A few days after the incident with Raden Surya, Shanum left for the city to visit her cousin, Asmalinda, who had just given birth to her first child. She traveled alone by public transportation, bringing specialties from Yogyakarta such as gudeg and bakpia that her grandmother had lovingly prepared.
After getting off the minibus, Shanum had to walk through a small, quiet alley to reach Asmalinda's house. Even though it was daytime, there were almost no people on the street, only a few small vendors selling goods on the side of the road. Shanum walked calmly, singing a little song in her heart as she thought about how happy Asmalinda would be to see her.
However, the peaceful atmosphere was suddenly shattered when ten men dressed in rough clothes and with rough faces appeared from both sides of the alley, blocking Shanum's path. In front of them stood a tall man with a large body and a face full of cynical smiles—she recognized him as Jaka, Raden Surya's right-hand man, known as the most ruthless thug in the area.
"You must be Shanum Asmara, right?" said Jaka in a deep, terrifying voice. "You made our boss suffer, and now it's time for you to pay for it! We will make you cry and apologize to our boss before we hand you over to him!"
Shanum immediately stopped and took a defensive stance. She remembered the martial arts she had learned over the years and the supernatural knowledge her grandmother had taught her. "You guys better leave before something unpleasant happens to you!"
The thugs laughed loudly at Shanum's words. "You think you can defeat ten people all by yourself, little girl? You're too arrogant!"
Without further ado, three thugs lunged at Shanum with their fists ready to strike. But Shanum quickly dodged their attacks and delivered a swift kick to the stomach of one of the thugs, causing him to fall to the ground, gasping for breath. The other two thugs tried to grab her from behind, but Shanum deftly twisted her body and punched each of them in the chin.
However, outnumbered, Shanum began to struggle. He managed to dodge most of the attacks, but several times his body was hit by punches and kicks that left him feeling sore and weak. The thugs saw their chance and began to surround him from all sides.
"You've lost, Shanum!" shouted Jaka with a cynical smile. "Now you're coming with us and no one can save you!"
Jaka raised his big fist to hit Shanum in the face. Shanum no longer had the strength to dodge, but just then, a strong wind blew through the alley and the distinctive scent of sandalwood filled the air. A golden light shone brightly from the silver necklace Shanum wore, stunning the thugs and causing them to retreat a few steps.
Denar appeared quickly between Shanum and the thugs, with a strong and powerful aura. His usually gentle face was now full of anger at seeing his loved one being hurt. "Stop, all of you! If you dare touch her again, I will make you feel pain you will never forget!"
The thugs looked at Denar with eyes full of fear. Although some of them could not see him clearly, they felt the extraordinary power coming from him. However, Jaka was not intimidated and took out a black amulet from inside his shirt.
"I already know that you have a supernatural helper, Shanum!" shouted Jaka with a voice full of anger. "But our boss has given me an amulet that can fight any supernatural power! You won't be able to save yourself this time!"
Jaka raised the amulet and began to chant a spell in a loud and terrifying voice. A thick black light emerged from the amulet, forming the shape of a terrifying tiger's head. The tiger's head let out a piercing roar and shot towards Denar.
Denar quickly formed a golden shield to face the attack, but this time his shield began to shake and show signs of breaking. Shanum saw this and felt her strength begin to recover slightly. She took some herbs that she always carried in a small bag and poured them into the air while reciting a prayer taught to her by her grandmother.
A silvery light shone brightly from her necklace and merged with Denar's golden light, making the shield stronger. The two powers united and counterattacked the black tiger's head, producing an echoing explosion that made everyone cover their eyes.
When the dust began to settle, the amulet Jaka was holding had shattered into pieces and the black tiger's head had disappeared. The thugs saw this with eyes full of fear and began to flee one by one, leaving Jaka alone, standing with a face full of shock and fear.
"It's impossible... how could your power defeat our boss's amulet?" whispered Jaka with a trembling voice.
"Because our power does not come from hatred and greed like yours!" replied Shanum with a strong and confident voice. "You can leave now and tell your boss that I will never surrender to people who use their power to hurt others!"
With a face full of shame and fear, Jaka immediately ran away from the alley, leaving Shanum and Denar alone. Denar approached Shanum with a face full of concern and sadness. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come sooner and you got hurt," Denar said softly.
Shanum smiled softly and touched the spot where Denar was standing, even though she couldn't physically touch him. "Thank you for coming to save me, Denar. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to face them alone."
After that, Shanum continued her journey to Asmalinda's house. Although her body still felt sore and tired, her heart felt strong and full of confidence. When she arrived at Asmalinda's house, her cousin immediately ran towards her with a joyful expression.
"Shanum! You're here! I've been waiting for you since morning!" said Asmalinda with a big smile. But then she saw Shanum's slightly bruised face and hands. "Wow, what happened to you? Why are you covered in bruises?"
Shanum just smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, Linda. Just a few bumps and bruises. The important thing is that I made it here safely."
While at Asmalinda's house, Shanum recounted everything that had happened to her over the past few days. Asmalinda listened with eyes full of admiration and disbelief. "I never imagined you had such an extraordinary story, Shanum. You are truly amazing!"
When night fell, Shanum returned to her grandmother's house. On the way home, she felt Denar's presence always by her side, giving her a sense of security and comfort. She knew that even though there would always be people who tried to hurt her, with the power of love and support from her loved ones, she would be able to face any challenges that came her way.
The next day, news of how Shanum had defeated ten thugs with the help of supernatural powers spread quickly throughout the area.
Her grandmother greeted her with a face full of concern but also pride. "I knew you would face challenges like this, dear. That's why we must immediately prepare the ancient recipe so that you and Denar can be together physically and protect each other better."
Shanum nodded firmly and took the wooden box containing the ancient recipe.