---
It was a Sunday morning, after Vins had lost Belina...
His wristwatch showed it was 4:30 AM. Vins was doing his usual morning exercise. He was jogging through the village area where he lived, Sector A. His face, which used to be cheerful and full of laughter, was now silent and cold because of what had happened at Belina's house on Friday night.
His eyes still held a grudge against someone unknown, and for an unknown reason. The day before, on Saturday, he hadn't left his room at all, devastated by losing Belina. He eventually arrived at his father's garden.
In the garden, there was a clearly visible sign, written in marker, that read 'This land is for sale'.
He sat under his father's rickety shed, the spot where he and Belina used to rest and enjoy kersen fruit in the afternoons. He saw two barbells his father used for exercise, each weighing 5 kg. He lifted them 20 times and felt nothing. He tried again, increasing his repetitions to 40, for five sets.
Finally, he felt the familiar cramp in his arms. He didn't stop there. He continued with 40 sit-ups, also in five sets, just as he usually did every Sunday morning.
After finishing all his exercises, he rested back in the dilapidated shed. He stared blankly for a moment, his clothes slightly damp with sweat from his workout. In a corner of the garden stood a sturdy tree trunk, bare of branches, with several parts scarred from sharp objects.
He remembered his martial arts teacher, who was now nowhere to be found. His teacher had never returned after asking Vins's father for permission to go on a journey to find the meaning of life. Vins missed him a little, seeing the solid tree trunk, clearly remembering when his teacher had rigorously trained him.
This training happened just a year ago, but it had made Vins miss his teacher's presence deeply.
Kang Mamat, a 38-year-old man and a master of Cimande silat, had a somewhat calm but ruthless nature with his students, leaving Vins with unforgettable memories. Vins remembered when his hands were oiled with agarwood oil, then beaten by his teacher with a rattan stick. This was done 50 times on each hand, making his entire wrists slightly numb from the blunt object.
He did all of that to fulfill his promise to Belina, which was to be able to protect her. Occasionally, he'd give up and feel overwhelmed by the intense training, but his teacher always had words that would make him rise again and accept the insane physical regimen.
"Before you try to protect anyone else, or the one you love, try to protect yourself first... Like the roots of a Kersen tree, what happens if those roots aren't strong enough to hold up its body?" Vins's teacher would say, strengthening him every time he thought of giving up.
The incident he went through with Brando on the way home from school when he was in 5th grade was his reason for accepting Kang Mamat's training. Unfortunately, he hadn't had the chance to learn any actual silat moves yet, as that entire year had been spent with his teacher just getting relentlessly beaten.
---
It was then, when Vins was in the early semester of 6th grade...
"Bro, I'm just gonna stay here for a bit... Haven't found a place to settle down yet..." Kang Mamat said to Vins's father, who was busy making a bench for them to sit on.
"Yeah, Kang, no worries! Take it easy... Just make yourself at home, Kang!" Vins's father replied.
Vins, who hadn't seen Belina since her mother's prohibition, spent his days in his father's garden. He replayed all the memories he'd made with Belina. Sometimes, he'd sneak glances at the front of Belina's house, just to see his beloved girl returning from Ontreight Public Middle School.
Vins, who never spoke to Belina anymore, didn't know that the girl he adored had gotten into such a prestigious school. Not seeing Belina's presence that day, Vins felt sad and immediately hurried to his father's garden.
He was surprised to see a middle-aged man lying in the shed where he usually went to calm down.
"Uncle, who are you?" Vins asked Kang Mamat.
"I'm a friend of the owner of this place! Whose child are you?" Kang Mamat asked the 12-year-old boy.
"I'm the owner's son, Uncle! Are you Dad's friend?" Vins asked the man again, feeling a bit hesitant. He was worried the man might be a thief or a criminal on the run from the police.
"Do you know my dad's name, Uncle? Sorry, Uncle, I just want to make sure you're really my dad's friend..." he said to the man who was now getting up from lying down and sitting cross-legged.
