"Yada! Yada!"
The man jolted awake. His eyes opened wide and then closed again instantly, letting out a loud groan.
"Too bright...."
After complaining about the intensity of the light, Yada felt a dimmer atmosphere. Slowly, he opened his eyes again and met Kamaniya's gaze.
"Kama...."
"You were mumbling. Your voice was loud."
Yada tried to sit up, but a sharp ache shot through his head. Once again, he groaned loudly and lay back down.
"Your back and shoulders are swollen. Effects of being beaten up. Do you still remember what happened in Gong Cave?"
Yada nodded. The incident was still fresh in his memory. However, what he couldn't wrap his head around was the fact that he was now in a health clinic, not in a courtyard resembling a palace.
Yada shifted his gaze to Kamaniya. She looked refreshed, and a faint scent of roses wafted from her. Her hair was slightly damp, and the gentle curls on her forehead tempted Yada to touch them.
"You've been unconscious for hours. The doctor said there's nothing to worry about, but you're still not waking up."
Worry laced Kamaniya's voice. Her delicate hand adjusted Yada's slipping blanket.
"Are you concerned?"
"Of course. You're a good person. It would be a shame if you died at such a young age."
Yada slapped his forehead, laughing awkwardly.
"Oh my, so that's what you're thinking if I die young?"
"Your admirers would be disappointed and heartbroken to see you go." Kamaniya teased.
"Who are my admirers then?"
"The girls in the village. The mothers in the village. The women who call you 'Mas Professor'." Kamaniya shrugged.
Yada's laughter resurfaced, but this time it was filled with relief.
Kamaniya looked adorable now. Yada couldn't resist touching her. However, there was still a tall wall preventing him from doing so with the silver-haired woman beside him.
"Are you jealous?" Yada asked candidly.
"Of course, I am. How can I share the man who helped me?"
Yada's eyebrows shot up. "Usually, women would deny being jealous when accused."
"Not me." Kamaniya shrugged again. "What's the point of hiding what you feel? It only causes sickness."
"Nice principle you have there. So, I'm just a good person who helped you?"
Kamaniya nodded without hesitation. Her quick response left Yada feeling disappointed.
They didn't talk much after that. The clinic's doctor came and examined Yada. After confirming that his condition was stable, the doctor allowed them to leave.
Since Kamaniya couldn't drive, and Yada wasn't in a strong enough condition to drive himself, they ended up hiring a chauffeur service.
"You owe me a lot," Yada whispered in the ear of the woman sitting beside him.
They had left Bomo Village behind, and the hilly walls had now transformed into vast rice fields stretching out before them. In the distance, the twinkle of lights brightened up the dark night.
"The trip to Gong Cave is expensive. The driver's fee is also high. You have to compensate me," Yada continued.
Both of them were seated in the back seat. The local driver from Pacitan was alone in the front, steering the wheel.
"You know I don't have money. How can I repay this debt?" Kamaniya asked again.
Yada was tempted to say that Kamaniya should be by his side as the answer to her question. The vision of Kamaniya hugging someone identical to her in his dream crossed Yada's mind once more. Suddenly, a protective feeling towards Kamaniya surged within him.
"So, be my personal assistant," Yada spoke candidly.
"But you already have Arum."
"Arum's contract is only until this week. She doesn't want to renew it because she wants to focus on her studies."
"Arum is still in college?"
Yada nodded. "Graduate school. She wanted to be my assistant because it allows her to conduct research for her thesis."
"I didn't know that."
"I haven't told you."
Silence filled the backseat of the car. Yada observed Kamaniya, who seemed to be deep in thought. Once again, the events from his dream appeared vividly in his memory.
A beautiful palace with feminine touches amid traditional architectural style. Kamaniya looking elegant in long fabric with her lustrous black hair.
And someone identical to her, arriving on a horse and immediately embracing Kamaniya.
[What is this feeling? Why do I feel like being jealous seeing Kamaniya embraced by my doppelganger?]
Yada pondered. He didn't understand what he saw in the dream. His instincts told him it was more than just a mere dream.
The events felt too real to be just a dream. Moreover, the overwhelming sense of longing he experienced felt so tangible.
As if he had experienced those events himself. But clearly, that couldn't be possible. Yada shook his head. He lived in the modern era, while the events he saw in the dream took place in an ancient kingdom.
"Yada!"
The man jumped in surprise, his gaze dazed.
"What, Kam?"
"There's road construction ahead, so we're being redirected to an alternative route. The driver says it might take longer due to the detour."
The driver chimed in, explaining that the travel distance would be almost twice as long, and with the late hour, they might reach the city towards dawn—if the journey goes smoothly.
"It's a secluded area, sir. We're passing through rice fields. Sometimes, there are many muggers too," the driver added.
Yada sighed heavily. He was well aware of the high number of muggers in this area. They would have to stop for the night and continue their journey the next day.
