The Divine Auditor : Settling the Ledger of Souls

Chapter 7 — The Deadline

Bang!

The crystal glass on the conference table trembled as Daniel Suryanata slammed his fist down.

"Fifty-eight billion!"

No one dared meet his eyes. The boardroom, once filled with confidence and authority, now echoed only with restrained breathing. The Chief Financial Officer swallowed hard before continuing.

"Sir... that's only the loss from two projects."

"Only?" Daniel's voice was so low that it sent chills down everyone's spine "Explain."

"The Sky Garden City project has been suspended because the bank delayed the release of its credit facility."

"The East Harbor project has suffered major cost overruns after findings from an internal audit."

"And..."

The man hesitated, Daniel slowly raised his head.

"And what?"

"Our merger with Global Nexus was officially canceled this morning."

Silence swallowed the room, The merger had been in preparation for nearly two years. Its collapse meant more than tens of billions in losses. It threatened the future of Suryanata Group itself. Before Daniel could process the news, 

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

His personal secretary entered, her face pale "Sorry to interrupt, sir."

"A letter has arrived from the Ministry of Finance."

Daniel snatched the folder from her hands.

The moment he read the first page His expression changed, Notice of Investigative Audit, Not a routine audit, Not an administrative review, An investigative audit. The kind initiated only when serious violations are suspected.

"Who filed this?"

No one answered, The directors exchanged uneasy glances. Daniel threw the folder onto the table.

"Find whoever leaked this!"

"I don't care how much it costs."

"Find them!"

"Yes, sir."

Before the meeting could continue, the secretary's phone rang again, She glanced at the screen. The color drained from her face.

"Sir..."

"Again?"

"Five banks have issued notices that they are reviewing all of the company's credit facilities."

Daniel frozen, Five banks In a single day. There was no way this was a coincidence. Slowly, A familiar voice echoed inside his mind.

"The audit has begun."

Daniel stood abruptly "The meeting is over."

"But, sir—"

"I said it's over!"

Without waiting for anyone, he stormed out,.For the first time He hoped the man who carried the black book would still agree to see him.

—-

Daniel's car stopped in front of an old building almost invisible from the main road, He looked at his phone. The location had been sent by Elias fifteen minutes earlier. Only one sentence accompanied it.

Come.

Daniel stepped out, The moment he crossed the old wooden doorway, The sounds of the city vanished, Silence. Bookshelves stretched across every wall.

At the center of the room, Elias sat calmly behind the same wooden desk. He didn't look surprised, As if he had known Daniel would come.

"You came."

Daniel wasted no time "Is all of this..."

"...because of the audit you mentioned?"

Elias nodded "The collection has begun."

Daniel clenched his fists "Why don't you stop it?"

Elias's expression remained calm.

"I already came to you."

"As the Auditor."

"I warned you when the countdown began."

"You chose not to believe me."

Silence filled the room once more. Daniel remembered that day perfectly, He had dismissed Elias as a madman. He hadn't even listened to the explanation until the end. Elias opened The Book of Debts. Its pages turned on their own, They stopped at a single name.

Daniel Suryanata.

"Your company..."

"...was the first payment."

Daniel's breath caught "Isn't that enough?"

Elias slowly shook his head "No."

He looked at the page for several moments. "There are still seven moral debts remaining."

Daniel stepped forward "Who are they?"

Elias closed the book "You should know better than I do."

"...they are the people whose lives you destroyed the most."

The color slowly drained from Daniel's face, For that time, He truly believed The audit was real. Daniel stood frozen. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

"How do I repay them?"

The question escaped almost as a whisper. Elias looked at him for several seconds before opening The Book of Debts once more, Only briefly. Then he closed it again.

"Too late."

One word, Nothing more. Daniel immediately shook his head.

"No..."

"There has to be another way."

"I'll pay."

"Whatever it takes."

Elias gently shook his head "Moral debt cannot be paid with money."

"Then how?"

"Return what you took."

Daniel gritted his teeth.

"I don't even know who they are."

"That..."

Elias rose from his chair, His eyes remained emotionless "...is the consequence."

"For years..."

"...you took too much."

"Until you even forgot..."

"...who you owed."

Silence settled over the library. Several moments later, Elias spoke again "You have twelve hours left."

Daniel frozen "Twelve hours?"

Elias nodded. "When the countdown ends...""...and those seven debts remain unpaid..."

He paused.

"...The Book of Debts will collect the final payment."

Daniel swallowed "The final payment?"

"Yes."

"Your company was the first."

"If that isn't enough..."

"...the next payment will be everything you still call your legacy."

Daniel frowned."My legacy?"

Elias looked directly into his eyes "Your family."

One word, Yet it drained every trace of color from Daniel's face.

"My wife knows nothing."

"My son neither."

"They're innocent."

Elias didn't argue, He only spoke quietly. "That is why I came to you before the collection began."

