The Heavens Shall Fall

As Siu opened his eyes, the formation beneath him went dormant, its faint glow slowly fading. Taking a deep breath, he was feeling his legs beneath him tingle, wanting to move and stretch after spending an entire night in the same position. As he inhaled the last of the dispersing essence that had filled the room until now, it disappeared into his lungs, and then he stood up, stretching. Yesterday, after Quillian's training was over, instead of heading home as he had done throughout the previous week and a half, it was finally time to meditate.

The old man was right, of course. After being emptied, one night of meditation not only refilled him, but he could already feel the change, and that he had more essence stored in him than ever before. Was it a grand increase, like his first breakthrough? No, not really, but it was noticeable. As he was examining his own changes, confirming the newly filled energies inside him, he couldn't help but smile, sensing Arya's thoughts from far away. She was annoying Quillian by asking when Siu would be back, while Marly was focused on eating. Naturally, he didn't bring either of them with him, telling the two to stay in the Red Leaf for now. What surprised him was that neither of them tried to contact him to ask when he would be back.

"Progress everywhere, I guess," Siu muttered with a chuckle, then he gathered his outer robe from the side hook, slipping out through the door that slid open without a sound, letting the morning light blind him for a moment.

The hallway outside was empty, lined with a dozen or so closed meditation rooms, almost all of them occupied by the glowing sheen covering them, sealing them from the outside world and its distractions.

"Quiet Chambers..." He muttered, walking towards the stairs, heading down, still smiling.

The building lived up to its name because, while sealed inside, he completely lost himself in meditation, hearing no disturbances at all. It was worth all the Flame Crystals Quillian had spent on it, and to think this would be now almost a daily occurrence... cultivating was more expensive than he ever imagined. But he also thought about how much CC the sect spends on maintaining such a place... It couldn't be cheap.

After exiting through the main gate, he noted that the sect itself was already up and awake, meaning it was already past the usual breakfast time. The Public Road was already filled up with disciples, most of them heading to work, while he turned to start walking up the slightly sloping road.

"Okay," he yawned for a moment. "Back to the Red Leaf." Yet he had barely taken ten steps when someone said his name.

"Siu?"

The voice made him turn, because he recognized the voice, but not the man, looking at him.

"Oh." The slightly delayed recognition hit him in the head because it was Vael, looking much more put together than when he last saw him in that alley. "Vael!" He turned towards him fully with a smile, watching as the now actually young-looking man jogged to catch up to him.

Observing his healthy face, Vael's body was lean, his hair was tied back more neatly, and his loosely tied robes revealed a faint burn-like pattern along one side of his neck.

"I wanted to say thank you, for real," The man smiled at him after catching up, cupping his hands, "And I'm honored that you remember me."

"You are hard to forget," Siu said without thinking about it.

"That is not always a compliment." Vael chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sorry," Siu added quickly, "It wasn't meant as an insult."

"I know." He waved a hand in answer, "Don't worry, I actually like the banter you and the others showed back then. It reminded me of my friends back home."

"I see..." Siu looked him over again, changing the topic, not wanting to dwell on something heavy like that. "I didn't expect to see you walking around."

"Neither did I," Vael said with a shrug.

"Are you... allowed?"

"Of course!" He gave a small laugh. "What? You think I would try to sneak out? I am not insane. I am confined to the sect's public grounds. I was told that I cannot leave the Hollow Song's unrestricted domains, not that I want to, because I am sure my head still has a price on it. I can also use the facilities open to the public, and pretty much that's it." He finished explaining, raising a hand and showing a black bracelet tied to his wrist, with no way to get it off.

"I see... Um..." Siu muttered, hesitating, "Congratulations?"

"That is why I wanted to thank you. This is much more than I expected."

For a moment, the two of them stood there, watching disciples pass by, and the sudden silence felt a bit awkward. Siu was not entirely sure how one was supposed to advance from there, but he just wanted to break the silence.

"So... How are you?" He asked at last.

"Well," Vael looked away, toward the terraces. "I am alive. I would lie if I feel good. Would you feel good in my shoes?"

"No, not really."

"Yeah," Vael smiled, glancing around. "I have been questioned six times by different elders, but since then, I haven't been told much. Which, um..." He shrugged, deciding to be honest, "It's aggravating."

