Mraksha listened with a confused expression to what Satya was saying. The explanation went roughly like this:
In this world, there exists a phenomenon—a door that appears randomly before a person. Rumor has it that the door will manifest once a human reaches a certain age. When the door appears, that person must enter it; if they refuse, the door will forcibly pull them inside. And there are only two ways to leave that world: defeat the monsters within, or die.
After hearing this, Mraksha fell silent. The atmosphere grew quiet.
Afriani then held Mraksha's hand.
"Please, big brother… I know that if you leave, we'll feel lonely. But I'd rather be lonely for a while than lose you forever…" Afriani said as tears streamed down her face.
The hand in his grasp was trembling—Mraksha could feel it. He held Afriani's hand more firmly and said,
"Don't worry, Riani. I'll train and study there so I can protect all of you."
His words were meant to reassure her.
Mraksha continued holding Afriani's hand until she finally calmed down and stopped trembling.
Once Afriani had settled, Satya spoke again.
"Mraksha, I know you're thinking about many things right now. But for the moment, prioritize yourself. I'm sure your siblings think the same way. While you're gone, I'll take care of the three of them."
He paused for a moment before continuing,
"For now, just focus on preparing yourself. I'll take care of your registration."
Mraksha only nodded quietly at Satya's words, though his eyes still looked empty.
His head was filled with voices—voices of doubt, voices of fear, voices from deep within himself.
The hand that was still holding Afriani's felt heavy, as if the world itself was trying to stop him from leaving.
But when he looked at Afriani's face, now slowly growing calmer, the answer seemed to emerge from there—he had to go, not to run away, but to survive… for their sake.
A moment later, Mraksha stood up from his chair. He patted Satya on the shoulder and said in a calm yet resolute voice,
"Alright, Uncle. Please help take care of the registration. I'll prepare myself."
Satya nodded respectfully, his eyes serious yet filled with trust.
"From now on, think about survival. The world beyond Hiraeth Village is not as beautiful as flower fields and laughter. But I believe… you're no longer the same as you once were, Raksha."
Mraksha took a deep breath.
"I hope so too, Uncle."
The next day, Mraksha prepared everything he needed to bring with him. He packed sleeping clothes, casual outfits, and other daily necessities.
Then came the weapon. Every student at the academy was required to have their own weapon. Fortunately, Satya had already forged one for Mraksha, a process that took five days. The weapon was a black spear with a sharp, three-pronged tip.
As Mraksha was packing, Chaya approached him and bit his leg.
"Ouch—what's wrong, Chaya…?"
Mraksha saw a sad expression on Chaya's face. Chaya thought that Mraksha was going to leave alone.
"Don't worry, Chaya. I'll take you with me," Mraksha said gently.
"It would be troublesome for my siblings to take care of you anyway."
After a brief silence, Mraksha continued,
"But I'm still confused about how to hide you so others won't notice… Put you in a bag? Inside my robe? Leave you with a servant there? Hmm… what should I do?"
Seeing Mraksha struggle, Chaya climbed onto his head. Suddenly, Chaya transformed into a mass of shadows that wrapped around Mraksha's neck.
At first, Mraksha was startled. Remembering the shadow that once entered his body, he instinctively closed his eyes. But this shadow felt warm—different from the cold shadow that had entered him before.
Then the shadow changed shape, becoming a necklace with black crystal-like ornaments hanging from its chain.
"Wow, you can turn into a necklace, Chaya… That's great. It means I can bring you to the academy."
Lastly, Satya brought Mraksha a set of clothes. Written on it was that the outfit belonged to the Kaivalya Academy uniform. Mraksha tried it on. The uniform consisted of a white, long-sleeved top with a neat high collar, paired with simple yet elegant black trousers. Around his waist was a belt supporting a long, triangular piece of cloth that covered the front. The cloth was white, adorned with black engravings.
Chaya looked at Mraksha wearing the uniform and nodded, as if saying, "It suits you very well."
Mraksha then showed the uniform to his siblings. They praised him enthusiastically.
"Big brother Raksha, you look so handsome in that uniform!" Ilya said excitedly.
"Like a noble!"
Arsa nodded in agreement with Ilya.
Afriani simply smiled.
"Alright, alright… I know our big brother is handsome. But we should eat too. It's already night. Come on, Ilya, Arsa, Chaya—and you too, Raksha."
They finished their meal and spent their time chatting and joking.
"Be careful there, okay? Don't get tricked by the women there. They'll definitely approach you because you're handsome," Afriani said.
"And don't forget to mind your manners around the nobles. I know nobles come in all kinds, but try your best not to do anything strange."
She continued again without pause,
"And don't forget to make friends there. You need friends. Don't end up lonely—if you're lonely, we won't be able to accompany you there."
"And also—"
Afriani kept giving Mraksha countless reminders. Mraksha could only smile and nod at everything she said.
"She's giving too many warnings…" Arsa said softly.
Ilya immediately followed up,
"Arsa's right! Sister Afri talks too much!"
They all laughed in satisfaction and continued spending time together in Raksha's room, cherishing the moments they had with Mraksha—because they knew these moments would be dearly missed once he left this house.
The sun rose, illuminating the land. The day Mraksha would depart for the academy had arrived. The Rajani household was wrapped in a strange silence—not from sadness, but because everyone was trying to act normal, even though their hearts felt heavy.
Afriani busied herself in the kitchen, secretly slipping a small jar of homemade cookies into Mraksha's bag.
Ilya drew something in her notebook, tore it out, and handed it to Mraksha.
"This is a drawing of the three of us. If you feel lonely… look at this, okay!"
Arsa, as usual, said very little. He simply hugged his brother tightly, without a word. Tears fell one by one, silently. Mraksha stroked his sibling's hair, letting the sorrow seep into his soul.
Chaya sat quietly on Mraksha's shoulder, unlike his usual energetic self. The little dragon, too, felt the sadness of farewell.
When the sky fully brightened and the eastern harbor awaited, Mraksha stood in front of his house. He was already wearing his uniform. A small bag rested on his back, an invitation letter from Kaivalya Academy in his hand, and Chaya curled gently atop his head.
Satya was already waiting outside, standing beside a simple wooden carriage that would take Mraksha to the city of Swargantara.
Before leaving, Mraksha turned around one last time to look at the house—the small, warm home filled with the scent of Afriani's cooking, Ilya's laughter, and Arsa's embraces.
A place that taught him the meaning of home.
"I'll come back," he whispered.
Afriani, her eyes red, stepped forward and hugged Mraksha tightly.
"Don't die," she said hoarsely.
"You neither," Mraksha replied with a smile.
The carriage slowly began to move, leaving the stone-paved road of Hiraeth Village, passing fields of wildflowers swaying in the wind. Mraksha looked back once more, seeing three small figures waving their hands from afar.