KEEP BUANA (Rise of Darkness)

Mystery Mirror

It rained heavily that afternoon.

Gentayu and his entourage have now arrived back in front of the gate of the kingdom of Lamahtang. The condition of the inside of the fort is still in disarray. Debris of buildings scattered. The burn marks of the building left a charred stain and left charcoal and ash.

At some point, it looks like the ash is mounting. The scent of flesh and bone smelled wildly from the pile of ash that began to get wet with rainwater. It seemed, it was a pile of ashes burning the bodies of war victims.

Gentayu and others stopped walking down the streets that had been completely wet by the rain. They took shelter for a moment in a former building that was still standing even though some of its sides had been destroyed. Apparently, it was the home of one of the high-ranking royal officials who were also invaded by white warriors and soldiers of the alliance of the three duchies.

“I think the warriors should be gathering somewhere. They should have finished taking care of the bodies of the victims of the war.” Mak Payung said as his old eyes tried to sweep the area around him. Trying to find if there are soldiers or warriors around the place. But nil.

The five of them were now shrouded in silence. Only the increasingly heavy rainfall that fills the atmosphere of silence of the five warriors. Each one seemed busy with his own thoughts.

The devastation from the war looks alarming. But apparently, there were no civilian casualties, that's how it should be.

Since it fell into the hands of black groups, civilians prefer to get out of the city and choose to settle in the surrounding villages.

While those who are forced to live in the city or even evacuate to the city because of famine and food shortages, generally only in this city to scavenge the windfall and return to the surrounding villages at night.

They did not dare to live in this royal neighborhood.

It has been widely known that black groups are very fond of killing civilians, raping women, and other heinous acts. Only old and elderly people seem to escape their cruelty in this city as long as they obey strict rules.

Even if there are civilians who are victims, they are comfort women who are indeed increasing in number since the mastery of black flow over the kingdom. Many brothels have been established over the past three months, along with gambling complexes inside. In fact, almost in every corner, there is a cockfighting gambling arena.

In those places the beggars from the village which usually consists of the elderly and the disabled scavenge for fortune. And because of their existence, the infiltration of the Star of Hope warriors can run smoothly some time ago.

“Ah, it looks like the rain has stopped. Are we going to continue the journey or just stay here?” Sakuza, who grew tired of talking broke the ice.

“Mari.” Gentayu immediately preceded out of the terrace of the building without waiting for the others. Even Mak Umbrella who was about to fall asleep on the corner floor of the inner terrace had a little trouble getting up in a hurry.

He and others soon followed the young man who had disappeared behind a building at a corner of the street not far in front of them.

When the women had arrived at the corner of the road blocking their view from Gentayu, the four were startled by the sight before them. Gentayu was sitting half on his knees supporting the body of a middle-aged man with his hands. Blood seemed to wash all over the man's body. The man was none other than Ki Geringsing, one of the remaining warriors of the Golden Sun.

The war should have ended last night.

But something has happened to Ki Geringsing and several other warriors. Ki Geringsing can save his life even with very severe conditions.

Ki Geringsing explained briefly, that when they were combing some buildings, they accidentally found a strange mirror in the former training building, where the previous residence of Mpu Jangger and Devil's Coral.

From the mirror, five human figures came out led by a woman in red robes who immediately finished off the warriors Ki Geringsing entourage.

Ki Geringsing was unable to explain more details about their attackers or about the mirror. The middle-aged man immediately lost consciousness due to the amount of blood coming out from the wounds all over his body.

“What happened??” Mak Umbrella who recognized Ki Geringsing immediately took over Ki Geringsing's body from the woodwork.

Putting Ki Geringsing's weak body on the street just like that.

“These injuries don't seem to be due to weapons.. “ Mak Umbrella conveyed the findings after examining the body of ki geringsing which is getting weaker over time.

“Whatever it is Grandma, quickly please treat him! I'll check something.” Gentayu soon got up after Mak Payung agreed to take care of ki Geringsing.

Immediately, Gentayu darted to leave his small group to the training complex. Trying to find people as well as mirrors that meant ki Geringsing.

‘If my guess is correct, the mirror must be the gateway to another world as buana stone.’ inner gentayu.