Two days after Adam wrote his first journal notes, Ernand visited Lorna's house early in the morning. He carried a small leather pouch and a folded map drawn on thick paper. When Adam opened the door, Ernand greeted him with a firm nod.
"Adam," he said, then pointed at the map. "Town. Learn. Books."
Adam understood three of the words. Town. Books. Learn. Ernand tapped his own temple to emphasize the idea. Then he gestured toward the forest path leading away from Angkara Village.
A chance to find information.
Maybe history. Maybe geography. Maybe a clue about where he was and why he ended up here.
Adam didn't answer immediately. He wanted to be careful. But deep inside he knew he needed more than guesses and simple explanations. He needed proof. Something written. Something concrete.
He nodded slowly. "Yes. Town. I… go."
Ernand smiled with relief. "Good."
Lorna prepared supplies for the short journey. Dried fruit. Flat bread. A small water pouch. She spoke to him slowly as she handed them over. He recognized a few words. "Eat." "Drink." "Careful." Simple but comforting.
Before leaving, Adam whispered a short prayer. "Ya Allah, please bless us with safety and wellbeing during our journey." It steadied him.
The path to the neighboring town was long but not difficult. Trees stretched high above them, letting filtered sunlight scatter across the dirt trail. Ernand walked with steady steps, occasionally teaching Adam simple words for things around them.
"Tree."
"Grass."
"River."
"Rock."
Adam repeated each one. Sometimes correctly, sometimes with a tone so off that Ernand laughed. But his correction was always gentle. Adam appreciated that.
Still, he remained cautious. He avoided asking complex questions because he knew he would not understand the answer. It frustrated him. Back home he used English, Indonesian, and slang without thinking. Now even forming a simple sentence felt like climbing a mountain.
At noon they reached a resting spot near a wooden bridge. A merchant wagon stood parked beside it. A man with a short beard waved at Ernand. His accent was sharper than the villagers in Angkara. Adam caught only fragments of their conversation.
"Angkara… harvest… trade… town… market."
The merchant soon noticed Adam. He gave a curious look, but not hostile. He said something that sounded like a greeting. Adam replied with a simple, "Hello," the safest thing he could manage.
Ernand explained slowly, using gestures. "Adam. New. Learn. Town… good."
The merchant nodded in understanding.
They traveled together after that, Adam sitting on the back of the wagon. The merchant spoke casually and often. His words flowed faster than Angkara villagers', which made Adam understand less. But the exposure still helped. He started catching repeated words more easily.
"Price."
"Road."
"Mana-field."
"Work."
Each word settled in his memory like loose pieces of a puzzle.
The town came into view by midafternoon.
Adam's breath caught.
The settlement was larger than Angkara by far. Maybe four or five times bigger. Houses built from stone and carved wood lined narrow streets. The roofs were higher. The noise was louder but still nothing like Jakarta. More controlled. More orderly.
The most striking sight was the cluster of tall structures in the center. Not towers. More like wide, layered buildings with slanted roofs painted in pale blue. Symbols carved on the walls glowed faintly. Mana lamps lined the main road, brighter than those in Angkara.
Ernand pointed. "Study Hall. Book place."
Adam felt his pulse quicken. "Library?" he said, hoping they understood.
Ernand repeated the unfamiliar word, trying to match the sound. "Li-ba-ri?" Then he nodded, guessing the meaning. "Yes. Many books."
Adam followed Ernand and the merchant through the busy streets. People carried scrolls, herbs, baskets, or crystals that glowed faintly. Children wearing uniform-like robes ran past them with wooden tablets in hand. Every corner seemed to move with purpose.
But even here, Adam still noticed the slight shift in mana. He sensed it like a faint warmth near the skin. Stronger than in Angkara. More concentrated. It didn't disturb him, but he stayed alert.
They reached the Study Hall. A man wearing a long blue robe, The scholar greeted them. His tone was formal, and Adam caught even fewer words. But Ernand explained slowly, pointing at Adam, then at the shelves inside.
"Learn," he said again. "History. Maps. Towns."
The scholar nodded.
Inside, the air smelled like old wood and ink. Shelves filled the hall, each packed with scrolls and thick books tied with rope or leather. Adam walked between them slowly, his eyes wide.
This was the first real hope he had found.
He pulled out a book with simple illustrations. He flipped through the pages. He recognized the writing system from signs in Angkara. He could read nothing. Not a single character.
He checked another book. Same result.
Ernand came to stand beside him. He spoke softly. "Adam… slow. Learn slow." He tapped a finger on a word. "Sound." Then he repeated the word slowly.
Adam tried. His tone was uneven. Ernand corrected him.
Adam tried again.
This process continued for several minutes. Adam managed to pronounce one word correctly. Ernand clapped once, smiling.
But reading was still far beyond him.
He put the book aside and picked up a map. The drawings made more sense. He could see shapes of land, rivers, and mountains. But none looked like Earth. No Java. No Sumatra. Not even anything resembling Southeast Asia.
He whispered, "No Indonesia… no Earth…"
Ernand didn't understand the words but recognized the sadness in his voice. He placed a steady hand on Adam's shoulder.
Adam spent the next hour checking book after book. Religion. History. Geography. Folk traditions. Not one mentioned Earth. Not one mentioned Islam. Not one mentioned anything familiar.
The only repeated concept was "Lunar," a term he heard villagers whisper. He still didn't understand it fully, but he saw the symbol often: a circle with lines radiating outward.
He whispered again in Indonesian, "What is Lunar…? Why do they worship light energy?"
He closed the last book and took a deep breath. None of this place connected to home. He felt further away than ever.
Ernand gestured at him, urging him toward the exit. "Adam. Enough for today."
Adam nodded. He followed him out of the hall with a heavy chest.
As they walked back to the merchant's wagon, the faint hum of mana in the air reminded him that this was not a dream. Not a hallucination. Not a coma.
This world stood on its own rules.
Its own history.
Its own beliefs.
And none of them matched his.
Adam looked back at the blue-roofed Study Hall. It was both a place of answers and a reminder of how lost he truly was.
He whispered a quiet prayer under his breath. "Ya Allah… guide me. I don't know where this road leads."