Chapter Text
Cahaya had always known he was special. Not in the “art prodigy” or “math genius” it was something way more different than that. He could see ghosts- entities?
He doesn’t know what they are called, he calls them spirits usually. He assumed he had this ability from birth but he only fully grasped the difference between the dead and the living at the ripe age of 7.
He had come home from school just to see some middle aged man laying on his bed, he screamed so loud the crazy cat lady came knocking at their door and she had hearing loss!!
He remembers his brothers looking at him like he was crazy while he explained the person on his bed to his poor confused parents who couldn’t see anything.
It was the first time he ever saw a spirit fully. Sure he saw fleeting shadows once in a while but none as vivid as this, nobody as- human looking as that spirit laying on his bed.
Pointing out the fact he could see them didn’t help though, they started bothering Cahaya. Every minute of his day he would turn and get jumpscared, it drove him crazy. He couldn’t even go to bed without someone lurking over him, he was scared.
He didn’t know what was happening. All he knew was these people were following him, TALKING to him. Except no one else other than him could see them. No one else could hear them, only him.
His brothers just thought it was another scheme to get his parents attention, only Tannah seemed concerned for his mental health which was valid considering how he was yelling at air every morning to stop bothering him and to tell him where they hid the cereal.
His parents got more and more concerned as the days passed, they even took a break from work to take care of him. They took him to therapists and doctors, they summed it up to imaginary friends which was so stupid, i mean yeah cahaya was like 6 when this happened but he was mature for his age okay!!
His parents just found it silly and stopped hovering over Cahaya and went back to their jobs. Cahaya started ignoring the figures, the more he did that the less they bothered him.
He focused on studying- annoying his brothers or anything that distracted him from the phantom like beings. He just bit his lip and went on with his day the best he could.
He started realising that he was different from others the older he got. And his powers (if you could call them that) started getting stronger. He started seeing more ghosts, hearing them more clearly. He started being able to fully communicate with them.
He started talking with them after Daun left. They were the only company he had in that empty house, he was lonely and as much as he resented the spirits they brought him a sense of comfort. A familiarity he needed after his brothers left, they helped him adjust. They helped him be better and he tried his best to return the favours.
He learned how to exorcize a spirit at the age of 13. They had something called “cores” these were the things keeping them in the human world.
Cores were usually things they were attached to when they were still alive or a grudge they held. In some rare cases a spirit’s core can change even after their death.
If you destroy or fulfill their core they leave the earth to find eternal peace and leave the suffering this world provided them. Some spirits aren’t ready to leave the world- some never are.
Those spirits hide their cores. Somewhere safe, somewhere only they know. Some prefer to keep their cores close to them, to guard them. Eventually when they are satisfied with their time on earth they destroy their cores. Some aren't as lucky though, their cores being a living being.
Not being able to communicate with them means they can never get the assurance they want, never leave earth.
That's where Cahaya steps in. Spirits would come to him and ask for help, he would talk to their “core” and the spirit would leave. He tried his best to do what he could for them, after all they helped him in his time of need.
However the after-world isn’t all sunshines and rainbows either, spirits who hold grudges transform into evil spirits. They terrorize humanity and kill hundreds if not thousands. If he knows anything about them it's that they are scary.
Cahaya encountered only one evil spirit in his life. It was disfigured, not like the ghosts he usually saw. It emitted a bad energy and smell, he had been side by side next to it. Trying his best to hide the fact he was shaking.
He got lucky, he heard stories about people who pissed off evil spirits. Hauntings- horrifying deaths. A weight was lifted off his shoulders when he and the spirit went different directions. However that night black scratch marks appeared on his back, he wasn’t lucky. He was spared. And that scared him shitless, the marks faded after a while but not the fear, never the fear. It always stayed.
Cahaya lived seeing spirits, and died seeing spirits.
When he woke up again after his death, he knew something was wrong. Something was off about his powers, something wanted him to live. And that something probably needed his powers. He didn’t know why, but he was gonna figure it out.
It didn’t surprise him when he did something so supernatural and against science like travelling back in time. After all, nothing about his existence was normal.
So there he was, sitting on his desk pen in hand writing theories into a brand new notebook. He knew the future- something taboo and forbidden.
Something nobody should be able to do, he could do something meaningful- or he could do something selfish. He could disturb the flow of time and ruin destiny for his own gain.
The thought was scary, he could control his future right now. He could win the lottery or he could become some cult leader. He had so much power in his hands, however he doesn’t know why he has these powers.
Cahaya was always a man of science. Even if he saw and did things against science. He always believed science had an answer, he knew it did.
And perhaps science did. He had a theory, all these things he was seeing. Time travel, literally coming back from the dead. He thinks he has an answer, something that connects to all his problems.
The multiverse theory
The multiverse theory proposes that our universe is not unique but is instead just one of many universes that collectively form a larger, hypothetical entity called the multiverse. These other universes, potentially infinite in number.
