"Aw... M-my head... hurts... W-where am I...?"

Not a day went by without pain, and Alicia had experienced another one. Her eyelids felt as if pinned down by blocks as she struggled to pry them. But the pleasant fragrance wafting into her nostrils strengthened the resolve to rouse from yet another stupor. The first time the bookworm lass could remember being knocked out in her sixteen years of life, and she was "addicted" to doing it over and over again. What a weird girl.

Her eyelids managed to flutter, and there appeared brilliant ruby eyes. Through her blurred vision, she made out two female figures—one watching her with concern, the other rummaging through something on a nearby table. Alicia squinted. No avail; Her vision remained as hazy as before. She attempted to reach out for something with her left hand, only to find a light brick wall. Her right hand took the turn to wander, but it too found nothing of significance.

The woman right next to Alicia said to another in the back, “Mbok, anak wadon iki wis eling!”

The woman in the back hurried to the other room.

"What are ye talking about...? Where am I? M-my glasses...!" Alicia stammered, her voice filled with confusion.

The woman turned towards Alicia and responded in the common tongue, "It's okay. You're fine. Drink this first."

A glass of warm drink was handed to Alicia. She did not know what it was; a murky white, almost brown in colour, and a sharp smell of spices. The soreness in her chest made it difficult for her to sit up, but the woman gently guided her into a sitting position, guiding the glass to her lips. Alicia resigned herself. But as soon as she took a sip, she grasped the glass and drained it herself, coughing as she swallowed too quickly.

"Easy, Miss!"

"Sorry. It's... spicy... but delicious." Alicia blushed.

"I'm glad you like it. Now, go back to lying down."

"W-wait! Where are my glasses?"

"Sorry, but your glasses were already broken when they found you."

"What? Oh no, no. Dinnae joke with me, it's nae funny! How am I supposed to see?"

The woman placed her palm on the red-haired girl's chest. There was an unusual force that pushed her spine back against the mattress with no resistance.

"Don't worry, Miss," she assured, "We'll make a new one for you."

But Alicia took up another matter, "Hey, how did you do that—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the door creaked before her, revealing the woman from earlier accompanied by two new women and an elderly man. It should have been an old man, but since Alicia's eyesight was not as good as her eyes’ appearance, all she could discern was the stature of an elderly woman with a hunched body, pot belly, sagging chest, and ample buttocks. Alicia gasped when the voice coming from the assumed individual had a subtle masculine tone!

"Sugeng sonten, young lady. How are you?" the elderly figure greeted.

"You... a man?"

The presumed man laughed. "Of course, I am a man, young lady. But I understand. Judging from your broken glasses, your nearsightedness is quite severe. I will return tomorrow with new glasses from my son. He is a skilled artisan, he can make anything! I hope you can bear with your current state for just a day, young lady."

"You are sure kind, sir..." The Crimsonmane girl flashed a small smile as a sign of formality, yet her sweetness was not lost. "Thank you very much, and sorry for the trouble, Mister...?"

"Call me Badranya, or Nayantaka, or Janggan Smarasanta, or Jurudyah Punta Prasanta Semar." The old man placed one hand on his chest. How dazed her face was upon hearing his many names, while the women present wore slight smiles, amused by her bewildered, petite mien.

"But most call me Ki Semar," he added, "Or Ki Lurah Semar. You are free to call me whatever you prefer."

"I s-see. If so, allow me to introduce myself as well. My name is Alicia Crimsonmane from Caledonia, The Kingdom of Camelot. If it's alright with you, I would like to address you as Ki Semar."

"Camelot?" Ki Semar jerked back. "That's a country far away, Miss Alicia."

Alicia's forehead wrinkled. "Far away? Excuse me, Sir Ki Semar, but where exactly are we?"

"Just 'Ki' Semar, Miss. Ki is what we call 'Mr.' here," Semar clarified.

"A-apologies!"

"It is fine. Regarding where we are now," Ki Semar pretended to clear his throat, before jumping around like an exuberant child demanding sweets from adults. In a foreign language, he proclaimed, “We welcome you, traveler! Set your feet on the island where the nuts are sweeter than grapes, and the water is sweeter than honey." He then switched back to the common language, "Alicia Crimsonmane, welcome to Yawadwipa!"

Hearing Ki Semar mention "Yawadwipa", the lass was dumbfounded. She stared at the other women. They offered the gesture of a sincere welcome too. It was not a form of mischief or some sort.

