BREAKING OLD TREE AND BEYOND IT

Too busy thinking about his life ahead, making time too fast to watch. It was just eight o'clock, and now the short hand was pointing to ten. Rio poked his head up to confirm Zaky's condition. The man seems to have closed his eyes.

Rio thought about starting his reckless plan. With the commotion of the trumpets, the young man tiptoed out of the room. For a moment the wooden door creaked as it opened, outside it was dim and quiet. Ten bedroom doors were closed, except for Rio's room which was painted orange.

He walked slowly down the narrow corridor that ended in the living room. A set of crimson sofas was sitting there with two caretakers on duty. They were engrossed in talking while smoking half a cigarette.

Rio knew the two of them were too busy to look back, while the exit was already wide open. As the two of them faced the side window, their feet dashed across the living room as fast as lightning. He made it!

The cold air greeted his tan skin. There's never imagined that one day a timid and obedient child like Rio would dare to go against Mrs. Dahlia's policies. However, his desire had exploded beyond logic.

He tiptoed out of the courtyard, hoping the creaking floor wouldn't arouse suspicion. After stepping on the grassy ground, Rio looked forward, to be precise at the big tree across the road. Doni says he will wait there.

The roar of the vehicle was heard adding to the hustle and bustle of Kotabaru that night. What's more, the dark sky seemed to glow from the explosion of fireworks. Anyone would not be willing to miss this most exciting celebration of the year.

"More interesting than just snoring in bed," Rio muttered.

His eyes glanced left and right before finally crossing the highway. Rio was amazed to see the fireworks that broke out to form small stars in the sky. Arriving at the big tree, Doni was not there, but darkness and cold. Rio should never have agreed to the words of that jerk. His mind must have been insane because he had stayed in the orphanage for too long, or maybe because he had eaten salted fish for too long.

Now Rio has broken the rules. It could be that Doni purposely lures him out to get Mrs. Dahlia's attention. He would definitely be allowed to stay as long as possible after reporting Rio's mistake.

Running out of effort, Rio sat on one side of the tree while looking at the crowd of people passing by. Why didn't it occur to him to ask what time they would meet?

A dark night, a lively city and an old tree, that was what Rio was living in. And that tree, the wood is a bit rotten with big roots that pierce into the ground. Strand after strand of yellow leaves fell down Rio's head. The young leaves hanging above are not much different from the tens of fibrous roots that hang down. A bit spooky indeed, but quite shady.

Minutes entangled in turmoil, Rio finally intends to return. However, before his steps were complete, he had a visitor first. The parrot that he named Revan eight years ago flew over. He chirped loudly while grabbing Rio's sleeve.

"Stop it, Revan!" Rio hissed.

The bird ignored him. He kept grabbing his best friend, until then he flew to one of the tree branches when a commotion was heard from the other side. Rio's sparkling eyes widened as he watched Mrs. Dahlia nag along with Doni who smiled contentedly beside him. It was clear Rio had been framed. Doni did intend to destroy his reputation.

Without causing a commotion, Rio immediately crept behind the old tree, ensuring himself covered in darkness. His heart was throbbing waiting for the most dangerous moments. Mrs. Dahlia knew someone was hiding behind a tree—too afraid to show up.

"Help me, God. Help me." Rio's pale lips pleaded incessantly. "Or I'll never hope again," he threatened at the end.

Mrs. Dahlia's quick steps were getting closer, as was her hoarse, ear-piercing grunt. What punishment did Rio deserve? Cleaning the yard for a month, eating only once a day, or at worst; expelled from the orphanage forever. Where will he stay? How to survive? It's all because of Doni.

As soon as a shrill scream came from Revan, suddenly the tree trunk that Rio was leaning against softened—as soft as a puddle of mud in the rainy season. He who could not hold on suddenly fell into it. Rio slid down, through a vertical passage lined with huge roots and a giant hundred-eyed insect creaked viciously. His screams echoed down the hall as her black hair fluttered in the wind.

