The Heavens Shall Fall

Arya hated that she was back in her tinier human form the moment she walked out of the Red Leaf and the morning sunlight hit her, making her transform. However, that morning, she hated the feeling of not being able to fight beside Siu much more. Her ears were flat, her tail aggressively whipping behind her, looking like she was about to bite the first fool who dared to talk to her. As for Marly, she sat on Siu’s shoulder, gripping his collar with both paws. She had eaten her breakfast, but since waking up, she had grown quiet, and Siu could feel the fear growing inside her. Even Quillian could tell, who walked at his other side, leaning on his cane. Unlike Siu’s, the old man's expression was sour, constantly clicking his tongue.

“Try not to get injured… That would set us back a lot.”

“Will try,” Siu answered simply and was about to get back to thinking when he noticed Seloryn arriving, here to see his first duel. She didn’t come alone, as Vael was only a step behind, arriving from the opposite direction.

“Nervous?” Vael asked first with a half-smile.

“No,” Siu answered while nodding at both of them. “Even if I lose, I’m not going to complain, can’t win everything. I’m just not going to let any kind of intimidation fly with me, I swore that to myself long ago.”

Hearing him, Seloryn gave him an innocent smile and was about to say something when Arya cracked her knuckles, sneering.

“Master and us fought beasts before, so a wolf is nothing! It can’t breathe ice, like that stag, can't it, Master?”

“Who knows?” Siu chuckled, throwing a look at her. “We will see when we get there. ”

The path to Floating Arena C3 led away from the busiest stretch of the Public Road and toward one of the many dueling spots in the sect. Unlike the training courtyards, these public arenas were suspended above the valley as several circular platforms floated in the air, all of them different sizes, some big enough to hold about a hundred disciples. They were all anchored to a bridge or the mountains by thick chains, serving as the only way to cross over to them. As for the C3 platform, it was not the largest arena; it was clearly made for a more personal duel, a two-on-two at best.

Without waiting for the rest, Siu hopped onto the chain, easily finding his balance and skipping over them, landing on the smooth, polished surface of the tiled, colorful arena. When he passed over its edge, he noticed a transparent barrier shimmering around it, which was not yet active, but probably there to stop the duelists from dropping off the edges in a battle. Or so he hoped, because falling from this height would be deadly.

Finishing looking around, hearing the others land behind him, it was clear that they arrived first.

“Maybe he won’t come?” Marly fidgeted nervously on his shoulder. “Master...”

“Maybe he is a pussy!” Arya giggled, making the others look at her, because she was speaking loudly, “You know. Kitty." She added when nobody started to laugh. "Tsk… None of you is fun at all…”

“We are just early,” Quillian shrugged, leaning on his crane, “If things are too much, give up before he has a chance to injure you for good.”

“I will if things look that bad.” Siu nodded, still surveying the platform’s mosaic-like surface, and realizing it had the image of a crude drawing of a bird. It was hard to make it out, but he was sure that from above, it would be easily noticeable.

“Will there be a referee?” Vael asked, curious about how things were handled.

“The arena itself should register everything,” Seloryn began explaining, “I only saw Elders refereeing a match when it was between Core Disciples, of their own, or it was a highly contested duel, between people who hate each other. They wouldn’t want anyone to get murdered in a duel.”

“I see…” Vael muttered, getting a bit lost in his memories, “Back home, we always had someone overseeing duels, although we are much smaller. We for sure didn't have anything capable of working its magic independently.”

Siu was taking deep breaths while they were talking, preparing his cultivation for the fight, and that was when he picked up Marly’s senses that were sharpened to their absolute limits, catching Cho’Wa nearing the chains connected to a bridge on the opposite side. His master wasn’t far either, appearing a second later. Unlike Siu, he arrived alone, and after crossing over to the platform, it was easy to notice his expression change. Nokoh’s eyes scanned everyone while crossing over, and Siu caught the recognition when looking at Seloryn, getting swept away by the sudden surprise, which then turned into a massive concern. It was clear that Nokoh had expected Siu to come alone, perhaps with his beasts and Vael… He had not expected a senior like Quillian, and most certainly not the Silver Flute herself, to come and serve as witnesses for their battle. Subconsciously, Nokoh’s hand moved down and started stroking Cho’Wa’s head while his wolf’s ears angled back, as the two were quickly communicating, probably strategizing what to do next.

“Senior Seloryn Veyra,” Nokoh said after a momentary pause, cupping his hands.

“Mhm,” Seloryn inclined her head but refused to return the gesture, answering in a cold voice instead. “Nokoh.”

“You are…” The boy tried to say something, clearly taken aback by the hostility in Seloryn’s tone and stance and by the fact she knew his name. ”Um… Are you... Here for… Officially witnessing the duel?”

“I am just watching a friend.” She said, shooting a gaze over him and his wolf, "But, if you lose," she then smiled dangerously, "I will indeed be the witness for him replacing you on the Paragon List."

“I see…” Nokoh’s eyes flicked to Quillian next, but he had no idea who he might be; still, he cupped his hands. “Senior.”

“Little pup,” the old man smiled back at him, but it was not a pleasant sight, nor was the way he addressed him. “Do not mind me, I am only here to note down things,” he continued, taking out his notebook, ready to examine Siu's performance in an actual fight.