It explained all the things he needed to know, the reason why he came back from his death. Because it was in another universe. An alternative universe where he was killed. Where he only made it to 18.
If he was right- then he had a chance to change history. Hell he could MAKE history, the amount of things he could do at this moment is actually crazy!! But first, he needed to confirm it. And he knew just the right place to go.
_____________________________________________
Cahaya stared at the entrance of the cemetery near his house. He walked inside the creepy place ignoring all the ghosts rooming. He stopped in front of one particular tombstone,
Rizal bin Ismail.
Cahaya wrote the name engraved in the rock making sure he was in the right place. He then looked up at the ghost sitting on top of it, smiling and waving as if expecting him.
“Hey cahaya, look time no see, you've been busy eh?” a distorted voice came out of Rizal's throat. Cahaya forgot he could only hear voices like that because he was 14 right now, he winced and Rizal’s smile brightened. He hopped off the tombstone floating in front of Cahaya with ease
“Something’s off, your body is 14 but your soul looks.. Let me take a guess, nineteen?”
Rizal asked tilting his head in wonder, he had died at the age of 9 but his soul aged normally. Unlike his body.
“Eighteen”
Cahaya corrected, returning the smile. He had known Rizal for a long time, Rizal was next to him when he died as well. Panicking more than cahaya as blood oozed out of where he was stabbed.
Rizal was one of the only people he considered a friend. Yes, Cahaya was aware that he was a ghost. No longer a human but a drifting fog, forgotten and moved away from. But Rizal cheered Cahaya up when he was down, he helped him be a better version of himself. He was with cahaya every step of his life, the ups and downs.
Rizal’s eyebrows could have gone up to his hairline with how far they were raised. He whistled as he circled cahaya.
“That's odd, time travel? Well wouldn’t put it past you mr psychic”
Cahaya rolled his eyes. Used to his teasing, he just sighed and shook his head. He never did grow up did he?
“Now why are you here? Must be for a reason because you were hellbent on making sure you don’t make friends with spirits after what happened....”
He didn’t need to finish his sentence for Cahaya to know what he meant. Old memories came flashing back, he gritted his teeth and sighed shaking his head. Rizal’s mood seemed to have dropped as well.
“Is the multiverse theory real?’
Cahaya stared at the spirit who seemed shocked at first but then just smiled. It looked creepy- mostly because he was dead and he couldn’t feel pain so he didn’t understand how the face he was making was humanly impossible.
“I don’t know that for sure but there is a chance.”
Cahaya smiled. He put his hands in his jacket pocket as he looked Rizal in the eyes.
“That's good enough for me, I guess I am going to Pulau Rintis.”
Rizal blinked once. And then twice. And then he screamed so loud the crows flew away even though they probably couldn’t hear him.
“WHAT?”
____________________
After calming him down Cahaya sighed, this was exactly the reaction he was expecting. After all, he always told Rizal about how much he hated his brothers for leaving him. So this must be quite a shock for him.
“Wait wait wait wait- why? I mean you like it here!”
Rizal asked, baffled, still trying to wrap his head around what Cahaya just said. He knew something was wrong here, I mean Cahaya’s literal soul had changed! But he still didn’t understand what happened that was bad enough for Cahaya to go to a place his brothers are! Excuse him that he isn’t the one who travelled back in time and knows the goddamn future!
Cahaya sighed as he began explaining what happens in the future, his parents death- Adudu, Shoplifting- Retakka. He just listened with his jaw open, I mean it's not everyday you see someone talking about their future you know! He has a right to be surprised by this!!
After cahaya was done explaining he said something that made Rizal spiral even more if that was even possible.
“Your coming with me”
He stared at the human like he had lost his marbles- he was pretty sure he had!
“I can’t leave, my core is here”
Cahaya smirked as he pulled out something from the backpack he had on. Rizal’s eyes widened as he stared at shock at what he was holding.
“I got your core right here, I brought it back for you”
Rizal stared at cahaya with red eyes, he was sure he was gonna cry. He thought he could leave earth because he didn’t even know his core! But, seeing the energy coming out from the item, he was sure of it. This was his core. The reason he is on earth and hasn't crossed to the other side yet.
Cahaya smiled as he handed him the spotted cap with horns
“Lets go Boboiboy”
Rizal looked up and smiled. The tears gone as fast as they came
“Let's go”
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And that's why Cahaya is sitting on the dinner table trying his best to not pay attention to Boboiboy floating next to him. It had been maybe 5 weeks since he came to Tok Aba's house.
It was normal so far, he helped with the cafe and even got a separate chore chart for him. It wasn’t all that different from what he imagined but he had gotten Tannah and Ais to warm up to him, it was progress.
It was more difficult talking to Boboiboy or any other spirit then when he was at home. Back then it was usually an empty house so he spoke to them whenever, now he had to sneak around which made the others suspicious. He almost got caught so many times as well! He had to gaslight Angin into believing he was hearing things more times than he could count.
