Invaders

"Where am I?"

No matter where his eyes glare all he could see was nothing but darkness that covered his entire field of vision. The black s.p.a.ce was endless.

There were no ceiling nor floors. Being inside this place would make one lose his sense of time and s.p.a.ce... Within this abyss of endless darkness, Kim is floating in mid-air.

He blinked several times, trying to make sense of the reality. After loosing and tighten his hands several times he finally has the strength to move his own body. Not a single pain could be felt.

"Seems like I"m alright"

Kim was in a fight with a warrior way beyond his league. He even gave his all during the final spurt. Even so, he had no injuries. He didn"t feel weak. It felt like the fight didn"t happen at all, to begin with.

He pushed himself up to stand on what seems to be an invisible floor. It"s a weird sensation. He felt like he is floating in mid-air and yet he was standing solidly on what suppose to be the ground. As if he was standing on a gla.s.s, and underneath... is an unknown abyss which feels like it could swallow a person whole just by the sight of it.

"If the ground is suddenly gone, I would be falling endlessly. That"s a living nightmare!"

He let out a deep sigh "Well, I might be stuck here forever if I just stand still anyway"

He ignored the fact and tried to figure out his surrounding by looking around.

"This place feels like my mental domain"

He spread his mana sense to the fullest and there was nothing... nothing in his view and nothing from his sense... except for one.

A figure that Kim detected from his mana sense. It seems the figure closely resembled a human, and it is walking closer and closer towards Kim.

As the silhouette of the approaching figure becoming clearer to his naked eyes, finally Kim able to perceive who the person is.

A man is walking slowly toward Kim. Although he has a gentle expression with a smile on his face, he still emitted a domineering aura. Being caught in his line of sight would give a sudden oppressiveness that could strike fear and also a sense of admiration in one"s heart.

But to Kim, he only felt a sense of familiarity. In fact, he even knew the person life since he was a kid. He is the person whom he just fought a while. The warrior. The Protector. The hero of the land. Rentap, the earth-shaker.

As they were within reach of each other, Kim didn"t hesitate to give a deep respectful bow.

Not even a second has pa.s.sed when he bowed, two powerful hands grip both Kim"s shoulder to straighten him back which made Kim startled.

"Get up kid, how can I give a face to the public if someone who just beat me bowed down to me like that!"

"You... can talk?"

Rentap laugh loudly while slapping Kim"s back. Although it was done in a playful manner he felt like he was on the verge of death.

"This monster... is he trying to kill me?!" Kim thought to himself while rubbing his back to check if they were any broken bone.

"What do you think I am? Of course, I can talk. I"m a human just like you. Well... I was. Now I"m just a wandering soul who can"t let go of his past" Even though he was putting up a cheery smile, there was still a faint scent of sorrow lingering around him.

"I know you have many questions in your mind, but let"s sit down for a while"

Kim did have a lot of things in his mind. But he put it aside first and just complied with the man in front of him now. He planned to observe everything first before saying anything.

"So where do we sit- oh..."

Suddenly, a table and two chairs appeared out of nowhere. On top of the table are two cups of hot coffee and some "crispy pisang goreng" served on a banana leaf.

"Is this real?"

"As real as how you want it to be. We are inside your mind after all"

"Why are we inside my mind anyway?"

"because I don"t have a mind for you to enter"

Kim fell in silent as if he was in deep thinking and gave a slight nod.

"So, you are saying you are stu-"

"I"m saying I"m dead and you can"t enter the dead"s mind. We don"t have a real body, to begin with"

Kim gave another nod "You sure you not stu-"

"I"m not"

"So, what are you?"

"I"m only a soul and the will of Rentap. Well, Rentap is me... just without the real body. All this time I was inside that make-shift body of mine made of earth to battle you. How about I ask you the question this time?"

Kim pondered a bit and gave a light reply. "It will be an honour"

"Skip the formality kid. Just call me brother!" Rentap gave a warm big smile and pointed his right thumb at his chest as if welcoming Kim to accept him as his brother.

Kim felt a bit awkward and just asked Rentap to proceed with the talk.

They both sat down, with one being really comfortable with himself and another is in a well-guarded position. Rentap noticed that Kim was being suspicious of him, but he didn"t mind that and just let out a hearty laugh. He took a bit of one of the scrumptious pisang goreng and Kim took a sip of his coffee.

"Woah, this taste good!" He took another bite of the pisang goreng and took a big gulp. "I haven"t tasted anything for years. Thanks, brother"

"It"s Kim"

"Don"t feel shy now, we are sworn brother aren"t we? Bahahaha!"

"I"m not feeling shy, and it was you who force me into it" Kim only replied in a calm manner and took another sip and also a bite of pisang goreng. It tasted like the one he ate a lot during his childhood.

"Anyway, let"s get to business shall we?" Suddenly, Rentap face turned solemn as he looked directly into Kim"s eyes. "You know what I"m going to ask, don"t you?"

Kim already knew but he wanted to feint ignorance and shook his head.

"Oh come on, after exchanging that much fist and you still don"t understand my feeling? How could you do this to me, brother Kim"

Kim let out a sigh and finally replied "Sir, I"m just a boy who"s only seventeen years of age. How can I accept something from a legend like you? You are the hero of this land"

"Hey, what sir? Quit the formality shall we bro Kim?"

Kim already felt awkward enough with the whole brother thing, but now he started to call him bro Kim, he felt a bit annoyed.

