After the deadly duel with Enzi’s gang, Akasa sat motionless on the edge of a grayish andesite stone step, waiting—unsure of what fate awaited him next.
His thoughts were heavy with doubt.
Then, without warning, the faint chime of bells echoed through the air—followed by rhythmic, heavy impacts, like horses’ hooves striking the earth.
Akasa turned toward the dirt road flanked by dense, shadowy trees.
Slowly, emerging through the mist, came a horse-drawn carriage—pulled by two massive white horses. It advanced at an unhurried pace, its silhouette wavering between fog and darkness.
When the carriage stopped directly in front of him, a soft voice sounded from behind.
A beautiful woman in a green kebaya stepped gracefully past Akasa, who still sat lost in thought on the stone steps.
“Ampun mlamun!”
(“Don’t drift off.”)
Her words snapped him back to awareness. The emptiness in his eyes stirred, following her elegant stride as she approached the carriage.
As she drew closer, one of the carriage doors opened on its own—as if welcoming her presence.
“Sampun kalanipun nentokaken nasibmu.”
(“It is time to determine your fate.”)
Her voice was gentle. She stepped inside and sat gracefully, then turned her gaze back to Akasa.
“Mangga, lebeta.”
(“Come. Get in.”)
The words echoed inside Akasa’s mind, blurring the line between reality and illusion.
“Lebeta…”
(“Get in…”)
Her voice repeated—still resonating inside his head.
“LEBET!”
(“GET IN!”)
Her eyes widened sharply.
In an instant, Akasa startled—he was no longer sitting on the stone steps.
He was already inside the carriage, seated directly across from her.
“Sae.”
(“Good.”)
She murmured with a faint smile.
Akasa, however, was frozen—unable to comprehend what had just happened. He had just experienced what people would call teleportation.
The carriage door closed by itself.
The two white horses let out piercing cries, stamping their hooves before pulling the carriage forward.
Yet this was a different world.
A carriage that should have rattled violently over uneven ground now glided smoothly—as though it never touched the earth at all.
The powerful movement of the horses could not be felt, even though the sound of their steps echoed clearly.
The carriage surged forward, cutting through the dark forest shrouded in thick mist.