THE FIRE THAT IGNITES ARDANUSA
Dawn was creeping over the mountains of southern Java. Golden light pierced the thin mist that enveloped the lands of the Ardhanusa Kingdom. Roosters called to each other, as workers—still sleepy-eyed—made their way to the hill where the strangest project in the kingdom's history was to begin.
Amidst the crowd, a young man stood tall among wooden crates, boulders, and piles of charcoal.
Ardhana Wiratmaja.
The fifth prince.
The architect of the future.
The sea breeze carried a salty scent that blended with the scent of wet earth. Ardhana's black hair moved gently.
He stared at the massive andesite foundation that had been completed the night before—its rough outline already revealed something the people of Ardhanusa had never seen before.
A giant furnace.
Taller than a stilt house.
More solid than the kingdom's small fortress.
Rakai Darma approached, his face still filled with disbelief.
> "Young Master… the people are starting to wonder. Is it true that a building this large is only for… iron?"
Ardhana didn't look up. He simply watched the stone pillars being erected.
> "A kingdom that doesn't purify its iron… will never purify its destiny."
Rakai Darma fell silent.
Those words—unfamiliar, yet thrilling.
Beside them, Empu Wangsita ran his hand over the surface of the furnace wall, grumbling softly.
"It's so thick… the hot air must be insane…"
"This isn't a furnace, it's a monster…"
Ardhana smiled faintly.
"That monster will eventually give birth to civilization."
Empu Wangsita took a deep breath and then saluted.
"If this is insane… then allow me to be the first to join in this madness, Sir."
Ardhana patted the master's shoulder.
"You're not joining in madness, Empu…
You're joining history."
---
🔥 PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST CHARGE
When the sun reached its peak, all the workers had gathered.
The heating stones were arranged.
Premium charcoal—from roasting old teak wood—was poured into the furnace.
Empu Wangsita grinned slightly at the color of the charcoal.
"With charcoal of this quality…
If we fail, it won't be because of the ingredients—but because we're stupid."
Ardhana simply responded with a confident look.
"Today is not a day of failure."
"Today is a day of rebirth—not just for me, but for Ardhanusa."
Then he turned to the workers.
"Start! Raise the temperature!"
The workers began pumping air with a simple device Ardhana had made—a combination of traditional belos and the pressure principle he had seen in the ancient world.
The sound of foom foom foom echoed loudly.
The flames rose.
The temperature rose.
The air vibrated.
---
🌋 SIGNS OF A MIRACLE
After an hour, the color of the fire changed from red to yellowish white.
Empu Wangsita let out a small cry—not of fear, but of awe.
"Sir… this heat… is unbelievable."
"Any metal will melt here!"
Ardhana closed his eyes for a moment.
He recalled the flow of knowledge from his old world… metallurgical techniques, steel refining, material structure.
In his heart, he whispered:
"This is the first step towards high-quality iron.
The first step towards a star fortress.
The first step towards a future that even foreigners cannot imagine."
He opened his eyes and stared into the furnace, which blazed like a small sun.
"Add iron ore!"
Two workers poured in chunks of brownish-red ore. For a moment, the flames flickered—then shot higher again.
Ardhana raised his hand.
"Everyone stand back. The furnace is about to start working."
The workers stepped back in tense silence.
Rakai Darma gripped his sword.
Empu Wangsita hugged his hammer.
Then…
BRUUMMM—!!!
A heavy sound came from within the furnace.
The earth seemed to tremble gently.
Birds flew.
White light poured out from the cracks in the stone.
The workers screamed in terror.
"Young master! The furnace—exploded?!"
Ardhana raised his hands, calm.
"No. That's a sign… the ore is turning into pure metal."
Rakai Darma swallowed so hard it was audible.
>"Ardhana… what is this thing you're building…?"
Ardhana smiled.
"The first iron factory in the archipelago."
"And not the last."
---
⚙️ FIRST METAL
When the sound from the furnace died down, Empu Wangsita moved quickly, opening the outlet for the molten metal—what Ardhana called the tapping point.
The silvery red liquid flowed slowly into the sand mold.
Everyone held their breath.
The glow of the metal… was too clean.
Too clear.
Unlike the dark iron they were used to.
Empu Wangsita knelt spontaneously.
"This…
This is not Ardhanusa iron."
"This is the iron of the gods."
Ardhana bent down and touched the hot metal from a safe distance.
In his eyes, the future reflected:
A light steel sword.
A crack-proof shield.
A fast ship.
A stone bridge.
A star fortress.
And the history of the Indonesian archipelago would be changed forever.
"This is not the iron of the gods, Empu."
"This is the iron of humans who choose not to surrender."
Rakai Darma stared at the young man for a long… long time.
"With this… we can fight any kingdom "
Ardhana stood up straight.
"Not just the kingdom."
"Even the foreign nations who will come with warships and gunpowder…"
He turned away, gazing at the sea far to the south.
"They will not conquer this land—not this time."
The afternoon breeze ruffled his hair.
The furnace fire reignited.
And under the orange light, Ardhanusa's history changed forever.
The era of the Eastern Light Civilization had truly begun.