Rangga immediately exploded.
“Hey—what the hell was that?!” He pointed at the sky.
Wira simply stared at him blankly.
Rangga stepped a little farther outside, his eyes still fixed upward.
“The rain stopped… the rain actually stopped.”
He crouched down, covering his face with both hands. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
“This is a coincidence… I’m not hallucinating… I’m not crazy… I’m not going crazy just because I got dumped…”
He stayed like that for a few seconds before slowly lowering his hands.
Wira was still standing there, calm as ever, as if nothing strange had happened.
Rangga stared at him.
“…You can see this too, right?”
Wira gave a small nod.
“This is normal.”
Rangga immediately frowned.
“Normal?”
“If you do not want to get wet, you stop the rain,” Wira replied flatly.
Rangga stared at him for a long time, his face caught somewhere between confusion and disbelief.
“…I swear, this is weird. It makes no sense.”
Wira didn't respond. He simply glanced toward the trail leading down.
“We should go down now. It will be easier.”
Rangga finally stood up. He still looked hesitant, but his feet carried him outside anyway.
Before actually leaving, he glanced up at the sky one more time.
The clouds were still thick and dark, but there was no rain.
He slowly shook his head, then let out a small laugh.
“…What the hell is wrong with me?”
Then he started walking downhill.
The trail was fairly slippery. The ground was still wet, with tree roots sticking out in several places.
Rangga descended carefully, watching his steps so he wouldn't slip.
Ahead of him, Wira was already walking.
His pace was casual, but the distance between them was quickly growing.
“Hey, wait,” Rangga called, quickening his steps.
Wira didn't stop immediately. He continued at the same pace, as though the trail were completely flat.
Rangga nearly slipped once and barely managed to catch himself.
“Can you slow down a little?” he said irritably.
Wira finally stopped several meters ahead and turned around.
“You are too slow.”
Rangga frowned.
“This is downhill. It's slippery.”
Wira glanced at the ground.
“If you hesitate with every step, of course you will be slow.”
Rangga stared at him.
“Don't get all philosophical on me. Just walk slower.”
Wira turned around and continued downhill.
A little while later, Wira took a right at a small fork in the trail.
“Hey, wrong way,” Rangga said quickly, speeding up to catch him. “Left. Not that way.”
Wira stopped and looked at the path he'd chosen.
“This is faster.”
“Faster to where? Getting lost?” Rangga pointed toward the other trail. “That's the way.”
Wira studied it for a moment, then switched paths without comment.
They continued downhill.
Not long after, Wira once again started heading in a different direction.
“Hey, not that way either,” Rangga said, his breathing beginning to grow heavier. “Where the hell are you going?”
Wira stopped and looked around.
“This terrain is inefficient.”
Rangga rubbed his face.
“This isn't about efficiency. And what the hell are you even talking about? You talk so weird.”
Wira was silent for a moment before walking closer.
“We will walk according to your method.”
Rangga snorted.
“Yeah.”
Wira now walked behind him, following the direction Rangga pointed out.
A few steps later, Wira spoke again.
“You are still slow.”
Rangga didn't turn around.
“Shut up.”
Rangga continued walking slowly, still being careful as he descended the slippery trail.
After a few more steps, he glanced back.
“Where did you come up from, anyway?”
Wira answered calmly.
“The usual route. I meditated here.”
Rangga stopped for a moment and turned fully toward Wira.
He nodded slowly.
“No wonder you're weird,” he muttered. “Turns out you're a shaman.”
He continued walking.
Behind him, Wira followed, but then asked,
“What is a shaman?”
Rangga immediately let out a short laugh.
“There’s a shaman who doesn't even know what a shaman is.”
He glanced back.
“A shaman, a paranormal… someone who claims to have supernatural powers. Usually either delusional or schizophrenic.”
Wira's footsteps stopped.
Rangga noticed and immediately stopped as well, turning around.
Wira stared at him.
“I do not understand what you mean.”
Rangga shrugged.
“Well… supernatural powers aren't real.”
Wira's expression changed slightly.
Not enough to look angry, but it was obvious he didn't like that.
