The tomb chamber began to fill with golden and purple light. The stone doors that had previously been closed now opened one by one. Black mist emerged from behind them, moving like a living creature.
Raka was still standing in the middle of the chamber, his body enveloped in light.
"The First Heir has returned."
The whispers grew clearer.
Laras immediately stood in front of Raka.
"Raka, can you still hear me?"
Raka looked at her.
"Yes."
"Then stay conscious."
"I'm trying."
But another voice suddenly echoed inside Raka's head.
"Do not resist."
Raka immediately grabbed his head.
"Shut up..."
Laras quickly turned toward him.
"Raka?"
"There's another voice."
The mysterious man then raised his keris.
"He's beginning to lose control."
The King immediately pointed his sword at the man.
"If you come any closer, I'll stop you."
The man looked at the King.
"You still want to protect him?"
"He is the heir."
"No. He is the key."
Raka raised his head.
"The key?"
The man looked at Raka.
"The key to opening the Nusantara Gate."
Raka then looked at the golden mark spreading across his body.
"So all this time... I was just a key?"
"To them, yes."
The King spoke firmly.
"Don't listen to him."
Raka turned toward him.
"Then what should I listen to? You?"
The King remained silent.
Raka pointed at the mysterious man.
"He said I was killed before."
Then he pointed at the King.
"You said I was the reason the war began again."
Raka clenched his fists.
"Now he's saying I'm the key."
The light surrounding Raka grew stronger.
"So who is actually telling the truth?!"
No one answered.
Suddenly, one of the stone coffins behind them shattered.
BRAK!
Black mist burst out and formed a massive figure with the body of an armored soldier. In its hand was a long spear, its tip emitting purple light. The creature immediately pointed its spear at Raka.
"Open... the gate..."
Laras immediately ran forward.
"Raka, get down!"
She slashed at the spear.
CLANG!
The impact forced Laras several steps backward. The creature did not stop and attacked again.
The King immediately moved to help Laras.
"Don't let them get near Raka!"
The other creatures began moving from inside the tomb chamber. They did not attack randomly. Every one of them moved toward Raka, as if they had received the same command.
Raka slowly stepped backward.
"Why do they keep coming toward me?"
The mysterious man answered.
"Because they want to take you back to your place of origin."
"My place of origin?"
"Beyond the gate."
Raka immediately shook his head.
"I don't want to go anywhere."
The man looked at him.
"Then you must stop the gate yourself."
"How?"
The man raised his keris.
"By remembering who you are."
Raka glared at him.
"Everyone keeps saying the same thing!"
Suddenly, the golden light surrounding Raka formed a circle beneath his feet. Ancient symbols appeared across the floor. The air inside the tomb chamber grew heavier.
Laras immediately turned around.
"Raka, don't move!"
"I'm not moving!"
"The symbols are appearing because of you!"
Raka looked down.
"I'm not even doing anything!"
The King stared at the symbols with a pale face.
"No... this isn't a summoning symbol."
The mysterious man spoke quietly.
"It is a returning symbol."
Raka frowned.
"Returning?"
"The gate isn't summoning you."
The man looked at Raka.
"The gate is trying to return you to where you truly belong."
Raka suddenly felt his body growing lighter.
"What does that mean?"
His feet slowly lifted off the floor.
Laras immediately ran toward him and tried to pull his hand.
"Raka!"
But the moment Laras touched his hand, golden light surged through her body.
"Ah!"
Laras was thrown backward.
Raka panicked.
"Laras!"
He tried to approach her, but his body only rose higher. A large golden circle formed above his head. Inside the circle, the shadow of a place could be seen.
A massive temple. A red sky. And two moons hanging above it.
Raka fell silent.
"That's..."
The mysterious man stared at the circle.
"The gate is beginning to remember the shape of your original world."
The King suddenly shouted.
"Laras! Get Raka out of that circle!"
Laras quickly got back up and ran forward.
She drove her sword into the floor, then used all her strength to pull Raka down.
