5 Years Later
Izzul, an 18-year-old boy wearing a worn-out black T-shirt and glasses, with long black hair reaching his shoulders, slowly opened his eyes. His vision blurred momentarily due to the morning light streaming through the window. With his eyes half-closed, he stretched his arms upward, yawning wide, his jaw gaping open, "Wuahh..." His breath came out slowly, as if releasing the remnants of last night's dreams.
"Izz, still sleeping? Go help your grandpa plant chilies in the backyard," came the firm yet gentle voice of his mother, Mila.
"Yeah, I'll go later," Izz replied lazily.
"This boy, so lucky," sighed Mila while carrying a crying baby girl. "Yosh, yosh... Maisah, don't cry," she comforted with a wide smile. Mila was a loving mother with extraordinary healing powers. She used to be a powerful magic teacher, teaching at the Magic Academy of the Nyxara Kingdom, a kingdom located under the light of the stars, with a palace that sparkled in the night sky.
Izzul walked out of his room and headed to the backyard, approaching his grandfather Fredlin, who was hoeing the grass to plant chili trees. 'Tak...tak...' "Grandpa, I'm here," Izzul greeted.
"Hahaha! Izz, you sleep like a noble princess!" Fredlin laughed heartily, ruffling Izzul's hair.
"I slept late, Grandpa. Hearing your Skull Forest story again, how could I sleep?" Izzul replied with a small smile, though deep inside, he knew there was something darker behind the story.
"Ah, Grandpa sneaking in another picture?" Izzul asked, looking irritated.
"Hahaha... Izz, do you want to hear the Skull Forest of Malacca story again?" Even though Fredlin loved teasing Izz, he was fond of telling stories about the Skull Forest of Malacca. Izzul had heard the story almost every day, yet there was no end to it. Were there so many hidden evils in this world?
"Still no ending, Grandpa?" Izzul asked, full of curiosity.
Fredlin fell silent, his face suddenly serious. "Izz, there's something you must remember."
Izzul frowned. "What is it?"
"No one returns safely from the Skull Forest," Fredlin murmured. "Those who survive... return cursed."
"In that forest, no one comes back unscathed. Even those who make it out bear wounds that even powerful magic users can't heal. It's called the CURSE."
Izzul was shocked at what Fredlin had just shared. He put his hand on his chin, pondering the forest. Izz rested his hand on his chin while contemplating the forest. Watching Izz's antics, Fredlin stroked Izz's long, soft hair and said, "Izz, you should go into that forest." Izz was startled to hear what his grandfather had just said. "WHAT?!"
On a full moon night like this, the magic in the air felt strong—as if every breath carried fragments of wonder. Izzul went to the Skull Forest of Malacca; he didn't know what his grandfather was thinking, but he followed his words because he also wanted to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the forest. "Ah, that old man… just telling me to come here alone. At least send me a hunter or something," Izz grumbled, holding a magic-infused axe. The night was silent, as if nature was holding its breath. The pitch-black sky was illuminated only by the faint full moon peeking behind the gray clouds, and the cold wind carried whispers of mystery. The ancient trees moved slowly, their branches seeming to lurk in the darkness. The sound of a wounded fawn echoed strangely and painfully. It emitted a long, hoarse wail, its breaths sounding ragged and broken, as if the pain pressed against every gasp. The sound was low and reverberated through the forest, like a stifled howl. Occasionally, it emitted a sudden gasp, as if struggling to draw a breath, accompanied by short, intermittent snorts.
The sound of claws weakly scraping the ground could be heard, as if trying to find a way to escape its suffering. The wounded fawn often produced a feeble cry, its voice mingling with the rustling of leaves and branches around it. The sound gripped the heart, evoking deep pain, profound silence, and helplessness amid the wilderness. Izzul walked towards a large tree and found a fawn surrounded by five wolves. He knew he could not defeat a wolf by strength alone. His hands trembled, and his knees felt weak, as if he might collapse. "I can't run," he whispered to himself. Yet, seeing the surrounded fawn, with the magic axe in hand, his heart raced. Without thinking, he charged at the wolves while screaming, "AAAHHHH!"
