The Heavens Shall Fall

The Nine Hanging Bells was not hard to find once Seloryn was leading the way. The path to it was almost insultingly obvious when one knew where to go. From the Resting Reed, they only had to follow the main road downhill until it split around a cluster of three stone lanterns, each carved in the shape of a different bird: one with folded wings, one that raised its wing to the left, and the other to the right.

"Right..." Siu mumbled, realizing they were pointing the way.

"You will have to learn the name and meaning of beasts," Seloryn chuckled, seeing his expression, "The one pointing to the left is a Whitebeak Hawk. They usually build their nests in essence-rich areas, so their statues point towards cultivation chambers. The other is a Bellchime Oriole."

"Which points towards where we are heading."

"Yep." She nodded, leading him on, "You will notice animal figures standing around at junctions, pointing you towards landmarks, it's all in their species or names."

"Visitors' nightmare."

"That's their problem." She answered calmly, "This is our sect, and they are all historical pieces, plus, they are training the disciples so they know their beasts, not letting them forget. You will have to look up the history of the Hollow Song to understand. When it was established, it was done so by the first Sect Master, who mastered the act of bewitching and leading beasts with her music."

"Interesting..." He hummed, looking around, but apparently, Seloryn was not going to say more, and she was simply letting him take in the view.

From there, she took him over a bridge. It was wide enough for three carriages to pass side by side, though Siu didn’t see any carts on it, only disciples and a few beasts accompanying them, walking in both directions. As they crossed, the view opened further beneath them, and below the bridge, he could see another road curving around, towards the nearest mountain, with disciples moving along it like ants. Even below that, there was a courtyard full of training posts, where a group of practitioners was doing synchronized strikes, each impact releasing a faint ripple of essence that shimmered even from his point of view. As they kept walking, a massive shadow suddenly covered them, and, looking up, he saw one of the chained arenas hovering above his head. Blinking, he saw a group of disciples hopping from one link of the chain to the other, heading towards the arena itself, probably to have a duel or something.

“It's showing,” Seloryn said without turning, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

“Hm?” He looked at her while Arya was glancing down, trying to see if her master's robes came loose or not.

“That you are new here. Not that you can help it, I was the same. It is a massive shock after leaving the outers' territory, that is for sure. I think it was intentional on their part.”

"I believe that," he nodded while they left the bridge and entered a terrace much larger than the one they had left behind, and the crowd grew thicker at once.

There were more disciples here, more buildings, more banners, and much more noise. They were now standing on a square, as far as he was concerned, and saw giant steps leading upwards to an elevated building, which had to be the Nine Hanging Bells. At first glance, it looked like a great belltower, built from dark stone and pale metal, with a wide base broad enough to be its own fortress. It was then given nine different levels, each narrowing as his eyes went upwards to its top. The tower’s face was carved with countless names, symbols, and dates, though from this distance, Siu could not read them. Massive banners hung from its sides where there was no writing, each one marked with the Hollow Song emblem. What was most interesting was that at the top. There was a massive arch connecting the top to two mountainsides, probably acting as a bridge, too, as he could see railings atop them. More than that, nine bells hung from the arch, with one housed in the bell tower itself.

They were massive.

Each one was different in color and large enough to cover an actual house if they were to fall onto one. As he looked at each of them, one was dark as storm clouds, one pale like the full moon, one faintly green, another burnished red, another almost transparent, as if made from frozen, clear water.

“They are not decorative either,” Seloryn said, stopping with him, letting the view run its course, bringing Siu back to reality when his eyes had taken in everything.

“I didn’t think they were. Do they chime when something important happens?”

“Indeed.” She nodded with a smile. “As you have guessed, yes, those are the Nine Hanging Bells, and when they ring, you'd better listen. One is just for announcements, so you have to check it soon. When two rings, it means that you drop what you are doing and come to check immediately. Three means that something has happened that prepares the sect to respond with action. Four means we are at war, five means wait for Elder instructions and plan nothing ahead. It's time to do what you are ordered to do. Six...” She stopped, "I don't think it was rung for a long time, because it means the sect itself is at martial law."

“What happens at seven?” Siu asked, feeling curious.

"I only know what I was answered with when I asked the same question," Seloryn said, watching the bells, “It happened the last time, when the Hollow Song went to all-out war with the Scarlet Fang, signaling that it will be their or our destruction.”