"Raka! Grab my hand!"
Raka reached out.
"I can't get any closer!"
"Don't let go!"
Laras managed to grasp Raka's hand.
But the golden light began spreading across her body as well.
Laras grimaced.
"Raka! I won't let go of you!"
For a moment, the light surrounding Raka began to weaken. But then, one of the creatures inside the tomb chamber shouted.
"Traitor!"
All the other creatures immediately turned toward Laras.
"Traitor!"
"Traitor!"
Raka stared at them.
"What?"
The creatures began pointing their weapons at Laras.
The King immediately stood in front of them.
"Don't touch Laras!"
One of the creatures raised its spear.
"The gate guardian has betrayed the heir."
Raka looked at Laras.
"Laras?"
Laras did not answer.
Raka then looked at the King.
"Why are they calling Laras a traitor?"
The King tightened his grip on his sword.
"Because they don't know what truly happened."
The mysterious man let out a small laugh.
"No. They know."
The King sharply turned toward him.
"Silence!"
"Laras was the one who closed the gate a thousand years ago."
Raka froze.
"What?"
Laras lowered her head.
Raka looked at her.
"Laras..."
Laras was still holding Raka's hand.
"I had no choice."
"You closed the gate?"
"If the gate hadn't been closed, this world would have been destroyed."
"Then what does that have to do with me?"
Laras finally looked at Raka.
"Because you were on the other side of the gate when it was closed."
Raka fell silent.
The mysterious man continued.
"And Laras was the one who allowed you to die."
The golden light surrounding Raka suddenly trembled violently.
Raka stared at Laras.
"Is that true?"
Laras could not answer.
"Laras, answer me!"
Laras only lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
Raka felt his chest tighten.
"So you knew me?"
"Yes."
"Since back then?"
"Yes."
"And you knew who I was?"
Laras slowly nodded.
Raka then looked at the hand she was still holding.
"Then why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because I was afraid you would remember everything."
"Why?"
"Because if you remembered everything... you would hate us."
Raka stared at her in confusion.
"Us?"
Laras did not answer.
The King then stepped forward.
"Raka, listen to me. Laras did not betray you."
Raka immediately turned toward him.
"Then who betrayed me?"
The King remained silent.
The mysterious man looked at Raka sadly.
"The person you trusted the most."
Raka suddenly felt his head begin to ache again.
Shadows appeared before his eyes. A young man who looked like him.
Laras standing before the gate.
The King wearing battle armor. And a woman in a white robe holding Raka's hand. The woman's voice echoed once again.
"Do not let them remember who you are."
Raka immediately closed his eyes.
"Stop!"
But the voice grew clearer.
"Because if they remember... they will repeat the same betrayal."
The light above Raka suddenly turned black.
Laras was shocked.
"Raka!"
The mysterious man raised his keris.
"No!"
The King immediately looked at him.
"What's happening?"
The man answered tensely.
"The gate has found the sealed memory."
Raka then opened his eyes. But their color had changed to gold. He stared at Laras without expression.
"Laras."
Laras fell silent.
Raka then spoke in a different voice.
"Why did you kill me?"
Laras froze.
The King immediately raised his sword.
"Raka, don't listen to that memory!"
Raka turned toward the King.
"And why did you order them to seal my body?"
The King fell silent.
The mysterious man took a step backward.
"No..."
Raka then looked at the keris in the man's hand.
"And why did you let them do all of it?"
The mysterious man tightened his grip on the keris.
"Raka, you haven't fully regained consciousness."
Raka raised his hand.
Golden light immediately struck the man.
BUUUUM!
The man was thrown backward and crashed into the wall of the tomb chamber.
The King and Laras were both shocked.
Raka then looked around the chamber.
"Now..."
Golden light spread from his body.
"No one is allowed to hide anything from me anymore."
Above the palace, the giant symbol opened completely. And beyond the cracked sky, the sound of something enormous awakening could be heard.