The stench of sulfur and wet earth tore through Satya's nose, ripping away the lingering memory of his soft mattress and the hum of his room's air conditioner. He jolted awake, his body stiff and sore—as if every organ had just been dragged through a dimensional washing machine.
He was in the Great Forest, the heart of Buto Ijo's Territory in Jawa Dwipa.
The canopy above him was impossibly thick—the tree trunks wider than SUVs—allowing only slivers of moonlight to pierce through. When he raised his hand, what he saw made him gasp: his veins shimmered with a dark violet mist, and between his fingers, the weak moonlight vanished—absorbed.
Fear surged through him. His shadow stood upright beside him, mimicking his shape but taller, broader, and terrifying. It pulsed, as if it were breathing.
A raspy laugh echoed from the bushes. Gundul Pringis.
As Satya stumbled backward, the creature lunged from the darkness. Satya wished for nothing more than to vanish.
At that exact moment, the Shadow beside him reacted. In an instant, Satya felt himself pulled into a cold current. His body dissolved into darkness—then reappeared beneath another tree. He had performed Shadow Step instinctively, slipping through the shadows themselves.
Gundul Pringis screeched in disbelief.
"Shadow teleportation? Shadow Step? Impossible! That's an advanced technique!"
As the darkness began to fade, Satya saw a tall, hunched figure standing over him. The man's gaze shifted from Satya to the faint violet shadow flickering nearby.
"A Shadow… and a boy from another world," the old man murmured, his voice soft yet commanding.
"You arrived just in time. Gundul Pringis is a border sentinel of Buto Ijo. Your arrival has already been noticed."
He straightened slightly, eyes glowing like embers beneath his wrinkled brow.
"My name is Mbah Jono. You have much to learn, Satya Dirgantara—and little time to do so. The Archdemon Buto Ijo will soon unleash his full army."
---
Satya awoke again to the crackle of burning wood and the warm scent of lemongrass tea. He was inside a small hut, face-to-face with Mbah Jono.
"You're in Nusantara, in the realm of Jawa Dwipa—the world you've only read about," explained Mbah Jono. "The difference is, here, Legends are physical reality. Nusantara is a realm built upon Balance—the equilibrium between Yin and Yang in every story."
"But Buto Ijo," he continued, "has corrupted that balance. He manipulates the flow of legends, twisting them into decay. His goal is to transform Timun Mas, now reborn as Mutiara, into the Seed of the next Archdemon."
Mbah Jono's tone hardened.
"The Bima Gate resonates with emptiness. When you felt isolated and unseen, you created the same frequency as Nusantara's dark dimension. That resonance awakened your power—the Shadow."
He leaned closer.
"Shadow responds to emotion—rage, frustration, and above all, fear. The greater your fear, the stronger your Shadow. But it comes at a cost. Overuse it, and your Shadow will consume your mind. You must learn to forge it into cold discipline, not wild emotion."
"You must find the Hero Seed before the Archdemon does. Mutiara, the bearer of the Four Sacred Seeds, has escaped. Satya," Mbah Jono said firmly, "you're the only one who can move through darkness undetected. You must find her—and protect her."
---
Mbah Jono led Satya to a training ground divided sharply between light and darkness.
"Your first task: create a stable Shadow in your hand. That Shadow is your anger made solid. Call upon it."
Satya failed several times—forcing the Shadow only made it fade. Then he changed focus, replacing fear with cold indifference.
I don't care about this world. I just want to go home. Use me, Shadow.
This time, the darkness thickened. Satya imagined a blade and condensed the Shadow into form.
SHHHHK!
A blade of pure darkness materialized in his grasp—Umbra Blade. He then tried to Shadow Step toward a marked stone. He succeeded—but the blade vanished, and he collapsed to his knees, utterly drained.
"Exhausted?" Mbah Jono asked calmly. "Shadow feeds on both physical and emotional energy. But you must recover quickly. We'll train until nightfall, Satya. Only under true darkness will you begin to move."
---
As the sun vanished, the darkness became his ally. Shadow energy pulsed through his veins like living blood.
He summoned two Umbra Blades effortlessly. Then Mbah Jono taught him the Cloak of Night—drawing shadows from the ground to shroud himself.
WHOOSH.
A deep violet aura enveloped Satya, forming a rippling silhouette rather than fabric. His speed surged—he slid over shadows, confusing even spiritual senses.
Mbah Jono handed him a bark-made map.
"Mutiara is southeast of the Great Forest, near Buto Ijo's borderlands. The Archdemon has sent his general, Kebo Edan, to hunt her down. Your mission is not to fight, but to be the Shadow."
Then, a warning.
"As you move, you'll hear voices—echoes of your world. They are Shadow Whispers, illusions sent by Buto Ijo. Remember: calmness and discipline, Satya. When you hear the whispers, strengthen your Shadow—and it will silence them."