"I'm lying! I'm a murderer on the run from the police because I was caught killing a conglomerate's child! My victim was a little kid... Well... Around your age! I took his organs to sell them on the black market!" the man said, scaring Vins, who was standing in front of him, clutching his backpack.
"Huaaaa... Dad... Th-th-there's a mu-mu-murderer!!!" Vins cried out, running in fear toward the garden's gate.
"Hah! Gotcha... HAHAHA! What should I take first, huh? Usually, I take their legs to make soup first, then the other organs!" Kang Mamat said, teasing the chubby, clueless Vins.
Vins, in his fear, instinctively let go of the bag Kang Mamat was pulling and ran out of the garden. Kang Mamat, surprised by the boy's good reflexes, felt intrigued by him.
Not long after, Vins returned to his father's garden after going home and asking his father about the man.
He then apologized to Kang Mamat for suspecting him. Kang Mamat, hearing this, just laughed, satisfied at seeing his friend's son so scared.
"HAHAHA!!! Is your name Vins? That's a good name! Your dad's always been clever at naming things!" Kang Mamat said, trying to lighten the mood he had created.
"Your reflexes are good! Hmmm... Now, let me throw this small stone at you, and you try to dodge it, okay?" Kang Mamat instructed Vins, stepping back away from him.
"One! Two! Three!"
Whoosh...
Thud...
"Incredible! Truly incredible reflexes, kid!" Kang Mamat told Vins.
"I get bullied a lot, Uncle! My friends here often make me pretend to be a goalie when we play soccer... At first, I just went along with it! But eventually, I realized they were trying to hit me on purpose... So, I just dodged..." Vins replied, explaining where his quick reflexes came from.
"WHAT??? Oh no, this isn't right! If they ever do that to you again, tell me! I'll go beat them up!" Kang Mamat stated firmly, hearing Vins's words.
"Okay, Uncle! I'm gonna go swim in the fish pond! Dad just drained it!" he said to his father's friend.
Kang Mamat just nodded and laughed at the chubby kid's cute antics.
Not long after, Vins, who had changed clothes after swimming in his father's fish pond, returned to the garden to sit under the shed, reminiscing about his time there with Belina.
The moment he entered the garden gate, he heard what sounded like wood being cut with a machete. Confused, he ran toward the source of the sound. When he arrived, he was amazed by what his father's friend was doing.
It looked like he was dancing, but with great, deadly potential.
"Uncle, what are you doing?" Vins asked.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"I'm dancing! I'm going to a district-level dance competition!" Kang Mamat replied, smiling as he lied to Vins.
"Dancing? A dance? No way those movements are for dancing!" Vins said, realizing Kang Mamat was lying to him again.
Kang Mamat just laughed at the boy's intelligence and called him closer.
"Kid, do you want me to teach you how to break a wrist grip?" the middle-aged man asked.
"Yes, Uncle! If you can, please just train me until I'm as great as you!" Vins said, full of enthusiasm.
"Hahaha... It'll take you over a decade of training if you want to be on my level! Now, try to grip my wrist with your hand! Grip it hard, okay? If you succeed, I'll train you!" Kang Mamat explained his request, intending to test the boy.
Vins gripped his teacher's wrist, but he kept failing, and Kang Mamat easily broke free.
"Ahhh... You're all size, but no strength! Goodness... How am I supposed to teach you?" Kang Mamat said to Vins.
Vins remained silent, listening to Kang Mamat's teasing words.
His remarks made Vins realize his shortcomings. He then left Kang Mamat and sat in the rickety shed, lost in thought as he gazed at the sky.
Kang Mamat, seeing this, approached him, feeling sorry for making his friend's son sad.
"Kid, why do you want to learn martial arts?" Kang Mamat asked, sitting beside the boy and putting an arm around him.
"I... I want to be stronger, Uncle... I want to protect kids who are always oppressed and bullied like me! I also want to protect the people I care about!" Vins explained to Kang Mamat.
"I want to be free to express myself, without anyone caring about my feelings! I'm tired, Uncle... Because every time I feel happy, my friends always dislike it!" Vins continued.