“And eight?” he asked after a brief pause.

“Eight means every outsider is to be detained, expelled, or killed, and the sect closes its gate. Nobody is to leave, and those who were stuck outside will have to try and survive on their own until the sect reopens.”

"Doesn't sound good," Siu looked up toward the largest bell just then, hanging inside the bell tower, “Nine means mortal peril... or something?”

"Heh," Seloryn chuckled, “Yeah, nine would mean that the Hollow Song is at risk of destruction,” she nodded. “The sect either survives what comes next, or there is no sect left to hear them fall silent. But, that's only what I heard, and I don't wish to hear the nine bells in my lifetime, so let's not jinx it.”

"She's right." Arya’s tail stopped moving, whispering, while Marly hid inside Siu's robes, not wanting to hear any bells chime at all. "Let's not talk about it!"

By then, Seloryn began walking again, and Siu followed her into the shadow of the tower. The closer they came, the more the building seemed to grow, and at first, he thought it was only a matter of perspective, but then he realized the entrance was much larger than it had appeared from the plaza. Walking up the long stairway, he began seeing things that he didn't see at the bottom. The doors were open, each one tall enough for a giant, and beyond them was not the narrow interior of a belltower, but an enormous hall, giving him a bit of whiplash.

“Spatial magic,” he muttered, looking back, seeing that the square looked further away than it should, "Isn't it...?"

"Apparently so," Seloryn smiled. “You will say that often in your first month.”

"Haaah..." He smiled, "I'll try not to look like a country bumpkin, although I am one."

"Cute." Seloryn giggled, already walking ahead of him.

The inside of the Nine Hanging Bells did not match the outside at all. The entrance hall stretched farther towards the back before hitting the wall. It was wide enough that he could barely see the opposite end, while multiple levels rose above them in rings, connected by staircases, ramps, and floating and moving platforms. Counters lined the first floor, each marked with a different symbol and board. Some had short lines of disciples waiting, while others were so long that it would take hours to get through them. Then there were tables one could sit at, most of them occupied, where groups argued over mission slips and their details. On the wall to his right, there was an enormous board displaying rows upon rows of hanging tokens, each of them glowing faintly with a color and symbol that probably marked its tier, type, and requirements, at least that was Siu's guess. At the center of the hall stood a pillar that rose through every visible floor, disappearing into the ceiling far above, carved with more names and dates.

"They record everyone who dies on a mission for the sect." Seloryn whispered to him, seeing as he was scanning the column, "The outside is full of names too, both disciples and elders alike."

"I see..." He muttered while servants moved around them constantly, wearing plain gray robes with narrow, red cords around their wrists. Many of them looked and acted like regular people, but he knew better than to think otherwise.

“Come, let's not block the entrance,” Seloryn said gently, tugging him to keep moving.

“Right.”

She led him through the hall, and it was clear that several disciples recognized her, some nodding in greeting, some stepping aside, and most wondering who she was with. That part, he wasn't very happy about, but of course, he wouldn't bring it up, not when she was doing him a favor.

“Here,” Seloryn said, stopping before a counter marked with a silver sash symbol and a small bell etched beneath it. “Newly promoted registration.”

There were, to his surprise, three disciples standing just ahead of him, but he recognized none of them. Could they be outers...? Running his memory through the bonfire party and all the faces he knew about, he was sure now that he had never seen their faces, which left him with one answer: they were directly brought into the sect when their powers were already in the Blood Resonance stage.

“I don’t like that one,” Arya said suddenly, gazing at one of them, who was glancing back over his shoulder, measuring Siu and the two beasts hanging from his body.

"Don't start nothing," Siu answered without looking, determined to wait patiently while Arya gave an offended little huff but stayed still on his head.

Seloryn stood beside him while the line waited, and she did not need to; he knew. She could have pointed him here and left. Instead, she remained, answering a few smaller questions when he asked, pointing out the color codes on visible mission tokens, and revealing to him that each one showed its mission only to disciples who met its requirements.

“Tier One,” she explained, nodding toward a row of bronze-hued tokens on the nearest board. “Those are basic inner disciple missions. Of course, do not mistake basic for safe. It just means the Mission Hall believes a newly registered disciple can survive them if they are not stupid.”

“And Tier Two?”

“Naturally, those are more difficult, but they come with better rewards. They usually require a stable combat record and cultivation base. They are the silvery-colored ones.”

