Seven days ago. Here in Kidang Alas, under the collapsed cliffs, I was buried alive. My condition was very serious. My body was crushed, and my bones were fractured. My flesh was torn, and my blood had dried. The worst part was that my chest was punctured.
My regeneration process was running, but very slowly. I felt one bone fuse, then stop, waiting. Then the next bone would start. Tissue growth happened little by little, with long pauses in between that were frustrating. At this rate, I knew it would take months, or even years, to recover fully. But my body wouldn't let me die. The body kept on healing, no matter how much pain it was in or how slow it was.
My mind wandered. It was dark. Silence. Emptiness. Then, a light.
I found myself standing in the endless void again, staring intensely at the long-haired man. He didn't smile this time. He just stared and then raised his hand.
Two gates appeared in front of me.
The left gate. It was a warm, familiar, peaceful light. I could feel at home. My mother's voice. Adults laugh. My old life. Return.
The right gate. It was dark, cold, and smelled of blood and dust. I felt suffering. Sugeng is dying. My friends are crying. Bagong laughed. Keep going.
The man stared, and his silent demand was clear: "Choose."
I stared at the gates, my hands shaking. The left gate felt so safe. Mother... But I couldn't look away from the one on the right. I'm not done yet. I decided that even if I got another chance later, I had to choose this path now.
I moved towards the right gate, towards a world of problems and things that needed to be taken care of. The man smiled and seemed to understand. I walked through, and the Void disappeared.
I opened my eyes. I was still buried in the dark, my body still crushed, and it was still slow for me to regenerate. But I sensed something new.
I felt a kind of essence, not energy, but more fundamental. I had always noticed it when using my stances or when I was near a berserk state, but I ignored it. Now, facing death, I focused and merged with that flow.
My body started changing. My skin absorbed the minerals from the mountain's surface, and my blood drew minerals from the soil. My bones grew harder and stronger than ever. My body became hard and thick, like steel.
The regeneration, which had been moving very slowly, suddenly speeded up.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Bones snapped together. Tissue surged. The wounds were closed. My hair turned yellow. In just a few minutes, the recovery that should have taken months was complete.
The price made me hungry right away.
HUNGER.
This wasn't the usual hunger I felt before. It wasn't just a painful craving. This was a hunger that was aware of itself. I was so hungry that I felt like hunting right away.
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All around Kidang Alas, the beasts sensed the strange energy I was creating. Hundreds of them started moving toward the cliffs.
I got up from the rubble. My body was whole and strong. My hair was yellow, and the look in my eyes had changed. Power, control, and coldness... I was not the same person I used to be. I was filled with a fierce determination to succeed.
The first beast, a large wolf, leaped, showing its sharp teeth. I moved without thinking or planning, just going with my instincts. I grabbed the wolf's head with my hand.
CRACK!
Its skull was broken. Then, I bit. There was raw meat, warm blood, and crunchy bones. I ate it like a hungry person.
The second, third, and many more creatures rushed at me. I killed them all. I ate them all. I wasn't fighting; I was hunting. My claws were sharp, my teeth were sharp, and my hands were torn. My body was covered in blood. There were flesh and bone fragments scattered on the ground. I never stopped eating.
The beasts that were initially attacking me now felt sheer terror at the scene. Their instinct told them that something was wrong. But it was too late. I will not let any of my prey get away.
By sunset, hundreds of beasts were dead. I stood amidst the mountain of dead bodies.
Emptiness.
I started to feel less hungry. I slowly came to. I saw my blood-soaked hands and the carnage around me. I remembered how I had taken advantage of them.
I knew I should feel sick, scared, or guilty. But nothing. There is no guilt, horror, or emotion. It was just the satisfaction of a hunter who had found its prey.
I tried to feel something for Sugeng, Tono, or Hartono. Nothing. There was nothing but emptiness and a hunger that had been temporarily satisfied.
What happened to me?
Even that question was neutral, just an observation. I lost something. But I don't care that I lost it. I realized that this was a problem, but I didn't feel the emotional impact of it being a problem.
It got dark. I stood in the slaughter field and looked up at the mountain peak where the White Tiger lived. I had a feeling—not a thought, but an instinct. The target is there, a powerful target that threatens me.
Fear was replaced by a desire to beat the other team. "There cannot be two tigers on one mountain."
My eyes glowed a cold gold, like a predator's.
But then, I turned. I faced away from the mountain's peak.
I started walking in the opposite direction, toward the exit portal of Kidang Alas. I walked slowly and deliberately, like I had a lot of time. I walked like a predator who knew it was not yet time to attack.
On the mountaintop, the White Tiger opened its eyes. I felt its awareness, its threat, and the change I represented. It rose up and roared.
ROOOAAARRR!
The roar shook all of Kidang Alas. It was a declaration between two apex predators.
I didn't look back. I kept walking toward the exit, leaving the chaos and the top. For now, at least.
I walked into the dark forest, leaving a trail of blood and the White Tiger's roar, which was slowly fading.
I carried the Jade Moon Lotus for the person who was no longer in my heart, but still in my mind.