---
"Is it true, what those three shadows said...?"
murmured Baskara within the silence of his consciousness, dissolved deep inside the soul realm.
His thoughts flowed like a calm but deep river, streaming past doubts and possibilities.
The first shadow spoke of childhood wounds,
the second of vengeance against injustice,
and the third called itself the very essence of Baskara's soul.
Yet, Baskara remained still—serene and expressionless.
He felt that those shadows were not him.
They were merely echoes of what could have been—paths his heart had long refused.
> "Since I was young, I was raised in the warmth of my family," he whispered within.
"If there is injustice, I will judge them with my own hands. And you, the last shadow… the essence of my soul belongs to no one. I am who I am. Only I define my potential."
With a swift flick of his hand,
the three shadows vanished instantly—like dust swept away by a storm of awareness.
Baskara then sat cross-legged.
He took out the batu pancawarna—a five-colored stone given by his father—and placed it just below his navel, the center of his consciousness and soul energy.
> "My essence and potential are gifts from my mother," he spoke gently.
"My mother is a blessing to me."
His awareness expanded, spreading throughout the depths of his inner world.
But this time, he saw no boundaries, no end.
It was like an infinite cosmos—and from the sky of that realm, a black circle appeared, slowly opening like the eye of a demon.
Rotten souls poured out from it. Restless spirits—aimless, nameless.
> "Hahahaha! An empty soul… I will inhabit it!" hissed one of the black spirits, its raspy voice echoing like poison.
Baskara stood tall within his mind.
He raised his right hand—and Tapak Geni – Fourth Layer crashed down from the heavens of his awareness!
Boom!!
Sacred fire erupted in blazing crimson-gold, burning away every corrupted soul along with the black portal.
Silence returned.
But this time, it was not an empty silence—it was meaningful.
> "It seems… as long as this soul domain remains unfilled, these wandering spirits will keep coming," Baskara muttered.
He retrieved the batu pancawarna, and with a calm breath, he poured his awareness into it.
Instantly, a circle of light formed beneath him, like a sacred seal from a soul that had found its home.
In the real world, his body still sat in silence within the Ancestral Hall, echoes of ancient power surrounding him.
His breath was soft and deep, yet the air around him trembled, as if lightning had just passed through.
He looked around…
stone walls, ancestral carvings, and gently swaying spiritual lanterns. But one thing caught his attention.
The Transparent Sempur Stone—the platform where he meditated—had cracked at the edge.
A faint yet deep fracture, as if witnessing a burst of spiritual power too great for mortal matter to contain.
Baskara gave it a brief glance, unfazed.
He closed his eyes once more.
There was still much to solidify…
The Realm of Soulbirth was not the final destination—it was merely the beginning of a deeper journey.
Back in his silent consciousness, Baskara gazed at the batu pancawarna now fused with his soul.
His inner realm felt more stable, denser, more alive.
> "Yes… ever since this stone became part of me, this space… this soul… has grown solid," he whispered.
Without hesitation, he began channeling spiritual energy into the stone.
Flow by flow, the vibration was soft yet steady—like dew dripping into a silent cave.
Then, from the stone, a shadow emerged… gradually forming a figure resembling himself, sitting in perfect meditation posture.
Its color was pale gray, but the aura it radiated brimmed with potential.
That figure was the projection of his soul—the first manifestation of the Soul Shadow.
> "Perhaps… if I continue feeding it my energy, its color will change… become brighter… stronger… more alive," he thought inwardly.
But he wasn't in a rush.
For now, it was enough.
His next goal was already clear:
To study alchemy.
Baskara opened his eyes slowly.
His gaze was calm—but his eyes now held something different.
Clarity. Depth. And… presence.
He rose and walked toward the door.
As he opened it, standing before him was Mpu Nala—the great ancestor who rarely appeared, unless for matters of great significance.
Beside him stood Eyang Pradipa, his grandfather who had quietly watched over him all this time, along with other elders from the main bloodline.
"Hahaha! Congratulations, Baskara, on your breakthrough!" roared Mpu Nala, his warm laughter echoing like a bell from the distant past.
"How does it feel to transcend the Realm of Solid Spirit and be born into the Realm of Soulbirth?"
Baskara offered a slight smile, holding the cheer within his chest.
"It feels… refreshing. I can even feel the objects around me… flowing under my control," he answered truthfully, his eyes glimmering faintly.
"Of course! Of course!" Mpu Nala exclaimed enthusiastically.
"That is the key before stepping onto the path of Alchemy. It's not just your body that works now—but your soul! In every mixture, in every forging, in every breath… you'll begin to merge with the elements of nature."
"True alchemy begins when you no longer separate yourself from the world. You create—but you are also reborn through your own creation."
Eyang Pradipa looked deeply at his grandson—his pride unspoken but vivid in his eyes.
The other elders nodded, as if affirming that Baskara had indeed begun to walk his destined path.
"Very well," Mpu Nala said, waving his hand toward the grand hall.
"Come, let us celebrate your achievement today. Starting tomorrow, I will personally guide you. I shall pass on selected techniques—both in martial arts and alchemy—that resonate with the breath of your soul."
