Hidden In The Mist
Chapter 25 Retracing Memories

The car that Yono drove continued to drive on the road that split the forest. The sound of boisterous animals on the sea. Everyone in the car looked tense. The incident at Herly's family home, made them anxious.

At two o'clock in the afternoon they arrived in the town. Yono parked his car in the courtyard of a shophouse. Angga and comrades hurried down from the car, rushed into the lawyer's office.

"Excuse me, we'd like to meet the father's lawyer, is he on the spot?"

Angga hurriedly entered and Langung asked a girl sitting at the front desk, near the entrance. The girl was somewhat surprised by his presence, but tried to calm down, then stood up, then asked who the four men who were standing before her were.

"Sorry before, who are you, what needs are there with the father of the lawyer?"

"I'm Angga a friend of Mr. Herly, we want to meet the lawyer to ask important questions regarding his client."

The girl was a bit confused because she did not feel, there was their client named Herly, but then Yono emerged from behind the glass door, and the girl immediately understood who Herly meant Angga.

Just about to pick up the phone, suddenly a middle-aged man appeared on the second-floor steps. The man with the suit stellan then asked their needs.

"Who are you, what need to come to see me, this afternoon."

"Yono, you're also here apparently, what's up Yon?"

The man is in the heart. He thought something had happened in the village. Without a second thought, he invited his guest to go up to the second floor.

"Let's talk in my room. Tell me what happened to Herly's family."

The lawyer, then let his guests sit in the workspace, then asked them to tell him everything that happened in the village, until they had to come to see him with a tense face like now.

Angga took the initiative to speak for his friend. He begins with what he experienced, while on the train, until the events at Herly's house are terrible.

"Maybe this sounds crazy, halu or whatever it is, but this is real I experienced when traveling to the village of Herly sir."

"When we came to this city, I had an unpleasant premonition, starting with the appearance of a black grandmother on the train telling us to go home.

"Then there was a mysterious grandfather in the restaurant who said something similar. They asked us not to continue our journey and go home. But we keep coming."

"Then we arrived at the village. Herly's family home did not give a friendly impression either. The house looks so haunted, so we want to get out of the village."

"In the evening, not only me, but we all heard strange sounds from the hallway. Then I saw a shadowy figure of a black-robed man, with a spear in hand, walking up towards the third floor."

"It's really weird, I suspect there's something. Then I decided to go to the city of Malang while finding out what happened."

"As I began to understand what was going on with the will of the father, the figure of the black-bred grandmother, present in the dream, gave a strange visual that made me disgusted, and afraid."

"The highlight this afternoon was when we saw the house was ravaged, there was a splash of blood where, and six people were found dead in the house."

"It occurred to me that all this was Herly. Because I saw in my dream about the cruel ritual, though it is still unclear who the person who performed the ritual was."

"Then we found out from a villager, it wasn't Herly who did all that. He would instead go to the ancestral village to solve this terrible problem."

"From what we know, Romo clearly had forbidden Herly to come there, so we became worried something happened to the boy."

"So now we've come here to see you. The goal is to ask for help, maybe you still have an archive, or anything that could take us to the village."

The lawyer was aghast, he did not expect the impact had gone so far. The tense expression on the lawyer's face could no longer be hidden.

"It's been started apparently, this curse really can't be rejected."

The lawyer mumbled softly, the middle-aged man's face was deathly pale, and sweating. Although they were currently inside a cold room, the Ac in the room was not enough to ease the anxiety in his heart.

"Sir... Lawyer, what's wrong, sir, are you sick?"

"Nothing, I'm fine. But my advice, you guys don't go to that damned village. Let Herly walk the path of her destiny, the woman's curse is not inevitable, so you better just go home, and don't have to interfere in this matter."

Hearing him Angga became furious, the young man's hand clenched, but om Bandi prevented him from doing anything silly.

"Relax Ngga, let om only speak, you have told enough. Now it's my turn to talk."

Lawyers are getting nervous, om bandi know there is something that is trying to be covered by the lawyer, to them.

"I know this is hard for you, but my niece is determined to save her friend, so please cooperate with her, tell me what you know about Herly's family?"

The lawyer hesitated to speak. His hands were trembling, constantly not stopping to knock on the table. There was a sense of was was that he was slandering, and om Bandi knew the lawyer was agitated.

After a long time he was silent, finally the lawyer wanted to also tell about the dark history in the village that was always covered in fog.