Rio's body hit the ground, producing a fairly loud thud. He was in a round room with intertwined roots, dark and piercingly cold. With confusion in his heart, Rio began to examine the walls of the wooden room. It was strange, every time his long index finger touched the surface of the wall, a yellow lightning flashed across the room for a few seconds.

Rio didn't let go of his finger, so the sparkling flashes reciprocated. At this rate, the spooky and dark impression disappears instantly. Five times, seven times and the tenth touch become the key that opens the secret door.

A pair of shiny golden doors opened against one wall. The darkness of the room was washed away by the sheen of light. Rio noticed the situation outside. His round eyes were really watching. Just as he thought it was safe, his feet rushed through the big door, and now he found a thicket of thickets of tall trees.

The sky was as bright blue as on earth. The soil is dark brown just like on earth. The color of the leaves was dark green, exactly the same as where he came from. Then, where is Rio at? The row of cypress trees in front of him might hold the answer.

Anxiety was always holding him back. Rio was too reluctant to move from his position, even for just one step. He remained silent, except for his irises which were tracing the surroundings.

Rio flinched at the arrival of Revan. The bird jumped from a high branch and landed right in front of him. Sweet chirping fills the silence of the forest. For a moment Rio felt calm because his best friend was here.

The young man flinched even more when Revan suddenly grew up. Its two wings extended—transformed into a pair of human arms. His beak shortened to a pink-lipped mouth, followed by an uprise body like a mighty man.

Now appeared in front of him a man with a split mustache. His skin was reddish white in a light green suit with a red bow tie. His black hair is neatly combed (perfectly smooth), so when he smiles, aura of happiness blooms beautifully.

"Welcome, My Lord." The man bowed respectfully. "Sorry if it's too sudden."

Rio, who had been stunned earlier, was now trembling. His slender legs shook violently as if they were about to collapse. He never thought Revan could turn into an authoritative man. His face was pale and cold sweat beading down his temples. There was no answer from Rio, but Revan knew the meaning of that act.

"Oh, right! You must not know where it is. This place is called Nefertyland, a world of wizard and creatures." Revan's cheeks glowed. "You are here because this land needs a leader. Our king lost on the battlefield and decided to start an ancient ritual. The procession of sending one's soul to another body who will be born many years later. It was you."

Rio's body became more and more unsteady. He staggered in disbelief. So far, he is nothing more than an orphan who has never been adopted. However, now there is an imitation bird that says he is the king's successor. Hard to believe.

The young man's mouth was still mute. His sparkling eyes directed forward, right into Revan's eyes. Rio couldn't say anymore because he was shocked. He fell to his knees, propping himself up with sweaty hands.

"Come with me, Rio." Revan held out his hand.

"I-I…." Words began to slip from his lips. "How can I get chosen to be king?"

"Because fate chose you," said Revan with a sweet smile.

"B-but… I have no special signs, never have strange dreams, never experience anything out of the ordinary. How do you know I am the chosen?" When he spoke, Rio's eyes did not move from Revan's face.

"You have one special. It's here." Revan pointed at his right chest, intending to tell Rio that he wasn't as bad as he thought.

"Heart!? Do you think I have the heart of king?" Rio rose from his position. "Then, what is your purpose bringing me here?" A question popped up as he actually stood up.

"Transfiguration: White Horse!" Revan cast a spell.

The sturdy body slowly bent down. His neat hair is long like a bright white mane. Revan neighed as his fingers fused into horseshoes. And Rio, he gasped to find his best friend turned into a white horse with a thick mane.

"Get on my back!" His command was accompanied by a neighing voice.

At first he was a little hesitant, but Revan's confidence made Rio's courage rounded. He quickly climbed onto the four-legged mammal, not caring if he was actually a human. As soon as Rio held onto his stocky shoulders, Revan sped away.

