“Arlan!” Maya shouted, her voice cleaving through the silence of the fog in Swara Park. She ran toward the edge of the pier, half of which had now collapsed.
“Danu, do something, quick! They’re drowning!”
“I can’t see anything, Maya! The fog’s too thick, and the water’s so dark!” Danu called back as he hurriedly shrugged off his jacket. He prepared to jump into the cold lake.
“Arlan! Satria! Where are you?”
“Arlan, please answer me!” Maya screamed again, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. She stared at the surface of the water, where only small ripples remained.
“Don’t leave me like this again! Arlan!”
“Calm down, Maya! I’m going in!” Danu shouted before finally plunging into the lake with a loud splash. Silence swallowed them again, leaving only the sound of Maya’s ragged breathing in the ominous fog of Astina City.
Beneath the freezing surface, Arlan felt his lungs beginning to burn. He tried to reach the surface, but something was holding his leg back. Satria. The man was still gripping the metal box tightly with one hand, while the other clutched Arlan’s pants with terrifying desperation.
“Let go...” Arlan muttered underwater, but only bubbles escaped his mouth. His vision began to blur. The light from the police lamps above felt impossibly far away. And in the darkness that was beginning to consume his consciousness, a memory surfaced without warning. Like an old film playing again in an empty theater.
“What are you doing, Arlan?” asked a girl’s voice he knew better than any other. It was so clear, overpowering the roar of water in his ears.
Arlan turned, and he was no longer in the lake. He was in Swara Park five years ago. The afternoon sun slipped between the trees, casting beautiful, elongated shadows. Maya stood there in a white dress, watching him curiously.
“I’m capturing eternity, Maya,” Arlan replied, still aiming his camera at a flock of birds flying low overhead. “At least, that’s what a photographer tries to do.”
“Eternity is boring,” Maya retorted as she walked closer. She sat down on the grass, not caring if her clothes got dirty. “Why don’t you capture something real instead? Like how hungry I am, for example. Come on, let’s get something to eat.”
“Just a little longer, Maya. The light’s perfect right now,” Arlan said without looking back. He was completely focused on his shot. “You know, in Astina City, light like this only appears for a few minutes before the fog rolls in. It’s a rare moment.”
“You say that every day.” Maya let out a soft laugh, and to Arlan, it sounded like the most beautiful melody in the world. “You love your camera more than you love me, don’t you?”
Arlan finally lowered his camera. He gazed deeply into Maya’s eyes. “You know that isn’t true. This camera is only a tool for preserving what I see. And the most beautiful thing I see in this world is you, Maya.”
“There you go, flirting again,” Maya teased, though her cheeks were beginning to turn red. “If you really love me, then tell me—what do you see when you look at me right now?”
“I see a woman who’s going to build the most beautiful gardens in the world,” Arlan answered seriously. He moved closer and sat beside Maya. “I see the future in your eyes. I see us in a little house on a corner of Astina City, with photographs on the walls and plants in every room.”
“You’ve planned that far ahead?” Maya asked softly. She rested her head on Arlan’s shoulder. “What if I can’t become a successful architect? What if I fail?”
“Then I’ll stay right here, photographing every one of your failures until they turn into successes,” Arlan whispered. He clasped Maya’s hand, feeling its warmth spread through his body. “I won’t leave, Maya. I promise.”
“A promise?” Maya raised her pinky. “Never leave me, no matter what happens. Even if the world falls apart, even if this Astina City is covered in fog forever, you have to stay by my side.”
“I promise,” Arlan said firmly, hooking his pinky around Maya’s. Beneath the great tree in Swara Park, they felt as if the world belonged only to the two of them. There were no ambitions, no secrets—only two hearts intertwined.
“Arlan, look!” Maya pointed toward the artificial lake. “Someday, I want to renovate this park. I want this place to bear witness to the love of countless people, not just ours. I want to bring Swara Park back to life.”
“And I’ll be the first person to photograph your finished work,” Arlan replied. He gently kissed Maya’s forehead. “We’ll do it together, Maya. You and me. Forever.”
But the beautiful vision suddenly cracked. Maya’s laughter turned into a heartbreaking scream. The afternoon sunlight became the cold darkness of the lake. Arlan jolted back to reality. His lungs felt ready to burst.
“Arlan!” Danu’s voice sounded faintly from the surface. Arlan used the last of his strength to kick Satria’s leg. He had to survive. He had to keep the promise he’d made five years ago—the promise he had once betrayed.
With one powerful jerk, Arlan broke free of Satria’s grip. He swam toward the light above with all his strength. His head broke through the surface, and he immediately sucked in as much air as he could. The cold night air of Astina City stung his skin painfully.
“Arlan! Over there!” Maya shouted, still standing at the edge of the pier. She pointed toward Arlan as he gasped for breath. “Danu, he’s there!”
Danu immediately swam toward Arlan and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Hold on to me, buddy! I’ll get you to shore. You’re safe!”
“Satria...” Arlan rasped, his voice barely audible. “Satria’s still down there... he won’t let go of the box.”
“Leave him!” Danu called as he pulled Arlan toward land. “The police are already here. They’ll handle it. The important thing is that you’re safe!”
Arlan was dragged onto the rocky shore. He lay there weakly, his body trembling violently. Maya immediately ran to him and knelt beside him, wrapping him in the thick jacket she had left.
“You’re insane! You almost died, Arlan!” Maya sobbed as she hugged him tightly.
“I’m sorry...” Arlan whispered, his voice trembling. “I only wanted to get that evidence for you. I wanted to fix everything.”
