The metallic beast of a freight train trundled along the manganese tracks, passing the grand, technicolour tunnel archway brimmed with ornate sculptures of gods and heroes. New light beckoned on the other side, as did two rows of buildings, most bereft of roofs, with their alabaster columns serving as elegant support beams.

The old station was barely alive. The remains of skeletons under the scorching sun, for the true hubbub lay in the city centre. Only a handful of men lingered in the building to the right, some toying with parking flags and whistles, while others stood in line for the train's arrival. Their countenances were rather dour, and they all but darkened as the commotion outside intensified.

It was the eve of the final day of Uryanwarsa, and after that long-awaited day passed, everyone would return to their mundane routines. The local military and magical organisations alike had "promises" to uphold.

Each carriage was opened, and the supplies within were meticulously organised by category. However, one peculiar carriage caught the attention of the porters. Its door was ajar on the opposite side. Whether it was an intruder's work or simply the porters' negligence, no one could say for certain since no porters were stationed on that side of the building. No trains ever came from the left track.

Two figures clad in hooded cloths carved with dyed wax managed to sneak out of the freight station building. The bathik cloths veiling their heads were a common sight in this city. Many donned them for shade as far as the eye could see. The sun was particularly merciless here, crueller than in the Western countries in their peak summer.

The light brown hand of one of the figures, Wisesa, clasped the white hand of the other, Alicia, whose fingers were concealed beneath a half-palm silk glove softer than her own skin. He hurriedly led her through the bustling marketplace and vehicular-lined streets. Every now and then, his fingers would inadvertently graze against the Arcane blisters' tissue, causing Alicia to flinch and retract her hand. That hand would never be quite the same. Its sensitivity was forever engrained.

Perhaps due to the importance of the festivity, Wisesa took note of more men clad in striated suits and armed to the teeth. The districts were still bedecked with floral embellishments on each pole. Townspeople were boisterously drumming and imbibing the sajêng brew, while a clamour of inebriated glorifying Yawa resounded in vernacular, denigrating other nations as lowly thralls, dogs full of ulcers. Wisesa bore witness as a platoon of armed men apprehended the intoxicated revellers, dragging them into the chariot and thereby inciting further chaos amongst the neighbours. Irony indeed, he mused, for the expression of nationalist fervour should not be met with punitive actions in this place. It was just that most of them pursued their agenda of conquering states in stealth. Moreover, during major festivals, numerous tourists from various realms thronged to the very heart of present-day Lojitengara.

The ruckus did not seem to vex other partygoers. The gamelans and pasindhans continued their otherworldly tunes, sustenance flowed without stint, and spirits sent them flying. An atmosphere that enabled the two youths to blend in and strut around unseen by the civilian soldiers, all the while making their lungs more congested.

After a stroll of many a long minute through the neighbourhood, they reached an old inn, which offered vistas of a complex of airy, red-roofed buildings with four spires and an emblem of a tree with a sun. The Sunanate Mansion, the present abode of Ratu Lojitengara.

Wisesa immediately sank his frame onto the time-worn mattress, relishing the plushness he had been deprived of for so long, having grown accustomed to slumbering upon wicker rattan. His arms were stretched out to each side to prevent anyone from occupying the space—Alicia included. A sense of home coursed through him, thanks to the nostalgic aura of the dull yellow walls, gleaming brown utensils, and the fragrance of essential oils that soothed his senses. For a fleeting moment, he forgot about their mission to infiltrate the palace. It did not last long though, for Wisesa never forgot nor forgave the atrocities inflicted upon him.

"I can smell that ravenous bastard from here, and my hands are tingling to snap his neck," Wisesa alluded to his father. "Using me as Barong's host, taking my brother's life to save the shamans' lives, then taking Bathara Kala away. All in one night..."

Alicia claimed the small kitchen as her alchemy lab. She was busy brewing something using some plants from Ki Semar's greenhouse and modest kitchen utensils.

