NO FORGIVENESS FOR YOU

Chapter #6 - Unseen War of Family Tree

The statement that had just been spoken from the lips of the old Tok Kelinga fell like thunder splitting the sky on a mountaintop. The air that had previously been peaceful, full of the fragrance of tanjung flowers, suddenly felt thick and oppressive.

Zakil gasped loudly. His steps were automatically pushed back. His eyes widened, staring sharply at Faqur's body that was still kneeling stiffly on the green grass. Zakil, a former debt collector in the dark alleys of Chow Kit who was used to being betrayed, began to feel the pulse of anger and paranoia taking over his sanity.

"Birth father?" Zakil's voice trembled, half-whispered but quite sharp. He fumbled in his pocket not looking for a prayer bead, but reflexively searching for the chicken spur folding knife he always carried. He looked at Faqur's face full of disgust and disbelief.

"You, are you the son of the devil who slaughtered people alive last night?! Are you the son of the leader of the heretical teachings, the Head of Kampung Laputra?!"

Faqur did not look up. The sturdy blond youth, who had previously seemed so brave in overthrowing the fasting giants in the Laputra Forbidden Forest, now looked so fragile. His shoulders drooped.

His hand, which was still holding the handle of the parang lading sheath, trembled badly. Green veins appeared on his temples, holding back the shame that had been stored and buried for more than two decades.

"Answer me, Faqur! Did you bring me here on purpose? Are you bait for the Thunder?!" Zakil shouted, his voice echoing, breaking the silence of nature.

"Calm down, Zakil!" Faqur finally looked up. His eyes were red, glassy, ​​holding back extremely heavy pain. There was no longer the calm expression of a White Eagle Cekak warrior. There was only the face of a child haunted by the sins of his lineage.

"If I were the bait or the dog my father ordered, I would have slit your throat long ago when you were stranded on the riverbank this morning! I will let that big ghost crush your chest for a long time!"

"So why did you lie to me?!" Zakil replied harshly, his chest heaving violently. The experience of losing his mother and sister to witchcraft had made him very sensitive and hated anything related to practicing black magic.

Knowing that the man who saved him shared blood with a magical demon was a reality that was hard to swallow.

"Already!"

A sound that was not very loud but resonated with a very high internal frequency, killed their argument.

Tok Kelinga tapped the base of his bamboo flute on the exposed rock. The sound was small, but the waves spread throughout the field, causing the wind to stop blowing and the birds to stop chirping.

Tok Kelinga turned his body, his blind face covered in white cataracts staring straight at the two of them in turn.

"Kiwaii Gussur is your biological father." Tok Kelinga continued, gazing through Faqur's trembling soul.

"Human minds are short, Zakil. You judge before you listen. Do you remember that lineage is an absolute ticket to heaven or hell? Prophet Noah (peace be upon him), a beloved messenger of God, had a son who disbelieved in God. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), the beloved of God, had a father who was an idol maker.

Does blood determine the final point of a person's faith?" Tok Kelinga reprimanded, his voice deep and full of wisdom.

Zakil fell silent. The religious accusation from Tok Kelinga's mouth slapped his ego. His grip on the folding knife in his pocket began to loosen. He lowered his gaze, swallowing bitter saliva.

Tok Kelinga walked slowly towards Faqur. His old hand touched the young warrior's shoulder.

"Tell him, Faqur. Remove the pus that has long lodged in your chest. The truth that is kept will become cancer. The truth that is released will be the cure."

Faqur took a deep breath, wiping the corners of his slightly wet eyes. He looked at the grass at the end of his knees, recalling the dark memories of pre-independence Malaya, when he was still a child.

"My real name is not Faqur... My name is Aslim Hitam, I was born to the head of the Laputra village. My mother was not the wife of Kiwaii Gussur. She was just one of the village women who was kidnapped and made into a concubine for worship.

When I was eight years old, I saw with my own eyes, my biological father slaughtered my mother on the altar stone to feed his pet jinn." Faqur began to speak, his tone flat and empty.

Zakil's eyes widened. The anger in his chest suddenly turned into fear and deep sympathy.

"I escaped that same night, I went through the Laputra Forbidden Forest alone. For days I was lost without food, hunted by gnomes, until my body was half dead on the border. It was the spirit of Guru Majid, the White Eagle Cekak Silat teacher who met me. He brought me back, bathed me in the water of the mosque, changed my name to Fazir, and taught me to recognize the letters of the Quran.

He saw the hot magic blood boiling in my veins, so he taught me the science of inner breathing to lock and seal the blood of the devil." Faqur continued, his voice beginning to tremble from past trauma.

Faqur raised his face to look at Zakil. There was an old scar on his neck hidden behind a headband.

"The hot mental energy I used to burn the undead magic this morning. It was a mixed energy. The white energy of the memory that I learned was used to burn my own black blood to produce a strong internal repulsion. Every time I use my inner knowledge to save people. My own body will burn from the inside, Akil. I pay for my father's sins with my own pain."

