Bima was still holding the papers from inside the metal box. The night wind blew hard enough to nearly tear several sheets from his hands. But his thoughts were far more chaotic than anything around him.
Arga's words kept replaying in his mind.
“Galang is the one who forced me to choose between keeping my promise to you and leaving you for a while.”
Bima looked at Farel.
“I need an explanation.”
Farel didn't answer right away.
Dika noticed the change in his expression.
“You know something, don't you?”
Farel sighed.
“Yeah.”
“Then why are you still keeping quiet?”
“Because I was hoping Bima would find the answer from Arga himself.”
Bima clenched his fists.
“But Arga isn't here anymore.”
Farel looked at him.
“That's exactly why.”
His words only left Bima more confused.
“What does that mean?”
Farel glanced at the metal box in Bima's hand.
“Everything Arga wanted you to know is inside that thing.”
Bima looked at the small flash drive inside the box.
“This?”
Farel nodded.
“Yeah.”
Dika took a deep breath.
“Don't tell me we have to find an old computer to open it.”
Rani looked at him.
“Dika.”
“What? I'm just trying to ease the tension.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Dika's comment brought a faint smile to Bima's face.
But it didn't last long.
Because he knew that whatever was on the flash drive might change everything he understood about Arga.
“Let's go home first,” Mr. Surya said.
Bima looked at him.
“Why don't we open it now?”
Mr. Surya looked around.
“Because this place isn't safe.”
Bima looked toward the road where Galang had left.
“You mean he's still watching us?”
Mr. Surya didn't answer.
But his expression already gave Bima the answer.
They finally left the place.
Bima was mostly silent all the way home. Dika tried several times to talk to him, but Bima only gave brief answers.
When he got home, Bima went straight to his room.
He placed the metal box on his desk.
For several minutes, he simply sat there staring at it.
He was afraid.
Not of what was on the flash drive.
He was afraid that once he knew everything, he might not be able to see Arga the way he used to.
Bima plugged the flash drive into his old laptop.
The screen lit up.
A single folder appeared.
Its name was just one word.
“PROMISE.”
Bima drew a breath.
Then he opened the folder.
Inside were several files.
Photos.
Videos.
Documents.
And one file named:
“For Bima.”
His hand stopped over the mouse.
Then he clicked the file.
A video began to play.
A face appeared on the screen.
Bima went completely still.
Arga.
The face of his old friend appeared after all these years.
Bima never thought he would see him again.
“Bim.”
Arga's voice came through the speakers.
Bima's eyes immediately filled with tears.
“If you're watching this video, then you've found all the clues I left behind.”
Arga looked older than Bima remembered.
But his smile was still the same.
“I know you're probably wondering why I did all this.”
Bima leaned closer to the screen.
“I wanted to explain everything to you in person. But I couldn't.”
Arga paused for a moment.
“Someone is after my family. That person wants to take something that could destroy a lot of people.”
Bima thought of Galang.
“That person is Galang.”
Bima immediately held his breath.
Arga continued.
“But Bim, I want you to know one thing. Galang wasn't where all of this began.”
Bima frowned.
“He's just someone who got trapped in this mess too.”
Bima fell silent.
All this time, everyone had said Galang was the reason Arga left.
It turned out the story wasn't that simple.
“Galang and I used to be friends.”
Bima was even more shocked.
“Even before I met you.”
Arga gave a small smile in the video.
“But something happened that turned us into different people.”
The video paused for a few seconds.
Then Arga spoke again.
“Bim, you might hate me after you learn the truth.”
Bima immediately shook his head.
“No, Ga.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
“I might not understand, but I won't hate you.”
Arga continued.
“The biggest secret behind all of this involves a document my family once found.”
“That document contained proof that someone had done something terrible.”
Bima focused even more intently.
“And that person is still out there.”
Suddenly, the video stopped.
The screen turned black.
Bima was startled.
“Why did it stop?”
He checked the laptop.
The battery was still full.
The video file was only a few minutes long.
Bima opened another folder.
There was a text document.
He opened it.
It contained only one sentence.
“Don't go any further until you've met the person holding the first key.”
Bima frowned.
“The first key?”
Who did it mean?
A short while later, his phone rang.
A message came in.
It was from an unknown number.
Bima opened it immediately.
“If you've watched Arga's video, then you already know part of the truth.”
Bima read the next message.
“But Arga never said who held the first key.”
Bima's heart began to pound.
A third message came in.
“That person is closer than you think.”
Bima stared at the screen.
He didn't know who had sent the messages.
But suddenly, his thoughts turned to one person.
Farel.
Bima didn't want to think the worst of him.
But every clue seemed to point to Farel.
The next day, Bima arrived at school with countless questions.
Dika immediately noticed the change in his expression.
“Did you find something?”
Bima nodded.
“I watched Arga's video.”
Rani stepped closer.
“What did he say?”
Bima told them everything.
Dika fell silent when he heard Galang's name.
“So Galang isn't completely evil?”
“I don't know.”
Rani thought for a moment.
“Then let's not trust anyone too quickly.”
Bima nodded.
Suddenly, Farel arrived.
“You found the video?”
Bima looked at him.
“Yeah.”
Farel looked relieved.
“Finally.”
Bima studied his face.
“Farel.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know about the first key?”
Farel's expression changed immediately.
Only for a moment.
But Bima saw it.
“You know something.”
Farel was silent.
Dika immediately stood up.
“Well, now it's time for you to stop keeping secrets.”
Farel lowered his head.
“I do know.”
Bima held his breath.
“What is it?”
Farel opened his bag.
He took out a small object.
An old metal key.
Bima went completely still.
“That key…”
Farel nodded.
“This is the first key Arga was talking about.”
“Why do you have it?”
Farel looked at Bima.
“Because Arga gave it to me before he left.”
“And you're only showing it to me now?”
Farel didn't answer.
Bima felt disappointed.
“Why does everyone keep choosing to hide things from me?”
Farel looked at him.
“Because Arga asked me to protect you.”
Bima shook his head.
“I don't need protecting.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Farel answered quietly.
“Because Arga knew you'd do anything to find the truth.”
Bima fell silent.
Farel handed him the key.
“Now you're ready.”
Bima took it.
“What does this key unlock?”
Farel stared into the distance.
“Something Arga hid before he left.”
Bima closed his fingers around the key.
For the first time, he felt that he wasn't just looking for his friend.
He was fulfilling a promise that had never truly ended.