The Heavens Shall Fall

The celebration that was held for Siu was smaller than the bonfire had been. Not to mention, if anyone had said a few years ago that when someone gets promoted to be an inner disciple, they would receive a farewell party, everyone would have looked weirdly at the one saying it. Yet, here they were, for some reason, all of the outer disciples acting and feeling more united than they ever were in a very long time.

However, it stayed a simple party only because when Siu's silver sash had arrived, and Rinmei had been making sure to suppress the news as best as she could, only letting it slip to the Wardens, their closest allies, and those who had actually known Siu in one way or another. Otherwise, the whole thing would have turned into another spectacle, which Siu for sure didn't want.

Still, the gathering that night was fun and lively, held in the Spirit Wardens’ tower, on all the floors, in its garden and surrounding area. It started early in the night, and by now, it had been going on for about two hours, allowing Siu to shake the hands of everyone present, finally letting him hold his drink in peace.

He stood near the window for a while, sipping it, watching the people who had gathered for him, spotting Lorean, who was talking with Rinmei at the moment, and looking at their faces, it had to be about business... haaah. Moving his eyes, he looked at Cal’Fia, who had arrived with several members of Ember Circle, including Kae’Lin, and of course Tian, who was now talking with Neya while his stag was grazing outside the tower, being prodded and nudged by Arya and Marly. Smiling to himself, he watched as Kira grabbed Varren's arm, who kept hovering near the food table, finally getting dragged away and joining Kae'Lin, discussing something, and doing it very vehemently... probably a hunt or something.

“You look too sentimental.” The voice came from beside him, and when he looked, Lorean was now beside him, stepping away from Rinmei and walking up to him without Siu realizing.

“I am,” he nodded. “However weird that is.”

“Understandable.” She muttered while folding her arms and looking out the window. “I hadn't even imagined you would be this fast... You are more of a beast than those two down below.”

“Thanks?”

“You're welcome.” She glanced at him again, “And, congratulations, Siu.”

“Thank you.” He answered honestly this time.

“And don't worry," She continued, letting herself smile a little, "Golden Scroll will keep working with the Wardens. Rinmei and I already discussed the terms.”

“I saw.”

“Naturally. I wanted you to see it.” She hummed as if it was obvious. “You know… when we first arrived, I thought you were an idiot. Well, a naive idiot who thinks he knows what he is talking about because of some arbitrary reasons.”

“You still think that?”

“Of course not," She rolled her eyes, "I was wrong, it is pretty evident, isn't it?”

"Damn," Siu laughed quietly. "What can I say...? Thanks?"

"Nah," Lorean smiled. "I'm just glad I didn't make an enemy out of you. Anyway! You will do well up there,” she said, fixing her robes. “Say hi to Toban for me when you see him.”

Before he could answer, Cal’Fia’s voice cut across the room.

“Siu! Some of us want to congratulate you before you vanish into the clouds. Come here!” With Lorean stepping away, he turned from the window and moved toward the center of the room, where Cal’Fia stood with Kae’Lin, Tian, Neya, and some other Ember Circle members. “You made it faster than I would have dared put a bet on it!" Cal’Fia said, raising a cup toward him. “You put me to shame, and naturally, everyone else, too. Bastard.”

“...” Siu just looked at the grinning woman, finally shrugging, "That's the weirdest toast I will ever be given, so thank you."

"He is a royal bastard, alright..." Tian added, clicking his tongue, glaring at him.

"I love you too," Siu said nonchalantly, making Tian almost choke on his drink.

"Fuck you!"

"I'd pay to watch that," Kae’Lin laughed into her cup, making Neya suddenly turn white, and horrified, shaking her head.

“I wouldn't...”

“Me neither, that's too much love," Siu agreed, "And," He glanced at Tian with a smirk, "Your stag has more charm than you.”

From outside, as if understanding, Tian’s stag gave a low growl, making everyone laugh, even Tian.

"You still owe me," he added at the end. "Don't you dare forget that."

"Sure, sure." Siu smiled as the familiar bickering continued, and for a moment it really did feel like the early days again, before his smile slowly faded, because the closer the morning crept, the inevitable was also approaching him... In a few hours' time, he had to leave.

“Don’t start looking like that,” Kae'Lin said, pointing at him. “You’re not dying.”

“Of course not!” Neya piped up loudly.

“Don’t make the inner disciples too afraid to do anything before I get there,” Tian said suddenly, "If you placate the place and remove all challenges, I'm going to kick your ass."

"I'm not planning to do anything besides cultivating," Siu said with a shrug, but then looked around, realizing that may... not be how things would play out. He wanted to do the same here, yet here he was, in his own goodbye party.

As the night continued after their chat, people came to him in turns, some a bit awkward, some more emotional than the others, like Varren, who swore he would make sure to catch up and later join whatever group he may have established by then. Hearing that, Kira congratulated him by lightly punching his shoulder, telling him to copy as many techniques as he could, so that he could teach them when they all became inner disciples. As for the last of the people who walked up to him, it was Rinmei, approaching him when most of the others had drifted toward food, drink, or whatever else they found interesting.

"Here," She handed him a stack of papers and a pouch that was heavy with CC.

“What is this?”

“This is my farewell, while the money is from the Wardens, kickstarting your journey within the inner disciples. We decided to establish a fund that rewards those who advance, depending on previous contributions. To ensure... loyalty.”

"Huh?"

Looking into the bag, he knew it was a pretty big sum, making him feel... he couldn't say how, but it felt warm. Then, looking at the papers, he saw transition notes, a set of final approvals, and updated member tiers. There were joint venture schedules and a finalized blacklist of disciples.

