With a great, groaning shudder of protesting metal, the massive gate began to swing inward. The angkot rumbled forward, leaving the lawless wilds of Jakarta behind and entering the sanctuary of the Universitas Indonesia campus.
For Kael, it was like stepping from a black-and-white nightmare into a world of muted, struggling color. The air inside the walls was different—still tinged with the smoke of the ruined city, but also carrying the scent of wood fires, cooking rice, and damp earth.
Makeshift shelters and large canvas tents were pitched across what used to be a manicured lawn, forming a chaotic but living community. People moved with purpose. A group of men and women in leather vests, the camp's patrol, jogged past, their faces grim. A blacksmith's hammer rang out from a repurposed garage. Near a large firepit, Kael even heard the impossible sound of children laughing as they chased a ball. It was a sound so normal it felt alien.
Rina led the way, navigating the crowded paths with the ease of someone at home. "New arrivals have to check in at the administration tent," she explained. "Standard procedure. They'll take your name, and class, and assign you temporary quarters."
The administration tent was a large, military-style marquee set up in front of the university's main administrative building, the Rektorat. Inside, a stern-faced man in his fifties with graying temples sat at a sturdy wooden desk. A kerosene lamp illuminated the stacks of paper and several thick, leather-bound logbooks in front of him. His nameplate, neatly hand-carved, read 'Surya, Camp Registrar'.
"Rina. A successful run, I hope?" he said, his voice deep and formal.
"We got the coolant, Pak Surya," Rina reported. "And most of what was on the list. We ran into a skitterer nest, but we managed. We also found a survivor."
All eyes turned to Kael. Pak Surya looked him over, his gaze sharp and appraising. "Name?"
"Kael."
"Class?"
Kael's throat felt dry. He gave the lie he had prepared. "Lamplighter."
Pak Surya raised an eyebrow slightly but showed no other reaction. He dipped a pen into an inkwell and opened a fresh page on one of the logbooks. "Kael. Class: Lamplighter," he wrote, his handwriting neat and precise. "You'll be assigned a bunk in Hall C, the newcomer's barracks. You'll be on probation for three days. Standard rules apply: contribute to the community, follow the council's orders, no fighting. Understood?"
"Understood," Kael said. But before Surya could dismiss him, he took a breath and plunged forward, his heart pounding. "Pak Surya... I'm looking for someone. My sister. Is there a list of all the residents I could check?"
Surya's expression softened almost imperceptibly. It was a question he had likely heard a hundred times. "We maintain a full roster. What is her name?"
"Lily," Kael said, his voice barely a whisper. "Her name is Lily Astuti."
Surya nodded and pulled a different, much thicker logbook towards him. He opened it, the pages filled with names and details. He flipped through the 'A' section, his finger running down the columns. To Kael, the sound of the rustling paper was as loud as a hurricane. This was it. The moment that would define the rest of his life.
His finger stopped.
"Astuti, Lily," Surya read aloud, his voice neutral.
Hope, fierce and blinding, exploded in Kael's chest. She was here. She was alive. He felt light-headed, a giddy laugh bubbling in his throat.
But Surya continued reading. "Yes, she's on the roster. Registered ten days ago. Class: [Scholar]. A valuable asset." He paused, tapping the page. "But there's a note here."
Kael's blood ran cold. "A note?"
"She volunteered for an expedition team," Surya said, turning the logbook for Kael to see. "The 'Sentinels of Science'. They were headed east to the old LIPI research center in Cibinong. A mission to secure medical research data and lab equipment."
He pointed to the final line, a new entry written in red ink.
"The expedition team was due back three days ago. They are now officially designated as 'Overdue'."
The world tilted. The explosion of hope was instantly extinguished, replaced by an icy dread that was somehow worse than the uncertainty he'd felt before. She was alive. And now, she was missing. Out there, in the world with Junk Golems and worse.
He must have swayed on his feet, because Rina put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Kael. It's a lot to take in."
He didn't know how he did it, but he managed to nod, to pull his emotions back from the brink and shove them into a deep, dark box inside his chest. He couldn't break down. Not here. Not in front of them. "Thank you, Pak Surya," he managed to say, his voice sounding hollow and distant to his own ears.
"Rina, take him to Hall C," Surya ordered, already turning his attention to other paperwork.
The walk to the barracks was a blur. Rina led him to a massive hall that had clearly been a gymnasium. Hundreds of bunks were arranged in neat rows. It was noisy and crowded, but it was safe. She showed him to an empty bunk in a corner.
"Get some rest," she said, her tone softer than he'd ever heard it. "Tomorrow, you'll be assigned a work detail. Things will feel... normal again. Or as normal as they can be."
She left him there. Kael sat down on the thin mattress, the sounds of the community fading into a dull roar in his ears. He was inside the fortress. He was safe.
And he had never felt more urgency in his life.
He looked at his hands, then at the status screen only he could see. [Undefined Error]. Pathetic stats. A rusty blade. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
LIPI Research Center. Overdue.
His personal quest for survival was over. A rescue mission had just begun.