Phase 1: Rise of the Orphan Blade
Chapter 1: The Crimson Vow
Part 1: Blood Island's Call
The sea crashed against Blood Island's crimson cliffs, a relentless roar that drowned out all but the fire in Rentap Buana's heart. At sixteen, he stood alone, salt-stung and defiant, his dark hair whipping in the wind, his calloused hand gripping Taming Jiwa. The keris pulsed with jade light, its seven waves carved into the blade catching the dying sun, as if whispering the names of his parents—Jaya and Mira. Their betrayal lingered in the rusted kerambit at his hip, a jagged relic of their final stand. Below, coral reefs glowed like embers in the deep, and the ley lines hummed, a restless pulse tugging him toward a destiny he could barely grasp. Rentap's scars—kirin's mark on his chest, a faint line across his forearm—itched under the weight of their last plea: find them. A vow took root, etched by the Starlit Kirin's rune, promising to forge him into a Kirin Blade or shatter him on the path to Kerisforge.
The cliffs were a jagged altar, the sea a witness to Rentap's solitude. He'd grown up here, an orphan of Blood Island, raised by whispers of his parents' legend and the cold steel of their gifts. Jaya, a Kirin Blade whose Storm Claw could split the tide. Mira, a seer whose visions wove the Nexus's light. Their deaths—betrayed by an unseen hand—had left Rentap with nothing but Taming Jiwa, the kerambit, and a burning need to uncover the truth. The coral orb in his pouch, a gift from Mira, glowed faintly, its warmth a reminder of her voice. The rune pouch, tied to his belt, held fragments of Jaya's resolve. Lila's bead, a token from a lost friend, clinked softly, grounding him. These were his anchors, but the ley lines' stirrings were a call he couldn't ignore.
As twilight bled across the sky, Rentap knelt, Taming Jiwa planted in the crimson earth. The mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim steadied his breath, its rhythm syncing with the keris's pulse. The Starlit Kirin's rune—a faint glow in his mind—flared, and a vision struck: kirins soaring over a jade sea, Jaya's blade clashing with shadows, Mira's eyes pleading. The Nexus was waking, its tides tied to Kerisforge, where the Kirin Blades trained to guard the ancient light. Rentap's vow was simple: find the betrayer, protect the Nexus, become the blade his parents believed he could be. But first, he had to survive the island's test—a trial of blood and steel.
A low growl broke the wind's howl. From the cliffs' shadows, three coral wraiths emerged, their forms fluid, jade eyes gleaming. Nexus shades, echoes of the island's past, summoned by the ley lines' unrest. Their claws glinted like coral blades, their hisses a challenge: prove your worth, or fall. Rentap's heart pounded, but his grip on Taming Jiwa tightened. The Kirin Blade's path began here, in a fight he couldn't refuse.
The first wraith lunged, its claws slicing the air, a blur of jade and shadow. Rentap rolled left, the coral earth scraping his knees, and sprang up, Taming Jiwa flashing. He wove Storm Claw, an Astra-Nusantara Silat form, his body low, keris slashing in a crescent arc. Jade light trailed the blade, meeting the wraith's claw with a screech of steel on coral. The impact jarred his arm, a new cut blooming on his forearm, blood hot against his skin. The wraith recoiled, its form flickering, but its eyes burned brighter, unyielding.
"Keep moving!" Rentap muttered, mantra steadying his pulse. The second wraith struck, its claws raking from above. He pivoted, Veil Tide cloaking his steps, a fluid sidestep that blurred his form in the twilight. Taming Jiwa sang, its jade pulse flaring as he countered with Sky Fang, a feinting thrust that pierced the wraith's shoulder. Coral shards sprayed, the wraith's hiss a scream, but it didn't fall. The third wraith circled, claws scraping the cliffs, waiting for an opening. Rentap's breath burned, his scars aching, but the Kirin's rune pulsed, urging him on.
The wraiths attacked together, a storm of claws and jade light. Rentap ducked under a swipe, coral dust stinging his eyes, and rolled forward, Iron Surge powering his strike. Taming Jiwa slashed upward, jade waves bursting, cleaving the first wraith's chest. It dissolved into coral ash, its eyes fading. The second wraith's claw grazed his thigh, tearing cloth and skin, a sharp pain that fueled his focus. He spun, Star Whisper weaving his movements with the ley lines' rhythm, and drove Taming Jiwa into the wraith's core. Jade light erupted, shattering it into fragments that rained like embers.
The third wraith was faster, its claws a blur. Rentap parried, Taming Jiwa clashing with coral, sparks flying. His arm burned, blood dripping, but he countered with Storm Claw, a spinning slash that forced the wraith back. It lunged again, claws aimed for his heart. Rentap dropped low, Veil Tide cloaking him, and struck with Sky Fang, the keris piercing the wraith's neck. Jade waves surged, and the wraith collapsed, its form dissolving into the wind. Rentap staggered, panting, Taming Jiwa heavy in his hand, its pulse calm but fierce. The cliffs were silent, the sea's roar a distant hymn.
Rentap sank to his knees, blood and sweat mingling on the crimson earth. Taming Jiwa glowed softly, its jade light reflecting in the coral orb. The trial was over, but the ley lines still hummed, their call sharper now. He pressed a hand to his new cuts—forearm, thigh—wincing as the pain grounded him. The Starlit Kirin's rune pulsed, a vision flickering: a coral fortress, Kerisforge, its spires piercing a jade sky. Voices echoed—Jaya's resolve, Mira's plea, Assyafiee's ancient whisper. The Nexus was stirring, and Rentap was its blade.
He rose, sheathing Taming Jiwa, the kerambit a steady weight at his hip. The rune pouch and Lila's bead clinked, reminders of his anchors. Blood Island's cliffs loomed, but the sea stretched beyond, toward Kerisforge, where the Kirin Blades waited. Rentap's vow burned brighter than his scars: find the betrayer, protect the Nexus, honor Jaya and Mira. The ley lines sang, and he answered, stepping toward the shore where a skiff waited, its kirin sail catching the wind. The tide was rising, and Rentap Buana, orphan of Blood Island, would meet it as a Kirin Blade.
The skiff cut through the waves, Blood Island shrinking behind him. Rentap stood at the prow, Taming Jiwa at his side, the coral orb glowing faintly. The sea was a canvas of jade and shadow, coral reefs pulsing below, ley lines weaving a path to Kerisforge. His scars ached, but his heart was steady, the mantra Ya Rahman, Ya Rahim a quiet rhythm. The Starlit Kirin's rune glowed, a beacon in his mind, and he saw it—a vision of coral halls, blades clashing, a tide of light and shadow. Kerisforge was no myth; it was his crucible, where he'd forge his vow or break beneath it.
As the skiff sailed, a figure appeared on the horizon—a coral boat, its sail marked with the Nexus sigil. A sentinel, clad in coral armor, raised a spear in salute. "Rentap Buana," she called, her voice carrying over the waves. "Kerisforge calls. The Nexus wakes. Are you ready?"
Rentap gripped Taming Jiwa, its pulse syncing with his own. His cuts burned, his scars whispered, but his eyes were sharp, fixed on the horizon. "I'm ready," he said, voice steady, the Kirin's rune blazing. The sentinel nodded, her boat turning to lead him. The sea roared, the ley lines sang, and Rentap sailed toward Kerisforge, the tide of his destiny surging, the dawn of a Kirin Blade breaking.
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