The voice echoed once more, "There is a chance for you to return to the past. To be precise, three years ago, when you still knew nothing about the mysteries of your life..."
"If you go back to that time, you might have the chance to fix everything. You may find another way to prevent the rise of The Time and the Queen of the Underworld Darkness. You might also be able to prevent the deaths of your father, Rakai, and your other friends..."
"But you must understand, my son, that karma will always follow your every step. The universe will always maintain its balance, even if you try your hardest to change the fate that has been written..."
"Bad fate will turn into good fate. And likewise, good fate can turn into bad fate. What is lost will return, and what exists will disappear... You must let go of something to gain what you wish to protect. That is how the world works..."
"And there will still be consequences to your decision. You will lose your memories of everything that has happened up to this point. So, if you go back to the past, you will not remember what you have experienced in this time..."
"It will be the same as repeating time, and if you fail your mission again, you will experience the same destruction... For a second time, you will endure the same despair..."
The young man lifted his face, gazing at the withering giant lotus before him, and answered firmly, "I will go, even if it means being destroyed again."
The woman's voice let out a long sigh before speaking again. "Very well, I know nothing can change your stubborn nature. But remember, my son, you only have one chance to turn back time. If you fail this mission, the world will truly end..."
Kairav gave a slow nod, lowering his solemn gaze back to the eternal flame before him. A cold night wind began to blow stronger as if trying to extinguish the fire's glow.
The snowflakes that had been falling from the sky suddenly stopped midair, floating motionlessly. The white lotuses scattered across the frozen lake's surface gradually shed their petals, drifting away like dandelion seeds.
A blinding white light burst from the wilting giant lotus, forcing the young man to shut his ocean-blue eyes tightly.
The only thing he felt was an overwhelming drowsiness. He gripped his spear firmly as his consciousness slowly faded, swept away by the flow of time moving in reverse.
"Hold on, my son. I will always be with you... even if only from the shadows. I cannot openly intervene."
"Of course, I wish to make things easier for you. But you must understand, nothing great or precious in this world can be obtained through small struggles alone, without sacrifices that drive you to despair..."
***
Planet Lushterra (Nusantara Kingdom – Year 2023)
Time rewound unnoticed by the world. The Nusantara Kingdom, which ruled over the entire Amerta continent, still stood strong in that era.
Skyscrapers towered high, and human civilization continued to advance without the threat of monsters looming over them.
Named the Nusantara Kingdom due to its vast archipelago, one of its islands, Enchanted Island, was home to expansive rainforests and mountain ranges in the northern region of the tropical nation.
That night, the golden light of the full moon reflected off the majestic caldera lake of the Seven Mountain Range.
The symphony of nocturnal creatures echoed through the tropical rainforest surrounding the lake, blending with the murmurs and activities of people near the tents pitched along the lakeshore.
Inside one of the larger tents, a young man with wavy black hair lay asleep in his sleeping bag.
A troubled expression marked Kairav's face as one of his companions, watching over him, gently replaced the warm compress on his fevered forehead.
As his consciousness gradually returned, an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Ping!
[System: Activation Initiated...]
[System: Memory fragments Synchronization...]
[User Information: ]
Name: Kairav Pikatan
Race: Human
Age: 18
Title: Astral Conjurer (Host of the Unicorn Animal Spirit)
Element: Ice
Affiliation: Pure-Hearted Clan (Descendants of the Eternalush Kingdom)
[System: Analyzing User's Body...]
Synchronization: 85%... 92%... 100% Complete!
The fair-skinned young man slowly opened his hazel eyes, frowning at the throbbing pain in his head. "What is that strange voice...?" he muttered, patting his ears as if to shake it off.
"Finally, you're awake. I was starting to think you wanted to turn this mountain into your grave."
Kairav turned toward the sarcastic voice, removing the compress from his forehead. Unzipping his sleeping bag, he slowly sat up.
"What happened?" he asked the dark-skinned young man with curly black hair sitting beside him.
Gavin crossed his arms and gave him a sharp look. "What happened? Bro, do you not remember that just a few hours ago, you suddenly passed out while we were scouting in the forest?"
"And guess what? I had to waste hours babysitting you because you suddenly caught a fever. You were running around like a lunatic earlier—what the hell happened to you?"
Kairav sighed, rubbing his temples. "How should I know? No one knows when their bad luck will strike."
But then, his brows furrowed as he noticed something odd in front of him—a floating blue holographic screen displaying unfamiliar information, accompanied by that same mechanical female voice.
Ping!
[Locked Attributes: ]
Stellar Essence: Locked
User's Energy: 0%
Crimson Sphere Essence Energy: 0%
Animal Spirit: Locked
[Available Skills: ]
Radiant Soulforge Awakening: Locked ~> Complete the upcoming mission to unlock.
[Fate Gauge: ]
Good Karma: 0 / 10 (Reward)
Bad Karma: 0 / 10 (Consequence)
[Balance: ]
Unicorn Blood Blessing: Locked.
[Memory fragments: 0%]
His hazel eyes widened in confusion. Reflexively, he waved his hand in front of the screen, trying to dismiss it.
Gavin, noticing his odd behavior, gave him a strange look. "Dude, what are you doing?"
"You don't see this weird thing?" Kairav asked, still staring at the screen while swiping at the air.
"What? A mosquito?" Gavin guessed, swatting at the air around them.
Kairav clicked his tongue in irritation. "I mean this blue screen!" He gestured in front of him.
Gavin's expression darkened. "Bro, your fever just went down, and now you're talking nonsense? Did the meds mess with your head?"
He then turned to the tent entrance. "Baron! Your so-called medicine must be expired! This guy's hallucinating!"
The tent flap opened, and a tall, lanky young man with glasses stepped inside. "Damn it, I checked before giving it to him! No way it's expired," Baron snapped.
"Then why is this idiot hallucinating?" Gavin chimed in, pointing at Kairav.
"How should I know?" Baron replied with a shrug, his face showing irritation.
Meanwhile, Kairav rubbed his eyes as the holographic screen, visible only to him, vanished in an instant. Convinced it was just an unintentional hallucination, he let out a sigh and tried to shift his focus.
Slowly, he reached for his laptop, which was resting on a small table nearby.
With his hands on his hips, Baron glanced at Kairav and asked in an annoyed tone, "So, what exactly did you see?"
"An ugly face," Kairav replied.
Baron frowned. "An ugly face? What kind?"
"Like yours—looks like a primate."
Without hesitation, Baron smacked his friend on the head with a scowl. "Damn you!" he cursed.
Kairav immediately rubbed his aching head and snapped back at Baron, "You bastard! My head was already hurting, and now you made it worse..." he hissed.
Gavin could only shake his head at the bickering between his two friends. He then sat beside Kairav, turning his attention to a page displayed on the laptop screen.
"We've been camping here for a while, but we haven't made any progress at all," Gavin said with a tired sigh.
"Some of our team members and local guides have been monitoring several locations where Uhang Pandak sightings have been reported. But so far, there's still no sign of any tracks left behind by those creatures," Baron added, crossing his arms.
The three young cryptozoologists stared at the laptop screen, which displayed information and illustrations of a cryptid widely known to originate from the island.
The creature was called Uhang Pandak, or the Short Man of Enchanted—a short, primate-like being with heels that faced backward.
Kairav exhaled wearily. Slowly, he tucked the pendant of his necklace—a deep red gemstone—into the collar of his mountain jacket.
"As we already know, the story of Uhang Pandak was first recorded in the journal of explorer Marco Polo several centuries ago..."