The Heavens Shall Fall

It was still almost completely dark when Siu arrived before the Hollow Song's true gate. Snow had been falling since sometime during the night, growing thick enough to cover the broad stone waiting area with a fresh white layer even as the disciples and caravans still kept coming and going. Despite it all, the cold wasn't that terrible when the wind was low, making it much more bearable.

“Wonderful weather.” Joren arrived a minute later, rubbing his hands together, yawning.

“Master likes snow,” Arya answered, puffing her chest out, still in her tall form, enjoying walking around in it. "He can snuggle up against me and get warmed~!"

"Says the one who is complaining about feeling cold and having to snuggle up to me. I had to drag you out of bed." Siu retorted as he glanced at her with one eye, catching Marly's head between Arya's bosom, as the weird, added plumpness under her winter robes was telling where the little squirrel had found a place to continue sleeping.

"It's the same concept," Arya grinned as she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, catching several flakes in the process.

"Bastard," Joren added under his breath, glaring at Siu, who decided to ignore his words, which were full of sudden jealousy, imagining what the two 'lovebirds' were talking about.

As they looked around for the others, the pale gold and bright blue light from the rippling gate was like a man-made daybreak, turning the wintry landscape into something like a painting. While Siu searched with his eyes, he heard a loud chirp, making his head snap toward the noise.

“There they are.”

The moment he caught sight of Cinna, the bird began jumping in place, despite being tethered to a massive wagon. Clearly, the Redcrown Runner was so excited that it nearly dragged the carriage sideways, trying to reach him, only staying in place because of Bortan's strict command.

“Be a good girl,” Siu said in a raised voice as they got close to her, and like an obedient pet, she immediately lowered herself, becoming a calm little bird, blinking her big eyes at him.

"Master has a way with women." Arya nodded, crossing her arms with a sagely look. "He will have a wonderful harem when he gets to be the Sect Master."

"Ignore her," Siu said, mostly to Cinna, who was tilting her head, examining Arya but recognizing her by her smell, and soon nodding her head vigorously. Then, when Siu finally got close enough, Cinna immediately shoved her head into his chest. “Oof! Careful, you are stronger than you think!” He moaned as he stumbled backward from the unexpected attack, only for Cinna to chirp triumphantly.

"Haaah," Bortan shrugged, stepping up to Siu, watching the happy bird. “She has been like this since she realized who booked her. We have been talking at the Companions, and if you got a place, you could take her.”

"Huh? Take her?" Siu managed to get one hand against Cinna's neck by then, rubbing it, while looking questioningly at Bortan.

"Yeah. When bonding like this happens, we aren't going to step in its way, because it benefits everyone. It may even help her evolve, which would mean another addition to the Hollow Song's powers. It's a win-win for the sect."

"I'll... think about it," Siu muttered, unsure if they could even take care of her. To avoid giving an answer now, he began examining the carriage, and Cinna's eyes still followed him as he stepped around the wagon.

It was much larger than the one they had used before, fully covered and heated on the inside. It was wide enough that nobody would need to spend the entire trip sitting on somebody else's knees or bump into each other when the road got difficult.

“Morning.” Siu heard the voice of Seloryn, followed by Rinmei's greeting, coming from the other side of the carriage.

“Morning,” Joren answered, while Seloryn's head popped over the right end of it, gazing at Siu.

“How is it?”

“Perfect. Bortan said it will dampen most of the road's imperfections, so I expect no complaints from anyone.”

"I hope that we have better suspension than last time." Joren kicked one of the wheels lightly.

“Please," Bortan chuckled, "That was also good. However, this one is indeed for comfort, as it is designed to transport people rather than cargo. You'll see.”

As they were talking, more figures were already approaching through the snowfall, with one of them being Ruben with his umbrella open, followed by Vael and Nokoh, with Cho'Wa prancing around in a pretty good mood, enjoying the weather the most.

"Huh..." Siu hummed when he looked at Rinmei for a second time, who looked more lively than before. “You said winter became your favorite, but now I can see it's more than that.”

"Honestly, my blood flows much better in weather like this," She smiled at him while answering, “Maybe I became a half-Icecrown Stag or something. I can't handle the summer that well...” Then her eyes moved toward Cinna as the two were examining each other. “Aw... She's... cute..."

Naturally, the Redcrown accepted that with a loud chirp, looking proud of herself, pulling her body up to its full height, fluffing up all the feathers she had, throwing the snow off them.

"Have you found out anything new?" Vael asked as he stepped up to Siu, still looking a bit unsure, rubbing the bracelet that had gone white and dormant since the 'announcement' a few days ago. The fact that he was coming with them was such a surprise he still couldn't get over it.

"No." Siu shook his head, smiling. "But just keep relaxed and calm. I can guess they are letting you come with us because of your sect, so... There may be things going on we don't know about. Anyway, just act within reason, and we should be fine."

"I will." He shrugged. "I owe you that much. I just don't like going into traps blind."

