The Artificially Genius Doctor
The Underground Labyrinth

Under the warm sun, Tanti was playing alone in the garden behind her house. This park has always been his favorite place since childhood, with lush trees and a variety of flowers that always bloom in every season.

A cool breeze blew, making the leaves sway and leaving a distinctive earthy aroma. Tanti chuckled while running among the bushes, chasing after the butterflies that were playing in the air.

However, the laughter suddenly came to a halt when Tanti stumbled onto something. "Ouch!" yelled, rubbing his scuffed knee. His eyes were fixed on the rock that was poking out from the ground. The stone looks strange, unlike the other stones in the garden. Tanti then tried to dig a little around him and found a rusty door handle embedded.

"What's this?" tanti muttered curiously. Slowly, he tried to turn the doorknob and heard the distinctive clattering sound of the old door. A winding staircase appeared before him, splitting the earth, leading to a mysterious darkness.

From behind the bush, Tanto, Abang Tanti, called out, "Tanti! What the hell are you doing? Come play ball with me!"

Looking back, his eyes were shining with curiosity. "Tanto, look at this! There's a door under our land!"

Tanto approached with an expression of disbelief, his brows furrowed. "You're kidding, right?" said skeptical. But upon seeing the door, his skeptical expression turned into a sense of awe. "Wow! It's like in adventure movies."

Tanti laughs amusedly at the expression of Tanto's changing face. "But we better be careful. Who knows what's down there."

As they discussed, Tanti realized there was an ancient inscription next to the door. The inscription was covered in moss and the writing was almost faded. He immediately took his phone out of his pocket and took a photo of the inscription. "Maybe you can read this" he thought.

Tanto scratched his non-itchy head, "Are you sure you want to go in there? It might be dangerous."

Biting her lower lip, Tanti said, "I'm curious. But, we have to promise, if anything goes wrong, we'll be right back."

Tanto nodded, "Okay, but I'm the first." With a careful step, Tanto started down the stairs, followed closely by Tanti.

With each rung of stairs they set, the atmosphere grew darker and the air got more humid. Both can feel each other's heartbeats, but curiosity outweighs any fear that might arise.

Meanwhile, above, the wind blows, shaking the branches of trees and carrying the message that the adventure has just begun.

After descending dozens of steps, the humid and slightly stuffy atmosphere welcomed Tanti and Tanto. The two of them arrived at a long corridor with an old stone wall. The illumination from the torch lit on the wall gave a mysterious faint glow. However, the most striking is the row of stone statues along the corridor. Each statue resembled a mystical creature they had never seen before: there were winged dragons, long-clawed tigers, and even half-human half-fish creatures.

"Is this some kind of underground museum?" Tanto muttered, his eyes round looking at the statues with admiration.

Tanti approached one of the statues and found a small button at the base. "Tanto, look at this. Maybe it's some kind of secret door mechanism?"

Tanto approached and checked the button, "Maybe. But be careful, don't haphazardly press."

When Tanti was about to press the button, she stopped for a moment. One of the statues at the end of the corridor caught his attention. The statue has a familiar face, resembling Tanti's beloved doll when she was a child. "Tanto, look at that!" he said pointing.

Following Tanti's finger, Tanto squinted, "That looks like your beloved doll first, huh? The doll that went missing a few years ago."

Tanti approached the statue in doubt, "Why is it here? I even forgot I had a doll like this."

Tanti's face changed, recalling something that seemed to have long been buried in her memory. Tanto held his sister's hand, trying to calm her down. "Maybe it's just a coincidence" he said slowly.

As they engaged in conversation, suddenly a rumbling sound rang out, and the corridor began to tremble. Tanto looked at the statues with an anxious expression, "We must quickly find a way out!"

Tanti took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Well, let's try pressing a button on this statue." Carefully, he pressed the button under the statue that resembled his beloved doll.

For a moment, nothing happened. However, suddenly a section of the wall next to the statue began to move, opening a path towards another, narrower corridor.

"Come on!" exclaimed Tanto, pulling Tanti's hand towards the new corridor.

However, Tanti turned her head once again to the doll statue, as if looking for answers to the riddles that appeared in her mind. His curiosity grew stronger, yet he knew this moment was not the time to drown in memories. They have to get out of this labyrinth, and hurry!

Along with their increasingly deep steps into the labyrinth, the rumbling sounds from earlier disappeared, replaced by gentle gusts of wind and the sound of water droplets. Tanti and Tanto finally arrived at the vast space filled by the lake. The reflection of light from the torch on the wall reflected the glittering rays from the surface of the lake water, as if the water was made of crystal.

"Subhanallah," muttered Tanti, mesmerized by the beauty before her.

Tanto, standing beside him, looked across the lake, "We must cross, Tant. But, how?"

Tanti scanned the surroundings and saw a row of large stones scattered from the edge of the lake towards the center, forming a kind of pathway. "We can jump from one stone to another" he suggested.

Tanto frowned, "Is it safe?"

Before Tanti replied, her eyes were fixed on a small island in the middle of the lake. On top of the island is an old music box that seems to have been abandoned for a long time. Unknowingly, he walked closer to the edge of the lake, as called by the object.

"Tant! Be careful!" Tanto shouted, but Tanti seemed not to hear.

Taking a deep breath, Tanti jumped onto the first stone. Each of his leaps were measurable and certain, as if there was a mysterious power guiding him towards the island.

Tanto chased after his sister, trying to move as quickly as possible. "Why is he so obsessed with that music box?" his inner.

Upon arriving on the island, Tanti slowly picked up the music box and played it. A familiar soft melody reminds her of her childhood when her mother sat by her bed, singing the same song to bring her to sleep.

Tanti's eyes glazed over. "It's Mom's song" she said softly.

Tanto approached and hugged Tanti, "I know, Tant. But we have to move fast. This is not a safe place."

Tanti nodded, hugging the music box tightly in her chest. "We're bringing this. There might be a clue in it."

Tanto nodded in agreement. The two of them again jumped from rock to stone, continuing their journey. However, now, in addition to the mission to get out of the labyrinth, they have another goal: to find the meaning behind the mysterious music box and uncover the memories buried within.

In the distance, from behind the shadow, those red eyes reappeared, watching closely. Who really controls all the mysteries in this labyrinth? The next part of their adventure is getting more interesting.