

"Not sure about it, but the girl with red hair seems to be not aligned with the clone we encountered," I say to Soro.

"Then... one thing for sure," he says, his voice low and serious as he leans in close to me. "This is something not even Maruk or anyone must know about this." He's getting more suspicious by the minute, and I ask him, "Tell me, how did you become what you are?"

Soro takes a drag on his cigarette and blows out smoke, his eyes narrowing. "Well... one thing for sure, I don't trust anyone at all. Everyone around me is suspicious, to start with." Maybe that's why he's so guarded all the time.

"I trust Maruk because he's been with me since I was young... and that's it," he says, his expression unreadable.

Suddenly, Frederica's voice echoes in my mind, "This guy Soro, I think it's best to bring him here, to the place. At least he knows about it... I can vouch for him." I decide to take her advice and bring Soro to the hidden location.

As we approach the entrance, Soro's eyes lock onto the girls with intense focus. But surprisingly, they don't seem afraid of him. One of the little girls, Lilim, greets me warmly. “Welcome..."

Soro squats down and smiles genuinely for the first time, "Hey, little one..." It's a side of him I haven't seen before.

"You're the guy in my dreams, and Professor Mas told me about you too..." Lilim says, her eyes sparkling. Now this is getting interesting - why did my mom have a connection with Soro?

Soro's expression turns serious again. "That damn old woman asked for my help personally, wanting to protect these people here until she found a safe place for them to live." I realize he's talking about my mom.

"Uh-huh... mom," I say, trying to process this new information.

Soro's gaze intensifies. "Like I said, not a word about this gets out. Don't trust anyone... got it?" I nod in agreement.

Lilim begins to explain, "He saved me before in the facility..." Soro's expression turns dark. "It was in the Philippines... I destroyed the facility. Maruk knows about it, but he preferred me to kill her. I managed to spare her…"

The story is unfolding, and I'm not sure what to make of it all yet. But one thing's for sure - Soro's involvement with my mom and the clones runs deeper than I thought.

"This is something that not normal people understand about..." Soro's words trail off as he examines me with an intense gaze. "His qui intra hoc vas dixerunt mihi..." Suddenly, my head spins, and someone inside me speaks up. "How could he know all of this?”

I try to control myself, but Frederica's voice takes over. "Let me handle this..." She addresses Soro, "Tell me, girl... why the hell is this guy?" Soro responds, "Well... at least I know my own body... and the clones are what the old woman was forced to create to counter me... because I was born during the star of the hunter, since bright…"

Frederica's voice continues, "I don't know, but one thing's for sure - Aunt Mas said to me that she was told to create to fight a demon..." A demon? This is getting surreal.

Soro's expression turns thoughtful. "Demon... me... that's strange... why would the Brotherhood be afraid of me?" Frederica's voice concludes, "That's all I know about it..."

Soro nods. "Fine... then you can go. I know what to do now..." I regain consciousness, holding Soro's shirt. "What the fuck did you do to me?" Soro pushes me aside without a word. "Well, at least you're conscious enough to know what's going on... for the clones, let me handle this…"

Soro seems to be working on something. Lilim interrupts, "There's a clone, but not in Malaysia... she's a priestess in Japan..." Soro's eyes light up. "Uh-huh... then I need to head there... and you…"

He looks at me. "What?" I ask. "Behave," he says, walking out. "You're changing... so better get yourself in check. After this, there'll be a line between choosing a path... and I wonder which path you'll take - being normal or blood…"

Soro walks out of the facility without waiting for a response. Lilim says goodbye, "Well, gotta go back... see ya..." I wave goodbye and head back home, but first, I need to visit Mariam's place to get the pictures printed.

As I arrive at Mariam's place, I'm greeted by a gathering of sleek cars that seem out of place in this quiet neighborhood. The people surrounding the cars are not your average civilians - they're dressed in black, their faces stern and alert. I approach them cautiously, sensing something is off.

Before I can even say a word, they're pointing guns at me. "This is not a place for kids!!" one of them growls. But I'm not one to back down. In a flash, I kick the gun out of his hand, using a swift and precise motion. The others take a step back, surprised by my sudden move.

It dawns on me that Soro's warning about the film must be connected to these people. I take down the rest of them with ease, using a combination of martial arts and quick reflexes. They're no match for me.

As I stand victorious, I notice a few things about the men I've taken down. They're all wearing earpieces and have a similar tattoo on their wrists. It's clear they're part of some sort of organization. I wonder what their connection is to the film and Soro.

I take a deep breath, surveying the scene. The cars are still parked, the engines purring softly. I notice a piece of paper on the ground, crumpled up and discarded. I pick it up, smoothing out the wrinkles. It's a note, hastily scribbled in a code I don't recognize.

I tuck the note into my pocket, deciding to investigate further. Mariam's place is still my priority, but I need to be cautious. These people might not be the only ones watching.

As I approach Mariam's door, I can feel eyes on me. I'm not sure if it's the organization or something else entirely. I take a deep breath, preparing for whatever comes next.