Faqur lowered his face back to the earth.

"That's why I was desperate to bring you here. I want to destroy my father. I want to end this evil line. If you think my blood is impure and you don't want to be friends with me anymore... I understand."

The atmosphere returned to silence. The only sounds were the sound of the wind and the water of the spring falling into the stone pool.

Zakil tensed. All his prejudices shattered. He remembered how Faqur without hesitation risked his life and had his neck strangled by the bald giant just to protect him. This young man was not just a friend, he was a hero who fought his inner and outer demons every day.

Without wasting time, Zakil stepped forward. He knelt in front of Faqur. His right hand extended, gripping his friend's shoulder tightly.

"Forgive me, Faqur. I was a fool for letting my trauma control my mind. You may share blood with that devil but your spirit and heart, one hundred percent belong to a warrior who is pleased with God. We will destroy this heresy together. I promise." Zakil said, his voice sincere and manly.

Faqur raised his face, looked at Zakil with emotion. He returned the grip on Zakil's shoulder. A thin smile, the first truly sincere smile since they met, was engraved on Faqur's lips.

"Thank you brothers."

"Thank God..."

Tok Kelinga spoke slowly. His old face smiled peacefully. He nodded slowly as he twisted his prayer beads. The first test for the two of them was over. A test to eliminate ego and prejudice.

"The bond of brotherhood forged on the basis of truth is stronger than the bond of blood forged on the basis of lust," said Tok Kelinga. He then turned towards the clear spring pool in the middle of the field.

"Now, the time for small talk is over. Kiwaii Gussur down there will definitely know that his hunting dog has been killed. And the Tujuh Alam Benua tribe will not remain silent. Zakil, take off your clothes. Just leave your clothes." Tok Kelinga instructed surprisingly.

Zakil was a little confused, but he agreed. He carefully removed his shoulder bag, placing it on the rock along with his torn gauze shirt. His exposed body was covered with old scars from the riots in Putrajaya, but the scar from the ghost's claws on his left arm was the most frightening.

The traces of the lempo leaf herbal bandage were removed. The wound was dry on the outside, but the veins around it were still bluish.

Tok Kelinga pointed his bamboo flute towards the spring pool. The pool was surrounded by river rocks covered in thick moss and the water was so clear that it revealed the white sand at the bottom.

However, a thin layer of cold steam rising from the surface of the water indicated that the temperature there was unusual.

"Go down into Kautsar Gema Lake. Soak your entire body except your head, this is the Gautama Holy Bath. Your first exercise is to open your inner eyes and remove all external and internal impurities." Tok Kelinga instructed in a stern tone like a teacher.

Zakil swallowed. He walked slowly towards the pool. As soon as his toes touched the surface of the water, a shock of extreme cold penetrated his bones. It wasn't just cold as ice, it was very cold, as if thousands of fine needles were piercing his skin.

"It's so cold, Tok..." Zakil said, his teeth starting to chatter.

"Come in! You want to know God, but are afraid of water?! How can you face the fire of hell if you can't stand the cold of the world?! You are not afraid of death?" Tok Kelinga shouted, this time his voice echoing loudly, surprising Zakil.

The pain burned Zakil's spirit. He clenched his jaw tightly, closed his eyes, and continued to step into the pool, letting the frozen water swallow half of his body.

He sat cross-legged on the bottom of the rocky pool, letting the cold water right on his neck.

Zakil's body immediately shivered violently. The veins in his neck tensed. The cold paralyzed his physical nerves in just a few seconds.

Tok Kelinga walked towards the edge of the pool.

"Close your eyes. Cross your arms on your chest. Empty your mind of worldly matters. Forget grudges, forget Putrajaya, forget Chow Kit, forget pain. Focus your attention on a single point in the middle of your forehead. Say the word Allah in your heart, repeatedly without stopping, in sync with the beating of your heart."

Zakil complied with the instruction. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes tightly.

His mouth was closed, but his heart began to recite a prayer. Allah... Allah... Allah... Every time his heart pumped blood, the name echoed in his heart.

However, something very strange and terrible began to happen. The water of the swimming pool, which was previously very clear and pure, slowly began to change color.

Starting from around Zakil's injured left arm, a thick, jet-black liquid like the flesh of an octopus began to seep out into the water. He was not just a ghost, but he was mixed with all the past sins, anger, grudges and mental impurities that had taken root in Zakil's soul for decades.

"Hold on, Zakil," whispered Faqur, who was watching from afar with excitement.

He knew this phase was the most painful. The Gautama bath was not just about cleansing the body, it forced people to face the devil within themselves.

In Zakil's mind, he was no longer in the spring pool. When he closed his eyes, his vision changed to a dark, foul-smelling alley like the back alleys of Chow Kit.

