"Are you going to the forest?" asked a 12-year-old boy.
"Stay at home. I have to look for mushrooms and some medicinal plants to sell. I will be back before midnight." Arya Santanu said goodbye to his younger brother named Raka Caraka. The village where they lived was called Kulon Anyar. It is located in the western part of the island of Yawadwipa. He had to take a path from the village to the forest on Mount Kulon. The place was not far from his village. Arya Santanu was just a corn farmer who also worked as a seeker of medicinal plants; mushrooms and several other odd jobs. He lived alone with his younger brother; Raka Caraka. His simple life meant he had no opportunity to visit the royal capital. "Tonight the moon is shining brightly. I hope to find many medicinal plants.”Arya Santanu started climbing the mountain through a small path and walked through the bushes. He scanned the area under the trees and the ground. Carrying a small torch for light, Arya Santanu began to pull out some medicinal plants and mushrooms that he found. He placed them in a bamboo basket slung over his shoulder. As he walked further, he saw a warning board put up by the Kulon Anyar Village Chief. The sign, which was mounted on a tree trunk, read 'forbidden forest'. However, Arya Santanu ignored it. He doubted any wild animals would attack him because he had been searching for medicinal plants and mushrooms for five years. Arya Santanu also often entered the forbidden area to collect mushrooms."Strange, why is there no wind?" Arya Santanu was confused.The wind that usually blows suddenly disappeared. No leaves swayed. Not even the sound of insects could be heard. Silence, that's what Arya Santanu felt. He felt like he was in the middle of a funeral. "What happened? What happened to my torch?" He was confused when his torch suddenly died.Her eyes turned and looked in all directions. His steps became more cautious as he held on to the tree trunk. His mind couldn't calm down, he began to think of many things, even deducing something odd.He had heard that the forbidden forest was inhabited by the dead. There were also rumors that the forbidden forest was inhabited by a creature called Rakshasa Buto. But all those stories were dismissed as bedtime stories. What scared her was the darkness, solitude and silence of the forbidden forest. "There is a cave?" Arya Santanu was confused when he found a cave in the middle of the forest. This was the first time he had seen a cave in the forbidden forest. His feet seemed to be forced to step inside. He peered through the outer wall. There was no one there. But there was something strange about the cave. Reflected moonlight crept into the cave. The light seemed to hypnotize him to step closer and go deeper. Through his eyes, he caught plenty of light to see and observe his surroundings. He was afraid that a Rakshasa might catch him. "What is this stone? And what is written on this stone?" Arya Santanu was confused by the presence of a black stone as big as his body. Around the black stone was a long sentence written in a circle, like a spell protecting the stone. Arya Santanu even thought that the sentence was a form of seal spell to seal the black stone in front of him. Then the question is what kind of stone is it? Why was there an ancient Sanskrit phrase protecting it?He circled the black stone. Trying to find ancient Sanskrit writing that he could understand. However, after circling the black stone, there was nothing he could understand. The language seemed foreign to him, even though Arya Santanu had learned some ancient languages from his grandmother. "Can this stone be sold?" He wanted to take the stone out of there.He desperately needed a few gold pieces for his daily needs. By selling the stone, Arya Santanu might be able to get a chest of gold to support himself and his younger brother for a year. But he was at a loss as to how to carry the stone. He only had a small knife in his pocket. But using his knife and a large stone, he tried to break the black stone into small pieces.Arya Santanu smashed the handle of the knife with the stone he was holding. As the knife plunged into the black stone, the surface of the black stone suddenly cracked and spewed sparks from the crack. The young man immediately stepped back and kept his distance from the black stone. "What happened? Why did the stone crack?" Arya Santanu felt very confused.The small cracks were spreading rapidly and getting bigger. From between the cracks came hot lava that overflowed and fell to the ground. Arya Santanu became panicked. He didn't think a single stone blow could cause all that. Slowly the black stone split and broke into small pieces. Arya Santanu saw white smoke billowing and soaring. Slowly the black smoke changed shape and shone so brightly that it dazzled his eyes. "Ten thousand years... finally I....""FREE!!!"A tall creature with two horns rising from its forehead shouted very loudly. His body was covered with red armor. Its entire body looked like a layer of melted lava. His face was red with dark red eyes. The creature glanced at Arya Santanu. His gaze looked intimidating. When Arya wanted to escape from that place, the creature immediately stomped its