All Chapters of Toward the Sun: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Once they were knocked unconscious, the spirits inhabiting the villagers’ bodies could no longer do anything.Otherwise, every one of them, including the two villagers who had attacked Wisnumurti and Pratiwi, would have continued fighting until their borrowed bodies collapsed from exhaustion and literally tore themselves apart.And when they finally woke up, they were themselves again. The commandeered spirits had vanished.Gone. No one knew where.“It feels like they’re becoming bolder,” Wisnumurti said. “Do you think they’re preparing for something bigger?”Ki Randu Alas stared into the fire.“I’m afraid so. Reports of disturbances bearing the Lambang Merah’s signature have increased dramatically lately. I fear these incidents are rehearsals. Practice runs before a major operation.”Wisnumurti frowned.“And if that’s true, stopping them won’t be easy. Not with conventional methods. Not even with an army of elite warriors.”“Exactly. That’s why I’ve been trying to figure out what opt

From where they sat around the campfire with the gathered martial artists, Ki Randu Alas and Pratiwi looked up.Wisnumurti was hurrying out of the banjar house. One glance at his face told them he’d found something important.“The men I questioned inside said they saw Jaladri talking to someone just before the snake showed up,” he said without waiting to be asked.Blarak and several others rose to their feet.“Did they get a good look at him?” Ki Randu asked.“They did. A young man around my age. Around Jaladri’s age too. Well dressed. Clean. Looked like he’s a rich person as well. And someone else said he actually spoke with the young man. Turns out he’s from Paranggelung. He was heading home after spending several days in Tanggul Wetan. Traveling with his younger sister.”“Names?” Pratiwi asked.“Wira and Ningrum. The witness said both of them carried themselves like trained fighters. Confident. Alert. The kind of people who know exactly what they’re capable of.”“And what happened

“So what now?” Remak asked. “We came here to kill Nipir. That failed. Then we stumbled onto something even better. A strange kid who can use the Lintang Abyor Technique. We planned to take him back to Margalayu and study whatever he is, and now he’s vanished. What exactly are we supposed to do now?”“I’m certain we’ll find a clue soon enough.”“So that’s your priority now?”“Of course it is. The boy knows Lintang Abyor. That technique comes from the royal martial tradition. It’s never taught to outsiders. Only those closest to the Sultan are allowed to learn it. However he got it, he has ties to the palace. I want to know what they are.”“I don’t buy it,” Suwung Saketi shook his head. “Either he’s lying, or he genuinely doesn’t know.”“Could Ki Soma be descended from the Wirakancana bloodline?”“Even then, it makes no sense. According to the family’s own rules, Lintang Abyor is reserved for people with a legitimate claim to the throne. Once upon a time, Arya Mangkubumi learned it. Tod

“To make this easier for you youngsters to follow,” Ki Demung Banar said, his voice low and measured, “I should probably start at the beginning.”He leaned back slightly.“Long ago, Pasir was a vassal state of the Demak Sultanate. That arrangement dated all the way back to the reign of the late Sultan Alam Akbar Al Fath, the founder of Demak, who in his youth had been known as Senopati Jimbun. Everything changed when Demak’s third ruler, Sultan Trenggana, was killed during the campaign at Panarukan.“His successor, the regent-king Hadiwijaya, moved the royal capital to Pajang and soon found himself consumed by rebellions and power struggles in the eastern territories. As a result, the central and western regions were largely neglected.“Three decades ago, the last Duke of Pasir serving under Demak was Prince Senopati. When he died of old age, his son, who was expected to succeed him as Prince Senopati II, was caught spreading the old teachings just as Tumenggung Wirajaya of Demak was

Suwung Saketi scanned the streets around him.Paranggelung at sunset was almost too beautiful to be real. The western sky burned crimson, and the dying sun had shrunk into a tiny glowing orb balanced on the distant horizon. In a few more minutes, it would disappear behind the jagged ridges of the Dieng Highlands.The cold made everything feel different.A steady wind swept through the town, sharp enough to bite through clothing and settle deep inside the bones. Saketi could hardly imagine what midnight would feel like. The evening chill was already brutal. Had he not possessed the internal strength of a seasoned martial artist, he would have needed layers of heavy clothing like everyone else hurrying along the streets.The roads were nearly empty now.The call to prayer would echo from the nearest mosque any minute. The few people still outside walked quickly, eager to reach home before dark, arms folded tightly across their chests against the cold.Saketi's eyes kept moving. He was h