Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 2: The Forge's Heart
Part 4: Council and Quest
Kerisforge Stronghold was forging me, but its shadows were sharper than its flames. I'm Rentap Buana, sixteen, carrying a vow from Blood Island, a keris that burned with jade light, and a truth that cut deeper every day. The Nexus Vault had shown me the Shadow Krises' reach, Hafiz's betrayal in the coral depths had made it personal, and now I was caught in a fight I couldn't fully see. I want to share with you what it was like to stand before the Clan's heart, to hear plans that tied my past to the Sky Nexus, and to step beyond the stronghold's walls for the first time, chasing shadows that knew my name. This is the part of my story where I learned that a mission isn't just a task—it's a mirror, showing you who you are and what you're willing to become.
The coral depths fight left me bruised, not just in body but in spirit. Hafiz's red-runed blade, his words about Taring Zenhmaut, echoed the pirate's kris from the mangrove maze, my parents' fall in the Ley Line Ritual's vision. Aisha and Rizwan stood with me, their loyalty a new anchor, but Kerisforge felt like a storm waiting to break. Taming Jiwa was my strength, its jade pulse deeper since the ritual, the coral orb, Lila's bead, the rune pouch, Suri's dagger, and my rusted kerambit my ties to Blood Island. Training with Master Zainah was relentless—Astra-Nusantara Silat forms flowing, jade waves shattering coral, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim my guide. But the stronghold was tense, novices whispering about sealed depths, elders' staff taps louder in the halls. Kadir's promise—We'll root out the shadows—hung heavy, and I felt Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, urging me toward something bigger.
Days blurred, spars and relic hunts filling the hours, Aisha's quiet focus and Rizwan's sharp humor easing the weight. Hafiz and his crew were gone, exiled or hidden, but their red runes lingered in my dreams, mixing with my mother's plea: Find them. The Nexus Vault's scroll, its map of ley lines and Taring Zenhmaut's mark, was locked away, but I saw it every time I closed my eyes. I was a novice, low in Kerisforge's hierarchy, yet Taming Jiwa made me more—a target, a hope, a question even I couldn't answer.
It was dusk, the stronghold's jade flames casting long shadows, when Zainah summoned me to the Mentor's Council. I followed her through coral halls, Taming Jiwa at my side, its pulse steady but fierce, the kirin scar on my arm itching like a warning. The council chamber was a cavern, its walls etched with kirin scales, a coral table glowing with ley lines, jade light pulsing anime-style, like the Sky Nexus itself. Kadir was there, his staff planted, joined by Suri, Rahim, Laila, Tengku—my Blood Island mentors, their faces grim but familiar. Zainah stood with three elders, their tunics heavy with starlit embroidery, their staffs topped with gems that hummed with power. Aisha and Rizwan stood at the chamber's edge, their kerises sheathed, their presence a quiet support.
Elder Amira, the woman from my forge test, spoke first, her voice sharp as coral. "Rentap Buana, Taming Jiwa's chosen. The Nexus Vault and coral depths have shown us truth—Shadow Krises within Kerisforge, tied to Taring Zenhmaut. Your actions, reckless but guided, unveiled this threat. Speak, novice. What drives you?"
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse syncing with my heart, the mantra in my throat. "My vow," I said, my voice raw but clear. "On Blood Island, I swore to fight for my parents, Jaya and Mira, for every soul lost to chaos. The ritual, the Vault, Hafiz's betrayal—they're tied to their deaths, to the Sky Nexus. I'm here to stop it, whatever it takes."
Suri's hawk-like eyes softened, a rare smirk tugging her lips. Rahim nodded, his scarred arms crossed, strength in his silence. Laila's silver hair caught the jade light, her gaze warm but piercing, like she saw my soul. Tengku flicked his fan, his sharp eyes glinting, measuring my words. Kadir's hand rested on my shoulder, his voice low. "He's Jaya's son, Mira's heir. Taming Jiwa chose him for this."
Elder Amira's staff tapped, ley lines flaring. "The Shadow Krises are no mere rebellion. Taring Zenhmaut is chaos incarnate, forged to shatter the Nexus. Hafiz was a pawn, guided by a traitor within our ranks. The scroll you found points to a ley line convergence in Malayanlandia's jungle, a shadow sanctum. We must act, but trust is thin."
Laila stepped forward, her coral staff glowing. "Rentap's bond with Taming Jiwa is our guide. The Nexus speaks through him—Assyafiee's soul, Eldrin's legacy. Let him join the mission, prove his place."
The elders whispered, their gems humming, and Amira nodded. "Very well. Rentap, Aisha, Rizwan—you'll join Kadir and Suri on a mission to the shadow sanctum. Find the sanctum, uncover the traitor's hand, return with proof. Fail, and the Nexus may falter."
I swallowed, Taming Jiwa blazing, Aisha and Rizwan's eyes meeting mine, steady but wide. Suri's smirk widened, like she relished the fight. Kadir's grip tightened, his voice a whisper. "You're ready, boy. Trust the keris, trust your blood."
The council ended, the chamber's jade light dimming, but my heart raced, the weight of the mission, my vow, the Nexus, pressing down. I wasn't just a novice now—I was part of Kerisforge's fight, and the shadows knew my name.
