Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]
A few hours later, I woke up again because a voice called my name several times. Instantly I felt deja vu because of the call. However, I was still surprised when I woke up, my vigilance had indeed been raised many times higher as a form of self-defense in case those black-robed people came suddenly to catch me.
“Zack!”
When I was gathering consciousness, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief when I found out that the voice belonged to my father, they came back again and thanked God that my worry didn't happen, it seemed they were still okay.
"Father! Why did it just appear? I've been waiting for it since yesterday, I'm worried because the last time we talked, daddy and mom just disappeared,” I said worriedly at that time, but I can breathe a sigh of relief now.
"Sorry, Zack. The last time we spoke, those black-robed people were approaching the house, they had entered the remote countryside as far as the forest, so father and mother had to hurry away so as not to be caught by them,” father explained.
"But Father and Mother are now okay? So where are you going? Our house is near the forest and there's not a single house nearby to stay in temporarily, you two are okay?" I asked without pause, and the worry returned.
“Calm down, honey, you need to calm down. If Mother and Father are okay, we can't talk to you right now. You don't need to know where we are, what's clear is that we're both fine. But now there is something important I want to talk to you about. Have you found the map and note I put in my backpack?”
Ah, those maps and notes. It turns out that it was true that they gave it, right?
"Yeah, Zack has seen and read everything."
“You can use that map to help you on your way to each district, Father has already given signs on which roads you can take so you can avoid those in the black robes. Do you remember Father's message last time that you must join with people you trust? You have to do that, Zack, because you won't be able to survive if you want to go through everything alone. Father told you you would meet someone who can help you in district five. It's the son of an old friend of Father's. Look for him, and join him to survive, I'm sure he can take care of you later.”
I'm sad to hear that because our conversation sounded like an indirect farewell. My departure means that I will be further away from them, right?
"Father, I have to go, huh? Can't Zack just go back and live with Mother and Father?"
"Honey, don't come back here, Okay? Both of us have tried to do our best to take care of you all this time, if you come back, all our efforts to look after you are in vain. We want you to stay alive and live the way you want.” Mother ... really, I miss her. And hearing her voice now makes me want to cry.
"You don't know what will happen during the trip, but use sharp weapons with the gun Father has prepared for you. Don't be afraid to fight back when you come face-to-face with them. I'm sure you can survive, do you want to promise dad to try to survive? Maybe, for now, you don't know what to do other than survive, but I'm sure that during the journey, you will find some answers to each puzzle that still can't be answered, Zack," Father said at that time. Mother added other things and asked me to endure just like father.
I was silent for a long time then to rethink how I would act next if they asked me like this. I couldn't refuse, they wanted me to live and as much as possible, I had to grant that request. I can't just give up when I know their sacrifice to help prepare all this trip must not be easy.
"Yeah, Zack, I promise. Zack promises to continue this journey and stay alive, even if necessary Zack also promises to try to stop this hunt," I said firmly with complete confidence. They've got their hopes up, so I can't give up that hope just like that.
"Father and Mother will continue to pray for you from here, and I hope you are still fine."
"Zack also always prays for Father and Mother; you both have to promise to stay fine until I return. I will return home to meet Father and Mother when everything is finished. So, you promise to stay with me too, okay?”
"Father and Mother will try their best, yes, honey. But, Zack, have you read the note I gave you too? A record that contains some information about those black-robed groups?”
“ORION, right? I've read it all, Father."
I've read all the notes, and the main fact I know from the papers is about the black-robed group with a name, ORION.
ORION is the name they have. As the name implies, which is one of the most shining Constellations in the sky, the meaning of ORION itself is a hunter constellation, so ORION, which is a group of black robes, are also people who hunt twenty-year-old children, to then they are taken away with a purpose that only they know about it. It lives up to its name, so I know what to call them.
My father had already told me some of the information I had read. It's just that the information was recorded so I could remember every detail about the group. ORION will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in their way.
Father also added that I shouldn't stare into ORION's eyes for too long because I can suddenly obey their orders if I get trapped. Therefore, I have to be extra careful in my actions.
Towards the end of our conversation that day, father told me that on the seventh day, I could already move towards district two, I had to go through the roads on the map, so I had to memorize some of the roads so I wouldn't have to bother opening the map on the way. It could not be good if I lost the map because the paper is a critical guideline I must take good care of.
Our conversation then had to end immediately because a dad said they had to take care of something. Later, on the sixth day, they said they would contact me again before my trip was made. However, they said a few last sentences that made my heart uneasy after hearing them. That's what dad said at the time.
