Discovery of The Seal

It had been almost six months since the well beside the house had produced even a single drop of water. Small cracks had begun to spread across the bottom of the well, which had once been filled with clear water, while the bucket that was used every morning now hung unused, never touching the water's surface again. Like most of the people in Sukma Village, who made their living as farmers, a middle-aged man named Bayu had no choice but to walk several kilometers every day to collect water for his fields and his family. But that morning, before the sun had fully risen, his frustration finally overcame his patience. With an old hoe resting on his shoulder, Bayu decided to look for a new water source closer to his home.

He walked toward an empty piece of land not far from his yard.

"Maybe there's still an underground spring that no one has found here," he thought.

He swung the hoe again and again, breaking through the hardened ground. Each strike uncovered nothing but dry soil. Bayu moved several dozen meters away and started digging again, hoping to hear the sound of flowing water. Instead, he found only gravel that grew harder with every swing. Refusing to give up, he tried another spot, right beside a huge banyan tree that had stood there far longer than the village itself. The soil felt no different from the places he had dug before.

Then, on his next swing, a sharp metallic clang echoed through the quiet morning.

The blade of his hoe had struck something hard.

"Another rock..." he muttered.

Slightly annoyed, Bayu dug around the side of the hole. The same metallic sound rang out again. He tried another side, then another.

The result was always the same.

His curiosity soon replaced his exhaustion. Slowly, he cleared away the soil around the object until its shape finally began to appear.

It was a large stone.

Bayu let out a long sigh. He thought all of his hard work that morning had been wasted. Reluctantly, he began pushing the loose soil back into the hole to bury the stone again. But just as he was about to kick the pile of dirt back in, something caught his eye.

The surface of the stone was covered with fine carved lines that looked like writing, stretching across its uneven shape. Most of it was still buried beneath the soil, but the exposed markings looked as though they had been carefully carved by human hands. Bayu could not read a single symbol. Even so, for some reason, curiosity urged him to brush the surface of the stone with his hand.

The moment his fingertips swept away the dirt, a cold wind suddenly blew through the trees. The leaves of the banyan rustled softly, while the birds that had been singing all morning fell silent, leaving behind an eerie stillness. Without realizing it, Bayu's final swing of the hoe that morning had touched something that, for centuries, was never meant to be uncovered. Bayu immediately ran to the village hall to report what he had found. The distance, which usually felt quite far, seemed much shorter as he rushed forward, as if the exhaustion that had weighed on him all morning had suddenly disappeared.

At that time, Badra, the head of Sukma Village, was at the village hall. Together with several villagers, he was helping weigh the remaining rice harvest that had been saved after months of drought.

"Mr. Badra!" Bayu shouted from a distance.

Everyone at the village hall, including Badra, turned toward the narrow path. They saw Bayu running toward them as fast as he could.

"Mr. Bayu, calm down."

Badra gently patted Bayu on the shoulder as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Why are you running like you've seen a ghost?"

"I... I found a large stone... and..."

Bayu tried to steady his breathing, but his words kept breaking off.

One of the villagers quickly brought over a glass of water and handed it to Badra.

"Here, drink this first."

Badra passed the glass to Bayu.

Without hesitation, Bayu drank the entire glass in one gulp. Once his breathing became a little steadier, he handed the empty glass back.

"Mr. Badra... I found a large stone on the eastern side..."

Bayu was still breathing heavily.

"There are... writings carved on its surface."

Badra's eyes widened instantly.

"Take me there. Right now."

Bayu nodded quickly.

Not long afterward, Bayu, Badra, and several villagers hurried to the place where the stone had been found. Badra walked so quickly that he nearly overtook Bayu. For a brief moment, Bayu noticed the corner of the village chief's mouth lift into a faint smile.

Hundreds of kilometers away from Sukma Village, a man had just returned to his apartment after spending an entire day teaching at the university.

His name was Brata.

A lecturer in History.

He casually tossed his work bag onto the table. After taking a cold bottle of beer from the refrigerator, he switched on the television and dropped himself onto the living room sofa. A plate was already waiting on the table. Lying on it were three raw dead rats that he caught earlier. Brata picked one up, bit into its flesh without hesitation, and slowly chewed as he watched the evening news.

"...the discovery of a large stone believed to be an ancient artifact has shocked the residents of Sukma Village, Ganyar District. The artifact was found by accident by a farmer digging a new well after the area had suffered from months of drought..."

Brata continued chewing, paying little attention to the news anchor as he opened the university lecturers' group chat on his phone. His attention shifted only when the television camera zoomed in on the stone's surface, revealing rows of ancient inscriptions. He glanced briefly at the screen.

Then his eyes widened.

Without a second thought, Brata closed the chat application and opened his phone's camera. Before the broadcast changed to another angle, he quickly took a picture of the television screen showing the carved inscriptions. A few moments later, the program returned to the news anchor and began reporting on the excavation at the discovery site.

Brata stared at the photo he had just taken.

"...What the hell is this...?" he murmured.

