The Heavens Shall Fall

It was a cold day, especially because the rain had been falling for two days in a row, but it didn't stop Siu's routine. Which also meant that training was proceeding without ever thinking about postponing it. What had previously been a flat stretch of packed earth was now torn open wherever his body was thrown down. It created human-shaped deep grooves in the mud or deep lines where his feet had dragged along, getting pushed back. Naturally, they had already filled up with water, splashing it everywhere, especially when Siu's body got thrown into it once again.

“Again!” Elder Thane's voice boomed over the thunderstrike flashing over them.

Siu didn’t answer, even though he had a lot to say... but he couldn't, as only groaning came out of his throat instead of words. Getting back to his feet, shaking, he stood swaying a few paces away from Elder Thane. His right shoulder hung just a little lower than it should have, and if someone with less experience looked at him, they might have thought it was just fatigue, but of course, that wasn't the case. Instead, it had been dislocated twice already, and this was the third time it got popped out of its socket. Taking a deep breath, he rolled it once, forcing it back into place with a nasty-sounding click, suppressing his painful cry by sheer will. As he was doing it, Elder Thane stood across from him, waiting and watching him without an ounce of sympathy in his eyes.

“Look at it from this way,” Thane said suddenly, sensing Siu's emotions, flutter. “At least, you aren't broken yet. When we began, one of these throws was enough to snap your bones.”

"..." Siu exhaled slowly through his nose, lowering his stance, refusing to say anything, but then it did spill out, sounding a bit indignant, for the first time ever. “Still not good enough, though, is it?” he asked.

“No.” Thane’s lips curved upwards at once, not taking offense to his tone. “I know how it feels, because I went through the same. There are no easy victories in this world, Siu, because if you were looking for those, you should have looked for a place for yourself amongst the mortal armies."

"..." With another deep breath, Siu just shook his head, pushing down his growing anger, because it was mostly towards himself and not Elder Thane. He hadn't been feeling this helpless since... since he was a kid. The last time he felt this weak and easily thrown around was only back then.

“Move.”

"...!" Siu did at once, stopping his thoughts, obeying the order, using the Snake's standard form he had been trying to learn, and attacked the Elder standing before him.

Unafraid of popping his shoulder out again, he got into position, his spine bending in a way that was close to snapping it, but the form was ruthless for those who tried learning it. He now understood why Elder Thane told him there would be breaking, because it required the cultivator's body to be elastic. Muscles alone didn't do it justice; even his bones had to endure more bending than normal. When he finally reached his own limit, feeling pain ravaging his body, all his vertebrae groaning under the stress, only then did he step forward.

He had to admit that the power and speed behind the Snake's attack were greater than those of any of the other forms. One moment, he was still, but by the next, his entire body released that tension at once, his arm snapping forward with a speed that was very close to breaking the sound barrier. If he used it against an unassuming target... he could end the fight in just one move, he knew that. As his arm flew forward, his fingers were held in the same way a snake's fangs would be, aiming towards Thane’s throat, but then again, two of his fingers, in the same form, caught his wrist before they could reach him.

“Not bad,” Thane nodded, feeling how Siu's bones in his arms were already cracking as the rebounding energy tore his muscles into shreds, "A few more sets and you may create a sonic boom. Then we can finally say you are at the foundational part of it."

Siu’s eyes narrowed, from both the pain and his words, but he wasn't going to let it end like this. Grunting and swallowing his pain, he was doing his best to convert the failed strike into a capture like Thane had taught him. His other arm was already swinging, his leg stepping across, trying to sweep Thane's leg... but he also made his own move. Luckily, there was no real force behind it, just a perfectly placed redirection, causing Siu to lose his balance, tumbling at once... but Thane didn't let go of his hand yet.

Crack!

His elbow bent the wrong way, but Elder Thane was still holding him just as firmly. Feeling it break, Siu’s breath hitched, but he refused to scream, wanting to attack still, but... There was no energy left in him. When Thane felt him give up, he finally let go of his arm, now hanging uselessly, while he collapsed into the mud.

“The idea was good,” Thane said, looking down at him without pity. “But you aren't there yet. When mastered, in this form, you could easily twist yourself out of a hold, reverse it on your enemy, or just switch to one of the other forms to continue attacking.”

"I... Know..." Siu’s teeth clenched, trying to sit up. "But before... That..." He tried breathing, hissing constantly like an actual snake, "I'm going to go broke! Broken! Fuck..."

