The two of them were inside the Alliance hall. Wandarimo appeared busy searching for something that was not located in his administration area.
The object was finally found inside the drawer of the main desk. There were five of them, and he took one to give to Agniran.
"Here..." Wandarimo handed the object to Agniran, who had been waiting and standing behind him.
"What is this, Ki?" Agniran observed the object. It was a card-sized gold plaque depicting a continuous snail logo, which he was seeing for the very first time.
"Whatever it is, do not tell anyone about it." Wandarimo walked toward the dark green antique sofa in the corner of the room.
"Go to Lataran Wijo. You will find out what it is," he added as he laid himself down on the comfortable-looking sofa.
"Have a seat," Wandarimo instructed, asking Agniran to sit on the sofa next to him.
Slowly, Agniran obeyed his master's order, feeling nervous yet curious.
"Do you have a family?" Wandarimo asked while looking at Agniran, who was still hesitant to look him directly in the eye.
"Yes, Ki. My family lives in Winihdibyo."
That statement instantly shattered Wandarimo's suspicion that Agniran was not the person he had in mind.
"Alright, tell me, what do you know..." Wandarimo said casually, his back leaning against the backrest of the antique sofa. He wore a thick, neatly tailored black beskap over a dark green undershirt, adorned with several golden padepokan emblem beads. His arms were stretched out and rested along the top of the sofa.
"What do you mean, Ki...?" Agniran answered deferentially, yet trying to stay calm.
"Did you attend the announcement ceremony this morning in the pavilion?" Wandarimo replied.
"Yes, Ki... I stayed until it finished."
Wandarimo nodded slowly. "Do you understand what Nyai Andarini explained?" Wandarimo said, looking back at Agniran.
"...Yes, Ki..." he answered briefly.
"I place my trust in you, which is why I gave you that plaque." Wandarimo continued, "I had a vision that somewhere, anywhere, I would find someone... Someone who might emerge victorious as the Crescent Wanderer, marked on the night of Suro, at the beginning of Panandha."
He continued again, "I once felt what you are feeling right now. That is why earlier I wanted to reassure you about what you were experiencing at that moment."
Agniran tried to process what his master was saying. His fierce and commanding voice, combined with the array of achievements Wandarimo held, had made Agniran certain for a long time that this was a master endowed with deep power and wisdom, one truly worthy of being followed.
"Ki... May I ask a question? Forgive me if I am being insolent. If this question is inappropriate, please act as if I never said it. You do not need to answer it."
"Yes, go ahead and speak... That is what I want," Wandarimo replied.
"If someone has been crowned as the Crescent Wanderer, but fails to purify the Circle of Darkness for seven years..." Agniran paused. He was afraid of offending his master.
"And then...?" Wandarimo replied.
"Then, what will they do after that...?" Agniran continued, now feeling freer to express his thoughts and feelings. "From Nyai Andarini's explanation earlier, it was also mentioned that after becoming the Crescent Wanderer, one will be sent to Wulansana and look directly upon the Sacred Prophecy of Sanajayan..."
Agniran slowly raised his chin. Wandarimo's sharp gaze met Agniran's eyes. "Why does the Alliance only allow someone who has been crowned as the Crescent Wanderer to see the contents of that Prophecy?"
Wandarimo straightened his back. He stared intensely at Agniran, as if the young man were a key to unlocking a mystery that had previously remained hidden.
"Who are you really?" Wandarimo felt as though he had received an enlightenment.
"Carved upon that Prophecy are complex and difficult-to-understand symbols. The Alliance believes that the Prophecy can only be read by someone born to be the Crescent Wanderer..." He stood up, then took steps away with his back facing Agniran. "That Prophecy is the Path of Sanajayan's Destiny... One of the carvings depicts the symbol of the Circle of Darkness..."
Wandarimo paused for a moment, then turned his body to face Agniran, who was still sitting on the dark green sofa. "That is why the Alliance keeps it secret. That symbol must not be known to anyone, except those directly concerned."
Wandarimo remained standing, looking at Agniran with a grave expression. "We all know that this is the Alliance's attempt to minimize knowledge about the Circle of Darkness. However, what is even more dangerous is the carving that forms the image of the Ultimate Catastrophe."
Agniran was shocked. "What is that, Ki...?"
Wandarimo continued, stepping slowly toward Agniran. "The carvings of the Prophecy connect to one another, like the muscle fibers of our bodies linked together..." Wandarimo looked into Agniran's eyes with an expression mixed with sorrow and hope. "The demise of humanity."
Agniran felt a wave of fear—fear that it might happen right now. However, he snapped back to reality and concluded that it would likely occur in a very distant future. His fear transformed into sadness and anxiety.
"Sometimes I am also confused by the Alliance..." Wandarimo turned around, walking toward a corner of the room that seemed cluttered with antique items characteristic of the Alliance. "I only fear that the seeds of power sprouting within the Alliance will continue to grow."
"Now they act as if they are merely spectators... elite spectators. They constantly crown someone as the Crescent Wanderer, yet not a single one to this day has succeeded in purifying the Circle of Darkness. In the end, former Crescent Wanderers come to learn the shape of the Circle of Darkness..."
While flipping through documents from a stack of books on a dark brown antique desk, Wandarimo continued, "They seem to have lost their way..." He said, holding a piece of thick, weathered paper containing notes. "Here... you may keep this as well."
Agniran accepted it with curiosity. At a glance, he realized that the note was written in ancient Javanese script and language:
The Seven-Year Contest is hosted in turn by one of the Padepokans supported by the Alliance after undergoing a selection process. In the past one hundred years up to the present, there are seven winners who are still alive:
* Daruman Abdhi Sunarso (71 yrs old) – winner from Alingkukoh, currently residing in Wulansana
* Fallen
* Fallen
* Shidik Sukro (55 yrs old) – winner from outside Sanajayan, currently residing in west Ampringan * Fallen
* Solor Jayusman (41 yrs old) – winner from Loralas, currently residing in Nawijem
* Wandarimo Dhijoyo Respathi (38 yrs old) – winner from Alingkukoh, currently residing in Wijonayem
* Samiranah Angsana Wulandarsa (24 yrs old) – winner from Lawas, currently residing in Wulansana
*** To come (Present time) In addition to receiving coronation and overflowing rewards, each winner is tasked with restoring the Oathkeeper's Soul over a span of 7 years until the Contest yields the next winner. Each winner is assigned to solve riddles and interpret relief carvings created for the purification of the Oathkeeper's Soul. ***
Agniran spaced out for a moment while staring at the contents of the page. He snapped back to his senses when Wandarimo spoke to him again.
"We do not know what tomorrow brings... Who knows whether someone will truly bring that hope, or if no one will at all..." Wandarimo emphasized to his disciple. "Never misunderstand the path of knighthood."
"Strength is not given to show off who is the mightiest. Strength is given so that someone is capable of standing firm when others cannot."
Agniran nodded slowly. Now he felt more inspired listening to his master's counsel.
Wandarimo patted the shoulder of Agniran, who was still sitting on the sofa. Agniran felt deeply honored to be this close to his great master. Looking at his teacher while listening to his advice filled Agniran's heart with an even stronger resolve.
"Hold fast to virtue. For to preserve and to protect is the highest and most noble duty of a true knight. Whoever uses their strength solely for themselves is merely a fighter. But whoever uses their strength to safeguard their fellow beings is a true knight." Wandarimo patted his shoulder a few more times.