Alfin, swayed by the seller's convincing words, finally decided to purchase the khodam. If it truly could help him gather information from female jinn, then maybe—just maybe—he could find Diana.
He placed his hand on the glass box where the khodam was sealed. Thankfully, the compatibility reading showed 85%, which meant there was a high chance of success.
Taking a deep breath, Alfin poured a small fragment of his soul into the khodam.
Under Rai's envious gaze, a faint light flickered inside the box. Slowly, the handsome khodam opened his eyes and looked around, awakening to the world.
"Ugh… when will I get a good-looking khodam like that?" Rai muttered with a pout. He wasn't shy about his desire—having a handsome body to charm female jinn didn't sound so bad.
After all, he already had eight female jinn working as milkmaids in his house—some of whom were quite beautiful, he noted to himself.
Alfin, holding the debt letter in his hand, immediately activated the handsome khodam. He returned Jono to his original body and quickly asked Rosso and Rai for permission to leave and start gathering information.
Feeling sorry for his broke friend, Rai handed him 100,000 (in jin currency) for supplies.
"Remember," Rosso said calmly, "you can bind up to nine khodams in this first phase. Take your time. There's no need to rush your choices."
Lenggara's market shimmered under floating lanterns, wisps of colored mist curling through the air. Rai, embodied in Caca—her red hair blazing, sparks of lightning dancing at her fingertips—threaded through a khodam shop packed with strange wares. Her pulse raced. She needed power to hunt her family's killers, but every khodam here felt like a trap.
A bizarre sword glinted on a shelf. Its hilt bore a snarling mouth and blinking eyes, alive with eerie intent. The shopkeeper, a jin with smoky green skin, leaned in. "This one's unique, miss. Not like other tool khodams that merely siphon your energy. It has a will—mouth, eyes, and all."
Rai's skin prickled, Caca's warmth dimming briefly. She'd sworn off beast, monster, or tool khodams. Dragons? Whales? Impressive, but no. Merging her soul with a khodam meant feeling it—becoming it. A sword's cold steel, blind and deaf, relying only on the khodam's energy? Unthinkable. Dukun who used tool khodams lost their senses, trapped in a void. Even Lala's angelic wings and fireflies pushed her limits, and that "adult" illusion khodam already stirred unease.
"No beasts, no monsters, no tools," Rai said firmly. "I want humanoid khodams. Like me."
The shopkeeper grinned, gesturing to a row of glowing women, each breathtakingly beautiful. Rai's gaze lingered, but a knot tightened in her chest. Was she choosing them for vengeance… or because they mirrored the self she was becoming?
-------
Across Lenggara, a jin bar pulsed with colored fog and otherworldly music. Alfin adjusted his new khodam, its chiseled features drawing every eye. A blue-skinned jin woman at the counter smiled coyly, and Alfin flashed a charming grin, ready to coax secrets about Diana. But then, his breath caught.
In the corner, a familiar khodam lounged, sipping black wine. It belonged to Diana's eldest brother—a tall man with cold, piercing eyes.
Alfin's patience shattered. Ignoring the jin woman, he strode over, Jono's shadow trailing like a storm. "Where's Diana?" he demanded, voice sharp.
"Diana?" The man chuckled, his tone mocking. "I sold her to the Third Prince. She danced in his court at first—pretty little thing. But she refused to marry him, so… they locked her in the dungeon."
"What?!" Alfin's fists clenched, Jono growling behind him. Sold? Imprisoned? Diana's face flashed in his mind, her lips parting to say yes before that black hand stole her. The man's laugh cut like a blade. Alfin wanted to lunge, but jin guards loomed nearby.
"Careful, human," Diana's brother whispered. "The prince doesn't take kindly to meddlers."
-------
Deep beneath Lenggara's glittering spires, Diana curled against the icy stone of her cell. Her wrists throbbed under chains, her heart heavier than stone. She'd been moments from telling Alfin she loved him when black hands dragged her through a portal. Forced to dance for an arrogant prince, she'd defied his marriage proposal—earning this prison.
"Hey, girl. You look miserable."Diana glanced up. Across the cell, a ragged woman with sharp eyes offered a faint smile. Something about her felt… alive, despite the gloom.
"Why do you care?" Diana muttered.
The woman edged closer, voice low. "Spill it. No one's listening."Hesitant, Diana poured out her story—Alfin, the portal, the prince, her shattered dreams. The woman listened, nodding slowly.
"I can teach you something," she said at last.
"How to awaken a khodam. Become a dukun. With a khodam, you could break these chains and find your lover."
Diana's breath hitched. A khodam? Her? The thought kindled a spark in her chest—a flicker of defiance, a chance to fight back.
----
The shopkeeper pointed to a row of radiant women, each more captivating than the last. Rai hesitated. She'd awakened only one natural khodam—Lala—and already bound three others: Caca, the illusion khodam, and the aura faker. Six more was her limit unless she unlocked another natural khodam, and that was a risk she wasn't ready for.
Dukun Rosso, leaning against a shelf with his own khodam—a tall, handsome figure—spoke up. "No need to rush, Rai. Good khodams come when the time's right."
But Caca, ever curious, brushed a glass case holding a new khodam—a luminous woman with silver eyes. A pulse shot through Rai, and the shop's testing crystal flared: 92% compatibility. Another case, another female khodam: 95%. Then, a male khodam: 8%. Another: 6%.
The shopkeeper's jaw dropped. Rosso blinked, stunned. "That's… unheard of," the shopkeeper stammered. "Compatibility is tied to gender? Every woman above 90%, every man below 10%?"
Caca's presence shrank, as if embarrassed. Rai's cheeks burned. Why did her soul align so perfectly with female khodams? Was it her, or something deeper—something tied to the woman she'd become through Lala?
Rosso tested his own compatibility, but his results were mixed: two khodams hit 80%, others lingered below 50%. "Anything under 70% risks shattering the khodam," he warned. "Safe for you, but a waste of coin."
Rai stared at the glowing women in their cases. Power beckoned, but doubt gnawed. Was she ready to bind more of herself to them?