Chapter 11: Memories and Darkness

Alejandro and Mia walked between the big trees in the lonely forest. The surrounding atmosphere was so calm, only the soft rustle of the wind blowing the leaves could be heard. The afternoon sunlight slipped through the gaps in the leaves, creating moving shadows on the ground.

Mia took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and the special aroma of the forest. Alejandro smiled at her, seeing the calm in Mia's tired face.

"This is the perfect place to rest for a while," Alejandro said, looking around contentedly. "I'll climb the tree and pick some apples."

Mia nodded while holding the basket she was carrying. "Be careful, Alejandro."

Alejandro just smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'm really an expert in climbing," he said as he started to climb the tree nimbly. His strong and dexterous hands easily found the right grip, and in a flash, he was already on the higher branches of the tree, picking juicy apples.

One by one, the apples fell into the basket that Mia held carefully. Alejandro picked about ten apples before going back downstairs. He landed lightly on the ground, smiling proudly at his handiwork.

"These apples look so fresh," Mia said, looking at the basket now full of glistening red apples.

Alejandro nodded, picked up an apple and bit into it. "Hmm, it tastes really good. Try it, Mia."

Mia took an apple and bit into it too. "You're right, this is delicious," he said with twinkling eyes. "Thank you, Alejandro."

Alejandro smiled again, happy to see Mia happy. "No problem. We need to take care of our energy. The situation may become more difficult, but we will face it together."

Mia nodded, feeling calmer with Alejandro by her side. They sat together under the tree, enjoying the apples and the peace of the forest. Their hearts are a little lighter.

After they finished eating the apple, Alejandro sat leaning against the tree, his mind returning to the fairy tale book found in the wooden house. The book was so strange and mysterious, there was no record of it in history or fable that he had ever known.

Mia, who was sitting next to him, noticed the look on Alejandro's face that seemed to be thinking hard. "What's wrong, Alejandro? You look so serious."

Alejandro sighed and looked at Mia. "There's something I want to talk to you about. In the house we're staying in, I found a very strange fairy tale book. It's titled 'Angels and The Endless Witch'."

Mia frowned, feeling curious. "A fairy tale book? What's so strange about it?"

"The strange thing is, that book has never existed in this world. I have read many books, especially history books and fairy tales, but I have never heard of this book before. If this book does exist, there must be someone else who know about it," explained Alejandro.

Mia looked at Alejandro with a serious look. "What's in that book?"

Alejandro took a deep breath before beginning to tell. "The book tells the story of a man named Faruza, who has a deep hatred for angels and God. He lives in misery for 20 years until one day, a demon offers him dark magical powers. Faruza accepts the offer and begins to use his powers to commit heinous acts, build a cult, commit genocide, and various other crimes. Finally, God is angry and sends an angel to stop it, but Faruza manages to disappear using something called 'Reverse Life'."

Mia listened intently, her eyes wide as Alejandro recounted the gruesome details of the book. "Reverse Life? What is that?"

"According to the book, Reverse Life is a piece that comes from the highest realm that is in the Altar Dimension. This piece is able to make its user live again in an eternity that goes beyond the immortality itself. But the strange thing is, this piece should not be able to be activated by magicians or sinner. But Faruza managed to use it," replied Alejandro.

Mia nodded, looking thoughtful. "That is very strange indeed. There may be something about the book that we do not yet know."

Alejandro stared at the quiet forest, the gentle wind still blowing. "Yes, maybe. But for now, we need to focus on our situation. The book will still be there, and we can find out more later."

Mia nodded in agreement. "You're right. We have to stay alert and ready for whatever comes our way."

With stronger resolve, Alejandro and Mia stood up, ready to continue their journey in the mysterious forest. Although the question of the fairy tale book still hung in their minds, they knew that the challenge ahead required their full attention.

At night, Adam Faris stood by the side of the hallway with a homeless boy. Adam wears his regular clothes: a black coat with a brown fur lining that reaches his hips, a plain black long-sleeved v-neck, pants, and dark brown shoes. A soft smile graced his face as he looked at the child.

"What's your name, honey?" he asked in a soft voice.

