Kertarimba Village was still crowded even as the sun slowly descended in the west. Sancaka walked along the village's dirt road accompanied by a little girl named Daiva. The child kept following beside him while tightly holding his right hand.
Every now and then, Daiva looked at the people around her with curiosity.
"Where are your parents usually? What do they do? Are they merchants? If so, where do they sell things?" Sancaka asked.
Daiva tried to answer. "Th… th…" But her tongue struggled to move.
In the end, the child used her hands to give hints. Sometimes she formed simple symbols with her fingers, sometimes she pointed toward certain directions, and sometimes she drew shapes in the air.
Sancaka tried to understand. "You want to go there?" Sancaka asked.
Daiva quickly nodded. But after they arrived at the place she pointed to, Daiva only looked confused herself.
Sancaka let out a long sigh. "Helping a child with a disability is pretty difficult." Sancaka muttered.
Throughout the journey, Sancaka questioned the villagers around them.
"Excuse me, do any of you know this child? If so, do you know where her parents are?"
Most villagers only glanced briefly.
"I don't know whose kid that is."
"I've never seen that child before."
"I'm busy. Go search for her family yourself."
All the answers from the locals sounded cold, as if nobody truly cared about Daiva's existence. Some even seemed unwilling to deal with her.
Sancaka began to feel something was strange. A little child like Daiva should have been easy for the villagers to recognize. Yet everyone acted unfamiliar with her.
Daiva herself stayed silent while continuing to grip Sancaka hand tightly.
Eventually, they arrived at Kertarimba Village market. The atmosphere was crowded. Vegetable merchants shouted while offering their goods. The smell of fresh fish mixed with spices filled the air. Sancaka observed the surroundings while searching for clues about Daiva family.
But his steps slowly stopped.
Near a cloth merchant, several Bhayangkara knights were patrolling.
Sancaka gaze instantly turned cold. The fingers of his left hand moved slowly. His killing instinct surfaced once more.
Images of Wanasura Village burning appeared in his mind again. The screams of villagers. The images of his family. The faces of Bima and the other Dharma.
Sancaka reflexively touched the handle of his gunblade.
"I could kill them right now," Sancaka said quietly.
But then he glanced beside him.
Daiva was still standing near him. The child stared innocently at the knights while continuing to hold his hand.
Sancaka slowly took a breath. "Not now." he muttered.
He slowly walked away from the market area. Daiva looked confused.
"A… a…?"
But Sancaka kept walking while pulling Daiva farther away.
As soon as they exited the market, Sancaka saw even more Bhayangkara knights patrolling the village roads. Their numbers were too many.
"If I fight now, Daiva could get caught in it too."
Sancaka decided to return into the market to search for another route. But when he tried to grab Daiva hand again, his grasp suddenly found nothing. Sancaka immediately stopped. His right hand only touched empty air.
"Daiva?"
He quickly turned to the right. Nothing. Then to the left. Nothing. Sancaka face instantly became tense and panicked.
"Daiva!"
He began moving quickly through the crowded market, his eyes sweeping across every corner. The longer he searched, the more panic rose inside him.
Then a shout echoed through the market.
"Thief! That child stole a fish!"
Sancaka instantly turned toward the commotion. From a distance, he saw Daiva standing there in fear while holding a freshwater fish. In front of her stood an old merchant who looked furious.
"That's my fish!"
"You stole it!"
Daiva quickly shook her head.
"Na… na… no…"
She tried to explain, but her speech was unclear and difficult to understand. Finally, Daiva pointed to her stomach and then to the fish, trying to explain that she was hungry. But the merchant did not understand. Several villagers began gathering around them. And unfortunately, two Bhayangkara knights approached.
"What's going on here?" one of the knights asked.
"This child stole the fresh fish I was selling!" the merchant answered.
One of the knights immediately grabbed Daiva's arm roughly. Daiva panicked.
"A… aa… s… s…"
The other knight raised his hand.
"You filthy street brat…"
SWUSSHH!!
A black slash flashed through the air.
The knight body was instantly split into two, followed by blood spraying into the air. Half of his body fell to the left, while the other half collapsed to the right. The entire market fell silent.
The remaining Bhayangkara knight widened his eyes.
"What just happened?!"
Sancaka immediately stood in front of Daiva. The black gunblade in his hand was still dripping blood. His red eyes were cold, overflowing with killing intent. Daiva slowly stepped backward in fear before hiding behind the nearest wooden crate.
Meanwhile, Sancaka slowly turned his head toward the entire market. His gaze swept across the Bhayangkara knights who had begun drawing their weapons. Sancaka murderous aura started spreading through the market.