*Crash!
The loud sound of books falling from the cabinet reverberated in the room. Kamaniya held Yada tightly, trying to shield him with her own body.
It felt like they had been embracing for a while. However, warmth suddenly spread as Kamaniya felt the firm embrace of Yada's arms around her shoulder.
"A man who should protect a woman."
Kamaniya was taken aback. For a moment, she forgot how to think. Her mind suddenly went blank.
But it didn't last long. Yada suddenly stood up, pulling her along.
"The earthquake was strong. There won't be any aftershocks, right?"
He wasn't directing the question at Kamaniya. Yada's gaze swept the devastated workspace.
"Are you okay, Kama?"
The woman shook her head.
"Can I call you Kama?"
She fell silent. It was like déjà vu, old memories flooding her mind. Kamaniya was transported back to the past, to her first meeting with her lover.
"Yes." Kamaniya replied softly.
"Let's see the situation outside. Hopefully, nothing bad has happened. The earthquake was intense."
Yada didn't wait for Kamaniya. His embrace had already been released. Kamaniya stood there momentarily before following the host out of the room.
Both of them were surprised when they realized that the atmosphere outside Yada's workspace was still normal. It was as if nothing had happened.
There were no signs of an earthquake. Everything was in its place. There was no panic typically seen after a disaster.
"What happened?" Yada exclaimed, unable to believe what he saw.
Kamaniya shifted to Yada's side. Her sharp eyes carefully observed the surroundings.
"Arum, are you okay?" Yada restrained his assistant who happened to pass by.
"Well, I'm fine, Sir. Is something wrong?"
"You didn't feel the earthquake?"
Arum was stunned. "What earthquake, Sir? Are you hallucinating?"
Yada shook his head. "It was a big earthquake. The books in my workspace fell."
"Maybe you were dreaming, Sir?"
Arum hurriedly entered Yada's room. After a few seconds, she came out with a furrowed brow.
"There's nothing inside, Sir. The books are still on the shelf."
Yada was stunned. He rushed back into the workspace. Kamaniya, on the other hand, stood still without moving an inch. From where she stood, she could already see the atmosphere inside the workspace without having to go there.
And Yada was astonished. What Arum said was true. The entire collection of books was still neatly arranged on the shelves.
"What... is this..." Yada stumbled, hitting the wall.
"Perhaps Mr. Yada is exhausted because he didn't sleep last night." Arum helped her boss stand upright.
"Take a rest, Sir. I'll take care of your guest."
Kamaniya caught the curt tone in the woman's voice. She didn't say a word as Arum supported Yada and guided him to the bedroom. Kamaniya's gaze followed their movements.
"Well, Miss, can you explain what just happened?" Arum asked with a heavy Jakarta dialect.
Kamaniya ignored Yada's personal assistant who had returned from the bedroom. She walked off to the backyard without saying a word.
"Hey, why are you being silent? Come on, answer this."
However, Arum stopped at the doorstep of the kitchen. She saw Kamaniya standing in the middle of the yard.
Her position was strange. She stood motionless with her eyes closed and her hands stretched out to her sides. Kamaniya tilted her head upward.
Sunlight bathed her body. Kamaniya's silver hair shimmered in the light. Arum gazed at it, bewildered.
"Who is she?" Arum whispered. "Why does my heart tremble when I see her like that?"
Arum waited for a few seconds before deciding not to disturb Kamaniya. She slowly left the front yard and focused on Yada.
As soon as Arum was gone, Kamaniya opened her eyes. Her voice turned cold as she addressed a towering banyan tree three meters away from her.
"Come out," she commanded coldly.
The sound of rustling leaves was heard, and the next moment, a slender woman jumped down and stopped one meter in front of Kamaniya.
"You caused trouble earlier," the silver-haired woman spoke again.
Black and white. That's how the appearances of the two women could be described.
Kamaniya with her silver hair and long white dress, a gift from Yada. While the woman before her had black hair down to her waist, wore black clothing, and had layers of short fabric covering her thighs.
"Finally, I found you." There was no objection from the black-haired woman. She slowly approached Kamaniya.
"Turns out, Lonji Hill is a portal to this world. Fascinating. I just found out that the valley you inhabited is connected to Earth." The black-haired woman glanced around for a moment.
"But I don't know where this is. The world I used to inhabit was not like this."
Kamaniya held back from speaking. She was in the same boat, unfamiliar with the new world she had just entered.
The Valley of Virgin where she had lived all this time was in another dimension. Its atmosphere was almost similar to Earth, specifically to the era of ancient Indonesian kingdoms.
Kamaniya knew this because she had often traveled through time. After her youngest sister disappeared into a time vortex at Lonji Hill centuries ago, Kamaniya made great efforts to find her sister.
Several times, Kamaniya had entered the swirling vortex, which resembled a time machine at Lonji Hill, the only large hill in the Valley of Virgin. Since she didn't have a navigation system, she never knew which era she would emerge in.
All she knew was that the time vortex was a connection between her world and Earth. So far, Kamaniya had only emerged in the eras of ancient Indonesian kingdoms. This was her first arrival in the modern era.
