On his way from the meditation site of Ancestor Nala to the sacred meditation grounds in the Ancestral Land,
Baskara strolled calmly along a narrow path winding through an ancient forest.
The air around him was cool, filled with the scent of wet earth and fallen leaves.
Though the distance he needed to cover wasn't short, Baskara was in no hurry.
He used this time to calm his mind,
to let all the advice and messages from Ancestor Nala settle within him.
Suddenly, a sharp ringing sound pierced the silence — kring... kring...
Baskara stopped walking, pulled out his phone from his pocket,
and saw Dinda's name flashing on the screen.
"Haaah... I swear she just called yesterday, and now she's calling again,"
he muttered flatly before finally sliding his thumb to answer.
"Hello, what is it?" he asked, his tone calm but slightly indifferent.
From the other end, Dinda's voice came through, hesitant and trembling,
"Brother... Sekar... Sekar was kidnapped, brother..."
she said, her voice nearly choking.
Upon hearing that, Baskara halted completely.
His brows furrowed sharply, eyes staring blankly ahead.
"Kidnapped? How did that happen?" Baskara asked quickly, his tone now much more serious.
"She was on her way to the dorms... someone tackled her... a stranger... then took her away, I don't know where..."
Dinda replied, almost in tears.
Baskara took a deep breath, his mind starting to race.
Still, he asked further, trying to confirm things:
"What about her family? Isn't she from a noble family in Tirta Negara? They should have tight security, right?"
Dinda paused for a moment, sounding unsure.
But in her anxiety and desperation, she finally spoke:
"About that, brother..."
she murmured quietly,
"After the treasure conflict a few years ago... even though the Atmadewa family won... there were many casualties. Including Sekar's older brother..."
Dinda sighed, her voice shaking,
"He used to be the heir to the family, respected by many. But after his death, Sekar's immediate family was kind of shunned. They're just shadows now to the greater Atmadewa family."
Baskara listened in silence.
"So... maybe now the family is only pretending to search for Sekar... without truly trying,"
Dinda said finally.
Amidst the breeze rustling the leaves,
Baskara closed his eyes briefly.
His mood shifted, his gaze sharpening,
as if making a silent decision.
"I see..."
he replied casually, as if the urgent news had barely shaken his composure.
Then, in a flat tone, he continued,
"Then why are you calling me? I don't even know the corners of Tirta Negara."
Dinda went quiet for a moment.
Then it dawned on her — he was right.
Baskara had barely ever left his home complex.
He had only gone out a few times as a child, and never far.
Perhaps this was just old instinct —
a comfort from childhood, calling someone she used to trust.
"Alright, brother... I'll hang up now then,"
Dinda said hurriedly, her voice tense with fear and confusion.
"Wait a sec—"
Baskara quickly tried to stop her, but before he could finish,
click — the call ended.
"Damn..."
Baskara cursed softly, his eyes staring blankly ahead.
"She's probably going to call her other friends... or worse, do something reckless..."
Baskara thought quickly.
"I can't let this be... I have to watch over her while tracking Sekar's whereabouts."
Without wasting another moment,
Baskara took a deep breath, then his body slowly vanished from the spot,
disappearing in silence, leaving only a faint blur behind.
His destination was clear —
first to Dinda's school,
to observe from a distance, ensuring everything remained under control before things spiraled further.
Beneath the grey skies of Tirta Negara, still hazy from the smoke and dust of the city center, Baskara now stood still atop one of the tall buildings near Dinda's school area.
That school — Bima Karsa Academy — looked like a fortress of the future.
Its buildings had aerodynamic curves, with blue-silver nano-tempered glass walls.
Patrol drones hovered lightly around the premises, shining scanning lights across every corner of the entry gates.
The school doors moved automatically, with full biometric scanners — only official students and staff could pass through the shimmering, invisible energy gates.
In the front courtyard, several autonomous vehicles lined up neatly, each surrounded by an automated defense field shaped like a transparent spiral of light.
At the top of the school's watchtower, two security robots stood guard, their small red eyes constantly scanning the area.
Due to the major incident in the city center, school security had been greatly tightened.
There were a few human guards in light tactical uniforms — armor made of a blend of metal and spiritual fibers — patrolling the grounds, equipped with aura-locking weapons.
Baskara narrowed his eyes from atop the tall building, analyzing the situation.
He calmly observed the security routes, the movement of students — most of whom had been sent home early — and of course, looked for Dinda among the bustling crowd.
He purposely remained above.
He knew that with his current status — even with the power he held — he didn't want to interfere with the Academy's security system, especially in a tense situation like this.
Hidden behind a large air conditioning unit on the rooftop, Baskara took a deep breath.
His mind worked quickly, connecting Dinda's words with what he now saw.
"I have to make sure Dinda's safe first... then search for clues about Sekar,"
he murmured to himself, continuing to scan every movement in the school grounds.
There on the high rooftop, Baskara stood still, the cold night wind from the city center blowing gently toward him.
From where he stood, Baskara could see two vastly contrasting scenes.
On one side, he watched Dinda's school — Bima Karsa Academy — tightly secured with advanced surveillance and guards.
On the other, his gaze extended far toward the city center of Tirta Negara, where a massive plume of white smoke still rose into the sky.
Amidst that smoke, a spiritual beast could be faintly seen — a one-horned buffalo — rampaging with its massive body, destroying buildings.
That beast was clearly not a threat to Baskara.
With the techniques and power he possessed, a stage-four spiritual beast was no more than a minor annoyance.
But his priority now was ensuring Dinda's safety, and uncovering clues behind Sekar's abduction.
While alternating his gaze between the two scenes, Baskara fell into deep thought.
What exactly was happening here?
Why did Sekar's kidnapping coincide with the appearance of a spiritual beast?
Was the chaos merely a random attack... or a deliberate distraction to mask the kidnapping?
And one question weighed heavier in his mind:
Why kidnap Sekar?
Wasn't her brother — the only real target — already dead?
If it were for revenge or a hostage situation, it would make sense if the brother were alive — but now, the motive seemed strange.
Baskara sighed deeply, his thoughts racing for other possibilities.
Yet amidst his contemplation, his eyes remained fixed on the school gate.
He spotted Dinda, nervously walking out past the school perimeter.
Seeing her body language, like she was trying to sneak out, Baskara instantly went on full alert.
"Is she really trying to find Sekar by herself?"
he murmured internally, his body tensing, ready to move at any moment.
The night wind blew harder again, carrying a metallic scent from the city ruins.
But Baskara's focus didn't waver — watching over Dinda, protecting her from afar, ready for whatever darkness might come.