“Aaaaand..." He looked around, noticing the other colors, "Tier Three?”

“They often take you outside the valley or the nearby territory of the sect itself. Those are the ones with a golden hue. Tier Four, the sapphire ones, are usually taken by Paragons, Core Disciples, or those with special permission. Tier Five, the ruby ones, well,” She paused, tapping her chin, "Don't even think of trying it below the Flesh Morphing stage. They are usually missions taken by those who are close to graduating and becoming an Elder. Kind of a final test.”

"I see," Siu nodded slowly. "Thanks."

“No problem. Also, best to understand this early: no matter how special you are, the sash has to build your record before moving up between tiers. Don't try to skip, it won't let you.”

“My sash tracks missions?”

“It tracks everything relevant to you.” Seloryn tapped it at her own waist with one finger, “It is your identifier. Found without it, and you will be heavily punished. It records all your accepted missions, their completions, failures, contribution marks, penalties, combat assessments, emergency summons, unique permissions, whatever you can think of. It is your identity as a disciple. Any Elder can tap into it and get a read of you. It is also your main defense.”

“Degense...? As in... protection?”

"Kind of. You see, if you are outside and you run into issues or get lost, it will help anyone else from us to find you."

It was then that Siu finally reached the counter. The servant behind it was an older-looking man with short gray hair, a thin face, and blue eyes that scanned Seloryn first, then Siu, then Arya, and finally, Marly.

“New registration?” He asked, gazing at Siu now.

“Yes,” He answered, cupping his hands. “Siu. Newly promoted outer disciple.”

“Your sash.” He said simply, nodding his head while Siu handed it over. After taking it, the servant placed it on a flat black stone beside the counter, and it lit up at once, while his sash had released a small pulse in response. “Confirmed." He nodded, looking at Arya and Marly, "Are your beast companions registered?”

“I established Mutual Contracts with them with the help of Elder Delia.”

“Names?” He asked simply, and although his eyes flashed once, his voice and expression remained down-to-business just as before.

“Arya and Marly.”

"Mhm," The servant looked at the beasts again, before raising his hand over his sash, letting his skin flash with a silvery light, "Indeed. Elder Delia had already confirmed their position. I see, you even had witnesses of the contract, done by the Elder Stones. Impressive..." Siu had no idea what he was talking about, but he wouldn't say that out loud. “Affinity?”

"..." Siu went still at that question, while Seloryn glanced at him, but did not speak.

"Smart," The servant smirked a little, "I'm glad you are at least not as naive to blurt it out like the others before you." And with that, he waved his hand again, probably prompting his sash to answer, and when it lit up in response, the servant’s expression went rigid. "..." Taking a look at Siu, even Seloryn had become curious. “You have an... Elder Notation? Multiple?” He asked, as if wanting to confirm something.

"Oh?" Seloryin hummed, looking at Siu, "Your affinity is allowed to remain obscured even in official records? Not bad!" she whistled, her eyes flashing.

“Apparently," the servant grimaced, but it quickly turned into an interested smile, "It has three seals... Elder Thane, Elder Faliah, and Elder Marron... I hadn't seen anything like this before...”

"..." Siu now really didn't know what to say to that, and blurted out what Marly and Arya were thinking of, "Is there an issue?"

"No." The servant tapped the black stone twice, and a new light rose from it before it vanished back into the counter. "If they decided so, it is how it will be. I'm not going to ask questions." He smiled at him genuinely, "We will still need you to go through a private evaluation, as everyone else."

“Here?” Siu asked.

“No, of course not!" the servant laughed, clearly much more intrigued with how unique Siu had become all of a sudden, getting interested instead of just going through the routine that his life had become. “Take the red door on the left, search for room twelve. Elder Hanru will assess you.”

"Mhm," Seloryn leaned closer to Siu after they stepped away and spoke quietly, patting his shoulder. “Do not worry. This is normal.”

"And take your beasts too," the servant added as they left, "they have to be checked too."

"..." Simply nodding, Siu was suddenly lost in his thoughts, unable to say anything.

"Well," Seloryn stepped back when they reached the red door, “I’ll wait outside.”

"Once again," Siu looked at her, letting out a soft sigh, “Thank you.”

"You can thank me with a private spar after you are done." She giggled, making Siu smile too, and disappearing behind the door.