Preparation was swift, the next dawn a blur of coral halls and jade-lit forges. Suri drilled us—Aisha, Rizwan, and me—in Veil Tide, sharpening our stealth, jade waves cloaked in shadow. Kadir taught us ley line tracking, sensing their pulse through Taming Jiwa, the coral orb amplifying my keris's hum. Aisha's coral-etched keris glowed softly, her Silat precise, her quiet strength a balance to Rizwan's raw energy, his humming blade quick but unpolished. We were a team, not just novices but allies, bound by the coral depths fight, the council's trust.
I packed light—Taming Jiwa, Suri's dagger, the kerambit, the rune pouch, Lila's bead, the coral orb—each a piece of my path, from Crimson Cliff to Kerisforge. Zainah gave us tunics marked with novice kirins, their jade embroidery faint but proud, and a coral map, its ley lines glowing, marking the shadow sanctum deep in Malayanlandia's jungle. "Stay sharp," she said, her staff tapping. "The shadows don't forgive."
We left at dusk, a war-boat cutting through the bay, its kirin sails catching the wind, the stronghold's coral spires fading into the sea's gray. Kadir steered, Suri at the bow, her blades glinting, Aisha and Rizwan at my side, their kerises ready. The sea was restless, waves whispering like the Nexus, ley lines humming beneath the hull. Taming Jiwa pulsed, its jade light soft but fierce, and I felt Assyafiee's soul, my parents' strength, guiding me beyond Kerisforge's walls.
The jungle loomed by morning, its vines thick, coral cliffs rising like Blood Island's, but darker, heavier, ley lines pulsing with a wrongness that chilled me. We docked at a hidden cove, Veil Tide cloaking our steps as we trekked inland, Taming Jiwa guiding me, the coral orb glowing faintly, syncing with the map's lines. The jungle was alive, birds silent, the air thick with mysticism, anime-style jade flickers in the shadows, red runes glinting in the distance, like Hafiz's blade.
Suri led, her stealth flawless, her whispers sharp. "Stay low, novices. The sanctum's close, and it's guarded." Kadir followed, his staff tapping roots, his eyes scanning for ley line shifts. Aisha moved gracefully, Rizwan alert, their trust in me a weight I carried with Taming Jiwa's pulse.
We found the sanctum at twilight, a coral ruin buried in vines, its pillars etched with red runes, pulsing with chaos, ley lines twisted, anime-style crimson waves clashing with jade. Shadows moved—warriors, not novices, their Shadow Krises blazing red, their armor marked with Taring Zenhmaut's sigil. At their center stood a figure, hooded, their keris glowing red, its runes stronger, wronger, like the pirate's blade but worse.
Suri signaled, Veil Tide cloaking us, but Taming Jiwa flared, its jade pulse loud, drawing eyes. "Now," Kadir hissed, and we struck, jade waves bursting, Storm Claw guiding my blade, Iron Surge shattering a warrior's guard, Sky Fang feinting another. Aisha wove Star Whisper, her jade waves tight, Rizwan's Silat raw but fierce, Suri's blades a storm, Kadir's staff cracking coral, jade energy roaring.
The hooded figure turned, their keris slashing, crimson waves heavy, chaos eating at the ley lines. I faced them, Taming Jiwa blazing, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim in my soul, my parents' faces clear. "Who are you?" I demanded, dodging a crimson wave, my jade wave clashing, coral pillars trembling.
They laughed, their voice cold, familiar. "You're Jaya's son," they said, hood falling, revealing a face I'd seen in Kerisforge—a master, not Hafiz, but someone trusted, their eyes glinting with chaos. "Taring Zenhmaut knows you, Rentap. The Nexus will break."
I fought, Star Whisper weaving my vow, Veil Tide cloaking my strikes, Iron Surge powering my blade, jade waves shattering their crimson, ley lines stabilizing. Suri joined me, her blades a blur, Kadir's mantra steadying the air, Aisha and Rizwan guarding our flanks. The master fled, their warriors scattering, leaving a coral shard, red-runed, pulsing with Taring Zenhmaut's mark.
I grabbed it, Taming Jiwa pulsing, the shard's chaos clashing with its jade. Kadir took it, his face grim. "Proof," he said. "The traitor's unmasked, but they're not done. We return, now."
The war-boat ride back was quiet, the shard locked in coral, Aisha and Rizwan bruised but proud, Suri's smirk sharp, Kadir's eyes heavy. I sat at the bow, Taming Jiwa in my lap, its pulse warm, the coral orb, bead, and rune pouch my anchors. The mission had shown me truth—the Shadow Krises were led by Kerisforge's own, a master tied to Taring Zenhmaut, to my parents' deaths. My vow burned, my fight clearer, but the traitor's words, The Nexus will break, were a shadow I couldn't shake.
Kerisforge loomed, its jade spires glowing, and I felt the Nexus, my parents, Assyafiee, alive in Taming Jiwa's pulse. The council, the mission, the traitor—they were steps on a path I was forging, with allies, with my blade, with a vow that wouldn't let me fall.
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