The Metal Military Academy
Chapter 9: The Shadow

“Astan! Astan! You ‘kah it, Astan!”

“Gaaah!!! Acuma, acumalakama!”

Ardan was instantly chatty when he saw the strange creature from inside the glass tube. The creature is irregular in shape, similar to slime but the texture is more liquid, deep black with a white pattern sparkling like the outer space sky decorated with stars, and only has one eye yellow.

Because the creature was noisy, Arni also reprimanded him, “He is not Bang Astan, Shadow. She's his son.”

“Hah?” The creature looked confused at Arni. “Annya?”

“Annya?”

“Annya Astan..?”

The shadow creature looked closely at Ardan's appearance, even his pupils had widened when he realized that Ardan's face and physique were quite similar to Astan's. The difference is that Astan's son has normal eyes, both silver in color. Unlike Astan the heterochromia. There was no injury on his face.

“Woolah...! His son Astan, toh.” The creature narrowed the other's eyes when it came back to look at Ardan. “But ugly, yak?”

Instantly Ardan put on a flat face. How could his father keep such a sassy creature?

Ardan pointed at the creature. “Abi Arni, who the hell is this alay creature?”

“Alay, you say?!”

The creature created one spider arm on its body part, pointing at Ardan's face using the arm.

“Originally you know yes, bachelor! I've been helping your father for a long time. I helped your father fight, gained his strength, even until he could be considered meritorious by people throughout the galaxy. Take that, uler seeds! Sneaky sprouts! Apocalypse monitor!”

Arni can only rotate his brown eyes when he hears the shadow creature's nagging. Yes, from the beginning the creature was known to be very chatty, even Astan himself often dizzy made.

“Dan.” Arni begins to introduce the creature. “He is called Shadow. It was a parasite that lodged in your father's body and often created illusions in his mind. He used to have evil intentions, but now he's tame. Even the power gained by your father comes mostly from him.”

“Noh! Noh! Listen, right?!” the Shadow of Ardan. “I am the most meritorious creature of your father's struggle. So, don't fuck with me, Bujang.”

“Ooo.... That, yeah?”

Ardan smiled kindly at Shadow, and Shadow stared back at him with judes.

Ardan was still smiling, The shadows were more and more judes.

Ardan continued to smile at Shadow until he finally grabbed the tube from Arni's hand, then grasped it.

“So, all this time you made my father possessed?! You parasite! You must have caused great harm to my father's body! Here, get you out of this jar! I'm sticking you back and forth! Crush us, Satan!”

The shadow immediately panicked, especially when Ardan shook his tube, making Shadow feel dizzy himself. Really, as long as Shadow knows Astan, he never gets so quiet.

Astan's son is much more barbaric than his father, according to Bayang. The vow!

“Arni! Arni, cut me! Arno! Astan's son is really cool! Swear!” said Bayang tried to ask for help when the tube was still shaken by Ardan. “Si Astan also gives food to his son until he can cesarean this, huh?! Canned eating bells, what?!”

“Woh...! How do I know I like to eat bells?”

The shadow glared at Ardan, “Serios?! Kyaaaakh!!” Panic him more.

“Udah, udah!”

Arni immediately grabbed back the tube Shadow from Ardan's hand, automatically making Shadow relieved after feeling free from the tantrum of the young brown-skinned youth.

“Ardan, calm yourself, Son,” Arni told Ardan. “That problem has been a long time. Now, the Shadow is tame. Even as I said, he has helped your father a lot.”

Instead of feeling afraid or what, Shadow stuck out her tongue as if challenging Ardan, showing that she was the best creature. Though it had been panic silent Ardan.

“Nah...! Let you guys get to know each other better, I leave you two here.”

“Eh? Eh?!”

“Oh, yes.” Arni who was already at the doorway had a look. “Ardan, it will be half an hour down, yes. Breakfast the same as others, all of you go directly to dormitory.”

“Ready, Bi,” Ardan said with a smile.

Arni replies with a smile, then walks out of Ardan's room.

When Bayang was left there, he called Arni, hoping that she would come back soon and take him away from here.

“Arn! Arn! Arno! Beautiful and charming Neng Arni, and her handsome and mighty act...! Please bring me back! Whoi! Whoa, Arni! Don't stay here! Arne!!”

“Wah, wah, wah...”

The flabby black body trembled, one eye glaring tensely as it felt its tube being lifted up by Ardan. Shadow could clearly see the strange smile plastered on that beautiful face.

A smile swallows him round and round.

“Now, there are only the two of us here...”.

Shadow was almost speechless again so tense, “A-anu.... Nak.... Gaaaah!”

The shadow was startled when his tube was kicked Ardan up, then landed right on the tip of the young man's index finger as he swiveled around like a basketball. The shadow that was still inside began to feel dizzy due to this Ardan act.

“We can get to know each other, right?” ardan said casually, still turning the tube on his finger. “I was curious, what kind of personal creature that once disturbed my father's mind in the past.”

The shadow could not speak anymore. He was already too dizzy due to the rotation of this tube.

“E-Emak...,” great-grandson Limp.

....

This is where Shadow is now, still confined in a glass tube placed on the bed with the owner of this room, Ardan. The young man himself is now checking the contents of his backpack which he will take away to the dorm later.

“Saragam ‘dah sure, nyong-nyong oil already, cayenne pepper sekilo make later made sambal. Continue, also bring action figure Jenglot.”

“Ngapain bring Jenglot? Want to hump you?” Finally Bayang ventured into a voice.

“Not so, Mamang Bayang.” Ardan returned to clean up his bag. “Anaknya Bi Arni, the Rafa certainly, he to the dorm like to bring Jelangkung action figures. Therefore, I do not want to lose, so bring Jenglot to nyinginya.”

“How are I the same to you. You guys are akmil school or shamanic school satanic faculty, anyway?”

“Ah, come...!”

After finishing cleaning up, Ardan took a sitting position next to the tube of Shadow.

“From non-essential talking, mending tell me about your past and Dad.”

“You yourself who talked about Jenglot earlier,” great-grandson Shadow for a moment. “Whose name are you, Son?”

“Ardan. Ardanu De’Cornell.”

“Ooo...” Shadow nodding.

“So...” Because he was more curious, Ardan repeated the question. “How is the story that you can have a friendship with my father? Didn't you guys used to be enemies?”

The shadow sounded breathless. It feels heavy when remembering the sweet-bitter memories passed with the friend. Yes, Bayang already consider Astan as a friend, even they are like brothers even though different species. Especially when you realize that Astan is dead, it feels so empty and sad.

“Haaaah.... Actually, the story of our meeting began with an incident on a spaceship.”

Ardan also carefully listened to the story of Shadow without missing a single moment. He was very curious about his father's journey in the past more complete before he was born into this world.

...~*~*~*~...