The Heavens Shall Fall

As winter eased up all over the Sect, and spring was coming, turning the all-white scenery into something much more colorful, Siu had also realized that it had been two years since he had spent inside the Hollow Song Sect. It had gone by him way faster than a single month had in his old 'home.' When he thought about it, he still felt like he had just walked up the mountains and walked through the gates to be tested... Comparing the way it was when he grew up and today was night and day, as if they were two different lives. The only resemblance between them was the number of times he had found himself on the ground...

“Again.”

Elder Thane’s voice cut through the morning chill and wind that still had some of the scent of winter lingering within it. Siu didn’t answer, of course, because without being told so, he was already moving, his spine and bones bending beyond what a normal human could do or withstand. To an untrained eye, it looked almost wrong, as if he were not even human anymore, especially because none of his bones snapped into two, yet they should have. Then, just as he reached his limits, he let his body release all the tension, and he vanished from his place. An actual, sharp crack echoed as his foot left the ground and his arm shot forward, his fingers aligned like fangs. The strike's speed warped the air as it aimed for Elder Thane's throat, causing sonic booms and making onlookers take a sharp intake of breath as they watched Siu perform it.

“What the—”

“That’s—”

But before anyone could finish, Elder Thane had dodged, tapping his back as Siu tumbled forward.

“Faster,” he said, "You can go faster, Siu!"

“Tch!”

Clicking his tongue, knowing he was right, he twisted his body as he stepped in once again, with the same sonic boom following his attack, his hand now aiming towards Thane's ribs, and if they would hit, they would go through, right between his ribcage, probably puncturing his lungs. But he wasn't done, because Siu was expecting him to block his attack, so after masking his steps with the Fox's deception, in the last moment, his leg hooked forward, attempting to trap Elder Thane in his current stance. He didn't want him to dodge.

“Better.” Thane nodded, indeed catching his arm, tanking his kick with his feet, not even flinching, just so that a palm-strike could strike Siu's chest.

Luckily, the counter did not come in too hard. However, it was still perfectly placed, as Siu’s body slid back across the damp ground, his feet leaving shallow marks before he caught himself, exhaling sharply through his nose as he stabilized himself, gulping back what was trying to come back up his throat. As he took another breath, he could hear how, behind them, the spectators present had kept talking to each other.

“Since when can he attack and be... so fast?” Varren whispered, eyes wide, "I couldn't even follow the direction of his strikes."

“Tell me about it..." Kira said under her breath, her gaze locked onto the field, trying not to miss anything, comparing Siu's moves to her own, "Me neither. I'm afraid that even if we work together, we couldn't catch him. If you ask me, that’s not… Well, that’s not an outer disciple's speed or strength.”

“Which is insane if you think about it,” Rinmei cut in quietly, arms crossed as she watched them fighting, multiple cracks echoing, watching as Siu and the Elder was now in a grappling match, Siu trying to bring him down onto the ground, yet Elder Thane was moving just like Siu, as if he was made of jelly and not bones, sneaking out of his attempts with ease. "Tsk, Elder Thane is a jerk... he doesn't even let him get in one hit... Pretty unfair, if you ask me!"

“He is doing it on purpose,” Milli shrugged, leaning forward slightly, her eyes moving back and forth between the two right up until they separated again, Siu being flung over Thane's shoulders and slammed into the ground. “We aren't as good at fighting as Siu, but I can tell that Elder Thane is ironing out the remaining minute flaws in his moves.”

“Mhm,” Nilli nodded, watching with narrowed eyes. “Elder Thane isn’t holding back in technique, only in his strength. If you look closely, he uses the same attacks as Siu, then Siu mimics them and fixes all the mistakes that he had in them previously. I don't know if he does it consciously or not, but damn... Neya got lucky getting his first with him... With that flexibility, he could do some insane things in bed!”

"Khm!" Neya cleared her throat warningly and didn't want to hear the twins say something like that again... but Varren's next words didn't help much.

“That’s the scary part,” he said without realizing he did, "He looks as if he copies Elder Thane perfectly.

“Master is slower today,” Arya commented just at the same time, but her words weren't understandable by the others.

