With their vigour restored, Semar and his two sons dashed through the forsaken edifice with lightning speed. Gareng was the first to spot the bony necklace hanging on the porch of a ramshackle abode lacking a door, and with lightning speed also, they hastened to the palace grounds and tethered the Nightmare Snare to Bathara Kala's colossal tress. The rhythmic pounding of mortar resounded anew at Alas Purwo's dawn, as Gareng meticulously tempered his pestle to avoid shattering the container housing the grain. Meanwhile, Semar and Petruk were already whispering prayers with a dance of lips and hands.
The scream of Bathara Kala startled the heavens and earth for the umpteenth time. The rooster's maw gaped but was rendered mute; it could never contend with the heart-thumping siren of woe. It was impossible for the lands outside Yawadwipa not to hear the sound, for it was so immense the clouds rippled, surging in waves to the edge of infinity. The heavens were on the brink of collapse.
His cry was not one of anger, but rather, lamentation, so poignant in its sorrow that even Alicia's tiny heart could not feign indifference. She was compelled to pat her chest in sympathy. Yet the only worthy response to such misery was to banish the Khaos-infused soul to its rightful abode, Hades.
Wisesa clutched Alicia's coat on both sides as they soared through the sky, the umpteenth time they had done so, hoping it would be the last. Alicia embraced Orb with all her might. Her legs, weakened by the chill wind, trembled violently, sending shivers down her spine. Her gaze remained fixed on the Giant Head that appeared more minuscule in the distance, eclipsing even the sun.
Bathara Kala had stopped at the fifth sky, two planes short of piercing the earth's threshold. The once blue vista, enveloped in the morning light, had been replaced by an eternal night of moon and stars whose glimmers waned. The distance was too vast. Alicia stole a glance downward only to gaze skywards again, stricken by nausea and regret. Yawadwipa was nought but a narrow, elongated isle, with Alas Purwo and Pulomas but a step away. The fifth sky proved to be inhospitable, causing the two adolescents to shudder with chattering teeth. Their lungs ached for air. Bathara Kala's bellow shattered their eardrums.
"By the soul of Durga!" Wisesa shouted. "I didn't realise the Nightmare Bearer had nightmares too! How stupid of us not to bring earplugs!"
Alicia, who was struggling to hear, responded with a bewildered, "Wh-what did ye say?"
"What? You say what?"
"I can't hear ye clearly, Wisesa!"
Wisesa decided to ignore Alicia's plight and pressed on. He carefully avoided the trail of purple flames that flickered beneath Bathara Kala, until they landed on his forehead.
"Okay, okay..." Alicia whispered as she knelt in the wrinkles of Kala's forehead, while Wisesa lay behind her, trembling. "You can do this, Alicia," she muttered to herself. But then fear returned to grip like an old friend. The fear of having her head explode. The fear of death. "No... You will live. You're not the Arcane wielders from ages ago. You're not Roma's Arcane wielders now." Her voice was above a whisper. "Fear is just part of the Empathy Curse. It won't gnaw you. Let's finish this... Let's finish this quickly...!"
Alicia plunged the Arcane Thread into Bathara Kala's head and was instantly thrown back by the shock!
Blood once again burst from her face's orifices. She could feel her head splitting into two. Another sample offered from Lady Death.
"Clipe, clipe, clipe!" Alicia rubbed her aching head. "This is too hard! Too hard!"
Once more, Alicia! Orb made a high-pitched chirping noise, fast and loud. You must try again! Purify him!
Reluctantly, Alicia tormented herself again out of her faith in Orb, and her heart leapt into her throat once more, nearly causing her to fall into the sky. Blood trickling from her nose and ears intensified. She forgot how to breathe.
"Nae danger! I might die doing this!" Alicia screamed like mad and then cried, curling up on the scalp beside Orb.
But Orb sparked to arouse her. You will not die! it hummed. Not now, Alicia! You must be strong! I am with you!
"Easy for ye to say! A flash of white blinded me, Orb!" Alicia complained. Her expression still conveyed abject horror. This was surely the most painful Curse of Empathy she had ever experienced. "I can bear the pain in my skin, muscles, and bones, but not the shot that destroyed my brain and the unnatural fear that comes with it! I'm feart for he's giving me fear!"
But Orb paid no attention to her complaints, assuming it had ears. Nevertheless, you must fight against that supernatural fear and liberate this poor head from Khaos! Listen, dear Alicia, I make you one more promise: the pain of purifying Bathara Kala is just the beginning. All the purifying you've done is only the start. Your next journey will be worse than this. The agony you will endure will be beyond the understanding of any human but me. I know! You will suffer.
Alicia's breath caught in her throat when she heard this. "And ... and I cannae pretend I'm not irritated by yer cheery tone! Ye love tae stress that I'm gonna be miserable! You're not willing to offer any words of hope this time, are ye, Orb?"
Because I am your hope! Don't you see that by now?
