CHAPTER 2

It was supposed to be the easiest day of Adrian Noah's semester break.

No assignments.

No presentations.

No lecturers reminding them about deadlines.

Just a simple outing before the new semester began again.

At least, that had been Nelysha's plan.

Noah's plan had been far simpler:

Sleep until noon.

Order food.

Play games.

Repeat it, until his semester break ended.

Instead, he was standing in front of one of the largest museums in Kuala Lumpur, wearing an expression usually reserved for people attending their own execution.

The modern building towered over the surrounding streets, its architecture blending glass, steel, and traditional Malay geometric patterns into something both elegant and imposing. Sunlight reflected off its enormous glass facade, while banners advertising the museum's newest exhibition fluttered gently in the afternoon breeze.

Ancient Civilizations of the Archipelago Realms: A Grand Exhibition of Ancient Malay Civilizations, Myths, and Legends.

Large crowds gathered outside.

Families.

Tourists.

Some of the students are carrying notebooks.

Art enthusiasts were already taking pictures before they had even entered.

Noah sighed so heavily that a passing child looked at him in concern.

"I still don't understand," he muttered. "Why are we spending our semester break looking at old dead people's furniture?"

His twin sister, Adrian Nelysha, immediately smacked his arm. "They're called historical artifacts."

"They're old." Noah huffs.

Nelysha stared blankly at her twin. "They're precious."

Noah keeps repeating the same words. "They're old."

"They're priceless." Nelysha said back.

"They're still old, Nely." Noah deadpans.

Nelysha rolled her eyes. "You have absolutely no appreciation for history."

"I appreciate history." Noah scoffs, walking beside her as Nelysha continues to drag him along.

Nelysha scoffs too, the audacity of her. "You literally slept during History class."

"I appreciated it with my eyes closed." Noah defended himself.

She glanced at him. "You drooled on your textbook."

"It was emotional support."

Nelysha pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I don't know how we're twins."

"I've been asking that for twenty-two years." Noah nods as if he agreeing with her.

She grabbed his wrist. "Enough talking. Come on."

"No." Noah groaned, he wanted to go home and sleep.

"Come."

"No."

She smiled sweetly. "Mom said if you refused to come, she'd stop making your favourite ayam masak merah."

Noah froze. "...You're evil."

"I learned from the best." Nelysha let out a chuckle.

"Fine." Noah reluctantly agreed.

The moment they entered, cool air welcomed them. The museum was breathtaking. Unlike the noisy city outside, everything here felt...dignified.

The ceiling rose nearly three storeys high, supported by elegant pillars decorated with traditional carvings inspired by ancient Malay architecture. Warm golden lighting illuminated the polished marble floors until they almost reflected the visitors walking across them.

Every footstep echoed softly.

People naturally lowered their voices, even children whispered.

The air smelled faintly of old paper, polished wood, and expensive preservation chemicals. It felt less like entering a building and more like stepping into that time itself.

Noah looked around. "Okay, I admit. It's pretty."

Nelysha gasped dramatically.

"Did you just compliment a museum?!"

Noah looked at her, disbelief. "I said it was pretty."

"I'm recording this." She quickly took out her phone.

He warned her. "Don't."

Too late, she was already pretending to film him.

The exhibition occupied an entire wing of the museum. Massive banners introduced visitors to one of Southeast Asia's greatest historical mysteries.

INDERA MAYANG SARI

"Hmm?", Noah stared at the banner. This is the one that Nelysha mentioned earlier.

Below the title was a simple sentence.

||A kingdom believed by some historians to be myth...

...and by others, forgotten history.||

Noah read it once, then he snorted. "Translation. 'Nobody actually knows.' "

Nelysha ignored him. She had already walked toward the first gallery.

Unlike the brightly lit lobby, this hall was noticeably darker. Soft spotlights illuminated each artifact individually.

Ancient weapons.

Ceremonial clothing.

Fragments of pottery.

Stone inscriptions.

Royal jewellery.

Everything was arranged with extraordinary care.

A young museum guide stood near the entrance wearing a wireless microphone. He smiled warmly as more visitors gathered.

"Good afternoon, everyone!"

