Yada held Kamaniya tightly. He could feel the force of her strike, wincing in pain, but he didn't let go of her. Eventually, Kamaniya fainted, and she slumped in Yada's embrace. Her silver hair was disheveled, dampened by tears and sweat, partly obscuring her face, concealing traces of her crying.
Gently, Yada carried Kamaniya into the house, though he himself was injured. Once in the bedroom, he carefully laid her on a bed with a thin mattress.
"What actually happened? Who are you, Kamaniya? What was that vortex I saw earlier?"
Various questions swirled in his mind, but Yada couldn't find any answers. Tired and confused, he sat on the edge of the bed without even closing his eyes.
That morning, the sun rose with its bright rays, warming the Earth's inhabitants. Yada, who still couldn't sleep after the strange events in the early hours, was startled when he heard someone calling him.
"Mr. Yada?"
The house's driver and the farmer-owner stood at the doorway, wearing odd expressions. Yada understood what had happened. They must be confused by the pitiful sight of the fallen rice crops, ready for harvest.
"The door was open, so we entered." The driver explained.
Yada nodded. Carefully, he got off the bed, trying not to disturb Kamaniya's sleep. He glanced at her for a moment.
Kamaniya looked beautifully asleep.
"I brought breakfast for you and the young lady." The farmer-owner pointed at a tray on a bamboo table in the living room.
Yada found it a bit strange to hear Kamaniya being called "young lady." The term was common in Java for young women. However, Kamaniya's majestic aura made her seem more suitable to be addressed as "Lady" than "young lady."
"What about the rice crops, Sir? Should we harvest them immediately or what?" Yada unwrapped the tiwul rice wrapped in jati leaves—a typical breakfast in Pacitan, made from pounded cassava, served with fried salted fish and boiled vegetables.
"Not yet, Mas. We have to wait until next week for the harvest."
"Isn't it a pity, Sir? The rice crops are severely damaged like that."
"Damaged? What do you mean? The rice crops are just fine."
Yada was taken aback. The tiwul rice in his hand hung mid-air.
"What's wrong?" the farmer asked in a local Javanese accent.
Yada put down the breakfast and hurriedly stepped outside the house. His eyes widened in shock when he saw everything around the house looked perfectly normal.
As normal as it was when he arrived the night before.
There was no damaged rice. No scattered dirty leaves. Even the small footpath connecting the main road to the house in the middle of the paddy fields was neat, without any traces of the wind's mess.
"What... is this..." Yada stumbled, hitting the window frame.
"What's wrong, Mr. Yada?" The driver replaced the confusion.
"Last night... no, earlier this morning." Yada tried to gather his composure amidst his still-shocked mind.
"Yes, Mr. Yada?"
"Early this morning, there was a really strong wind. Didn't you guys know?" Yada asked quickly.
The farmer-owner and the driver looked at Yada as if he had horns growing on his head.
"Mr. Yada seems to still be under the influence of calming medication," the driver said softly. "Rest for a while, Sir. Once we get to the city, I'll take you to see a doctor."
"I'm fine," Yada murmured.
"But, Sir...." The driver sounded hesitant.
"But what?"
"Last night, the atmosphere was really calm. There was no strong wind at all. In fact, it was sweltering, Mr. Yada. Hot. I even had to open the car door to avoid getting too hot while sleeping inside."
Yada's stomach twisted in horror. He couldn't be hallucinating. What he had seen a few hours ago was very real. He even felt the strong earthquake tremors, probably measuring more than six on the Richter scale.
"There was an earthquake too," Yada said seriously, but he began to doubt his sanity when he saw the expressions of the two men in front of him.
"Mr. Yada must be mistaken. There was no earthquake, Sir," the driver said this time, looking at his passenger with concern.
Yada closed his eyes. Memories of the events at his rented house flashed through his mind. There was an unusual earthquake that only shook Yada's workspace.
[Is it happening again now?]
Yada furrowed his brow. One name spontaneously emerged in his memory.
Latuhayu.
[Could this be the doing of Latuhayu mentioned by Kamaniya?]
"Mr. Yada, just rest for a while. You might be lacking sleep," the driver suggested.
Yada swallowed hard. He knew his current condition was prone to arousing sympathy from others. He might even be considered crazy for stating things that didn't happen at all.
"Yada?"
Three heads turned. Kamaniya was walking towards them. Her face was as pale as a corpse. With her silver hair flowing and her white complexion, Kamaniya looked like a translucent figure.
"You're awake now," Yada greeted the woman.
Kamaniya suddenly stepped back as Yada approached. Her evident rejection was spontaneous, leaving Yada frustrated. His mind was already disturbed by the strange events of the previous night, and now his heart was filled with sadness because Kamaniya refused to be touched.
