1 Month Later
The warm rays of the sun slowly began to erode the thick fog clinging to the morning air on the slopes of a conical volcano in the East Sovereign's Province, hundreds of miles from the Crown Capital Special Region—the heart of the big island.
Mount Arjuno—that was its name. Known as one of the most haunted mountains in Nusantara, it has countless creepy stories tied to its peak.
One of the most infamous tales is about the disappearance of climbers who never returned after entering a haunted forest near the top, known as the Forest of Lost Souls. The story goes that during the rainy season, a strange fog descends around dusk, engulfing the forest in an eerie haze. This mystical mist leads hikers astray, pulling them into what seems like another world—a place without escape, leaving them lost forever.
The disappearances became so frequent that the kingdom eventually intervened, banning citizens from climbing the mountain years ago. Still, there are always some who defy the law, seeking either an adrenaline rush or the hidden secrets rumored to lie behind Mount Arjuno's grandeur.
Among these defiant adventurers were three young men, now sitting squeezed between baskets of tea leaves on the back of a truck hauling plantation goods.
Kairav stared blankly at the sprawling tea plantation before him, the lingering echo of a strange voice still rattling around in his head. It was a voice he couldn't shake—a voice that had pushed him to set foot here.
"If you want to know, meet me in the Forest of Lost Souls when the rainy season comes..." The words had cut through the fog of his mind a month ago, pulling him out of a dazed stupor, and those words hadn't left him since.
Drrttt... Drrttt...
The vibrating phone in his white jacket pocket snapped him out of his daydream. He sighed as his almond eyes flicked to the screen, reading the contact name. "What now?"
"Little bastard! Where the hell did you run off to this time?! Trying to put your old man in the hospital again?!"
Kairav winced, pulling the phone away from his ear to protect it from his father's booming voice. "Dad, seriously, don't make me rush home just because you decided to collapse again! I need to finish this expedition and actually study the short man of Enchanted!"
"Don't think I'm an idiot!" Satya shot back. "You didn't even buy a ticket to go to Enchanted Island! Get your ass back home now!"
"I'll come home if you tell me everything you know!" Kairav demanded.
"I've told you everything!" Satya replied, exasperated.
"That's a lie!" Kairav snapped, running a hand over his face in frustration.
"How could you say that?!"
"The increasing wrinkles on your face can explain everything!" Kairav shot back with a fierce retort.
"You little demon!"
"And you're the demon king!" Kairav yelled before abruptly hanging up. He shoved the phone back into his jacket, fuming.
Gavin, his expedition partner and close friend chuckled at the exchange. "Tsk, insubordinate son of a bitch," the dark-skinned youth muttered, turning his attention back to the camera in his hand.
Kairav grunted in response, but the insult stung more than usual. Maybe it had something to do with the shocking revelation from a month ago—the day when Satya, the man Kairav had always believed was his biological father, dropped a bombshell.
"I can't hide the truth anymore... You're not my real son. I was sent to raise you. You're actually a descendant of the Eternalush Kingdom, destroyed hundreds of years ago..."
Gavin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Deja vu, right? One minute, we're hearing your plane explode, and we're preparing to throw flowers in the sea for you. Then the next minute, you pop up in front of Baron and me like some ghost. The tears we cried over your 'death'—all for nothing!"
Instead of guilt, Kairav burst into laughter, only fueling Gavin's frustration. "The other guys still think you're dead. How are you going to explain that?"
Kairav shrugged casually. "Just tell them the info was wrong. I came home by ship, not by plane."
Gavin sighed and shook his head. "That sounds absurd, but I guess it's believable."
He then shot Kairav a curious glance. "You know what sounds even more absurd? The crazy stories you told us about animal spirits and the Eternalush Kingdom. Baron and I thought it was just the ramblings of a madman or maybe a hallucination from your run-in with the short man of Enchanted."
