Night had fully fallen when Raka, Alya, and Dimas stood before Arcapura's main gate.
The city walls towered before them. The guard towers stood like giant shadows beneath the moonlight. The lanterns that usually lit the city streets only made everything feel even stranger that night.
There were no merchants.
No carriages coming or going.
No voices talking.
Only the sound of a bell from the main tower, echoing from time to time.
Dimas looked at the gate.
"This is the largest city in the kingdom, right?"
Raka nodded.
"Yeah."
"Then why does it feel like a dead city?"
Alya didn't answer.
Her eyes were fixed on the large symbol carved above the gate.
The kingdom's symbol.
But beneath it was another carving, almost completely covered in moss.
A circle crossed by two intersecting lines.
Alya stepped closer.
"Raka."
"What?"
"Look."
Raka followed the direction of her finger.
The moment he saw the symbol, his palm began to burn.
A red light appeared.
Alya felt the same thing.
"This symbol..."
Raka touched the carving.
In an instant, the world around him vanished.
He saw two babies.
Himself.
And Alya.
They were both inside a magic circle.
Then a woman appeared behind Alya.
She had long hair.
A gentle face.
And tears in her eyes.
"Forgive me, my child."
Raka tried to move closer.
But the vision changed.
A man appeared.
Bastian.
Younger.
He stood in front of the circle, holding a black stone.
Then someone's voice rang out.
"Don't let them grow up together."
The vision broke apart.
Raka jolted back.
He nearly fell.
Alya caught his arm.
"What did you see?"
"Your mother."
Alya froze.
"She was there?"
Raka nodded.
"And Bastian."
Alya stared at the symbol on the gate.
"Then this place..."
"It's where the ritual took place."
The gate suddenly opened.
Not because of the guards.
No one had touched it.
The stone doors moved on their own.
Dimas stepped back.
"This isn't normal."
Raka stared into the city.
The main road stretched straight toward the palace.
But the entire road was empty.
Alya tightened her grip on her sword.
"Stay alert."
They stepped inside.
The moment Raka's foot crossed the gate, the sound of a bell rang out.
**CLANG!**
Every lantern along the road lit up at once.
Red light.
Not yellow.
Red.
Dimas looked up.
"Why are the lights red?"
Alya answered quietly.
"Because someone is activating the city's magic system."
"Why?"
"To seal off every exit."
Raka turned around.
The gate they'd just passed through had closed.
The sound of shifting stone echoed through the city.
Dimas sighed.
"Great."
Raka looked at him.
"What?"
"We just walked into a trap."
They moved forward slowly.
There wasn't a single person in the street.
Yet they could feel eyes watching from behind the windows.
People were hiding.
Peeking out.
Waiting.
Raka felt something moving beneath the ground.
"It's getting closer."
Alya nodded.
"I can feel it too."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
Dimas suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
He knelt down.
And touched the stone road.
"There's something underneath."
Raka moved closer.
"What?"
"A vibration."
Alya closed her eyes.
Then her expression changed.
"It's not a vibration."
"What is it?"
"A heartbeat."
They all fell silent.
A sound came from beneath the ground.
**THUD.**
Then once again.
**THUD.**
Like the heartbeat of a giant.
Raka clutched his chest.
His heart was beating in time with the sound.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Then a whisper appeared in his mind.
**Come to me.**
Raka covered his ears.
"Stop."
Alya gripped his shoulder.
"Raka."
"I can hear it."
"Hear what?"
"It's calling me."
Suddenly, an arrow shot from a rooftop.
Alya yanked Raka aside.
The arrow struck the ground.
Dimas raised his sword.
"Royal forces!"
Dozens of guards emerged from the alleys.
This time, they weren't wearing their usual uniforms.
They were dressed in black.
The kingdom's insignia had been removed.
Raka stared at them.
"Why aren't they wearing the insignia?"
Alya answered,
"Because they're not ordinary royal forces."
A man stepped forward.
He wore a mask.
"Raka Wira."
Raka raised his sword.
"Who are you?"
"The man who's taking you where you belong."
"What if I refuse?"
The man raised his hand.
"Don't."
A magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
Alya immediately shouted,
"Get out!"
Too late.
Blue light exploded.
Raka's body grew heavy.
Alya tried to resist.
Dimas dropped to one knee.
"A suppression spell!"
Raka summoned all his strength.
It wasn't enough.
Then the symbol on his hand lit up.
The spell shattered.
The guards stumbled backward.
The masked man stared at Raka.
"So it's true."
"What is?"
"You really are the heir."
He raised his hand.
"Take him."
The battle erupted.
Alya moved like a shadow.
One opponent fell.
Two.
Three.
But there were too many of them.
Dimas fought to protect their rear.
Raka dodged the attacks.
He no longer used overwhelming power.
He remembered Alya's training.
One step.
One strike.
One movement.
