Chapter 19: The Man in the Frayed Hat

A steady wind whistled through the glacial landscape. Its icy breath did little to chill Purnama, but Suria shivered, pulling her wool wrap tighter against the bite of the air.

They stood in the Cirque Valley, a breathtaking expanse hemmed in by towering cliffs that seemed to claw at the sky like frozen fingers.

Purnama spotted an old wooden board buried under the drifts; he swiped the frost away to reveal the faded inscription: Rokh Peak.

Suria's gaze remained fixed on the imposing peaks.

"Are we going to climb that?" she asked, her voice tight with apprehension. "Or do you plan to summon Zirko again to help us?"

The valley, carved by ancient glaciers into a vast, natural arena, suddenly felt more like a prison than a place of wonder.

Purnama shook his head.

"We should conserve our energy. Who knows what dangers lie ahead? There could be powerful Darkseeds lurking nearby. It's best to remain vigilant and avoid unnecessary expenditures in unfamiliar territory."

A flicker of movement caught Purnama's eye—something translucent, almost invisible, shimmering against the eroded valley wall. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the distortion.

"Suria," he said, his voice low and urgent, "how many days are left before the Skyrea arrives?"

Suria frowned, calculating quickly.

"It should be within the next... twelve nights. Why, Purnama? What is it?"

Purnama cautiously approached the shimmering anomaly. As he drew closer, a horizontal band of aurora borealis encircling the valley like a celestial crown pulsed with renewed vigor. Its ethereal light—a symphony of emerald, violet, and rose—bathed the snow in an otherworldly glow.

Purnama reached into his pouch and withdrew a Dykin seed, holding it in his open palm. The seed pulsed with a soft white light, intensifying with every passing second.

"Do you plan to plant the seed and grow a giant beanstalk so we can climb out?" Suria asked with growing curiosity.

"It's your lucky day, Suria. It's glowing." Purnama chuckled, returning the seed to his pouch.

"My lucky day?" Suria's eyes widened. "What do you mean glowing? Is... is that...?"

Purnama's grin widened.

"It's a gateway to Rona. Since we still have time before the Skyrea arrives, we can spend it there. But—"

Suria rushed forward, overwhelmed with joy, and embraced him tightly.

"Yay! Finally!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the frozen silence. Seeing her unrestrained excitement, Purnama let his unfinished sentence slide.

"Anyway," Suria continued, pulling back, "you never told me how you ended up in Rona. Since we're going, I want the whole story. I almost gave up on ever learning about it."

"Um... how do I start? Well, after I escaped from the White Hell," Purnama began, his voice turning distant, "I was lost and injured. A woman found me and took me to Rona to heal. That's where I met Belang. They both helped me a lot. At first, I didn't realize the time difference between Rona and Earth—that's one of the reasons I was away for so long."

"Belang is there?" Suria's eyes sparkled. "And about the mysterious woman? Who is sh—"

"HELP!!!!"

A loud shout from the direction they had come cut her question short. Both siblings spun around, their expressions shifting from excitement to grim apprehension.

"Give way! Give way!" a voice cried, laced with pure panic. A small figure burst into view, pursued by a pack of snarling, thick-furred Puaka.

Purnama and Suria froze in surprise.

It was Riang, one of the Kshatriya warriors dispatched to Earth. Though miniaturized to twice the span of a hand, she was a renowned warrior, known for her lightning reflexes.

Yet now, terror filled her large, mint-green eyes. Her long, pale purple pigtails streamed behind her, the golden star ornaments glinting in the weak sunlight as she fled. Her tiny button nose was scrunched in distress, and her mauve one-piece dress with its high collar and side slits fluttered as she desperately evaded the creatures.

Riang stumbled and rolled across the snowy ground, her slight form nearly vanishing in the powder.

Purnama surged forward. His fists became blurs, striking with the devastating precision of the King's Fist technique.

The lesser Puaka were sent reeling, their bodies slamming against the ice walls with sickening crunches.

