The road to the capital of Arcapura stretched endlessly before them.
Raka walked at the front, a sword hanging at his waist. Alya was several steps behind him, while Dimas occasionally glanced back to make sure no royal forces were following them.
Yet ever since they had left the Wira family residence, Raka had felt something strange.
The symbol on his palm wouldn't stop pulsing.
Every few minutes, warmth spread from his palm up his arm, then stopped right in the center of his chest.
As if something were pulling him.
Something far away in the capital.
"Can you still feel it?" Alya asked.
Raka nodded.
"It's getting stronger."
Dimas moved closer.
"We can stop if you need to."
Raka shook his head.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Precisely because it's getting stronger, I need to know what's calling me."
Alya looked at him.
"You don't have to face everything right now."
Raka gave a faint smile.
"I've gone too long without knowing anything about my own life."
He clenched his fist.
"This time, I want to choose for myself."
Alya didn't answer.
But her steps brought her a little closer to Raka.
Near noon, they arrived at a small village.
The village looked strange.
There were no children playing.
No merchants on the roads.
Even the doors of the houses were tightly shut.
Raka slowed his pace.
"Where is everyone?"
Dimas shrugged.
"Maybe they're asleep."
"In the middle of the day?"
"Strange village."
Alya stopped.
She stared toward the end of the road.
"Don't move."
Raka stopped at once.
"What?"
Alya closed her eyes.
There was magical energy in the air.
Very faint.
Almost impossible to feel.
But for someone like Alya, the energy was clear enough.
"This village is protected by a spell."
Dimas swallowed.
"What kind of spell?"
Alya opened her eyes.
"A locking spell."
"What for?"
"To keep something from getting out."
Raka looked at the houses surrounding them.
"Or to keep someone from getting in?"
Alya shook her head.
"If this spell were meant to lock up humans, we would've already felt the pressure."
She looked down at the ground.
"This was made for something much larger."
Suddenly, a bell rang.
DONG!
Every house door opened at once.
The villagers came outside.
But not one of them spoke.
They simply stood in front of their homes.
Staring at Raka.
An old woman walked toward them.
Her gaze fell straight on Raka's palm.
Then her face went pale.
"He's..."
The woman whispered.
"He's returned."
Raka frowned.
"Who?"
The woman stepped back.
"The Flame Keeper's child."
Alya immediately moved in front of Raka.
"Don't come any closer."
The old woman shook her head.
"We won't hurt him."
"Then explain."
The woman looked at Raka.
"You have to leave."
Raka was confused.
"Why?"
"Because they're coming."
"Who?"
The woman hadn't had time to answer.
The ground suddenly began to tremble.
Dust fell from the rooftops.
Dimas drew his sword.
"Looks like we've got a problem."
Footsteps echoed from the edge of the village.
One.
Two.
Then dozens.
A group of black-clad mages appeared.
They carried the kingdom's insignia.
Raka stared at them.
"Royal forces."
Alya immediately drew her sword.
"They found us."
Dimas stood beside her.
"How many?"
"At least twenty."
Raka looked toward the road out of the village.
"What if we run?"
Alya shook her head.
"The locking spell."
"We can't get out?"
"Not yet."
One of the mages stepped forward.
"By order of the kingdom, Raka Wira is to surrender."
Raka gave a short laugh.
"I just got here."
The mage raised his hand.
"We don't want to kill you."
Alya scoffed.
"That line always means the opposite."
The mage attacked.
Dozens of fireballs shot toward them.
Raka raised his hand.
A wall of fire appeared.
But before the flames could touch them, the entire attack split apart.
Alya leaped forward.
Her sword moved in a blur.
One mage fell.
Dimas attacked from the other side.
Raka drew a breath.
He remembered Alya's training.
Don't force it.
Follow.
Feel.
He moved.
The first sword came from the right.
Raka dodged.
The second attack came from the left.
He ducked.
A third sword.
He spun.
Then kicked his opponent.