They passed through the darkness of forest, running along the winding stream. The sunlight that broke through the gaps in the leaves added to the brightness of Revan's mane. Her white skin shone like pearls on the high seas.

Rio's hair scattered in the wind, while Revan swung his four legs as fast as he could. The tread left a mark in the puddle, splashing a bit of mud stains on the suplir plant.

The trip was too short because of Revan's feet. When they stopped in front of a large hut (where smoke always came out of the chimney), Revan turned back into a human and asked Rio to enter the place. The dark brown door that was shut tight didn't look as bad as it was inside.

The cottage was quite busy with all the activities of its inhabitants. A collection of torches hung around the room, round chairs were neatly lined up, and then there was a long table in the middle—where rows of drink bottles were placed.

Rio's arrival received a warm welcome, even warmer than he had expected. The people there competed to shake his hand while smiling happy and enthusiastic. Indeed, at first they were surprised to find a young man who suddenly entered the hut. But everything disappeared when Revan came to follow.

"I knew this day would come! O my King, my name is Donald," said the crooked-nosed man wearing a beanie.

"I am Bean."

"Rosa, My King."

"Nice to see you, My King. I thought you would never come. Call me Finstern." Everyone there seemed excited to approach Rio. They don't seem want to let go. Rosa is crazier. She was too happy and hug Rio as tight as possible until the young man's cheeks turned red.

Joy colored the arrival of the new king. Years of waiting under pressure, the people finally got what they wanted. On one of the chairs there was a tall man looking at Rio. His body size is fairly giant, about two and a half meters more combined with a jacket made of bearskin. Yellow bangs that have never been cut seemed to cover his face.

"Welcome to the Anti-Tarnath Wizard Headquarters. I hope you're not scared to see our enthusiasm," he said, spreading his arms, about to hug Rio. When Rio prepared for the strongest hug he had ever felt, the man just patted him on the shoulder—even though it felt heavy too, being slapped by a big-wide hand.

"My name is Kron son of Vron, one of the summoning magic users." He parted his bangs, so a cheerful face could be seen there. Kron smiled showing his slightly loose middle teeth. Besides, he seems like a good person.

"My name is Rio. Nice to meet you, Mr Kron."

"Yes! Nice to meet you too!" said Kron. "We waited patiently for this day, and you have finally arrived! It's not vain that my friend has been watching over you all this time."

The round table at the far end of the room was immediately moved closer. Several people seemed to be inspecting the wooden cabinet near the long table and they cheered when a large sheet of paper was brought out.

Revan spread out the wide paper, it was a dull brown with at least three black spots printed on it, like coffee spills. Although the appearance is old, but the contents can surprise Rio. It's a map. Map of Nefertyland, where there are many colorful dots on big island.

"That dots called Whisper, our guide to The Eighth. Without a king, the journey will never begin, and we cannot unite them." Revan explained.

"What is The Eight?" Rio asked innocently.

"He doesn't know what The Eighth is?" Donald responed.

"Calm down, Donald! Rio is from a non-magical world. It's normal that he doesn't knowany terminologies in this world." Revan defended. "And for you, Rio. The Eight was holy armor, the strongest source of magic ever forged. Our job is to gather all of them to defeat Tarnath the traitor."

"Who else is Tarnath the traitor?" Rio frowned, making the people around him sigh in resignation.

"Tarnath is a court advisor who betrayed the former king. He took over the government capital. His nature was too violent, to the point that the title of wizard slipped away from him." Kron said who was the figure that Rio was questioning about.

"Tarnath is devoted to black magic, a dark spell that isn't even worthy to be cast. Not magic, but the power is the same, maybe even greater." Revan added.

Rio nodded. His gaze was focused on the large island where seven whispers were flickering, meaning that the seven sacred armors were in that place. When his eyes searched carefully, there's one whispee seemed glow on the small islands—the island's shape was like a skull.

"Why is the black one secluded?"

"Some say black armor has a mind of its own," said Bean fearfully.