The orb's white eyes widened even more when Alicia looked at it, causing the lass to shake her head and tears escaped her eyes again. She had come this far, but sometimes doubt, even just a speck of it, clouded all those experiences.
What limits men are their faith and fear, remember? Orb added. Fear won't kill you. Fear is what makes the earth spin and civilisation thrive. Only when you stop running from it.
Her ballmate's white eye shook and rolled, almost as if it was pleading. Alicia berated herself but resisted the impulse to punch her own face, thinking that Orb would electrocute her for that. Thus she chose to punch the Moon Eater's scalp instead. However, she sensed her vitality diminishing, her body too tired from the lack of air. Further screaming or crying would only serve her a syncope at any moment. All she could do was grit her teeth, widen her eyes, and furrow her brows.
You may not have been with me long, but you have grown so much and learned so much, Orb encouraged. Don't throw it all away now. I'm with you!
Alicia nodded and grabbed the threads of Divine Grace once more.
Semar and his children can't give you any more time. You and Wisesa have no more time. Purify now!
Alicia quickly re-anchored all the Arcane shackles onto the points of the Giant's Head, but this time, she made sure to hold the threads tightly. The episode of the Empathic Curse exploded the contents of her head again. The ringing of her ears overpowered the lament of Bathara Kala. But Alicia knew what she must do. She leaned down and kissed the surface of the giant's scalp, ensuring her Arcane connection would not be severed. Fear ravaged her heart, but she fought back by screaming as loudly as she could. She was battling an Unreasonable Fear. Her mandate was not yet complete. It was not yet time to die. Alicia only had to hold on to those brief facts with Orb and nothing else.
And then, a surge of energy flooded through her. Alicia knelt still, gaping. All her emotions suddenly vanished. Her eyes shone bright blue, and at that moment she was someone else. The surge contagiously travelled through the Moon Eater's head.
The mauve light was overwhelmed by a brilliant blue.
And then, the sky exploded.
The vague clouds were falling.
Khaos' fiery tongue was extinguished.
The entire Lojitengara Federation was left blinded. But as the light faded, they witnessed another miracle.
The sky was blessed with two stars that lit up the day.
Ignorant people believed they were witnessing the earth-worshipping Sang Hyang Sukra, this time appearing closer than ever before.
But this was not Sukra.
Wisesa was jolted awake by the blue light that pierced his eyelids. Not wanting to get caught up in the conflict between Arcane and Khaos, he floated away from Bathara Kala. And just as he managed to put some distance, the sky flared up again...
***
The Evil Eye became the only colour in the void, bestowing its wrath upon a little girl with a skin-scorching swish of wind. Alicia stood strong far below, so dwarfed in its gaze, and it revelled in looking down upon her. Orb in her hands channelled dancing energy, washing away the black stains that had shrouded the vista and melting into part of the scene itself.
Alicia pressed her fingers firmly against Orb's surface as the Evil Eye spewed a beam of mauve at her, and even as the violent storm of wrath created sparks on her suit, Alicia did not flinch. Her unshakable faith prevented her body from being disintegrated. Orb returned the eye's rebuke with a volley of azure amethysts that penetrated its violet iris, shaking the earth and hammering the sky.
"Young lady, please stop!"
Alicia was so fixated on the staring contest with The Evil Eye that she almost failed to notice a human figure struggling before her. A man with reddish-brown skin, reminiscent of peat soil, reminded her more of Gareng. His eyes were mesmerising and elegant, a stark contrast to the Giant Head's eyes that protruded whenever a vein was severed. However, his prominent nose was the same as Bathara Kala's. Every detail of the glamour green-coloured garb and baubles matched precisely with the ushabti Alicia and Wisesa had stolen.
"Are you him?" asked Alicia.
The man nodded. "Please don't do this," he implored.
"Why not? You're defying fate by playing god. You manipulated the tides and climate to your heart's content, and destroyed the senses of many with your illusory control! Three days, countless lives lost, children mostly! And yet again, you're not satisfied with such horrific glory! I hate those who torture children!"
Bathara Kala, now in human form, endeavoured to draw near, yet faltered and proceeded in a crawl. His body looked young and vigorous, but he was dragging himself feebly with both hands, as if attuned to the world that commenced shedding the crusts of Khaos.
"I have to do that," said Bathara Kala. "I don't want to die!" His face contorted then broke into tears. The tears of utter fear.
Alicia was torn between pity and disdain when she witnessed the wailing rob Bathara Kala of his breath. She treaded slowly towards him and crouched down. "I dinnae want to die either...," she said. "To delve into the unknown is scary, and death is a mystery that will never be unfolded. However, I hate to admit that it is inevitable for all of us... even yer victims."
Bathara Kala's tear-laden visage snapped towards her. "I do not fear death because I am ignorant of what lies beyond," he said. "On the contrary, I know."
"You... what?"
"I know."