"The Elder I know, the same one who was there the day we fought against the bounty hunters, has gone to visit your Pavilion. That's all I know."

"Really?" Vael's eyes flashed, looking at Siu, finally nodding, "T-thanks... I hope it's... going well."

"No idea." He shrugged, "I'm just an Inner Disciple."

"Right, right," Vael waved a hand, "Heh, you could already be an Elder in my Pavilion!"

"Surely not!" Siu answered with a chortle.

"Please.... Your sect is impossible," he whispered quietly. "My Stormglass Pavilion could fit into one corner of this place. I don't mean the inner compound. I mean all of it. Our main hall, knowledge tower, training grounds, disciple quarters, elder court... all of it. You could tuck us between your meditation hall and beast hall, and still have space for more." While speaking, Siu sensed no jealousy in his voice, but rather a strong dose of homesickness. "I only miss the weather," Vael said with a chuckle, "Ours is usually more cloudy, and we have a lot of rain."

"Figures," Siu nodded, beginning to walk while Vael kept in pace beside him, "No offense, but I like it more like this.

"None taken," he looked at him with a grin that slowly disappeared. "Why did you believe me?"

"I accepted your request because you asked for help," Siu answered without hesitation. "That's all."

"That simple?" Vael was visibly shocked, unsure whether Siu was just deflecting or speaking the truth.

"Yes." He shrugged, "I can't explain it more, Vael, I felt like doing it, that's it. Maybe it was the sense I was getting from my beasts, whom I trust fully."

"I should thank them too, then."

"Don't inflate their ego," Siu moaned, pursing his lips, "Since Arya has taken up her human form... Eh."

"Arya?" Vael asked, guessing it was one of the beasts Siu had, and then listened to Siu's explanation and summary of Arya and Marly. "I see, I see," He chortled, "Still, I should thank them both, it is the proper way.

"If you think so," Siu said, giving up, "Tell you what! You can come and eat with us."

"Huh?" Vael blinked, actually surprised, "What?"

"I'm going back to the Red Leaf where I work. Come, you can join us, then do the thanking business there. If you do the dishes, I think even Quillian will fail to complain."

"Well..." Vael looked uncertain. "I don't know if it is a good idea for you to entertain me that much. I am still a prisoner."

"Why let you roam around then?" Siu shot back, raising a brow.

"..." Vael hesitated, and although Siu understood, he didn't really give too much thought to it. Instead, he felt a bit responsible for this whole thing, which brought him to the sect. "Very well." Vael spoke up suddenly, "And once again, thank you, Siu. I owe you a lot."

"You owe me nothing." Siu waved it away, but Vael just shook his head, saying nothing else on the matter.

While walking and leading Vael towards the Red Leaf, without Arya and Marly, Siu felt strangely light. Moving his eyes to his left, where Marly usually sat, he caught how Vael walked beside him, keeping a careful distance from other disciples, who barely even looked at him.

"Do they bother you?" Siu asked suddenly.

"The disciples?" Vael blinked, getting brought out of his thoughts.

"Yes."

"Nah," He answered, shaking his head. "They see me as a nobody, which is a welcome change. Before this, I was our Head Disciple. People staring at me was my norm, so it's a bit... refreshing, to be ignored. I was too on edge anyway, always worrying who saw me or who noticed me, so the fact they don't pay attention to me is the best possible outcome."

As Vael was talking, they reached a busier stretch of the Public Road, where several side paths crossed near a row of small shops. A cart loaded with folded mats rolled past, pushed by two servants. In contrast, three disciples walked forward in a criss-crossing direction, talking about some new beast-training schedule at the Companions, all of them having their own creatures following behind them, turning onto the Public Road.

Just then, still listening to Vael, Siu stepped around the cart while Vael shifted to avoid one of the servants pushing it. At the same time, one of the disciples who was talking loudly shifted at the last moment, his shoulder colliding with Siu, strangely hitting him square in the chest. It was not hard at all; it didn't hurt, but it pushed Siu back a step or two, while a folded package in the disciple's hand crumpled slightly. It was all it took to make the wolf-like beast at the disciple's side snap its head up, glaring at Siu.

The creature was large, easily reaching Siu's waist at the shoulder. Its fur was dark gray with pale, thinning streaks going along the spine. Watching, almost snarling, its eyes were a cold mix of yellow and green.

