THUD FROM THE NORTH & MAJAPAHIT'S EYES FIXED ON ARDHANUSA
Dawn had not even broken when a loud rumble was heard from the north. The land of Ardhanusa shook as if a herd of elephants were breaking through the earth.
From a small watchtower, a soldier ran down, shouting:
> "Emergency report! The North is moving! The North is moving!"
Rakai Darma was already waiting in the palace courtyard, his sword half-drawn, his face tense.
> "Who? Pirates? Troops from a neighboring kingdom?"
The soldier simply shook his head, panting.
> "No… not ordinary troops, Rakai…"
He pointed into the distance, his voice trembling.
> "That… is a group of envoys from Majapahit."
Instantly, the entire courtyard fell silent.
More silent than a starless night.
That name—Majapahit—was a double-edged sword.
The greatest kingdom.
The oldest kingdom.
A kingdom in decline… but still with teeth.
Ardhana, who had been at the factory since dawn overseeing the cooling of the first batch of pure iron, immediately turned around.
His face showed no fear.
Only calculation.
> "They've finally arrived..."
---
⚔️ A SHOCKING ARRIVAL
Shortly after, the group entered the palace courtyard.
The red-and-golden flag of Majapahit was flying.
Dozens of soldiers in Majapahit camouflage leather armor advanced at an orderly pace.
In front of them stood a man in his forties, dignified, with sharp eyes and a noble ancestry clearly evident in his bearing.
He introduced himself in a deep voice.
> "I, Patih Amangku Bumi Dyaswara, come on behalf of Majapahit."
The voice boomed like a war gong.
Rakai Darma saluted. Empu Wangsita, who happened to be carrying iron samples, immediately stopped in his tracks and bowed.
Ardhana walked forward slowly.
Patih Dyaswara examined him from head to toe.
A young man.
Only fifteen years old.
But the look in his eyes… was unlike that of a man of that era.
Sharper.
Further.
> "So… is this the young prince who is rumored to be building something that will shake the earth?"
Ardhana replied calmly.
> "Welcome to Ardhanusa, Patih Dyaswara."
The Patih narrowed his eyes slightly—amazed by the complete lack of fear.
> "Your voice doesn't sound like that of a fifteen-year-old."
> "The world is forcing me to grow up faster," Ardhana replied.
---
🌋 THE RUMOUR THAT MADE MAJAPAHIT SUSPICIOUS
Patih Dyaswara turned his head north—toward the hill where the Ardhana ironworks were located.
Thin smoke billowed like a dragon's breath.
> "That mountain… last night shook the ground so much that our northern post felt it."
"What exactly are you building there?"
Rakai Darma stiffened.
Ardhanusa's soldiers bowed their heads, afraid to reveal their indifference to Majapahit protocol.
But Ardhana stepped forward.
> "A furnace. To refine iron."
Patih Dyaswara chuckled briefly.
> "A furnace? Young man… the vibrations last night weren't like a furnace. They were like—"
Ardhana interrupted politely but firmly.
> "It was like the earth was giving birth to something new."
The Patih paused. His gaze changed.
> "I heard rumors… that you made iron stronger than Majapahit's."
Ardhana looked him straight in the eye.
> "Not rumors, Patih. Fact."
Empu Wangsita—unable to restrain himself—placed the first sample of pure iron on the ground in front of the Patih.
> "This is the result of the furnace, Patih. Please try breaking it."
Patih Dyaswara lifted it.
The weight was very different.
He tried to bend it.
It didn't move.
The Majapahit soldiers tried—two at a time.
Still, it didn't move.
Fearful murmurs could be heard.
> "What… what is this? Majapahit doesn't have iron like this…"
Ardhana answered without hesitation.
> "Majapahit will have it—if it is willing to look to the future."
Patih Dyaswara stared at Ardhana for a long… long time.
In his eyes were two things at once:
The hesitation of an official.
And the fear of a general.
---
🏯 MAJAPAHIT BEGINS TO SEE THE THREAT
Patih Dyaswara decided to sit in the small pavilion, eyeing Ardhana like a scholar looking at a complex puzzle.
> "Ardhana Wiratmaja…
What is your purpose in building such a force?"
Ardhana didn't answer arrogantly, but with a confidence far beyond his years.
> "Majapahit was the lighthouse of the archipelago."
"But that lighthouse is now dimming."
The Patih tensed.
Ardhana continued:
> "If the archipelago wants to survive what will come from the west… we must light a new light."
Patih Dyaswara frowned.
> "What will come from the west?"
Ardhana nodded slowly.
> "Nations carrying cannons.
Rifles.
Iron ships.
And greed."
The Patih froze. He didn't fully understand, but the words cut to his bones.
In the distance, a soft thump could be heard from a cooling furnace.
The Patih finally stood up.
> "Ardhana Wiratmaja… I don't know if you're a genius… or a threat to the entire nusantara."
Ardhana smiled faintly.
>"the world will judge "
⚖️ A MESSAGE TO THE RULERS
Before leaving, Patih Dyaswara looked at the Ardhana ironworks one more time.
> "I will report this to the king."
Ardhana replied:
> "Also convey that Ardhanusa is ready to cooperate—not submit."
The Patih nodded slowly.
For the first time, he had seen a young man dare to speak such harsh words to Majapahit.
Before mounting his horse, the Patih muttered:
> "If this child grows up… the world will change."
He pulled on the horse's reins and set off with his troops.
Rakai Darma approached Ardhana.
> "Young master… Majapahit may feel threatened."
Ardhana gazed at the calm southern sea.
> "Majapahit may be watching…"
"But they are not the only eyes that will be watching us."
His hair moved in the wind.
> "The real storm… is coming from the west."
In the distance, a seagull flew low—a sign of a change in the wind.
Ardhana took a deep breath.
A new era of light… was about to be foreshadowed.
The civilization of the Eastern Light had just been glimpsed by Majapahit.
But soon… the outside world would hear about it.