Alicia froze, her forehead creasing. "Tell me."
"I am a man of learning..." Bathara Kala attempted to rise, despite his entire body convulsing with an uncontrollable tremor. "I've learned many things, yet I still want to learn more. I sought to uncover the secrets of the universe. As the first, and ‘final step’, alas, I am determined to learn about the most commonplace thing in where I come from..., namely death."
With all his gasping breath, screaming sinews, and gnashing bones that threatened to crumble, the Moon Eater finally stood upright. Alicia took a step back with utmost caution. "Lojitengara is a target for many nations," Bathara Kala continued. "Death is commonplace, even part of our culture. I pondered what ensues after our mortal coil's release, and I wanted to witness it for myself. Thus, I embarked upon modest strides: reading the gods' scriptural boasts, then philosophical accounts of death by renowned thinkers, and other tomes on demise. Everything was a jumble, uncertain, contradictory. I imbibed shamanic Knowledges and asked higher entities for wisdom, yet they quibbled with much folly; they lied with their ignorant answers. Another desperate option was to delve into the discipline of Necromancy on the Demon Continent, the art closest to death itself..., and it proved hollow of answers. They draw souls from the underworld and enslave them, sure, but they venture not into the abyss. The nature of the afterlife, the experience of death, and its impact on the soul or consciousness remain a mystery, even to corpse mages."
"How do ye ken, then?"
"A long expedition." Bathara Kala's haunting whisper carried a sharp intensity. "To a site long untouched by human hands. I happened upon an archaic parchment, penned by an unnamed mage who claimed to be entering the state of theosis. I don't know if whether that soul prevailed, yet one line inscribed therein proclaims thus: 'To know the divine nature is to grasp the physical and spiritual natures. To fathom the realm within and the realm beyond. But to be one is to rule both.' And the scroll told me how to see the world of the dead. But I still needed help. So I enlisted for myself a Realm Walker who shared my interest."
As Bathara Kala recounted his story, his face relaxed and his crying turned into sniffles. He took a momentary interlude, his head lowered, then lifted up again with words anew. "We carried out step by step according to the scroll. The Realm Walker was successful. We entered. Alas, instead of gaining inspiration, there were more questions without answers," the Moon Eater's trembling hands slowly scratched his face. His grief gnawed at him again, "and terrors!"
Alicia could not lie that she was curious, too. "What kind of terrors?"
"They promised a realm that would distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. It doesn't exist. That's a lie. The wicked and the pious are mixed together like the world before. I saw flames. Many flames. Countless tongues. Then black edifices, sharp, endless. Your entire fur crawls every time you look up. So vast, yet your nose is choked with air. Unnatural chaos. Good became mad. Wicked became monsters. The insane chase the sane to be killed, so that the killed can be chased again and killed again. Then the sane turn against and kill, then they chase and kill again, then they meet new men, then they kill, then hide, kill, chase, fight, hide, kill, fight, kill—"
"Stop it!" Alicia interrupted. "Dinnae mention them again!"
"You can't even bear it, can you?" guessed Bathara Kala. "My friend, the Realm Walker, couldn't bear it either. He went without sleep for months, fearing that death would claim him suddenly. Until his body couldn't bear the weight and death claimed him suddenly. I don't want to die, young lady. I took all the talismans, learnt the healthy life discipline, cultivated my life force..., and outwitted a sly god for a forbidden Knowledge: to slay many babes in a black magic ritual that made me reach a hundred years of age unbeset by senescence. But I was only slowing down ageing, not fully achieving immortality—my body still languished in decay. My enemies were growing in numbers. Too many. Performing theosis was nigh impossible, for even the parchments I had furnished not the complete art. Until one day, inspiration from nowhere came to me: if I couldn't experience theosis, then I would 'become' a god in this world of thaumaturgy. Humans would continue to breed, and I would only need a portion of their population to prolong my life. So I created the magic that you are facing now. Swallow the moon, so that I could gain the moon's abilities. Altering the tides, the climate, and the earth's rotation. Humans would take refuge in my mercy, and I would receive my share to keep me from dying..."
Alicia seemed to have heard this somewhere in passing. In her daze, her mind traversed quickly through the halls of memory, and she remembered John Philo's conversation with his family about how Arcane might could help them survive in the afterlife. The afterlife no better than the living world.
Suddenly, Orb emitted a sound that caught Alicia's attention. She listened to the melody before translating it to Bathara Kala. "I'm sorry, Kala, but I agree with Orb. I can't imagine what you're saying about the world of the dead, but... death is inevitable for all creatures, whether we like it or not."
The orb then sang another tune that made Alicia gasp. She turned to Bathara Kala's disappointed face, her expression filled with disbelief. Another piece of her destiny had been revealed. At this point, Alicia feared for the other pieces waiting to be unfurled.
"What did it say?" Bathara Kala demanded another answer.
"Orb said that it and I will change those things...?"
