The Degree
Secret Room

The property of the destroyed house burned, the roof was hollow and the windows were broken. The place is really liveable, exactly the same as haunted houses that are often in horror films.

The house was once burned by the red man, although the building was sturdy and still standing gallantly, in fact there was nothing left on the inside.

The room itself was very spacious, when they first entered they were greeted by a spacious hall and a large staircase to go up to the next floor. There are many rooms of unknown function, the walls are decorated with stone, not wallpaper but pure stone that became the body of the house.

“Unbelievable, this is like an abandoned small castle,” muttered Indri while amazed with the house.

Ray on the other hand was just flat-faced and kept walking up the stairs. On his way he noticed the surroundings, there was a contrast to when he walked around the house in the past.

Walls that were once decorated with paintings and some vases are now only covered with spider webs and scorched patches due to the fire. The floor, which was originally decorated by a red carpet along the eye's gaze, is now covered only by the remains of a burning object.

A place that in the past was so well-maintained and heavily guarded, today is so quiet, dirty and lonely. Ray doesn't think the place ever gets warm, since childhood he keeps feeling artificially cold.

“Do you feel lonely because no one welcomes you?” ask Indri while stretching out his hand. “I am willing to be a backrest and embrace you to be sad.”

Indri may think that Ray feels lonely and sad after seeing the situation of his home. With how chaotic and abandoned the house was, it was enough to come to the conclusion that there was no one left in the house. There are no people who used to be part of it left.

Even so Ray is not sad or whatever it is that Indri meant. Ray felt nothing after seeing the sight. Whether it's destroyed or not, doesn't mean Ray will feel lost.

“Not to worry, since the atmosphere was like this. Whether someone takes care of him or not. Come, I will show you interesting things and the reason why I chose this place.”

Indri slightly raised his eyebrows, he thought that Ray might just hide his sadness, but what was unexpected was that Ray seemed really unconcerned about the condition of the house.

‘What exactly did he go through in this place? I'm sure, at least he never grew up like everyone else.’

Indri can only follow Ray down a hallway that is so straight. Every time he went through a certain room, Indri found only a few interesting things. The rooms have no trace of being used for sleeping.

“Do you have many family members in this place first? There are so many rooms yet strange because I feel that big room will not be used just to be a bedroom.”

Ray was amazed by the observation. Only with one look Indri knew that the function of each room was different from seeing the remnants of burned goods.

Although there is no need to hide and Ray is fine to tell him but there is a possibility that Indri will realize how different Ray was raised with people in general.

“Persis as you thought. Each room here is not a bedroom or something, but the room in this hallway has a different function.”

“For example the room on our left that was built to be a place to practice various martial arts. The next room is a kitchen, library, lab, practice room, and the last ..”

They arrived at the last room which became the only place with the door intact. It was only natural that the room had an iron door.

“Yeah, I don't need to explain about this last room.”

Ray continues his journey without xoba explaining the room because his goal is the end of the hallway. There is a door that has a statue of an eagle with its mouth wide open.

Of the many properties only the statue looks intact and has a shape.

Indri who was fixated and silent in front of the iron door looked at Ray's back and smiled.

“Do you mind if I smash the door and look inside?”

Ray turned around and put his hand in his pocket indifferently, “Do as you please. Even so I advise against doing it.”

“If I live in a story made by someone, then I will obey you and do not do it, but it is unfortunate because this is not a story or a fairy tale.”

Indri swiftly took a strong step and kicked the iron door several times until it fell. Because the house was once burnt and unkempt, even a strong iron door was easily dropped with a loud push.

There was nothing he could see, so little light coming into the room but Indri could make sure that the room was not a pleasant place.

There were many piles of books that were already dusty, some shelves adorned the corner of the wall.

“What is also the library space? Really not maintained. Books and paper scattered everywhere.”

Indri kicked some books and papers when he got into it. He found a study table complete with his stationery in the middle of the room.