The boy blushed and replied, "Umm, Ayato."

Adam chuckled, "A Japanese name? Aww, a very beautiful name."

He pinched the boy's nose gently. "So cute," he added.

The boy blushed deeper. "Umm, yeah..."

Adam kissed the boy's cheek and lips with full intensity, burying his face without holding back. "Ayato... you want to go with me dear?" blinked with all his heart.

Ayato blushed, "Umm, Niisan, I'm not comfortable..."

Adam stroked the boy's hair with joy, kissing him boldly.

Ayato is surprised and swept away in love and warmth, following his playmate into a much more colorful and beautiful world.

Adam kissed the Boy again aggressively, inserting his tongue and tracing the boy's mouth passionately.

The boy just stayed silent, enjoying the kiss and uttered "mmmm~"

Adam pulled his kiss away and said, "Ah, your saliva is too good honey~"

Ayato blushed and said, "Umm, thanks…"

Adam held the boy's face gently and kissed him again lovingly.

The boy is charmed by Adam's warmth and tries to follow him into a more energetic and loving world.

Adam who had seen the man pulled his gaze away from the boy with all his might and said, "Hahah! Where are you~human~" with a chuckle.

The man backed away quickly, and Adam grabbed the knife in a quick motion. Without hesitation, Adam slashed the man's head with a knife, and held the man's head with his hand. The boy was frightened and surprised by Adam's sudden behavior. Adam smiled wryly and said, "Aww! Dear! Don't be afraid~"

Adam's body was filled with blood, but he didn't care. She hugged the boy as a sign of her love and affection, and then pulled the boy closer to her. He began biting the boy's neck, slowly.

On a sunny morning, where Adam was no longer with the boy. The boy was lying next to the hallway of the building with a naked body, while the body of the man who had disappeared yesterday.

The boy woke up and yawned. He felt a slight pain in his jaw, neck, and buttocks. He realized that he still felt pressured last night, when Adam took off his clothes and at that moment he felt as if he was being abused. With a feeling of pain and confusion, the boy who did not understand what was happening could only remain silent, and did not understand where to take refuge.

Adam woke up from his sleep slowly. Today is a day off, a rare opportunity he gets as a college teacher. His eyes were still heavy, and he yawned long. After a few seconds, his gaze landed on the wall clock which read 7:30 am.

"Umm, 7:30 in the morning," he mumbled half sleepily.

Adam grabbed his bath towel hanging behind the door. He rubbed his face with both hands, trying to get rid of the rest of the sleepiness that still lingered.

"Okay, time to take a shower," he said to himself.

He stepped out of his boarding room, walking down a narrow corridor decorated with several small pots of green plants along the walls. The atmosphere of the boarding house is still quiet. Only the sound of birds chirping outside the window was heard, adding to the tranquility of the morning.

Arriving in the bathroom, Adam turned on the faucet and let the warm water flow. A thin vapor began to fill the small room, giving a refreshing sense of comfort. He felt the warm water touching his skin, banishing all fatigue and making him fresher.

After a few moments, Adam finished his shower and returned to his room. He put on casual clothes, a t-shirt and shorts, then headed to the small kitchen at the end of the corridor to make a cup of coffee. The aroma of coffee immediately fills the room, creating the perfect morning atmosphere.

"Ah, a calm and pleasant morning," thought Adam with a smile.

While enjoying his coffee, he sat on a chair by the window, looking out. The street in front of the boarding house began to be crowded with people doing activities, but from inside his room, Adam felt the peace he so desperately needed.

For a moment, he remembered the pile of work that was still waiting, but today, Adam decided to really enjoy his day off.

Adam sat in a chair enjoying his warm coffee. This morning felt fresh and calm. After a few sips, he opened his laptop and accessed chess.com, his favorite site for playing chess. Adam's Elo rating is around 2700, showing his expertise in this game.

"Umm... just fight the boat, elo 2500," he muttered with a smile, ready for this morning's challenge.

Adam chooses to play as white, while the bot will be black. He starts with the classic move, king pawn opening, moving his pawn to e4. Bot responds with a pawn to d5. Without hesitation, Adam continued with the pawn to exd5, eating the opponent's pawn.

