"Why haven't you taken it yet?"
The question made me bolt. I instinctively closed my palm, shoving the small, sealed vial of clear liquid deep into my cargo pocket.
Adistya stood at the barracks' threshold. Her silhouette was sharp, framed by a black Saptapala tactical uniform that stood in stark contrast to the misty pine forest behind her. She leaned against the steel doorframe, clutching a digital tablet that flickered incessantly—the device that monitored my every heartbeat from a distance.
"I was just about to," I replied curtly. I pulled the vial back out, feigning to pop the seal with my teeth before performing the swallowing motion I had practiced a hundred times.
Adistya stepped closer, her eyes boring into my bandaged wrist. "Your heart rate isn't syncing with your brainwaves, Satria. Semeru is unstable right now. If you have a breakdown here, the entire energy ley line in East Java could collapse. Don't make Commander Arka perform a re-calibration on you."
Re-calibration. A sanitized term for the forced erasure of defiant memories.
"I'm just underslept, Adis," I said coldly. "Where's the next mission?"
Adistya sighed, her fingers sliding across the tablet screen. "Reports from the southern slopes. A Kandang Bubrah phenomenon. The villagers have lost their minds—they're tearing down their own homes."
Our tactical truck cut through a trail flanked by towering pines. The morning air at Semeru wasn't just cold; it carried a heavy, cloying scent of wet earth. The screech of a Javan Hawk-Eagle that had been circling above suddenly went silent, replaced by an eerie, whistling wind.
Because I hadn't taken the dose, my head began to throb. The world around me started to shift; the forest greens turned unnaturally vivid, almost piercing.
Then, the voice returned.
"Don't let her see your bandages, Satria... She is searching for the legacy embedded in your veins."
The voice was soft, yet frigid. I clutched my head as if it were about to split open. Adistya, sitting across from me, grew suspicious. She reached for a sedative injector.
"Seven? You're becoming unstable!"
"Don't!" I snapped, shoving her hand away violently.
The truck screeched to a halt. A pungent, metallic stench hit us. I leaped out, and the sight before me was total devastation. Villagers were crawling on all fours with bloodied hands, plastering dull coins and animal bones onto the walls of their houses using mud.
"Neutralize the energy source, Seven!" Adistya commanded.
I ran toward the center of the village. But there, perched on the branch of an ancient tree, sat the man in the beskap again. He pointed toward Adistya.
"See what she hides behind her oath, Satria..."
My vision sharpened. Tucked into the back pocket of Adistya's tactical vest was an old, crumpled photograph. A photo of a grown man holding a small child. That man... was the silhouette standing before me.
Father.
[BLACKOUT]
"SATRIA! WAKE UP!"
I jolted. I was already standing in an unfamiliar, low-slung stance—the savage Harimau Silat. My hand was clamped around Adistya's throat, pinning her against a cracked tree trunk.
Adistya's eyes bulged in terror. "Satria... let go... your eyes... they've turned gold!"
"Why, Adis?" My voice was guttural. The sigils on my hand began to glow with a searing heat, charring the bandages. "Saptapala told me my Father was a monster. So why do you keep his photo so close to your heart?"
Adistya coughed, her face turning pale. "Saptapala... never told you... everything..."
"Then tell me now," I growled, "or this forest becomes your grave."
ANTARALA GLOSSARY [Chapter 2]
Pinus Mercusii: The pine species dominating the slopes of Semeru. In this lore, its sharp resin scent often mingles with Wiyangga energy residue, creating a suffocating atmosphere for hunters.
Kandang Bubrah: A mass psychosis phenomenon caused by the Wiyangga of Avarice. Villagers become obsessed with remodeling their homes using grotesque materials (bones, ancient coins, blood-mud) due to an uncontrollable urge to "possess."
Harimau Silat (Tiger Silat): A traditional martial art style that emerges instinctively from Satria's body during blackouts. Its movements are low, explosive, and lethal—reflecting the raw power of the soul of Dirga (The First Brother).
Re-calibration: Saptapala's clandestine medical procedure. A "cleansing" process of memories using chemical agents and brainwave frequencies to ensure subjects remain compliant to command.
Golden Eyes: A visual sign that appears when Satria reaches the threshold of synchronization with a Pillar Soul. It signifies that Satria is no longer merely human, but an activating "Vessel."