But one guard managed to approach from behind.
Alya saw him.
"Raka!"
She ran.
Too late.
The sword was moments from striking Raka.
Alya took the blow with her body.
The sword pierced her shoulder.
"Alya!"
Raka froze.
The world seemed to stop.
Raka watched the blood flow.
Something inside him broke.
Red light engulfed his body.
"Raka, don't!"
Alya tried to stand.
But Raka had already lost control.
The ground trembled.
Wind spiraled around them.
Flames erupted along the street.
The guards backed away.
Raka raised his hand.
A massive explosion was about to erupt.
But Alya stood in front of him.
"Raka."
She looked straight at him.
"Stop."
Raka gasped for breath.
"I'm going to kill them."
"Don't."
"They hurt you."
"I know."
"I can't let them..."
Alya cupped his face.
"You promised."
Raka froze.
"You promised you wouldn't become a monster."
The light around Raka slowly faded.
The flames went out.
Raka dropped to his knees.
Alya collapsed with him.
They stared at each other.
Then Raka pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry."
Alya gave him a weak smile.
"Don't apologize."
The battle stopped.
Not because the forces had been defeated.
But because someone had arrived.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the street.
A woman in a white robe approached.
Every guard fell to their knees.
Dimas whispered,
"Who is she?"
Alya stared at the woman.
"I don't know."
The woman stopped.
She looked at Raka.
Then at Alya.
Her expression changed.
"You've finally returned."
Raka stood.
"Who are you?"
The woman smiled.
"My name is Sinta."
Raka waited.
"I'm the last guardian of the Arcapura family."
"What do you want?"
Sinta looked at Raka's hand.
"To make sure you don't open the third seal."
Raka frowned.
"The third seal?"
Sinta nodded.
"The first seal is in your body."
"The second?"
"In Alya's body."
Alya froze.
"And the third?"
Sinta looked toward the palace.
"Beneath the city."
Dimas sighed.
"And what happens if they all open?"
Sinta answered,
"Then something that has slept for hundreds of years will be set free."
Raka stared at the palace.
"The creature."
"Yes."
Sinta led them to an old house in the middle of the city.
The house stood behind the old market.
From the outside, it looked abandoned.
But the inside was different.
The walls were covered in books.
Maps.
Drawings of symbols.
And ancient records.
Raka walked slowly through the room.
"What is all this?"
"History that was deliberately erased."
Alya saw a painting.
She stopped.
It showed two children.
Raka.
And herself.
But there was a third person.
A woman.
Laras.
Alya touched the painting.
"That's my mother."
Sinta nodded.
"Yes."
"She lived here?"
"For a while."
"Why?"
"Because she was running away."
"From whom?"
Sinta looked at Raka.
"From Bastian."
Alya stiffened.
"Why?"
"Because Bastian wanted to take the power inside your body."
Raka asked,
"Why not take the power inside my body?"
Sinta shook her head.
"Because your power is only half complete."
Raka looked at Alya.
"And the other half..."
"Is inside her."
Alya lowered her head.
"So all this time, we really did complete each other."
Sinta nodded.
"But not only in power."
"What else?"
"Your souls."
Sinta led them into the basement.
Two stone chairs stood in the middle of the room.
One red.
One white.
"This place..."
Raka felt a chill.
"This is where the ritual was performed?"
Sinta nodded.
"The first ritual."
"Who created it?"
"Arman Darsa."
Raka fell silent.
"Bastian's teacher?"
"Yes."
Alya looked at the white chair.
"And my mother?"
"She tried to stop him."
"Why did she fail?"
Sinta looked at her.
"Because there was a traitor."
"Who?"
Sinta didn't answer.
Instead, she took out a small box.
Inside was a letter.
She handed it to Alya.
"A letter from your mother."
Alya's hands trembled.
She opened it.
The handwriting was the same as in her vision.
**To my child.**
Alya held her breath.
**If you're reading this letter, it means I'm already gone.**
Tears began to well in her eyes.
**Don't believe anyone who tells you that you were born to be a vessel.**
**You are not a tool.**
**You are not a weapon.**
**You are my child.**
Alya began to cry.
Raka stood beside her.
The letter continued.
**And if you ever meet Raka, don't be afraid of him.**
Alya stopped.
Raka stared at the letter.
**He did not destroy your family.**
**He was not the cause of my death, either.**
**If you meet again, protect one another.**
**Because only you two can stop what is coming.**
The letter ended.
There was no signature.
Only one final sentence.
**Don't let them open the door.**
Alya cried in silence.
Raka didn't know what to say.
He simply stood beside her.
After a while, Alya wiped away her tears.
"At least now I know."
Raka nodded.
"Me too."
"Know what?"
"That you're not a vessel."
Alya looked at him.
"You are your own person."
Raka smiled.
"And that's enough."
Alya returned his smile.