"You..., and the Kaliamsada orb will do it?"
Alicia's lips clenched for a thousand languages.
The Evil Eye dispelled the second wave of loud wrath.
And amidst the fury, another human voice followed, "No, you won't."
The roar coming from the unfathomable eyes could not discourage Alicia, so it lowered someone who probably knew her fear. The lass turned around.
A figure descended onto the rippling black floor. Her clothing merged with the darkness of the world, and her body was partly revealed through the cut-outs. She had long hair and dark skin that contrasted with the darkness of Khaos. A face familiar in memory, yet distant in heart: Penelope Crimsonmane. She walked towards Alicia gracefully, unconcerned about her tattered clothing.
"You have to put an end to this," Penelope said.
"Having seen it all, and heard it all, I can only say how crazy you are to ask such a thing, Auntie," Alicia retorted, her tone turning fierce this time. "I'm already inside Bathara Kala's mind. Or your mind. The Arcane have infiltrated the core of Khaos, and soon, you will be purified."
The Evil Eye screamed again, but Penelope let out a sigh with a nonchalant face. "There is nothing truly pure in our world, Alicia. Your Arcane restores all impurities to nearly pure humans. Almost, truly pure."
"Then what makes a human truly pure in yer opinion, Auntie Penelope?"
"When they know their true selves completely and then strive to realize that and defend it!"
"Then will ye help me convince Bathara Kala?"
"Oh, you're so funny, my dear niece. But I'm not talking about death. Death is not who we are."
"Ye and yer nonsensical supreme natures."
"I overheard you talking to the girls about the Uryanwarsa festival. About Sang Hyang Sukra wanting everyone to get a share of divinity. Where I come from, I was taught not to disrespect the teachings of the ancestors, for they have the first and most intimate connection to the unfathomable." Penelope pointed her finger at the eye. "This, our 'Sukra'."
"The Orb says their teachings have flaws."
"Two ideas that collide with each other, what are you expecting? Orb doesn't want everyone to be like it. It wants humans to die and stay dead. It also wants you to remain who you are now. A little girl. Magicless. Forever dependent on the power of the beautiful blue like an opiate."
"Dinnae tell me about opiates," Alicia said firmly. "Caleb Dune. John Philo. And the others. Do ye even remember them? Ye turned a blind eye to the effects of the Protos particles ye spread throughout Camelot, to the entire world of thaumaturgy! If yer 'Sukra' is really the same as the one told by Kiran, Cempaka, and Cahyaningrum, does he really want his creation to fall through the tyranny of Protos? All the disastrous plagues produced through cursed black magic so far! The Tragedy of the Moon-Eating Giant's Head! All of that is right in our eyes, even without Arcane's intervention. Divine Mercy, Arcane is nowhere to be found except in Roma and in my hands, and ye still think Arcane is the cause of human degeneration?" Alicia shook her head slowly. "You're even indifferent to all those children you skinned!"
"One of the many things that must be done to release Arcane's hold on all of them! They were miserable for a moment, but spared eternal misery. What I did was a form of mercy. Compassion. Benevolence!"
A flame of anger rose in the recesses of Alicia's chest, but she suppressed it. Orb's might pushed her chest back. It was wise to let anger consume her during the final moments of purification.
"You're just like Kala," Alicia stated. "Yer dreams send others to their deaths."
Penelope immediately dismissed her niece's accusations. "I'm not like Bathara Kala. We are not selfish." Penelope pointed again at the eye in the sky. "Our 'Sukra' is not selfish. And you're just a little girl. You haven't experienced the world enough to understand the meaning behind these events."
"Then make me," Alicia challenged. "Who are ye? Yer plans? Yer twisted reasons for realising yer haverin’?"
Penelope's dark-skinned face twisted into a wry smile, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "I can show you the way. But you won't get it with my lips, because no matter how much I want to tell you, they prevent me from doing so. Stop this purification, and you won't miss it."
The unexplained realm slowly turned white. The Evil Eye's frustrated screech that burned with white tongues was a harmony of relief to Alicia Crimsonmane's ears. "The people of Yawadwipa have lost enough to this insane conflict." The girl nodded in understanding. "I will find them myself. They'll keep after me, won't they? They will come. Orb and I will stop yer delusions."
It was Alicia's conclusion that made Penelope's emotional outburst unstoppable. Her throat rattled with a deer's croak as her feet soared towards Alicia. However, how the Divine had cursed her. This domain was now subject to the might of Arcane. Penelope was thrown against an invisible barrier because the current reality did not allow her to send the slightest scratch of her nails into Alicia's skin.
Alicia turned briefly to Bathara Kala, anguish etched on his face, before the man slowly disintegrated into black ash, devoured by the swirling white energy. Penelope's rolling figure also dissolved, her frustrated screams fading into the distance. The white landscape gave way to the blue of the sea and a patch of green earth.