"...?" Siu stopped, furrowing his brows because all of his instincts were telling him that something was off here.

"You good?" Vael stopped beside him at once, just as suspicious, scanning the disciples and the snarling creature.

"Hey!" The inner disciple looked down at the crumpled packet, grimacing and squinting at Siu, while the other two, who were just as surprised, kept looking between them, unaware of what was happening.

"Sorry," Siu said simply, not breaking any eye contact with the beast and its master, his sense of danger intensifying.

Looking at the inner disciple, he was young, maybe in his twenties, with an unremarkable face, dark hair tied up high, and a somewhat polished look. He was probably from a noble, mortal background, as he had the same haughtiness in his eyes that Lorean had at the start. Only, his wasn't curbed at all. In a quick scan, Siu noted that the others were unaware of why they had stopped or why their friend was making such a fuss.

"Watch where you are walking," he said, almost spitting on the ground.

"My mistake," Siu said again, slowly nodding his head, "I was distracted." It should have ended there, but the wolf's growl deepened anyway.

"Distracted?" The inner disciple's gaze narrowed at that. "And aren't I your Senior? Where's your bow?"

"..."

"I asked a question!"

Vael's face went still at the man's tone, but he held back, knowing it was not his place to speak... and because he saw that Siu's expression did not change.

"Do I need to answer you?" Siu asked back, deciding he had already given enough courtesy. "I did not know that."

"You have a mouth on you, don't ya?" the man snorted, beginning to sneer.

"I apologized." Siu continued simply, "Take it or leave it."

"I don't take fake apologies from anybody." The disciple lifted the crumpled packet while speaking, "Especially when my important document is damaged by some newbie."

Siu looked at it, and the corner was bent. Barely. And if it was indeed a document, it should mean nothing. The more interesting part was the whole incident, playing back in his mind. By now, Siu had replayed everything in his head, examining every detail, and the conclusion was simple: someone had sent the man to bully him. The first clue was calling Siu a newbie... Not many knew that. Then, the tactics, the way he shoulder-checked him, the reaction, all of it was clearly pre-planned. He had gone through this dance many times as a child, and an attempt like this was not going to fly with him. As for who had sent the boy after him, he only had one possible culprit... The only one he had angered and would know he was a freshly promoted disciple: Merra. All the clues pointed toward her, and he didn't think Pellan would do something like this because his hatred was for Quillian and not for him.

Seeing Siu remain silent and just measure its master, the wolf stepped forward, its growling increasing, its nails scraping the stone street. As an answer, Vael also positioned himself to step in if need be, ready to assist Siu, no matter the consequences.

"Do you think this is about money?" The disciple asked in a cold tone.

"I know it is not." Siu said without a flinch, "But just know this, that you are being played like a fiddle."

"..." That made the boy's sneer recede, his left eye twitching twice in quick succession.

"Let's skip the rest of this farce," Siu continued, "Duel? Is that all this comes down to, is it not? When and where?"

"..." Once again, the boy's eye kept twitching, but then, he inhaled, nodding, "You brought it up, so be it! As the challenged," He continued, already smirking again, "I can choose the place, time, and rules."

"Go ahead." Siu nodded, crossing his arms, ignoring the growling wolf, which angered the creature more than it angered its master.

"Tomorrow. Before dawn, Floating Arena C3," He pointed towards one, chained to one of the bridges a few hundred meters away, visible from where they stood. "You against my Cho'Wa and me." He added, patting his wolf's head. "A fight until knockout, no weapons, hand-to-hand, beast-to-beast."

"Deal," Siu said simply, and before anything, both of their sashes lit up for a brief moment.

"If you run," the disciple said, now smiling happily, "And everyone in the sect will know what kind of weak little bug you are... only here because of a lucky patron."

Siu said nothing to that, just watched him leave, followed by the other very confused disciples, who were clearly shocked by what was happening.

"Damn..." Vael spoke up after they were left alone, "I didn't know something like this happens in here, too."

"I think it happens everywhere," Siu muttered, still looking towards where the boy disappeared to, not even knowing his name, "And I'm not in the mood for letting it escalate."

"Good," Vael agreed, patting his shoulder, "I hate when it happens too. The worst thing you can do is to bow your head to a bully."

"Yeah," Siu smiled suddenly, "And I never did it, not even when it left me beaten and bruised."