Slopes of Mount Lawu, 1295 AD
The morning mist still hung low in the valley. Ash from Watu Langit Monastery drifted in the air like the dust of a dream long dead.
Eza walked alone down the slope, carrying only the clothes on his back, a short kris dagger left by Raka, and the black pendant on his chest — now pulsing faintly, as if still alive.
Each step felt heavy.Not from exhaustion, but from the emptiness in his heart.There was no home to return to.No Raka's voice to scold him at dawn.No scent of warm rice and burning wood in the stone hearth.
Only silence.Silence and a world that had begun to change.
🌒 Village at the Foot of the Mountain
Three days of wandering brought Eza to a small village at Lawu's base.It was a lively place. Traders dried fabrics under the sun, children ran with kites, and in the center of the market stood a wooden stage with a small Majapahit banner — a sign that this village was under the protection of the rising young kingdom that had emerged after Kediri's fall.
But beneath the hospitality, Eza noticed something else.Several homes were guarded by soldiers in plain black uniforms — no emblems, no words.They weren't Majapahit troops. They moved differently. Quieter. Sharper.
"Shadow men," a cloth vendor whispered when he saw Eza watching."They work for powerful people from Trowulan. Don't get involved, boy."
Eza only nodded and walked on.But the pendant on his chest pulsed once — a warning.He knew that signal: someone nearby possessed Dark Soul Energy.
⚔️ The Market Encounter
Amid the crowd, Eza's eyes locked on a man in a red hood, standing before a fabric stall.His movements were calm, but his aura rippled like water disturbed by wind.
Their eyes met for a brief second — and the world seemed to pause.
"You..." the man said flatly. "Your pupils... they're just like his."
Eza straightened."Who are you?"
"Someone looking for the last disciple of Raka of Watu Langit."
The man removed his hood. His face was scarred with burns, and a metal medallion bearing the Five-Eyed Sigil hung from his neck.
"I was Raka's senior student... once. But I chose a different path."
Before Eza could respond, the man attacked.
🌕 Battle in the Market Square
The air trembled as two Soul Forces collided.Dust shot into the air, people screamed and scattered.
The first strike shattered the ground beneath Eza. He spun, blocking with bare hands, then countered with a wave of energy — a technique from Watu Langit.
But his opponent was more experienced.The next blow struck Eza in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs.He was flung into a bamboo cart, blood trailing from his lips.
"You're strong, boy. But you still don't understand this world. The shadow realm has no place for the soft-hearted."
Eza rose slowly.He stared into the man's eyes, cold and unblinking.
"If this world is dark," he said,"then I'll be the light you can't extinguish."
He lowered his stance, his right hand touching the earth.The air began to vibrate — an unfinished technique Raka had passed down to him:Heaven's Soul Wave.
As the man lunged again, Eza released his energy, letting it flow with the wind.A blast of air erupted, scattering fabric, tiles, and dust across the square.
The man's body slammed into a stone wall. He was still alive — but unmoving.
Before the villagers could return, Eza vanished into the forest.
🜂 Traces in the Forest
Night fell slowly.By the river's edge, Eza washed his face.Cold water ran between his fingers, rinsing away the blood — and the guilt.
The black pendant on his chest now shimmered faintly, pulsing from within.
"Raka..." he whispered. "They're still hunting me.But I won't stop."
Suddenly, footsteps emerged from the brush.
Eza stood, ready to strike.
But the figure that stepped out was only a young woman, simply dressed, holding a water jug.
"I didn't mean to intrude," she said gently."You're not from around here, are you?"
Eza eyed her cautiously."How do you know?"
"Your eyes.People with homes don't look like that."
She smiled faintly."My name's Dara Wening. I live in the next hamlet over.I saw you earlier in the market."
"You saw the fight?"
"Yes. And I know who you fought."
Eza narrowed his eyes."Who was he?"
"One of the envoys of the Five Shadow Council.They're looking for an ancient manuscript once guarded by Watu Langit."
Eza stiffened."How do you know that?"
"Because I... was once part of them."
🌑 Dara Wening's Secret
That night by the riverside, Dara Wening told her story.She wasn't just a village woman.
She had once served in Bala Sukma Timur, an underground Majapahit intelligence unit tracking the infiltration of shadow factions into the kingdom.
But after her husband was killed in an ambush five years ago, she disappeared — choosing to live in hiding.
"They call themselves the Shadow Rulers of Asia —Five major groups that govern the world without ever being seen."
"And Majapahit...?" Eza asked.
"Majapahit is trying to balance their power," she said."But the cold war is already creeping in."
Eza stared into the small fire between them.
"So this... isn't just about revenge."
"No," Dara replied."This is about who controls the world after Majapahit rises."
🌘 A New Dawn
In the days that followed, Eza chose to stay with Dara.
He learned about Majapahit's intelligence system, the structure of power, and the workings of the Shadow Merchants — an underground economic network funding secret rulers.
With knowledge from Watu Langit and his own instincts, Eza came to understand one truth:
"This world is ruled by unseen hands.If I want to change it... I must become one of those hands."
In time, he began building a small network —refugees, traveling merchants, and former disciples of fallen monasteries.
They named themselves The Eastern Soul Circle —small but organized, disciplined, and invisible to both the throne and the shadows.
Dara became his link to suspicious nobles within Majapahit.
And Eza... slowly became a whispered legend in markets and seaports.
People began calling him:"The Shadow of Mount Lawu."
On the thousandth night since the fall of Watu Langit, Eza stood atop a cliff, gazing west —where Trowulan, Majapahit's heart, shimmered in the distance.
In his right hand, the black pendant pulsed,as if calling to something from the past.
"Raka..." he whispered."I will find them — all who hide behind the name 'Five Shadow Council'.""And when the time comes... the world will learn that darkness can also bear light."
The eastern wind blew, carrying ash from the mountain.
Dara stood behind him in silence, watching a boy slowly become a legend.
Eza was now seventeen.And the Shadow World had just begun to open its first door to him.