“Ho? So you learn here, Ray,” said Indri with pleasure as if he had just found something surprising. “There's a scribble on his desk. Fu fu, he had apparently been a brat who doodled the study table.”

Indri uses his watch screen to illuminate the table. He found some rough writing. Although not from Indonesia, Indri knows a little about the language. In addition, the graffiti on the table also has some English sentences.

“What the fuck is all ..”

Not a prank sentence like a child would write or people in general. Usually, a doodled study table will make people laugh or something. But this is different, there are no sentences or streaks of pleasure. Only one Indri found there.

Of the many swearings, there is one that is written so large and deep.

“‘I want to die’.”

It is not something that a child or a person will intentionally write for mere jokes. The word is written with true feeling. It was unmistakable, it was despair that made one want death.

Indri thrust his clock and made the light brighter to illuminate the entire room. Again, he was surprised by many things.

Starting from books and papers written with swear words, to broken glass and plates scattered in the room.

Each wall covered in strong concrete had a streak of ink that contained despair. Indri believes that this chaos did not occur because of the burning house. It can't be because of that.

“What are you going through all this ... Ray?” muttered Indri in disbelief. “What kind of hell have you been through?”

Indri always wondered about why Ray could go through so much without panic, even when his plans were destroyed he had a backup plan. A cold-blooded man who doesn't hesitate to sacrifice and manipulate people.

He was a man whose hands were covered in blood and sin, it was strange that he lived his life like a saint who never sinned.

Indri always wondered why there was a person like Ray, now he understood the answer. That was because the person who had felt despair would not be able to be destroyed so easily.

“Fu fu, pathetic man,” Indri said with a thin smile and looks sympathy, “Will he tell me if I ask?”

...****************...

Ray just stood in front of the eagle statue while waiting for Indri who examined the room. The main reason Ray didn't want to go into it was that he was scared.

Ray is afraid to feel the despair that makes a person think that even suicide is useless. It was only in that place that Ray felt he was at the lowest point of himself. It's not easy to get out of all that stuff.

‘Now I think how blessed I am. I did not go crazy after all these things were extraordinary, even though I ended up traumatized in a quiet, messy place and filled with darkness.’

The reason Ray won't go in is that he has a little trauma and even has a great fear of a place full of books scattered, dark, seedy and so quiet. Perhaps this was one of his most fatal weaknesses.

After a few minutes passed finally Indri out of the room, his face looks stiff and awkward. Ray was pretty sure that Indri could at least guess what was really going on in the room.

“You're satisfied looking around?” asked Ray indifferently.

“Ya,” Indri looks moody. “I never imagined anyone would go through something like that.”

“There are many things in this world that can never be imagined. Even the existence of Secret is the same as this.”

Mystery of life, Ray believes this. Life contains many mysteries that are never expected. The existence of Secret that had been unknown and unthinkable actually existed.

Maybe even far away somewhere on this earth, there are various things that are unacceptable common sense is hiding, waiting for time to show itself.

“Well, I will not ask what happened to you and will keep it a secret,” Indri said. “Then, what are you doing here? There's no way we came just to look at this stupid eagle.”

Surely impossible, Ray would not do such futile actions. There was a main reason why he went to this place. Although originally when he left this place, Ray would let everything inside be buried.

But Ray never expected an organization like Secret to appear. Thanks to that, the place will finally be reopened.

“There is a secret place here. The reason I chose to come to this cage is because in it there are treasures that will be useful for the future.”

“Harta? You mean like money or even gold?” ask Indri with interest.

“No. You'll know as soon as you see it. For now let's equate the timing to open the secret door behind this.”

Ray brought Indri here to help him. Rather than Terumi and the others, Indri would not have made much trouble knowing this sooner. In addition, Ray can eliminate some things with him.

“It looks like this is going to be something complicated, huh? Well, I don't have a problem. I was also quite curious about what was inside. Home that has a secret room is not an easy thing to find.”