Hah...hah...hah...
My breathing is heavy and shallow. I don't know how far I've fallen. This place is dark, quiet, and cold.
It takes a long time for me to regenerate. The stab wound from Senior Bagong is turning blue. I can't feel my legs at all.
"H-help..." My voice won't come out.
My mind is blank. I hope the Jade Moon Lotus has been delivered and that Physician Sugeng will recover soon.
They say that hard work always pays off. I hope so. I hope my efforts weren't wasted. I hope Physician Sugeng recovers soon.
At least then my death won't be meaningless.
Tap, tap, tap.
A bright white light appears in the crevice.
I've seen this before. It looks like the White Tiger. It seems I won't die today. Thank you, God.
Brukk!
The tiger's paw hits my chest and makes a hole.
Why?! What do you mean?
Then, it throws me. It hits me hard with its claws. My body is buried under the rubble.
The tiger roars again, breaking the silence at the bottom of the ravine.
---
Meanwhile, in a faraway place...
RAAAWWWRRRR!
"Haha, it seems this failed product has returned, just like it did 20 years ago. It looks like we need to create more chaos than ever before," said the man with the Fist King's killer silhouette.
He got up from his throne and called for one of his closest assistants.
"Get ready. We will create the most chaos ever. We've never done this before. I hope the next product doesn't fail again," the mysterious man said.
—
One day turned into another.
It's been two days since Karman died. Many people are sad about his death, especially Bi Ijah. She remembers the young man who loved her cooking. She cries as if she has lost her own child.
Meanwhile, Tono sits at his usual table in the cafeteria. The menu is the same, but his table feels empty. Now, it's just a space. It's a silent, lifeless space that no longer feels the same.
Putri continues to swing her sword, expressing her emotions. She is very confused. "Why wasn't I the one?" she says to herself.
But Bonar seems the same. He acts like he always does.
Meanwhile, the elders are meeting in the assembly hall. Elder Hartono arrives late.
"Okay, it looks like we can start our meeting today," the sect leader says. "There was an incident in Kidang Alas. It has affected someone else. We need to decide whether to keep opening Kidang Alas or close it."
Elder Bejo Bejan raised his hand.
"Wasn't this an accident? We should keep the group open because we need to think about what will happen to it in the future. Also, the victim wasn't from a well-known family or had a history of martial arts training."
Elder Hartono clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails went through his palms.
"Damn it! You promised! Weren't you the one who brought that child here? Why aren't you taking responsibility? At least show some concern!" Hartono shouted.
"What should I be responsible for? He was too weak and careless!" Bejo replied coldly.
"Calm down, everyone," the sect leader said. "Are there any other opinions?"
"What if we just close it? We just need to find another way to make sure our sect can continue," said Hartono.
"Don't be so random! Kidang Alas was closed once before because of you!" another elder yelled.
"What do you mean?!" Hartono replied.
"We all know Kidang Alas was closed because of the death of the successor of the Golden Body, your fellow disciple!"
Hartono kept his emotions under control. It was all true. It was as if they had been waiting to mock him the whole time.
"If you weren't a disciple of the Fist King, would we respect you? If you weren't the last person to learn the Golden Body technique, we would have expelled you from the Elder Council a long time ago. Don't make decisions so randomly!"
Hartono didn't say anything. He was thinking about what had happened.
"That's enough! Let's not argue," the sect leader said. "I have another idea. We will close it temporarily. We'll let things calm down until they're under control, and then we'll limit exploration to the outer areas. How about that?"
All the elders stopped talking, which showed that they agreed.
"Okay. It's decided then."
The meeting ended. Everyone left, except for Elder Hartono, who stayed and sat in silence.
No one else felt the loss except for him. Yes, it's happening again. He clearly remembered how his fellow disciple had been killed by the White Tiger.
The sect leader came over.
"Hartono, I understand how it feels to lose someone important to you over and over again. But what can we do? Our sect's destiny is connected to the cycle of day and night. This is also true for our sect, the White Tiger, and the Golden Body. I hope this sadness doesn't last."
Meanwhile, Physician Sugeng has shown some progress, even though he only has an incomplete Jade Moon Lotus. His condition is improving. His skin used to be very pale, but now it has a little color.
In the clinic hallway, Tono, Putri, and Bonar sat quietly for hours.
Then Putri spoke up.
"You all understand what we've been through, right? What have we seen? Let it stay only among us. We must truly protect Physician Sugeng because he was Karman's last hope."
—
A week has passed since the Kidang Alas incident. The sect has returned to normal. Kidang Alas has reopened. Students have started entering again, but only the outer areas.
Everything feels calm and peaceful, except for Tono, Putri, and Bonar. They go on with their daily lives, but inside, they feel empty. A careless and impatient boy named Karman has left a deep impression on their hearts.
Then, there's a disturbance at the entrance to Kidang Alas.