"Well, now that we're here, we better get our heads together and make a solid plan, ken?" Alicia's gaze fixed on the hard orange gum that slowly melted with the white-coloured concoction. She threw in a few blades of grass and spices, stirring it with alchemic fervour. "Where is this Pulomas spy that Ki Semar mentioned by the way? Uryanwarsa ends tomorrow. Something needs to be done, now!"

Wisesa got up from the bed. "You're right, though. If they really are useful spies, we shouldn't be here. I don't need to be here. I hate this city," he remarked bitterly.

A knock came from behind the door as they spoke. Wisesa opened the door to find a soldier in a striated shirt with a rifle, like the ones patrolling the city streets. The soldier was all but himself.

"I don't recognize you," said Wisesa in Yawanese.

"So, welcome me into your family," the soldier replied.

The soldier placed a gold pin with the Pulomas emblem into his palm. Wisesa narrowed his gaze before giving a sharp nod. He ushered the soldier inside.

"Speaking of spies...." Wisesa presented his palm to the soldier, introducing him to Alicia. As the soldier removed all his head accessories, Alicia recognised the face beneath.

"You..., Kenthol Badra Kasman Sadya... from Nusakencana?" the lass guessed.

Stolen story; please report.

"Huh? What?" Wisesa scrutinised the soldier once more. Indeed, this was the Kenthol who had sought their aid and that of the Tumaritis village chief. The one Wisesa had mistaken for an enemy—whether it was intentionally or not. Unfortunately, he still was not a man of importance according to Wisesa, so his likeness was easily overlooked. Meeting him now was unlikely to be memorable either.

"I'm impressed she still remembers my name," Badra complimented, leaving it to Wisesa since Yawa's tongue was the only one he could communicate.

Wisesa could not resist a jab. "Your name is short and meaningless. Of course, it's easy to remember for Westerners."

Badra presented a sardonic gaze at the lad's words. But in the end, Wisesa was known as Semar's adopted son fond of satire and reproach, so he tolerated.

Badra put down his rifle and sat cross-legged on the floor. After pouring the lumpy stew into three homemade tubes, Alicia came to him and sat kneeling as well. Wisesa joined them with his legs stretched out. A sigh escaped from the lad's mouth, as it seemed inevitable that he would have to be the interpreter for the Pulomas spy.

"So? Ask him since when he became a spy here," Alicia requested. Wisesa feebly sent the message to Badra through a series of Yawanese sentences.

Badra said it in his mother tongue while Wisesa translated it. "Well, not long after we returned from Nusakencana, the Duchy of Pulomas summoned him and some brave men up to infiltrate the border of Alas Purwo and pose as civil guards. They were trying to gather information regarding the contents of the royal ultimatum and would report all of it when Semar's troops crossed the border. Unfortunately, so far, he had found nothing of significance. None of his buddies knew what was in the ultimatum, 'cause it was only known to those who could do magic. Heh, these morons, unbelievable! What exactly was he spying on, anyway? Didn't he ever think of sneaking around, eavesdropping on shamans or something? Oh well, Pulomas is fucked...!"

That last sentence was definitely not Kenthol Badra's outburst. Alicia chided Wisesa with a pinch to his arm and an angry glare. Badra's tongue was clenched as the young ones seemed to be more preoccupied with each other than the situation at hand. No wonder they were mistaken for lovers.

"Alright, alright!" Wisesa conceded. "One day, Badra saw this huge stone cube getting carted off to a magic vault in the palace. From what he heard from the soldiers, he found out that whatever the Alas Purwo Sunanate had planned to unleash was inside that massive stone box, guarded by a bunch of shamans from all over Lojitengara, including the Leyaks from Girah."

