Late at night, everyone in the house was already asleep. Suddenly, Sancaka woke up, his throat dry. He got out of bed and walked toward the kitchen. There, he saw a stoneware bottle—a heavy one, which meant there was still water inside. He set it down on the table and began looking for a glass.
After finding one, Sancaka poured water from the bottle into the glass. As he drank, he suddenly heard voices coming from outside. Curious, he finished the water and quietly moved toward the source of the sound. When he reached the front door, he saw his father talking with several men on the terrace. There were three of them. Two were holding lanterns.
Curious about their conversation, Sancaka crept closer and hid behind a wall, making sure he was close enough to hear. He pressed himself against it and peeked out, seeing his father's back facing him.
"So that's the situation, gentlemen," Tono said.
"And earlier today you said you spoke with Karna?" asked one of the men holding a lantern. "This is Karna the Dharma, right? The one rumored to be somewhat rebellious within his group?"
"Yes, that's the Karna I meant," Tono replied. "But at least he rebels for the right reasons, not for personal gain."
"But your son, Sancaka—he's alright, isn't he?" asked another man without a lantern. "He was escorted home by Karna this afternoon."
"He's fine. Not injured at all," Tono said. "Karna also told me that earlier, Bima asked the children to guide him to the Haunted Cave to search for red stones. He even manipulated Sancaka into delivering poisoned coffee to my family. Thankfully, Karna managed to separate them from Bima."
Hearing this, Sancaka recalled the Dharma he had met earlier—they had indeed been searching for red stones. He was shocked to realize that the coffee given by Bima had been poisoned.
"What about Sancaka's friends? Are they alright too?" Tono asked.
"Gatot, Abas, and Tara, right?" said the man holding a lantern, who was also wearing a conical hat.
"Yes, those are the ones who went picking chilies with him after school."
"They're all safe. Before coming here, I stopped by their homes," the man said. "I made sure their parents were there as well."
"That's good to hear," Tono nodded.
"So where should we hide the Bloodstone fragments now?" the lantern-holder asked.
"We should just destroy all those stones," said the man in the conical hat. "I've said from the beginning—it's better to destroy them. We can't hide them forever. It's dangerous if someone finds them. They could misuse it… and lose their sanity."
"Bloodstone can't be destroyed. You all know that," Tono said, scratching his forehead. "We've tried using every tool available in the village."
"But I've seen the Dharma cut through those red stones easily. Are you saying we can't destroy them at all?" said the man without a lantern.
"Then what if we steal one of the Dharma's tools?" suggested the man in the conical hat.
"No. That's too risky," Tono replied firmly. "If we get caught, we'll have to face them—and we won't stand a chance."
Tono suddenly stopped mid-sentence when he heard a sneeze.
He turned around immediately, searching for the source.
Then he walked back into the house, scanning the room. He saw his wife and daughter still sleeping peacefully. He also saw Sancaka lying in bed, appearing fast asleep. Tono returned to the living area, scratching his head. He felt certain he had heard someone sneeze inside the house, but he couldn't find anyone. He went back out to the terrace.
"What were you looking for, Pak Tono?" asked the man in the conical hat.
"I thought I heard someone sneeze near the door," Tono said. "But when I checked inside, everyone was asleep. So… who was it?"
"Probably just your imagination," said the man holding the lantern.
Tono nodded. Perhaps it really was just his imagination. He continued talking with his friends.
Meanwhile, Sancaka lay on his bed with his eyes wide open. He turned slightly, making sure his father hadn't noticed he was awake. Luckily, Tono had gone back outside. There was too much information for Sancaka to process, and his head felt heavy. He decided it would be better to just close his eyes and sleep. Tomorrow, he would meet his friends—to share the burden of everything he had learned.