"Y-Yawadwipa?" Alicia's mouth stammered.

"Exactly!"

Alicia turned around in silence before speaking up again, "Yawadwipa... as the island, part of the Lojitengara Federation?"

"Clever, young lady!" Ki Semar clapped his hands together.

Instead of being flattered by his praise, Alicia nearly screamed. Her breathing was suddenly laboured. She moved at the Thunderkeeper’s lightning speed to peek at what lay behind a pair of wooden jalousies, which she believed as window frames.

This was definitely not Vanir, nor was it Trinketshore. The sun's rays were unable to penetrate the earth due to the dense shade of the surrounding trees. Blurry images of naked children running around and women delicately carrying baskets passed by the window—perhaps returning from the fields. Small houses lined up with pointed triangular roofs. Almost all were simple and one-story, a far cry from the residential scene in Trinketshore. Most of the ground was not paved with asphalt or stones like, but it seemed that the children preferred to play on the raw surface. Perhaps because it was not as blazing as stone when stepped on in the middle of broad daylight.

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"Ellie’s Wrath." Alicia collapsed unknowingly due to her weakened state. The women promptly carried her back to the bed, though she could not stop her babbling.

"How did I get here?"

"Hm? Shouldn’t you know better, young lady? We just found you covered in blood in the barley field. Foul blood, to be precise. And you have a concussion, fortunately not a serious one."

"Blood? N-no, of course, it's blood! All that blood, that deer was the culprit! It stabbed me with scissors in the chest! I-I... I almost died. I always h-hate moments like that...!" Alicia looked down at her shirt, a spot of blood on her bandaged chest. She gasped again, but not for her staunched wound. "Ah! Those druids! I saw the silhouette of Elder Broin in the middle. Perhaps the feeling of being tied up by the creeper was also his doing? H-he sent me here! By the Silent Divine, I messed up again. What will happen to him if he encounters that Deer-Man? Oh no, no, please let nothing harm him!"

Everyone there took turns wondering, what was wrong with this lady? All that mumbling about druids, blood, Deer-Man, and Elder Broin. What did her mutterings mean?

Ki Semar smiled patiently. He sat on the bed, patting her thigh. Even with that gentle pat, Crimsonmane's frantic horse was successfully tamed, without the need for a bridle. Slowly, Ki Semar chanted, "Please, can you let your nose inhale first? When you feel calm, come, tell me if you are actually lost?"

Alicia followed Ki Semar's wishes. Her heart returned to a steady rhythm. "Yes, and no, Ki Semar," she replied.

"Why would you answer that?" Ki Semar asked back.

Suddenly, doubts rose inside her. "Can I trust you? I... have had many unpleasant experiences meeting strangers lately."

"You’re a fugitive to lots of people."

Alicia just looked down.

Ki Semar replied to Alicia's silence with some warm words. "I'm the village chief here. My appearance may be compromising—you'll find out when you get the glasses later. However, when anyone sets foot on this land as a friend, they are my family. My wife’s shishyas over here, their children and parents, even travellers from other worlds, should be regarded by me as relatives. Family members keep other family members away from danger and misfortune. So, whatever you say here, no harm will come to you, if you are of good faith!"

Alicia's lips were still pressed tightly together. But Alicia seemed to have no choice unless she wanted to find the Child of Prophecy or way home on her own. She might have to explore every corner of the Lojitengara archipelago. She would be too old to explore the entire region and find nothing!

"It's a long story. I'm not sure you have all day to listen to me. But I have the mandate to find some talented individuals and one of them is in Lojitengara... Elder Broin must have used magic to send me to one of their locations while preventing me from being captured by those hunting me..."

The moment the phrase “some talented individuals” slipped from her lips, she realised that there was something odd about herself. There was also something odd about this room, and this atmosphere. Alicia did not hear the typical chirping. Or songs. Except for the sound of them talking, there was only a breeze through the leaves.

"Orb!" She really screamed this time.

Everyone gasped. Presumably, this red-haired girl had a mental disorder, those female shishyas thought.

"What's wrong, dear?" Ki Semar tried to calm the horse that had turned wild.

"Where’s Orb? Where have you hidden it?"

"We don't know what you mean, young lady."

"Really? With all due respect, I'm tired of people lying to me!"