"My name is Mohd Faris."

"Welcome to The Lost Kingdom of Indera Mayang Sari."

His voice carried naturally through hidden speakers. "Whether you believe this kingdom truly existed...or believe it was merely the imagination of ancient storytellers..."

The guide stopped before he continued talking.

"...its influence upon Malay literature, folklore, and oral tradition remains undeniable."

The visitors nodded politely.

Noah folded his arms. "So...legend."

The guide smiled knowingly.

"Perhaps."

___________________________________

The first mural stretched nearly ten metres across the wall. Visitors collectively stopped walking, even Adrian Noah. The painting depicted a kingdom unlike anything found in ordinary history books.

Floating palaces.

Mountains wrapped in golden clouds.

Gigantic forests.

Crystal rivers.

The entire landscape shimmered beneath countless stars.

The guide gestured toward it. "This...is the oldest surviving artistic reconstruction of Indera Mayang Sari. It is estimated to be over one thousand years old."

Nelysha whispered. "It's beautiful."

"It is," Noah admitted that he was also amazed. "...Ridiculously unrealistic."

The guide continued.

"Ancient manuscripts describe this kingdom as existing alongside our own world...hidden."

"Protected."

"Accessible only when heaven and earth momentarily aligned."

Noah leaned toward his sister. "That sounds exactly like someone making things up."

She elbowed him again, harder this time.

They continued walking.The next gallery contained seven enormous portraits arranged in a semicircle.

Each portrait depicted one warrior.

Each entirely different.

One carried an enormous spear.

Another held twin swords.

One smiled gently.

Another looked utterly emotionless. Yet despite their differences, every single painting carried an almost suffocating presence.

The guide's tone became reverent.

"They were known as Hulubalang Arasy, The Seven Pendekar Sakti. They protected Indera Mayang Sari during its darkest era. Legends claim their Sakti power could reshape mountains..."

"...calm raging oceans..."

"...summon storms..."

"...or heal entire battlefields."

Noah quietly muttered. "Marvel superheroes."

Nelysha suppressed a laugh.

"You promised to behave."

Noah mumbles as he looks away.

"I am behaving."

"Barely." Nelysha only laughed at him.

Noah looked back toward the portraits, something bothered him. The eyes. They looked...too alive. Too focused.

Almost as though every warrior was watching different people in the room. One appeared to be looking directly...

At him.

Noah blinked. The feeling vanished.

"Weird."

The following gallery immediately felt colder. The walls darkened and the lighting became dim.

Black silk curtains framed the artwork. At the centre stood four towering portraits, each prince wore magnificent royal attire.

Entirely black.

Gold embroidery traced across heavy ceremonial robes.

Elegant. Regal. Terrifying.

Their faces were completely concealed beneath black veils.

No skin. No eyes. Nothing.

Only darkness.

The guide lowered his voice instinctively.

"The Four Cursed Princes. Princes whose names have been erased from nearly every surviving record."

"They are remembered...only by their curse."

The surrounding visitors unconsciously stepped closer together, even Noah stopped making jokes. The atmosphere itself seemed heavier.

"Who paints someone without showing their face?"

No one answered.

The exhibition continued.

Portraits of forgotten princesses.

Ancient maps.

Royal letters.

Weapons.

Magical beasts.

Makhluk Sumpahan Nenek Kebayan.

Towering serpents.

Forest spirits.

Creatures that looked impossible.

Every explanation blended historical research with legends so seamlessly that it became difficult to separate one from the other.

Noah sighed.

"This is exactly why history gets confusing. Hundreds of years later, people forget what's real...and what's fantasy."

The guide overheard him. He smiled gently.

"Perhaps."

"Or perhaps...our ancestors simply experienced a world we no longer understand."

Noah smiled politely.

"Or they had incredible imaginations."

Finally, the last gallery. Unlike the others, only one artwork occupied the room. It rested inside a climate-controlled glass display. Its edges were blackened. Burned.

Parts of the canvas had simply disappeared.

The guide stopped walking.

"This portrait has puzzled historians for decades."

Visitors naturally gathered closer.

It depicted two young figures.

A boy and a girl.

Standing side by side. Their hands are almost touching. Almost.

