"I am Kamaniya"
Yada rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. You've already introduced yourself to me."
"So?"
"Oh my, are you always this cold, Kama?"
"Are you always this chatty, Yada?"
The man was taken aback. Then, he burst into laughter.
"Ah, so that's how you play. I get it."
"I don't understand at all."
Yada signaled for Kamaniya to follow him. But Kamaniya continued to observe the bewildered dancer in the pavilion.
"He's really possessed." Yada looked in the direction Kamaniya was looking.
"This is the first time I've heard that term."
Yada quickly turned. "Wait a minute. Where are you from? How come you don't even know common terms like this?"
Kamaniya remained silent. Instead of answering the man's question, she became more focused on observing the dancer.
"His name is Supri. He's a farmer nearby. I know he's possessed because Supri has never learned to dance before. I think this is his first time performing the leak dance in front of the public."
"Where did you find out?"
"The person next to me happens to be Supri's neighbor. He's concerned about Pak Supri's condition being possessed."
Kamaniya didn't say anything else. She continued to observe the man who was now being supported by, presumably, his neighbor. After that, Kamaniya walked slowly away from the pavilion area.
"Kama?"
She stopped. "Want to ask who I am again?"
Yada grinned. He matched Kamaniya's steps.
"I'm still curious about you. Seriously."
"What are you curious about?"
"What were you doing in Gong Cave that left you severely injured?"
Kamaniya continued walking. The gentle afternoon breeze cooled her down. This time, it was truly a friendly and gentle breeze, devoid of the mysticism that instilled fear.
"I was afraid that Supri would harm you."
Kamaniya glanced at the man next to her. She couldn't blame Yada for thinking that way.
To be honest, Kamaniya was also afraid earlier. But not the kind of fear that she would get hurt. On the contrary, Kamaniya was worried that she would end up hurting Supri.
Even though she had lost her internal energy skills, Kamaniya was still much stronger than the people here. That was due to the power of the Valley of Virgin, which made her immortal and endowed her with above-average physical strength.
"The wind was really strong. I couldn't hear what he was saying to you." Yada spoke again.
For reasons unknown to Kamaniya, a sudden sense of relief flooded her heart. She wouldn't be able to come up with another excuse if Yada asked her for confirmation about Supri's expulsion.
"I only saw him rushing towards you when the strange wind came."
Now they were back at the Kalak Cave parking lot. Kamaniya no longer felt a connection to this place.
Kalak Cave didn't emit the natural energy she could use to return to the Valley of Virgin. It was just an ordinary cave that was filled with too much negative energy.
After this, Kamaniya would find out about various modern terms frequently spoken by Yada. At the same time, she would explore the world she had left behind.
And, of course, she would find out who Yada really was.
"Hey, why are you silent?"
Kamaniya gave a slight smile. "Is there still something you want to find in this cave? I can accompany you."
"Not really. I've researched this place several times. Actually, it's Gong Cave that I need to investigate."
"Why Gong Cave?"
Yada pursed his lips. "You haven't answered my question yet, and instead, you're asking me back."
"What else do you want to know?"
"You have a certain level of calmness that is slightly unusual." Yada furrowed his brow. "Even for a man."
Kamaniya's heart raced. She didn't want her identity to be revealed so quickly.
[Should I act fragile in this world?]
Kamaniya pondered. Yada's statement was quite contradictory to the women she had known in the past, as Kamaniya.
"Sorry, but how should women behave in your opinion?"
"Well, when facing someone possessed like earlier, most women would be terrified. If it were Arum, she would definitely scream and panic. Like those women in the pavilion earlier. They were hysterical when they saw Supri possessed, especially when he approached them like that."
Kamaniya smiled bitterly. Screaming out of fear had never been in her life's vocabulary.
She had encountered many women on Earth. Even two women whom she considered like her own sisters would never do what Yada described.
Druwangi and Mayatri, two acquaintances from the Majapahit era, would probably kick someone like Supri hard.
Or Maylin, a Mongolian woman she met during her visit to ancient Indonesia. Maylin would definitely prefer to choke the possessed Supri rather than run around in fear because of being called a cursed witch.
"But..." Yada sounded uncertain.
Kamaniya tilted her head. "What?"
"Screaming like Arum doesn't seem to suit you." Yada burst into laughter.
"What suits me then?"
"Slapping Supri hard," Yada's laughter was uncontrollable.
Kamaniya's bitter smile faded. Her face brightened a little.
"If you want to go to Gong Cave, I'll join you. I also want to see that place."
Yada gazed at Kamaniya with an odd look. However, no words came out. Shortly after, he invited Kamaniya to go back home.
"Are you sure you don't want to report it to the police?" Yada asked Kamaniya that night. They had finished dinner and were in his study.
"No," Kamaniya answered without looking at the person asking.
"But you were seriously injured."
"But now there are no more injuries, right?" This time Kamaniya turned to face Yada.