"It's Sastro Wardoyo's latest disgrace story. Dark history, which I don't want to discuss anymore. But never mind, in the end, it's gonna happen."

"Then, long before we were born. In the colonial era of the year one thousand nine hundred twenty-one. At that time the nobles in Java were involved in competition."

"The minor kings, patih, tumenggung, senopati, and fractional dukes of the Majapahit royal territory, competed with each other. Each one is fighting for power, and influence."

"There are many nobles who are sycophants. They hold out for the durability of the breed, and power, amid increasingly bad political and economic situation."

"Many palace officials who choose to seclude themselves to small village villages around the mountainside. But some survive, even though they are sandwiched between colonial rulers, and nobles who betray their own nation."

"Kanjeng the duke of Rekso Darmo Sastro Wardoyo, who loved his people, had struggled to keep the breed, and the entire duchy with all its efforts."

"Her hand made his opponent disinclined, thinking a thousand times to make trouble directly with him."

"But that does not mean that the small duchy bordering the city of Lumajang is safe from the scheming of the rulers."

"Kanjeng the duke of Rekso refused to pay tribute to the colonialists, and he began to become a common enemy of the colonial government, and the nobles."

"They, the sycophant nobles, indeed never dared to fight directly open. But with another stratagem, using black magic to attack the duke's clan."

"This is certainly very troubling, but thanks to his great power, our territory is safe from the invasion of black magic sent by the enemy. Until at some point, the duke's defense was defeated. He died and was replaced by his son."

"Raden Aryo Disastro Wardoyo who was already shrouded by grudges, performed a perverse ritual on the advice of his advisors."

"Let revenge be a disaster. Raden Aryo killed the dukes of the colonial henchmen, with witchcraft bearing a hereditary grudge."

"Raden knew this would happen, so he made a pact with the devil. The loyal servants, tasked with kidnapping a girl for one blood covenant ritual."

"From here the history of ingon ingon who keep the Sastro Wardoyo breed in the beginning. Since his error, the servants had to find a virgin girl who would give birth to his illegitimate child, and both were then sacrificed for the sake of the victim."

"Then this ritual is continuously carried out every seven years, until finally the curse occurs."

"The courtiers of the duchy, one of them kidnapped a girl of customary in the village sebrang."

"His name is Darsih, a devout religious believer. As usual the girl was brought to the cave on the mountain, to be the victim of the devil's offering."

"With a very different girl, she is a strong woman, her tongue is lucky. The pain he endured, and the vengeful anger of the general, made him a disaster for all the citizens of the duchy."

"I was only eight years old at the time. Suddenly disaster happened. The outbreak spread quickly. Farmers fail to harvest, and their farm animals die suddenly, for no apparent reason."

"One by one the inhabitants died, because of the attacks of plague, and famine. Raden Aryo who at that time began to be haunted by fear, began to hurt."

"He ordered his son, Raden Darmoyo Disastro Wardoyo, to go far away from the duchy. With his son, and some loyal courtiers."

"They went through the forest and the river, until we finally arrived at the village, and he decided to settle down."

"Ndoro Kakung chopped down the pedestal and built the village. Me and Raden Ronggo Joyo Disastro Wardoyo grew up together since the village was founded."

"Ndoro Darmoyo, sent me to the city, to become the person I am today. While raden Ronggo Joyo Disastro Wardoyo, the father of Herly mas, he was not allowed to leave the village on the grounds of the curse of the woman named Darsih."

"I and the villagers became a bridge for him. Raden Ronggo's business colleagues, met and got to know Raden Ronggo through us."

"Therefore I became the lawyer of his family. Although living and opening a lawyer practice in this sub-district city does not make my career shine, but in return I am willing to stay here."

"Again, Herly's father has paid me more than the village lawyer deserves."

Om Bandi sighed deeply, he knew from the start this matter would not be easy. But no matter how, they had intended to go help Herly.

"I know it's dangerous sir, but if we may ask for help, maybe you still have a copy of the map to the village?"

The lawyer hesitated, he was heavy to give the map requested by Mr. Bandi, but he had no choice but to give the last map he kept.

"I'm actually reluctant to give you this map, but since you're forcing it, then that's it."

"Remember I never suggested that you enter the village. From now on, whatever happens, it's not my responsibility."

With a heavy heart the lawyer gave the last map he kept. Om Bandi shook the lawyer's hand, then they left the office.

"May you bring Herly home safely."

Herly's family lawyer could only see Angga's entourage leaving his office yard through the window panes.

In the middle-aged man's heart, he wished that they would return safely.