“Yes, you are,” Thane chukled, swiping his wet hair backward, looking at him through the cold rain.

Seeing Elder Thane close his eyes when chuckling, Siu, with what energy was left in him, tried to get him into the mud too... but of course, that was a failed attempt.

"True, I didn't say to stop," Thane said, dodging and going on the offense.

"...?!"

Siu managed to roll away from the first attack, coming down as a stomp. He was trying to get to his feet with one useless arm, only to get kicked when doing so, and hear his other shoulder blade be gone in the next moment. It wasn't cracked exactly, but the joint slipped out again with a wet, sickening shift that sent a sharp spike through his entire left side... and this time, he did scream before falling over again.

"I'm done... I give up..." He moaned, breathing in the muddy rainwater, starting to cough, but he couldn't move either his arms... or his legs, as they were afraid they would be next, refusing to make him stand up.

“Good,” Thane nodded, crouching down next to him, "I hoped to hear that." Although lightning was crashing above them, rumbling loudly, Siu could clearly hear what he was saying, looking down at him, "I noticed that you are keen to take risks. Whenever we duel, you always go for another attack, wanting yours to be the last, even from a beaten position. It had worked out for you... until now. It is a great mindset, yes, but..." He stopped speaking, just watching him, taking a deep breath, "It can't be the only way you look at things. Otherwise, one day, you will kick an iron board and die. You have to know when there is no more chance to win...When there is no more 'oh, the next attack will surely slip through' kind of scenario. When there is only one thing to say: I give up. Naturally," He chuckled, helping him stand up, "Don't say it to your enemy, but try to flee to safety, hm?"

"Ugh..." Siu almost laughed, but it became nothing but a groan and a half-breath when he was pulled up from the mud. “When’s the next session...?” He asked, knowing that it was over because he couldn't even move his arms now.

“Hm... In three days.” Thane said after considering it, and this was the longest pause until now.

“Three?” He asked, surprised.

“You will not be able to move properly tomorrow,” Thane said flatly. “And the day after, I want you to still keep it resting. Only do stretching exercises, and then, on the third day, we will review your progress.”

"Understood.”

“Go to the Medicine Hall,” Thane said with a much warmer smile now. “Tell them I said that the Sect will finance it.”

"Elder," Siu asked with a smile of his own, "Isn't this... favoritism?"

“Yeah,” he chortled, crossing his arms in answer. “That sounds about right. So what about it? You are a promising disciple; every Elder WOULD do the same. Show what you got, get what you deserve. It's how we work!”

...

....

......

Getting submerged up to the top of his head, the bath burned inside and out, seeping into his body from all his pores. He had to hold his breath for about a minute, until the very first and most potent effects took place, starting with how his arm was being reset, the cracks in his bone fixed and realigned by the solution. When he came back to the surface, taking a breath, he inadvertently spat out a clump of bloodied clot, before going back down again, letting it do its painful work, feeling like tiny hands were crawling inside him, fixing him up. When finally, most of it was done, the feelings in his arms normalizing, he leaned his head back against the edge of the bath, staring up at the ceiling, even enjoying the slow, creeping numbness that came after the pain.

"Master, are you back?" Arya's voice came into his mind.

"You can say that. What's up?"

"I just felt you were hurting..."

"As usual. It's training."

"It's bad!" Marly joined in, "Master, we don't like it!"

"It is how this works; you don't have to worry about it. I'm not being tortured or killed." He chortled, but he felt happy that they were worried about him. Which was also why he usually left them with Neya, refusing to bring them along to these training sessions.

"Hmph! We don't see others do it, Master!" Arya argued, "Neya isn't doing anything like you... You should stop. And train like us!"

"By sleeping and eating?"

"Yes!" The two said at once, which wasn't a surprise.

"I wish that would work for me, alas, it won't. Now... Let me heal a bit more. Then I'll be back, and the next two days are free, so I can train in your... ways. Happy?"

"Perfect!" Arya's fired-up yell came next, before Siu closed his eyes, letting the bath do its job.

...

....

......

His cave was quiet by the time he exited the baths and returned home. The rain had also stopped, but the clouds were still there, turning the early evening as dark as if it were midnight. He didn’t bother with a lamp; he moved around by memory, feeling his body relax as he entered his little home, realizing how tired he indeed was.