Nokoh looked even more perturbed now as he once again scanned everyone, before he looked at Arya, who immediately sneered at him, her tail standing up and getting twice its size with how puffed up it got. Nokoh’s jaw tightened visibly because, as someone with a beast of his own, he could understand everything she felt. Such a scene, to have his most loyal friend stand with him, was something he had been working toward for five years now. He had to do this, even if by now, Nokoh also knew that Merra had not told him everything… She especially forgot to mention that the Silver Flute herself was close enough to this… Siu. So much so that she would appear as a witness.

For a moment, he visibly seemed uncertain, but it lasted only for a fleeting second, right until Cho’Wa pressed his body against Nokoh’s leg and his fingers sank into the wolf’s thick fur. The moment that happened, all of the uncertainty vanished from his face, as there was no stepping back now.

“You came with an audience,” Nokoh said with a shrug, “An effective psychological move, and I applaud that. I can't lie, it was an effective first strike, worthy of someone who could become a Paragon in time.”

“That was not my intention,” Siu shook his head. “But I wouldn’t send my friends away if they want to come and see my fight.”

“I do hope you realize who you can bring into this match,” Nokoh glanced at Marly, starting to smile. “Only the squirrel." Then she pointed at Arya, but his eyes stayed locked on Siu, "The girl doesn’t count as a beast anymore, as she is wearing her own sash.”

"Oi!" Arya’s head snapped toward him, and Siu felt the eruption coming through the bond, as Arya almost threw off her sash, and was about to undress. “You think?!” She yelled while Cho’Wa’s eyes fixed onto her, just as Seloryn grabbed her by the collar, lifting her up, letting her legs and arms flail in the air. “I am right here, dog! Come, try me! I'll show you what kind of animal I am!”

Cho’Wa’s lips peeled back at that, starting to snarl, showing his canines, while Arya did the same, even barking at him, surprising the wolf himself.

"No matter how rabid she makes herself look, or calling my wolf a bitch in his tongue," Nokoh continued, doing his best to ignore Arya, “Your fox cannot participate.”

"So what?!" Arya wasn't going to let it go, “I am also my Master’s companion, that bitch who hired you said so, too!”

“The duel terms were about beast-to-beast," Nokoh added, holding back himself from flinching, because Arya was nothing like how his Cho'Wa acted... at all. "When dueling, you need clear rules set by the one being challenged. If you enter this duel," he finally glanced at Arya for a moment, "it becomes two inner disciples against one, and that violates the challenge, giving me the immediate victory, with a penalty waiting for your Master.”

"...!” Arya snapped at him, but stayed silent, not wanting Siu to get into trouble, her eyes becoming watery.

"Big Sis..." Marly swallowed, straightening up on Siu's shoulder, holding onto his head, "I'll protect Master!"

Arya looked at her, and although Marly felt terrified, she was gradually pushing it down on her own. No matter if she was afraid of wolves, she had gathered every ounce of courage in herself, remembering how Siu had saved her. She couldn't and wouldn't let him fight alone, no matter the opponents.

As for Cho’Wa, he watched them with narrowed eyes, exchanging words through their own contract, his snarls slowly receding as he settled into a serious look, his ears flat and his body ready to fight.

"I understand." Arya said at last, taking a deep breath, stopping her struggle in Seloryn's grasp, “However... If you hurt any of them, I will end your bloodline.” She said, surprisingly coldly, without any childlike tantrum, and for a moment, her Moon Form appeared behind her as a mirage, glaring daggers at Nokoh before dispersing in the sunlight.

Nokoh’s eyes flashed when seeing the ghost-like figure flicker behind Arya for a brief moment, clearly spreading out more than one tail, making even Cho’Wa arch his back, his fur standing up. At the same time, Siu reached up and lifted Marly from his shoulder into both hands, which made her calm down even more.

“Stay in the air as long as you can,” he said through their bond, “Your main role is going to be to help me see their movements from above. If you can, swoop down to distract or disturb the wolf, but do not risk it more than needed. Our main target will be Cho'Wa, understood?”

"Y-yes..." Marly nodded quickly, "Why the wolf?"

"They are like us, and if so, it means he cares most about his companion. I don't think I can hold up for long against two of them, so we need a decisive strategy, even if it's... a despicable strategy."

"Perfect." Arya joined in, smirking inside, "I can also feed you information from the sidelines, Master. They can't blame us for it, our contract is not something that can be stopped, and it isn't your fault you are sensing what I'm seeing!"

"You are right." Siu smiled to himself, but made sure not to look towards her, not wanting to give the 'cheating' away. He just hoped the arena's formations and systems wouldn't deem it interfering. "I will focus on hurting the wolf, because that would disrupt any strategy they may have. And understanding how I would feel, I know it would make me commit to mistakes just so I can get you all out of harm's way."

"I now feel hot, Master, because you can be super nasty and sweet at the same time! I will twist my hips and shake my bottom for you on the sides, cheering loudly!" Arya laughed, but on the outside, she still looked angry that she wasn't allowed to fight. "Give them hell!"

"Heh! Sure, why not? Maybe it will distract them. I don't know if I will win," Siu nodded slowly as everyone began clearing the main arena, and the barrier around it also burst to life, covering it with a transparent, bluish-golden light like a birdcage. "But for sure won't give him an easy fight."