No one has yet to reach for their strands of hair that seem to have been swallowed into the earth. The glittering night sky left the desperate people dishelved and defeated.

Tumaritis villagers returned to their village empty-handed—not entirely empty, some were full of blood, others carried the weight of the dead. They passed by the grand tent that had once been their shelter of feast. Dishes were abandoned, cold, savouring the flies. The people did not care anymore; the food may as well have been left for the pigs.

Semar had called off the search promising to resume tomorrow. Mothers hungry for their child's face wanted to protest and enslaved the men to search every nook and cranny. But even Ki Semar, the mightiest of men, was battered by the forest's ferocity. The courage to leave the village gates was fading, for they knew the person behind the people-eating monster of legend. That person was still in the forest and had once been with them. Surely they would rather be confined within the walls of wooden fences and clay soil.

Even when the wielder of Divine Grace was among them, the villagers were still trapped in a whirlpool of misery.

"Father, why are you still outside? Come back to the house!" reprimanded Gareng, Semar’s son. His brothers—Petruk and Bagong—were behind the ruddy youth. Alicia was also present, peering behind Bagong.

"The room is warmer. You'll catch your death out here," Bagong chimed in.

Ignoring his children, the Tumaritis village chief sank into one of the chairs in the deserted studio. Though he had always been stooped over, never did Semar seem this frail and weakened. He resembled a resident of a nursing home, drained of life by the wounds inflicted by Plant Barong and the poison that had sapped his strength.

"I will be back soon, my children. Tell your mother," Semar murmured. "For now, even a dying old man needs to contemplate alone."

Hearing the old man's plea, Petruk sighed as they bowed and left Semar in solitude. But Semar was not completely alone. His ears still caught the subtle chanting.

"In case my words were unclear, I would appreciate some solitude, Miss Alicia, and Orb." Semar turned to see Alicia still standing there, back in her white shirt, skirt, and black suspenders. Her physical aura was a faint blue as it was cloaked in Arcane might, and Orb flew near the girl's head.

In an attempt to avoid Semar's request, Alicia diverted the conversation. "I have a feeling, Ki Semar, that Wisesa will return," she said. The beautiful melody of Arcane's magic orb voiced its agreement. "You hear that? Even Orb is convinced."

A heavy sigh escaped Semar's mouth. He shook his head. "Of course he'll come back, but for what?"

Alicia could hear the lack of hope in the old man’s voice. Even the wisest and most well-intentioned men could lose faith. "What do you mean?"

"I believed that by becoming his adoptive father, I could guide him to become a better man. In spite of all the misfortune, the suffering that he received, he can still be good, could withstand the corrupted Barong's thrashings until his savior arrived." Semar replied. "Apparently, I was wrong."

Alicia comprehended where the conversation was headed. "You're not wrong," she quickly countered. "I can see it. Wisesa respects you more than anyone else behind his indifferent behaviour. He may be a pain in the arse, but he's doing his best to follow your lead. And as for me, I will heal both Barong and Wisesa, I promise!"

"Good people were killed this afternoon, Alicia. In the midst of misfortune, in the midst of distress."

"It wasn't Wisesa!"

"Not him? From everything I've taught him, he's still weak. His emotions are uncontrollable. An easy host for the infected Barong. You know that as the village chief, I have to protect the lives of those under my care."

"But it's still not his fault!" Alicia held up the netted necklace layered with soft leather suede lace. "This is what caused Barong to take over his consciousness. Someone put this around Wisesa's neck."

Semar paused to look at the necklace full of beads and bones. "He was affected by a magical necklace, you say?"

"The Nightmare Snare," replied the bespectacled girl. "It’s a magical necklace containing a curse. Made by shamans from certain regions of the Mu Continent to keep the victim trapped in nightmares for as long as the necklace remains attached to them. During a war, they once snuck into an enemy camp and draped each opponent with a necklace like this. Everyone in the camp went bonkers, slaying each other until none left alive in the shine of dawn."

The old eyes still fell on the netted necklace with its jingling bone hanger. Perhaps the bespectacled girl was right. The necklace was the cause of the catastrophe. Nevertheless, he still felt uneasy. He was already ancient, yet he had never encountered this kind of "magic" in any corner of Lojitengara.

"Why would a shaman of a foreign land target Wisesa, anyway?" asked Ki Semar.

"Because Wisesa is a Child of Prophecy, just like me...." Alicia bowed her head. Memories of the past made her head spin. "I once told you, Ki Semar, that I was wanted by many mages. This person could be one of them. They're searching for me and also Wisesa. You heard the stramash the other day, Ki Semar—the walking corpse of someone I knew was about to attack me."

Alicia delivered slaps to her own face, causing Orb to bark at her.

"T- this… this is my fault! I played a part in this disaster. I should have left this place when I first thought of it."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Oh, Miss." Ki Semar approached Alicia, embracing her. "Stop hurting yourself. I'm sorry. It was never your fault for living the fate you were given."

The Arcane Ball chastised Alicia, its voice a chaotic jumble. But even the old man knew Orb did not want Alicia to hurt herself. One could not tell if it was a bad habit or not, but thanks to their appeals, her trembling hands slowly lowered.

"I heard her mention the name 'Gading' a lot," Alicia said again.

"Gading was his younger brother, the second son of Ratu Panggaraknagara," Ki Semar explained. "He's gone."

It was not the right time to delve into the young man's traumatising past, especially at this time of year. The girl raised her head again to Semar's face. "What will you do about Wisesa?"

