Natan's heart pounded fast as he held a heavy gold candlestick embedded with jewels. With him were Gardo and Kiko, two notorious thieves from their town. They had broken into an old mansion at the end of the road, a place famous for being both luxurious and mysterious.
"Hey, Natan! Hurry it up!" Gardo whispered as he stuffed golden silverware into a sack. "This mansion is huge, but why is there nobody here? No guards, no dogs, not even a ghost!"
"Yeah, boss," Kiko added, busy removing a gold plaque from the wall. "It's like this was prepared just for us, huh? We're so lucky today!"
"Stop talking so much," Natan replied, his voice trembling. He held the image of his sister Maya in his mind. "I just really need this. For Maya's hospital bills. What I earn as a helper isn't nearly enough. After this, I'm done working with you."
"Tsk, so dramatic! Here, carry this sack. Run!" Gardo said.
Although Natan wondered why the mansion was so easy to break into and why the gold seemed to shine even without light, he ignored it. What mattered was that they got out safely. They immediately exchanged the stolen gold for cash with an illegal financier. Holding a thick envelope of money, Natan ran toward the hospital. Finally, Maya can get her surgery, he thought.
Gasping for air, he threw open the door to Room 304. "Maya! We have the money now, we can pay for—"
Natan froze. The white hospital bed was empty. Maya was gone.
Instead, a strange-looking man sat on the edge of the bed. His skin was so pale that the hospital light almost reflected off it. His hair and eyelashes were long and silver, and what terrified Natan the most: his ears were long and pointed, unlike those of a normal human.
"Natan," the man said softly, yet his voice brought a strange coldness to the whole room.
"W-Who are you?! How do you know my name? Where is my sister?!" Natan shouted, backing away and grabbing the doorknob. "What did you do to Maya?!"
The man smiled faintly, revealing perfect, bright white teeth. "You and your companions were far too bold. You invaded my home. Did you truly think it was just an ordinary old house? The gold you took... comes with a price."
"What... what do you mean? Who are you really?!"
"I am the owner of the mansion you robbed. An Engkanto, as you call us in this world," the man stood up, and Natan noticed that he was extremely tall and seemed to hover a few centimeters off the floor. "As punishment for your disrespect, I took your sister. I brought her to our realm."
"No! Please!" Natan cried, pulling out the envelope of cash. "Here! Here is the money! I'll return it, I'll buy everything back! Please, bring Maya back!"
The entity laughed softly, a sound like clinking crystals. "That paper money is useless to us, mortal. If you want to see your sister again, there is only one way."
"What is it? I'll do anything!"
"You must retrieve and return the exact items you stole. But not in this world," the entity stepped closer to Natan, his eyes suddenly glowing green. "You must travel to the other world, the world where my kind comes from. Eldoria. There, you will find the stolen riches that destiny has scattered."
"Eldoria? Wait, what kind of nonsense is this—"
Natan didn't get to finish his sentence. A strong, fragrant wind suddenly blew inside the sealed hospital room. The white ceiling vanished, replaced by a swirling vortex of purple light.
"Wait! Hold on!" Natan screamed as he felt his body lose weight.
In the blink of an eye, the smell of alcohol and hospital medicine was gone. The cold concrete floor was gone.
Natan leaned against a giant tree whose roots were larger than a truck. Out of breath, he sat down on the damp soil. Looking up, he was greeted by a sight that no scientist could explain.
He stood in the middle of a vast, dense forest. But this was no ordinary woods. The leaves on the trees were not just green; parts of them sparkled with gold and silver whenever the light hit them. Small balls of light drifted around him like fireflies, leaving trails of glitter in the air. The atmosphere itself vibrated with a strange electricity that made his hair stand on end.
Natan clutched his chest, utterly confused, terrified, and awestruck. Wherever he was, he knew for sure he was no longer in the real world, but in the realm of magical beings. He had no idea how to begin saving his sister.