"HAHAHA!!! Amazing! Your goal is noble! It's really not nice when others always get sentimental about our happiness! Okay, now let me see your wrist!" Kang Mamat replied.
Vins extended his right hand, and Kang Mamat gripped it incredibly tightly, making him cry out in pain.
"Argh... It-it hurts, Uncle! Argh..." Vins exclaimed.
"That's not the answer I want to hear, kid! You know it hurts? Now try to break free, no matter how!" his teacher challenged him.
Vins tried to pull away, even lifting both his legs to help free his right hand from his teacher's grip. Tears welled up in his eyes from holding back the pain. Seeing that, his teacher released his grip and gave him his first lesson.
"Do you know where the weakness of a grip lies? Whether it's a handshake grip or a wrist grip... Its weakness is in the part that doesn't naturally merge!" his teacher said, teaching Vins.
Vins was confused by his teacher's words, so Kang Mamat demonstrated by forming an "O" with his palm, then explained what he meant.
"Look at my hand forming this 'O'! This is how a human hand looks when it grips a wrist! Do you see my thumb meeting my index finger? That's the part I call not naturally merging! That's its weak point!" his teacher explained to the 12-year-old boy.
Vins nodded, seemingly understanding what his martial arts teacher was telling him.
"Now let's try again! Remember... The part that doesn't merge is the weak point!" his teacher continued, reminding him again.
Vins's hand was gripped once more, and...
Swish... Click...
"Incredible! HAHAHA!!! Now let's shake hands, using the same method!" his teacher continued.
Swish... Click...
"Good! Good! You're a quick learner, kid! HAHAHA..." his teacher praised Vins.
"Now give me a cool fist bump!" Kang Mamat continued, extending his fist to Vins, who immediately returned it.
Bump!
With their fists meeting, Vins and Kang Mamat officially became teacher and student.
---
And then...
They promised to start their training tomorrow morning before school, beginning at 3:00 AM.
Every day, Vins was told to do things that seemed unreasonable. For example, running 5 km every morning before school, doing splits until his collarbones ached, and performing push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups at the park in the housing complex near his home, 5 sets of 20 repetitions each.
His body was not spared from bruises due to his teacher's rattan stick blows; even his hands and feet bore marks. Every Saturday and Sunday, he and his teacher were required to stop at the electricity pole near his house after running 5 km to practice his punches until the bones in his fingers hardened.
Occasionally, Vins would slow down during his running practice to peek at Belina going to school, but his teacher would hit him when he caught him doing so. His teacher then told him to get an unused bolster, which he hung from a Kersen tree branch in Vins's father's garden. This was for practicing kicks and proper stances.
He performed this hellish training almost every day, until one afternoon, returning from school, he saw Belina being dropped off by a male student from her middle school. He was shocked beyond belief, which completely crushed his burning spirit. He sat quietly alone in his garden shed.
His teacher, seeing him, was a bit confused by his student's gloom.
"What's wrong, kid? You seem very listless today..." his teacher asked his student, who was sadly contemplating under the Kersen tree.
"Nothing, Uncle! Hehehe..." Vins replied to Kang Mamat.
"It must be about that girl named Belina, huh? Just tell your teacher, kid... Maybe I'm not an expert in romance! But perhaps, I can give you some advice, kid!" his teacher said, putting an arm around Vins's body, which was now starting to take shape.
"I just saw her going home with a male middle school student, Uncle..." Vins explained to his teacher.
"HAHAHA... You, kid... Remember this! Trust your teacher, you'll have many girls chasing after you after this! HAHAHA..." Kang Mamat said, trying to calm his student.
Vins, hearing that, seemed indifferent to his teacher's words, as his feelings for Belina were already too deep, making him a bit stubborn.
"You don't believe me? Your teacher here will bet hundreds of thousands of rupiah... She'll turn around and chase after you after seeing the changes from all your training so far!" Kang Mamat continued, trying to rekindle Vins's spirit.
His bowed head instantly shot up at his teacher's words. He looked at his teacher and said,
"Uncle, let's go! Let's add more to our training after school!" Vins said, full of enthusiasm.