“Do not insult a martial cultivator.”
Rangga immediately laughed.
“A martial cultivator?”
He shook his head, still grinning.
“Okay, martial cultivator.”
He pointed at a tall tree beside the trail.
“Try jumping up there.”
Wira turned toward the tree and gave a small nod.
Without any lengthy preparation, he jumped.
His body simply rose, light and effortless, as if gravity didn't fully apply to him.
He landed on a branch several meters above the ground.
Rangga instinctively stepped backward.
“Holy shit—”
His foot landed wrong.
He lost his balance, stumbled, then fell backward.
His body rolled down the trail.
“AAAAHHH—!”
Wira watched Rangga tumble from his position atop the tree.
He simply stared.
No reaction.
Rangga finally came to a stop when his body crashed into a patch of bushes.
He lay there, breathing heavily, his face turned toward the sky.
“What the hell was that…”
He stayed still for a few seconds before slowly pushing himself up.
The moment he stood, his eyes immediately caught sight of Wira still standing on the tree above him, staring down with the same blank expression.
Rangga froze for half a second.
Then instinct took over.
He immediately turned around and ran downhill, his steps completely frantic.
“AAAAAAAHHH! DEMON! SHAMAN!”
Rangga kept running without daring to look back.
His footing was a mess, and he nearly slipped several times on the still-wet ground.
“FUCKING DEMON! YOU SON OF A BITCH! FUCKING SHAMAN! BASTARD SHAMAN!” he screamed as he continued downhill.
His breathing became increasingly ragged, but he didn't stop.
Every few steps, his foot nearly slipped, his body swayed, and he desperately forced himself back into balance.
His screams echoed across the empty mountainside.
There were no other hikers that day, only the echoes of his own voice returning from the distance.
That somehow made him even more panicked.
“Fuck… fuck…”
He kept running.
Eventually, his breath was almost completely gone, and the trail became less steep.
Rangga finally slowed down.
He stopped beside a tree, bent over, and grabbed the trunk while desperately trying to catch his breath.
“Haaah… haaah… haaah… what the fuck was that, damn it…” he wheezed between breaths.
His hands were trembling as he tried to open his carrier.
He reached inside, searching for his water bottle.
Before he could find it—
“Why did you stop?”
The voice came from behind him.
Rangga immediately screamed.
“AAAAAAHHHH—!”
He fell onto his butt, scrambling backward on the ground.
His hands immediately covered his face.
“I'm sorry… I'm sorry, demon… please spare me, Master… I'm sorry…”
Wira stood behind him, straight and composed, staring at him in confusion.
“What is wrong with you?”
Rangga kept his face covered, his voice trembling.
“Please… please, Master… I won't ever hike again…”
He even lowered his head, nearly prostrating himself on the ground.
Wira simply stood there, looking at him without understanding.
“When are we going down?” he asked flatly.
Rangga stopped.
Slowly, he lowered his hands and glanced at him.
Wira was still there.
He hadn't disappeared.
He hadn't transformed.
Rangga swallowed.
“Yes, Master… yes…” he said quickly. “I'll take you down.”
He hurriedly stood up and immediately started walking downhill.
“Hopefully he'll disappear… please don't hurt me…” he muttered under his breath.
Wira followed behind him without saying a word.
Rangga didn't dare speak again either.
The journey became silent.
They passed Post Two, then Post One, without exchanging another word.
Rangga never stopped walking.
His legs already felt heavy, and his breathing had never fully recovered.
But every time he wanted to stop, the sound of footsteps behind him made him keep moving.
He didn't dare look back.
The hiking gate finally came into view.
The Simaksi hut was visible ahead, clear among the trees.
Rangga quickened his pace slightly.
The moment he passed through the gate, his body gave out.
He collapsed near the entrance, sitting heavily on the ground, his breathing ragged.
His entire body felt exhausted and yet strangely light. Because, finally, he had made it down.
---- Author's Note: Thank you for reading!
You can find character art and other illustrations on my Instagram: SLEEPYFACE18. Want to read ahead? You can get access to advance chapters on my Patreon for FREE: SLEEPYFACE487 See you in the next chapter!