"If there were no road construction, we would have reached there in just an hour," Yada grumbled.
"We departed late at night too. You fainted for quite some time."
"Hey, can you control the duration of fainting, Kam?"
"Well, obviously not. But you really fainted, right? It wasn't intentional sleep?"
"Oh my, not only is your face pretty, but your mouth is also sharp," Yada shook his head.
There were no inns around the road they were on. However, a kind villager who happened to be in front of their house offered them a place to stay.
An empty house located right in the middle of the rice fields could be used for an overnight stay. It was a house used by a farming family to rest and store their ready-to-be-milled rice.
The driver chose to sleep in the car, parked some distance away from the house. Only Kamaniya and Yada found themselves in the modest abode, measuring eight by ten meters.
"There are three rooms, but there's only one bed. You can sleep over there, and I'll sleep here," Yada settled himself on a rickety wooden chair in the living room, next to a stack of rice and unprocessed paddy.
"Are you sure you want to sleep there?"
"Do you want to invite me to your bed instead?"
Kamaniya immediately rewarded Yada with a hard pinch on his arm. Laughter echoed in the otherwise silent house. It didn't take long for Yada to doze off.
He woke up abruptly, shaken by a strong earthquake that made the windows rattle violently.
"Kamaniya!" His reflex called out for his friend.
"I'm here!"
Kamaniya's voice sounded distant. Yada quickly dashed out through the wide-open door. However, on the house's porch, he stood in shock.
His feet felt like they were stuck in the ground. The sound of nighttime insects that had accompanied his sleep earlier was replaced by the roar of strong winds. The rice stalks seemed to have been damaged by the violent gusts.
More than that, what startled Yada the most was the strange sight in front of him. About five meters away from where he stood, a large circle the size of an adult human's body appeared to be splitting the air. Bright electric blue colors emanated from within the whirlwind-like circle. Occasional small lightning flashes emerged from within the large circle.
Kamaniya was standing in front of the blue vortex. Her long hair cascaded and fluttered in the wind. Fearlessly, she faced the circle that seemed ready to engulf her. Her legs were spread wide apart, and her fists were firmly clenched by her sides.
"Kama! What are you doing?" Yada shouted loudly. The next moment, he fell to his knees as another powerful earthquake struck. The roaring wind grew stronger, scattering dust that obstructed Yada's vision.
"I have to go home!" Kamaniya replied loudly.
"Go home where?"
Kamaniya didn't answer. She kept walking straight toward the electric blue circle.
"Kamaniya!" Yada yelled.
His voice was swallowed by the wind. Wide-eyed, Yada realized that Kamaniya kept walking, ignoring his calls.
He tried to stand up, but the earthquake shook him once again. This time, Yada refused to succumb to the powerful tremors.
He staggered and tried to take a step. He failed once but finally managed to crawl on the ground. He tried his best to catch up with Kamaniya.
Then something strange happened.
Instead of successfully entering the whirlpool, Kamaniya's body was forcefully thrown backward. She fell right next to Yada.
"Don't disappear!" Kamaniya screamed.
She quickly got back on her feet. Unaffected by the returning earthquake, Kamaniya lunged forward. Her hand reached out, trying to touch the electric blue vortex.
However, the moment Kamaniya's fingertips touched the outer part of the circle, it suddenly shrank and rapidly disappeared. Kamaniya screamed loudly as the circle vanished.
Then the wind stopped blowing. The earthquake subsided. Dust settled back onto the ground. The house fell into silence as if nothing strange had happened.
Only the collapsed rice stalks indicated that something significant had occurred in that place. The vast area of damaged crops showed the extent of the destruction.
"Don't vanish...."
Yada heard Kamaniya's loud sobs and trembling voice. His heart ached. Confusion and panic wrapped around him, causing immense pain in his chest.
That strange feeling resurfaced. It began with an overwhelming longing, followed by an inexplicable sadness. Yada stood up, not caring about his soiled pants.
"Open up again, please," Kamaniya's desperate plea was heard again.
She fell to her knees, her shoulders shaking violently. Yada slowly approached and embraced Kamaniya from behind.
An overwhelming sense of relief enveloped him as he held Kamaniya close. The pleasant scent of flowers emanated from her silver hair. Yada inhaled deeply, alleviating the longing that had been haunting him.
"Don't cry, Kam. I'm here," Yada whispered softly.
"It's gone. It disappeared. I can't go back," Kamaniya sobbed.
"Go back where, Kama? Who disappeared?"
She shook her head, and tears moistened Yada's arms that held her.
"I can't go back. I can't," Kamaniya repeated.
Yada's heart ached. He kissed the top of Kamaniya's head. It was just a reflexive movement. However, Kamaniya flinched and quickly turned to look at him.
"It's all because of you, Yada! If only you hadn't shown up! If only you weren't there in the cave! You jerk! Just disappear from my sight!"