After their happy moments at the joglo, Shanum and Denar spent several days together at her grandmother's house, enjoying the warmth of physical touch that they had only dreamed of until then. Denar, who used to only be able to feel and see, could now touch the grass in the garden, feel the heat of the sun on his skin, and even help his grandmother cook Shanum's favorite gudeg with his own hands.
However, their happiness had to be shared with the reality they had to face—Shanum still had one more semester to complete her studies in Jakarta. She had already taken a long leave of absence due to the events that had occurred, and now it was time for her to return to campus to complete her studies and write her thesis, which was a requirement for graduation.
"I have to go back to Jakarta next week, Denar," Shanum said softly as they sat in the backyard, watching the sun set over the vast rice fields. "I don't want to be far from you, but my studies are very important for our future."
Denar reached out and touched Shanum's cheek gently. "I understand, my love. You've worked so hard to get this far, and I will never stand in the way of your dreams. Even if we have to be apart for a while, our love will never fade."
However, that night, the grandmother came to their room with a face full of excitement. "I have reread our ancestors' notebook, and it turns out there is something else I haven't shown you, child. The recipe that makes Denar real doesn't only work in this area—his power will follow him wherever he goes, as long as he stays close to you and carries a part of the energy of our homeland."
Grandmother took a small jug of water from the old well and a small bag of soil from the family garden. "Give these to him. If he carries this soil and water with him, he will remain in physical form wherever he is. In addition, I have spoken with Dewi and the community leaders—they agree that Denar can go with you to Jakarta to help you and also learn about the modern world, which may be beneficial to our community in the future."
Shanum and Denar looked at each other with eyes full of joy. "So you can follow me to Jakarta?" asked Shanum with a hopeful voice.
"Of course, my love," Denar replied with a broad smile. "I will never let you go alone. I will be your biggest supporter, and maybe I can learn many new things there that can help us build a better future together."
A few days later, they left for Jakarta on the night train. The journey of more than twenty hours felt very short because they were together—Denar looked in awe at the changing scenery, from the vast rice fields in Yogyakarta to the dense settlements around the capital.
When they arrived at Gambir Station, Shanum saw Denar's face filled with awe as he looked at the tall buildings and the crowds of people passing by. "This is a very different world from our village, isn't it?" said Shanum with a smile.
"Yes, it's very different," replied Denar, observing his surroundings. "But with you by my side, I'm ready to face all these new things."
Shanum took him to her boarding house, located not far from the campus. Her roommate, Lina, was surprised to see her arrive with a handsome man dressed in a slightly traditional but very attractive style. "Shanum! You're back! And who's your new friend?" asked Lina with eyes full of curiosity.
"This is Denar, my boyfriend," Shanum replied proudly, holding Denar's hand tightly. Lina was immediately attracted to Denar, who was polite and attentive to Shanum. She even offered to help them find a bigger boarding house so they could both live comfortably.
On Shanum's first day back at campus, Denar accompanied her attentively. He looked in awe at the magnificent campus buildings and the many students rushing to attend classes. After seeing Shanum into her class, Denar decided to explore the campus and learn about the various facilities available.
Soon after, Denar discovered that he had an extraordinary ability to understand the agricultural engineering courses that Shanum was majoring in. He often helped Shanum complete her assignments and even provided valuable new insights on how to integrate traditional knowledge with modern technology to improve crop yields and farmers' welfare.
One day, Shanum's thesis advisor, Professor Sudarmo, saw Shanum's interesting work and asked about the new ideas she had used. Shanum honestly said that the ideas came from her boyfriend Denar, who had in-depth knowledge of traditional agricultural science from his community.
Professor Sudarmo was very interested and invited Denar to speak in front of the class and even invited him to be a guest speaker at an agricultural seminar to be held on campus. Denar gladly accepted the offer, and his presentation on the integration of traditional and modern knowledge was very well received by students and lecturers.