The next morning, sunlight filtering through the curtains woke Brata from his sleep. As usual, he had fallen asleep on the living room sofa. The bed in his bedroom, which he had planned to use the night before, remained perfectly neat and untouched. It seemed he had once again passed out after drinking too much beer while watching television.

Brata rubbed his face before glancing at the wall clock.

7:47 a.m.

"Oh, God..."

He immediately got up, grabbed the towel hanging behind the bathroom door, and hurried to wash up. Less than fifteen minutes later, Brata was fully dressed for work, his shoulder bag hanging at his side. He opened the refrigerator, hoping to find something to fill his stomach.

It was empty.

Brata let out a quiet sigh. His first lecture began at nine o'clock. If he wasted any more time, he would be late.

Just as he was about to leave the apartment, something moving near the shoe rack caught his attention.

A cockroach.

Without hesitation, Brata bent down and caught it with one hand. The cockroach was still struggling when he casually tossed it into his mouth.

Crunch.

The soft crack of its shell echoed as Brata chewed while locking the apartment door. A few seconds later, his motorcycle engine roared to life, and he sped off toward the university with the throttle fully open.

The university campus was already bustling by the time Brata parked his motorcycle in the parking lot. As he lowered the kickstand, he sensed someone's presence approaching. The aura felt strangely familiar.

"Good morning, Professor Brata!"

A cheerful voice stopped him in his tracks.

A young woman with bob cut black hair jogged toward him, holding her phone tightly in one hand.

"Hana."

Hana was a transfer student from Japan who had joined the History Department only a few months earlier. Her fascination with the history of the Nusantra’s had brought her far from her homeland, and Brata had become both her academic advisor and the lecturer for several of her classes.

"Professor, have you seen this news?"

She quickly held out her phone.

A news article filled the screen.

"Ancient Artifact Discovered in Sukma Village, Ganyar."

"I read it last night. They said the stone is covered with ancient inscriptions. What period do you think it comes from?"

Brata glanced briefly at the screen.

"No idea," he replied casually. "It could just be an ordinary stone with some old carvings on it. Discoveries like that aren't unusual."

"I see..."

The campus bell rang loudly, cutting their conversation short.

"It's time for class," Brata said as he began walking toward the lecture building.

"Yes, Professor!"

The lunch bell rang loudly, signaling the end of the morning classes. Brata closed his notebook, picked up the phone that had been lying on the lecturer's desk, and headed toward the campus cafeteria. Ever since the previous night, his thoughts had been occupied by the photo of the artifact he had captured from the news broadcast. Although the image quality was poor, he had spent almost the entire night searching for better pictures from every source he could find, but with no luck.

Before jumping to any conclusions, Brata decided to ask for someone else's opinion.

"Have you been waiting long?"

A beautiful woman carrying a lunch tray sat down across from him.

"Maya."

Maya, a biology lecturer who had been his colleague for several years, simply nodded as she opened a bottle of mineral water.

"So, what's up? It's not like you to invite me to lunch."

Without wasting time, Brata placed his phone on the table and showed her the picture.

"Just from a quick look, what period do you think this stone comes from?"

Maya zoomed in on the photo several times. She studied it for a few moments before shrugging.

"From a picture like this? How would I know? I'm a biology lecturer, not an archaeologist."

"But at least you can guess how old the stone is."

"The stone itself could have formed millions of years ago, while the writing on it might have been carved only a few hundred years ago."

She scooped a spoonful of rice into her mouth.

"Isn't this the artifact they found in Sukma Village?"

Her words came out slightly muffled because her mouth was still full.

"Swallow your food before you talk."

Maya simply shrugged as she continued chewing.

Brata shook his head. He had clearly asked the wrong person.

For the past few minutes, however, something had been bothering him.

Someone was watching them.

It wasn't a threatening stare.

Just...

watching.

Brata looked to his left.

Then to his right.

No one.

He turned back to Maya.

Instead of answering, she raised one finger and pointed to Brata's left.

"Professor Brata!"

Brata flinched.

A face suddenly appeared right beside him.

"Hana..."

The transfer student smiled brightly as she leaned slightly toward their table.

"Oh... so you're having lunch with Ms. Maya."

"We're discussing something," Brata replied shortly.

"Not on a date?" Hana added casually.

"We're not." Maya answered with mouth full of rice.

"Oh..."

Hana lowered her head.

"That's too bad."

Brata let out a long sigh.

Hana's eyes then fell on Brata's phone, whose screen was still on.

They widened immediately.

"Wait... isn't that the artifact they found in Sukma Village?"

Brata quickly locked his phone.

"Just a coincidence."

Hana narrowed her eyes.

"This morning you said you weren't interested."

"I'm not that interested."

"Liar."

Brata turned toward Maya.

She simply smiled.

"He's been asking me to guess how old that stone is."

"Maya..."

"What?" she replied casually. "Would you really spend your entire lunch break with me just to talking about a rock if you weren't interested?"

Now two pairs of eyes were staring at Brata.

He stayed silent for a moment.

Then he finally gave in.

"...All right. I am interested."

