Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 2: The Forge's Heart
Part 5: Traitor's Blade and Starlit Fire
Kerisforge Stronghold was a forge of light and shadow, and I was learning to walk its edges. I'm Rentap Buana, sixteen, bound to a vow that burned from Blood Island, a keris that pulsed with jade fire, and a fight that was no longer just mine. The shadow sanctum mission had unmasked a traitor, their red-runed blade a wound in the Clan's heart, but the truth was sharper than I expected. I want to share with you what it was like to uncover a betrayal that cut deeper than coral, to face a duel that wasn't just about skill but about who I was, and to find a strength that came not from Taming Jiwa alone but from the roots I'd claimed. This is the part of my story where the stars lit my path, and I learned that a blade can break, but a vow holds forever.
The war-boat's return from the Malayanlandia jungle left me raw, the red-runed coral shard heavy in Kadir's hands, the traitor's face—a Kerisforge master—burned into my mind. Aisha and Rizwan stood with me, their loyalty forged in the sanctum's chaos, but Kerisforge felt like a storm about to break. Taming Jiwa was my anchor, its jade pulse stronger since the Ley Line Ritual, the coral orb, Lila's bead, the rune pouch, Suri's jade-edged dagger, and my rusted kerambit my ties to a past that drove me forward. Training with Master Zainah was unrelenting, Astra-Nusantara Silat forms—Storm Claw, Veil Tide, Iron Surge, Star Whisper, Sky Fang—flowing through me, jade waves brighter, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim my heartbeat. But the stronghold was tense, novices whispering about the sealed depths, elders' staff taps echoing like warnings. The shadow sanctum's proof, the traitor's escape, Hafiz's red runes—they were pieces of a puzzle, and Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, my mother's plea to find them, told me I was close to the heart of it.
Days were a grind, spars with Aisha and Rizwan sharpening our trust, their kerises—coral-etched and humming—blending with mine in mock battles. The hierarchy loomed, novices like us still the lowest rung, but the council's trust, Suri's smirk, Kadir's nod, made me feel like more. The traitor's identity gnawed at me, their voice familiar, their red-runed keris tied to Taring Zenhmaut, to my parents' deaths. I wasn't just fighting for Kerisforge—I was fighting for Jaya and Mira, for the Sky Nexus, for a vow that wouldn't let me rest.
It started with a whisper, not from Taming Jiwa but from the stronghold's shadows. Late at night, in my coral chamber, Taming Jiwa glowing softly, I found a coral sliver under my mat, etched with a red rune, pulsing faintly, wrong, like Hafiz's blade. My heart raced, the kirin scar on my arm itching, the Ley Line Ritual's vision—red runes, my parents' fall—clear as starlight. I hid the sliver in the rune pouch, next to Lila's bead and the coral orb, and sought Kadir before dawn, Taming Jiwa at my side, its pulse fierce but steady.
He was in the central forge, jade flames casting his shadow long, his staff planted. I showed him the sliver, its red rune glinting, and his face darkened, like when I'd spoken of the shadow sanctum. "The Traitor's Mark," he said, voice low, heavy. "A signal, Rentap. They know you're hunting them. This rune—it's Taring Zenhmaut's, left to taunt or trap."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its jade pulse clashing with the sliver's wrongness. "Who is it, Kadir? The master from the sanctum—I've seen them here, in Kerisforge. Why hide their name?"
Kadir's eyes met mine, sharp but heavy. "Because naming them risks the Clan. The traitor is Master Idris, one of our own, a mentor trusted by elders. He's vanished since the sanctum, but this mark means he's close, watching. You're not just a novice, Rentap—Taming Jiwa makes you a threat to him, to Taring Zenhmaut."
I swallowed, the name—Idris—cutting deep, a master whose face I'd passed in halls, whose voice had praised novices, now twisted by chaos. "What do I do?" I asked, the mantra in my throat, Taming Jiwa warm in my hand.
"Stay sharp," Kadir said, taking the sliver. "The elders are searching, but Idris is cunning, tied to shadows older than Kerisforge. Train, trust Aisha and Rizwan, wait for my signal. The Nexus is with you."
I nodded, the coral orb glowing faintly, Assyafiee's whisper urging me forward. Idris wasn't just a traitor—he was the blade that killed my parents, the chaos threatening the Nexus. My vow burned, my fight personal now, and Taming Jiwa's pulse was my guide.
Training grew fiercer, Zainah pushing us in the coral arena, jade waves shattering pillars, Aisha's precise strikes blending with Rizwan's raw power, my Silat forms sharper since the sanctum. I told Aisha and Rizwan about the sliver, Idris's name, their eyes wide but steady, their loyalty unshaken. "We're in this," Rizwan said, his humming keris glinting. Aisha nodded, her coral-etched blade glowing softly. "For the Nexus, Rentap."
But the stronghold was a web, whispers spreading—novices eyeing me, some awed, others wary, like I carried a curse. The Traitor's Mark haunted me, its red rune in my dreams, mixing with my mother's voice, the kirin's roar. Taming Jiwa flared at night, its jade light painting my chamber, visions of Assyafiee chanting under a starlit sky, pointing to a coral spire, its peak glowing with Nexus light.
