They dared not move their bodies near Wisesa. Even the guards remained rigid, unwilling to lower their weapons without Semar or his sons' orders. Who knew what tricks the Barong Holder had up his sleeve?

"I thought you wanted to arrest me and the Westerner," Wisesa taunted. "Here I am, what are you waiting for? Quickly pull out your shackles!"

The villagers' silent treatment grated on the young man's nerves, chafing his annoyance.

"Yes, I knew it. All bluster and no bite. What will you do when my father unleashes his Day of Judgement attack? Will you stand there like stones, watching your remaining children vanish and suffer? You still have... children, right? The alive one?"

None among them offered the rejoinder and Wisesa was once again, disappointed.

"Fine. If you don't want to arrest me, then try to vanquish the girl over there and take Kalimasada from her." Wisesa's right index finger pointed unerringly at the bespectacled lass in the studio. "The young lady who was a guest in your home, who treated your soldiers on the front lines of the war, who literally saved your sorry ass from the rogue Panca Gendheng and 'me'. All of that was instantly rendered meaningless by the incitement of someone who wasn't part of your village, who didn't know anything about her, and your baseless wrath was aroused again by the reminder that Alicia was a Woman of the West, and ooh, 'Westerners are living weapons no matter if they're under age'! I mean, I don't really mind, because that's how our customs are in welcoming the holder of Kalimasada. I wonder why Kalimasada has become extinct in the land of Lojitengara!"

Silence continued to pervade the entire village. Oh, the silence that gnawed the soul, made the mind blister. Was he crazy, and were the people in front of him even real? Or was he still trapped in a subconscious illusion from the day before?

But then, a sound cut through the quiet. A challenger appeared from behind the wall, slowly making his way towards Wisesa. Relief flooded through the young man—he was not crazy after all! But was that challenger even a worthy one?

"I know you," Wisesa said, fixing his gaze on the advancing villager.

"I don't care if you know me or not, you cursed being!" the man spat. "You're the bane in this village, and you're Barong to boot! If no one else has the guts, I'll be the one to take you down, because I've had enough of you. You eat my relatives, eat my neighbors...!"

"Eating your people, huh? Yes, I remember the ones I ate."

"Your transgressions will not go unpunished!"

"Then what are you trying to catch me with, my dear citizen?"

The man pressed onward with his slightly raised head a ludicrous pretence. His eyes then lingered around the bespectacled lass behind Semar's line of troops. "I can take the girl's Kalimasada."

A peal of mirth erupted from the snarky lad's lips. Truly, did the brave commoner know about Wisesa's countless attempts to seize the orb for himself? The said person even cowered in fear before one of Khaos's fierce bandits. Had it not been for Alicia's wits, he would have been nothing but another funeral liability. They would never move the Arcane ball even an inch, Wisesa surmised. No matter if their muscles were a colossal mountain, as shiny as a barn of harvest-ready barley. Still, Wisesa relished the thought of watching the man's hand char and burn as he tried to lift it.

But Wisesa had other curiosities as well.

"What would you do to snatch the Kalimasada orb from her?" The young lad inquired.

The villager's retort was swift and vehement: "Anything. I will do anything to get the orb."

"Even kill for it?"

A brief clearing of his throat before answering, "Well, she is a Westerner," with his voice rising with fervour. "If it means saving Tumaritis and the Duchy of Pulomas, then spilling her blood is a necessary sacrifice!"

The others behind their hidings shouted and cheered, a chorus of angry ghosts. Where were their vocal cords before when the young lad donned in blangkon cap roared?

Behind the ranks of Semar's army, Alicia felt Nyai Kanastren's grip tighten around her shoulders as she muttered Yawanese words in a rapid, wrathful stream. Sassy stares and desperate cheers. The villager's hostility frayed Alicia's skin. Yet, despite it all, Nyai Kanastren's maternal instincts remained strong to keep Alicia in her protective embrace.

"Wow." An expression of incredulity was drawn on Wisesa's face. "She's literally a sixteen-year-old bookworm, wandering into foreign territory without an invitation, as helpless as a newborn kitten. You don't even have to kill her, just take her glasses and she'll just curl up on the ground and cry while beating herself up." Wisesa paused to think. "One question: would you want your child abducted and flayed alive?"

