Chapter 7: 7. The Battle of the Tiger Spirit and the Dragon Serpent Spirit

While Kairav remained silent, his mind raced, trying to make sense of everything this burly stranger was saying. Then, Casildo’s next words snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Be honest, are you the product of your parents’ failure...?” the muscular young man teased, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Kairav’s eyes bulged with immediate annoyance. “Shut your mouth!” he shot back.

Casildo rolled his eyes. “Bro, why are you so fierce like a rabid dog? I was just joking!” he said, waving one hand dismissively.

Frustrated, Kairav rubbed the bridge of his nose. “The unicorn your’spirit’ supposedly saw... What did it look like?” He asked, his tone quieter now.

Casildo gave him a casual look. “Like any other unicorn—white, with a horn... Uh, wait.” His sentence trailed off, his brow furrowing as if listening to someone behind him. “Why is your unicorn’s horn gold? Shouldn’t it be silver?” His face was serious now.

Kairav frozen, his confusion deepening. He could barely process what he was hearing.

Casildo folded his muscular arms across his chest, his eyes scanning Kairav from head to toe. “Have you really never seen your unicorn spirit?” he asked, as if looking for some sign he had missed.

Kairav, still stunned, remained silent, but his tension was palpable. His expression reflected a mix of disbelief and gloom. Could it really be true?

Sighing deeply, Casildo continued, “If you’re the host of a unicorn spirit, that makes you part of the Pure-Hearted Clan...” He stopped, a confused look crossing his face. “But that clan’s been extinct for hundreds of years, hasn’t it?”

Kairav, now more bewildered than ever, took a deep breath to calm himself. “Pure-Hearted Clan? What is that? And what are these Astral Conjurers you’re talking about?”

Casildo leaned forward, lowering his voice. “The Pure-Hearted Clan is the name given to Astral Conjurers of unicorn blood, descended from the Eternalush Kingdom—“

“Kairav! Kairav! Where are you?!”

The shout came from behind, pulling Kairav’s attention. He spun around and saw flashlight beams cutting through the trees.

“Guys! I’m here!” He yelled back, waving his arms.

Moments later, his teammates from the expedition appeared, out of breath and looking both panicked and irritated. Gavin stormed up to Kairav and slapped him hard on the back of the head.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Kairav protested, clutching his head.

“Damn it, man! You scream and disappear without a word, and we all have to go looking for you!” Gavin fumed, still catching his breath.

Kairav opened his mouth to argue but was interrupted by Bima’s curious voice. “Kairav, did you see Uhang Pandak? We heard you yelling…”

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Everyone fell silent, waiting for Kairav’s answer. He nodded eagerly. “Yes, I saw it! But that’s not all! I saw something even crazier!” He turned around to point. “Look at him—“

He stopped short, blinking. “Wait... Where did he go?”

His teammates exchanged puzzled looks. Baron furrowed his brow and asked, “What are you talking about?”

Kairav whirled around, scanning the area. “That guy... He was right here! Damn it, he ran off!” He was about to chase after Casildo when Gavin grabbed his arm.

“Bro, seriously, what’s going on with you?” Gavin asked, clearly bewildered.

Kairav pointed at the large rock nearby, speaking rapidly. “You see that rock? I saw a guy walk out of it! He started talking about unicorn spirits, a clan, and Astral Conjurers! And then—“

Before Kairav could finish, Gavin turned to Uncle Dimas. “Uncle, is there some legend about going crazy after seeing Uhang Pandak?”

Kairav groaned in frustration. “I’m serious!”

***

One Day Later

At midnight, the dark horizon vanished into the chaos of a raging storm. Lightning flashed relentlessly, illuminating the sky and shaking the airplane as it cut through the turbulent clouds. The passengers, once peacefully asleep, were now waking one by one, their faces showing unease as the plane was jolted by massive shocks.

Kairav Pikatan was among the many passengers forced awake by the unsettling atmosphere. His hazel eyes, still heavy with sleep, fixed on the ocean below, visible through the airplane window. His mind wandered back to the events of the previous day, thoughts swirling around things he couldn’t quite make sense of.

His quiet reflection was interrupted by a familiar voice from the seat next to him. “Tsk! I’m on a plane, not a ship, but it sure feels like I’m being tossed around in a stormy sea!”

The voice made Kairav frown. He turned his head and watched as the young man beside him removed a magazine from his face. Kairav blinked in disbelief. “You!!!” he exclaimed, recognizing the person immediately.

The young man next to him looked just as shocked, his eyes widening. “Your parents’ failed product! Why you again?!”

Kairav’s frustration boiled over. “Crazy person! I should be the one asking you! Why did you run off like that yesterday and make me look like an idiot?!”

Casildo, the burly young man, gave a dramatic, fake sigh. “Sorry, but a warrior like me has a lot of important business, you know.”

Kairav, who had clearly reached his limit, leaned closer and pressed him. “You still owe me answers! Astral Conjurers! The Pure-Hearted Clan—“

“Forget about that for now,” Casildo cut in sharply. “Don’t you see the bigger problem threatening us right now?!” His voice was serious.

Kairav furrowed his brow in confusion. “What big problem? The turbulence?” he asked.

Indeed, the turbulence was the only thing on Kairav’s mind at the moment. The plane was shaking so violently that even the flight attendants were on alert, trying to calm passengers who were growing pale with fear.

Casildo sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Oh yeah, I forgot—you’re blind,” he quipped, his tone dripping with scorn.

Kairav’s jaw clenched in irritation. “I’m this close to beating you senseless,” he said, his fists tightening.

Casildo, now exasperated, pointed to the airplane window next to Kairav. “Look outside. I can see two animal spirits battling out there—the dragon serpent spirit and the tiger spirit,” he said, trying his best to remain patient.

In Casildo’s vision, the storm outside wasn’t just wind and rain. Beyond the darkness of the horizon, a violent clash of energy was unfolding between two mighty spirits. Flashes of black and yellow-brown light tore through the sky, battling for dominance. A wave of intense black light, intense and suffocating, slowly overwhelmed the yellow-brown glow, pushing it back as the battle between the spirits raged.

Thunder roared as if echoing the fierce conflict, winds howled in all directions, and the rain poured down harder than before. The tiger spirit, covered in yellow-brown fur with black stripes, roared defiantly, but it struggled to move, caught in the crushing coils of the massive black dragon serpent spirit that was wrapping around it.