“I think he’s holding back,” Marly added from beside her, chewing on something she had clearly stolen earlier. “He wants to catch the Elder off-guard.”

“Ahhh, true.” Arya nodded, "I can see it now. I don't know if it will work, though. It is unfair that the old man is so much stronger! That's cheating, hmph!"

“What are you two squeaking about?” Kira turned to them, but of course, nobody could understand the two, only knowing they were probably talking to each other.

"Probably talking about Siu's current thoughts," Neya said with a still flushed face, glancing at the two, then back at Siu, somehow finding herself to be able to read him better than the others, "He is planning something."

“Any idea about what?” Varren asked, "I can't follow it at all."

“I think he wants to win,” she answered, without blinking, watching him move.

His steps were uneven, looking careless, which was the dead giveaway that he was hiding his true aim.

“Be careful of your next choice,” Thane said with a smile, reading him, "If I counter you again, I will break something."

Siu didn’t answer, as if he didn't even hear his words, as his eyes were focused on Elder Thane's body, ignoring everything else. He was calculating the time between his chest inflating and deflating, trying to read the Elder's breathing technique throughout the previous exchanges, even when he was thrown down. Finally, he had it down on a beat, recognizing a rhythm that kept repeating and that was what he had to exploit... Sensing the restart of Thane's breathing cycle, it was the signal he'd been waiting for, and his body swayed once, twice, then he attacked.

The sways managed to gather enough energy for his body to break the sound barrier once again, but even pushing him to be faster than before. Elder Thane moved to intercept again, but then he had to force himself to stop mid-step and shift because Siu's attacking angle changed forcefully just then, in a rhythm that caused him to lag behind, barely, but enough to slip through.

“Hm?!”

Using the Wild Dog's reflexive stance, Siu’s attack twisted at the right time, at the right breath, his spine bending like it was made of rubber as his strike curved unnaturally, slipping past the expected line of Thane's defense and redirecting toward Thane’s jaw instead of his throat.

“Clever!” Thane laughed as he tilted his head and the strike grazed past his cheek, leaving a tiny line there, a simple white streak before it disappeared as his skin refused to split and shed blood.

“Fuck!" Kira exclaimed, her mouth wide open, "He touched him!”

"I think..." Rinmei’s voice was barely above a whisper as she nodded. "Yeah... he did..."

“That… That landed, I saw it, too!” Varren yelled, subconsciously grabbing Kira's hand, "That punch did hit him!"

“If you call it a punch,” Nilli giggled, “It was more like a scratch.”

“Siu would look good with cat ears, now that you mention it,” Milli hummed, grinning without shame, "A catboy... Mhm..."

“You know,” Arya turned towards Marly, whispering, "Those two aren't wrong... Master would indeed be nice with a tail and some fur. No?"

"Well, he would be warmer in the winter, that's true, Big Sis." Marly nodded, thinking about it, "But I like Master being without fur. It's funnier that way. Having them wear clothes is funny because they can't grow fur, and they get so flustered when they have to undress! Ahahahaha!"

"They do grow fur," Arya said lecutringly, as if she were some kind of sage, "They just do it at one spot only, which is weird... Because then they start taking it off. They grow fur to hide it, shave it off, then still hide it with clothes. What a weird ritual... Humans are indeed funny!"

"Shut up, you two!" Siu grunted in their ears as he landed lightly, glancing at Elder Thane, not wanting his beasts to ruin his moment. He finally managed to surprise him and even land a proper attack. Yes, his arms trembled slightly from the strain he put on them with the change of his attack mid-way, storing the coil-like energy in his bones to pull it off. But they held it together, and he could feel he was able to repeat it a few more times if needed.

“Again?” he asked, seeing Thane looking at him, rubbing his chin where he had scratched him, finally smiling.

"Now, now..." He shook his head, “You’re getting greedy.”

“Ehehe..." Siu grinned, "Maybe.”

“As you wish!”

Without further warning, Thane attacked him this time. To the others, it happened faster than they could realize it. Still, Siu’s body reacted instantly as he avoided the first strike by a hair’s width, already a feat that shouldn't be possible. His spine arched so far back that it drew a horizontal line to the ground, his knees bending to their limits, bringing him out to the left, using the Crane to counter as he kept straightening his body back up. Yet, his hand was caught before it could extend to its fullest, then a knee struck his side, one that he didn't even see coming.