Now that triggered every head to peek out from their hidden recesses. The intention to vent their raw anger by slaughtering Wisesa was real, but then again, the scowlings that were likely to tear their faces apart did not even deter the birds from their melodious chirping. Their threats were merely empty bluffs. Their frail statuesque stance only served to shatter their heart, and they did not have any more hearts to shatter, except for their physical cardiac.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" The man answered back.

Wisesa's expression remained placid. "A stupid question for a fool like you!" Suddenly, Wisesa sprang to his feet and barked, chasing the man on all fours! Once more, the protester found himself scattered. Indeed, the lowly commoners could only demand and bully. No wonder they were easily beguilled and oppressed by their rulers.

Wisesa ceased his canine charade and chortled. "You're all idiots," he said before extending his hand to Alicia Crimsonmane. "You rage to death when someone skins your child, but have no qualms about slaughtering a sixteen-year-old girl simply because she's from the West? I'm not forbidding you from doing so, mind you. But at least I admit that I'm not a sane person!"

"Why did Wisesa point his hand at me? What did he say?" Alicia inquired of Kanastren.

The old woman was somewhat reluctant to answer. But she pushed her reservation aside. "The villagers have malicious intent towards you..., and Wisesa—he sounds like he's defending you, even if he seems indifferent to their thoughts."

From that moment onward, Alicia could not take her eyes off of Wisesa, who continued his conversation in Yawa’s tongue against the ignorant humans. A twinkle escaped from her myopic eyes. What possessed this man? There was something within him, but it was not the Bastard Barong, Destroyer of Civilisation.

Meanwhile, Wisesa's homily was still being chanted and it was becoming more and more like a condescending harangue. "Listen, folks. I'm just like you, you know? I never wanted to be Barong. But you'll never believe me, let alone help me control this damn thing. I supported my uncle's side, but seeing you guys..., I gave up. Intending to torture a little girl and slander a young man like me to satisfy your little hearts, you guys have no hope. I hope you all perish on Judgement Day!"

"Enough, Wisesa Rukmamenggala!" Semar finally interrupted. "Tell me what you came here for!"

The young man in blangkon shifted his gaze towards the row of body bags. His expression was stoic, yet his frustration manifested in heavy breaths. He pivoted to face Semar's contingent. "I bet that Western girl must have foreseen my arrival," he replied in the common tongue. "So here I am..., I come as my destiny has intertwined with all of you."

Gareng barked at Wisesa, "Fool! If you're just here to spout jokes to these children, I'll have them dissect you—"

"Oh, like they could!" snapped Wisesa. "Yet it's the three of you who are fond of cracking jokes, and humiliating others, especially me, regardless of the time and situation. And now that there are children lying in body bags, you suddenly decide to play the part of saints?"

"Wisesa!" It was the hunchbacked old man's turn to yell at the young man. "By the gods, state the purpose of your visit...!"

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Wisesa's expression turned grave once again. "I thought that fleeing to the depths of the forest would restore my sanity. Unfortunately, I became even more insane."

His eyes again oscillated between the corpses and the terrified villagers. "I should have come straight back here, no matter the scorn, or the punishment, because I know the man behind these murders," he added. "I heard a promise from Boko Rombeng."

Bagong scoffed at Wisesa's words. "Boko Rombeng was executed in the Duchy of Pulomas—”

"Dude, I don't care if he was executed or hooked up with some hoes in the Duchy of Pulomas! My eyes saw Boko Rombeng, so I saw Boko Rombeng! What caught me off guard is that he could 'summon' a deer head out of thin air. A type of deer that is not common in the land of Yawa, I know it well."

Deer head. It did not take long for Wisesa to spot the most striking expression among the villagers. The lass with the flaming red hair had a haunted look in her eyes, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"You have an explanation for this?" Wisesa addressed the lass.

Alicia only gave a slight nod. Her life currently revolved around things reeking of deer. Deer was an animal on her phobia list now.