Then back to black. []
With their vigour restored, Semar and his two sons dashed through the forsaken edifice with lightning speed. Gareng was the first to spot the bony necklace hanging on the porch of a ramshackle abode lacking a door, and with lightning speed also, they hastened to the palace grounds and tethered the Nightmare Snare to Bathara Kala's colossal tress. The rhythmic pounding of mortar resounded anew at Alas Purwo's dawn, as Gareng meticulously tempered his pestle to avoid shattering the container housing the grain. Meanwhile, Semar and Petruk were already whispering prayers with a dance of lips and hands.
The scream of Bathara Kala startled the heavens and earth for the umpteenth time. The rooster's maw gaped but was rendered mute; it could never contend with the heart-thumping siren of woe. It was impossible for the lands outside Yawadwipa not to hear the sound, for it was so immense the clouds rippled, surging in waves to the edge of infinity. The heavens were on the brink of collapse.
His cry was not one of anger, but rather, lamentation, so poignant in its sorrow that even Alicia's tiny heart could not feign indifference. She was compelled to pat her chest in sympathy. Yet the only worthy response to such misery was to banish the Khaos-infused soul to its rightful abode, Hades.
Wisesa clutched Alicia's coat on both sides as they soared through the sky, the umpteenth time they had done so, hoping it would be the last. Alicia embraced Orb with all her might. Her legs, weakened by the chill wind, trembled violently, sending shivers down her spine. Her gaze remained fixed on the Giant Head that appeared more minuscule in the distance, eclipsing even the sun.
Bathara Kala had stopped at the fifth sky, two planes short of piercing the earth's threshold. The once blue vista, enveloped in the morning light, had been replaced by an eternal night of moon and stars whose glimmers waned. The distance was too vast. Alicia stole a glance downward only to gaze skywards again, stricken by nausea and regret. Yawadwipa was nought but a narrow, elongated isle, with Alas Purwo and Pulomas but a step away. The fifth sky proved to be inhospitable, causing the two adolescents to shudder with chattering teeth. Their lungs ached for air. Bathara Kala's bellow shattered their eardrums.
"By the soul of Durga!" Wisesa shouted. "I didn't realise the Nightmare Bearer had nightmares too! How stupid of us not to bring earplugs!"
Alicia, who was struggling to hear, responded with a bewildered, "Wh-what did ye say?"
"What? You say what?"
"I can't hear ye clearly, Wisesa!"
Wisesa decided to ignore Alicia's plight and pressed on. He carefully avoided the trail of purple flames that flickered beneath Bathara Kala, until they landed on his forehead.
"Okay, okay..." Alicia whispered as she knelt in the wrinkles of Kala's forehead, while Wisesa lay behind her, trembling. "You can do this, Alicia," she muttered to herself. But then fear returned to grip like an old friend. The fear of having her head explode. The fear of death. "No... You will live. You're not the Arcane wielders from ages ago. You're not Roma's Arcane wielders now." Her voice was above a whisper. "Fear is just part of the Empathy Curse. It won't gnaw you. Let's finish this... Let's finish this quickly...!"
Alicia plunged the Arcane Thread into Bathara Kala's head and was instantly thrown back by the shock!
Blood once again burst from her face's orifices. She could feel her head splitting into two. Another sample offered from Lady Death.
"Clipe, clipe, clipe!" Alicia rubbed her aching head. "This is too hard! Too hard!"
Once more, Alicia! Orb made a high-pitched chirping noise, fast and loud. You must try again! Purify him!
Reluctantly, Alicia tormented herself again out of her faith in Orb, and her heart leapt into her throat once more, nearly causing her to fall into the sky. Blood trickling from her nose and ears intensified. She forgot how to breathe.
"Nae danger! I might die doing this!" Alicia screamed like mad and then cried, curling up on the scalp beside Orb.
But Orb sparked to arouse her. You will not die! it hummed. Not now, Alicia! You must be strong! I am with you!
"Easy for ye to say! A flash of white blinded me, Orb!" Alicia complained. Her expression still conveyed abject horror. This was surely the most painful Curse of Empathy she had ever experienced. "I can bear the pain in my skin, muscles, and bones, but not the shot that destroyed my brain and the unnatural fear that comes with it! I'm feart for he's giving me fear!"
But Orb paid no attention to her complaints, assuming it had ears. Nevertheless, you must fight against that supernatural fear and liberate this poor head from Khaos! Listen, dear Alicia, I make you one more promise: the pain of purifying Bathara Kala is just the beginning. All the purifying you've done is only the start. Your next journey will be worse than this. The agony you will endure will be beyond the understanding of any human but me. I know! You will suffer.
Alicia's breath caught in her throat when she heard this. "And ... and I cannae pretend I'm not irritated by yer cheery tone! Ye love tae stress that I'm gonna be miserable! You're not willing to offer any words of hope this time, are ye, Orb?"
Because I am your hope! Don't you see that by now?
