I'm Finally Free!

"Are you going to the forest?" asked a 12-year-old boy.

"Stay at home. I have to look for mushrooms and some medicinal plants to sell. I will be back before midnight." Arya Santanu said goodbye to his younger brother named Raka Caraka. 

The village where they lived was called Kulon Anyar. It is located in the western part of the island of Yawadwipa. He had to take a path from the village to the forest on Mount Kulon. The place was not far from his village. 

Arya Santanu was just a corn farmer who also worked as a seeker of medicinal plants; mushrooms and several other odd jobs. He lived alone with his younger brother; Raka Caraka. His simple life meant he had no opportunity to visit the royal capital. 

"Tonight the moon is shining brightly. I hope to find many medicinal plants.”

Arya Santanu started climbing the mountain through a small path and walked through the bushes. He scanned the area under the trees and the ground. Carrying a small torch for light, Arya Santanu began to pull out some medicinal plants and mushrooms that he found. He placed them in a bamboo basket slung over his shoulder. 

As he walked further, he saw a warning board put up by the Kulon Anyar Village Chief. The sign, which was mounted on a tree trunk, read 'forbidden forest'. However, Arya Santanu ignored it. He doubted any wild animals would attack him because he had been searching for medicinal plants and mushrooms for five years. Arya Santanu also often entered the forbidden area to collect mushrooms.

"Strange, why is there no wind?" Arya Santanu was confused.

The wind that usually blows suddenly disappeared. No leaves swayed. Not even the sound of insects could be heard. Silence, that's what Arya Santanu felt. He felt like he was in the middle of a funeral. 

"What happened? What happened to my torch?" He was confused when his torch suddenly died.

Her eyes turned and looked in all directions. His steps became more cautious as he held on to the tree trunk. His mind couldn't calm down, he began to think of many things, even deducing something odd.

He had heard that the forbidden forest was inhabited by the dead. There were also rumors that the forbidden forest was inhabited by a creature called Rakshasa Buto. But all those stories were dismissed as bedtime stories. What scared her was the darkness, solitude and silence of the forbidden forest. 

"There is a cave?" Arya Santanu was confused when he found a cave in the middle of the forest. 

This was the first time he had seen a cave in the forbidden forest. His feet seemed to be forced to step inside. He peered through the outer wall. There was no one there. But there was something strange about the cave. Reflected moonlight crept into the cave. The light seemed to hypnotize him to step closer and go deeper. Through his eyes, he caught plenty of light to see and observe his surroundings. He was afraid that a Rakshasa might catch him. 

"What is this stone? And what is written on this stone?" Arya Santanu was confused by the presence of a black stone as big as his body. 

Around the black stone was a long sentence written in a circle, like a spell protecting the stone. Arya Santanu even thought that the sentence was a form of seal spell to seal the black stone in front of him. Then the question is what kind of stone is it? Why was there an ancient Sanskrit phrase protecting it?

He circled the black stone. Trying to find ancient Sanskrit writing that he could understand. However, after circling the black stone, there was nothing he could understand. The language seemed foreign to him, even though Arya Santanu had learned some ancient languages from his grandmother. 

"Can this stone be sold?" He wanted to take the stone out of there.

He desperately needed a few gold pieces for his daily needs. By selling the stone, Arya Santanu might be able to get a chest of gold to support himself and his younger brother for a year. But he was at a loss as to how to carry the stone. He only had a small knife in his pocket. But using his knife and a large stone, he tried to break the black stone into small pieces.

Arya Santanu smashed the handle of the knife with the stone he was holding. As the knife plunged into the black stone, the surface of the black stone suddenly cracked and spewed sparks from the crack. The young man immediately stepped back and kept his distance from the black stone. 

"What happened? Why did the stone crack?" Arya Santanu felt very confused.

The small cracks were spreading rapidly and getting bigger. From between the cracks came hot lava that overflowed and fell to the ground. Arya Santanu became panicked. He didn't think a single stone blow could cause all that. Slowly the black stone split and broke into small pieces. Arya Santanu saw white smoke billowing and soaring. Slowly the black smoke changed shape and shone so brightly that it dazzled his eyes. 

"Ten thousand years... finally I...."

"FREE!!!"

A tall creature with two horns rising from its forehead shouted very loudly. His body was covered with red armor. Its entire body looked like a layer of melted lava. His face was red with dark red eyes. The creature glanced at Arya Santanu. His gaze looked intimidating. When Arya wanted to escape from that place, the creature immediately stomped its feet. Instantly the cave ceiling collapsed onto the mouth of the cave and blocked the exit.

"Where are you going?" The creature tried to stop the young man. 

Arya Santanu tried to scratch the stones that covered the mouth of the cave. He did not want to look back. A large, firm and heavy voice echoed throughout the cave. He kept hearing it and it made him even more frightened.

"You just freed me. What's wrong, are you afraid of me?" The creature returned the shattered black stone to its original form. It sat down on the stone.

"Aren't you curious about me? My true identity?" The creature continued to speak endlessly.

 "Stop it! Alright, I give up." Arya turned around and looked at the figure.

He was already panting. Her energy was drained from digging through the ruins that covered the cave. He finally gave up and listened to the creature's intentions. 

"Who are you? Why are you inside that black rock? Tell me, isn't that what you want to hear from me, a question that asks about yourself?" Arya Santanu felt disturbed.

The creature smiled. His eyes seemed pleased with Arya Santanu's weakness. It was like he had just gotten a delicious meal. 

"I... I... Asura. The great general of the demons. You can call me a Rakshasa whose level is above other Rakshasa. My level is equal to that of the Gods. And I am very grateful to you for breaking this stone seal." Asura repeatedly patted the black stone he was sitting on.

"Asura? You mean you're a demon?" Arya Santanu had heard stories of demons fighting with the Gods, but he didn't expect to meet one of them.

Asura looked into Arya Santanu's mind. He did not expect to meet a young man endowed with the light of the Gods. 

As the old hermit promised; that there would be a young man who had the lineage of a king who would free Asura from the prison made by the gods. And with his freedom this time, it means that Asura's sentence has ended. The promise of the hermit and the gods said that Asura would be elevated to a half-god and half-demon. This position would be equivalent to the main god's helpers.

"Hey, what do you want? I can make you very rich. I can give you a very long life, even to immortality. I can also cure all your diseases." Asura began to offer several things.

Arya Santanu was very surprised after hearing Asura's words. His mind began to imagine the various possibilities he could get. 

"But... you have to make a deal with me. You must carry out the contents of the agreement. If not, I will eat your soul. And your body... I will eat it too." Asura smiled so slyly.