Suria launched into the fray beside him. Using her Light Arrow technique, she picked off the remaining beasts with deadly accuracy, her arrows exploding into blinding snow flurries on impact.

"You can come out now, Riang," Suria called out, her voice a mix of relief and gentle teasing. "How long do you plan to act like a snowball?"

Riang bounced up, brushing snow off her clothes with a determined frown. She drew a tiny kris from its gold-and-white scabbard.

"You want a piece of me?! Come! Come!" she shouted with childish defiance, stabbing the air with her blade.

"You lil brat, how did you even get here? And why are you in your miniature form?" Suria asked, her concern growing as she saw the lingering fear in the small warrior's eyes.

"Not sure I can explain it now! But, but... we're in danger!" Riang warned, her voice trembling.

From the rim of the valley, a figure emerged.

He was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, revealing only a pair of piercing dark red eyes that burned with an eerie intensity. He towered over them—a giant of a man the size of Purba.

He wore a faded, dark brown sleeveless coat that brushed his ankles, cinched by a weathered leather belt. A straw hat with frayed edges cast a deep shadow over his face, and olive-wood bands adorned his wrists.

Purnama felt an oppressive energy emanating from him—a dark Shakti so cold it sent a shiver down his spine.

"... Who are you?" Purnama asked, his hand moving instinctively to the hilt of his kris.

The figure remained silent. With a flick of his wrist, he released a powerful shockwave of wind that sent all three of them crashing against the icy walls.

"The name," he growled, his voice reverberating through the stone, "... Eznar."

Suria struggled to her feet, cradling the miniature Riang protectively.

"LIGHT ARROWS!" she cried.

Eznar didn't flinch; a gust of wind erupted from him, deflecting the arrows into the valley wall where they exploded in a shower of sparks and ice.

Eznar leaped from the high ground, landing with a thud that shook the earth.

Purnama exploded into motion, his fists lashing out with the speed of a venomous snake. But Eznar moved with impossible grace, sidestepping each move like a dancer in a storm.

A whirlwind of dark energy gathered around Eznar's left fist before he unleashed a counterattack that sent Purnama crashing back through the icy barrier.

"... I'm disappointed," Eznar said. He turned his gaze to Suria. He advanced slowly, his presence radiating a menace that made her heart pound. "Suria," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Perhaps it's time... for you to consider joining our force. You have great strength. Leave the weak behind. Together, we can build a greater civilization."

Suria's eyes widened. How did he know her name? For a moment, a dangerous thrill coursed through her—a flicker of desire for that promised power.

Riang sensed the hesitation.

"Hey, Suria, knock it out!" she shouted, her tiny hand flying out to give Suria a sharp slap. "Don't even think about it!"

The sting snapped Suria back to reality. Purnama emerged from the rubble and saw his sister faltering. He immediately summoned Zirko, who materialized in a flash of frost.

"My kind of weather," the icy moose remarked.

"Zirko, distract the Puaka!" Purnama commanded. The moose transformed into a swirling cloud of frost, charging Eznar with massive antlers to buy them time.

"Riang," Purnama said urgently, "do you have your Dykin seeds?"

"I... I lost my partner," Riang stammered. "Err, you know right... everything is safer with him."

Purnama pressed a seed into her tiny hand.

"Suria, give one to her as well. Go to Rona. I'll meet you there. Look for the Aracca Motel. If I don't arrive within two hours, find Belang. He knows the way out. Leave Rona as soon as possible."

"W-What?" Suria cried. "How are we supposed to find him?"

"He's well-known in the motel pub. Riang, keep track of the time. Four hours is your limit in Rona. If you can't find him, turn back and jump into the lake as fast as you can."

"W-wait, lake?! What?!"

"Now, go!"

Reluctantly, Suria and Riang crushed the seeds simultaneously. Two swirling portals opened, filled with colors far more chaotic than usual.

Suria stepped in with a final, worried glance at her brother, who was already running back to assist Zirko in the fight.

As the duo stepped in, the portals closed with a soft whoosh, leaving Purnama and Zirko alone to face the titan in the straw hat.