However, not everyone was happy with Denar's presence. Several wealthy students who had once liked Shanum felt jealous and began spreading unpleasant rumors about Denar—that he had no formal education and was only using supernatural powers to attract the attention of Shanum and the campus lecturers.
On the day of the big seminar, which was attended by many experts from all over Indonesia, one of these students, Baskoro, who was also the son of a big agricultural businessman, stood up and challenged Denar in front of all the participants. "You only talk about traditional knowledge that has not been scientifically proven! Aren't you just a man from a village with no formal education? What right do you have to stand here and teach us?"
Denar remained calm and smiled gently. "You are right, I do not have a formal degree like all of you. However, my knowledge has been tested for centuries by my ancestors through direct experience in the field. Modern and traditional knowledge do not have to be in conflict—they can complement each other to create something better."
To prove it, Denar used his traditional knowledge combined with a basic understanding of chemistry and biology that he learned from Shanum to explain how to increase soil fertility without using excessive chemical fertilizers. He even showed data on crop yields from his community that had implemented this method, which showed a significant increase.
Professor Sudarmo and the other experts in attendance were very impressed with Denar's explanation. Baskoro felt ashamed and finally admitted that he was just jealous because Shanum chose Denar over him. He apologized to Denar and Shanum, and even asked to learn from Denar about traditional agricultural science.
After the seminar, Denar's name became increasingly well-known among academics and agricultural practitioners in Jakarta. Many invited him to share his knowledge and collaborate on projects aimed at improving the welfare of farmers throughout Indonesia.
Shanum and Denar spent their time very meaningfully—Shanum focused on her studies while Denar learned about the modern world and shared his traditional knowledge. They often spent their evenings on the balcony of their boarding house, looking out at the city lights and talking about their dreams for the future.
"I never imagined we could live like this together in Jakarta," Shanum said, leaning on Denar's shoulder.
"Me neither, my love," replied Denar, kissing her forehead. "But our love has proven that there are no boundaries we cannot cross. Whether in the village or in a big city like this, as long as we are together, we can face anything."
A few months later, Shanum successfully completed her thesis with honors—her thesis on the integration of traditional and modern agricultural science was one of the best that year. Denar was the first person she invited to celebrate her graduation, along with her grandmother, who came specially from Yogyakarta, and her close friends.
On Shanum's graduation day, Denar stood in the front row with her grandmother, her face full of pride. When Shanum's name was called and she went up on stage to receive her diploma, Denar felt her eyes well up with tears of happiness.
After the graduation ceremony was over, they gathered with Shanum's friends and several lecturers who had helped them along the way. Professor Sudarmo approached them with a big smile. "Shanum, you are one of the best students I have ever taught. And Mas Denar, thank you for your valuable contribution to our campus and agricultural community. I hope you can continue to work together to create positive change for our country."
That night, they celebrated Shanum's graduation at a small restaurant that served Yogjakarta specialties. Grandmother gently took Shanum and Denar's hands. "I am very proud of you both. Our ancestors would be very happy to see how your love and cooperation have benefited so many people. Both in the village and in the city, you have proven that true love can change the world for the better."
Shanum and Denar looked at each other with eyes full of love and hope. They knew that their journey was still long and that there would be many challenges ahead—from building a business together that integrated traditional and modern knowledge, to facing threats from groups that did not like change, to facing new secrets about Denar's origins that would change their views of the supernatural world and life itself.
But before they could begin a new chapter in their lives, an urgent message arrived from the coastal community—the natural energy that had maintained balance for centuries was being disrupted, and only the combined powers of Shanum, Denar, Dewi, and the two communities could save everything from destruction.
"We must return to the village immediately," said the grandmother with a serious expression after reading the message. "What is happening there is far greater than all of us. This will be the greatest test we have ever faced, and it will determine the future not only of us, but of the entire universe we inhabit."
Shanum and Denar nodded firmly.