"Zack, Father will call you in three days, exactly one day before you move into district two. Take good care of yourself and be careful, don't forget to memorize a few paths so you can move more easily. Stay alert to your surroundings. But, Zack, just in case, I wanted to tell you... If Mother and Father don't call you later on the sixth day, you should still go the next day, Okay? Please don't wait for both of us. If we can, we will talk to you. However, if you can't, please keep doing it according to our plan together."
I was not allowed to argue then because they had to stop talking immediately. Again, Father emphasized that it was a precaution, but it still bothered me.
Hopefully, everything will stay fine. That's the only sentence I can recite in my heart every time.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Doppelgänger 13. Trying to Survive
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]After going through quite a lot of events during the last three days, when I entered the fourth day, I realized something when I checked the whereabouts of ORION quite often through the window curtains near the front door, I did that solely to see if they were still around my house. Or not, because I'm also curious what ORION is like. However, after researching for a few days, I don't know if they had gone hunting at some other point, so my area was no longer guarded, or maybe I couldn't find them around my house.I don't know which answer is correct, but what is certain is that I do realize that I haven't seen a single one of them since I stayed here for four days.On the first and second days, I was more silent and didn't dare just to peek at the front window curtains. However, after I had enough courage on the third and fourth day, I could swear that I never saw any of them, whether it was just standing around the house or walking around where I was now.I ne
Doppelgänger 14. Corner of the Past
The safest route to get to district two is through the forest. A small alley behind a church near the city library will later connect to a secret path close to the forest. He said the ORION people would not pass this path because they did not know it existed. The path that has been prepared by my father, who knows when will certainly be able to help me get through them by minimizing the danger in sight.On the fifth day, I spent more time studying the maps and notes given to me by my parents. I even re-recorded and marked several other points to understand them better later. When I really understood the map, I suddenly thought of something. Why did Mother and Father tell me to go to town first if I would pass through the forest in the end? It's not that I can start the journey from there because if I think about it, I can take the secret path if I start the journey from my house near the forest there.I was suspicious for a while, asking myself what they had hidden from me. Did they w
Doppelgänger 15. Final Decision
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW] The dim glare from the lights on the street corners is an additional source of light after the light from the moon shines beautifully from above the Earth. Now only that light accompanies me when I put my legs back together with all the courage to leave the house for the second time. My current goal is only one, namely, to visit the last home of Gayden—my pet dog first, before actually going to district two the day after tomorrow. Gayden had indeed died exactly one week after what happened in the woods. One small memory I could recall yesterday made me miss that poor animal. Since Gayden is gone, I am not looking for another dog to be adopted and cared for, it is tough for me to replace the heroic figure of Gayden, who has always been there and kept right beside me since I was little. It wouldn't be easy to erase and replace his figure with a new one. I passed a road that I still remember very well even though it's been a long time since I've visited here, I
Doppelgänger 16. Decisions
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW] Waiting is suffocating. The moment where I can only rely on the hope that is uncertain whether or not it will happen. By waiting, I make time seem to move slowly or even feel like it doesn't move. I hate waiting, like a wait that can only bring two answers, namely a good answer or a wrong answer. I can't even predict what answer I will get later. Previously, I thought that waiting for news from my parents was an impossible thing that I could get. Because I was awake until midnight, forcing my eyesight to stay open when sleepiness suddenly hit. I don't want to fall asleep. After all, I'm afraid my parents will contact me anytime because I still have a little hope even though in a matter of minutes ... days have changed. While waiting, I also had time to consider my actions after this. There is a part of my heart that wants to continue the journey. Still, I also can't close my eyes to another part of the desire that forces me to return home to check for myself
Doppelgänger 17. Chaos
Haikal : Dit, I've done something stupid.Ditya : I told you not to do anything, let alone leave the house! I've already told you I'll pick you up later, so obey what I say and don't be annoying, can you do that?!Haikal : Listen first, Ditya. I just want to tell you what stupid things I've done, and you need to know that.Ditya : Ck, what have you been doing?Haikal : So it's like this, I just stole food from a neighbor's house, which I knew was empty, but it turned out there was a hooded person inside. He almost wanted to catch me, but luckily I could fight him. Well, the important thing you need to know is that I managed to bring a lot of food from the house and don't have to starve anymore. Isn't it cool, Dit?Ditya : Kal, so that you know. I'm on the verge of death, but you're telling me unimportant things that waste time. And one more thing, NEVER LEAVE YOUR HOUSE AGAIN!Ditya closed his chat room with his best friend a split second after his last message was sent, he put the ce
Doppelgänger 18. Barthley