Three movements.
Three enemies fell.
Raka was stunned.
"I'm getting faster."
Alya gave him a faint smile.
"Because you're finally starting to use your body."
But suddenly, one of the mages chanted a spell.
The ground beneath Raka turned black.
Shadows like hands rose up and clutched his legs.
Raka fell.
"Alya!"
Alya turned around.
But another mage blocked her.
Raka tried to break free.
He couldn't.
The shadows grew stronger.
Then the symbol on his hand lit up.
Pain stabbed through him.
Raka screamed.
Alya froze.
"Don't use your power!"
Too late.
Red energy exploded from Raka's body.
The black shadows shattered.
But the explosion also struck the entire village.
Roofs went flying.
Trees toppled.
The villagers screamed.
Raka dropped to his knees.
He looked at both his hands.
"I..."
Alya hurried over.
"Raka."
"I almost destroyed the village."
"Because you lost control."
Raka looked at her.
"So they were right."
"Who?"
"Everyone who's afraid of me."
Alya gripped his shoulder.
"Don't listen to them."
"But I am dangerous."
"All power is dangerous."
Alya looked into his eyes.
"What sets you apart is your choice."
The royal mages retreated.
But before they left, their leader raised his hand.
An arrow of energy shot toward Raka.
Alya tried to block it.
But the arrow pierced through her defense.
Raka moved on instinct.
He stepped in front of Alya.
The energy struck him in the chest.
Raka was thrown backward.
"Raka!"
He fell.
He didn't move.
Alya ran to him.
"Raka!"
Dimas helped turn him over.
There was a wound on his chest.
But there was no blood.
Alya touched his face.
"Wake up."
Raka didn't answer.
"Raka!"
The symbol on Alya's hand lit up.
Then the symbol on Raka's hand lit up as well.
The two lights met.
Raka's body moved.
He drew a breath.
His eyes opened.
Alya nearly cried with relief.
"Don't ever do that again."
Raka coughed.
"I was just..."
"Don't."
Alya hugged him.
Raka froze.
Dimas turned his face away.
"Looks like I didn't see anything."
Raka gave a weak smile.
"Thanks."
Alya let go of him.
"Don't scare me like that."
Raka nodded.
But they didn't realize that someone was watching from a distance.
Bastian.
Night fell.
The royal forces had left.
The villagers allowed them to stay the night.
The old woman who had warned them earlier came carrying medicine.
"Drink this."
Raka accepted it.
"Thank you."
The woman sat down.
"I knew your family."
Raka immediately focused on her.
"How?"
"When you were little, your family came here once."
"Why?"
"To hide something."
"What?"
The woman looked at Alya.
"Her."
Alya froze.
"Me?"
The old woman nodded.
"That girl was brought here before the ritual."
"What ritual?"
"The soul-separation ritual."
Raka looked at Alya.
"Why didn't I know?"
"Because you were still a baby."
The woman looked at them.
"And because your father wanted to make sure no one knew you two existed."
Alya asked,
"Who brought me here?"
The old woman fell silent.
Then she answered,
"A woman."
"Who?"
"Her name was Laras."
Alya froze.
The name felt unfamiliar.
Yet at the same time, something stirred inside her head.
A shadow.
A long-haired woman.
Smiling.
Embracing a child.
Alya clutched her head.
"I know her."
The old woman nodded.
"Your mother."
That night, Alya didn't sleep.
She sat by the window.
Raka came over.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know."
Raka sat beside her.
"Your mother."
Alya nodded.
"I don't remember her."
"Maybe your memories were locked away."
"Maybe."
Raka fell silent.
Then he said,
"If you want, we can look for her."
Alya looked at him.
"She's dead."
"How do you know?"
"Because that woman said my family died a long time ago."
"Then we'll find out how she died."
Alya gave a faint smile.
"Why do you always want to go looking for trouble?"
Raka replied,
"Because trouble always comes looking for us."
