Sagara slowly opened his two eyes. What he saw above was the ceiling of the room he had used before. The warmth of sunlight was gone, replaced by the calm glow of moonlight. The room was silent, dim, and filled with a strange stillness.
His body still felt heavy. It was as if he had been nailed to the bed, his limbs refusing to move. A numb weight dragged him down. He didn't remember how or why he ended up here.
With the little energy left in him, he slowly moved his body. It felt like trying to lift a mountain, but eventually, he managed to sit on the bed. Every breath was labored, every heartbeat loud in his ears.
He closed his eyes, trying to remember. What had happened before this?
The last memory he could clearly recall was eating nasi goreng in the dining room. He had been hungry—so hungry. But then, something changed. He couldn't stop himself. The hunger surged from somewhere deep within, and from that point on, everything became a blur.
What he remembered next was only the hunger.
A terrible, monstrous hunger.
A hunger that reminded him of that place—the white space.
"I hate that feeling," Sagara murmured to himself.
That white space was like a nightmare burned into his soul. He remembered what he had done there. The desperation. The pain. The hunger had been so unbearable that he had eaten his own right hand just to survive.
And then he came back.
But he didn't come back whole.
Because of the hunger, he had done something even worse. He had eaten his parents.
His parents.
His hands trembled as he covered his face. The guilt washed over him like a crashing wave. He had tried to forget. He had tried to convince himself it was all a dream. But it wasn't.
And in the dining room… it happened again. He remembered the chaos. The fear in people's eyes. His loss of control.
"I want this hunger to disappear," he whispered. "And to make it disappear, I need to eat... but if I eat, the hunger grows stronger. I can lose myself again."
He clenched his fists. His body began to shake.
"My hunger... one day it will hurt someone else again."
Tears threatened to escape his eyes. He bit his lip, trying to hold them in with all his might. He didn't want to cry—not now. Not again.
He remembered their faces. The people who had seen him during his loss of control. Their frightened expressions, the way they backed away. But he also remembered something else—two faces that hadn't run. Two people who had looked at him not with fear, but with worry.
Jati. Indri.
As Sagara sat there drowning in his own guilt, a soft knock echoed from the door.
He stiffened.
Another knock. Light. Patient.
He didn't want to see anyone. But at the same time, he didn't want to make the person wait.
Slowly, dragging his feet, he walked toward the door and opened it.
It was Jati.
Jati's eyes were filled with concern.
"Are you okay, boy?" he asked gently.
Sagara didn't respond. He looked down at the floor, ashamed.
"I asked Indri to bring some food for you," Jati continued. "You haven't had dinner, right?"
"But... if I eat, what happened in the morning will happen again," Sagara said with trembling lips.
"You don't need to worry," Jati answered with a calm smile. "I will stay beside you."
He looked into Sagara's eyes, firm yet kind.
"Can I come inside?"
Sagara just nodded and stepped back, walking back to sit on the bed. Jati entered, pulled a chair from the side of the room, and sat near the bed.
"So, boy," he began, "what you need to learn now is how to control your hunger."
Sagara looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
"All Bloomers have something they must hold back," Jati explained. "Each of us has a burden. For you, that burden is your hunger."
"If you lose control of it," he continued, "your halo will shatter. And once that happens... you'll become a corrupted Bloomer."
Sagara's eyes widened. The thought made his heart skip a beat.
"I don't want that to happen," he whispered.
"Then you must be strong," Jati said. "Every Bloomer blooms from a strong emotion. But if they wish to evolve, their mind and body must become strong enough to hold that emotion in balance. That's the only way forward."
Footsteps echoed outside. A warm, familiar smell drifted into the room.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Jati said.
The door opened, revealing Indri. She walked in carrying a tray of food, her eyes warm but cautious. The portions were big—probably more than what one person could eat.
"Here's the food," Indri said gently.
She walked over and placed the tray on the small table in front of Sagara. She also brought utensils and napkins. Then, she stepped back and watched him silently.
Sagara stared at the food.
He could already feel the hunger waking up inside. That terrifying beast.
He didn't want to eat. He didn't want to fall into that state again.
In his mind, he saw himself losing control. Over and over. Devouring everything in sight. Hurting people again.
"You don't need to worry," Jati said. "If something happens, we'll stop you."
Sagara looked at him. And then at Indri. Neither of them looked scared. Not even a little. That gave him courage.
His hands still shaking, he picked up the spoon. Slowly, he scooped a portion of nasi goreng and brought it to his mouth.
He ate.
He chewed.
He swallowed.
Nothing happened.
He sighed in relief.
Then—just as he began to lift another spoonful—the hunger struck.
It was like a wave crashing over him.
His stomach clenched, his right hand twitched.
Panic surged through him. He dropped the spoon and gripped his stomach with both hands. His face distorted in fear.
His right arm began to twitch more violently. The slit on it started to open.
But Jati was fast. He reached out and grabbed Sagara's arm. Indri quickly moved too, wrapping a blanket tightly around the arm to stop it from opening further.
The moment passed in only a few seconds, but for Sagara, it felt like an eternity. He grit his teeth, digging his nails into his palm. He tried everything—every ounce of willpower—to resist the hunger.
Finally, the wave passed. His body relaxed. The hunger quieted... for now.
He wanted to stop eating. He truly did.
But when he looked up, he saw Jati and Indri staring at him. They weren't afraid. They were hopeful. Trusting.
He couldn't betray that trust.
He picked up the spoon again.
Another bite.
Another wave.
Another fight.
It happened again and again. Bite after bite. Hunger. Pain. Willpower. Calm.
He fought the beast inside over and over, until finally, the plate was empty. His breath was ragged. His body felt like it had been through war.
Jati leaned back, exhaling in relief.
Indri smiled, small but proud.
They didn't expect it to be that hard—just to eat a meal.
But for Sagara, that small act was a victory. He had faced the monster within and survived.
And even if only for tonight, he had won.