Chapter Four:Dance of Fire and Spirit

The stone guardian's voice still echoed in Budin's bones long after it had vanished into mist.

He stood at the edge of the overgrown path, heart hammering, the wrapped keris still humming faintly against his side. Beyond the stone gate was a winding trail carved by forgotten hands—part earth, part root, part ancient stone. Lanterns of strange blue flame flickered to life as he stepped forward, illuminating the way like ghostly sentinels.

He had passed the physical trial.

But he could feel it in the air now—this was only the beginning.

---

As he walked, the jungle shifted.

The sounds of birds, insects, and wind faded into silence. The trees stood too still, their leaves frozen as if even they were watching. The trail narrowed, then opened suddenly into a massive hollow.

There, nestled beneath the roots of a colossal tree with silver-veined bark, stood the Temple of the Dragon's Well—Telaga Naga.

Its walls were stone and moss, its roof shattered by time, but its heart still pulsed with sacred power. Budin felt it in his chest, as if something within him was vibrating in harmony with the temple itself.

Rania was waiting for him on the far side of the clearing, seated cross-legged beside a ring of unlit candles. She didn't look up as he approached, her eyes closed, her breath deep and calm.

"You made it," she said quietly.

"I fought a monster made of stone."

She nodded slowly. "That was the guardian. A test of form, strength, and instinct."

"Then I passed."

"That was the first test."

Budin tensed. "There's more?"

She opened her eyes.

"Now comes the test of the spirit."

---

At the temple's center was a circular platform of white stone, and in the middle, surrounded by runes etched deep into the floor, lay a well—dark as obsidian, silent as death. Budin approached it slowly.

There was no wind. No birds. Not even the rustle of trees. Just the sound of his breath, and the faint throb of his heartbeat.

"What is this place?" he asked.

Rania stepped beside him. "This is Telaga Naga. It is older than the jungle. Older than any silat form known today."

She touched the edge of the well. "Here, truth is not told. It is shown."

Budin peered into the water.

At first, it was just darkness. Still. Perfectly still.

Then... his reflection shifted.

---

He saw himself as a child—alone, barefoot, standing in the rice fields after his father's disappearance. He saw himself crying, fists clenched, swearing to become strong enough to protect his family. Then the image rippled.

A new vision.

His father—Pendekar Mahzan—battling five warriors in the jungle, blood on his chest, but still standing tall. One of the masked figures raised a burning blade. The blade hissed with spirit-fire, its edges flickering with ghostly red light.

> "You should have joined us, Mahzan," one of them said.

> "Silat is not meant to rule," his father replied. "It is meant to protect."

A flash of light—then darkness.

Then another image.

His father, bound and kneeling before a shadowed figure seated on a throne of bones and silk, deep inside a temple lit only by flame.

The voice from the throne echoed in Budin's mind:

> "Your son carries the blood you deny. And when he comes for you… we will be waiting."

Budin stumbled back from the well, breath ragged, heart hammering.

"Was that real?" he gasped. "Was that… the future?"

Rania's face was unreadable. "It is truth. Past, present, or possibility—it depends on you."

Budin stared at the well.

"My father's alive."

"He may be. But you are not the only one who seeks him."

She knelt beside the well and touched one of the runes.

> "The Order of the Shadow Flame," she said softly. "They were once guardians of the old silat—masters of balance between the physical and the spiritual. But they chose power. Domination. They seek the Seal of Bayang, the origin of spirit-silat. If they find it, they will not just rule men—they will command the unseen world."

Budin's hand drifted to his keris.

"Then I need to find it first."

---

That night, Budin sat alone in the outer courtyard of the temple, staring up at the stars.

He felt heavy. The visions had stirred something inside him—not just pain, but purpose.

Until now, his dream had been personal. Glory. Strength. Recognition. But now…

It was bigger.

He wasn't just walking this path for himself.

He was walking it to protect the very balance of the world.

A breeze whispered through the trees. The candles around the temple flickered. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a tiger's low growl—not a threat, but an acknowledgment.

And then, from the shadows, Rania appeared again.

She sat beside him in silence for a while before speaking.

"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked.

He nodded.

"And now?"

He looked at her with new eyes.

"I'm ready for the next trial."

She smiled, faint and proud.

> "Then tomorrow, I will teach you the Way of Wind."