"To be honest, I'm still undecided." Ki Semar let go of her embrace. He stepped off the tiles to reveal himself to the night sky. For this day of misfortune, brilliant stars blessed their night. "It occurs to me that Wisesa does not need me anymore. He can leave this place and find another path for himself."

"Ki Semar!"

"Indeed, since you was here, it was my intention to let Wisesa go. He no longer needs my care. He should go with you to traverse the world. That's better than being stuck here with no new knowledge."

Semar returned to his contemplation of the night sky, lost in thought. Hearing that he wanted to let go of his fourth foster child, Alicia's mind wandered back in time. She knew those moments by heart. Late at night, behind the walls, overhearing her parents, Donar and Ailsa, muttering with each other. Little Alicia did not know what it meant to be drunk at the time, but she caught a hint in her mother's words that sometimes she could not stand the threats that befell her little family because of Alicia. Ailsa even had the idea of sending their eldest daughter to a far-off place—a remote orphanage or like—in order to keep her safe from those who might harm her or their family. It was hard to say whether the alcohol had made a person merely more talkative or more truthful—most of the time, the latter. Alicia could vividly recall how she had burst into the room, throwing her arms around her mother's knees, wailing that she should not be separated from the woman she belonged to.

Your eyes are brimming again, Orb observed, breaking Alicia's reverie as she stood lost in thought, her lips tightly pursed.

"Hush, Orb." Alicia rubbed her eyes, hurrying towards the house.

But her steps faltered after a few paces, and she turned back to face Ki Semar. “You once said I should show him care. I hope you'll continue to do that, Ki Semar. I hope... you won't find excuses to leave him. That... would be too p-painful...." Alicia turned away. "It’s painful..."

With those words hanging in the air, Alicia resumed her steps towards the house, clutching Orb tightly to her chest. She wondered how the poor children were faring, let alone her three female friends, but she knew Orb could not provide the answers she sought…

***

Alicia could not comprehend how the revellers could continue their festivities, even at the first light. Had they discovered any clues about the missing children?

But her musings were abruptly interrupted by a discordant outburst of sobbing and someone whispering Cahyaningrum's name. Instantly, the girl sprang out of bed and bolted outside.

A crowd had already hoisted her up and carried her to the clinic tent. Bleary-eyed onlookers peered out from the windows with furrowed brows. Alicia hurried to Gareng, who happened to be near the tent door.

"Did someone say Cahyaningrum's name? Have they found her?" the girl inquired urgently.

Gareng was taken aback by the delicate voice that tickled the hairs on the back of his neck. Had it been Wisesa's voice, the roof of his house would have been in ruins, the burial site of that petulant man—or Barong inside his body, both were the same at this point. But the voice belonged to the sweet girl with glasses, his fists refused to come together.

"She limped to the village gate. Her wounds are quite severe, with many claw marks on her back and ribs." Gareng said, looking back at the healers who were scrambling to gather their medical equipment. "I cannot say for certain if she'll make it. Her fate lies in the hands of the gods."

Alicia immediately broke through the crowd to get to the entrance of the tent. She ordered those who were not healers to create space for her. They already knew of Alicia's abilities, so they immediately urged the girl to heal the one who lay bleeding. Their supplications were already embedded in Alicia's mind, and she immediately shared Cahyaningrum’s pain as she knitted the gaping wounds that tore her flesh.

The healers were already supporting Alicia's staggering body. The grateful cheers made her feel even more lightheaded. As Cahyaningrum slowly opened her eyes, Alicia hoped for a thankful smile, but instead, the girl let out a piercing scream and burst into tears. Her surroundings morphed into a demonic horde of grinning faces, and the tent walls appeared as a blood-soaked, hot wall.

Cahyaningrum scurried into a corner and cowered, crying harder. Even when her parents arrived, she shooed them away in tears. What was wrong with her?

"It's us, Cahyaningrum! Your parents, and me, Alicia!" Alicia said as she tried to shake the girl out of her trance. But all she got were grunts and sobs, no words. As they all became more confused by her behaviour, the villagers were distracted again by another loud wail outside.

This time, the cry belonged to a man. He was on his knees, accompanied by two soldiers with rifles. Crying and losing his breath at the same time, the man appeared as if he was about to die. He spoke in Yawanese, causing some women to faint, and the adult men surrounded him. He shook his head, refusing to be dragged to the place where he had previously distanced himself. However, after a little pleading and persuasion, he gave in and together they pedalled out of the village. Some of the women resisted the urge to join them, letting the unstoppable tears fall.

"Alicia, you just wait here," Gareng asked her as he was about to run. Alicia's heart raced. She left Cahyaningrum with her parents.

Gareng's eyes widened. He landed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "Alicia! I told you not to!"

"Why not? I heard the man say 'children' and 'rice field' in Yawanese. I can help with the Orb if needed."

"Yes, all the missing children have been found. I still asked you not to come. Why do you think they didn't urge you to come along?"

Alicia was already aware of what Gareng meant. The expression on her face shimmered with fear. She was denying the reasonable conclusion that had already settled in her head. She was denying herself. Her breathing was ragged. Her previous headache from being awakened by the dawn riot multiplied.

"How did they die?" Alicia asked again, her voice trembling.

"I don't want to make you even more uncomfortable—"

"How did they die?"

A resigned sigh was more heart-wrenching for Alicia and Gareng knew that she was on the verge of another panic attack.

"They perished without their skin." []