Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 3: The Nexus Forged
Part 1: Scars and Steel
Kerisforge Stronghold had changed me, but its shadows left scars deeper than any blade. I'm Rentap Buana, sixteen, carrying a vow born on Blood Island, a keris that pulsed with jade light, and a fight that had become my own. The Starlit Duel with Idris, a master turned traitor, had shaken the Clan, but his words—The shadows are deeper than you know—clung to me like coral dust. I want to share with you what it was like to stand in the aftermath of betrayal, to forge myself anew in the Nexus's fire, and to learn that strength isn't just in winning but in carrying the weight of what you've lost. This is the part of my story where I faced my doubts, sharpened my soul, and found a path through the storm, not alone, but with those who believed in me.
The duel's aftermath was a haze, Idris's bound form a wound in Kerisforge's heart. The council chamber's jade light felt dim, Elder Amira's voice heavy with grief as she spoke of trust broken, of shadows still lurking. Aisha and Rizwan stood by me, their kerises glowing faintly, their loyalty a warmth I hadn't expected. Taming Jiwa was my anchor, its jade pulse steady, 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. My shoulder ached, Idris's red-runed blade leaving a shallow cut that burned more than it should, a reminder of Taring Zenhmaut's chaos. The kirin scar on my arm itched, the mangrove maze's blood lingered in my dreams, but Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, my parents' faces—Jaya and Mira—kept me standing.
Kerisforge was quieter now, novices training with tense focus, adepts patrolling coral halls, elders' staff taps echoing like a warning. Master Zainah pushed us harder, Astra-Nusantara Silat forms—Storm Claw, Veil Tide, Iron Surge, Star Whisper, Sky Fang—flowing through me, jade waves shattering coral in the arena, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim my heartbeat. Aisha's coral-etched keris moved with grace, Rizwan's humming blade fierce but raw, our spars a rhythm of trust forged in the coral depths, the shadow sanctum, the Starlit Spire. But Idris's betrayal had cracked something in the Clan, and I felt it—whispers of doubt, glances that lingered too long, as if Taming Jiwa's glow marked me as much a threat as a savior.
Kadir was my guide, his staff tapping coral floors, his eyes sharp but kind. "You've done what novices dream of," he said one dawn, finding me in the training yard, Taming Jiwa mid-strike, jade waves flickering. "But the Nexus isn't kind, Rentap. Idris was one of us, and there may be others. Your vow, your keris—they're your strength, but they're also your burden."
I sheathed Taming Jiwa, its pulse warm, the coral orb glowing faintly in my pocket. "He said the shadows are deeper," I admitted, my voice rough, the duel's chaos clear. "What if I'm not enough, Kadir? For my parents, for the Nexus?"
He leaned on his staff, the jade kirin atop it glinting. "You're Jaya's son, Mira's heir. Taming Jiwa chose you because you're enough, scars and all. The Nexus doesn't need perfection—it needs fire. You've got that, boy."
His words stayed with me, a spark against the doubt, but Idris's face, his red runes, the wrongness of his blade, haunted my nights. I saw my mother's plea in the Ley Line Ritual, Find them, and felt the weight of the Nexus Vault's scroll, the shadow sanctum's shard, the Traitor's Mark. The Sky Nexus was a war, my war, and I was still a novice, my place in Kerisforge's hierarchy fragile, my fight just beginning.
The council called me a week later, not to the chamber but to a coral grove outside the stronghold, its trees twisted like the Ancestor's Grove on Blood Island, ley lines humming beneath jade-lit roots. Elder Amira stood with Kadir, Suri, and Zainah, their faces grim but resolute, the air thick with mysticism, anime-style jade flickers dancing in the shadows. Aisha and Rizwan were there, their kerises sheathed, their presence a quiet strength.
Amira's staff tapped, ley lines flaring. "Rentap Buana," she said, her voice sharp but not unkind. "Your duel with Idris saved the Starlit Spire, but Taring Zenhmaut's reach grows. The scroll, the shard, the mark—they point to a network, shadows within and beyond Kerisforge. We've sealed the depths, exiled Hafiz's crew, but the Nexus is fragile. You, Aisha, Rizwan—you're more than novices now. The Clan needs you forged anew."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse syncing with the grove's hum, the mantra in my throat. "What do you need from us?" I asked, my voice steady, the weight of her words settling.
Zainah stepped forward, her armor glinting, her staff glowing faintly. "Training, Rentap, unlike any you've faced. The Nexus Training Grounds—a sacred arena, tied to the Sky Nexus's core. You'll hone your Silat, your bond with Taming Jiwa, to face what's coming. The shadows know you, and they won't stop."
