Continuation of the Last Chapter
Hello?
Do you know me?
Am I supposed to know you? Should I know your name?
I know my name, so should I know yours?
Are you going to wake up?
If you do, can you tell me who you are?
Somehow I feel I'm connected to you, in a sense.
Would you accept me?
Did you... make me?
Halilintar stared at the unmoving body on the bed, the only motion of movement was the rising breaths of his chest. He was asleep, as it appears. Halilintar stood at the front of the bed, his bright eyes falling onto the figure.
The room was dark, and the air conditioning was at its full blast. Despite the cold, Halilintar stood where he appeared, and he waited. Somehow it felt like it was the best thing to do, since he didn't know what was happening. Maybe the person who was sleeping can explain it to him, once he was awake.
He didn't know the time, so all he could do was assume. There weren't any windows either, so he would have to wait.
He didn't have to wait long, either. Soon the door of the room opened, and in came a figure that resembled a teenager, his eyes as gold as molten. When he saw Halilintar, his mouth hung open slightly, his posture stiff. Slowly, he walked into the room and to the sleeping man's side, gently shaking his arm.
"Petir," he called. So that was his name. Petir meant lightning. They must be one in the same, because Halilintar meant Thunderstorm, right? He should know what he was. "Petir, wake up!"
The man soon stirred, groaning as his slumber was disturbed. He raised his arm to rub his tired eyes, raising himself from the bed.
"Ugh," Petir grunted. "What time is it?"
"It's two in the afternoon," the teenager replied hastily. "Petir, look!"
"Look what?" Petir groused. Still, he lowered his arm and squinted his eyes, blowing stray strands of hair from his face.
The moment their eyes met, everything descended into hell. Like lightning, Petir shot towards the teenager and grabbed his shirt, his glare so sharp it could murder.
"Call this joke off," he growled, his face inches away from the teenager's. "I don't have the mood for these pranks, Gempa."
"It—it's not a joke!" Gempa cried, starting to panic now. "He was already here when I came in!"
"GET OUT!" Petir roared, pushing Gempa away. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM, THE BOTH OF YOU!"
With no delay, Gempa acted as quick as he could. He turned towards Halilintar and grabbed his wrist, dragging him out of the room. Halilintar was numb to all of the anger, because somehow he knew why. Somehow he could sense that it was all stemming from pain and grief, but he didn't know why Gempa would be so scared.
The door closed behind them, and Gempa leaned against the wall across them, catching his breath. He then glanced at Halilintar, who was still staring at the closed door, his gaze emotionless and his body relaxed.
Gempa knelt down and tapped his shoulder, and Halilintar turned around. Gempa didn't expect Halilintar to be so... young. Halilintar looked like he was newly seven-years-old, and his height barely reached Gempa's waist.
"You're... Halilintar, right?" Gempa quizzed.
Halilintar nodded, titling his head. His black cap was a tad large for him, the cap drifting to his left according to his movement. "Yep."
Gempa was at a loss for words. "I—" He stood up and offered his hand, which Halilintar took it. His hand was small compared to Gempa's. "I'll go ask Tanah, alright? Everything will be okay."
Tanah did not take it well as Gempa expected. When Gempa strolled in the kitchen, holding Halilintar's hand, everyone in the kitchen froze like a broken disk. There weren't many people in the kitchen—only Api and Tanah were inside.
The plate in Tanah's hand dropped, the ceramic kitchenware shattering into pieces as it collided with the tiled floor. His jaw was hung open as he clenched the cloth in his hand, his eyes unable to turn away from Halilintar. Api dropped his fork, and it clattered on the table, creating quite a ruckus.
"Isn't that—" Tanah pressed his hand onto his mouth, trying to take in the new presence.
"Did you not hear the screaming?" Gempa said miserably. "This is Halilintar."
Taufan waltzed into the room. "Is everything okay? I heard my favorite plate breaking—" His eyes fell on Halilintar, then he turned to Api. "You have third tiers now? Does that mean this kid is my brother or something?"
"He's not mine," Api deadpanned.
"Well, he's red and you're red too so who else could have gave birth to him?"
"Taufan, now's not the time." Gempa glared.
"Geez! Fine. If you need me, I'll be in the living room."
Taufan skipped back outside, but the tense atmosphere inside the kitchen never resided. From that day onwards, life just turned to hell.
Halilintar didn't know Petir much, but he knew that he was supposed to be with him. Either as a technical-child or a partner, he definitely felt a connection towards the hostile element. Whenever the others were confused or terrified by his outbursts and anger, Halilintar wasn't. He was the only one that understood him.
It was almost like... he was made to understand him.