It took fifteen minutes for Ditya to wait for calm due to the sound of crying from the little girl he had saved moments ago. When the girl was still crying, Ditya really didn't know how to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks, he wasn't experienced in comforting someone—especially a girl, so in the end, he just kept quiet—waiting for the girl to get tired and stopped crying on its own.If he pay attention, it seems that the little girl is about 14 years old, a six-year difference from his age. Then, from the intense crying that had not stopped, Ditya could only guess that it was very likely that something terrible had happened to her parents or that there was another reason that Ditya didn't know.Sometime in the future, Ditya only spent in silence while occasionally glancing at the girl, making sure that her figure was still close to him, even though Ditya could still hear the sound of her crying.The two of them were currently at the river close to the forest, the location wa
Doppelgänger 19. Worst Possible
“Ditya Barthley. Brother is the first son of the Barthley family who has the special ability to move places, right?”It was no longer surprising that Gaby could recognize who Ditya was because, as she had remembered earlier, Ditya was often well-known to most District Five residents, whether it was for friendliness or about men's advantages. So from that, Ditya didn't dodge and just nodded to answer Gaby's question."Yes, what you really mean is me."This time, it was Gaby who nodded briefly. "Okay, then I'll explain what happened to me today."Ditya immediately prepared to listen. It was still a question for him: why a little girl like Gaby could be crushed by the rubble of a building in the middle of the city and crying? Where exactly were the adults whose job it was to look after her? Even though Ditya had time to think of his answer, he still wanted to hear the whole story from the girl. “I'm looking for my father. My father hasn't been home since 3 days ago, before leaving my fa
Doppelgänger 20. The Answers
The fear and indecision about the worst possibility filling Ditya's head finally spoke to Haikal. He can't think positively, and sometimes Ditya's actions can have fatal consequences if he feels like this. Hence, he needs Haikal to make him come to his senses and control his feelings."So, you can't give any answer to that kid?" Haikal's response after hearing what Ditya had said to him."Yes, Kal. I really don't know what to answer, even if I answer straight away without asking for your advice now, I'm sure that my answer will end up being fatal. What if I hurt her later because I feel sorry for her?"Ditya needs to be convinced, he needs to be told what is right and what is wrong for him to do if he doesn't want to get lost in incorrect answers. Since he started living alone, to be honest, Ditya has lost someone who can constantly remind him if he is doing something wrong. Luckily, Ditya still has Haikal, who is always on hand to replace anyone who was previously the missing figure.
Latest Chapter
- Doppelgänger
37. News From Ditya
Haikal is a good person.It only took a few hours for Zack to convince himself that the man sitting beside him while playing something on his cell phone was indeed a good person.There was a reason Zack could say such a thing, and all of his reasons had been proven by his own eyes.First, when Zack accidentally realized that his late grandmother's house looked neat and clean even though it had been abandoned for a long time, Haikal told a story without being asked. He said that long ago, when he was bored, Haikal would come here and clean this house.Zack also just found out that his father knew this man. That's why Haikal could enter and exit the house easily. He had permission and a mandate from Zack's father to guard this house. Haikal was already very familiar with all the rooms in this house because he was the one who often cleaned them when he had time.Second, Haikal has always remembered Zack since the man came here. At every opportunity, Haikal would always try to talk to Zac
- Doppelgänger
36. Joint Decision
“If you remember, I used to cry because you didn’t want to be friends and kept avoiding me when I tried to approach you to ask you to be friends. Even though we were still little at that time and I had no other goal than asking you to be friends, you always avoided me—not only from me but also from the outside world.”Haikal spoke up again and tried to awaken some of Zack's memories about him that had been buried for a long time in his head. They had never been close before and had only met a few times, and it was just like what the man had said—Zack would always immediately move away whenever Haikal tried to approach him. That was why Zack couldn't clearly remember who the man in front of him was right now. Moreover, they had never chatted for a long time before, and Zack didn't have a good memory of him.By the way, it was no wonder Haikal knew that Zack was the grandson of the late owner of this house because he was an old neighbour of his grandmother."I just remember that your fa
- Doppelgänger
35. A New Person Named Haikal
Zack was still passive after the unexpected incident that had just happened a few minutes ago. The man was still in shock from what he had just seen with his own eyes, so it was extremely difficult even to make a sound. Plus, the man who had been the main focus of the incident not long ago was now sitting not far from him.They were currently still in the kitchen and sitting on the cold floor. The man had already offered Zack to sit on a chair, but Zack just shook his head and didn't make a sound to answer him. However, when the man again offered him to move and sit on the softer front sofa, Zack could let out his voice, which was full of annoyance.“Do you think I can sit on the front couch after just seeing someone die in front of my own eyes right there?” Zack asked sarcastically. Even if the man could pay closer attention, he could see how Zack’s body was shaking right now because he was so scared.The man grinned innocently as if what had just happened was something he had witnes
- Doppelgänger
34. Next Stop
