When Arya opened his eyes, he found himself lying in his bed. The familiar ceiling and the faint sound of traffic outside the window made him pause for a moment, wondering what had just happened. The morning sunlight seeped through the half-closed curtains, giving off warmth that felt real. But his body didn't quite agree. Pain coursed through every muscle, especially in his back and shoulders, as if he had just experienced something very intense.
Suddenly, his phone alarm went off, breaking the silence of the morning. Arya reached for his phone on the bedside table with a slightly stiff movement and turned it off. He glanced at the screen—still an hour before his morning class started. Usually, this would be the moment when Arya would pull the blanket back up and enjoy some extra rest. But today was different. There was an unease he couldn't ignore, as though something was hanging in the air.
He tried to recall what had happened the night before. It felt like everything he had experienced was just a wild dream—the encounter with the unclear young man, the fight with the tree demon, the woman in the red gown saving Rika. But the pain in his body was proof that it wasn't just a dream.
Arya's gaze then turned to his desk. There was something unusual. Slowly, he approached the desk, his eyes catching a single white jasmine flower lying there. The flower looked so perfect—its white petals spotless, as if it had just been plucked from a garden in paradise. But the strangest thing was that the jasmine showed no signs of wilting. It had been several days since the incident.
Arya carefully picked up the flower, turning it between his fingers. There was no foul smell or signs of decay; even the stem remained fresh as though it had just been cut. Arya sighed deeply and placed the jasmine in the drawer of his bookshelf. There was something about the flower that made him uncomfortable, but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.
The following days went on like usual, a monotonous routine with nothing truly new. However, the presence of the jasmine in the drawer of Arya's bookshelf became a constant reminder that lingered in his mind. Sometimes, he would open the drawer just to make sure the flower was still there, and every time he looked at it, that strange feeling would return—an overwhelming sense that what had happened that night wasn't just a dream.
That jasmine, with its unyielding freshness, seemed to symbolize that what had transpired between the human world and the astral world was not truly over. Arya knew that sooner or later, he would be forced to face a reality far bigger than anything he had imagined.
That night, Arya's dorm felt as quiet as usual. Only the sound of an old fan creaked softly in his room. Arya was busy staring at his laptop screen, trying to finish the piling up coursework. Outside, the atmosphere was dark and chilly, with a drizzle of rain falling since the afternoon.
However, the hallway outside Arya's room wasn't so calm. Some of his neighbors—the ones in the next rooms—had started feeling uneasy because they frequently saw a strange girl wandering in front of Arya's door. The girl had long, wavy orange hair, a pale face, and often seemed to be looking down as though searching for something.
"That's gotta be a ghost, right? I mean, when I got closer, she vanished!" whispered one of the neighbors from the next room.
"It's creepy. I even saw her standing for a long time in front of room 308 yesterday. I didn't dare to go out to the bathroom," said another neighbor, still pale.
Arya had no idea about the small stir among his neighbors. However, that night, one of the braver neighbors knocked on his door, hesitantly.
Knock, knock, knock.
Arya opened the door, slightly confused. "What's up, man? What's going on at this hour?" he asked.
The neighbor swallowed nervously. "Uh, Arya... I just wanted to ask. Who's that girl who's been walking back and forth in front of your room? We've seen her several times... Her face is pale, and her hair is orange like that 'Mbak Kun,' but more modern," the neighbor asked, trying to joke while keeping calm.
Arya frowned. "Girl? Who? I haven't invited anyone over."
The neighbor just shrugged and left with a fearful expression. Arya closed the door, sat back down at his desk, but his mind was unsettled. A pale girl? Walking back and forth? Orange hair? Arya decided to open the door a little and peek outside.
Sure enough, at the end of the corridor, the rumored ghost was standing restlessly, pacing back and forth in front of his door. Occasionally, she would glance towards Arya's room as if wanting to enter, but then she would hesitate.
Taking a deep breath, Arya stepped out of his room and stood directly in front of her. "Rika! What are you doing wandering around here?"
Rika jumped in surprise, her face turning even paler (paler than usual). "Eh!! I... I was just... just!" she stammered.
"Huh? Wandering around like a thief? Don't you know that all my neighbors are getting freaked out because of your behavior?" Arya scolded her loudly.
Rika bowed her head, covering her face with both hands. "I didn't know they could see me..." her voice grew weak.
Arya sighed, holding back his anger. "Rika, you can't just wander around like this. If you have something to say, just say it. Don't scare people!"
Tears welled up in Rika's eyes. She looked at Arya with deep regret, her lips trembling. "I'm sorry, I just... I'm lonely. I don't know how to get back to the other side, but the gatekeeper is so scary, so I came here. But I was afraid you'd chase me away if I came in, so I just... kept wandering."
Arya froze. He hadn't expected Rika to show such an expression. Even though she was a ghost, at that moment, Rika seemed so human—full of guilt and confusion.
Arya sighed heavily. "Oh my god, Rika... Next time, if you want to say something, just say it. Don't act like a creepy hallway ghost."
Rika nodded slightly, her face still flushed. "I promise I won't wander around anymore... I'm sorry, Arya. I don't know where else to go."
Arya softened. "It's okay, I'm not mad. But next time, think about other people's feelings, alright? Now, come in if you want to talk. But remember, don't make things creepy again."
Rika gave a small smile, the regret still evident in her eyes. She followed Arya into his room, and for the first time, the atmosphere of his dorm felt more... alive—even if it was accompanied by a ghost who had finally found her place.