---
A silent chamber steeped in the aura of the past—massive stone walls stood tall and resolute. Though their colors had faded, they had lost none of their majesty. The room had no windows, nor any sliver of outside light—only illuminated by softly glowing spiritual stones, casting a silvery light that pulsed in harmony with the breath of nature.
Between the cracks of the stone, unfamiliar spiritual plants grew—ones Baskara had never seen before. They were a purplish green, their leaves spiraling like a vortex, as if emanating an ancient, deep life force.
Baskara sat cross-legged upon a stone, accompanied by his ancestors—Eyang Pradipa, Elder Kirandi, and Great-Grandfather Nala.
"Baskara, this place was one of my meditation sanctuaries… located at the heart of the Ancestral Temple," said Great-Grandfather Nala, gazing intently at the spiritual stone at the center of the chamber.
"There are three such temples. Two lie within the central complex of our family lands, and the oldest one rests in the eastern ancestral grounds. There, the spiritual energy is dense... thick like untouched morning mist."
Great-Grandfather Nala smiled gently, then turned to Baskara.
"I wish to gift you one of the three. A meditation sanctuary that will be yours alone—one that will shape you and listen to you. Choose one, my child."
Baskara paused, a flurry of emotions rising within him—pride, gratitude, and... a profound sense of honor.
His family truly regarded him as someone special.
From access to techniques, spiritual stones, rare elixirs, and now... a sacred place of meditation had been entrusted to him.
"Great-Grandfather… isn't the eastern ancestral ground filled with spiritual beasts?" Baskara asked carefully.
Great-Grandfather Nala chuckled lightly.
"Are you underestimating your ancestor?" he replied with a dignified smile.
"There is a hidden path leading to that temple—known only to those who bear the highest inheritance. Besides, we can construct a protective formation around the temple. Also, a spiritual energy condensation formation, to deepen your meditation and training."
He paused briefly, then looked toward the wild spiritual plants growing along the walls.
"I'll also plant spiritual trees around it—from the five basic elements: water, fire, earth, wind, and metal. You will learn directly from the breath of nature."
Baskara gazed into Great-Grandfather Nala's eyes with deep respect.
He knew… the spiritual beasts in those lands were no match for his ancestor. Yet they were deliberately left to roam—serving as both trial and blessing for future generations.
"I choose the temple in the ancestral land," Baskara declared, his voice steady, his eyes burning with unwavering resolve.
For him, progress was not a choice—it was a necessity.
Even if it meant being away from his mother for a while, he believed every step taken now was the foundation to protect her—and their entire family—in the days to come.
Baskara still remembered clearly—since the womb, when his consciousness first awakened, he had heard everything from within his mother's belly. Including the piercing insult:
> "That child must be defective... always still in the womb, never moving, never crying…"
Yet his mother had replied with a trembling but firm voice—filled with love, even in pain:
> "My child is perfect, and I will love him no matter what."
Those words were etched deeply into Baskara's soul.
From them, his resolve was born—unshakable and steadfast.
He would become his mother's shield. Not only out of love, but as a sacred vow forged even before his birth into the world.
Great-Grandfather Nala chuckled softly at the firmness of his great-grandson's decision.
"A wise choice," he said, patting Baskara's shoulder with pride.
"Then let us go now."
A canopy of towering ancient trees stretched above them, filtering sunlight into a realm of twilight shadows. Amid the thick foliage and the scent of damp earth, rows of moss-covered temples stood, most hidden by overgrowth and ancient trees. Some rose tall like stone palaces, others small—nearly merged with the wilderness around them.
Baskara's group floated gently above the trees, gliding through a hidden path toward a mid-sized temple. It looked unassuming, inconspicuous—seemingly surrendered to the embrace of the wild. Yet beneath its simplicity radiated a dense, profound spiritual aura.
The temple had no ordinary entrance—just solid stone walls etched with delicate ancient patterns. Great-Grandfather Nala stepped forward, placing his palm against the stone's surface. A soft energy flowed from his hand, illuminating the carvings with a faint light. The stone shifted, sliding aside to reveal an entrance, like an ancient sliding door cloaked in sacred silence.
"Come, let's enter," said Great-Grandfather Nala.
Inside, the temple's main chamber welcomed them with a cool serenity. Soft light emanated from spiritual stones in the corners, casting a gentle glow on the ancient carvings along the walls. The patterns formed circles and ancient seals, as though recording millennia of history in every line. Large, flat stones arranged in a circle served as natural seating at the center of the room.
In one corner, a small pool reflected the dim light. Its water was crystal clear, yet beneath the surface, spiritual plant roots stretched in calm stillness—like living beings in deep meditation. Rare plants grew from the cracks in the stone walls, glowing faintly in unusual hues—pale violet, emerald green, and sky blue.
Baskara's eyes sparkled as he took it all in.
This place felt like an extension of his inner soul—silent, profound, and full of potential.
"This will be your place," said Great-Grandfather Nala.
"A place where your body, spirit, and will shall be forged into one."
And Baskara simply nodded, gently placing his hand on the stone floor—where he would begin his sacred meditation.