The orb's white eyes widened even more when Alicia looked at it, causing the lass to shake her head and tears escaped her eyes again. She had come this far, but sometimes doubt, even just a speck of it, clouded all those experiences.
What limits men are their faith and fear, remember? Orb added. Fear won't kill you. Fear is what makes the earth spin and civilisation thrive. Only when you stop running from it.
Her ballmate's white eye shook and rolled, almost as if it was pleading. Alicia berated herself but resisted the impulse to punch her own face, thinking that Orb would electrocute her for that. Thus she chose to punch the Moon Eater's scalp instead. However, she sensed her vitality diminishing, her body too tired from the lack of air. Further screaming or crying would only serve her a syncope at any moment. All she could do was grit her teeth, widen her eyes, and furrow her brows.
You may not have been with me long, but you have grown so much and learned so much, Orb encouraged. Don't throw it all away now. I'm with you!
Alicia nodded and grabbed the threads of Divine Grace once more.
Semar and his children can't give you any more time. You and Wisesa have no more time. Purify now!
Alicia quickly re-anchored all the Arcane shackles onto the points of the Giant's Head, but this time, she made sure to hold the threads tightly. The episode of the Empathic Curse exploded the contents of her head again. The ringing of her ears overpowered the lament of Bathara Kala. But Alicia knew what she must do. She leaned down and kissed the surface of the giant's scalp, ensuring her Arcane connection would not be severed. Fear ravaged her heart, but she fought back by screaming as loudly as she could. She was battling an Unreasonable Fear. Her mandate was not yet complete. It was not yet time to die. Alicia only had to hold on to those brief facts with Orb and nothing else.
And then, a surge of energy flooded through her. Alicia knelt still, gaping. All her emotions suddenly vanished. Her eyes shone bright blue, and at that moment she was someone else. The surge contagiously travelled through the Moon Eater's head.
The mauve light was overwhelmed by a brilliant blue.
And then, the sky exploded.
The vague clouds were falling.
Khaos' fiery tongue was extinguished.
The entire Lojitengara Federation was left blinded. But as the light faded, they witnessed another miracle.
The sky was blessed with two stars that lit up the day.
Ignorant people believed they were witnessing the earth-worshipping Sang Hyang Sukra, this time appearing closer than ever before.
But this was not Sukra.
Wisesa was jolted awake by the blue light that pierced his eyelids. Not wanting to get caught up in the conflict between Arcane and Khaos, he floated away from Bathara Kala. And just as he managed to put some distance, the sky flared up again...
***
The Evil Eye became the only colour in the void, bestowing its wrath upon a little girl with a skin-scorching swish of wind. Alicia stood strong far below, so dwarfed in its gaze, and it revelled in looking down upon her. Orb in her hands channelled dancing energy, washing away the black stains that had shrouded the vista and melting into part of the scene itself.
Alicia pressed her fingers firmly against Orb's surface as the Evil Eye spewed a beam of mauve at her, and even as the violent storm of wrath created sparks on her suit, Alicia did not flinch. Her unshakable faith prevented her body from being disintegrated. Orb returned the eye's rebuke with a volley of azure amethysts that penetrated its violet iris, shaking the earth and hammering the sky.
"Young lady, please stop!"
Alicia was so fixated on the staring contest with The Evil Eye that she almost failed to notice a human figure struggling before her. A man with reddish-brown skin, reminiscent of peat soil, reminded her more of Gareng. His eyes were mesmerising and elegant, a stark contrast to the Giant Head's eyes that protruded whenever a vein was severed. However, his prominent nose was the same as Bathara Kala's. Every detail of the glamour green-coloured garb and baubles matched precisely with the ushabti Alicia and Wisesa had stolen.
"Are you him?" asked Alicia.
The man nodded. "Please don't do this," he implored.
"Why not? You're defying fate by playing god. You manipulated the tides and climate to your heart's content, and destroyed the senses of many with your illusory control! Three days, countless lives lost, children mostly! And yet again, you're not satisfied with such horrific glory! I hate those who torture children!"
Bathara Kala, now in human form, endeavoured to draw near, yet faltered and proceeded in a crawl. His body looked young and vigorous, but he was dragging himself feebly with both hands, as if attuned to the world that commenced shedding the crusts of Khaos.
"I have to do that," said Bathara Kala. "I don't want to die!" His face contorted then broke into tears. The tears of utter fear.
Alicia was torn between pity and disdain when she witnessed the wailing rob Bathara Kala of his breath. She treaded slowly towards him and crouched down. "I dinnae want to die either...," she said. "To delve into the unknown is scary, and death is a mystery that will never be unfolded. However, I hate to admit that it is inevitable for all of us... even yer victims."
Bathara Kala's tear-laden visage snapped towards her. "I do not fear death because I am ignorant of what lies beyond," he said. "On the contrary, I know."
"You... what?"
"I know."