Alya let out a small laugh.
For a moment, the mood felt lighter.
Then a voice sounded.
Alya.
She froze.
Raka looked at her.
"What?"
Alya clutched her chest.
"Nadia."
The voice came again.
Don't go to the capital.
Alya closed her eyes.
"Why?"
Because they're waiting for you.
"Who?"
The person who killed my mother.
Alya opened her eyes.
"Nadia..."
She's still alive.
The next day, they left the village.
But before they departed, the old woman gave Alya something.
A pendant.
"This belonged to your mother."
Alya accepted it.
The pendant was a small circle.
At its center was the same symbol as the mark on her palm.
"What is this?"
"Don't open it until the time comes."
"When will that be?"
The old woman smiled.
"When you meet someone with red eyes."
Alya frowned.
"Red eyes?"
The woman nodded.
"He'll give you the answers."
Raka watched the pendant.
Something about it made him uneasy.
The energy inside it was incredibly strong.
"Alya."
"Yeah?"
"Don't open it."
"I know."
They walked until evening.
When they stopped on a hill, Raka saw the capital.
Arcapura.
The largest city in the kingdom.
Tall towers rose into the sky.
The palace stood at the center.
Yet from a distance, Raka sensed something.
Black energy.
Enormous.
He clutched his chest.
"That."
Alya stood beside him.
"I feel it too."
Dimas looked at the city.
"So that's where we're headed?"
Raka nodded.
"Yeah."
Alya held the pendant.
"And maybe where everything ends."
Raka looked at her.
"Or begins."
Inside the palace, Bima stood before the King.
His face was pale.
"Your Majesty."
The King looked at him.
"What happened?"
"The first seal has cracked."
"How?"
Bima swallowed.
"Raka Wira."
The King froze.
"That boy?"
"He's awakened."
"Impossible."
"The seal held for twenty years."
Bima lowered his head.
"But now..."
"He's coming here."
The King stood.
"Order the entire army to capture him."
Bima hesitated.
"Your Majesty..."
"What?"
"If he's truly the heir of the Flame Keeper..."
The King looked at him.
"Don't kill him."
Bima fell silent.
"Why?"
The King walked toward the window.
"Because if he dies..."
He looked up at the sky.
"...that door will open completely."
Beneath the palace, chains rattled.
One after another.
CLANG.
Something moved in the darkness.
The sound of breathing filled the room.
Then came a whisper.
"Raka..."
"Raka..."
"Raka..."
The name echoed through the room.
A red eye opened.
Then another.
A massive figure slowly rose.
Ancient chains pulled taut.
A hand clenched against the stone floor.
"The time has come."
Meanwhile, Raka and his two companions began descending the hill.
No one knew they were walking straight toward the heart of the problem.
Raka gripped his sword.
Alya clutched the pendant.
Dimas checked their supplies.
The three of them looked like ordinary travelers.
But their fate was anything but ordinary.
As the sun set, the symbols on Raka's and Alya's hands lit up again.
This time, they were brighter.
Then a voice sounded in both their heads at once.
Come back to us.
Raka stopped.
"Alya."
"I heard it."
"Who are they?"
Alya stared at the capital.
"I don't know."
Raka looked at the city gates as they began to come into view.
Yet a certainty rose in his heart.
They weren't heading to the capital.
They were heading toward the past.
Toward the night when two souls were separated.
Toward the truth about their families.
And toward something that had been waiting for their birth for twenty years.
In the distance, the bells of Arcapura rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then red light covered the entire city.
Raka stopped.
Alya took his hand.
"Don't let go."
Raka looked at her.
"I won't."
Behind the capital walls, something roared.
The sound shook the earth.
Birds flew from the trees.
Dimas drew a long breath.
"Looks like we got here just in time."
Raka gave a bitter smile.
"Or too late."
They kept walking.
Without knowing that night would be the last night Arcapura remained the kingdom they knew.
Because when Raka entered the city...
the second seal would open.