Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 3: The Nexus Forged
Part 3: Secrets and Depths
Kerisforge Stronghold was a crucible, and I was still burning in its fire. I'm Rentap Buana, sixteen, carrying a vow from Blood Island, a keris that pulsed with jade light, and a fight that was no longer just about me. The Shadow Nexus Map had shown us the enemy's reach, the ambush at Starfall Hollow had tested our unity, and Hafiz's red-runed blade had cut deeper than my skin. I want to share with you what it was like to hear truths that shook my world, to face a trial that wasn't just a test but a mirror of my soul, and to learn that the Nexus isn't just power—it's a responsibility, one I was forging with every step. This is the part of my story where the coral abyss called, and I found strength not just in Taming Jiwa but in the trust I'd earned and the secrets I carried.
The return from Starfall Hollow left Kerisforge on edge, the red-runed shard locked away, its chaos a reminder of Taring Zenhmaut's threat. Aisha and Rizwan were my anchors, their loyalty forged in blood and jade, but the stronghold felt heavier, its coral halls alive with whispers, novices' glances sharp with awe or suspicion. Taming Jiwa was my guide, its jade pulse steady, deepened by 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 Jaya and Mira, my parents, whose deaths drove my vow. My thigh's wound ached, a faint scar joining the kirin's mark and my shoulder's healed cut, but the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim flowed through me, Astra-Nusantara Silat forms—Storm Claw, Veil Tide, Iron Surge, Star Whisper, Sky Fang—sharper since the Nexus Training Grounds, jade waves bright in the arena.
Master Zainah pushed us relentlessly, Aisha's coral-etched keris weaving with precision, Rizwan's humming blade fierce, our spars a rhythm of trust. Kadir was scarce, meeting with elders, their staff taps urgent, while Suri's smirk promised action, her blades glinting in training. The Shadow Nexus Map, Idris's betrayal, Hafiz's ambush—they were pieces of a war, and Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, my mother's plea to find them, told me I was at its heart. I wasn't just a novice now, but Kerisforge's hierarchy still loomed, my place fragile, my fight tied to the Sky Nexus's survival.
It began in the council chamber, a coral cavern glowing with ley lines, jade flames casting shadows, anime-style energy flickering like the Nexus itself. Elder Amira summoned me, Aisha, and Rizwan, her starlit staff planted, Kadir and Suri at her side, their faces grim but resolute. The air was thick, heavy with mysticism, the weight of secrets pressing down.
Amira's voice cut through, sharp as coral. "Rentap Buana, Aisha, Rizwan—the Shadow Nexus Map and Starfall Hollow have confirmed Taring Zenhmaut's network. But there's more you must know, truths guarded by the elders since the Nexus was forged."
I gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse syncing with the chamber's hum, the coral orb glowing faintly. "What truths?" I asked, my voice steady but tight, Idris's warning—The shadows are deeper—clear in my mind.
Amira's staff tapped, ley lines flaring, and a coral slab rose, etched with kirin scales, glowing with jade runes. "The Sky Nexus isn't just power," she said. "It's a balance, woven by kirins, guarded by kerises like Taming Jiwa. Taring Zenhmaut was forged to break it, a blade of chaos born from a fallen elder, Zenhmaut, who sought to rule the ley lines. Your parents, Jaya and Mira, died sealing its first rise, their kerises tied to the Nexus's light. Taming Jiwa carries their vow, Rentap, and yours."
I froze, Taming Jiwa blazing, visions flickering—Assyafiee, his keris raised, kirins guarding a cosmic heart, my parents' faces, their blades glowing, falling under crimson waves. "They sealed it?" I whispered, my throat tight, the Ley Line Ritual's plea, Find them, now a call to finish their fight.
Kadir stepped forward, his staff glowing. "Zenhmaut's followers, like Idris, Hafiz, wield Shadow Krises, red-runed, to twist the ley lines, break the Nexus. The map shows their strongholds, but the Coral Abyss—a Nexus sanctum beneath the sea—holds a relic that can track them, a Starlit Kirin, tied to Taming Jiwa. You must face its trial to claim it."
Aisha's coral-etched keris glowed softly, her eyes wide but steady. "A trial?" she asked, her voice calm but curious.
Suri smirked, her blades catching the jade light. "Not a spar, novice. The Abyss tests your soul, your bond with your keris, your trust. Fail, and it claims you."
Rizwan gripped his humming keris, his grin fierce but nervous. "We've faced worse, right, Rentap?"
I nodded, Taming Jiwa warm, the mantra in my throat, Assyafiee's whisper urging me forward. "We'll face it together," I said, Aisha and Rizwan's trust a fire, the elders' revelation a weight I'd carry with my vow. The Coral Abyss, the Starlit Kirin—they were steps to Taring Zenhmaut, to my parents' legacy, and I wouldn't falter.