Kairav raised an eyebrow. "So why are you here if you don't believe me?"
"To see for ourselves if there's any truth to what you said," Gavin replied. "And even if it's not real, spending time together like this isn't so bad."
Baron, the tall, thin guy with glasses sitting between them, suddenly murmured in his sleep, "Enjoy it while you can, because he'll still be a twenty-year-old when we're fossils."
Kairav shot him a glare. "Go back to sleep!"
"He'll still be young when we're ancient relics," Gavin added with a smirk.
Kairav rolled his eyes, but a faint shadow passed over them as he muttered, "Don't joke like that... Living forever sounds terrible. Watching everyone around me die..."
Their conversation was cut short as the truck jolted to a stop. The three of them grabbed their bags and hopped out, the eastern hiking trail now visible just beyond the tea fields. A coffee plantation marked the trail's entrance.
Gavin took a deep breath and shouted, "Mount Arjuno, here we come!"
But his enthusiasm was dampened by the truck driver, who hurried over with a concerned expression. "You're really going to climb that mountain?" the middle-aged man asked, his voice tinged with worry. "You'd be better off turning back. Many people go missing up there. Those that come back... it's like they've left their souls behind."
"Relax, Uncle. We've done this before," Gavin replied, his confidence unwavering. "Besides, we're armed." He pointed to the rifles slung over their shoulders.
The old man sighed, weary from dealing with yet another group of headstrong youngsters.
Kairav, meanwhile, smirked and pulled out some red bills from his wallet. "As agreed, 300 Krisnala for the ride."
As they walked away, Kairav glanced back at the driver and added with a wicked grin, "Oh, and if anyone asks, you didn't see us. You know the consequences for aiding illegal activities, right?"
The old man shook his fist in frustration. "Brat!"
Like it ? Add to library!
Their hearts pounded with exhaustion, sweat streaming from their pores in the cool, misty air, as the three young men left a trail of footprints along the hiking path they'd traversed from morning till noon.
They had faced countless obstacles on their arduous journey: plantations, sloping land, rocky cliffs, steep ravines, savanna fields, and wildflower meadows.
Now, they entered an area surrounded by dense shrubs and towering weeds, where a mystical aura instantly enveloped their bodies.
Kairav, Gavin, and Baron froze as they found themselves before countless black stone fragments, moss-covered and varying in size.
"There are so many scattered stones. Was there once an ancient structure on this mountain? Could it be a temple complex?" Gavin wondered, amazed as he snapped pictures with his camera.
Kairav frowned, thinking. "I don't think so," he replied.
Gavin looked puzzled. "Why?"
Kairav stepped toward a pile of rectangular stones, some as tall as an adult, resembling building pillars. His hazel eyes studied the ruins carefully before he explained, "Temple buildings usually have more intricate architecture, decorated with statues or reliefs. Also, temple stones are arranged symmetrically."
Gavin looked harder at the stones from where he stood. "That's true," he said. "And looking at the size of these stones, they seem too large for temple construction, don't they?"
Kairav nodded in agreement.
Gavin grinned at Baron, who was sitting, catching his breath. "Hey! Third-year archaeology student, what do you think?"
"Shut up!" Baron snapped, annoyed and worn out.
Gavin intensified his teasing. "What's wrong, you think you're smarter than Kairav now?"
Baron shot him a glare. "Tsk! Don't compare me to ambitious Kairav! I only attend class to sign the attendance sheet," he muttered, making Gavin laugh.
Kairav, a little irritated by the noise, shot them a look. "Guys, can you be quiet?" he scolded.
Baron grunted, pointing at Kairav with his trekking pole. "See? Your friend's in his own world again," he sneered.
"He's your friend too," Gavin retorted, walking over to Kairav, who seemed lost in thought. "Bro, did you find something new?"
Kairav continued to scan the area, searching for answers. He stood and said, "I'm sure this isn't a temple. It's a stepped pyramid."