The spy's voice quavered, his face contorting with pangs of distress. Wisesa lent an ear before relaying the message to the lass. "Listen, listen, this one's quite 'emotional'," Wisesa interjected with a jibe. There was a chuckle as he said it; the spy could not even recall if he let out a laugh as he spoke. "Now he's the last man standing 'cause the other spies were 'dealt with' before the kingdom's grand scheme got revealed. Yup, some of them were in the know about the plan, as the Kenthol disclosed. So, technically speaking, we're taking their place. And this guy here? All he's done is play pretend as a civil guard on enemy turf. Great job, Kenthol Badra!" He patted the man on the shoulder with a sardonic grin. Badra, too dense to perceive Wisesa's mockery, nodded slowly with an awkward smile.

Alicia shook her head in disbelief. "Wisesa, was that necessary?"

"Of course it was! I need it! By the way, you have a theory about the contents of the stone, right? Spill him what you found out."

"It's not a theory, it's a fact! The necromancer told me everything, remember?" Alicia growled. She turned her gaze to Badra. "Alas Purwo took Bathara Kala from his tomb prison. They intend to resurrect him in order to perform a forbidden ritual: swallowing the moon and sucking the lives of Pulomas children as a result!"

Wisesa translated the lass' words. Badra's eyes widened as he could hear his heart slowly quickened. He shook his head and clasped his hands on his thighs. He told Wisesa that it had been a long time since he had heard the saga of Bathara Kala, and he believed that no one knew where the Moon-Eating shaman was buried before. A brief but intense conversation between the two men ensued, and he learnt that Wisesa and Alicia had taken the time to play around at the Mragprabhu Barong Temple, and found its empty tomb. However, the Pulomas spy had not been told about the recent mourning at Tumaritis, let alone the fact that before his very face was the Barong-possessed or the fact that there were now only three Aspects of Sukra.

The Nusakancana Kenthol finished speaking. Wisesa interpreted, "We must find out the whereabouts of Bathara Kala before we take any further steps."

"Aye. Of course. We should do it right away," Alicia concurred. "We can sneak in and split up. I see the palace is in full swing. Surely ye have a magic that makes yer body invisible, eh?"

Upon hearing the girl's frivolous suggestion, Wisesa dismissed it out of hand. "No, you cannot. Gaining entry to the palace recklessly is impossible!"

"What does that mean?"

"Alas Purwo Palace is not only filled with warriors, but also inhabited by many shamans—most of them are like, high-level shamans, so they can scan and sense mana fluctuations in the form of uninvited magic power. In other words, we can't do magic there if we don't want to get caught."

"Do you also mean that Orb cannot be carried?"

"Let alone that thing."

Badra seemed to be adding something to Wisesa. It was quite an unexpected turn of events, for who would have thought that a mere spy could come up with such a brilliant notion? Wisesa's face lit up slightly, nodding in impressed agreement.

Alicia's curiosity was piqued. "What, what did he say?"

"The atmosphere of Uryanwarsa is still very much alive, and the palace is set to welcome esteemed guests from various states," explained Wisesa. "Badra said that the palace will hold a grand feast for two nights to conclude the harvest celebration. And get this, the Sunanate is even hiring foreign maids to attract and enliven the festivities! I mean, who doesn't love maids?"

Wisesa's words trailed off, and Alicia fell deep into thought. Suddenly, an inspiration struck her, and her eyes widened. She shook her head slowly. A denial of her own thinking.

"No way."

"Yeah way. Very, very, yeah way."

"The Alas Purwo Sunanate is looking for me too, Wisesa!"

Badra gave another explanation. Wisesa, once again, agreed with the spy's statement. "They know about the Kalimasada wielder's existence, but no one knows what it looks like because everyone assigned to look for you never returned."

Alicia's anxiety grew. "W-well. Here's the thing. Even if I want to sneak into the palace as a servant, I don't have a servant costume for myself."

Wisesa's face broke into a sly grin, and he waved his hand disapprovingly. "Alicia, do you know one of the reasons we chose this place?" he asked. "On the ground floor, there's a boutique that stocks maid outfits. The good news is, Badra has already rented one for you."

Alicia could only gulp. Her cheeks were burning. []