"That's why they called traps." Ruben chimed in from climbing up halfway to the carriage. "Nobody goes into a trap if they know it's there."

As the two began exchanging ideas about what a trap is, Siu's eyes locked onto a large silhouette at the far end, moving steadily toward them.

“Oh.” Rinmei whispered, standing next to Siu, "You weren't joking, huh?"

"I did sign up everyone, so yeah." Siu nodded, watching as Bren Tarr walked toward them.

He mostly still looked exactly like when he last saw him, with the biggest difference being visible in his expression. It was calmer and smoother, with most of the wrinkles gone from his forehead, showing he now lived a simpler, calmer life. Siu didn't even see the previous haughtiness in his steps, the one he noticed subconsciously when Bren first tried to recruit him after joining the sect.

"So he came..." Arya immediately narrowed her eyes, but Siu just pinched her waist, telling her to stop it, whatever she was about to do or say next.

Seeing it play out, in the end, Bren stopped a few steps away as his eyes passed over the group before settling on Siu. To Arya's surprise, the next moment Bren simply cupped his hands, bowing a little.

“Senior Siu.”

"Eh..." Siu stared at him, his mouth opening a little before shaking his head. “No... That makes it weird.”

"What do you mean, no?" Bren blinked, and Siu could swear there was a smile hiding on his face. “You are a Paragon now; you are above me in rank, by that alone. Not to mention, you are the leader of the organization I'm trying to join."

“Still... Don't do that.” He waved a hand, and this time an actual small smile appeared on Bren's face.

“However, it is appropriate.”

"Haaah... You enjoy this, don't you? I didn't know you had humor like this!"

"Heh," Ruben laughed quietly from behind them. "I like his attitude."

"Really?" Siu glanced at him over his shoulder. “Do you want to call me Senior too?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then shut up.”

"You changed a bit, too," Bren chuckled as he said it, but there was no edge in it at all.

“We all did, as it's been a while,” Siu answered with a shrug, turning back towards him. “How have you been?”

“Been doing fine, but not as well as you did." He began as he looked toward the carriage. "While I slowed down, you seem to keep accelerating. I almost envy that."

"I can't believe you two are talking like that." Rinmei blurted it out, remembering all the hassle they had gone through while being Outer Disciples.

"The past is the past, isn't that true?" Bren raised an eyebrow, glancing at Rinmei. “What else would we do now, in the present?”

"Dunno," Rinmei stared harder at the two, “However, I saw you two try to cripple each other in a battle. You almost broke his back while he almost stabbed you in the eye.”

“We got over it.” They said at the same time, making Rinmei shiver and feel weirded out.

"We settled that," Bren said as he looked at Siu.

"Yeah, especially after he saved Neya." Siu agreed, looking back at Bren.

Seeing them act so nonchalantly, Rinmei's mouth opened, unable to put the scene she was seeing into words.

“I remain suspicious.” Arya chimed in, glaring at Bren, and in her current form, they were almost at the same height.

"You are...?" Bren looked at her before recognizing the mismatched eyes. "Ah, you must be Arya.”

Then, some sunlight finally broke through the clouds and mountains, and the moment it hit Arya's body... she shrunk down, barely reaching up to Bren's stomach the next moment.

“Huh." Bren blinked his eyes rapidly, looking at Siu. "Now that's more like how I remember her. The look of a seductress just doesn't do justice to how nasty she can be."

“Master!” Arya yelled, with tear-filled eyes, "He is bullying me! For sure, he made the sun come out just now!"

"You bully yourself," Siu said with a shrug, turning towards the carriage. "I think we are all here, so... Let's get on the way before anything weird happens!"

In the end, the final checks took another twenty minutes while Bortan showed them where the carriage had been loaded with food, spare winter equipment, and emergency tents with blankets if they needed to camp outside. It was finally showing why it was nice to be on good terms with someone from the Companions, as they had no extra fee to pay for any of it, only for borrowing Cinna and the big wagon.

When Bortan took his leave, wishing them good luck, one of the Hollow Song servants working the main gate approached the group with a tablet in hand.

“You are the Spirit Wardens?”

"Yes." Siu turned, cupping his hands respectfully, making the servant smile a little as he checked the formation tablet one more time.

“Your destination adjustment has been approved by the Elders, so we are ready to transport you to a special coordinate. Please note that as there is no fixed gate at the place you had chosen,” he continued, which was true, because it came from Vael, supplying them with which spot they should approach the Reach from. Then, Quillian took those coordinates and went to the Nine Hanging Bells, managing to request special transport access for their mission. “Your exit coordinates may be off by a few degrees.”

"We were informed of that," Siu nodded. "But it shouldn't be that drastic, yes?"

"Naturally. You will emerge inside the territory administered by the Stormglass Pavilion with no issues.” The servant nodded, checking the coordinates. "As this is a Hollow Song region, we can send you there; it's just that the farther we need to drop you out from an anchor gate, the less precise it will be. You may need to travel a day or two still to reach a settlement. We can't risk sending you farther than that... You may... well, disappear. Spatial formations are fickle after all."