District Two will be his next stop. Zack must stay at least a week before finally going back to district three. From the notes that Zack read from his father, it was like that. One week was a hiding time intended for children with special abilities when they arrived in one of the districts because every week, some of the Orions would go to the central headquarters so that the district environment would be quiet.Zack arrived on the eighth day, which meant he had to hide first to wait for the number of black-robed men to decrease.Zack finally started moving towards his late grandmother's house without waiting long. His eyes remained wide open to observe the surroundings, and his grip on the knife tightened. The sun was quite hot, shining down on the earth from above, which made Zack even more afraid because his father always advised Zack to be in the dark when he was in a crowded place where Orion might be in. Zack spent too much time on his journey, even though he could have arrived
- Doppelgänger
33. Easy Pass
It took Zack a day to travel from district one to district two on foot. If he had taken a vehicle, it would have been faster because the distance between the two districts was not too far, but Zack couldn't use any vehicle, so the special road from the map that his father had prepared was the only way for Zack to get to this district.The journey that the man had gone through was better than he had expected. Zack had already thought badly and made various plans if he ever met one of the Orion members. He had thought about how to fight and win the battle from them.But in fact, none of the black-robed men managed to find him. Was it because Zack was too good at hiding or because no one, or more likely, ever knew the secret path his father gave him because they failed to find the man?Zack couldn't guess which answer was the most correct. Being able to safely get to District Two was enough to make him grateful.There was no disturbance during his journey yesterday. The man only saw some
- Doppelgänger
32. Final Decision
“Brother Ditya.”Gaby's call made Ditya aware of all the things he was thinking about at the moment. Ditya once again forgot about the girl's existence because he was too busy with his own thoughts. However, since earlier, Gaby also seemed to be daydreaming and thinking about something, so Ditya didn't want to disturb her.“Brother, you don’t need to help me find Father.”However, what Gaby just said immediately disturbed Ditya. How could the girl say that she didn't want Ditya to help her when the man had promised her since yesterday?They would leave any minute now, but now Gaby was asking him not to help.“But, Gab—”Gaby shook her head quickly, interrupting the man’s words immediately. “I don’t want to ruin all the plans that Brother has made for a long time. Brother has prepared everything for a long time, and just because of me, Brother has to postpone some things, even though what Brother has to do is important. I don’t want to be an obstacle to all the tasks that Brother Ditya
- Doppelgänger
31. Gaby's Choice
Reminiscing about the past can be likened to sailing a river with a relatively strong current. Still, we are in a boat without any oars, which should be a tool to guide us through the current. Because there are no paddles, we can only follow how the current flows according to what they want, and we can't do anything other than follow it.If the current feels calm, then the memory we are remembering must have a pleasant enough background so that it doesn't need to make it difficult for us to navigate the current. Still, if the wind is too strong to be able to shake the boat, we are riding in several times. The memory that we are remembering is one of several memories that may be painful, so we need more effort to get to the end of the flow.It feels like we are forced to open an old wound that we have kept tightly in our hearts.And unfortunately, Ditya is now feeling that feeling.It wasn't just painful because the wound had been opened too big to tell Gaby some stories. However, Dity
- Doppelgänger
30. Ditya's Final Decision
"Then let's continue the story first." Niana smiled slightly and took a deep breath before finally continuing her story. "Just like I said earlier, my story will only be the beginning as a guide to other clues. After this, to learn more about our parents, you can study all the notes my father has left in his secret room and our parents' room. I never actually went to father's secret room, even though I knew the place by sight. Father always forbade me when I said I wanted to go there. I followed what he said even though I was curious about what father was hiding there—the secret room. “But, for Brother Ditya it's a different story. Father never realized that all this time Brother already knew about Father's hiding place, I myself have known for a long time but I chose to keep quiet, I thought maybe sometime Brother would share a story with me about Father's secret room because all this time Brother Ditya rarely keep any secrets from me. But it turns out that Brother himself never sa
- Doppelgänger
29. Niana's Little Secret (2)
"I'm starting to use my future-seeing abilities less because I don't want to lose my lifespan repeatedly. I don't want to die early because I still want to spend time with Brother."However, I also learned several facts I never knew through that vision. Especially regarding our parents' jobs... oh, yes, actually, father and mother already knew about this ability of mine, and they also advised me to stop using it because its side effects were too great.""Does that mean I am the only one who doesn't know? Why did you tell mom and dad about this secret, but never told anything to your older brother?"Niana shook her head quickly, disagreeing with what Ditya had just said. “I never told them, but they guessed it themselves. Moreover, at that time I was still small and I didn't think about keeping my abilities a secret, and at that time I invited the two of them to talk privately about their work, because from what I saw I felt that father and mother's work was too dangerous and I could a
