The moonlight from the summit of Borobudur not only washed away the filth from Lin Xingyun's arms, but also seemed to clear the haze from the hearts of the three men. After the continuous battles and mental tension, the peaceful spiritual energy surrounding the ruins felt like a gentle comfort, allowing them to breathe. They didn't leave immediately. Instead, they found a sheltered shrine on the top floor and sat together, sharing the simple food that Aisha had brought—rice balls and roasted dried fish wrapped in banana leaves.
The sense of relief after surviving the ordeal, and the trust built from fighting a common enemy, softened the tension of the previous atmosphere. Buakaw munched on the dried fish, mumbling an inarticulate admiration: "Sister Aisha, your cloth is amazing! And Xingyun, that last stroke was like the manifestation of the true Buddha! My arm is still a little numb." He shook his arm with a lingering fear, evidently the lingering power of the "Compassionate Buddha's Hand Mark." Aisha lowered her head somewhat sheepishly, nibbling at a rice ball. She whispered, "It was Grandma's cloth and the 'Ancient Will' here that helped us. I... I just did my bit." Her gaze drifted involuntarily to Lin Xingyun, eyes filled with curiosity. This young man from a foreign land seemed shrouded in mystery, especially his dagger, which resonated with his family's heirloom wax knife.
Lin Xingyun felt the gentle power of the newly formed "Compassionate Buddha Hand Mark" within him. Its yin and yang, stillness and movement, formed a delicate balance with the previously treacherous "Shadow Snake Witch Mark," allowing him to more smoothly and effortlessly control his psychic power. He drew out the Chris dagger, its undulating blade gleaming with a cool sheen in the moonlight. "Grandma Sarina said the ancient covenant hasn't dissipated. Aisha, does your family also carry legends about the 'Star Sea' or the connection between different tokens?"
Ayisha's expression grew serious at the mention of family heritage. She put down the food and pulled the small brass Kantin pot from her cloth bag. The pot was intricately engraved with patterns, distinct from the dagger's, yet hinting at a shared ancient spirit. "Grandma said that when we draw patterns, we don't just record beauty; it's a way to communicate with the universe, even the distant stars. Our oldest family ballad says that when the stars return to their positions and shadows reappear, the scattered 'keys' will call to each other, guiding their holders back together and awakening dormant guardian powers."
She hesitated, then reached out and carefully touched the dagger's spine with her fingertips. The moment they touched, something strange happened!
The patterns on the dagger suddenly glowed, and the Kantin pot in Aisha's hands vibrated, the faint aroma of unmelted wax emanating from the spout. Even more bizarre, the ancestral shadow puppets in Lin Xingyun's prop box began to hum softly! At the same time, Aisha felt a blur of images flash through her mind: not just Lin Xingyun's dagger, but also... a pair of silver earrings gleaming in the Mekong River's waves; a belt adorned with colorful shells, worn around the waist of a Filipino dancer; even a small jade Buddha looming in the mist of a Burmese temple...
"Ah!" The onslaught of information made Aisha gasp softly, retracting her fingers, and the image vanished. She rubbed her forehead, panting, "I... I see it! Not just your sword, but others... They're scattered everywhere, like guiding stars in the darkness!"
Lin Xingyun and Buakaw exchanged glances, each seeing the shock and excitement in the other's eyes. The token resonance was real! And it wasn't just theirs!
"It seems Grandma Sarina's 'Guide of the Stars' doesn't just refer to me." Lin Xingyun suppressed his excitement. "We need to find the other holders of the token. Only by reuniting our scattered forces can we confront threats like the 'Shadow Serpent' and the 'Gene Alliance'."
This discovery gave their impromptu team, originally formed solely to dispel the black magic, a loftier and more focused purpose. A sense of mission surged through the three of them.
"Great!" Buakaw slapped his thigh excitedly. "This is fun! Fighting has a purpose! Where should we go next? To find those earrings, or that shell belt?"
Lin Xingyun pondered for a moment, sensing the faint guidance from the dagger, which seemed to have a stronger sense of the direction of "water." "The dagger seems to be pointing east, near a large body of water. Aisha, were the earrings you saw also near the water?"
Ayisha tried to recall the fleeting scene: "Yes, shimmering, it seemed to be near a very wide river, with many boats..."
"The Mekong River!" Buakaw quickly replied. "It must be towards the Gulf of Siam, or even further east! I know the way!"
The goal was initially clear: to find the holder of the Mekong River token—the owner of the silver earrings.
As dawn approached, the three quietly left Borobudur in the fading light of dawn. Returning to Grandma Sarina's cottage in Yogyakarta, they told her of their experience and their astonishing discovery.
Grandma Sarina listened quietly, a look of relief yet a complex expression on her wrinkled face. "The spindle of fate has finally begun to turn again." She gently stroked Aisha's hair. "Go, child. Batik patterns require different threads to complete, and the balance of the world requires diverse forces to maintain. Remember what Grandma taught you: the 'breathing' of the pattern is the rhythm of power."
She prepared some travel supplies and simple healing herbs for the three of them. She also specially handed Lin Xingyun a small piece of cloth treated with a special medicinal wax: "Keep this close to your body. It will help to isolate your overly obvious 'star aura' and prevent you from being prematurely targeted by unnecessary trouble."
After bidding farewell to Grandma Sarina, the trio officially embarked on a new journey. Their first destination was the Mekong River, the mighty river in the East that nurtured ancient civilizations.
Lin Xingyun looked back at the city of Yogyakarta shrouded in morning mist and the distant outline of Mount Merapi, his heart filled with anticipation for the unknown. His personal crisis had been temporarily resolved, but an adventure that touched a wider world had just begun. The star map has lit up in their hearts. The next stage of their journey will be to travel downstream, seeking allies by the water.
(End of Chapter 8)