Three nights later, the signal came. Kadir found me in the training yard, Taming Jiwa mid-strike, Sky Fang weaving jade waves. "The elders have a lead," he said, his staff tapping. "Idris was seen at the Starlit Spire, a Nexus point above the stronghold. He's planning something, Rentap—a ritual to twist the ley lines, strengthen Taring Zenhmaut. You, Aisha, Rizwan, Suri—you're with me. Tonight, we end this."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse a storm, the coral orb, bead, and rune pouch heavy at my belt. "A duel?" I asked, my voice steady but tight, the sanctum's crimson waves clear in my mind.
Kadir's eyes glinted, proud but grim. "If it comes to that. Idris is no novice, but neither are you. Trust Taming Jiwa, trust your vow."
We moved at midnight, Veil Tide cloaking us, Suri leading through coral tunnels, her blades glinting, Aisha and Rizwan at my side, their kerises ready, Kadir's staff glowing faintly. The Starlit Spire was a tower, its peak open to the sky, coral pillars etched with mantra runes, ley lines pulsing like a cosmic heart, anime-style jade light shimmering, stars blazing above. The air was thick, heavy with mysticism, red runes flickering in the shadows, chaos clashing with the Nexus's hum.
Idris was there, alone, his red-runed keris blazing, crimson waves twisting the ley lines, a coral altar glowing with Taring Zenhmaut's mark. His armor was Kerisforge, but tainted, red runes etched into kirin scales, his eyes cold, no longer the master I'd known. "Rentap," he said, voice smooth, venomous. "Jaya's son, Mira's heir. Taming Jiwa's a relic, but you're a boy playing hero. Join me, or die like your parents."
I drew Taming Jiwa, its jade waves flaring, Storm Claw steadying my stance, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim in my soul. "You killed them," I said, my voice raw, the Ancestor's Whisper clear—my mother's plea, my father's strength. "For chaos, for Taring Zenhmaut. I'll stop you, Idris."
He laughed, his keris slashing, crimson waves bursting, anime-style chaos eating at the spire's jade light. Suri signaled Aisha and Rizwan to guard the altar, her blades a blur, Kadir's mantra stabilizing the ley lines. I faced Idris alone, Taming Jiwa alive, my mentors' lessons—Suri's stealth, Rahim's strength, Laila's spirit, Tengku's tactics—flowing through me.
The Starlit Duel was fire, jade against crimson, coral pillars cracking, stars watching. Idris was fast, his Silat masterful, red waves heavy, twisting the air, but I wove Veil Tide, cloaking my steps, Sky Fang feinting, Iron Surge powering my strikes, jade waves shattering his guard. He struck back, his keris grazing my shoulder, blood mixing with coral dust, chaos burning my skin, but I chanted the mantra, Star Whisper guiding me, Assyafiee's vision clear—a kirin soaring, its jade scales my shield.
"You're nothing," Idris snarled, his red runes flaring, crimson waves roaring, ley lines trembling. "The Nexus is weak, and Taring Zenhmaut will rise."
I felt my parents, Jaya and Mira, their kerises glowing in my mind, their vow mine. "I'm their son," I said, Taming Jiwa blazing, jade waves brighter, stronger, the Nexus's light in my strikes. I struck with Star Whisper, weaving my vow, Iron Surge breaking his blade, jade waves shattering his red runes, the altar's chaos fading, ley lines steadying.
Idris fell, his keris ash, his eyes wide, not with fear but defeat. "You can't stop it," he whispered, as Suri bound him, Kadir sealing the altar's runes. "The shadows are deeper than you know."
I panted, blood dripping, Taming Jiwa warm, its pulse gentle now, Assyafiee's soul proud. Aisha and Rizwan joined me, their kerises glowing, their faces awed. Suri smirked, her blades sheathed. "Not bad, Blood Island." Kadir's hand gripped my shoulder, his voice steady. "You've done what masters couldn't. The Nexus sees you."
We returned to the stronghold, Idris bound, the elders waiting in the council chamber, their staffs tapping, jade light dim. Elder Amira took the traitor, her eyes heavy with grief, but she nodded at me, Aisha, Rizwan. "You've saved the Nexus's light, Rentap," she said. "Taming Jiwa's choice is clear. Rest, then train. The shadows aren't gone."
I stood in my chamber that night, Taming Jiwa across my lap, its glow soft, painting coral walls. The coral orb, Lila's bead, the rune pouch, Suri's dagger, my kerambit—they were my past, my strength. Idris's words, The shadows are deeper, lingered, but my vow burned brighter, my parents' faces clear, the Nexus alive in Taming Jiwa's pulse. Aisha and Rizwan were allies, Suri and Kadir my guides, Kerisforge my forge. The Starlit Duel had tested me, not just my blade but my heart, and I'd found something—Jaya's fire, Mira's resolve, my own light.
The Sky Nexus waited, its war unfinished, but I was Rentap Buana, no longer just a novice, and whatever shadows rose, I'd face them, with Taming Jiwa, with my vow, with the stars as my witness.
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