Their faces should have been visible.

Instead—It was as though smoke permanently covered them.

The more Noah stared, the blur somehow became stronger. Like the painting refused to reveal them.

The guide spoke quietly. "Ancient manuscripts mention..."

"...a pair of twin."

"...Who befriended..."

His microphone crackled violently. "...them."

Static filled the room. "...But after..."

"...they..."

The speakers died and had a sudden pause.

Noah frowned. “What did he say?”

A flicker in the sound system. Once. Twice. Three times.

Then completely silent. Noah frowned again.

"Great timing."

At that exact moment, Nelysha suddenly grabbed her stomach.

"Noah..."

He turned immediately.

"I...I need the toilet. Now." Her voice sounded strained. Her face paled quickly, and within seconds she was already turning away.

“Toilet… where’s the toilet—?”

Noah sighed. “Seriously? Now?”

“Don’t complain,” she snapped weakly, already walking faster.

"Go, I'll wait." Noah told her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

She hurried away. Within seconds, she disappeared around the corner. Noah remained standing before the burned portrait. Alone.

The room had become strangely quiet.

No footsteps.

No whispers.

No guide.

No museum staff.

Even the air-conditioning seemed to have stopped.

He instinctively reached for his phone. No signal.

"Seriously?", He frowned.

"Inside KL?"

For some reason, the museum felt colder now. He glanced at his phone again, for double checked—still no signal. Then he noticed it. The staff had stopped speaking, the visitors were quieter than before. Even the lights felt dimmer.

Noah turned toward the tall glass windows of the museum lobby and he froze.

A faint ringing started in Noah’s ears.

He stepped backward slightly, unease tightening in his chest.

“Nelysha?” he called out, suddenly more serious. “Hey, hurry up!”

He looked back toward the enormous glass windows overlooking the city. Then his stomach dropped.

The afternoon sky had vanished. Darkness covered the sun.

No. Not darkness.

A lunar eclipse. The moon hung unnaturally high despite the hour. Completely swallowed by shadow.

A full shadow swallowing the moon like ink spreading across water. The world outside looked wrong—like reality had been muted. The light outside turned grey. Colour itself seemed to drain from the world.

Visitors slowly gathered near the windows. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. A strange pressure settled over the museum. Noah suddenly became aware of his own heartbeat.

Too loud and too fast.

He looked back toward the paintings. Every single portrait seemed...different.

The Seven Pendekar Sakti no longer appeared painted. Their eyes glittered.

The Four Cursed Princes somehow seemed closer than before.

The burned portrait was no longer inside its glass case.

Noah stared. "No...It was just there."

His ears began ringing.

A low hum filled the building. The marble floor vibrated beneath his feet. Tiny cracks appeared across the glass ceiling above.

Not ordinary cracks.They spread like glowing veins. As though reality itself were breaking.

"No," He backed away instinctively.

"Nelysha!"

His voice echoed through the museum. Yet, still no answer from his twin.

"NELYSHA!"

The ringing intensified. The lights exploded into blinding white.

Every artifact.

Every painting.

Every shadow.

Began dissolving into streams of shimmering light.

The museum and the city had disappeared. The eclipse consumed everything.

Noah felt his footing vanish. It wasn't like falling. It was like the world had stopped existing beneath him.

His body became weightless.

The last thing he heard was his sister screaming his name somewhere impossibly far away.

Then—absolute endless silence.

When Noah opened his eyes again as his consciousness returned, it didn’t feel like waking up. It felt like falling into a different kind of silence. Cold air brushed against his skin.

The scent of damp earth replaced polished museum floors. Birds and electric lights were gone, even the familiar weight of his phone was gone.

Noah immediately looked up.

Above him was not a museum ceiling. It was a sky. Older. Wider. Wrong in a way he couldn’t explain.

Beside him, faint movement.

“Nelysha…?” he croaked. But the world he knew was no longer there.

He was no longer inside a museum. Above him stretched an endless emerald canopy.

The scent of damp earth filled the air. Somewhere in the distance...something ancient exhaled.

And for the first time in a thousand years,

The forgotten world of Indera Mayang Sari welcomed another visitor.

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