The gray clouds in the sky, releasing millions of raindrops, were the first sight I beheld as my eyes opened. My body was tossed upon the fierce waves in the midst of a great storm, upon a warship soon to be lost to the sea. The bombardment from dozens of cannons had finally pierced the hull of the largest and most formidable ship upon the ocean. The vessel tilted 60 degrees to the left, causing objects to shift toward one side.
A wooden crate struck my head before crashing into the railing and plummeting into the sea. I too would have met the same fate had it not been for a jutting mast that broke my fall. My breath was shallow and labored. The ship was ablaze, its fire licking at anything it could consume. The torrential rain failed to quench the flames, instead worsening the situation. Another explosion sounded from the ship's hull. The deafening roar of it shook the entire vessel. Thick smoke billowed, pushed by the wind, straight toward the deck where I lay.
Had my body the strength to move, I would have saved myself, but I could not. A stab wound in my stomach held me fast on this ship, draining my blood, energy, and hope. In addition to the bruises and other injuries I had sustained, I could only feel gratitude that I had not yet perished.
The sound of cannons firing rang out, one after another, accompanied by the clanging of metal and the rumbling thunder above. The ship's engines roared louder, indifferent to the chaos. They turned a blind eye to the hundreds of thousands who had fallen or were wounded, all for the sake of victory that each side sought. No one had the intention of yielding. Strike and conquer—that was the goal of all who sailed these seas.
And so it was for me too, as I fell short of fulfilling the hopes of all. The pain from my wound began to deaden all my senses. I could neither move, hear, nor see. The only thing left to me was to surrender to my fate, embraced by the darkness that began to envelop me. This calm was the only luxury I had never experienced during the chaos of war. For some reason, I was reminded of a time long past. A time when I had known such tranquility, when my body floated in another dimension. Suddenly, I found myself longing for those days.
The days when I... began it all.
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'Bald' was his nickname. It was taken from his short, military-style haircut. Whenever his hair grew too long, he would trim it to the same length. This is why the name 'Botak' was always attached to him. However, only his peers dared call him by that name. For those of us who were still new members, doing so would be tantamount to courting death.
"Hey, Shorty! Pass me the soy sauce!" came his command from across the fire.
My hand trembled upon hearing his startling voice, as I tried to pass him a bottle of sweet soy sauce from the plastic bag. The only light in the darkness came from the campfire and oil lamps. As I attempted to give it to him, a sudden gust of mountain wind combined with my less-than-keen eyes caused me to drop the bottle by accident.
"Hey, you fool! Hand it over carefully!!" he scolded me in a sharp voice.
"I-I'm sorry, Kak Indra!" I stammered.
Hurriedly, I picked up the bottle and handed it to him. For a brief moment, his gaze pierced into me deeply. I swallowed hard, observing his arm muscles, which were almost perfectly formed. With the backdrop of towering trees bathed in the firelight, he looked like a soldier surviving in the wild.
Indra Pradipta, or 'The Bald,' was a man who spent almost all his free time working out and building his muscles. It was no surprise that his physique rivaled that of professional bodybuilders who often appeared on television. With his stature, not only were the schoolboys intimidated, but I was certain many grown men would also think twice before challenging him. Added to that was his somewhat stern and strict nature, regardless of whether one was a man or a woman like me. Indeed, this man was the living embodiment of the stern senior one often encounters in novels.
"Haha. Don't be so harsh, Captain! You're scaring Anggi," chimed in a girl who had just arrived, reaching over to ruffle my hair. Her hand, still dusty from gathering firewood in the forest, left dirt and debris in my hair. She then placed the firewood near the large camp tent.
"Is that all it takes to scare you? I only asked for help!" he replied.
"If you want help, you should ask kindly, not with those muscles of yours!"
At this moment, I was participating in the initiation of new members of the Tae Kwon Do club on the slopes of a mountain. This place, far from the city and the noise of civilization, had an untamed natural atmosphere, perfect for tempering the spirits of the new recruits.