He wasn't sure why Petir resented him so much, going as far as to attack him blindly once they crossed paths. While the other second tiers had their first tiers to rely on, Petir was never there for him ever since he was born. Rather, Petir didn't want Halilintar to be a part of his life, outright denying Halilintar's existence entirely.
Angin took Halilintar in, and Taufan now saw Halilintar as a younger brother. Halilintar cared for the wind manipulators, but he never understood their reason of happiness, never knowing why they were always so spontaneous and quirky. As they were the elements of happiness, Halilintar was the element of anger. They were of different worlds, yet they were willing to see him as one of their own.
When Halilintar was presented to the other second tiers, they were all equally surprised. They don't know of his origins, and he himself didn't either. They assumed that he was a wild card—a miraculous life that beat the odds and thrived on his own. Everyone was quick to accept him with open arms, all but one element. Solar.
Solar's relationship with him was strained the moment they met. Halilintar assumed that it was because of his pride, due to their powers sharing similar traits and speed was their main get-go, but it wasn't explained. Solar wasn't horrid to him, but he wasn't the kindest; often avoiding Halilintar the best he can, but he would offer help when he needed it.
Every day, they would train with their powers. Each second tier would go off with their first, all but Halilintar. He would always rotate between Tanah, Angin, or Cahaya, depending on his situation. They all viewed the electrical element in their own perspective, and offered him different advice. Angin told him to let the power run wild; Cahaya told him to control it with all his might; and Tanah told him that it just happens when he needed it. All of this proved to be bogus, as Halilintar's powers were never stable. He could be godlike, or he could perform worse than Taufan in terms of physical strength. It was never consistent.
To Halilintar, Petir was still a mystery. He was the only one that knew how to harness their element, but he would avoid Halilintar like the plague. When Halilintar asked the other first tiers, they would provide nothing, using his young age as an excuse. After all, Halilintar was still the youngest, and the most unstable out of all of them.
Halilintar might not be the most dedicated element, but he was going to find out what happened to Petir. He'd barely met him, but Petir hated him the moment they locked eyes.
So, he waited. He sat outside Petir's room until he came out. The other elementals were busy with their own things, so he and Petir were the only ones in the house. He waited by the door, sitting and staring into nothingness, all for that door to open.
He waited all day, but it never budged. At night, Halilintar began to doze off, but a creak jerked him back to the land of the living. The door opened, and out walked Petir, but he didn't notice Halilintar's presence. He walked straight past him, and towards the exit of the house. He opened the door and closed it, his silhouette turning into the garden in the dead of night.
Halilintar blinked, having expected a different outcome. He quickly followed Petir's footsteps, minimizing the ruckus he created as he stepped on fresh grass.
It didn't take long for Halilintar to find Petir again. He saw him sitting at the corner of the garden, his head resting on his knees as he hugged his legs. His posture was loose, but also defeated. He didn't move, nor did he speak or notice Halilintar's presence, but there was another soul there. A soul that only Halilintar can feel.
Hi.
You're like me.
Yes.
Halilintar closed his eyes, and a ghostly figure materialized in his mind. He looked like him, red and black and all, but he was older, around the age of 18 or so.
I see you finally came out, the older him said. He was smiling, but his posture was tense and his back straight. The beak of his cap shadowed his face, indicating that his seriousness was part of his nature.
Halilintar pursed his lip. You look like me. Why is that?
The older Halilintar sighed, and scratched his head, jostling his cap. In his mindscape, Halilintar didn't have a cap, but the older him did.
Because I'm technically you, he replied coolly. Back then, Petir wasn't prepared to have me, but he wanted to anyway. He didn't care about the risks he put on himself. So, to save him, I killed myself before it happened.
What do you mean?
When an elemental wants to create a conscious, they either need it to share their burden, or they are close to facing death so we can carry on their legacy, he said. In this case, Petir needed someone to be with him, but his powers weren't fully mature like the others. He's the oldest, but anger is what powers us. He hasn't mastered it well enough, so if I came alive, he would be dead.
The older him smiled. But his journey comes to an end, and that's why you're here. You can help him, Halilintar. Do what I cannot. Be there for him. He took off his cap, and he placed it onto Halilintar's head. It was large for him, so Halilintar lifted the beak to look at his older self. The world they were in was already starting to fade, and so did the other him's body.
But... Halilintar frowned. I don't know how.
As his vision started to turn white, the original Halilintar smirked at him, his hands crossed on his chest.
You already do.
When Halilintar opened his eyes again, he was still in the garden, and Petir hadn't moved one bit. He was still mourning over the first Halilintar's death, Halilintar realized. He never moved on. He never forgave himself.
This was the only question that Halilintar ever had about Petir, and it was now solved. The only thing left to do was to help Petir to save him from himself.