feet. Instantly the cave ceiling collapsed onto the mouth of the cave and blocked the exit."Where are you going?" The creature tried to stop the young man. Arya Santanu tried to scratch the stones that covered the mouth of the cave. He did not want to look back. A large, firm and heavy voice echoed throughout the cave. He kept hearing it and it made him even more frightened."You just freed me. What's wrong, are you afraid of me?" The creature returned the shattered black stone to its original form. It sat down on the stone."Aren't you curious about me? My true identity?" The creature continued to speak endlessly. "Stop it! Alright, I give up." Arya turned around and looked at the figure.He was already panting. Her energy was drained from digging through the ruins that covered the cave. He finally gave up and listened to the creature's intentions. "Who are you? Why are you inside that black rock? Tell me, isn't that what you want to hear from me, a question that asks about yourself?" Arya Santanu felt disturbed.The creature smiled. His eyes seemed pleased with Arya Santanu's weakness. It was like he had just gotten a delicious meal. "I... I... Asura. The great general of the demons. You can call me a Rakshasa whose level is above other Rakshasa. My level is equal to that of the Gods. And I am very grateful to you for breaking this stone seal." Asura repeatedly patted the black stone he was sitting on."Asura? You mean you're a demon?" Arya Santanu had heard stories of demons fighting with the Gods, but he didn't expect to meet one of them.Asura looked into Arya Santanu's mind. He did not expect to meet a young man endowed with the light of the Gods. As the old hermit promised; that there would be a young man who had the lineage of a king who would free Asura from the prison made by the gods. And with his freedom this time, it means that Asura's sentence has ended. The promise of the hermit and the gods said that Asura would be elevated to a half-god and half-demon. This position would be equivalent to the main god's helpers."Hey, what do you want? I can make you very rich. I can give you a very long life, even to immortality. I can also cure all your diseases." Asura began to offer several things.Arya Santanu was very surprised after hearing Asura's words. His mind began to imagine the various possibilities he could get. "But... you have to make a deal with me. You must carry out the contents of the agreement. If not, I will eat your soul. And your body... I will eat it too." Asura smiled so slyly.Arya did not expect to meet a demon in the cave who would give everything for her. But Arya had to pay dearly. Once the young man broke the agreement, his life was at stake. Her mind was spinning. He considered all the possibilities if he had to make a deal with Asura. But he had a very urgent need. Arya could become rich overnight. He would no longer have to struggle to grow corn, vegetables, or pick medicinal plants and mushrooms. His younger brother; Raka Caraka could also get the education he wanted in the royal capital. "What are you asking for? Tell me everything." Arya Santanu made his choice. He chose to listen to all the contents of the agreement first."I am a general-level demon from hell. One day, I was betrayed by my brothers. They chose to stay with the humans and help them achieve their goals. Unfortunately, humans are stupid. The war that happened 100 years ago was the result of my thirteen demon brothers. We managed to silence the enemy kingdom and liberate the terr
Asura gripped the bodies of the bandits who did not let Arya stand up. He burned their faces and bodies to ashes. Fortunately, the bandits chose to back away from Raka's body. They all trembled at the sight of a tall creature with a hideous appearance. This was the first time they had seen the true form of the devil. Some of them even fell to the ground with their mouths wide open."What do you want?" Asura turned to his friend.Arya Santanu hugged his brother's body tightly. His tears fell like raindrops. He screamed and kept calling for his younger brother. He realized everything would change when Raka died.The original purpose of life to make his brother happy had turned into the seeds of revenge. The buds grew as Asura's whispers echoed in Arya's ears. He had the choice to kill all the bandits. "Asura, join me. Give me your power. Make me the strongest warrior, then I will fulfill my promise to kill Maghanada Indrajit and king Kala Karna. I will also make sure your other brothe
It was raining heavily around the southern region of the Nuswapala kingdom. Not far from the southern coast, a large volcano billowed smoke. The people of Ratubumi village believed that the volcano housed a weapon belonging to a god. Several warriors tried to explore the inside of the volcano, but none of them managed to find the weapon. They were all killed by the creatures guarding the cave inside the volcano. "We must continue our journey on foot." Arya Santanu landed right on a rocky cliff near the volcano. "We must find shelter. I sense the presence of some humans not far from here. There seems to be a village at the end of the forest." Asura whispered, indicating the presence of a village."Alright, let's go there." Arya Santanu walked with his consciousness fading. The side effects of the union between him and Asura had made it difficult for his body to move. He felt a tightness in his chest. Asura's power seemed to destroy the energy in his body. He walked while supporting