Once again, the peculiar look appeared in Yada's dark eyes. Yada pushed his laptop aside and rested his chin on his hands on the table.
"This is another one of your peculiarities," Yada said candidly. "Your injuries were very severe. The doctor even asked me to take care of you in the hospital with more adequate equipment. But the next day, your condition improved so quickly that even the doctor was surprised."
Kamaniya pulled out one book from Yada's collection of dozens. Her curiosity surged, wanting to know how the professor managed to move all his books to Pacitan.
After all, Yada claimed that his work was in Jakarta, and his permanent residence was also in the capital of Indonesia. Pacitan was only the place where he conducted temporary research on the history of the Majapahit Kingdom.
"I'm really curious about who you are," Yada persisted.
"Just consider me lucky. Since I was little, I've always healed quickly when injured."
"Do you often get injured?"
Kamaniya gave a slight smile. "Not really. I'm someone who is well-protected."
"Do you want to share anything about yourself?"
"No." Kamaniya waved the book she held in her hand. The title "Jayanagara: The Second King of Majapahit" was written on its cover.
"Ah, you're really mysterious."
Kamaniya shrugged. "Not really."
"But are you sure you don't want to report it to the police? So that the person who harmed you can be captured and sent to the police."
Kamaniya chuckled. It was clear that the police in this era wouldn't be able to capture Latuhayu, her enemy who happened to be one of the grand disciples of the sorceress Dayu Datuh.
"No, thank you. I've survived, and that's enough for me now."
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." Kamaniya nodded.
"Where do you want to go?"
Kamaniya raised the book in her hand. "I'll read this in the backyard. I don't want to disturb your work."
"It's not really a disturbance. I'm just summarizing a few reports." Yada pushed his chair back.
"I'll accompany you."
"No need!" Kamaniya firmly refused.
Yada, who had already stood halfway, froze in place. His expression looked amusing to Kamaniya. It couldn't help but make her giggle.
The next moment, her laughter disappeared, replaced by a startled look on Kamaniya's face. Her heart started racing.
Just like hundreds of years ago. Her beloved always managed to make her laugh.
[If only you were the reincarnation of my lover, Yada. But that's clearly impossible. He died in the Valley of Virgin, while you exist on Earth.]
"You really rejected me strongly," Yada grumbled and sat back down.
"All your books are interesting. I usually can't be disturbed when I'm reading." Kamaniya quickly walked away from Yada's study.
"Why is he so curious about me? This is troublesome." Kamaniya complained aloud.
She walked briskly towards the backyard. Arum had gone to the city to shop for household supplies for the next week. Yada's maid only came in the morning and left in the evening after finishing her cleaning and cooking.
Now Kamaniya was alone in the backyard. Unlike a few days ago, there was now a set of chairs and a table made of teak wood. They were still new. The scent of varnish gently wafted into Kamaniya's nose.
Yada had taken the initiative to place the seating there. However, Kamaniya remained cautious. She didn't want to be caught off guard again.
Before sitting down, Kamaniya made sure she was truly alone in that spot. Her supernatural powers hadn't fully recovered, so she relied solely on her instincts. It was quite troublesome, as it turned out.
"I have to quickly learn about this world. People shouldn't continue to suspect me."
Kamaniya took a deep breath. "But what should I do? I also need to return to the Valley of Virgin as soon as possible. My powers won't fully return if I keep staying here."
The Valley of Virgin was a place with incredibly high supernatural power. There was also healing magic there that could quickly heal any wound. Nothing was incurable in the Valley of Virgin, except death.
"Which cave should I enter to return to the Valley of the Virgins?"
There was no natural energy vibration in Goa Kalak that was similar to that of the Valley. However, time portals could only open in caves with the same frequency as Lonji Hill. Kamaniya had to find a cave that could open a time portal if she didn't want to remain trapped on Earth.
"But my magical powers are gone. Can I still return to the Valley of Virgin?" Kamaniya pondered.
"In the past, I could easily come and go through portals because I had enough inner energy. Due to Latuhayu's poison, I now have no magic at all."
Kamaniya let out a heavy sigh. "If only I were still in the Valley of Virgin, I could quickly neutralize this poison. I need something as powerful as the Valley of Virgin to counteract Latuhayu's poison."
Kamaniya glanced left and right, ensuring that she was still alone in the backyard. "Could the person who was possessed earlier be the work of Latuhayu? But he told me to leave this world instead of intending to kill me. Meanwhile, Latuhayu wants my life. It's strange. This is all so strange. Who possessed that person?"
Kamaniya leaned back in the chair. Her gaze wandered to the starless black sky. Once again, she was talking to herself.
"I just need to restore my inner energy and find a suitable cave to return to the Valley of Virgin. The most important thing is my hairpin...."
Kamaniya sat up straight. Her eyes widened. "My hairpin! Where is my hairpin?"