Morning came slowly.
Sunlight filtered through the trees and fell across Brajamusti's face as he slept beneath one of them. The campfire beside him had nearly gone out.
Brajamusti opened his eyes, then let out a long yawn.
He sat up and rubbed his face.
"A long journey is still waiting for me."
He straightened his clothes, picked up his bag, then made sure the flute Grandpa Paijo had given him was still safely tucked away.
The flute was still there.
Yet for some reason, looking at it reminded Brajamusti of what had happened the night before.
The campfire that had suddenly grown larger.
The swirling wind.
It had all happened after he blew into the flute.
Brajamusti took it out again.
"If this really is an ordinary flute, how could it do that?"
He examined the carvings on its surface. At a glance, they looked like a dragon curled from the flute's tip all the way to its base.
Brajamusti tried blowing into it once more.
Nothing happened.
All he heard was the simple sound of a flute.
He sighed.
"Maybe last night was just a coincidence."
Brajamusti put the flute away again and continued on his journey.
His destination this time was a village called Karangjati Village, quite a distance to the north. He had heard that the village was home to many merchants and travelers. Brajamusti hoped he could find work and replenish his dwindling money supply.
But the journey to the village was not as easy as he had imagined.
Around noon, Brajamusti entered a narrow road flanked by dense trees. The surroundings suddenly felt deserted.
There were no birds.
No farmers' voices.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
Brajamusti slowed his pace.
His instincts told him something was wrong.
Suddenly—
"Stop!"
Five men stepped out from behind the trees.
They carried machetes and short swords.
Brajamusti sighed.
"If you're looking for money, I don't have much."
A large man laughed.
"Hand over everything you're carrying."
Brajamusti pointed to his small bag.
"It's just clothes and a little food."
"Hand over your weapon, too!"
Brajamusti looked at them.
"I don't have a weapon."
One of the bandits pointed at the flute tucked into his waistband.
"What's that?"
Brajamusti took out the flute.
"A flute."
The bandit leader laughed.
"A flute? Do you think we're stupid?"
He advanced, drawing his sword.
"Hand it over!"
Brajamusti took a step back.
"I really don't want to fight."
"Then just die!"
The sword shot toward him.
Brajamusti dodged quickly.
A second attack came from the side.
He evaded it as well.
Brajamusti was not a famous warrior, but he had studied martial arts since childhood. He was capable of fending off several attacks at once.
But there were too many enemies.
One of the bandits managed to kick him in the back.
Brajamusti fell to the ground.
His bag went flying.
The bandit leader raised his sword high.
"It's over!"
Brajamusti saw the flute lying not far away.
Without thinking, he reached for it.
The sword came down again.
Desperate, Brajamusti blew into the flute with all his might.
WOOOOSH!
The flute's note rang out long and clear.
But what happened next shocked everyone.
A powerful gust suddenly spiraled out from Brajamusti's body.
Dust flew into the air.
All five bandits were thrown several yards away.
Their leader slammed into a tree trunk and lost his balance.
Brajamusti himself ended up sitting on the ground, his face pale.
"What... did I just do?"
He stared at the flute in his hand.
One of the bandits tried to get back up.
"He's... not an ordinary human..."
The bandit leader immediately fled.
His four men followed, running away without daring to look back.
Brajamusti did not chase them.
He simply stood there, staring at the flute.
"So it really is a magic flute..."
For the first time, Brajamusti realized that the gift from Grandpa Paijo was no ordinary present.
But before he could think about it any further, a voice came from behind the bushes.
"Help..."
Brajamusti turned around.
An old merchant emerged, staggering as he walked. Apparently, he had also fallen victim to the bandits.
Brajamusti immediately went to help him.
"Are you hurt?"
"A little. They took all my merchandise."
Brajamusti helped gather the goods that remained.
The merchant looked at him gratefully.
"Thank you, son. If it weren't for you, they might have taken everything."
Brajamusti merely smiled.
"I just happened to be passing by."
After making sure the merchant was safe, Brajamusti continued on his journey.
Unbeknownst to him, someone had witnessed the fight from a distance.
A man in a black robe who had been watching him since the previous night stood atop a hill.
He saw the flute in Brajamusti's hand.
"So its power has begun to awaken."
The man then turned around.
"I have to tell them immediately."
Meanwhile, Brajamusti continued walking toward Karangjati Village.
The afternoon wore on.
At last, he saw rooftops in the distance.
The village was close.
Brajamusti smiled in relief.
"Hopefully, there won't be any trouble this time."
He did not know that his life was about to change again in that village.
Because someone he had never met was waiting for him there.
And without Brajamusti realizing it, that meeting would mark the beginning of a much longer journey.