"Why do you keep following me? I have no business with you." Kamaniya interrupted the woman in front of her.
"No business, you say?" The woman in front of Kamaniya smiled sarcastically. "You have ruined the plans of my Lord."
The black-haired woman assumed a fighting stance. Seemingly unaffected by Kamaniya's cold demeanor, she began preparing her moves.
"You recklessly entered my realm. The order there is in chaos because eternal beings like you violated my domain," she said.
"Dayu Datuh?" Kamaniya scoffed. "She has captured my sister."
"Your sister willingly came to our world. You cannot take her back," the black-haired woman responded.
"Liar. My sister never came willingly. She was abducted by your mentor," Kamaniya shifted her position.
Her wounds from the battle in the Valley of Virgin were still not fully healed. Meanwhile, her opponent had managed to follow her to this time period. Kamaniya still didn't understand how that was possible.
"Return my sister," she demanded.
The black-haired woman grinned cunningly. "I can't. My master favors your sister. You both possess eternal souls, souls that Gusti Dayu Datuh admires." (1)
Kamaniya took a step back as her opponent moved forward.
"And now I must take your soul to offer it to Gusti Dayu Datuh. An additional eternal soul will surely please her."
Reacting quickly, Kamaniya leaped backward as her opponent approached. The woman winced in pain as the impact caused sharp pain in her waist and abdomen, aggravating her previous injuries.
"I have drained your inner energy, Silver Hair. You won't be able to do anything anymore."
A peal of annoying, loud laughter echoed in Kamaniya's ears. She gritted her teeth and sprinted towards the kitchen door. However, before reaching it, a small cluster of sharp thorns whizzed past Kamaniya's head.
"I, Latuhayu, will bring you to death, Silver Hair!"
Kamaniya's blood ran cold as the sharp thorns flew past her head again. She now knew that those small weapons were equipped with poison and chanted spells. One of her inner energies was lost after being hit by the thorns and the slash of Latuhayu's short sword.
Kamaniya bit her tongue to suppress a scream as the tip of Latuhayu's sword came right next to her cheek. Only a miracle allowed her to evade in her wounded and weakened state.
Now Kamaniya relied solely on her martial arts skills. Without any magical powers, she swiftly grabbed Latuhayu's outstretched wrist and pulled it quickly. Taking advantage of her opponent's momentary lapse, Kamaniya pushed her opponent's neck and swiftly tripped Latuhayu's leg.
A loud thud reverberated. Latuhayu fell to the ground. Kamaniya seized the opportunity to escape.
"ARGH!" This time, Kamaniya couldn't suppress the scream of pain as Latuhayu yanked on her long hair. Kamaniya's steps came to a halt once again.
"You're dead, Witch!" Latuhayu lifted her short sword high, preparing to thrust it towards Kamaniya.
However, something heavy and solid suddenly pushed Latuhayu away from Kamaniya, accompanied by a masculine shout protecting the woman.
"Yada...," Kamaniya whispered, stunned.
It was the tall figure of Yada who had pushed Latuhayu. He now stood proudly in front of Kamaniya.
"Now you're safe, Kama," Yada's gaze remained fixed on the staggering Latuhayu.
"Idiot!" Kamaniya hissed sharply. "It's actually you who is in danger now."
Yada turned. His eyes showed confusion at Kamaniya's words.
Before he could voice his question, Yada's gaze suddenly went blank. He stood there rigidly.
Faintly, Kamaniya heard a foreign language that she had once heard when stranded in the Kingdom of Kahuripan. She quietly cursed and quickly rose to her feet. Her two hands swiftly covered Yada's ears. (2)
"Aji Sirep," Kamaniya whispered.
She recognized one of the black magic spells commonly used by shamans in Java. The mantra used in Aji Sirep could hypnotize the target and make them fall asleep. To a certain extent, the user of Aji Sirep could even manipulate the mind and trap the target in a terrifying illusionary world.
That explained why Kamaniya and Yada had experienced a strong earthquake in Yada's office, while the outside environment remained normal. The earthquake was one of the effects of Latuhayu's Aji Sirep.
What still remained a mystery was why Kamaniya and Yada were not permanently trapped in Latuhayu's artificial illusion. Moreover, the spell had been broken, as evidenced by Kamaniya and Yada being able to leave the room in a healthy state with their minds intact.
"You will all die!" Latuhayu shouted loudly after reciting the Aji Sirep mantra.
Kamaniya frowned. It was clear that she couldn't protect herself in her current state without any inner energy, while her opponent was an active user of dark magic.
"Wake up, Yada!" Kamaniya lightly slapped the man's cheeks.
However, Yada remained motionless. He had already succumbed to the influence of the Aji Sirep black magic.
Panic began to set in for Kamaniya as Latuhayu drew closer. In the end, driven solely by the desire to protect, Kamaniya tightly embraced Yada, using herself as a living shield.
With only a few seconds left before the tip of Latuhayu's short sword would touch her back, Kamaniya closed her eyes and held Yada even tighter.
Latuhayu raised her short sword high and yelled, "You're dead, Witch!"