Bot quickly responded by moving the queen to d5. Adam fights back by moving the knight to c3, forcing the black queen back to d8. Then, he moves his pawn to d4, strengthening his position in the center of the board. Bot responds with a pawn to e6.

Adam continued by moving his bishop to d3, preparing to attack. Bot responds with a pawn to c5. Adam wastes no time and eats the pawn on c5, while the bot immediately eats back the pawn on c5.

Adam moves his queen to e2, preparing for further moves. Bot responds by moving his knight to d7. Adam then moves his bishop to f4, while the bot places the knight on e7.

With mature strategy, Adam performed a long rokade, OOO, securing his king. Bot moves the bishop to b4, pressing the white knight on c3. Adam moves the knight to b5, strengthening the attack. Bot responds with a knight to d5.

Adam then moves the elephant to d6, attacking. The bot responds by eating the elephant on d6, but Adam immediately counters with the knight on d6, giving a check. The black king retreated to e7, but Adam didn't give it a chance, immediately gave another check with the knight to f5. The black king retreats again to e8.

With a sharp move, Adam eats the pawn on g7 with the knight, giving a check. The black king retreats to e7 again. Adam then moves the knight to f3, setting up the next move. The black king tries to take cover by moving to f8.

Adam sees a gap and eats the pawn on e6 with the knight, giving another skak. Bot had to eat the knight with the f-pawn, fxe6. Adam then moves his rook to e1, increasing the pressure. The bot tries to defend by moving the queen to f6.

The game was heating up, and Adam was enjoying every step of it. Its peaceful atmosphere is the perfect setting for this strategic battle.

Adam felt confident when he saw the position on the board. He moves his bishop to e4, putting pressure on the opponent's position. Bot responds by moving the knight to b6, a defensive move. Without hesitation, Adam pushed his pawn to c4, strengthening control in the center of the board. Bot, seeing the imminent threat, retreats his knight back to e7.

Adam then moved his elephant to c2, setting up a stronger attack. Bot tries to distract by moving his rook to g8, but Adam immediately blocks the rook path with his pawn on g3. These steps further strengthen Adam's position.

Bot tried to increase his defense by moving his knight to c6, but Adam responded with a pawn push to h4, preparing an attack on the flanks. The black queen retreats to e7, a seemingly defensive move. Adam sees an opportunity and moves his knight to g5, attacking the h6 pawn.

Bot responds by moving his pawn to h6, attacking the white knight. However, Adam calmly moves his knight to h7, giving a skak. The black king had to move to f7. With a move that further strengthens his position, Adam moves his pawn to g4, increasing the pressure.

The black king tried to escape to g7, but Adam didn't let him escape just like that. It moves the pawn to g5, forcing the opponent to react. The bot tries to distract by eating the pawn on c4 with the knight, but Adam immediately eats back the black knight with his queen on c4.

The black king moves to h8, a move that looks like a mistake. "Mistake?" Adam smiled, seeing a golden opportunity. He moves his knight to f6, setting up a deadly attack. Bot tried to defend by moving the rook to g7, but Adam quickly attacked the rook with his knight on h5.

Bot tried to defend by moving the pawn to a5, but this move did not stop Adam. He eats the rook on g7 with his knight, and the black queen immediately responds by eating Adam's knight on g7.

Adam was not affected. It moves its rook to d6, placing increasing pressure. The bot tries to reduce the threat by eating the pawn on g5 with his pawn, but Adam pawns the black queen by moving his rook to g1.

The bot tries to attack the white queen with a pawn to b5, but Adam quickly eats the black knight on c6 with his queen. The black bishop tries to get rid of Adam's queen by moving to b7, but Adam easily moves his queen to b6, keeping his position.

Bot moves his bishop to e4, attacking the white bishop on c2, but Adam eats the bishop with his bishop, strengthening his position. Bot tried to defend by moving his rook to f8, but Adam saw the last move.

It eats the pawn on g5 with its rook, simultaneously attacking the black queen. The bot moved the queen back to f7, but Adam didn't stand a chance. He moves his queen to d4, giving the black king a check on h8.