"Encouraging..." Rinmei whispered, glancing at the servant, who just chuckled, shaking his head.

“Don't worry, we have done it a million times plus one. As I said," He turned back to Siu, "Your route has been registered. The gate will recognize the amended destination through your mission authorization, so feel free to enter whenever you are ready.”

“Thank you.” Siu bowed a little again, and the servant returned the gesture, leaving and heading to another caravan, probably relaying another set of news to another leaving group.

“Well," Joren muttered, climbing into the carriage, "I still think frozen roots would have been simpler.”

"Salty, just like your daddy," Ruben sighed, going after him.

"I'm just glad we get to stretch our legs a little," Nokoh added, following the duo, while Bren also climbed up, remaining silent.

As for Siu, he climbed onto the driver's bench, making Cinna straighten up, while Vael took the seat next to him, acting as a guide. In a hurry, Arya climbed up beside him, too, while Marly pulled herself out from under her robes, complaining.

"My fluffy pillows disappeared... Where warmth? Uuuu..."

"Hmph!" Arya snorted, pouting, while the squirrel, who was clearly in a state of winter shock and wanted to sleep through it, quickly climbed over to Siu's side, right into his robes, disappearing.

The moment everyone was on board, Siu clicked his tongue, and the carriage rolled forward surprisingly gently. It looked like Cinna had learned a bit from their previous trip and was even better by now, not even making the carriage lurch at all. It was a smooth departure as the enormous energy field grew until it filled everything Siu could see. Just when there was nothing else to see, the world folded around them, yanking everyone out of existence, then dropping them down, their stomachs bouncing up and down inside their bodies.

When the carriage's wheel struck the ground, Siu pulled the reins gently, wanting to stop Cinna from continuing blindly and see where they even were.

“Wait!” He said, but the moment he inhaled, the cold was like knives against his lungs. It was much... much colder here than back in the sect. “Heavens...” He gasped, rubbing his throat, and even Cinna ruffled her feathers, chirping as she looked around.

"Even I feel that." Rinmei leaned out from inside the carriage, curious about the transfer.

"Don't let in the cold!" Joren yelled from somewhere behind.

Their carriage now sat deep between the trees, snow packed against it, hanging heavily from the pine branches that surrounded the group, and piling along the edges of the narrow road they stood on. Well... it had to be a road, because it looked more compacted than the fresh snow around them. Seeing no other way than forward, Cinna began stamping through the snow, ready to pull them forward with a happy chirp.

“You really don't care, do you?” Siu asked with a smile as they began rolling forward, heading out of the forest.

“Is this Stormglass territory?” Seloryn asked, her head appearing next to Rinmei's.

“Outer territory.” Vael pointed north as the trees began thinning, and they exited the forest. “The Pavilion itself is much farther from here, towards a mountain range that separates the Hollow Song's outermost territory from the lands of Coldrend. Hilltop Reach is that direction.” He pointed towards the west. "We came out pretty close to their capital, Sumeck, which sits on the largest hill this land has."

"You know this place well, huh?" Seloryn said with a smile, making Vael nod.

"Kinda. This forest is one of the main logging sites on their southern border, so it's not that hard to orient myself. Anyway, we shouldn't be that far."

"One question, though!" Arya said, raising a hand, "What is Coldrend?"

"Good question." Rinmei nodded, reaching out, rubbing her head, making Arya smile proudly.

"Oh..." Vael blinked, looking at them in surprise. "You never came across it in Quillian's works?"

"I'm reading about affinities, not regions," Siu said with a shrug, making Vael glance at Seloryn, but she just signaled with her eyes to keep talking.

"My Stormglass is a border-guarding sect, in all honesty." He said, collecting his thoughts. "All the major conflicts we ever had were against similar forces in Coldrend's territory, north of us, guarding their side of the border."

"That still hasn't said much," Rinmei murmured, making Seloryn finally speak up.

"They are on the same level as our Hollow Song, being another subordinate sect under the Obsidian Moon. Think of them as neighbors whom we fight from time to time."

"And," Ruben popped his head out too by then, "Nobody wanted to mention that before we took this mission?"

"It's not that important, is it?" Joren chimed in from behind, but then Nokoh's voice warned him.

"I think it is. What if their hands are in it?"

"Could be." Bren agreed quietly, but Seloryn shook her head resolutely.

"That could easily start a war between Coldrend and us, which neither side would want. Especially because the Obsidian Moon would step in and stop it; that's for sure."

"..."

"Vael?" Siu asked, glancing at him, seeing him start to think.

"They shouldn't be involved; she is right." He said suddenly, his face smoothing out. "They are too big and proud to do something trivial like this."

"They would have tried to turn the local power to their side first, no?" Bren offered all of a sudden, as all eyes then fell onto Vael once more.

"I would have known about that..." He muttered, furrowing his brows. "Especially after what I did..."

But for some reason... His voice wasn't that sure of that.