"What the..."

"These are things you need to sign before you abandon us.” Rinmei said with a smirk, "Sssh, I'm not hearing excuses. Do your duty for once, then you can head off into the sunset."

“The sun had already set hours ago.” He mumbled but still read it all, then signed off on them. “You are terrifying sometimes.”

“I know.” She smiled, and when he gave it back, she suddenly leaned forward, pecking his lips, shocking Siu, rooting him to the ground, "That was owed to you for saving my life. Don't worry, I'll keep the Wardens on track until I advance. Make sure you establish the continuation so that when members start catching up, they have a place to go and spend their funds by paying us. That would be the ideal outcome."

Siu didn't know what to say, still frozen, only watching her as she turned away, strolling back into the crowd, only to then get approached by Neya.

"See? I told you," she chuckled, smiling at him, especially seeing how troubled he looked. "It's fine, Siu. Stop worrying! Rinmei isn't that bad and someone who the twins liked that much... I'm okay with."

"You..." He moaned, pinching his nose, trying to shake himself back to normalcy. “I’ll miss you,” he said suddenly.

“I know.” She hugged him, rubbing her face against his chest, taking deep breaths, "Me too. But!" She grinned, showing a confident V-sign, "I'm going to plunge into training, like never before. You won't be here to distract me with... thoughts."

“...” He just stared at her, holding back a laugh, and simply ended up ruffling her hair, making a mess out of it. "When did you become so sharp?"

“I need to pull myself together.” She muttered, still looking at him, memorizing everything about his face, "Next time you see me, I will be more than just the girl you can sleep with."

"Oi... That's harsh!"

"Maybe," She nodded, looking deadly serious, "But if I fail to become a proper cultivator... it will become the truth. So... I'll make sure that you can count on me in the future. You'll see."

"I can't wait for it to happen." He answered, and quietly, the two of them slipped away to spend one last night together.

...

....

......

By the time the next morning had arrived and the sun's first rays shone from behind the mountain peaks, Siu was already standing alone at the edge of the outer disciple territory, wearing his new silver sash. Touching it, he found the fabric smooth, and he could tell there was something else about it, threaded right into the thing... Probably some kind of marking spell, he couldn't really probe it yet with his current powers. However, one thing he knew was that, since wearing it, he could see paths he hadn't seen before, one of which led him exactly to this spot. Naturally, Arya sat on his head while Marly sat on his right shoulder, being quiet, though she kept nibbling on something she had fished out from who knows where.

"Smells weird," Arya spoke up, and just as Siu, she could see a shimmering flicker in the air, like a distortion in the summer haze.

“So this was always here…” He muttered, shaking his head, "And this is where Senior Dui usually disappears to."

"He is no longer Senior, no?" Arya asked, making Siu shrug.

“Let's not drop formalities just right now. We are still going to be the latest to join the inner disciples.” Then, he took a deep breath, "No time to waste..."

Shedding all his worries, he began walking, and the moment he stepped forward, the silver sash that he tied around his waist warmed up at once. The barrier reacted without much visible sign, examining him as he passed through it and evaluating whether he was indeed who he was supposed to be. Probably, even if an outer had stolen a sash, they would still be unable to cross over. But as for him, it let him walk through without any resistance, and the moment he did, the world simply changed before his eyes. Quickly looking back, the outer disciple grounds disappeared behind him.

It was still there, but muted now, looking actually as if it was a good distance away, like a painting of a faraway valley. Did he... actually travel farther than a few steps could carry him? Or was this... an illusory trick? He was unable to tell. As for the air, the moment he drew breath, he could tell it was thicker here, richer, carrying so much essence that his blood responded immediately, pulsing with interest. It was like being in a meditation chamber just by being outside. He inhaled once again, deeper, and almost stumbled from how much his body absorbed without trying.

But what shocked him most was the view.

The inner disciple territory was not just a higher section of the sect but looked like a world unto itself. Currently, he stood on a kind of ridge, looking into a valley within the five mountains surrounding the Hollow Song Sect. The outer disciple area had always felt large to him when he first arrived, especially compared to the sect he grew up in. Its dormitories, training fields, kitchens, paths, and caves had seemed like a village built into the side of the mountain. It was busy, full of people, a little ecosystem unto itself. This place...? If the outers' place was a village, this was a city.

Terraces stretched across cliffs in layered rings, each one holding actual courtyards, and he could see halls higher up, massive gardens, floating training arenas that were tied to the mountains by chains, with individual links that were as big as a house. There were clusters of residences carved into stone or built atop platforms held aloft by formations and similar, giant chains. Hundreds of bridges went between peaks, some made of wood and stone, others of... bones? The more he looked, the more he noticed, like waterfalls pouring down from impossible heights, from where snowy glaciers dominated the mountains, only for the sparkling, blue water to vanish into floating pools before spilling again into rivers that kept flowing downwards, towards the outer disciples' territory.

Far in the distance, he saw towers rising from mountain ridges, each one marked by different banners, those alone being larger than the Wardens' tower was. He didn't know where or what things were, but he could tell that some looked like martial halls, maybe libraries, workshops, forges... He could even see beast pens and places he couldn’t even begin to understand from just looking at them. From where he stood, he knew he was on one of the roads that cut through the sect. It was wide enough for caravans even, and further down, disciples moved along them in numbers that made the outer area feel tiny by comparison. There were... hundreds of people here... or... thousands. Probably even more, as it was still early morning.

“I didn't know I would be shocked like this,” he murmured. “The outer section was just a... nothing, really.”