The bot tries to cover the check with a pawn to e5, but Adam quickly eats the pawn with his queen, giving another check. Bot had to move his queen to f6 to prevent the check.

That's when Adam saw the end of this game. It moves its rook on d6 to eat the black queen on f6, giving the last check. The bot eats the white rook with the black rook on f6, but Adam calmly eats back the black rook with his queen, giving checkmate.

"Checkmate," Adam said with a big smile. The game ended with a satisfying victory. The calm morning atmosphere at his home provided the perfect backdrop for this victory. Adam sipped the remaining coffee, enjoying this sweet moment of victory.

Adam smiled warmly after winning the chess game. He stretched his body which felt stiff after sitting for a long time. He remembered his parents. He took his phone from the table and dialed his parents' home phone number.

After a few rings, his mother's soft voice came from the other side.

"Assalamu'alaikum, son, are you well?" his mother's voice, Rahmah, sounded full of love.

"Walaikumsalam, ma'am! Alhamdulillah, Adam is healthy," replied Adam with a smile still attached to his face. "How are mom and dad?"

"We are also healthy, son. Thank God. Your father is in the garden, but he will surely come soon," Rahmah replied in a cheerful tone.

Adam heard the voice of his father, Maaruf, from a distance. Not long after, his father's heavy and warm voice greeted him.

"Assalamu'alaikum, Adam! How are you there?" asked his father in an attentive tone.

"Walaikumsalam, Yah! Everything is fine. Today is Adam's day off, so he can relax a little," replied Adam.

"So, what's the plan today?" asked his father enthusiastically.

"Adam doesn't have any specific plans yet, maybe he'll go out for a walk or read a book in the park," said Adam. "But now, Adam just wants to chat with mom and dad. What's up at home? Anything new?"

"Everything is fine at home, son," answered his mother. "Our garden is starting to produce more vegetables. Your father loves working there every day."

"Thank God," said Adam with a feeling of relief. "Adam misses the atmosphere of the house and the garden. God willing, after a long vacation, Adam will come home."

"We miss you too, son. But the important thing is that you are healthy and happy there," said his mother in a soft tone.

Their conversation continued warmly, talking about small things that brought simple happiness. Adam feels very grateful to have parents who always support and love him. After a few moments, he hung up the phone with a happy feeling, putting his phone back on the table.

Adam looked out the window, feeling the warmth of the morning sunlight entering his room. This quiet day had started well, and Adam felt ready to live the day with enthusiasm.

Adam hung up the phone with a warm feeling after talking to his parents. However, his mind began to travel to the past, when he was still a child. When he was seven years old, his life felt very calm, comfortable, and happy in the village. He remembers playing in the park with his friends, going to school, and always getting the first rank in the class. His childhood was full of beautiful memories and cheerfulness.

However, everything changed when he was ten years old. He began to hear strange whispers in his head, scary and dark voices. Turns out, the whispers were his evil alter ego, trying to take over his body. Adam suffered in silence, hiding his suffering from his parents. He didn't want them to worry or be afraid.

For six years, Adam lived in incredible inner torment. Five years ago, he realized that he had accidentally killed two little girls and a mother. The realization crushed him. Guilt and sin weighed on his heart, making him feel like a monster. But in the middle of the darkness, Adam found the strength to fight. He began to train his mind, learn to think more deeply, more critically, and always be alert. Sleeping pills became his saviour, keeping the dark side from emerging at night.

Now, at the age of nineteen, Adam has endured this suffering for ten years. He took a deep breath, trying to banish the dark shadows from his mind.

"This is enough," Adam muttered to himself with a slightly shaky voice. "I will not let the past haunt my life forever. I have to be strong, for myself and for those who have left."

Adam sighed in relief. He knows that the path he has chosen is not easy, but he is determined to keep moving forward, become a better person and not let his dark side win.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly, as if speaking to the spirits he had hurt. "I will continue to fight, for good and for a brighter future."

Adam looked out the window again, seeing the sun shining brightly. Today is a new beginning, and he is determined to live each day with meaning and goodness. The past may be dark, but the future can still be created with light