"HAHAHA... Typical youth! Always so passionate when it comes to romance!" Vins's teacher replied with a loud laugh.
He then continued his hellish training with his teacher, going through various challenges alongside his father's friend.
Thud!
Whump!
Thud!
CRACK!!!
Vins managed to punch a hole through the bolster with his fist, sending clumps of kapok cotton flying everywhere. His teacher applauded his success in guiding him, looking proud and smiling at his student's prowess.
Then, the day of his national exam arrived, the exam that would determine his graduation and the continuation of his studies.
Vins kept studying every night after his extreme training sessions with his teacher in the afternoons. Vins graduated with satisfying grades, and he was asked to choose three schools for his continuing studies. He chose three top-tier schools in Coffee Hut District, with his first choice being the most prestigious school, Twotrix Public Middle School (read "two-trix"), the second being Ontreight Public Middle School, and the third, Onixight Public Middle School (read "oni-sight").
As the author stated, as if two souls were created to be together, he was back in the same school as Belina, Ontreight Public Middle School.
---
Graduation holiday arrived...
Vins, who was alone practicing punches on an electricity pole near his house, saw his teacher meeting his father at the intersection. His teacher was carrying a large, full backpack. Seeing this, Vins immediately approached his martial arts teacher to ask where he was going.
"Uncle! Where are you going?" Vins asked his teacher, who was shaking hands with his father.
"Look, man! Your son has become a handsome teenager with an athletic body! HAHAHA!!!" Kang Mamat said to Vins's father.
"Thank you, Kang... For seriously training my son until he became like this..." Vins's father expressed to his friend.
"You're welcome, man! I wanted to anyway... And consider it payment for being given a place to stay this past year!" Kang Mamat replied to Vins's father.
"I'm leaving now, kid! Before that, I warn you! Unless it's an emergency, please don't use your punches or kicks to vent your emotions! I'm worried that anyone hit by your attacks will go straight to the hospital! HAHAHA!!! Promise me you'll use it wisely!" his teacher said, warning his only student.
"Okay, Uncle! Thank you for all the knowledge you've given me! I will always remember your words!" Vins said, performing a Japanese fighter's bow, bending his body.
"Hey! Get up, kid! I'm not a Japanese martial artist! I'm a practitioner of a distinctive Indonesian martial art: Cimande silat!" his teacher explained, admonishing his student while extending his clenched fist toward him.
Bump!
"That's how it should be! HAHAHA!!! Remember your teacher's message! Don't become an arrogant person or quick to use your hands after this; keep chasing your dreams to the ends of the sky!" his teacher continued, holding Vins's head.
Vins's eyes welled up, as if he couldn't believe he had to part with the teacher who had taught him so much over the past year.
"YES, UNCLE!!!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, his voice trembling slightly as he struggled to hold back his tears.
"HAHAHA... don't be sad, kid! You're a man with a fighter's spirit now! Goodbye isn't the end, but the beginning of meeting again another time, kid!" Kang Mamat replied, comforting him.
"Alright, Bro! Kid! I'm off now... Assalamu'alaikum..." Kang Mamat said, waving his hand.
"Wa'alaikum salam!" the father and son replied, watching his teacher depart, striding gallantly with his warrior's steps.
Vins's father then went home. His teacher stopped at the intersection and waved to Vins one last time. Vins waved back, filled with deep sadness at losing the person who had helped him become someone better.
Not long after, a cute girl appeared from behind Vins, heading home.
"Huh? Vins? You're Vins, right?" the cute girl asked, having unexpectedly run into him at the intersection.
"No! You have the wrong person!" Vins replied, continuing to walk away.
"Wait! Vins... You're Vins, right?" the girl asked, holding Vins's arm, intending to stop him.
"Sorry, Belina... The Vins you're talking about died a long time ago, a year ago!" He then left Belina standing stunned by his words.
Belina could only remain silent and walk away, realizing the mistake she had made that night.
Meanwhile, Vins, walking away from Belina's gaze, looked up at the sky, muttering to himself with a smile.
"Looks like... I owe my cruel teacher hundreds of thousands of rupiah!"
---
-To be Continued