"Don't take it to heart! His words may be harsh, but his heart is kind," the girl said.
"I-I see!" I responded.
Shella Rinjani, a senior in the same year as Kak Indra, was a sisterly figure who always encouraged and listened to others' woes with great care. She was the type of older sibling one could rely on. With her oriental features, she was quite popular among the boys. It seemed many members of the Tae Kwon Do club joined just to be near her.
But that wasn't an issue for me. I'd rather become a hundred times stronger than I was now. As I mentioned earlier, I was short and small. My height was only 138 cm, even among teenage girls, I was considered quite short. This condition often made me the target of teasing, with names like 'shorty' or 'squirt' being thrown my way. Of course, it hurt, but I had grown used to it, and the words seemed to become my middle name.
I didn't want to be known as 'Shorty' any longer, or at least, I wanted to gain one redeeming quality that people could see. Perhaps I could be known by another name if I became skilled in martial arts. I could also strengthen my mental fortitude in case anyone teased me again. If I'm honest, I had another reason for joining this club.
"Where's Dimas?" Shella asked, suddenly tapping me on the shoulder from behind.
Startled, I let out a high-pitched scream. Kak Indra immediately squinted his eyes in my direction, perhaps annoyed by the noise.
I decided to ignore him and turned to Shella. "Dimas went to the river. He said he wanted to wash his clothes because he fell into the mud earlier."
"Hmm, I see. I actually wanted to ask him to help me cook. I think he said he would help. Can he cook?"
"Of course, he can. He's the son of a restaurant owner. No need to ask about his cooking skills. I guarantee it'll taste delicious." It seemed my answer put her doubts to rest. "Should I call him?"
"If you could, I'd really appreciate it," Shella said with a wide smile.
"Alright, I'll go get him."
"Be careful! Don't get eaten by a crocodile!" Kak Indra jested. Crocodiles were nearly impossible to find in the shallow river, let alone in this mountain region. But his serious expression made it hard to tell if he was joking.
Feeling intimidated, I simply nodded without responding and quickly left. Behind me, I could hear Shella lightly laughing, likely having swatted the captain for scaring me earlier.
Ignoring the laughter, I ventured forward. Armed with only the light from my phone's flashlight, I took careful steps. The surroundings were very dark, and I had to watch where I stepped if I didn't want to trip. Besides being rocky, the narrow path was filled with roots growing on either side.
Fear crept into me, and I instinctively glanced around whenever I heard an animal noise. Occasionally, I heard the rustle of birds perched on tree branches above, and several times I heard what seemed like the howl of wolves. My naturally cowardly nature made my skin crawl every time I heard an unknown sound. But I decided to hold my fear in check and quickened my pace to find Dimas as soon as possible.
The further I walked, the clearer the sound of flowing water became. A cold wind whistled through the trees, brushing against my body. I wrapped my arms around myself for warmth and pushed on through the wind.
When the sound of the water reached a point where it was unmistakable, I arrived at the edge of a fairly large river. The current was not too strong, and the sound it made was peaceful, creating a calming atmosphere amidst the otherwise foreboding forest.
Suddenly, my ears caught an unusual sound from the water. It was rougher and different from the usual flow of the river. I turned toward the source of the noise and saw water falling rapidly from a piece of clothing being squeezed.
"Dimas!" I called to the person sitting on a rock, not far from where I stood by the riverbank.
Whether it was because my voice was too soft or because he was focused on washing his clothes, he didn't hear me. I couldn't call out any louder, so I walked closer to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey!" I said, giving his bare shoulder a firm tap.
Dimas was slightly startled by my sudden appearance. His face showed a hint of irritation, but he held back when he saw that it was me.
"Damn you! You scared me!" he exclaimed, splashing river water in my direction. My shirt got wet as a result. After venting his frustration, he smiled with amusement at his little retaliation.
