The rain hadn't stopped.
Kola turned into the narrow alley that led to his boarding house. It was quiet here — just one small building tucked behind a row of motorbike workshops. The name on the old metal gate was barely readable anymore. The whole place had around two dozen rooms, stacked on two floors, with thin walls and cheaper rent.
He jogged up the slippery stairs, hoodie still dripping. His socks squished in his shoes.
Floating beside him, small as a toy, Omegamon followed.
The knight said nothing at first, but his eyes were wide — glowing softly as he drifted a little higher now and then to peek through open doorways.
Kola glanced at him once, but didn't say anything. He was too tired.
The hallway lights flickered above them. One room had soft Qur'an recitations playing from a speaker. Another was completely dark. A faint sound of someone brushing their teeth came from behind a door.
Then they passed a room that was wide open — loud music, cigarette smoke, and the smell of instant noodles all mixing in the air. Three guys sat cross-legged on the floor, laughing at something on a phone. One of them had his shirt off. A beer can rolled lazily near his foot.
Omegamon slowed down.
He hovered by the door for a few seconds.
"Are they... soldiers of chaos?" he asked, voice low.
Kola stopped in his tracks.
"...What?"
Omegamon tilted his head. "They appear... unruly. Disconnected from responsibility. Are they not students?"
"They are," Kola muttered, pulling him away by the cape. "Just... different kind."
He kept walking.
Omegamon glanced back one more time before floating beside him again, quieter now.
---
They stopped in front of a plain brown door.
Room 14.
Kola unlocked it and stepped inside fast, careful not to splash water on the floor.
---
The room was barely bigger than a prison cell.
Single mattress on the floor, pushed tight against one corner. A small plastic wardrobe. An old foldable table with chipped corners. In the corner: one electric kettle, a packet of Indomie, one bowl, one fork, and a stained mug with "Doraemon" on it — the print almost faded.
A pair of sandals. A damp towel hanging on a nail.
And that was all.
But to Kola — it was enough.
It was his.
---
He peeled off the wet hoodie, shaking the rain out toward the door. Then quickly grabbed an old cloth and wiped the floor where his shoes had stepped in.
Omegamon hovered near the ceiling, turning slowly as he scanned the small space. He seemed unsure where to land. His glowing cape brushed the side of the wall as he turned.
"This... is your command center?"
Kola raised an eyebrow while drying his hair with a small towel.
"It's a room. That's all."
"It is small," Omegamon admitted.
Then he floated down slowly and touched the floor for the first time. His boots made no sound.
"But it's clean."
Kola nodded, then crouched to plug in the electric kettle.
"Can't afford to mess it up. I don't have a backup plan."
He sat cross-legged, staring at the heating coil glow red, waiting for the water to boil.
Outside, the rain kept falling — soft now, steady like a ticking clock.
"...Still real?" he muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
Omegamon, still glowing faintly, had somehow shrunk down to a smaller size — no bigger than a toddler — yet still carried the weight of a giant. He floated just a little above the floor, cape barely brushing the tiles.
"I am," the knight said simply, his voice calm.
Kola rubbed his face with both hands. "Man... this is insane. Like… you're a freaking Digimon," he muttered, drying his head roughly.
"Why you say that?" Ask Omegamon boldly.
"You came outta nowhere, right after my life literally exploded. And now you're floating in my kost like it's normal."
Omegamon didn't answer. He hovered near the window, staring out.
Kola walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and drank. His hands still trembled. His mind raced.
That laptop…
That stupid, old, half-broken laptop — he needed it more than anything.
His assignments were in there. His CV. His photos with his little sister. The app prototype he'd been building for three months.
Losing it wasn't just losing a device. It was losing everything.
"I gotta get it back," he said softly, setting down the glass.
Omegamon turned to him. "Why not buy a new one?"
Kola looked at him like he'd just spoken in alien language.
"It's not about the thing," he said. "It's what's in it. And… I don't have money. Like, at all."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Omegamon said, "I can give you money."
Kola blinked.
"...What?"
"I can give you as much as you need," Omegamon said again, dead serious.
Kola stared at him, unsure if it was a joke.
"…You for real?"
"Yes."
There was no hesitation.
Kola leaned on the table, half-smiling but not amused. "That's… That's crazy, man. I mean—thanks, but… no. I don't want money like that."
He walked over to the sink — just a little tap in the corner — and began rinsing out the bowl he'd used for instant noodles yesterday.
"I never ask for money," he said while scrubbing. "I mean, yeah, I'm broke. Always have been. But it's not right, y'know? The world already messed up enough. I don't want to add more to it."
Omegamon hovered behind him quietly.
Kola dried the bowl and stacked it carefully on the shelf. Then, finally, he dropped onto his mattress, lying flat on his back, one arm covering his face.
He spoke through his arm.
"There's only one way. I gotta ask around at campus. Somebody might've seen those guys who grabbed my bag. But... for that, I need cash. At least for transport and food."
Another pause.
Then Omegamon floated down beside the bed.
"There is another way," he said.
Kola peeked through his fingers. "Huh?"
"It is simple," Omegamon continued, "but a little dangerous."
Kola rolled over, facing him fully now. "What kind of 'dangerous' are we talkin' about here?"
"There is something… unusual inside your university."
Omegamon stood up. "A tree. Or two, actually. Twin trees."
Kola raised an eyebrow. "We got a lot of trees in Haluoleo, man. It's like half forest."
"These are different," Omegamon said. "They are not just twin in shape, but in spirit. When one moves, the other does too. If the wind touches one, the leaves of the other rustle. If one drops a leaf, the other follows, even without wind."
He paused.
"They grow close together. Their leaves touch. From a distance, they look like a gate. A natural arch."
"Okay," Kola said slowly, sitting up. "Sounds cool… and also kinda freaky."
"Through that gate," Omegamon continued, "lies a different layer of this world. Somewhere you might find what you need. Or... something that will help you earn it."
Kola narrowed his eyes. "So it's like... another dimension?"
"Not quite," Omegamon said. "It is this world, just... deeper. Twisted. Unseen."
Kola scratched his head. "I've never seen trees like that."
"They may not show themselves until you need them," Omegamon said. "But I can guide you."
Silence hung for a moment.
Kola got up and paced slowly, stepping over his charger cable.
He didn't like this. He didn't trust magic. He didn't even trust hope.
But right now, he had no time. No options. And something deep inside — that same ember that refused to die — told him:
Go.
Still, before grabbing his backpack, Kola glanced over his shoulder.
"We're not gonna rob anyone, right?"
Omegamon blinked.
"…No."
Kola smirked a little. "Good. Just checking."
He grabbed his raincoat.
"Let's go find your spooky twin trees."