Under the steadily rising sun, the bamboo glistened with water.Droplets fell one by one, their sound forming a quiet rhythm that went unnoticed unless someone truly listened.
It was not loud.Not attention-grabbing.Just the soft sound of flowing water, enough to make anyone who heard it pause and realize that something had changed.
Arga glanced toward the bamboo channels several times, making sure the water was truly there, still flowing as it should.
That day passed without any major incident.No strange events.No danger.No moments that forced them to argue or run like they had during their first days in this land.
The work was done without complaint, something that would have been unthinkable back in their own time.Someone swept the yard.Someone tightened loose bindings.Someone simply sat by the field, watching soil that now stayed constantly moist.
Without realizing it, time slipped away.
Evening arrived, turning the blue sky into shades of gold and red.The shadows of plants and bamboo stretched across the ground, overlapping with footprints that had not yet faded, decorating a yard that felt newly shaped by their presence.
That night, a small campfire burned in the courtyard, bringing warmth to five people who were slowly beginning to feel like family.
They sat closer now, without awkwardness.Firelight illuminated faces gathered in a loose circle.Some leaned back.Some hugged their knees.Some poked at the fire with twigs.
The scent of young coconut and crackling firewood filled the air.
Arga leaned against a log, animated as he told stories about the field and the day's work.His body leaned forward, his hands moving constantly as he spoke, making sure no detail was missed.
"Bandung, I really didn't expect it," he said, still sounding amazed."Anin just drew things and explained how to use bamboo. When we tried it, the water really flowed into the field. Usually I need half a day just to carry water. Now... I just have to check the bamboo."
He laughed, still unable to believe how much lighter his work had become.
Anin, sitting nearby, watched the fire with a gentle smile.The flames reflected in her eyes.
"Good thing it worked, Arga," she said softly."So I survived, and you didn't end up scolding me."
Everyone laughed.
Bandung chuckled as well, patting Jaka's shoulder."And your training advice too. Today felt different. My body feels stronger. I didn't tire as easily."
He nodded, acknowledging something he had done wrong for a long time without realizing it."Now I understand. Small movements, when done right, can make a big difference."
He looked at Jaka, smiling with new respect."You're good at this, Jaka. Maybe you should apply to be a knight too."
Jaka smiled faintly and shrugged."I only know the basics. The important thing is your back and arms don't get ruined first."
He sipped his coconut water calmly, hiding the fact that he drank mostly to steady himself.His eyes sparkled.For a moment, he forgot that he was sitting beside someone whose name existed only in legend.
Bandung and Arga turned their attention to Danu, who had been sitting slightly apart.His camera was still in his hands, the small black object he refused to let go of.
"Nu," Bandung called."I've been watching you. You've been holding that thing all day, smiling to yourself. What is it, actually?"
Danu lowered his camera, smiling like a child showing off a favorite toy."This is called a camera," he said. "It records things."
Arga leaned closer, curiosity filling his eyes."Records? Like writing?"
"Or drawing?" Bandung added.
"Sort of," Danu nodded. "But the images move."
He reached into his backpack and pulled out another small black box, handling it carefully, as if it were more fragile than it looked.
"This is where the images go," he said, lifting it. "It's called a projector."
He gathered a few banana leaves and hung them near the bamboo wall, away from the firelight.
"What's that for?" Bandung and Arga asked almost in unison.
"Wait, wait. Just a second," Danu replied as he arranged the leaves into a makeshift screen.
"Now, watch."
He stepped back and turned on the projector.A beam of white light hit the banana leaves.
The campfire seemed to fall silent.
Images appeared.Moving.Alive.
Anin appeared on the screen, crouched in the field with her notebook, hair messy, face serious.Arga was there too, drawing water, then freezing in disbelief as the bamboo channels began to flow for the first time.
Bandung leaned closer without realizing it.His eyes widened.
"By the gods... this is royal magic.""The keraton has moving images like this for announcements, but they're secret, used only for major events."
Arga swallowed hard."How can you have magic like this? Even clearer than anything I've ever heard of."
They looked at Anin, Jaka, and Danu with a mix of awe and fear.
"Who are you, really?"
The three of them laughed softly.
"It's not magic," Danu said, raising his hands."Where we come from, this is normal. This is technology."
Anin nearly choked on her coconut water, covering her mouth as she laughed.Jaka shook his head."Listen to him. Mr. Technology."
Bandung and Arga laughed too, but their eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
"If this really isn't magic," Bandung said slowly,"then your homeland must be incredible. Greater than any kingdom."
Danu smiled, his gaze distant, a hint of longing in his eyes."Maybe... yeah. Maybe it is."
The white light continued dancing across the banana leaves, like a small window into their lives.The fire crackled beside it, faces illuminated as they watched moments that felt more real than any story.
Bandung appeared training, his movements now steady and controlled.Sweat poured from him, but frustration was gone, replaced by pride.
Behind him, Jaka stood with crossed arms, observing, a rare smile on his lips.Something new had formed between them.Trainer and student, bound by effort and trust.
The scenes changed quickly.
Children laughed, crowding around the camera, small fingers reaching for the lens as if it were something divine.Even watching it later made Arga and Bandung laugh.
More clips followed.
Danu introducing subjects too seriously.Jaka attempting a video diary but mostly filming the ground.Arga laughing at his own face too close to the lens, wondering if the device could remember his life.Bandung one evening, speaking softly about his hopes and his doubts about the palace that they call 'keraton'.
Some recordings ended in laughter.Some in chaos.One ended with shouting and the sound of panicked footsteps.
Together, they formed a mosaic.
Not one person's story, but all of theirs.Their laughter.Their pride.Their unspoken confessions.
The small camera became a shared record.A place where they could be honest, even when the world demanded strength.
And among all of it, one recording stood apart.
Anin, alone in the hut at night.She recorded herself writing, then looked at the camera with tear-filled eyes.
"I miss home so much...""I miss my mother's voice. Her cooking...""Your child has grown up, Mom. I'm trying to survive here with my friends."
She covered her face, sobbing quietly, before reaching out to shut off the lens.
The recording ended.
The campfire was once again the only source of light.
No one spoke.
Anin, Jaka, and Danu stared at the banana-leaf screen, now empty.No images.No sound.Only the weight of shared memories.
No one mentioned dates.No one counted days.
From that night on,time passed,and they never realized how much of it was gone.