"Hey, why'd you do that? I wasn't trying to scare you."
"Intentional or not, you still scared me, Dummy!" Dimas retorted. Realizing I wasn't going to retaliate, he continued, "What are you doing here? If you just want to annoy me, you'd better leave!"
"Mean! You promised Kak Shella you'd help her cook, right? Now she's waiting for you."
"Ah, right! Fine, but wait until I'm done washing my clothes first."
He tossed his clothes back into the water and began scrubbing them with a rock, cleaning the dirty parts. Once done, he repeated the process on another section.
I sat on a rock by the river and waited for Dimas to finish. His upper body was bare, so I had a clear view of him from behind. His arm and back muscles, though not as perfect as Indra's, were starting to take shape like an athlete. He had an ideal physique, the type of man I admired.
If he kept building his muscles, would he end up like Indra, I wondered? And with a buzz cut on top of that. Just imagining it made me smile a little.
"Hey... are you crazy?! Why are you laughing to yourself?" Dimas teased, hearing my laughter.
A little embarrassed, I lowered my face. "No, I'm just laughing at myself."
He gave me a curious look, then burst into laughter, shaking his head. It was clear to me now why so many girls were infatuated with him. Dimas looked so sweet when he smiled. I was probably one of the people who had seen his smile the most, but none of them made me fall for him the way other girls did.
This boy, Dimas Permana, was my childhood friend. I'd known him since we were seven years old, back in elementary school. He had a fair face with an extremely sharp nose, almost like someone from the Arabian Peninsula, perhaps inherited from his father's Yemeni heritage. His height was something to be proud of, especially for a teenager just entering high school. His handsome features made him quite popular among the girls at school.
He may not have been the brightest academically, but when it came to non-academic matters, he was no slouch. In athletics and sports, he was always the champion of his year. Dimas also had impressive martial arts skills. He had once practiced pencak silat and now he was trying to join Tae Kwon Do.
When I was often bullied for my height in middle school, he was the first one to stand up for me. His relatively stocky build, even in middle school, intimidated the bullies, who were mostly thin, and they quickly backed off, leaving me alone. I could have endured the bullying on my own, but when someone stands up for you, it's different. I often couldn't hold back my emotions, and tears would fall. From that moment on, Dimas always teased me for being a crybaby.
He was so full of himself, acting like a hero in front of me. He forgot that I was the one who helped him study and do his homework. If he kept acting like that, I might start teasing him with the hardest lessons for his brain to comprehend. I suddenly found myself laughing without meaning to.
"The first time I met you, I thought you were weird. But now, I'm sure you're even weirder than before!" he said with a laugh.
Although his words were sometimes harsh, I knew his heart wasn't like that. I could say that because I'd known him for so long.
"Let's go back! I want to change clothes!" Dimas said after wringing out his clothes. "I hope they dry by tomorrow morning."
I nodded quietly. He stepped off the rock, holding his wet clothes, and began walking along the riverbank with his upper body exposed. It seemed quite extreme, especially with the cold mountain winds blowing. The low temperatures at night didn't help either. That might not bother Dimas, but just imagining it made me feel weak and dizzy.
Right behind him, I followed. Our difference in stride length widened the distance between us several times. Rather than asking him to slow down, I tried to match his pace. Walking quickly on the small stones by the riverbank was difficult. I almost lost my balance when the stone I stepped on suddenly rolled to the side. I deliberately didn't tell Dimas to avoid making him think I was weak. At the same time, I didn't want to worry him.
Suddenly, my eyes caught a golden flash from the riverbed. I stopped in my tracks and stared at it intently. I couldn't explain why, but I was so curious about it. It might have been a piece of metal. But I quickly dismissed that thought. Even if it were metal, it would be impossible for it to reflect light without a source. The forest was too dark. The only light available was from my phone's flashlight and the dim moonlight, both of which seemed too weak to penetrate the river.