At the same time, in a village called Dewdrop Morning, "Dad, have you seen Izz? Ugh… that kid," Mila asked Fredlin. Fredlin remained silent and asked Mila about Maisah. "Where's Maisah? Is she asleep?" "Yes, that little one is sound asleep," Mila replied with a broad smile. 'KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK'—the sound of someone knocking on Fredlin's door made him rush to open it. "What's going on?" Fredlin asked. "The soldiers from the Kalzareth kingdom have arrived." Fredlin showed an expression of annoyance and approached Mila, saying, "Mila, take Maisah away from here. Go to the Skull Forest of Malacca; Izz is there." Mila was shocked by what Fredlin had just said. "What is Izz doing there?" Mila wondered. "HURRY UP AND GO!!" Fredlin suddenly raised his voice, and before Mila could grab Maisah, the Kalzareth soldiers burst into their home and captured them.
Izzul lay on the wet, muddy grass. "Ack… what's happening?" he said weakly, his voice barely escaping his lips, his body felt paralyzed, refusing to move, yet his consciousness remained. The five wolves devoured him mercilessly, tearing at his flesh until only fragments of bones were left. "…" Suddenly, a voice seemed to call Izzul, "..strength…" The voice was unclear until Izzul focused on it. "Do you want power or a CURSE?"
In a village of Dewdrop Morning, "Did you know your grandchild is a traitor?" asked one of the Kalzareth soldiers. "I only have two grandchildren, Izzul and Maisah," Fredlin replied, his face filled with doubt. "Is it true? The former hunter of the Skull Forest of Malacca?" he said with a menacing smile, as if he wanted to kill immediately. Fredlin was one of the hunters who returned safely from the Skull Forest of Malacca. "What does he mean, Dad? Mila only has two children, and what does he mean by you being a former hunter in the Skull Forest of Malacca?" Mila interjected, having been crying uncontrollably. "There was a little girl sent to the Kalzareth Sea kingdom without her mother's knowledge, but unfortunately, that little girl did something foolish just to uncover the truth in the Kalzareth Sea kingdom. She escaped into the Skull Forest of Malacca, as if we feared entering that forest. Ultimately, the little girl was killed, and interestingly, she was killed by the people of Dewdrop Morning... HAHAHA… am I right, Fredlin?" said the Kalzareth soldier, his heart filled with joy at having subdued the famed former hunter. "Kill them all… and destroy this village until nothing remains," he continued.
The voice echoed in Izzul's mind, growing clearer each time it spoke. "Strength… or curse?" The question seemed to split his soul. "What should I choose?" Izzul whispered. His body felt crushed, yet the voice persisted in echoing. "Strength… or curse?"
Izzul took a deep breath. His spirit felt as if it was being pulled into a dark abyss. "I..." his voice was weak, but determination began to blaze in his heart. "I want to know the truth!"
"Then accept the curse... and seek the truth for yourself." "ARGHHHHHH!" One by one, Izz's bones fused together; the pain felt like dying and living a thousand times. All he could do was scream long and loud. The bones began to mend perfectly. Izz awakened to what was happening and fled towards the village.
The Dewdrop Morning village, once beautiful with plantations, now lay in ashes with no remnants. Izzul, who had just arrived in the village, was stunned, speechless. "Argh…" came Mila's weak voice. Izzul's breath halted upon hearing his mother's faint voice. "Mother?" He ran with a heart full of hope, but what he saw shattered everything—his mother's legs had been severed, her arms limp and powerless, and beside her lay Fredlin, slaughtered by the hellish Kalzareth soldiers, while Misha had been burned to ashes. "Izz, there's something you need to know," said Mila, already weak. "Don't speak anymore, mother. Please use your healing magic for yourself," said Izz, sobbing uncontrollably, his tears flowing without ceasing; Mila was Izzul's only beloved mother. "This wound... can't heal, my dear," Mila's voice was weak, each word adding to the torment. Izzul held his mother's hand tighter, unable to contain his tears any longer.
"Izz, listen to me. Misha... is not your only sibling."
Izzul was shocked, his heart seemed to stop beating. "What do you mean, mother?"
"Find... your other sibling. Her name is... Meilin."
Izzul hugged his mother tighter, but he knew she was slipping away. "Mother…" his voice was hoarse.
"I love you... Izz... Misha... Meilin..." Mila breathed her last in Izzul's embrace. He held his mother's now lifeless body, tears streaming down endlessly. "Izz loves you too," he whispered, even though he knew his mother had gone.