The poor dude was starting to think he was schizophrenic. Oh well, better him being labeled as insane than Cahaya right?
It was quiet at the table, well not really it was chaos but it was a rather peaceful moment than the last ones. Cahaya was minding his own business and he grabbed his glass of water to drink some when Ais decided it was the perfect time to speak.
“Remmember when you used to see hallucinations?"
Cahaya choked on his water trying his best to to spew all of it onto the table and everyone's food. He went into a coughing fit after swallowing the water though. Tannah was by his side in a second patting his back giving him a concerned look.
“Why are you mentioning that now?”
Cahaya looked up at Ais who was staring at him with blank eyes, he just shrugged like he hadn’t just made Cahaya consider abandoning this whole plan and running away to Africa. Okay maybe not that dramatic but this secret was a big deal okay!
“No reason, I just remembered how you used to yell into the air. It was kind of funny”
Api chimed in, never losing a chance to make fun of Cahaya of course.
“Yeah! It was so weird. He would just randomly yell at nothing like a crazy person”
Daun giggled at that and cahaya hid his face in his hands. Aurgh did he have to say that? Boboiboy snickered as well and Cahaya shot him a secret glare. He would deal with him later.
“Seriously though, that phase was a little weird, even for you”
Ais chimed in pointing at cahaya with his fork. Cahaya raised an eyebrow at that.
“Even for me? What are you trying to say?” Ais averted his gaze at that and Cahaya just threw his hands up in defeat. Why is everyone so hellbent on making fun of him today!
He just went back to eating his dinner quietly and after a while everything went back to normal. After finishing up he helped Tannah gather the plates and took them to the sink to help with the dishes. He was washing his plate when he saw that Tannah looked more slumped and tired than usual. He had a dog’s spirit on his shoulder. Cahaya had been wondering about the story behind that for a while because it looked ridiculous.
“Hey Tannah, weird question but did you happen to pet any stray dogs?” Tannah looked at him with raised brows before he nodded.
“Yeah I actually did! A few days ago, how did you know?”
He questioned and Cahaya just shrugged ignoring the barking of the dog.
“Oh you know, just a guess.” he looked at Boboiboy who immediately got the hint.
“Oh you just need to give the dog head pats and he’ll be gone.”
Cahaya nodded as they went back to cleaning dishes, at one point when Tannah wasn’t focused he gently stroked the fur of the soft dog once or twice, it yipped happily before evaporating into nothing.
“Tannah paused and rolled his arms a few times, probably wondering why his body was so light again randomly. He pretended not to know anything and just dried the plates not aware of the knowing look Tannah gave him.
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Situations with spirits seemed to be everywhere in this town, maybe because it's small but they were everywhere. Flocking around the Tok aba’s stall or at school, hell they had a whole little community. But one thing worried Cahaya, there wasn’t a single evil spirit. Not that it's a bad thing but it's weird. There was no place on earth without a single evil spirit. Bad people exist, so do evil spirits. He had asked Boboiboy about it once. The response he got was still stuck in his head.
“Can’t you see them?”
That one line was all he said before he frowned and left to go somewhere, he changed the topic whenever Cahaya brought it up again, this was getting weirder and weirder. Now that he thinks about it.. Cahaya had never seen an evil spirit here back when he was 18 either. He had even used the ouija board to try and communicate with his parents before. He remembers specifically summoning an evil spirit instead, but he never saw it again. Something is preventing him from seeing the spirits. Maybe a talisman of some sort?
Cahaya frowned at that thought, talismans like that are extremely dangerous. People who make them know that. If you disturb an evil spirit by sealing them off from the world their grudge just gets worse and worse until they eventually become inhuman, just a blob of negative energy. He needed to search for the cause of this.
“Hey cahaya.. Unless you wanna lose a brother to a plant you might wanna shove him outta the way”
Boboiboy’s voice snapped cahaya out of his daze. His eyes immediately narrowed to where Petir was walking and the plant pot just inches away from falling off somebody's window. He didn’t think twice before he quite literally tackled Petir. The fell to the ground and even did a little roll, he grunted as Petir pushed him off.
“What the hell are you-!?
Before he could finish his words a loud crashing sound assaulted their ears. They all looked between Petir and the place where he was supposed to be when the pot fell, then they looked at cahaya. Boboiboy was holding in a chuckle as he said something along the lines of “you didn’t have to tackle the poor dude like you're in a wrestling match..” whatever Cahaya didn’t care.
He stood up and dusted his pants. He lend out a hand for Petir to take to get up, he shot him an apologetic smile as he spoke.
“Sorry for tackling you”
Petir just looked at him dumbly taking his hand to stand up, he looked like he still hadn’t processed what had happened. To be honest, none of them did. After a few seconds of silence he broke out of his stupor. He grunted as he gave Cahaya a mumbled apology for yelling at him and a thank you. Cahaya shrugged as he went back to walking, he didn’t notice the black energy staring at him from the place where the pot originally was, neither Ais’s or Tannah’s blank stare at his back.