"The deer-headed m-monster nearly took my life. But an elder druid from Vanir saved me and sent me here...," Alicia explained.

"Vanir? Boko Rombeng has been to Vanir?" Wisesa asked incredulously.

The memory resurrected profound anxiety within her. "N-no, not Boko Rombeng...! I'm not sure who. According to Papa and my brother, one of my aunts is the Deer Head mage."

"You heard it—oh no, you're stupid, you don't understand the Western tongue—ah, forget it!" Wisesa smacked his head, realising he had been rambling in the common language since conversing with Semar. "The point is, I saw the deer man, she saw the deer man, the deer man did all this."

"Deer man? Or maybe there's no deer man at all!” retorted a villager. “Barong is the instigator of all this! You are the crown prince of Alas Purwo after all!"

In unison, the people's anger thundered in an instant. Wisesa made a wry face. At times like this, he imagined Barong taking possession of his body and playing a twisted game of catch with the villagers, trapped in a fence, as the ball. The timing could not have been more perfect.

But the beast was beyond his reach at the moment. He heaved a protracted sigh, a feigned resignation. "Maybe...just maybe. My head still throbs from yesterday. I don't know what's real and what's not anymore!"

"Is that all?" Gareng spoke up. "I have a hunch that there's more to your story, Wisesa."

"You're getting smarter, Gareng. What else should I say, hm...?" Wisesa was momentarily stunned. "I remember! You may not have cared when I was beaten by the Leyaks, but I have to tell you something that you may not believe: Mrajapati is dead!"

"What?" exclaimed Semar's children in unison, exchanging bewildered glances with their father. The clamour among the villagers grew louder, as they struggled to process this startling information. The Barong-possessed lad arrived, and with him came even more nonsensical news. Mrajapati was dead! The world seemed to be falling apart at the seams.

They were on the verge of reacting with laughter, but Wisesa had already seen through them, adding, "I'm serious. This is serious. It's not just Alas Purwo that you have to watch out for. Its ally, the Girahites have cunning tactics too. They plot something even crazier than just reclaiming the state's sovereignty—to summon Wredharaja to infiltrate the earth and rule it. I don’t know, there’s always something about the evil people and the ruthless entities they want to make rulers."

"How can the Four Aspects of Sukra, the guardians of the world, die?" Gareng argued.

Wisesa just shrugged. "Guess what. Even Barong can be possessed by black magic, stuffed into a jerk as its host."

The villagers were quick to denounce Wisesa as a liar and blasphemer, pelting him with clods of earth and water. Wisesa was unfazed; not a single throw soiled his clothes other than his leather slipper-clad feet.

Semar seemed to be the hardest hit among them. He waved a hand to calm them all down a little. "If you're telling the truth, you've brought too much grief between us and the gods. We must make a sacrifice of forgiveness to all the ancestral gods and inform the Duchy of Pulomas that Girah is definitely our enemy—the entire Lojitengara federation, in fact!"

"Last but not least," said Wisesa. "I am here to accept my consequences—to surrender myself and Alicia to Alas Purwo." He turned back to Alicia in her mother tongue. "Hey, maybe you didn't understand our conversation earlier; you're coming with me to Alas Purwo. That was guaranteed to me by Boko Rombeng. Yes, smile wide, Alicia. I'd rather see that sweet smile on that face because your dream of dragging me off has finally come true!"

"What the…?" Alicia stammered. "D-dinnae t-talk to me like that!"

Semar's children held a small council with their father. Everyone agreed that giving up the two—all three of Semar's sons favoured the bespectacled girl—had the potential to do great harm to their side, and the Duchy of Pulomas as a whole. However, it was not as if they could think of any other options. No, if they were the only ones messing with their own heads.

"Before deciding that," Ki Semar dismissed the hasty discussion, "we must first secure a decision from the central leadership."

***

There was no time to tarry. Later that day, a cavalry of nobles and soldiers from Pulomas thundered into humble Tumaritis. News of this tragic event had spread far and fast to the capital, and Ki Semar had summoned the dignitaries to discuss the ultimatum from the neighbouring kingdom. They had to act fast, as the deadline was only a night away. If they were even one second late in handing over the two youths, the crafting of shoes and bags from the healthy children's skin would be opened for business.