Alicia froze, her forehead creasing. "Tell me."
"I am a man of learning..." Bathara Kala attempted to rise, despite his entire body convulsing with an uncontrollable tremor. "I've learned many things, yet I still want to learn more. I sought to uncover the secrets of the universe. As the first, and ‘final step’, alas, I am determined to learn about the most commonplace thing in where I come from..., namely death."
With all his gasping breath, screaming sinews, and gnashing bones that threatened to crumble, the Moon Eater finally stood upright. Alicia took a step back with utmost caution. "Lojitengara is a target for many nations," Bathara Kala continued. "Death is commonplace, even part of our culture. I pondered what ensues after our mortal coil's release, and I wanted to witness it for myself. Thus, I embarked upon modest strides: reading the gods' scriptural boasts, then philosophical accounts of death by renowned thinkers, and other tomes on demise. Everything was a jumble, uncertain, contradictory. I imbibed shamanic Knowledges and asked higher entities for wisdom, yet they quibbled with much folly; they lied with their ignorant answers. Another desperate option was to delve into the discipline of Necromancy on the Demon Continent, the art closest to death itself..., and it proved hollow of answers. They draw souls from the underworld and enslave them, sure, but they venture not into the abyss. The nature of the afterlife, the experience of death, and its impact on the soul or consciousness remain a mystery, even to corpse mages."
"How do ye ken, then?"
"A long expedition." Bathara Kala's haunting whisper carried a sharp intensity. "To a site long untouched by human hands. I happened upon an archaic parchment, penned by an unnamed mage who claimed to be entering the state of theosis. I don't know if whether that soul prevailed, yet one line inscribed therein proclaims thus: 'To know the divine nature is to grasp the physical and spiritual natures. To fathom the realm within and the realm beyond. But to be one is to rule both.' And the scroll told me how to see the world of the dead. But I still needed help. So I enlisted for myself a Realm Walker who shared my interest."
As Bathara Kala recounted his story, his face relaxed and his crying turned into sniffles. He took a momentary interlude, his head lowered, then lifted up again with words anew. "We carried out step by step according to the scroll. The Realm Walker was successful. We entered. Alas, instead of gaining inspiration, there were more questions without answers," the Moon Eater's trembling hands slowly scratched his face. His grief gnawed at him again, "and terrors!"
Alicia could not lie that she was curious, too. "What kind of terrors?"
"They promised a realm that would distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. It doesn't exist. That's a lie. The wicked and the pious are mixed together like the world before. I saw flames. Many flames. Countless tongues. Then black edifices, sharp, endless. Your entire fur crawls every time you look up. So vast, yet your nose is choked with air. Unnatural chaos. Good became mad. Wicked became monsters. The insane chase the sane to be killed, so that the killed can be chased again and killed again. Then the sane turn against and kill, then they chase and kill again, then they meet new men, then they kill, then hide, kill, chase, fight, hide, kill, fight, kill—"
"Stop it!" Alicia interrupted. "Dinnae mention them again!"
"You can't even bear it, can you?" guessed Bathara Kala. "My friend, the Realm Walker, couldn't bear it either. He went without sleep for months, fearing that death would claim him suddenly. Until his body couldn't bear the weight and death claimed him suddenly. I don't want to die, young lady. I took all the talismans, learnt the healthy life discipline, cultivated my life force..., and outwitted a sly god for a forbidden Knowledge: to slay many babes in a black magic ritual that made me reach a hundred years of age unbeset by senescence. But I was only slowing down ageing, not fully achieving immortality—my body still languished in decay. My enemies were growing in numbers. Too many. Performing theosis was nigh impossible, for even the parchments I had furnished not the complete art. Until one day, inspiration from nowhere came to me: if I couldn't experience theosis, then I would 'become' a god in this world of thaumaturgy. Humans would continue to breed, and I would only need a portion of their population to prolong my life. So I created the magic that you are facing now. Swallow the moon, so that I could gain the moon's abilities. Altering the tides, the climate, and the earth's rotation. Humans would take refuge in my mercy, and I would receive my share to keep me from dying..."
Alicia seemed to have heard this somewhere in passing. In her daze, her mind traversed quickly through the halls of memory, and she remembered John Philo's conversation with his family about how Arcane might could help them survive in the afterlife. The afterlife no better than the living world.
Suddenly, Orb emitted a sound that caught Alicia's attention. She listened to the melody before translating it to Bathara Kala. "I'm sorry, Kala, but I agree with Orb. I can't imagine what you're saying about the world of the dead, but... death is inevitable for all creatures, whether we like it or not."
The orb then sang another tune that made Alicia gasp. She turned to Bathara Kala's disappointed face, her expression filled with disbelief. Another piece of her destiny had been revealed. At this point, Alicia feared for the other pieces waiting to be unfurled.
"What did it say?" Bathara Kala demanded another answer.
"Orb said that it and I will change those things...?"