The undead army circled around the forest area that was still damp from the rain earlier. Starting from the bushes, trees and waterfall area, everything was explored by them. Arya Santanu and Dewi Sari Kencana couldn't leave there for a while. They chose to stay put until the undead troops left the area. However, the undead leader general sensed the presence of the humans not far from their place."Everyone, follow me, we're heading to that village over there!" The undead general shouted loudly.The roar of a thousand moving horse treads made the ground tremble. They left Arya Santanu and Dewi Sari Kencana's hiding place without knowing their whereabouts."They left? But where are they going?" Dewi Sari Kencana was curious."They must be targeting a nearby village. The villagers have done nothing wrong. If we leave them alone, they will all be killed by the undead." Arya Santanu was worried."Then we must save them. Arya Santanu, we must hurry!" Dewi Sari Kencana looked at the young m
"Lord Ketu, welcome." The general and his entire army bowed their heads. He was surprised when Ketu came to him. "General, pull back your troops. Give us time to chat for a while." Ketu stood in front of Arya Santanu and Dewi Sari Kencana.His form was still human. But on the right forehead to the right face is the demon's original face. There were horns on the right forehead. The right eye looked dark red. "Long time no see, Ketu, controller of the undead." Asura switched places with Arya Santanu. He greeted his youngest brother."Brother Asura, you look well. Is that young man one of your prey?" Ketu quipped."Then what about you? Is the young man whose body you are wearing still fit? Your face looks very ugly." Asura smiled mockingly.Ketu was furious. He wanted to crush his brother's body. Taking a deep breath, Ketu vomited a large amount of blood towards the front. As the vomit continued to flow, crimson blood pooled on the ground. "Summoning technique, rise up Yaksa! Daksa!"
Arya Santanu leaned against a tree trunk. He was exhausted after walking up the steep road. The peak of the volcano was still far up there. It was almost dark. Dewi Sari Kencana who accompanied him chose to look for firewood and faith in the lake not far from where they rested. "We should have used the fire wing technique and landed right around the crater." Arya Santanu complained."You think my power is unlimited?! I also need to rest to get those wings out!" Asura was annoyed."Actually, where is the weapon located? Is it in the center of a crater surrounded by lava pools?" Arya Santanu was curious."Don't fantasize too much! How could the weapon be in a place that looks like that, huh?!" Asura scolded the young man."I guess that god was a little lazy, so he thought to put it in any place where it could be easily taken." Arya Santanu chose to close his eyes.Asura who came out of Arya Santanu's body and transformed into a pigeon kept looking left and right. He asked where Dewi Sa
After searching for the old man, Dewi Sari Kencana and Asura finally gave up. Their throats felt dry after circling the edge of the lake. They both rested on a large rock at the edge of the lake. Both of them wanted to drink the lake water, but suddenly from a distance, Arya Santanu shouted."Stop it! Don't drink it!"Arya Santanu approached his two friends with a worried look on his face. He was breathing heavily because he had to run from where he was."What are you doing? Why are you running?" Dewi Sari Kencana was confused."If you drink this lake water, you will die!" Arya Santanu tried to tell her something that was still unclear."What? Die?" Dewi Sari Kencana was even more confused.The young man took the lake water using a bamboo vessel. After drawing water, he poured it on the grass. Suddenly, the grass withered and became ashes like it had just been burned. Arya Santanu explained to the two that there was a high-level demon inhabiting the waters of the lake. He gave an illu
Rahu's appearance in the fight between the four of them was very disturbing. Asura had to light his fire and melt the ice of Dewi Sari Kencana that froze him. He who could not be outside the host body forever had to hold back his anger and chose to return to Arya Santanu's body. The old man stared intently at Rahu. But when he looked back at Arya Santanu and Dewi Sari Kencana, he smiled. Thinking for a moment, it seemed he didn't need to help them fight. Finally, he chose to lie down on a large black rock. The old man closed his eyes and slept."Please take care of that demon. When you're done, please wake me up." The old man began to fall asleep."What?! You're ordering me!" Asura took over the young man's body. He was annoyed with the old man.Suddenly...Rahu made an attack. He turned his blood into dozens of spears that he controlled. The blood spears quickly rained down on Arya Santanu and Dewi Sari Kencana. Asura who possessed Arya Santanu's consciousness did not remain silent.