Chapter 3: The Curse of the Three Gates
Since that night, Wira and Tenggirang met secretly at the edge of the forest, under an old coconut tree that curved like a gate. Only the moon and the fog witnessed their conversation. Each meeting brought a strange happiness—warm, but full of questions. Like walking on a fine bridge between hope and disaster.
Tenggirang began to tell his story. About who he really was.
"I used to be called Sekar Ayu, the daughter of Resi Mertasoma, the spiritual guardian of Alas Purwo. My father maintained the balance between the human world and the supernatural world. But I… I fell in love with a prince from Blambangan. His name was Mahendra."
Wira listened silently.
"We wanted to live together, leaving this forest. But our love was opposed. My father cursed me. He opened the Three Magic Gates to punish me. Since then, I have not been able to leave Alas Purwo… and I have not been able to return to being human."
"Three gates?" asked Wira.
Tenggirang nodded, pointing towards the forest.
"The first gate is the Gate of Shadows , where restless spirits gather. The second gate is the Gate of Songs , where the sound of memories echoes and makes visitors lose their way. The third gate… is the Gate of Sacrifice . That is where my heart is locked."
Wira shuddered. But he did not back down. "What happens if the three gates are reopened?"
"I will be free. But every gate demands a price. Not just a ceremony. You must be willing to give a part of your soul…"
The next day, Wira could not stay still. He looked for Ki Ranu again.
"Do the Three Gates really exist?" he asked hurriedly.
Ki Ranu looked at the young man with a face full of worry. "You're in too deep, Wira."
"Just answer it."
Ki Ranu sighed. "The Three Mystic Gates are real. But they are not just places. They are trials. Many have tried to open them for power or love… but none have returned intact."
"I have to try it," Wira said firmly.
Ki Ranu stared at him sharply. "You must know… every gate will demand something from you. The Gate of Shadows will test your fear. The Gate of Songs will reveal your deepest wounds. And the Gate of Sacrifice…"
He fell silent.
"What should I sacrifice?"
"Everything."
Wira began his journey that very night. With the Tenggirang silver comb hanging from his belt, he entered Alas Purwo, passing giant banyan trees and old roots like sleeping snakes.
In the middle of the fog, he found a large stone that formed a giant door. The fog around it was black, and the cold seeped into the bones.
Gate of Shadows.
As Wira walked, vague figures emerged from the mist. They were all in the form of himself—but in different versions. The cowardly Wira. The hateful Wira. The Wira who let his mother die for ambition. All stared at him, mocking him, cutting his soul.
"You are no hero," they whispered. "You are just a foolish young man who fell in love with an illusion."
But Wira held the silver comb tightly. "I may be a nobody. But I love her. And that love is real."
The shadows faded. The mist cleared, and the boulder cracked, revealing a path.
One gate successfully passed.
A few steps later, the sound of gamelan drifted from behind the trees. The tinkling of zithers and gongs filled the air. Wira arrived at a circular field with a wooden tower in the middle. The song was familiar—Tenggirang.
But the voice soon changed.
Now the song is sung by his mother.
Then by his father who had passed away.
Then by himself, when he was little, he cried at night because he was bullied.
Every voice called out to his deepest wounds. Regret. Guilt. Fear.
He knelt down, his ears almost bleeding from the singing that kept turning into screams.
But then… a soft voice came.
Tengirang.
"Wira, you are not alone. I hear you."
The voice became a rope that pulled him back from the abyss of memory.
The Tembang Gate is open.
Wira walked unsteadily, his body weak, his soul torn. But in the distance he saw a reddish light.
Gate of Sacrifice.
The gate was a towering circle of fire, and in the center, Tenggirang stood, encased in clear crystal.
"Wira…" he said softly. "Don't continue. This will destroy you."
"I have chosen."
"This gate will demand half of your soul. You will never be able to love another. You will never be able to be happy like a normal human being."
"I don't need that. I just want you to be free."
Tenggirang cried. "If you come in here, you will be part of this world. You will be… half human, half supernatural."
The hero steps forward.
The fire burned his body, but he kept walking. He screamed, but didn't stop. His hand touched the crystal.
The first crack.
Then second.
With a final scream, Wira slammed the silver comb onto the crystal surface. It shattered.
Tenggirang fell into his arms.
The third gate opened, and the forest shook.
In the human world, the sky is bright even though it is night. In Alas Purwo, the wind stops blowing. The guardian spirits nod silently. A white deer appears from behind the bushes, bowing respectfully.
Wira lay there, weak but alive. Tenggirang held his hand.
"You have set me free."
"And I lost myself."
"No. You found out who you really are."
They no longer belong to the human world, but they are not completely supernatural either. They are the new guardians of Alas Purwo. Their love is a bridge, not a barrier.
And from that day on, those who entered the forest with a pure heart were no longer lost. Because on the boundary between the banyan tree and the mist, there were two shadows—holding each other, maintaining the balance of the world.