"Let's go back now," Kamaniya requested.
"Have breakfast first, Miss." The homeowner offered the food on the table.
Kamaniya shook her head. Her decision was firm. She wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, and nobody could stop her.
Yada and the driver could only comply with the woman's request. Yada also wanted to arrive home as soon as possible and contemplate what had actually happened.
During the journey, Kamaniya remained silent. She seemed gloomier than usual. There was no smile on her lips. Her vacant gaze was intentionally directed out of the car window, avoiding Yada's gaze.
While the man patiently waited for Kamaniya to open up, even after arriving home and the day had passed, Yada continued to wait. However, on the third day, he couldn't bear it any longer.
"Tell me who you really are," Yada demanded firmly.
"And don't you dare say you're Kamaniya," Yada snapped again. "Even a blind person can tell you are Kamaniya."
The woman he was talking to moved slightly from the edge of the window she had been leaning on. The house was very quiet as Arum and the maids were at the market. Surprisingly, Yada's group of worshipers had not shown up today.
The midday sun began to shine brightly. Kamaniya, standing near the window, looked incredibly enchanting. The sunlight from behind made her look like a fairy who had just emerged from the forest. Add a halo, and she would transform into an angel.
"Kamaniya," Yada pressed on, trying not to be distracted by the woman's beauty.
"What do you want to know about me?"
"Everything!" Yada exclaimed loudly. He paced back and forth around the guest room that Kamaniya was using.
"I have been contemplating. Ever since you came, many strange things have happened. The earthquake in my workspace, the incident at Gong Cave, and the big blue vortex."
"The big blue vortex? You saw it too?"
Yada rolled his eyes. "Kamaniya, come on. Did I hallucinate that? I even remember the major earthquake that made me crawl on the ground."
Kamaniya shook her head. "It's strange. No human should be able to sense those natural changes."
Yada opened his mouth to speak but then shut it, then opened it again, and shut it again. The fish-like movements searching for oxygen couldn't help but evoke a chuckle from Kamaniya's heart.
"What do you mean by no human should be able to sense it?"
Kamaniya walked to the bed, enjoying the feeling of her hair being let loose. While in the Valley of Virgin, she never tied her hair.
However, Earth was different from the Valley of Virgin. Whenever people saw her with her hair down, they looked at her curiously, making her uncomfortable. The wisest choice now was to tie her hair tightly.
So, while rolling up her enchanting silver hair, Kamaniya began to explain what she had said earlier.
"What you saw was indeed real, but on the other hand, it is similar to an illusion that is not real in your world."
"I don't understand," Yada furrowed his brow.
"Have you ever heard stories about gods in the legends of ancient societies, Yada? That they exist and reside in Nirvana, able to observe all human activities on Earth, but humans cannot see them?"
Yada nodded slowly.
"The gods would descend to Earth, sometimes in disguise, and sometimes they deliberately didn't reveal themselves. They would be among you, but your eyes couldn't perceive them."
"Go on," Yada instructed.
"It's the same with what happened in the village. What occurred there, the whirlpool of time, the earthquake, and the tempestuous wind, wouldn't be felt by normal humans like you. You can say it exists in one side of your world, like a room within a larger room. The big blue vortex is in a small room within your vast space. Only certain individuals can enter that small room and see what's happening there."
Kamaniya got up from the bed, walking confidently towards Yada.
"The issue is not who I am, Yada. But who are you? Why can you see and feel that room? You shouldn't be able to enter it."
Yada leaned against the wardrobe. His mood was more relaxed now. His sharp mind was pleased with the new facts presented by Kamaniya.
Instead of feeling scared, Yada felt curious about the string of questions the woman asked. Like a student thirsty for knowledge, Yada's mind spun, seeking various possible answers about who he and Kamaniya were.
"Do you come from this world?" Yada asked back.
There was a considerable silence. Kamaniya was unsure how to respond.
To be honest or not?
She wanted to hide who she was. However, Kamaniya didn't have much time in this world. She needed to return to the Valley of Virgin quickly to restore her ancient magical powers.
"No," she finally spoke truthfully.
Strangely, Yada felt relieved hearing that answer. Although a hint of disappointment arose because they didn't come from the same world.
"I come from the Valley of Virgin. It's a place that doesn't exist on Earth."
"Then how did you come here?" Yada inquired.
"Through a time portal," Kamaniya replied briefly.
"Like the one in the village last night?"
Kamaniya nodded. She closed the distance with Yada. Although she was tall, she still had to tilt her head up to look at the man.
"Now, I've been honest. It's your turn to be honest with me, Yada. Who are you really?"