But Sinta suddenly stood.
"It's time."
Raka frowned.
"For what?"
Sinta looked at the ceiling.
"The third seal is beginning to crack."
THUD.
The ground trembled.
THUD.
The lights went out.
THUD.
Screams rang out from outside.
Dimas ran to the window.
"The sky!"
They all looked up.
The sky over Arcapura had turned red.
A massive black circle appeared in its center.
Sinta went pale.
"It's awake."
Laughter echoed throughout the city.
Bastian stood atop a tower.
In his hand was a black stone.
He raised it.
"Raka Wira."
Bastian's voice rang throughout the city.
"You've returned."
Raka stepped out of the house.
Alya and Dimas followed him.
Bastian stared at them from a distance.
"The two of you were never supposed to meet."
Raka tightened his grip on his sword.
"But we did."
Bastian smiled.
"And now you have a choice."
"What choice?"
"Open your own seal..."
Bastian raised the black stone.
"...or I'll open Alya's seal."
Alya froze.
Raka looked at her.
"Don't listen to him."
Bastian laughed.
"If I open hers, her soul will be separated from her body."
Raka tensed.
"And if you open yours..."
Bastian smiled.
"...the two of you will become one."
Alya gripped Raka's hand.
"Don't."
Raka looked at her.
"I won't."
Bastian raised his hand.
The black stone began to glow.
Alya suddenly screamed.
She clutched her head.
"Nadia!"
Raka pulled her into his arms.
"Alya!"
Nadia's voice echoed.
**He's here.**
"What?"
**Bastian is inside my mind.**
Alya opened her eyes.
Her face was pale.
"He's already inside."
Bastian laughed.
But beneath his laughter, something began to change.
A black shadow emerged from Alya's body.
Sinta shouted,
"Don't let that shadow touch her!"
Raka pulled Alya away.
Too late.
The shadow had already wrapped itself around her body.
Raka tried to cut it.
His sword passed through the shadow without effect.
Alya screamed.
"Raka!"
"I'm here!"
"I can't hold it back!"
Raka grabbed her hand.
Their symbols began to glow.
Red and white light merged.
The black shadow recoiled.
Bastian stopped laughing.
"What?"
Raka and Alya stood together.
Their energy changed.
It wasn't red.
It wasn't white.
It was golden light.
Sinta stared at them in shock.
"Impossible."
Dimas asked,
"What is?"
Sinta answered,
"Their bond has changed."
"Into what?"
"Soul unity."
Bastian stared at them.
For the first time, fear appeared on his face.
"No."
Raka raised his hand.
Bastian backed away.
"That's impossible."
Alya stood beside Raka.
"What's happening?"
Raka didn't know either.
But he could feel something.
He could feel Alya's thoughts.
And Alya could feel his.
They were no longer merely sharing energy.
They could feel each other's emotions.
Fear.
Anger.
Sorrow.
And trust.
Raka looked at Alya.
"Are you okay?"
Alya nodded.
"I can feel you."
"Me too."
Sinta whispered,
"This isn't a soul exchange."
Raka looked at her.
"Then what is it?"
Sinta answered,
"A union."
THUD!
The ground shook again.
This time, harder.
Cracks appeared in the middle of the road.
Something enormous rumbled beneath the city.
Bastian smiled again.
"It's too late."
Raka stared at the cracks.
"What did you do?"
Bastian answered,
"I didn't do anything."
He looked up at the red sky.
"The seal opened because of you."
Raka froze.
"What?"
Bastian laughed.
"You thought you came here to stop it?"
He raised his hand.
"You're the key."
The cracks in the road widened.
Black light erupted from the ground.
Buildings shook.
People ran.
Sinta grabbed Raka.
"We have to go."
"Where?"
"To the palace."
"Why?"
"Because the final answer is there."
Raka looked at Alya.
They nodded to each other.
Dimas sighed.
"Why is it that every time we find an answer, the problem just gets worse?"
Raka smiled.
"Because we're not done yet."
They ran toward the palace.
Behind them, Arcapura began to collapse.
And beneath the ground...
the final chain broke.
**CLANG!**
A giant hand clutched the wall.
Then a deep voice echoed.
"Twenty years..."
Red eyes opened.
"...at last, the children have returned."
The creature smiled.
"Awaken the Flame Keeper."
Far ahead, Raka suddenly stopped.
He clutched his chest.
"I know that voice."
Alya looked at him.
"Whose?"
Raka stared at the palace.
"The voice from my dreams."
He raised his face.
"It called me its child."
Alya fell silent.
Dimas looked at them both.
"Then..."
Raka tightened his grip on his sword.
"...we'll find out who it really is."
They continued on.
Toward the palace.
Toward the heart of Arcapura.
Toward the final answers about their birth.
And toward an encounter with something that might be more than a monster.
Something that had known them since before they knew themselves.