"Every debtor is given a chance."

"You chose to ignore yours."

Daniel closed his eyes, A regret he had never known before crashed into him all at once. He turned toward the exit. Before leaving, he asked one final question.

"If I can't find them..."

"...what will happen?"

Elias didn't answer directly, Instead, he said,

"Go home."

"Be with your family."

"Don't waste the time you have left."

Daniel stared at Elias for several seconds.

Then he left without another word.

—-

Two hours later, Chaos truly began. Daniel had barely arrived home when his phone rang.

"Mr. Daniel."

"This is Artha National Bank."

"We regret to inform you that all accounts registered under your name have been temporarily frozen pending the investigation."

Before Daniel could reply, The call ended. Less than a minute later, another call arrived.

"Sir..."

"This is your bank."

"The accounts under Mrs. Melissa Suryanata's name have also been frozen as part of the investigation."

His wife's face immediately turned pale.

"What do you mean, frozen?"

"My card was declined."

"I couldn't pay for anything."

Daniel hadn't even answered when the phone rang again.

"Mr. Daniel."

"Your son's education insurance policy has become inactive because the automatic premium payment failed."

Another call.

"Your family's health insurance has also entered inactive status."

One after another, Without pause. As if the entire world had begun moving at the same moment, Melissa's panic grew.

"Daniel..."

"What's happening?"

Daniel remained silent, For that time, He had no answer. Because for the first time, he realized that everything Elias had warned him about was happening. And the countdown was still running. Before Daniel could comfort his wife, The doorbell rang.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

A man in a dark suit stood outside with two officials.

"Good evening, Mr. Daniel.”

"We're here to deliver an order temporarily freezing several assets currently under investigation."

Daniel accepted the folder with trembling hands, His eyes raced across the pages. The main residence, The villa in Puncak, Two logistics warehouses, Three parcels of land, Everything was listed. Melissa snatched the final page.

"This..."

"This can't be happening."

"Our home too?"

The official nodded politely "Until the investigation concludes, these assets may not be transferred, sold, or used as collateral."

Daniel no longer heard the rest, His head rang, His phone vibrated again. The Chief Financial Officer.

"Sir..."

"I'm so sorry."

"What now?"

"Almost all of the company's operating accounts have been frozen."

"Vendors have suspended deliveries."

"Dozens of employees have begun resigning."

"And..."

The voice hesitated."And what?"

"...the media knows everything."

Daniel ended the call, His hands began to shake. Melissa held his arm.

"Daniel..."

"Tell me the truth."

"Did the company really do something?"

Daniel couldn't answer, For the first time, He simply didn't have one, The night grew deeper, The home that had always been warm now felt painfully silent. His young son walked out of his bedroom, hugging a stuffed bear.

"Daddy..."

"Why is Mommy crying?"

Daniel knelt down and embraced him tightly. As if he were afraid to let go, His eyes slowly closed. Then Elias's words echoed through his mind once again.

"Go home."

"Be with your family."

At the time, Daniel had believed it was a threat. Now he understood, It wasn't a threat, It was his final chance. A chance to spend what little time remained with the people he loved. Before the final payment was collected. Daniel dialed Elias's number with trembling hands. The moment the call connected, he spoke.

"I couldn't find them."

Silence.

"Those seven people..."

"...I don't know who I'm supposed to look for."

Several seconds passed before Elias answered calmly "I expected that."

Daniel gritted his teeth.

"Please."

"Tell me who they are."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because even The Book of Debts has not revealed their names to me."

Daniel slammed his fist against the wall.

"Damn it!"

"I don't have any time left!"

Elias remained silent for a moment before speaking softlyn"Time has never waited for a debtor."

Daniel closed his eyes.

"Then..."

"...what should I do now?"

Elias answered with only one sentence.

"Stay with your family..."

"...and ask for their forgiveness."

Click.

The line went dead, Daniel stared at the dark screen of his phone. Slowly a truth he had never considered settled into his heart, He had spent his entire life chasing wealth. Yet on the night everything was taken away. He couldn't save the people he loved most.

Elsewhere, The Book of Debts, resting quietly on the table, slowly opened by itself.nFor the first time Elias saw something that had never appeared before, Not words, But visions.

An elderly man receiving back a piece of land stolen from him decades earlier.

A mother embracing her daughter in tears after her family's honor had finally been restored.

A former employee walking out of a courtroom carrying a verdict of acquittal.

One by one victims who had lost what was rightfully theirs, were beginning to regain their balance.

Elias exhaled slowly, He knew The countdown was almost over. And the final collection would soon begin. His gaze fell upon the final page of The Book of Debts.

In the lower right corner, the countdown continued.

01:59:58

01:59:57

01:59:56

Elias slowly closed the book. Since becoming the Auditor he had always known exactly what The Book of Debts would collect from Daniel, During the final two hours.