The meeting at such short notice turned heads. Most of the Pulomas bigwigs were in agreement that Alicia and Wisesa were assets too precious to give up. Combined, their incredible powers could rival and even overthrow the current Alas Purwo regime. Alas Purwo had an enigmatic abductor, and a secret weapon predicted to bring Judgement Day to all Pulomas dissidents. While the Duchy of Pulomas itself? Were their most powerful champions—Semar and his three sons—enough?

While the councillors were united in their decision to restrain Arcane and Barong, their voices were divided over moral issues. The meeting room grew sultry, despite the cool air conditioning, as an argument broke out, and they began to sound like the very kingdom they had vowed to stop for its lunacy. Their heads throbbed as they weighed the value of the lives and skins of the younger generation against the power of Arcane and Barong that they could keep for themselves.

On the other hand, with the urgency of all the villagers, both Alicia and Wisesa could not enjoy the comfort of the mattress of the village chief's house as before. Wisesa actually did not mind, as for Alicia..., she knew all too well the horrors of being imprisoned, especially when people hunted for her head. Correction, there was something worse—a pungent odour inside the prison. Whether it came from dead animals, abandoned corpses, or excrement that Boko Rombeng had forgotten to clean up, perhaps the warden's wage did not include cleaning the latrines. Alicia huddled in a corner, holding tight to the Arcane orb for comfort, unwilling to explore the cramped space or even find out the smell's origin. She was more grateful to sleep in Eidyn's prison, though it was questionable why she should be ever grateful to live in any prison in the first place.

"Wisesa, are you there?" Alicia knocked on the wall. Wisesa's room was next to it.

Wisesa’s tone on the other side was cold and gruff, as usual. "What do you want?"

"T-thank you."

"Huh?"

"I-I said thank you!"

"For what?"

"For defending me...?"

"When did I defend you?"

"Wasn't that—"

"Spare the flattering, Westerner! What, your Yawanese become fluent after a few week's stay?"

"N-Nyai Kanastren said you stopped the folks from doing anything to me."

"That's not what I said."

"Then what did you tell them?"

"Advised them to kill you and take Kalimasada if they could."

"That's so mean, Wisesa!"

"Thank you."

Alicia was silent for a moment.

"No, it's not. I'm sure you didnae mean that."

"I really told them to exterminate you."

"No way."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Alicia's voice rose an octave. "No, it cannae be! Just admit that you're giving me a defence!"

Wisesa snorted. "What's in it for me to defend you, weird-ass-accent lady? Is Orb gonna end up in my hands? I highly doubt it, don't you think?"

"There's nothing in it for you, Wisesa. That's just..." A small smile played on Alicia's lips, though it was wry. "It just shows that you have a conscience—despite your behaviour pissing off even the gods."

Again the lass paused. Alicia rested her head against the prison wall, her eyes and body tired but she refused to sleep. "I'm sorry I hated you."

What was wrong with this girl? That sentence tickled the lad's bones! Wisesa looked at the dull grey wall in contempt as if staring at the bespectacled girl dead in the eyes. As swift as Thunderkeeper’s Lightning, he pulled himself and his mattress away from the wall.

"Missy, fuck you," Wisesa said softly.

"What—Wisesa!"

"Hush! Quit your nagging." The man sat cross-legged on the bed. "I want to 'fight' Barong. Don't bother me all day."

***

A new day had come. By now, Semar and the Pulomas officials should have come up with a final decision on what to do with Alicia Crimsonmane, wielder of Arcane, and Wisesa Rukmamenggala, stakeholder of Barong. A warden took the two teenagers out of the prison cubicle. Ki Semar was waiting right behind the metal doors.

"So, Old Man?" Wisesa opened the conversation. "Are you stupid enough to hand over two great powers to Alas Purwo, or stupid enough to allow more children to be skinned?"

The village chief sighed. "We have decided to be foolish enough to hand you over to Alas Purwo Sunanate. And I want to talk to you for a moment, Wisesa." []