Amira's eyes softened, but her voice stayed sharp. "Prepare, then. The Abyss waits, and the Nexus needs you whole."
Preparation was intense, the next dawn a blur of coral halls and jade-lit forges. Kadir taught us to sense underwater ley lines, Taming Jiwa's pulse guiding me, the coral orb amplifying its hum, while Suri drilled us in Veil Tide, adapting our Silat for the sea's currents, jade waves fluid as water. Aisha's precision was flawless, Rizwan's strength unyielding, our forms syncing like the Nexus Grounds, our bond a shield. We 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 coral talismans, their runes glowing, tied to the Abyss's ley lines, and warned, "The Abyss isn't just deep—it's alive."
We left at twilight, a war-boat cutting through the bay, its kirin sails glowing under starlight, Kerisforge's spires fading into the sea's black. Kadir steered, Suri at the bow, her blades glinting, Aisha and Rizwan at my side, their kerises ready. The sea was restless, ley lines pulsing beneath, their rhythm wild, tied to the Abyss. Taming Jiwa flared, its jade pulse fierce, visions flickering—Assyafiee, kirins diving through cosmic waves, my parents' blades glowing in a coral sanctum.
The Coral Abyss was a rift, a chasm beneath the sea, its entrance a coral arch glowing with jade runes, ley lines a heartbeat, anime-style jade light shimmering in the depths. We dove, talismans glowing, Veil Tide cloaking us, the water heavy, alive, whispering mantras. The Abyss was vast, coral spires rising like claws, starlit gems pulsing, ley lines weaving a maze, their rhythm both Nexus and chaos, red runes flickering in the shadows, Taring Zenhmaut's echo.
We reached a sanctum, a coral dome glowing with Nexus light, its altar holding the Starlit Kirin—a coral statue, its eyes jade, pulsing with Taming Jiwa's rhythm. But the Abyss stirred, ley lines roaring, coral wraiths rising, their red-runed blades blazing, anime-style crimson waves clashing with our jade. "The trial," Suri hissed, her blades ready, Kadir's mantra steadying the sanctum's pulse.
The Trial of the Coral Abyss was chaos, wraiths weaving through currents, their blades mimicking Idris, Hafiz, Taring Zenhmaut. I fought with Storm Claw, jade waves cutting water, Veil Tide cloaking my steps, Sky Fang feinting, Taming Jiwa blazing, its pulse a storm, Assyafiee's soul guiding me. Aisha wove Star Whisper, her coral-etched keris fluid, Rizwan's Iron Surge shattering wraith guards, Suri's blades a tempest, Kadir's jade waves a shield. The wraiths whispered doubts—Idris's voice, The shadows are deeper, the pirate's blood, my parents' fall—but our bond held, our kerises syncing, jade waves weaving a net, shattering crimson, the ley lines stabilizing.
The Starlit Kirin flared, its jade eyes locking with Taming Jiwa, a vision hitting me—Assyafiee, Jaya, Mira, chanting under a cosmic sea, kirins guarding a relic, its light a map to Taring Zenhmaut's heart. "Take it," Assyafiee whispered, and I reached, Taming Jiwa pulsing, the Kirin's glow merging with my keris, its jade pulse stronger, a tracking rune etched in my mind, tied to the Shadow Nexus Map.
The wraiths faded, the sanctum's light dimming, Aisha and Rizwan panting, blood mixing with water, Suri's smirk sharp, Kadir's nod proud. "You've passed," he said, his staff glowing. "The Kirin's yours, Rentap. It'll guide us to the shadows."
I clutched Taming Jiwa, the Kirin's rune warm in my mind, the coral orb, bead, and rune pouch my anchors. The trial had tested us, not just our blades but our trust, our will, and we'd emerged stronger, the Nexus's light in our kerises, our bond unbreakable.
We surfaced, the war-boat waiting, the sea calm, starlight painting the waves. Aisha and Rizwan sat with me, their kerises glowing, their laughter easing the Abyss's weight. Kadir steered, Suri's eyes scanning the horizon, the Kirin's rune a beacon in my mind, tied to the map's red runes. The elders would need to know, the Shadow Nexus Map now complete, Taring Zenhmaut's strongholds clear. My vow burned, my parents' legacy alive in Taming Jiwa's pulse, Assyafiee's whisper, the Nexus's call.
Kerisforge loomed, its jade spires glowing, and I felt the fight, not just mine but ours—Aisha, Rizwan, Suri, Kadir, the Clan. The Coral Abyss had forged us, the Starlit Kirin our guide, and whatever shadows rose, we'd face them, with jade, with trust, with a vow that burned brighter than chaos.
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