In that internal illusion, he saw himself from a third-person perspective. He saw 'Old Zakil', a thug in a leather jacket, beating an old man in debt with a wooden stick until he bled. He saw the stolen money he had stolen. Then, the view changed again. He saw his mother's face spewing out nails, wailing in pain, calling his name.

"This is all your fault, Zakil!" his mother's voice echoed in his head.

"You gave us illegal money! You brought this threat to our house!"

"You are not a white hero, Zakil. You are a murderer! You are the Devil!" the voice of 'Old Zakil' laughed mockingly at him.

"God will not accept the repentance of a scoundrel like you!”

In the real world, Zakil's body in the swimming pool began to struggle slowly. His face twitched with a thousand wrinkles due to the extremely severe psychological torture.

Tears began to flow from the corners of his closed eyes, mixing with the pool water which had now turned completely black and smelled bad. His chest felt tight as if being squeezed by a giant rock.

"Why? He can't take it anymore. The devil qarin is raging," Faqur said worriedly, ready to jump into the pool if the situation got out of control.

"Let it be!" Tok Kelinga stood firm, raising his hand.

"If you help him now, his inner eyes will be closed forever. Let him kill his own ego. If he fails, he will choke on his own sins. It's his sin, let him face it." Tok Kelinga explained calmly.

In the inner world, Zakil was already on the verge of despair. The devil and his dark memories were squeezing him from all directions. He couldn't breathe. He felt very despicable, dirty, and unworthy of forgiveness.

However, in between the devil's screams, Zakil remembered Tok Kelinga's order a moment ago. Revenge is like drinking poison. He remembered Faqur's sacrifice. And most importantly, he remembered the greatness of God who is all-forgiving.

"I am a sinner..." Zakil whispered in his mind, surrendering completely without resistance.

"I am a lowly human being full of mistakes and sins. But God's mercy is wider than the ocean of my sins. La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntu minadzolimin." (There is no god but You, Glory be to You, indeed I am among those who wrong myself).

A speck of white light suddenly burst forth brightly in his mind, starting from the center of his forehead. The light swept away all the dark illusions of the Chow Kit & Putrajaya corridor, extinguished the face of the devil who mocked him, and burned away all the fears that bound his spirit.

In the real world, Zakil suddenly took a very greedy breath. His eyes opened wide.

Spark!

Zakil Rimas Singkas got up from his sitting position in the swimming pool. The black water splashed onto the rocky cliff.

Zakil stood upright in the middle of the swimming pool, his chest heaving strongly as he breathed in the fresh mountain air.

Miraculously, the freezing cold disappeared immediately. On the contrary, Zakil's body felt very light, as if the burden of hundreds of kilos that had been resting on his shoulders had been lifted.

What was even more surprising was that the swimming pool water, which had previously smelled of carrion, was now slowly becoming clear again through the whirlpool at the bottom, carrying away all the 'dirt' inside him and flowing further down the hill.

Zakil looked at both palms. The scar on his left arm had not physically disappeared, but the bluish veins and black venom had completely disappeared.

"Thank God, you have successfully passed through the first door of enlightenment, young man. Your body and spirit have united. Please be, patient" Tok Kelinga said. The blind old man smiled broadly.

Zakil stepped out of the pool. Although his body was wet, he did not immediately feel cold. When he looked around the open area, something very different happened to his vision.

His vision was now layered. He no longer just saw trees, grass, and rocks. He could now see the natural frequencies and energy flowing around him. He could see a very bright golden aura emanating from Tok Kelinga's body. He saw a whitish aura mixed with red fire swirling around Fazir's body. Zakil's Inner Eyes had opened for the first time.

However, Zakil's joy and relief did not last long. When he accidentally turned his gaze towards the valley below the mountain, looking far beyond the Laputra Forbidden Forest, his eyes widened.

From the direction of the Laputra Forbidden Village Chief in the distance, Zakil saw something very frightening that could not possibly be seen by the naked human eye.

Giant black clouds, thick as blood and filled with red lightning that crackled silently, were gathering and moving slowly across the sky, heading straight for the mountain where they were. The black clouds carried thousands of winged shadows of jinns, ghouls and devils from the Underworld that hissed loudly.

"Knock..." Zakil spoke, his finger pointing towards the sky in the distance. His voice trembled.

"There... There is a black storm coming from below. It is big, which is very big. It is full of flying objects."

Faqur immediately turned to look towards the valley, but his rough eyes only saw a bright blue sky and ordinary white clouds.

"I don't see anything, Zakil. The sky is clear."

Tok Kelinga did not look back. His old face became tense. His hand tightly gripped his bamboo flute. He knew what was coming.

"Your inner eyes have been opened, Zakil. You are witnessing the Unseen War that has begun," said Tok Kelinga, his tone very serious.

"Gussur and the tribes of the Seven Devils Continents are not just sending victims but they are sending the army of the sky. They have declared war before the lunar eclipse. Prepare, my children. Tonight, blood will be shed on this sacred hill."

To be continued…