"Some also say the armor belongs to the demon, Lucifer." The girl with curly hair, Rosa chimed in.

"We'll talk about that later! At least there are still seven armors to find before looking for the black one," Revan said while pointing to whisper the green. "The green armor named Kholoros. It's whisper in Nyx forest area, around goblin village. For starters it's pretty easy."

"Are you sure you want to visit the miser first?" Donald tried to convince, "They are reluctant to share meat, let alone something as noble as Kholoros," he continued.

"Their Alpha, Bayrak would understand. Ever since Tarnath came to power, their settlements were increasingly raided. I think both we and him want a revolution." Revan explained while adjusting his bow tie which was slightly tilted.

The majority agreed with the proposal. Rio also seems to agree, even if he just nods not understanding. His round eyes turned to the whisper flickering green. He didn't really know much about goblins, Alpha, and Bayrak—the name just sounded weird. However, Rio was able to conclude that of all whispers, all seven had to be gathered. After that, then they hunt the black one on the island of skull.

~~o0o~~

Since afternoon, all the residents of the Anti-Tarnath Secret Headquarters have been busy discussing which armor should be sought first. They started sorting one by one. First green, then yellow, suggested Revan. First orange, then green, Donald thought. Kron doesn't seem care about the order. He was more interested for hunting the armor directly, doesn't matter which came first.

As for Rio, he was asked to rest in the room that had been prepared a long time ago. The room was quite spacious with walls made of resin, the floor was wooden planks arranged in parallel. In addition to the purple-covered mattress, there was also a stove in the corner of the room, smoldering a dim fire.

His gaze was directed to the auction which side was decorated with cobwebs. Rio still wasn't sure what he was going through now. His thin body was sweating a little as he imagined how his trip would be tomorrow, when all the necessities had been prepared.

On the other hand, Rio was grateful to be free from misery in the orphanage. Mrs. Dahlia's nagging, Doni's pranks, the bitter fact that he was never adopted, until that night—New Year's Eve. Rio was free from it all for a while, or maybe forever?

The creak of the brown door interrupted Rio's thoughts. Apparently Revan was visiting his room. The dignified man walked over to the side of the bed, complete with a cheerful smile. The clean and neat teeth seemed to add to his charisma

"Too tense to sleep, huh?" He asked while sat on edge of the bed.

"This is new for me. I haven't even prepared anything to live here." Rio looked at his parrot friend who was now a human.

"You know, Rio. We will always help you." Revan knotted thin. "The long awaited king has finally returned. What could be more fun than that?"

"Shouldn't the King have the strongest magic? I-I mean, all this time it feels like I never spell anything. Fighting always loses, moreover playing with spells."

"It is not time yet. Your special talents will emerge over time. Just so you know, the King's magic is unique and cannot be imitated by ordinary people, not even Tarnath."

Rio's gloomy face brightened slightly. Revan's words made him happy. Or, at least be able to relieve his head that feels increasingly heavy. All the bad thoughts that are raging do not help much, it only shrinks the guts. Revan pulled the purple blanket from the thick cloth to cover part of Rio's body. He smiled as he stroked the young man's bangs.

The suffering that Rio experienced as a child can be remembered well by Revan. How sad Rio was when Doni locked him in old house, how hurt he was when beaten by other orphans. After all that, now Rio can live in peace, before a long journey that is even more difficult than eating hard rice and salted fish.

"Sleep, O my king. Rest yourself as best you can, because tomorrow will be a long day." Raven then walked away from him.

Just as he was holding the door ring, Rio said in a low voice: "Why didn't you tell me in the first place that you were a wizard, Revan?"

"Unfortunately magic doesn't work in your world. When I went to the non-magical world as a bird, I could never return to human form until I returned to this land." Revan's sharp blue iris stared down. There's a hint of regret there. "Don't ever hate me, please." He continued the delayed steps. Rio just silently understood, then closed his eyes.

(To Be Continued)