The plane glided smoothly above the vast blanket of clouds, but Lucy's heart felt crushed by an indescribable weight of sorrow. She stared out the airplane window, watching the sky gradually shift to the warm hues of sunset. Her thoughts wandered far, back to the events of a few days ago…
when she received the call from her younger brother, Rudi, telling her that their mother, Ratna, was in the final stages of her illness.
"Lucy, come home quickly! Mom... she's so weak. This might be it," Rudi's voice cracked with tears on the other end of the line. Lucy's heart shattered. Without hesitation, she booked the next flight to Indonesia.
Inside the cabin, Lucy gazed at the small screen in front of her seat. The plane was nearing Jakarta's airport, but her mind remained adrift. When the plane finally landed, she felt as though she wasn't entirely present. Anxiety and dread gripped her with every step she took toward the exit.
****
Arriving at the family home, Lucy was met with a tense and heavy atmosphere. Somber faces filled the living room, and at the far end of the room, she spotted her mother lying weakly in bed. Her mother's body looked frail, her face pale, her lips dry. It felt as though time had stopped; Lucy felt an overwhelming sense of having arrived too late to feel the warmth she once knew from her mother.
With hesitant steps, Lucy approached the bed. Her hands trembled as she reached for her mother's cold hand. "Mom... I'm here," she whispered hoarsely.
Ratna's half-closed eyes fluttered open, and a faint smile graced her pale face.
"Lucy…" her voice was barely audible, but warmth lingered in the words. "I'm… proud of you, sweetheart. Don't… don't be too sad, okay?"
Lucy's tears spilled over, though she tried to hold back her sobs, not wanting to further weaken her mother. She clasped her mother's hand tighter.
"Mom… you have to hang on. I can't… I can't live without you."
With a trembling hand, Ratna weakly reached out, trying to caress Lucy's cheek, though her movements were painfully slow.
"My dear… you're strong enough. I… I'm ready. You must… live for yourself now… and you will always carry a part of me with you."
Lucy's tears fell freely, blurring her vision. But deep down, she knew the time was slipping away.
Outside, the muffled sounds of crying from the living room grew louder. One by one, family members began entering the bedroom. They gathered around the bed, their grief palpable.
"Forgive us, Mom…" Rudi sobbed, kneeling by the bedside and kissing their mother's frail hand. "We couldn't… we couldn't save you."
Their mother managed another faint smile, and in those final moments, Ratna took a deep breath before exhaling her last.
The family erupted into collective sobs. The air in the room felt heavy, as though the world had crumbled in an instant.
Her mother's passing left a void so vast it seemed insurmountable.
Lucy sat frozen, consumed by the weight of loss. The stillness of her mother's lifeless hand overwhelmed her with the harrowing realization that her life would never be the same again. In that silence, she understood that this was not merely the end of a life, but the beginning of something unimaginable. Something tied to the legacy hidden deep within their family bloodline.
****
Lucy's grief-filled return home marked the beginning of a profound transformation in her life. Her mother's death would lead her on a journey not only to uncover her family's secrets but to confront a destiny she had long tried to avoid.
****
Three days after the funeral, Lucy began to notice strange occurrences she couldn't explain. Her nights were haunted by vivid, cryptic dreams filled with symbols and mysterious figures. Her mother always appeared in these dreams, reaching out to her and whispering, "It's time, Lucy. Embrace what has always been yours."
At first, Lucy dismissed it as her subconscious working through her grief. But soon, she started feeling subtle shifts within herself like sensing the energy of people around her or hearing faint whispers no one else could.
One evening, while holding a locket she had found in her mother's belongings, she felt a sudden rush of heat coursing through her body. A faint glow emanated from the crystal embedded in the locket, startling her so much that she dropped it. The glow vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Lucy shaken and confused.
"What's happening to me?" she whispered to herself.
She had no idea this was the beginning of a journey that would alter her life forever. The legacy hidden within her blood was starting to awaken, forcing her to face the reality that she couldn't outrun her fate.
****
The days passed in a haze of mourning. Lucy decided to extend her stay at the family home, helping Rudi handle the myriad tasks that followed their mother's passing. But the strange sensations she had felt since the first night persisted, growing stronger each day.
That evening, as rain poured heavily outside, Lucy sat in her mother's room. In front of her lay an old journal she had found in a wooden box. Its pages were filled with her mother's handwriting, a mix of diary entries and what seemed like prayers or incantations.
Curiosity drove her to turn the pages. A few were covered with strange diagrams, unfamiliar symbols, and cryptic notes. On one page, there was a detailed drawing of the same locket now hanging around her neck. Beneath it, her mother had written:
"This locket is the key. Never let it go."
Lucy touched the locket, which felt warm against her skin. She stared at it with growing unease. What was happening? Why had her mother left this for her?
****
The next morning, Lucy decided to confront Rudi. They sat at the dining table, sharing cups of black coffee. Rudi still looked exhausted, but he forced a smile to reassure her.
"Rudi," Lucy began hesitantly. "Do you know… anything about Mom? I mean, something unusual about her?"
Rudi frowned. "Unusual? What do you mean?"
Lucy exhaled deeply and pulled the locket out from under her shirt, placing it on the table. "This. I found it in her room, along with her journal. There's… something strange about it."
Rudi's eyes widened. "Oh, that locket. She's had it forever. I asked her about it when I was a kid, but she always said it wasn't my concern."
Lucy fixed her brother with a serious gaze. "Rudi, I think Mom was hiding something from us. Something about our family."