"Hey, what's up?" Dimas asked, noticing I had stopped. But I ignored him. A moment later, the golden flash appeared again, brighter and clearer, making me believe it wasn't just a trick of the eyes.
"Look!? Do you see the light?" I said, pointing at the mysterious light, which had now vanished.
"Light!? I don't see anything. Did something get in your eyes?"
I could see the sincerity in his face. Dimas liked to joke, but after all these years together, I could tell when he was joking and when he was serious. The light flickered again, but Dimas still claimed he didn't see it.
This was strange. I could see it very clearly. Without thinking, I stepped into the river after removing my shoes. Ignoring Dimas's continued shouts for me to stop, I was stepping outside of his responsibility if anything went wrong. The cold water and the sharp rocks beneath my feet hit me at once. Slowly, I continued moving toward the flashing golden light.
The deeper I waded into the river, the higher the water rose, swallowing more of my body. It was deeper than I expected. The current grew stronger as I ventured further, but my curiosity pushed me on, and I took step after step toward the light.
Suddenly, I lost my footing. I hadn't anticipated how much deeper the water would become. The strong current pulled me under, and I touched the riverbed. I tried flailing my arms and kicking the riverbed to return to the surface, but with each passing moment, my breath became more strained, as though something was choking me.
That's when I realized—I couldn't swim.
I struggled, doing my best to keep from sinking, but it was futile. Just when I thought the riverbed would be my final resting place, something pulled me upward, giving me a chance to survive for just a minute more. At the very moment I was at the river's bottom, my eyes fixed on something— the golden light I had seen earlier.
The riverbed was so dark, but I could still see the light. With all my might, I tried to move toward it.
But something held me back. A strong force yanked me upwards. I turned and saw Dimas, who was pulling me up with all his strength. I resisted, not because I didn't want to be saved, but because I wanted to reach that light on my own. I extended my hand to touch it, but not a single finger grazed it. Finally, Dimas used all his might to pull me back to the surface.
"Haah ... hhh."
A few moments later, I inhaled as much oxygen as I could after emerging from the water. Dimas dragged me to the riverbank, away from the place where I had nearly lost my life.
I bent over, coughing up water that had entered my lungs. The sensation of water in my lungs made me gasp for air, but it was better than being lost at the river's bottom forever. I was lucky to still be alive and to share my experience between life and death the next day. If Dimas hadn't helped me, I might not be here now—.
"Idiot!!! What the hell were you thinking!?" Dimas shouted, his voice fierce. "Why would you recklessly challenge danger? How many lives do you think you have? Do you think I'll always be here to save you? What if I hadn't been here? You'd be dead by now!!"
His words rattled my heart, cracking it but not breaking it. But he was right. It was all my fault. I felt ashamed. So deeply ashamed and regretful that Dimas, who had always been kind to me, was furious. Everything that happened made me lower my head and murmur, "I'm sorry! I was wrong."
Dimas didn't say anything in response. He just looked at me with a sympathetic expression, then scratched his head and sighed. "It's fine! The important thing is that you're alive. Let's go back to the camp and dry off." He turned away, muttering, "Damn it! Not just my clothes, now my whole body's soaked!"
As he walked away, I gathered the courage to lift my head. Deep inside, I was immensely grateful and regretful toward Dimas. Grateful for saving me, and regretful for making him worry.
After ensuring he had gone far enough, I opened my hand. In the palm of my right hand, there was a
small polygonal object, etched with an eight-pointed star. It had two opposing sides. One side was slightly raised, bearing markings that resembled ancient script. The flat side had a small hook and a pin-like needle. Wasn't this a type of pin?
I examined it closely again. There was no doubt—this was the source of the golden light I had seen earlier at the bottom of the river. I was sure of it. After I picked up this object, I didn't see any more golden flashes from the water. What puzzled me was that the object no longer shone after I brought it to the surface. It was as if the object was signaling me to take it out of the river.
"What is this thing, really?"