ROOOAAARRRRR!
The silver dragon’s roar echoed throughout Hutan Kabut Aruna.
The sound waves it produced sent leaves cascading from the trees. The waters of Sungai Naga Perak trembled violently, creating massive ripples that reflected the moonlight in every direction.
Raka and his friends stood frozen.
The creature that had emerged from the river was far larger than they had imagined.
Its body was covered in shimmering silver scales.
Long horns rose from its head.
Its blue eyes shone like two stars in the middle of the night.
Dimas swallowed hard.
“I take back all my bravery.”
Nara didn’t take her eyes off the dragon.
“For the first time, I agree.”
Even Bima, who was usually calm, looked tense.
Yet strangely, the dragon didn’t attack.
It merely watched them.
Especially Raka.
The compass he had inherited from his grandfather was now glowing brightly.
The blue light from the compass seemed connected to the light in the dragon’s eyes.
Then a deep, heavy voice rang out.
But this time, it wasn’t inside their minds.
It came directly from the dragon.
“THE HEIR HAS ARRIVED.”
Alya’s eyes immediately widened.
“It can talk.”
“More importantly,” Dimas muttered, “why does every creature here know Raka?”
Raka himself didn’t know the answer.
The farther he ventured into this adventure, the more secrets about his grandfather came to light.
The silver dragon slowly lowered its head.
“SUCCESSOR OF MAHESA PRATAMA.”
Raka worked up the courage to step forward.
“I’m Raka.”
The dragon’s eyes shone even brighter.
“THEN WHERE IS MAHESA?”
The question plunged the surroundings into silence.
Raka lowered his head.
“Grandfather passed away.”
For a while, the dragon didn’t move.
Then it closed its eyes.
As if remembering something from the distant past.
“SO MUCH TIME HAS PASSED...”
Its voice sounded sorrowful.
The dragon slowly retreated toward the middle of the river.
The water swirled with its movements.
Then it raised one of its claws.
Blue light emerged from the riverbed.
BOOOOM!
The entire surface of the water trembled.
A moment later, an ancient stone path slowly emerged from beneath the river.
The path stretched all the way to the middle of the river.
At its end stood a gigantic stone statue.
The statue was shaped like a knight holding a spear.
It stood nearly eight meters tall.
The symbol of a Sky Gate was carved into its chest.
Alya immediately examined the carvings on the statue’s base.
“That’s ancient writing.”
Bima nodded.
“The dragon is showing us something.”
The silver dragon spoke again.
“THE FIRST TRIAL AWAITS.”
“A trial of courage?” Raka asked.
“NO.”
“Then what?”
“A TRIAL OF WISDOM.”
Dimas immediately groaned.
“Oh, great.”
Alya turned to him.
“What do you mean, ‘oh, great’?”
“If it’s a test of strength, I’m ready.”
“And if it’s a test of wisdom?”
“I give up.”
Nara let out a quiet laugh.
Even Raka smiled.
Though they were in danger, Dimas’s antics always managed to lighten the mood.
They walked along the stone path that had emerged from the river.
Silver water flowed on either side of them.
Moonlight shimmered beautifully across its surface.
But none of them could truly enjoy the view.
They were all focused on the gigantic statue drawing closer.
When they reached the statue, they saw a large stone tablet.
Ancient writing covered its surface.
Alya immediately read it aloud.
“If you wish to go farther, answer the guardian’s question.”
Dimas sighed.
“Why do all ancient places like giving people riddles?”
Before anyone could answer, the statue’s eyes suddenly lit up.
WHOOSH!
Blue light burst from both its eyes.
The ground trembled.
Then a deep voice rang out.
“WHO IS THE STRONGEST?”
Everyone fell silent.
“That’s the question?” Nara asked.
The statue didn’t answer.
It only waited.
Dimas immediately raised his hand.
“Me.”
Alya smacked his shoulder.
“Don’t just blurt out an answer.”
“Why not? I am the strongest.”
“That’s not what it means.”
The statue remained silent.
Raka tried to think.
The question sounded simple.
But it surely had a hidden meaning.
If the answer was merely about physical strength, then this trial would be far too easy.
“Is the strongest one the dragon?” Dimas said.
There was no reaction.
“The king?” Nara offered.
There was no reaction.
“An army?” Bima said.
Still, there was no reaction.
The statue remained silent.
Alya began pacing back and forth.
It was a habit she always fell into when thinking hard.
Several minutes passed.
No one could find the answer.
Then Alya stopped.
Her eyes widened.
“I get it.”
Everyone immediately turned to her.
“What’s the answer?” Raka asked.
Alya gave a faint smile.
“Look at the question.”
“Who is the strongest?”
“Exactly.”
“And?”
“The question doesn’t mention physical strength.”
Raka began to understand.
Alya continued,
“The strongest person isn’t the one who can defeat every enemy.”
“Then who is?” Bima asked.
“The person who can defeat themselves.”
Silence settled over the area.
Several seconds passed.
Then the statue’s eyes blazed brilliantly.
WHOOSH!
The ground trembled.
The guardian’s voice rang out again.
“ANSWER ACCEPTED.”
Dimas immediately jumped.
“We did it!”
Alya smiled proudly.
“I knew it.”
The statue slowly raised its spear.
Then it pointed toward the opposite bank of the river.
The distant fog split apart.
A new path appeared.
But just as they thought they had passed the trial, something unexpected happened.
BOOOM!
A massive explosion echoed from behind them.
Everyone immediately turned around.
Dozens of masked figures emerged from behind the trees along the riverbank.
The Eternal Shadow.
They had managed to find Raka’s group’s trail.
And this time, there were far more of them.
A man wearing a silver mask stood at the front of the force.
He stared at Raka’s group from a distance.
Then he slowly began to clap.
“Quite a riddle.”
Raka’s heart began pounding.
They had been found again.
The silver-masked man smiled beneath his mask.
“But your journey ends here.”
Then he raised his hand.
And for the first time, black fire appeared in his palm.
The flames swirled like a miniature storm.
The air around them turned cold.
Even the silver dragon in the middle of the river began watching the man.
As if it realized that the true enemy had finally arrived.
To be continued in Chapter 10 – The First Sky Gate