(Meet the Usual Suspects)
Before we dive into the deep end, let me introduce the crew. You'll be spending seventeen nights with them, so you might as well know whose smoke you're inhaling. Don't be shy; they're just as broken as the rest of us.
The Gang At The Junction
1. Prof. Teokrit White hair slicked back like a retired vampire. He has eyebrows thick enough to hide secrets and eyes sharp enough to dissect your childhood trauma before you've even ordered a drink. He clutches his ivory pipe like a sacred relic. He once tried to unify all the theories of the universe; now, he mostly just argues with his own footnotes.
What he wants:Â To be understood without having to simplify a single word.
2. Om Bram Xiao Fu Flowing robes, silver hair, and a scent that's a mix of expensive sandalwood and unwashed ego. He's one part monk, one part social media influencer, and three parts romantic failure. Bram has read every book in existence except the one written inside his own heart. He nods at everything, looking like he's decoding divine secrets, but he's probably just thinking about his followers.
What he wants: To transcend the physical plane—without losing his Wi-Fi signal.
3. Mbah Mar (The Axis) The oldest soul in the room. He's always there—sweeping the floor, listening to the walls. His face is a dried riverbed, and his eyes look like flickering candlelight in a dark cave. He says almost nothing. He hears everything. He never claims to be wise, which is exactly why he's the only one who actually is.
What he wants:Â Nothing. And that's why the universe keeps giving him everything.
4. Dr. Rasiono His glasses are so clean you'd think he licks them. Always in a dress shirt that's one size too tight, wearing a permanent expression of "I'm surrounded by idiots." To him, emotion is just an evolutionary bug that needs a patch. He hates incense but loves raw data.
What he wants:Â To turn God into a mathematical formula, then file it under "Obsolete."
5. Ki Komat Red batik headwrap and a grin that says, "I know exactly what you're afraid of at night." He carries a pouch of herbs, ancient coins, and enough mystery to choke a horse. He smokes a pipe made of tamarind heartwood that might—or might not—be summoning spirits while he talks. His body is at the table, but his soul is still wandering some forbidden mountain.
What he wants:Â To be feared enough so that no one ever dares to ask him "Why?
The coffee is hot. The nights are long. Shall we begin?
Read The I from the story 17 Nights by nurkompleh79 (Kang Nur Official) with 13 reads. warlock, mysticism, philosophy...