He pointed at the large, rectangular stones arranged in neat lines, some half-embedded in the ground, forming what looked like an ancient staircase.
"See? Stepped pyramids typically have stones arranged in steps or terraces, like that staircase over there," he explained, gesturing toward the structure with a knowledgeable tone, his inner archaeology student shining through.
"So this place is a tomb?" Baron asked, rising to join them, curiosity piqued.
Kairav nodded. "It's possible. But it could also be a boundary marker."
Gavin's expression turned serious. "Which kingdom ruled the eastern part of Sovereign's Mainland in the past?"
"The Darkconian Empire," Baron answered. "Some smaller kingdoms existed, but they were under the empire's control."
"The Darkconian Empire?" Gavin frowned. "Isn't that the empire founded after the Everlasting Three Lakes Mountain disaster, the one that nearly wiped out humanity 1,000 years ago?"
Baron nodded. "Yeah. Kairav also mentioned that the first emperor of that empire became the first Astral Conjurer."
Gavin's eyes widened. "Right! Bro, didn't your father and Prince Arkana tell you anything about the empire?"
Kairav sighed, shaking his head. "No. They're hiding things from me."
Baron furrowed his brow. "What about Astral Conjurers? Did they explain anything about that?"
"All they said was that Astral Conjurers are chosen to host animal spirits and have elemental control," Kairav replied, gloom in his voice. He glanced at the sky. "I don't even know who my real parents are..."
The atmosphere darkened as thick fog descended, adding a chill to the air. A light drizzle began to fall, dampening the forest floor.
"What now?" Baron asked, worried about the change in weather.
Kairav scanned the old trees and dense underbrush. "We should move. The trees here are too old—dangerous if they fall in a storm. Let's find another spot to set up camp while the rain's still light."
"Maybe we'll find the cave that leads to the Forest of Lost Souls," he added.
Gavin and Baron nodded, adjusting their jackets before they continued their trek. The stone steps of the ancient pyramid led them higher up the trail.
They passed towering shrubs and trees, the sounds of birds and insects filling the air. The moss, made slick by the rain, caused them to slip a few times as the day went on.
Just as fatigue set in and they were about to give up, a bright point of light appeared in the distance.
Kairav wiped the rain from his face and squinted at the light. "Guys, do you see that?"
Baron and Gavin nodded. "Is that the cave?" Baron asked. "Or… a flashlight?"
"There must be other hikers here," Kairav said suspiciously.
Gavin looked uneasy. "Who else could it be? Treasure hunters?"
"Tsk! Stop talking nonsense!" Baron scolded.
Kairav calmly interjected, "It could be the dairy cow or the stranger I heard before—the one who said, 'If you want to know, meet me in the Forest of Lost Souls when the rainy season comes'."
Gavin's brow furrowed. "Are we going to meet them?"
Before they could decide, the light started moving toward them. A girl emerged from the cave, walking with weak, shuffling steps, holding a flashlight.
"Do you know her?" Baron whispered to Kairav, who shook his head.
The girl, pale and trembling in the cold rain, noticed something bright among the greenery.
"Who are you?!" She shouted, her voice shaky and weak.
"How can she see us?!" Gavin exclaimed, panicking.
Baron and Kairav smacked him on the head. "Who told you to wear a polka-dot jacket in the forest?!" they snapped.
The girl limped toward them, trembling under her red jacket, which was torn, revealing large, fresh wounds on her hands and back.
Seeing the alarming situation unfold before him, Kairav shot up from his hiding spot without hesitation and rushed over to the girl. "Miss, are you okay?" he asked urgently, his voice filled with concern.
His sudden movement left Gavin and Baron both irritated, muttering under their breath about Kairav's impulsiveness. Still, despite their annoyance, they followed after him, worried about the girl's condition.
With her last strength, the girl gasped, "In the cave… Please, help us…"
Creation is hard, cheer me up!