"The one who chose whether you are qualified is not me. It"s you, yourself. You have shown your worth. Nature tested your heart, and I tested your strength. In both terms, you are more than qualified. All of us recognized you to hold the legacy. Becoming the guardian of this land. Relive it, and bring it back to its glory"

"Strength and heart? I barely survived your freaking attack!

"Oh come on, it was just a punch bro Kim. I knew you were strong enough to go against it"

Somehow, Kim first impression of Rentap dropped down a little. He even unconsciously began to drop any formalities when talking with him.

"Oh really? Can I give you just a punch now and see how it goes?"

"Relax bro Kim. I"m just kidding hehe"

"Anyway, if you talk about the heart then it must be a mistake. My heart is not as pure as you thought it should. It"s already tainted. My sole reason to live is only one now"

Before, Kim could finish his words Rentap suddenly intercepts "Revenge?"

"..." Kim fell silent for a while and gave a slight nod.

"When did the test of heart has always been finding the pure of heart of all. We are not looking for a magnanimous hero to beat a villain like old folk stories. We are looking for someone to represent our land."

Kim suspected something as Rentap used the term "us" and "we" whenever he mentioned anything. As if, he is talking on behalf of others.

"But, I have no intention of accepting your legacy. I only came just because I had no other choice. I only accepted the trial just because I wanted to save someone who is dear to me. Never did I had any intention to accept anything from you"

"So, it"s always a girl who could make a man go wild"

"Shut it"

"But what if I told you, when you accepted our legacy, you will be granted an unimaginable power than ever before? A power to govern the whole land and everything resides within it. Including me, as a spirit. Much less revenge, even conquering a country won"t be a problem. You will have all the glory you want and no one would be able to kick you down anymore. Weren"t that the reason why you seek power in the first place? Isn"t that the regret that you had been lingering in your heart? The feeling of being weak of not being able to protect your loved one!"

"How you-"

"I understand the feeling bro Kim. I was at your place. And I continued to live on for the sake of my family and companions. To get back to those invaders that try to merciless chase us out. Killing my brothers and sisters. I saw every each and one of my people cut down with my own eyes. Until the day I die, I still regretted myself for not being able to avenge them...but you, we are giving you a chance...take our power. Don"t you want your sweet revenge?"

"Yes, I do"

"Then why hold yourself back? Take my hand and all will be yours. Let us bring back the glory of our land!" His voice had an overbearing pressure that shook Kim"s heart tremendously. He felt like his heart could blow any minute from handling the pressure. Rentap slightly put out his hands forward hinting Kim to give a handshake.

In end, Kim gritted his teeth and hit himself in the head.

"The reason I"m here in the first place was due to my despaired heart of wanting revenge. I was so blind with myself that I didn"t just hurt myself but also the person I treasured the most. Yes, my life was solely on revenge at first but I won"t do the same mistake by thinking that"s the only thing I have for my life. The calamity that befalls earth was also a breath of new life for me. I was reborn on that day..."

"I don"t care what power you will give me. I can get strong on my own. I won"t accept your legacy. I will live as how I wanted to live. Not just for the sake of others! Let past be past. The world of the living is not for the dead. The old geezer was right, maybe this is bounded to happen. Maybe if the disturbance with mana awakening of the earth didn"t happen they would still past away. Then do I have the right to take revenge then? To whom should I exact my revenge too? I will not let my revenge become an obsession. I will break free from the chain. I will live my own life as how I wanted to and create my own legacy!"

The moment Kim finished his words, within the empty darkness a sudden loud cheer and applause could be heard. Then one by one, warriors appeared surrounding Kim and Rentap. Until they are numbered to thousands. When Kim spread his mana sense, he was able to recognize them as the Iban warriors he fought within the vine cage.

"These are all the warriors who had fallen during our battle. Even so, our heart and soul, our will and dreams, still resided within this land"

Kim felt overwhelmed by the number of people who have gathered around them in an instant. Rentap then looks at Kim with a warm expression and a smile on his face.

"Bro Kim, our legacy has ended. Our era has long since gone. But our will to fight has never been put down. What we want is a new leader who will lead us to a new era. We don"t care what will you do, but we shall follow wherever your heart will be"

Rentap then gives a short glance to all the warriors.

"Brothers! We have poured our sweat, blood and tears during our time. We bravely fought through the battlefield and never show our back towards our enemies. Even with all our limbs cut down, we will grit our parang with our teeth and slashed anyone who dares to come near. But that era has long gone! It"s time, for a new legacy to be born! I, Rentap, shall give my sworn loyalty to brother Kim!

Everything went silent as Rentap slowly put on of his knee on the ground. After a few moments, then each and one of them swear their loyalty to Kim and went down to the ground.

"I shall give my sworn loyalty to brother Kim!"

"I shall give my sworn loyalty to brother Kim!"

"I shall give my sworn loyalty to brother Kim!"

From one to hundreds, then thousands, then finally all of them has kneeled on the ground. Kim didn"t expect the sudden turn of events. However, his mind was calm and he still keeps his composure. He had faced countless threatening situations and even some which he was on the line between life and death. But this would be the most crucial moment of his life. To become a leader to all these legends. The hero of everyone heart. The protector of this land. He put both of his arms onto Rentap shoulders. Letting him stand up. He raised up his right arm straight in the air and clenched his fist.

"Brothers, stand up! Follow me, and we shall claim victory! Ooooooooha!!!" Kim roared and everyone else roared with him with their right arm up in the air.

"Ooooooooha!!!"