“Yeah,” he muttered to himself, dragging a hand through his damp hair, feeling that by just moving both his hands, they felt like tiny ants were rushing around under his skin, “That was… a bit much.”

“Only a bit?”

"Eh?" He blinked, turning his head because the voice wasn't coming from Arya or Marly. What he missed was that Neya stood near the entrance of his cave, a small bundle in her hands. She had probably been there for a while already, waiting for him and not wanting to interrupt. “Hey,” Siu said, smiling and turning to face her. "How are things going?"

“They are fine, don't worry about it,” she answered softly, stepping up to him, checking him out, and although her eyes were a bit worried, she didn't say a thing. She didn’t even bombard him with questions, unlike the twins when they first saw him so battered. Instead, she set the bundle down near the low stone table next to his bed and began unwrapping it.

“Come, sit down, I brought food,” she began, “You didn’t eat after training, did you?”

“You didn’t have to,” Siu answered, but the way Neya looked at him, raising a brow, made sure that he understood she indeed had to.

“I wanted to.” She even reinforced it with a strict voice, and that was the end of it.

"Thanks," He chuckled as he sat down next to her, watching her arrange the food, which was simple things, mostly roasted meat, to recover energy.

"Let's eat before the two bundles of fur get back, and eat it.

"Where are they anyway?" Siu asked, allowing Neya to pick up a bite and place it in his mouth.

"Probably running around, now that the rain had stopped. They refused to go out while it was as wet as it was. I can understand that... You look terrible, spending all day outside.”

“No way!” He chortled, chewing his food, "It's probably the lighting."

“Heh, sure!” She giggled, continued feeding him, and Siu was visibly happy, not having to use his arms, since even if fixed, they were way too sensitive now. “Is it really... That bad...?” She asked after a while.

“Worse than it looks.”

"Oh..." She hummed softly, “I heard,” she muttered quietly, “About how it works...”

“Oh? From who?" He asked, curious if anyone else was dabbling with it, because then he would try to ask for some pointers.

“I read up on it, that's all. I found many notes on it in the library, trying to see which supplements one needs to take to make it easier. They were not helping... at all! Everyone hated the form and abandoned it quickly."

"Heh, no wonder," Siu said immediately, understanding their feelings, studying her expression while another bite of a juicy piece of meat got pushed into his mouth.

Unlike Arya or Marly, she had never come to him with, 'You should slow down,' or 'This is too dangerous.' She never tried to tell him to change styles, which he wouldn't do anyway. He got this far already; he won't give up just because it's hard.

“It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” He offered, making Neya smile at him.

“I figured that too.” She nodded, and as the food was gone, Siu was about to say something, but Neya was turning him around, after wiping her fingers. “So, I looked something else up. Go, sit properly,” she added, moving behind him.

"Huh?" Siu raised a brow, but obeyed nonetheless, “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been reading on how to help, that's all.”

"And it was about...?"

“Just sit, okay?” She added, sounding... nervous? That didn't bode well, but he still obeyed, curious what she was trying to do.

There was a brief pause, but then her hands pulled apart his robes, freeing his torso, and her hands wandered onto his back. Siu’s breath got stuck for a moment, and not from pain this time, but from his sudden surprise as her fingers began to move, pressing against his body.

“Massage?” he asked, holding back a laugh.

“Mhm.”

“You’ve also been reading about this?”

“Yes... is it weird?”

“Well, no…" He muttered, looking back over his shoulder, watching her bright red face, "Shouldn't I lie down?”

“Hm...” She stopped and, in the end, nodded, and a moment later, she was sitting atop him, continuing to massage his body, getting more and more confident with it.

As if knowing where she should do it, her fingers pressed along the bones of his shoulders first, working outward, then inward again, her fingers finding the tightest points without needing to search too long. They were almost like screaming for her touch. Until then, Siu didn’t realize how tense he still was, which began to ease wherever Neya's fingers touched, making him feel even better than after leaving the Medicine Hall.

“Damn… This helps,” he admitted with a loud moan, "A lot..."

“I know! It is good, isn't it?!” Neya said happily, sounding super proud of herself. "Just stay put, I will do the rest! It's fine if you fall asleep."

That was not a bad idea either. The feeling of her fingers moving around his limbs, going up and down his torso, later on even taking off all his clothes and working on his legs and thighs... It was such a wonderful feeling that Siu drifted off into the deepest sleep he had ever had.