Suri's smirk was sharp, her blades catching the jade light. "You thought the kirin was tough, Blood Island? This'll break you or make you."
I nodded, Aisha and Rizwan exchanging glances, their resolve mirroring mine. Kadir's hand rested on my shoulder, his voice low. "The Nexus chose you for this, Rentap. Trust it, trust your allies."
The grove's ley lines hummed, Taming Jiwa flaring, a vision flickering—Assyafiee, his keris raised, kirins soaring under a cosmic sky, my parents' faces proud but urgent. I felt their strength, my vow, the Nexus's call, and knew this was my path, scars and all.
The Nexus Training Grounds were no ordinary arena. Hidden beneath the stronghold, accessed through a coral stair pulsing with ley lines, they were a vast cavern, its walls carved with kirin scales, starlit gems glowing like the Sky Nexus itself. Coral pillars rose, etched with mantra runes, jade flames dancing, anime-style energy crackling, ley lines a heartbeat under the sand. Zainah led us, Aisha, Rizwan, and me, her staff tapping, Suri at her side, her blades glinting with purpose.
"This is the Nexus's heart," Zainah said, her voice echoing, jade waves shimmering. "Here, you'll train as one, forge your Silat, your bond with your kerises, your trust. The Shadow Krises are chaos, but the Nexus is balance. Find it, or fall."
The training was brutal, a storm of fire and will. Zainah paired us in spars, Aisha's graceful Star Whisper clashing with my Storm Claw, Rizwan's raw Iron Surge testing my Veil Tide, jade waves bursting, coral cracking. Suri pushed us harder, her Sky Fang a blur, teaching us to weave forms as a unit, our kerises syncing, jade light weaving like the sea. The mantra, Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim, was our rhythm, Taming Jiwa's pulse guiding my strikes, the coral orb amplifying its glow, visions of Assyafiee and my parents sharpening my focus.
The Grounds tested more than skill. Zainah summoned coral wraiths, like the forge test but fiercer, their red-runed blades mimicking Taring Zenhmaut's chaos, anime-style crimson waves clashing with our jade. We fought as one, Aisha's precision covering my flanks, Rizwan's strength breaking their lines, my Star Whisper weaving traps, Taming Jiwa's jade waves shattering their forms. The ley lines roared, fueling our strikes, but the wraiths whispered Idris's words—The shadows are deeper—and I felt my doubt, the pirate's blood, the mangrove maze, stirring.
Nights were worse, the Grounds' ley lines seeping into dreams, visions of the Sky Nexus pulsing, kirins falling, red runes spreading like fire. I woke gasping, Taming Jiwa blazing, Aisha and Rizwan sometimes beside me, their own dreams haunted. "We're in this," Aisha said, her coral-etched keris glowing, her voice steady. Rizwan nodded, his humming blade tight in his grip. "No shadows can break us, Rentap."
Their trust was a fire, burning away my doubt, and I felt Taming Jiwa's soul, Assyafiee's warmth, my parents' resolve. The Grounds were forging us, not just as warriors but as a unit, our kerises a shield against the chaos Idris had served.
Weeks passed, the training relentless, our Silat sharper, our jade waves stronger, our bond unbreakable. One dawn, Zainah called us to the Grounds' center, a coral dais glowing with Nexus light, its runes pulsing like the Vault's crystal. "You've grown," she said, her eyes sharp but proud. "The Nexus sees you, Rentap, Aisha, Rizwan. But the shadows move. Hafiz's crew, Idris's allies—they're gathering, tied to Taring Zenhmaut. Your training here is done. Prepare for what's next."
I stood, Taming Jiwa at my side, its pulse a storm, the coral orb, bead, and rune pouch warm. "What's next?" I asked, my voice steady, the kirin scar a badge, not a weight.
Zainah's staff tapped, jade flames flaring. "A mission, deeper than the sanctum. The elders will call you soon. Rest now, but stay sharp. The Nexus needs you whole."
We left the Grounds, the cavern's light fading, but Taming Jiwa's glow stayed, painting coral walls. Aisha and Rizwan walked with me, their kerises glowing, their laughter easing the tension. I felt my parents, the Nexus, my vow, alive in me. Idris's betrayal had scarred Kerisforge, but the Grounds had forged me, not just my blade but my heart. The shadows were deeper, but I wasn't alone—Aisha, Rizwan, Kadir, Suri, the Nexus itself were with me, and whatever came next, I'd face it, with Taming Jiwa, with my fire, with a vow that burned brighter than any chaos.
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