Bayu awoke in the middle of the night, hearing his friends’ voices.
"What’s going on? Why are you all awake in the dark?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Shh, I heard something," replied Wahyu, glancing around.
Bayu noticed everyone else was already awake and preparing their gear—everyone except Budi, who was still fast asleep.
Hearing a sound from the bushes, Bayu readied his bamboo pistol, loaded with crystal-laced bullets. He aimed it toward the bushes and waited, until a monster suddenly charged at them.
“Take this!” Bayu shouted, firing at the monster.
The bullet exploded, killing the creature instantly.
The blast startled his friends.
“What was that?” Budi woke up in shock.
Ignoring Budi’s question, Bayu opened his bag and pulled out a lantern he had filled with glowing white crystals.
“What’s that?” Ema asked.
“You’ll see,” Bayu replied mysteriously.
His friends were puzzled by Bayu’s cryptic response but decided to stay quiet and watch.
Bayu fiddled with the lantern for a while, and more monsters began to approach.
“Whatever you’re doing, hurry up!” Wahyu urged.
The others fought to protect Bayu as Budi searched for his equipment.
Budi found his weapon on the other side of his sleeping spot, stood up, and prepared to fight—until a bright light suddenly appeared, making the monsters vanish instantly.
“What’s that? It’s so bright!” Budi exclaimed, shielding his eyes.
“It’s a tool that emits a powerful light, capable of destroying those shadow monsters,” Bayu explained.
“How did you make that?” asked Ema.
“You wouldn’t understand. Let’s just get back to sleep,” Bayu said as he moved toward his makeshift bed of large leaves.
The lantern’s light was so intense it could kill the shadow monsters.
“Wait, are we going to sleep with that light on?” Budi asked.
“We don’t have much choice. Let’s just sleep,” Bayu replied, already drifting back to sleep.
Their confusion faded as drowsiness took over, and they all settled down to sleep again.
“Will they still be able to attack us?” Windi asked.
“It’s safe, don’t worry,” Bayu assured her.
They soon fell back asleep.
At dawn, they packed up and prepared to continue their journey. Wahyu and Arip discarded the leaves they had used as bedding, Arip foraged for fruits to stave off their hunger, and Bayu turned off his lantern.
Once ready, they set off westward. They walked for a long time until they finally emerged from the forest and could see the mist-shrouded kingdom, previously visible only to Bayu.
“Is that the kingdom you mentioned?” Arip asked.
“That’s strange; it wasn’t there before,” Wahyu muttered in confusion.
“Yes, that’s the kingdom I meant,” Bayu confirmed.
They observed the massive, mist-covered kingdom. A dense fog shrouded an area, making it invisible; they assumed it was where the monster leader resided.
“That must be the monster king, that strange creature from before,” Bayu speculated.
“You’re probably right,” replied Arip, “but how do we get there?” Windi asked.
“I don’t know,” Ema admitted.
“How about we just go in directly?” Bayu suggested.
“Are you crazy?” Budi exclaimed.
“He’s right. There’s no other way but to go straight in,” Wahyu said.
They argued but eventually agreed to follow Bayu’s plan.
“Are you serious? We’re just walking in?” Budi protested.
“Enough! Let’s go,” Arip replied.
They entered, and the monsters immediately pounced on them. But the intense light from Bayu’s lantern destroyed them all and kept other monsters at bay.
“It works, but the light doesn’t cover as wide an area as before,” Bayu observed.
“Then we can’t split up. Let’s find that monster king,” Windi urged.
They huddled close together, moving as one. Arip tried to sidle up to Ema.
“Hey, don’t get that close,” Ema said.
“Sorry,” replied Arip, who had harbored feelings for her since they first met. Bayu, noticing this, whispered to Arip.
“Just go for it. I mean, tell her before someone else does,” he whispered.
“I can’t,” Arip responded.
“Coward,” Bayu teased.
They continued, realizing Bayu’s lantern was starting to dim.
“Oh no, the lantern’s running out,” Wahyu warned.
“Hold on, does anyone have a white crystal?” Bayu asked.
They frantically searched their bags. Windi found a crystal but accidentally dropped it. They quickly retrieved it and placed it in the lantern, restoring its light.
Aware they couldn’t stay much longer, they hurried forward.
“Quickly, we’re running out of white crystals,” Bayu urged.
“What are we going to do?” Ema said, panicked.
They navigated the paths, dodging monsters and almost exhausting themselves.
“Wait, let’s rest a bit,” Budi suggested.
“Are you kidding? Let’s go!” Wahyu shouted.
“I’m completely exhausted,” Budi panted.
Budi stopped, forcing the others to consider what to do.
“Come on, do you want to be left behind?” Arip asked.
They argued until the lantern began dimming again. They checked their bags, finding only one remaining white crystal.
Realizing they were almost out of time, they searched for a way to help Budi. Bayu remembered an incident in a village where he first learned about these magical crystals. Recalling the event, he rummaged through his bag, found some orange crystals, and handed them to everyone.
The orange crystals gave them a boost of energy to keep moving. They ran as fast as they could, hoping to find the monster king’s lair. Soon, the lantern’s light faded, and Bayu used the last white crystal.
“Hurry, light the lantern again!” Ema urged.
“It’s not enough. It takes more than one crystal to power it,” Bayu replied.
They panicked and took refuge in a tower. Strangely, the monsters wouldn’t approach but simply stared up at the tower. Looking up, they realized they had arrived at the place they had been searching for.
“This is it—the monster king’s tower,” Arip said.
“Yes, you’re right,” Bayu replied.
“Let’s go in,” Windi said.
“I hope we can finish this,” Arip added.
“Yes, we will,” Budi affirmed.
They entered and started exploring the tower, finding a staircase that led to the top.
THE FINAL STAIRWAY TO THEIR DESTINY.
YOU ARE READING
Save my Sister in Other World
Fantasythis my first novel, so am sorry if my novel is weird