"My big mouth!" He moaned inside his head as the Elder's shoulder was then rammed into his chest, lifting him into the air before a hand grabbed the back of his robes, slamming him back into the ground. The combo was so fast, he didn't even sense them or manage to notice when Thane's breathing had switched up. "Sorry..." He moaned, knowing this was the punishment for not being satisfied with the victory he had just achieved half a minute ago. He remembered what Elder Thane had taught him, about stopping when he still can, but... it still felt so good, he didn't want to stop just yet.

“It's good that you realize it…" He said, standing over him, looking down at Siu with a knowing smile, "You are still young; my lesson about stopping and stepping away will need time to take root in your mind. I know, I was like that too, once." He whispered, shaking his head, "But please, do remember my teachings when you wander the world. If you die to your own stupidity, I will make sure the sect will disavow your name."

"I understand..." He moaned, still smiling, making Elder Thane shake his head.

"Okay, okay... That’s enough.” He leaned forward as he lowered his hand that Siu grabbed firmly, letting Thane pull him up from the ground.

“What the hell was that?” Varren finally said, running a hand through his hair.

“That,” Rinmei replied, shaking her head, “was the actual speed of an Elder.”

Which was still not the truth, but even with just a little boost, Thane's body moved so quickly that they only saw Siu dodge, start his counter, and then the next blink of an eye, he was on the ground, sprawled out. They had no idea that Thane had used all those moves on him at all.

“You are pretty much ready,” Thane said all of a sudden, making Siu raise a brow, but unsure what he meant by that. “No more random fractures?” He asked before Siu could open his mouth.

“Only if I get greedy,” Siu admitted with a chuckle, trying his body, moving his limbs, and stretching, "None now though... Thank you for holding back."

“Hmp! At least you know... So stop being greedy.”

“I'm trying.”

"..." Thane just rolled his eyes, hiding a smile, "Still, I will consider your Snake Form to be foundationally satisfying. We will end our spars here."

"Already?" Siu asked, a bit shocked, not wanting his routine to finish like this... he was... already used to it.

"There is nothing else to do." Thane said, shaking his head, looking into his eyes, "Now, you only need to step into the Blood Resonance and get into the Inner Disciples' ranks. That has to be your next focus... Do you understand me?"

"I..." He looked down at his hands, feeling his blood rushing in his veins, how excited it was, filled with energy that wanted to burst out, "Yes, Elder." It was then that his eyes flicked towards the people standing at the edge of the field, talking.

"Mhm," Thane turned slightly, glancing toward the group gathered there. “Seems you’ve gathered an audience... I know what goes through your head, but by the end of the year, if you haven't advanced, I'm petitioning to kick you out of the sect.”

"Are you trying to cripple me, Mast— khm, Elder?" Siu asked sarcastically, still gazing at his friends.

"If I must."

"..."

"If you fall into a state like Bren, I would rather see you crippled by my hands than by your own, kid." He warned him seriously, making Siu look back at him, "You must advance."

"I have only been here for—"

"We both know that doesn't mean anything," He interrupted him, waving a hand, "Boy! Don't start looking for excuses! Your talent is not something I will allow you to downplay," he continued, tapping his chest with his index finger, making a warm jet of energy spread over him, making Siu feel a buzzing, bubbling feeling rise up inside him, "Your blood is already reacting to it. You are starting to feel the raw essence reacting to your wishes... You know it. I know you do. So! If I catch you holding it back..." He said in a whispering warning, "I'm actually going to beat you up."

"Y-yes..." He muttered, taking a deep breath, letting it all out, his body relaxing, "They will catch up."

"They will." He smiled, patting his shoulder, "Focus on your own path, boy. If you do so, then you will realize that it will intersect with theirs once again, when it needs to."

"..."

"Go," he stepped back, still looking at him, "From now on, our training sessions are over. Mull over what you need to do, then do it! When it's completed, come to me when you are ready. I will oversee your exam and promotion..."