"But only because of the inscriptions."

"Wow!" Hana's eyes sparkled again.

"So... does that mean you can read them?"

Brata stared at Hana expressionlessly for a few seconds.

Then he looked at Maya.

"Do you think I can read them?"

Maya frowned.

"Why are you asking me?"

Brata turned back to Hana.

"Not from a photo like this."

He picked up his phone again and zoomed in on the picture.

"But if I could examine the entire surface in person..."

"...maybe."

Hana's smile grew even wider.

"Then why don't you go there?"

Brata raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think I can? Final exams are just around the corner."

"Of course you can!"

Brata shook his head.

"An artifact like this can't be studied in just a few days. You know that."

"But after the exams it'll be semester break."

She said it so casually, as if Brata had nothing else to do besides teaching.

Brata let out a slow breath.

To him, Hana's words sounded as though she assumed he had no responsibilities during the holidays. Seeing Brata's expression change while Hana remained completely unaware that she had irritated her academic advisor, Maya quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

"Come on, Brata. Relax."

She glanced at Hana, who still looked excited about the artifact.

"Besides... what if you brought a research assistant with you?"

Brata turned toward her.

"What do you mean?" he asked, still sounding slightly annoyed.

"Someone to record your findings. You could focus on examining the artifact while someone else documents everything you discover."

Maya explained this while continuing to chew her lunch.

"I told you, swallow before you talk."

Brata looked at her with obvious disgust.

Maya raised a hand, asking for a moment. She struggled to swallow the large bite in her mouth before continuing.

"My point is, having a research assistant would make your work much faster. It would save you a lot of effort too."

Brata rested his elbow on the table and leaned his head against one hand.

"So... do you already have someone in mind?"

Maya didn't answer.

She simply looked at Hana with a smile.

Realizing what Maya meant, Hana smiled broadly and turned toward Brata.

Brata, meanwhile, stared at Maya with a blank expression.

He already knew exactly where this conversation was heading.

"No."

His answer came before Maya even had the chance to speak.

"Come on, Professor..."

Hana grabbed the end of Brata's sleeve with both hands.

"You still have several courses to retake during the semester break."

"You should focus on those."

"But, Professor..."

"I want to come."

"No."

Brata's answer was short.

Firm.

Hana let out a long sigh.

"Please..."

Brata shook his head again without changing his mind.

Seeing the conversation reach a dead end, Maya finally set down her spoon.

"I actually think Hana has a point."

Brata looked at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Hana is a transfer student."

"She came all the way here not just to listen to lectures or read history from books."

Maya paused before continuing.

"Besides, field research like this would be a much more valuable experience for her."

"And for you as well."

"It'll be much easier if someone helps document your research."

Brata fell silent.

Maya's argument made sense.

A few seconds later, however, he stood up and slipped his phone into his pocket.

"I still prefer going alone."

Without waiting for anyone's response, Brata walked away from the cafeteria table.

Hana could only watch her professor's back as he disappeared into the distance.

Seeing the disappointment on Hana's face, Maya smiled faintly.

"If I were you..."

"...I wouldn't give up that easily."

Evening gave way to night.

That night felt darker than usual. A cold breeze drifted through the narrow alleyways, lit only by the dim glow of old streetlights. A woman staggered forward alone. Her lips moved constantly, whispering a chant so faint it was almost impossible to hear. With every step she took, soft murmurs surrounded her, as though something unseen was whispering back.

At the corner of the alley, beside a rusted garbage bin, a man sat calmly with his back against the wall. In his hand was the carcass of a dog that had been died two days ago. Without hesitation, he bit into the rotting flesh, chewing it slowly as if he were enjoying an ordinary dinner.

His eyes were not on the carcass.

For all this time... He had been waiting.

The woman finally stopped walking.

Slowly, she turned her head toward the man.

Silence filled the narrow alley.

"I thought so..."

"...this would bring you here."

The man spoke in a calm, emotionless voice, still chewing the maggot-infested meat.

"Are you..."

"...one of us?"

the woman asked quietly.

The man swallowed before answering.

"Unfortunately..."

"...no."

The woman lowered her head.

Her body began to tremble.

"In that case..."

Her voice became deeper.

"...stop..."

"...pretending TO BE ONE OF USE!"

Her scream shattered the silence of the night.

Her neck stretched to an unnatural length.

Her hair burst loose, spreading wildly around her.

Sharp fangs emerged from behind her lips, while her fingernails grew into long, claw-like talons.

The man remained seated.

"From the very beginning..."

"...I was never pretending."

Slowly, he raised his right hand and covered his face.

In an instant, a mask emerged from the palm of his hand and sealed itself perfectly over his face.

With the same hand, he swung outward.

A black-bladed kris, engraved with sacred markings, instantly appeared in his grip.

"Sarvahari."

Without another word, the man threw the remains of the dead dog toward the creature.

At the very same moment, he lunged forward.

The creature let out a piercing scream and charged, swatting the flying carcass aside.

The two figures collided in the middle of the alley.

Clang!