Star Trail

CHAPTER 6 The Dreaming River

The expedition to the f*******n Forest set out at dawn. Twenty students lined up at the Academy gates, each carrying a pack with supplies: water bottles, healing herbs, a compass charm, and a candle that would never go out.

Master Anom led the expedition. Beside him walked Ms. Lestari and another instructor Rai hadn't met yet — a young woman with red hair named Ms. Dewi, a specialist in magical plants.

"Remember," Master Anom said before they entered the forest. "The f*******n Forest has its own rules. Do not speak to strangers you may encounter. Do not pick up anything from the ground. And most importantly, never separate from the group."

The forest was dark even at midday. Massive trees formed a canopy so thick that barely any sunlight broke through. Enormous roots snaked across the ground like sleeping serpents. And the sounds — rustling leaves, insect calls, and occasionally something else that Rai couldn't identify.

Rai walked beside Nara. Ahead of them were Dante and his two friends. Behind them were the other students, their faces tight with unease.

"Scared?" Nara whispered.

"Terrified," Rai admitted. "But more terrified of not finding what I came here for."

Nara smiled. "You're weird. But I like it."

Rai wasn't sure what she meant by "like it," but his heart beat a little faster. He looked away, hoping his face wasn't red.

They walked for hours. The forest grew denser and darker. The temperature dropped. Fog began to creep up from the ground. Master Anom called a halt in a small clearing — an open patch in the middle of the woods.

"We rest here," he announced. "Lunch, then we continue to Bat River."

During lunch, Rai noticed Dante sitting alone at the edge of the clearing. He wasn't eating. His eyes were fixed on the forest with an expression that was hard to read.

Rai walked over to him. "You okay?"

Dante looked startled, as if he hadn't expected anyone to care. "Fine," he said quickly.

Rai sat down beside him. "I know your father went to the Crimson Desert with mine."

Dante's body went rigid. "Who told you that?"

"Nara. And Headmistress Laila."

Dante was quiet for a long time. Then, slowly, he said, "My father never talks about it. Every time I ask, he gets angry. But I know something happened. Every night he wakes up in a cold sweat. And sometimes, when he thinks I'm not watching, he cries."

Rai felt something strange. Not pity, exactly. But connection. They both had fathers who had been broken by the same event.

"We have to find out," Rai said. "Together."

Dante looked at him for a long moment. Then, for the first time, Dante smiled — a real smile, without the mask of arrogance. "Deal."

They both stood up just as Master Anom called for the group to move on. The expedition wasn't over. The forest still had many secrets. And behind each one, Rai felt he was getting closer to the answers he had been searching for.