"Arrggghhhh!!!!"
Aruna screamed and woke up from her sleep; this was the worst nightmare she had ever had in her life. Aruna shivered; she got goosebumps and broke out in a cold sweat. Although she has had the same dream three times in a row, Aruna still can't get used to the strange dream.
Djiwa, Klaus, and the strange furry figure? Aruna let out a long sigh. There are many weird things in her dreams. After trying to calm down, Aruna took her notebook and pen; she wrote and drew flashes of her dreams.
Aruna stopped drawing.
"What strange creature is that? Hairy from the toe of the head, has fangs, and has a tall stature. It's genderuwo?"
Aruna tried to draw the creatures in her dreams with rough doodles.
"But genderuwo doesn't have a face similar to a wolf," Aruna muttered. "That creature is not genderuwo, but what?"
Aruna picked up the laptop that was in the nightstand drawer beside her, turned on the laptop, and started searching for the creature she saw in her dream. She tried to get an idea of the creature with an artificially intelligent image.
Artificial intelligence deserves praise. In less than a minute, she got what she was looking for. Aruna downloaded photos from artificial intelligence. This time, Aruna used Google Image Search to help her find out what creatures appeared in her dreams.
"Werewolf?" Aruna said to herself. "Werewolf, has it existed in Indonesia since the time of the Dutch East Indies? How is it possible?"
****
"It's just a dream, Runa. How could werewolves exist in Indonesia? If there was a werewolf in Indonesia at that time, the werewolf was definitely written in Indonesian myths. But isn't it?" Randi was skeptical and didn't care about Aruna's dreams.
"But, Ran, dreams are like real things. He has long white hair, blue eyes, and..."
"And like a comic character? Please run, it's just a dream. The flower sleep and dreams don't mean anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Aruna walked thoughtfully. Is it true that what appeared three times in a row in her dream was just a mere empty dream?
"Djiwa!" shouted Aruna suddenly.
"Aruna, why do you say your last name?"
"Not my last name, Ran. But Djiwa, the woman who died in my dream, is one of the Indonesian freedom heroes, and I will start looking for her. If the dream does not mean anything, then Djiwa, I will not be able to find her anywhere.
Randi shook his head. "You'll never find it, Aruna."
"Why?"
"Because when the Dutch colonized Indonesia, which at that time was still the Dutch East Indies, there were millions of people who died fighting for independence. You also don't know where the battle took place. Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali, or Papua. If the battle in your dream takes place in Sumatra. You must also determine whether you are in the south, west, north, or another part of Sumatra."
Aruna was silent, and what Randi said was true. There are hundreds of independence heroes who appear in Indonesian history books and are buried with no one knowing their names, and it is unlikely that he will search one by one for a Djiwa or a name that only appears in her dreams and happens to have the same name as her name.
"Don't waste time figuring out your dreams, Aruna."
"My dream is not real?"
"Yes, it's not real. If Djiwa did exist, she was just one of the victims of the war, and we wouldn't even know where her grave was."
Aruna didn't answer. She sucked up her boba drink. Her eyes were focused on looking out the café window. A drizzle suddenly appeared, and at the same time, the little chirk in front of the café door clanged. The sound seemed to freeze everyone who was there, including Aruna.
Aruna gaped until the boba drink that was already in her mouth spilled out. Randi, who saw her, immediately hit Aruna in the head.
"What's the matter with you, Runa?"
But Aruna did not answer. Her entire focus was already distracted by the two men who had just walked into the café. One of the two men, with long white hair, resembled the man from her dream.
"Aruna!" Said Randi, looking at Aruna, who was focused on staring towards the door, with Randi looking in the same direction. "Cosplayer?"
"It doesn't seem to be."
"Cosplayer, Runa. It's like never seeing anyone who is just playing anime for you. Maybe in this area, there are Japanese anime events," said Randi, not caring.
Aruna couldn't believe Randi's remarks. She looked at the two people, and she accidentally made eye contact with the silver-white-haired man.
"Djiwa?" The silver-white-haired man murmured.
"Djiwa?" Aruna joined in the murmur, her gaze fixed on the two men. He could hear them speak a language she didn't understand.
"Runa, are you okay?"
"Yes, but the man just said something about Djiwa."
"You fantasize about Runa," Randi said casually. "I told you Djiwa2 never existed. There is only a real soul."
"That guy said something about Djiwa," Aruna whispered to Randi. "Believe me, Ran, what the two guys said about Djiwa!"
Not having time for Randi to answer, the two men were already near them. Followed by the unwilling gazes of everyone inside the café, they were fascinated by the two men. Once they were near Aruna, one of them even took an empty seat and sat near Aruna and Randi.
"Djiwa, I guess you are dead!" greeted the silver-white-haired man as soon as he sat down by Aruna.
Aruna and Randi looked at each other with a look of astonishment. The man sat down next to them without explanation, his haughty voice grating.
"You don't recognize me, Djiwa?"
"Who are you?" asked Aruna.
"Dreyden Valdemar Viltarin."
"Dyre? What do you mean, Drey?"
"Dreyden Valdemar Viltarin. The name of a nobleman you shouldn't be allowed to say, but because you are Djiwa, I was forced to say my name one more time to you."
Aruna glared in annoyance, but her eyes instantly turned to another man who was still faithfully standing beside Dreyden.
"He's my bodyguard, Djiwa. Michael Conrad."
"Where do you know Aruna's last name?" asked Randi.
Drey looked at Randi. "Your bodyguard has changed, Djiwa? I guess your bodyguard is still a rough-mouthed man who has already hurt my arm."
"Hurt you?"
"Yes!" Said Drey, and he stared at Randi with a condescending, cynical look.
Aruna looked at him with a look of dislike; although it must be admitted that Drey was very handsome and his white hair made him look even more attractive; he was still annoying to Aruna.
"You forgot about my injury, Djiwa?"
"My name is Aruna, and indeed, my last name is Djiwa! But I don't have a bodyguard, and he's Randi, my best friend. Who are you guys?" asked Aruna irritably.
"I told you my name."
"Yes, by who do I mean you guys? Djiwa is a name that appeared in my dreams. How do you guys know about names that only exist in dreams?" asked Aruna curiously.
"Dream?"
"Yes dream!"
"Dream? Is it true that you are not the Djiwa I know?"
"Djiwa is the soul, right? Soul in English?" asked Randi, interjecting.
Drey looked at Randi with a look of dislike. "I didn't invite you to talk!"
"In that case, we'd better go. Let's go, Ran!" Aruna woke up, dragged Randi to get up, and then immediately moved away from Drey and Michael, who were still in their same position.
"Djiwa!" Dreyden yelled at Aruna. "If you are indeed not the Djiwa I mean, then this is our last meeting. But if you are the Djiwa I knew, you had better disappear immediately. Your presence will only destroy my people, as you did many years ago."
Aruna, who didn't understand Dreyden's meaning, turned her head and pointed her middle finger at the man. She pulled Randi again, immediately exiting the café regardless of the drizzle.
1. Genderuwo : Indonesian myth, ghost
2. Djiwa/jiwa : soul in Indonesia