"Miss, you shouldn't say that to Ki Semar!" said one of the women. Alicia ignored them. She kept demanding an explanation for the absence of the blue glowing glass orb that should have been lying on the bedside table, greeting her when she woke up. Really, let alone the orb, there was not even a bedside table!

Alicia had not stopped searching under her pillow, hoping for a miracle for the Child of Miracles.

"What is it that you're looking for?" asked the headman again.

Alicia grumbled. She could not help but explain it to Ki Semar. "An orb. A magic glass orb. It contains magic. It may not be relevant in the shamanic scene of Yawadwipa, but it's a very important thing, even for the whole world. You should have also found it where I was lying. You couldn't have missed it, because it glowed pure light!"

"But they brought me nothing but you, Miss Alicia."

"What?"

"Yes. Just you, and you alone."

"Who carried me here?"

"Two barley farmers."

"Then I must meet them!" The lass made another attempt to get up. Her chest pain was not a problem. What mattered was when the women from Ki Semar's wife's upbringing came to restrain her. Alicia thrashed about. It almost looked like a sedation session for the mentally ill.

"Alicia, your body is still very weak. Please give yourself some rest!" pleaded Headman Semar. "Let me find the two farmers later."

"Nae danger! Now! It has to be now! What if they sell Orb? Or some foreigner stole it? There's no way we can track them down after that. Let me go!"

A loud cough alleviated the tumult. Ki Semar turned around, and a wroth-looking young man was found leaning against the doorway.

"You! Are you one of the farmers? Give me the blue orb now! Please!" Alicia shouted, accusing the stranger. Her right hand already presented a tensed forefinger, while the left fist was tightly clenched.

The young man failed to relax by the door. His eyes were glaring at Alicia, his body backwards, uptight. An attitude of a thief who had been caught red-handed, but still acting a fool.

Ki Semar's patience was endless in soothing Alicia's emotions. "Patience, Miss. This man is not the farmer who found you. He's one of my foster children. He looks after the pigs."

The son in question turned to the headman with an irate look. He opined that his dignity had been thrown into the pit of Tartarus when his profession was mentioned in front of a Western woman, most likely the offspring of a conglomerate—a girl that beautiful was impossible not to be the daughter of a conglomerate, he thought. But a lawful job was a lawful job. He should have been proud of his field expertise.

“Wong wedok lulang abang iki ngapa?” The young man in the brown shirt opened his voice to Ki Semar in Yawa's tongue. Once again, an unfamiliar conversation in Alicia's ears.

“Boten wonte punapa-punapa, lare kula.”

“Aku kira pakde arep dadakne wadon iki gundik anyar.”

“Hissh!” Ki Semar raised his hand in an attitude of rebuke. One of the women there also raised her eyes. “Sembarangan, panjenengan! Ampun ngandika makoten dumugi tamu!”

“Nyate aku praduli? Toh, wong wedok goblok kuwi ora ngudaneni apa sing awake dhewe tuturke iki!”

“Sampun ta! Wonten betah punapa panjenengan mriki?”

“Aku arep jupuk pitik desa kanggo madhang wengi.”

One did not know what the father and son were talking about. Ki Semar just sighed and sent him away with a wave of his hand. The young lad made a fleeting glance towards Alicia. Alicia, blind as she was, had time to gander back. To her delight, the myopic lass did not have to see how low the lad looked at her. He shook his head and disappeared from the scene.

"What... was that?" Alicia asked the headman.

"Nothing, Miss. Sorry if he was rude to you."

"I couldn't see or understand your conversation, Ki Semar." Alicia then brought up the topic again, "So, what about Orb? I need to find it right away!"

"The farmers must be staying in the fields. But Miss, there's no need to worry. The nearest trading center is two days away, and no men here can afford engine carriages. There's no way those two farmers could have gotten there if they had stolen what didn't belong to them. You will be reunited by your favorite object."

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you be so unsure?" Semar asked back. "If the orb is your destiny, then it will return no matter what. Nothing is ever lost from the grasp of your hand, Miss."

The saying at least toned Alicia down to the state of brief pensive. "Please tell me that my red robe isn't missing either. It was... a gift from Mama..."

“That tufted robe? Worry not, it's being washed along with the other clothes."

Lucky her, the only reminder of Alicia's mother did not disappear into the earth. Alicia Crimsonmane could breathe a sigh of relief.

"For now, the sun is setting. Go and enjoy the sunset in Yawadwipa while you can."

A shishya offered Alicia a wheelchair. []