A gentle evening breeze swept through Aruna Village, a small settlement nestled at the foot of towering green mountains. The sun was beginning to set behind the hills, painting the sky with golden-orange hues. The village looked as peaceful as ever. Smoke from the villagers’ chimneys drifted slowly into the air, while the calls of birds returning to their nests echoed from the distance.
In a simple wooden house at the edge of the village, a seventeen-year-old boy sat on the porch, gazing at the mountains.
His name was Raka Pratama.
Ever since he was a child, Raka had always dreamed of something different from the other children. While his friends dreamed of becoming farmers, merchants, or hunters, Raka wanted to explore the world.
He often imagined places he had never seen. Mysterious forests, vast seas, magnificent cities, and lands that existed only in legend.
But to the people of Aruna Village, it was all just a fantasy.
“Raka!”
His mother’s voice broke through his reverie.
“Yes, Mom!” Raka replied, getting to his feet.
“Please bring down some old boxes from the attic. We’re cleaning the house tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Raka quickly went inside. He climbed the old wooden stairs to the attic.
The attic was rarely opened.
The room was filled with dust and various family belongings that had been around for decades.
Raka picked up a lantern and lit it.
The dim yellow light illuminated the room.
He began moving several old chests.
As he lifted a large box, one of the floorboards suddenly gave a sharp crack.
Crack!
“Huh?”
Raka stopped.
He examined the section of floor that looked different from the other boards.
Curiosity began to stir within him.
Carefully, he brushed away the dust covering it.
Sure enough.
Beneath the layer of dust was a small iron handle.
“Could it be...?”
Raka pulled the handle.
Slowly, a small secret compartment opened beneath the floor.
His eyes widened.
“What is this?”
Inside the hidden compartment was a medium-sized wooden chest that looked extremely old.
Its surface was covered in strange carvings he had never seen before.
Raka’s heart began to pound.
For some reason, he felt that the object was extremely important.
He lifted the chest and placed it on the floor.
A thick layer of dust blanketed its entire surface.
After he cleaned it, a circular symbol came into view, surrounded by a hundred tiny lines.
The symbol looked unfamiliar.
Yet, strangely, he found it intensely captivating.
Raka slowly opened the chest.
Creak...
The lid swung open.
Inside were only three things.
An old journal.
A silver compass.
And a map scroll yellowed with age.
Raka picked up the old journal first.
A name was written on the first page.
Mahesa Pratama.
The name left him speechless.
“That’s... Grandfather’s name.”
His grandfather had died many years ago.
During his lifetime, however, he had been known as a wanderer who had explored many places.
Unfortunately, no one knew exactly where he had gone.
Raka turned to the next page.
His grandfather’s handwriting was still perfectly clear.
“If someone finds this record, it means destiny has chosen the successor to my journey.”
Raka swallowed.
His unease grew stronger.
He continued reading.
“The world is far larger than humans imagine. Beyond the mountains, seas, and deserts lie secrets that have been forgotten for thousands of years.”
“I spent my life searching for something called the Hundred Sky Gates.”
Raka frowned.
“The Hundred Sky Gates?”
The name sounded like a legend.
He had never heard of it before.
Raka then opened the map scroll from inside the chest.
As soon as the map was fully unfurled, his eyes widened.
It was unlike any ordinary map.
Various mysterious symbols were scattered across countless regions.
Some locations did not even have names.
At the center of the map was the same symbol that appeared on the chest.
A circle with a hundred tiny lines.
In one corner of the map, meanwhile, a message read:
“The First Gate Awaits in the Aruna Mist Forest.”
Raka immediately stood up.
“The Mist Forest?”
He knew the place.
The forest was not far from the village.
Yet no one dared venture too deep inside.
Rumor had it that many people had gotten lost there and never returned.
An overwhelming curiosity began to fill his mind.
Suddenly, something fell from inside the map.
A small sheet of paper.
Raka picked it up.
The writing on it was far more hurried.
“If you’re reading this, be careful.”
“They’re searching for the Sky Gates too.”
“Trust no one.”
“The Eternal Shadow will never stop hunting for this map.”
The hairs on the back of Raka’s neck stood on end.
“The Eternal Shadow?”
The name sounded sinister.
Before he could think any further, footsteps echoed from below the house.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Raka turned toward the attic window.
Night had fallen.
Yet through a gap in the window, he could see several figures dressed in black standing in front of the house.
There were five of them.
Their faces were hidden behind dark masks.
Raka’s heart began racing.
“Who are they?”
One of the masked men raised his head.
As if he knew Raka was there.
Their gazes met.
In an instant, the man pointed toward the attic.
“He’s up there!”
A loud voice rang out from outside.
Raka was startled.
How did they know he was there?
Before he could understand what was happening, the door downstairs was slammed open with tremendous force.
BANG!!
His mother screamed in terror.
Raka gripped the map tightly.
His instincts told him one thing.
Those people had come for the object he had just found.
He quickly stuffed the journal, compass, and map into the small bag beside him.
The footsteps began climbing the stairs.
Closer.
Faster.
Raka slowly backed away.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He didn’t know who they were.
He didn’t know what they wanted.
But one thing was certain.
Ever since he found that map, his life would never be the same again.
Outside the attic window, the full moon shone brightly in the night sky.
Far beyond the mountains, meanwhile, a mysterious blue light suddenly appeared in the direction of the Aruna Mist Forest.
As if calling out to someone.
As if waiting for the arrival of a new heir to the adventure.
And without Raka realizing it, the greatest journey of his life had just begun.
To be continued in Chapter 2 – The Secret in the Old Attic