ALKISAH: Prayer for the World [1001 Indonesian Fantasy Stories]
STORY: The Cry Born Of War

Perhaps many do not know, but, sadness, is a language that is quite complicated to understand.

The first person Aril saw in the distance was a girl who was also wearing the exact same uniform as him. He darted towards her as fast as he could, but she was also being urged by three enemy troops, and a split second later, accompanied by a pitiful-sounding cry, the girl finally died after being stabbed with three swords at once right in her stomach.

“Gosh! N-no! Elisa!”

The sight had initially made Aril feel empty, as if all the power in him was exhausted without rest, but that did not stop him. When she sees another friend in trouble, Aril runs back and tries to help her.

The kingdom of Cekatora was on the verge of defeat, and Aril's life was on the edge.

The night sky emits a dark red color that makes anyone shiver to see it, plus the sound of shouting, and death, of course will give the greatest fear to everyone who hears it.

One war, five battlefields. In this world such a fate is practically natural, even for a child who is six years old. Plus, Aril is also a prisoner of war, so inevitably he has to plunge into battle to fight for a unit that never knew he existed.

But this is the situation now.

They're framed. The kingdom will completely be destroyed just because of one small mistake.

Aril was exhausted, his strength drained after a five-hour battle. But now he has to save himself. He tried to escape from there, but it seemed that it was too impossible judging from his current situation. There's no gap at all. The enemy forces are everywhere. Swords danced wildly, bullets fell from the sky like rain, and magic could easily change the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

Destruction, death, and end; those are the three proper words to describe Aril's current situation. He was struck by panic and fear, and all he could do right now was run around to save his friends who could be saved, and hope to get out of there together alive.

However, gradually Aril finally realized that all his efforts were in vain. The people he tried to reach were always turned into dusts of light before he could save them. They all go home.

One by one Aril's friends die just before he can look them in the eye. Aril started crying, but he kept running, running, and running to help people he knew, whoever he was. Until finally, despair slowly began to swallow Aril. He can't save anyone.

Aril could no longer bear the sound of their cries, and the sound of battle.

He really did not expect, if he saw a person he knew die before his eyes, it turned out that it would hurt this much.

“Hah... Huh... Huh... “ His breath gasps as he looks around while trying to find familiar faces in his memory. But there is no one left.

Aril fell to his knees. He looked up at the sky, exhaling his breath. It was very painful, but he was well aware that now was the right time to resign.

“God... If this is the time, then be your will. But I still want to move on with my life, God. So then... I believe that this calamity is not Your will.” Aril whispered with an empty face that was flooded with tears. “You... You never made any accident plans for me, did you? Please... please give me one more chance.” Aril lowered his head deeply, his face teary-eyed.

However, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly there was a pillar of light coming down from the sky. The bright light engulfed Aril, took over his gaze, and made everything white.

“Eh... ? This... Rainbow Bridge?”

A little while later, Aril's gaze had finally returned to him after he winked a few times, and at that moment he realized that everything had changed—The world had changed.

As far as the eye can see, all that is visible is the darkness of the night, as well as neatly arranged houses that emit a dim light from behind the window curtains, as well as normal-looking trees, paved streets, and paved roads, and the lampposts that line the road.

Everything is really ordinary.

Aril was still standing still in the middle of that quiet road. He really doesn't know if it's real or not. From his face, it was obvious that he did not believe what he saw, as if he were in another world.

However, somehow Aril feels very comfortable now. All the terrible feelings that had penetrated into his body and soul because of the war, were now all gone.

“Yes God... “

Unexpectedly, the rain suddenly fell, and gradually more and more rapidly to make Aril soaked. The sound of rain filled his hearing. He then looked up into the sky which also seemed ordinary, while staring at every point of water that fell from the sky.

“It... Human World?” Aril mutters. His jaw was tightly clenched and it felt a little pain. “This...really the Human World. I'm in the Human World... But... how is it possible?” Her tears were mixed with raindrops on her face. His eyes turned red from crying during the battle earlier.

After a long time, and after all his struggles, God finally gave Aril a chance. However, strangely enough, Aril suddenly felt very empty. Despair filled his heart, and over time, all that nothingness began to make Aril feel pain for no apparent reason.

His tears stopped flowing, replaced by rainwater that soaked his entire body from head to toe. He raised his head and looked at the end of the road that his eyes could not reach.

If this was indeed a second chance, then Aril would take it without hesitation. But, he wondered inwardly, what would he possibly get at the end of that path? Tomorrow, in a world he doesn't recognize.

Then, there was a voice that echoed in his mind.

“I'll lend you my name. From now on, into eternity. Here's my name, Heimdal.”

Yeah, that's very unexpected news.

The god who guards the bridge between worlds now lends his name to Aril. Which means, Aril can use that power as he pleases from now on.

“So... how now?” Aril stared at his palms tightly, then turned back to look at the end of the road.

Finally, with the emptiness that flooded him, Aril began to walk through the rain down the empty streets, and left his identity far behind.

Like all newborn babies in the world, Aril began his new life with tears.

“See you later..my past reality.” His whisper as he walked away. Aril continued walking, walking, and walking, and before long, his figure finally vanished in the distance, swallowed by the dark of night.