"You..., and the Kaliamsada orb will do it?"
Alicia's lips clenched for a thousand languages.
The Evil Eye dispelled the second wave of loud wrath.
And amidst the fury, another human voice followed, "No, you won't."
The roar coming from the unfathomable eyes could not discourage Alicia, so it lowered someone who probably knew her fear. The lass turned around.
A figure descended onto the rippling black floor. Her clothing merged with the darkness of the world, and her body was partly revealed through the cut-outs. She had long hair and dark skin that contrasted with the darkness of Khaos. A face familiar in memory, yet distant in heart: Penelope Crimsonmane. She walked towards Alicia gracefully, unconcerned about her tattered clothing.
"You have to put an end to this," Penelope said.
"Having seen it all, and heard it all, I can only say how crazy you are to ask such a thing, Auntie," Alicia retorted, her tone turning fierce this time. "I'm already inside Bathara Kala's mind. Or your mind. The Arcane have infiltrated the core of Khaos, and soon, you will be purified."
The Evil Eye screamed again, but Penelope let out a sigh with a nonchalant face. "There is nothing truly pure in our world, Alicia. Your Arcane restores all impurities to nearly pure humans. Almost, truly pure."
"Then what makes a human truly pure in yer opinion, Auntie Penelope?"
"When they know their true selves completely and then strive to realize that and defend it!"
"Then will ye help me convince Bathara Kala?"
"Oh, you're so funny, my dear niece. But I'm not talking about death. Death is not who we are."
"Ye and yer nonsensical supreme natures."
"I overheard you talking to the girls about the Uryanwarsa festival. About Sang Hyang Sukra wanting everyone to get a share of divinity. Where I come from, I was taught not to disrespect the teachings of the ancestors, for they have the first and most intimate connection to the unfathomable." Penelope pointed her finger at the eye. "This, our 'Sukra'."
"The Orb says their teachings have flaws."
"Two ideas that collide with each other, what are you expecting? Orb doesn't want everyone to be like it. It wants humans to die and stay dead. It also wants you to remain who you are now. A little girl. Magicless. Forever dependent on the power of the beautiful blue like an opiate."
"Dinnae tell me about opiates," Alicia said firmly. "Caleb Dune. John Philo. And the others. Do ye even remember them? Ye turned a blind eye to the effects of the Protos particles ye spread throughout Camelot, to the entire world of thaumaturgy! If yer 'Sukra' is really the same as the one told by Kiran, Cempaka, and Cahyaningrum, does he really want his creation to fall through the tyranny of Protos? All the disastrous plagues produced through cursed black magic so far! The Tragedy of the Moon-Eating Giant's Head! All of that is right in our eyes, even without Arcane's intervention. Divine Mercy, Arcane is nowhere to be found except in Roma and in my hands, and ye still think Arcane is the cause of human degeneration?" Alicia shook her head slowly. "You're even indifferent to all those children you skinned!"
"One of the many things that must be done to release Arcane's hold on all of them! They were miserable for a moment, but spared eternal misery. What I did was a form of mercy. Compassion. Benevolence!"
A flame of anger rose in the recesses of Alicia's chest, but she suppressed it. Orb's might pushed her chest back. It was wise to let anger consume her during the final moments of purification.
"You're just like Kala," Alicia stated. "Yer dreams send others to their deaths."
Penelope immediately dismissed her niece's accusations. "I'm not like Bathara Kala. We are not selfish." Penelope pointed again at the eye in the sky. "Our 'Sukra' is not selfish. And you're just a little girl. You haven't experienced the world enough to understand the meaning behind these events."
"Then make me," Alicia challenged. "Who are ye? Yer plans? Yer twisted reasons for realising yer haverin’?"
Penelope's dark-skinned face twisted into a wry smile, shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "I can show you the way. But you won't get it with my lips, because no matter how much I want to tell you, they prevent me from doing so. Stop this purification, and you won't miss it."
The unexplained realm slowly turned white. The Evil Eye's frustrated screech that burned with white tongues was a harmony of relief to Alicia Crimsonmane's ears. "The people of Yawadwipa have lost enough to this insane conflict." The girl nodded in understanding. "I will find them myself. They'll keep after me, won't they? They will come. Orb and I will stop yer delusions."
It was Alicia's conclusion that made Penelope's emotional outburst unstoppable. Her throat rattled with a deer's croak as her feet soared towards Alicia. However, how the Divine had cursed her. This domain was now subject to the might of Arcane. Penelope was thrown against an invisible barrier because the current reality did not allow her to send the slightest scratch of her nails into Alicia's skin.
Alicia turned briefly to Bathara Kala, anguish etched on his face, before the man slowly disintegrated into black ash, devoured by the swirling white energy. Penelope's rolling figure also dissolved, her frustrated screams fading into the distance. The white landscape gave way to the blue of the sea and a patch of green earth.
Then back to black. []