“I don’t need that evidence if getting it means losing you again!” Maya cried between sobs. “Don’t ever do anything like that again. Do you hear me? Never!”
“Where’s Satria?” asked a police officer who had just arrived at the edge of the lake. Several other officers began searching the pier with powerful flashlights. “We saw two people fall in.”
“He’s still in there,” Danu answered, catching his breath. He pointed toward the middle of the lake. “He was carrying a metal box. He wouldn’t let go of it when he fell.”
“Rescue team, get in there now!” the police commander ordered over the radio. Swara Park erupted into chaos, filled with sirens and officers’ shouts. The thick fog made the search extremely difficult.
Arlan tried to sit up with Maya’s help. His eyes fixed on the dark lake. “He won’t let it go, Maya. Satria’s too obsessed with that power. He thinks the box is everything.”
“Forget him for now, Arlan,” Maya said, wiping the tears from his face. “You need to go to the hospital. Your body’s freezing.”
“I’m fine, Maya. I just need a minute,” Arlan replied. He clasped Maya’s hand, just as he had five years ago. “Do you remember our promise in this park? The future we talked about?”
Maya fell silent for a moment. Her eyes met Arlan’s, filled with pain and longing. “That was a long time ago, Arlan. So much has changed. Astina City isn’t the same as it used to be.”
“But my feelings haven’t changed, Maya,” Arlan said with complete sincerity. “Leaving five years ago was the biggest mistake of my life. I spent every night overseas imagining our time here. I came back because I couldn’t forget you.”
“Why only now?” Maya asked, her voice growing harder. “Why did you let me fall apart for five years? Do you know how hard it was for me to try to love someone else? To try to trust Satria?”
“I know I was wrong, Maya. I know that better than anyone,” Arlan replied, lowering his head. “I felt like I didn’t deserve to come back until I’d succeeded. But I realized success means nothing if I lose you.”
“Then what now?” Maya asked again. “Satria may go to prison, or worse. My relationship with him is over. But that doesn’t mean we can simply go back to the way things were. The wound is still there, Arlan.”
“I’m not asking you to forgive me right now,” Arlan said gently. “I just want you to know that I’m here. I’m not running away again. I’ll help you rebuild Swara Park, just like you dreamed of.”
“Commander! We found something!” one of the rescuers shouted from the middle of the lake. Every eye turned toward them. An inflatable boat approached the pier, carrying a limp body.
Arlan, Maya, and Danu stood tensely. Was it Satria? And where was the metal box that held the key to all these secrets? As the boat drew alongside the pier, they saw Satria unconscious, but his hands were empty. The metal box was nowhere with him.
“Where’s the box?” Arlan asked instinctively, stepping toward the officers.
“We didn’t find it, sir. The water’s too deep, and the bottom is muddy,” the officer replied as he lifted Satria onto a stretcher. “This man needs to be taken to the ambulance immediately. He swallowed too much water.”
Arlan stared at the lake, his feelings tangled. The evidence he had fought for had been swallowed by the darkness of Swara Park. Without the box, Satria might escape the law through the connections he possessed.
“Damn it!” Danu muttered. “All our efforts will be pointless if that box isn’t found.”
“Not necessarily,” Maya suddenly replied. She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a small object. A silver key. “Satria dropped this when he attacked you earlier. I took it without him noticing.”
“A key?” Arlan asked, confused. “A key to what?”
“This isn’t the key to that metal box, Arlan,” Maya said, her expression mysterious. “It’s the key to Satria’s private safe at his office. I saw him use it once. I’m sure the bigger evidence is in there.”
Arlan stared at Maya in admiration. The woman he loved was far stronger and cleverer than he had imagined. “You’re incredible, Maya.”
“I’ve simply learned to protect myself, Arlan,” Maya replied coldly. But she didn’t loosen her grip on Arlan’s hand. “Now come on. Let’s get out of here before this fog truly swallows us.”
As they walked away from Swara Park, Arlan looked back one last time. In the dense fog, he seemed to see his younger self and Maya sitting beneath the tree, laughing together. The image slowly faded, replaced by the bitter reality they had to face.
However, when they reached the parking lot, a black car stopped directly in front of them. Its door opened, and a neatly dressed man stepped out with an icy expression. He looked from Arlan to Maya.
“You think this is over just because Satria’s been caught?” the man asked threateningly. “You have no idea who you’re really up against in this Astina City.”
Arlan immediately stepped in front of Maya to protect her. “Who are you? What do you want?”
The man smiled faintly, a smile that made the hairs on the back of Arlan’s neck stand up. “I’m the person who makes sure secrets stay secret. And the two of you... you already know far too much.”
“Get out of here, or I’ll call the police!” Danu shouted as he moved closer.
“The police?” The man let out a hollow laugh. “Look behind you, young man.”
Arlan turned and was shocked to see the police cars that had surrounded the park slowly leaving one by one, as if they had been ordered to ignore what was happening there. An even greater fear seized their hearts. Satria was apparently only the tip of a far larger and more dangerous iceberg in Astina City.
“Get in the car, or your friend Danu here will never play music on the streets again,” the man threatened, pointing toward another man who had suddenly appeared behind Danu, a sharp object concealed beneath his jacket.
Maya gripped Arlan’s arm tightly. “Arlan, what do we do?”
Arlan looked into the man’s eyes, then at Maya. He knew their struggle had only just begun. And this time, the stakes were not merely the love they had left in the past, but their very lives amid the deadly silence of Astina City.
“We’ll do what they want, Maya. For now.”
“A wise choice,” the man said as he opened the back door of the car. “Welcome to the real game, Mr. Dewangga.”