"In the world of Nuswantara, the Sang Hyang Widi are the keepers of balance—prophets, if you will, chosen by Sang Hyang Tunggal Himself," Ranjana began, his voice weaving the tale like an ancient bard's. "We are the seven who were granted the purest and most potent mana, each embodying an aspect of the universe: Chaya, the Shadow; Prabha, the Light; Vidya, the Knowledge; Samaya, the Time; Anala, the Fire; Tara, the Stars; and myself, Maruta, the Wind."
Ramdan and Rian exchanged glances. They were sitting across from a living legend—one who was supposed to have vanished decades ago.
"Long ago, Nuswantara faced a darkness like what we witnessed tonight," Ranjana continued, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. "Angkara Murka. Their leader sought to devour all the world's mana. The seven of us united to stop them."
A shadow passed over Ranjana's eyes.
"That battle... was the most brutal in Nuswantara's history," he murmured, his voice barely steady. "We won. But the cost was... personal."
"Some of us lost parts of ourselves," he admitted, flexing his left hand as if recalling an old wound. "Anala lost an arm. Samaya, a leg. We were forced into hiding, our powers diminished. Even my Bayuprabawa hadn't fully manifested in ten years—until tonight."
Ramdan's skin prickled. This wasn't just history. It was a confession.
"Uncle," Rian ventured carefully, "are the others... still alive?"
Ranjana nodded. "We live. But not as we once were. The return of Angkara Murka's followers tonight... it's an omen. They're rising again."
"I'll train harder," Melati declared, her fists clenched. "I'll help protect Nuswantara!"
Ranjana turned to Rian and Ramdan.
"And you two—especially you, Rian—are the next pieces in this. Salakanagara must be warned. Captain Bima Sakti will come for you tomorrow, Ramdan. You're going with him."
Virtual Lab – Activated
Later, alone in his room, Ramdan couldn't shake his suspicions. He closed his eyes and summoned the [System].
"Access Virtual Lab."
The world around him dissolved into an endless white void, transparent panels flickering to life.
"Alright, System. Analyze Rian's agate ring. I think there's something... off about it."
After swiping the ring from Rian's sleeping form, Ramdan placed it on the virtual dissection table.
"Begin scan. Priority: Identify mana anomalies."
Data cascaded across the panels. At first, the mana flow appeared stable—until a thin, vein-like strand of black pulsed within the gemstone.
[Warning! Low-level dark mana contamination detected!][Further analysis: Unknown source. Potential mana integrity corruption.]
"Dark mana? Since when?!"
[Insufficient data. Contamination suggests prolonged exposure.]
Suddenly, the table shuddered violently. The black veins swelled, throbbing like a diseased heart. Crimson alarms blared across the lab.
[Critical Alert! Dark mana surge detected!][Danger! Forced activation of corrupted mana!]
"What the hell is—?!"
The lab vanished. Ramdan was thrown back into his room—but silence didn't greet him.
From Rian's chamber came a low, guttural growl. Then the walls trembled.
And then—a scream.
Not Rian's voice. Something primal. Something wrong.
[ERROR! Subject Rian experiencing extreme dark mana overload!][Dark mana now dominating host body!][Subject Rian... has gone berserk!]
Ramdan stood frozen. Beyond Rian's warped doorframe, a silhouette loomed—glowing crimson eyes, fangs bared, an aura of pure malice radiating like a storm.
"R-Rian...?"
The door splintered.
Ramdan realized too late: His audit hadn't uncovered a flaw.It had triggered a time bomb.
To Be Continued