The Heavens Shall Fall

By the time Siu pushed through the Red Leaf's door, he was pretty sure that they would get no answer about the empty parcel... At all. If it were empty for more than seven hundred years, another century would mean nothing. Maybe it was something sentimental. Otherwise... He couldn't explain why anyone wouldn't want to part with it.

“You are back quickly,” Quillian spoke up, watching him enter. "Anything useful?"

“We had to consult an archivist and after that... I honestly can't tell if it is good news or not.”

"If you have to ask, then it is not," Seloryn's voice reached him as she sat at the counter beside a stack of books so high that Siu could only see the top of her hair from the door.

"Why so loud...?" Marly yawned as she sat up atop one of the bookshelves, waving her tail down at Siu.

“Well?” Seloryn asked again, watching Siu walk over and lean against the counter, while Arya hopped up to sit on it, explaining the same thing to Marly at the same time Siu was telling Seloryn.

“The land belongs to a High Elder,” Siu said quickly, "His name is Orzimar. Ring any bells?"

"Nope," Seloryn answered, glancing at Quillian, who furrowed his brows, but in the end, shook his head.

"He is or was in charge of Sect-Ground Formations. Still... nothing?” He added, watching hopefully how the old man kept furrowing his brows... then, his eyes lit up.

“Oh.”

"What?!" Siu looked at him expectantly, “You know him?”

“No, but I think I recognize the name. Yes... There was a Formation-based High Elder who was a nightmare to work with. I just don't know if it's him or came after him,” Quillian said, rummaging through some books, flipping them open one after the other, clearly searching for something specific. “Both cases were before my time anyway.”

While he was searching, Siu explained what they had found and told Seloryn to expect nothing and to keep looking into the others, because there was little to no chance of getting the empty land.

“I submitted an inquiry anyway.” He finished, "So, what about you? Anything interesting?"

"Mmm..." Seloryn rested one finger against the closed book. “I wouldn't call it that interesting, as I found very little about the land itself. But,” She slid one of the books toward him, opening it at her mark, “There is one mention of something there that fits. However, it is dated to almost one thousand years ago, so its validity...”

"Don't question my records, girl!" Quillian grunted, still looking for books, now rummaging in the limited section, "If one of my texts says there was something there, then it is correct. I don't sell fake history!"

"I trust him," Siu leaned closer to read, and the page contained a list of old inner-disciple associations, most of which were reduced to names and short remarks, with not much to go on. "The Crown Jewel?" He muttered, and as he read what little there was, it was marked down as an elite disciple association with its headquarters on the Gemstone Terrace.

"I looked for the name, but the only info I got," Seloryn continued, "Is that they were known for accepting only disciples who were expected to enter the Paragon List. The whole crew was made up of Paragons or people who later became Paragons. Those who failed to do so were kicked out."

"Damn." Siu whistled, looking up from the book, "They weren't joking around, were they?"

"But you can't keep something like that up for long," Seloryn shrugged, pointing at another mark. "They got dissolved after... Well, I don't know how many years. I don't know what happened to the house that they had there, probably demolished. However, I couldn't find any descriptions of its destruction, sale, or transfer, but I also didn't go to the library to bury myself in administrative documents. The fact that the association existed there almost one thousand years ago makes me not want to deal with paperwork. The important part is that it dissolved, and a few centuries later, nobody cared about it.”

“So what now?” Siu asked. "Do we move on to the others or keep pursuing it?"

“Possibly the latter.” She said seriously, looking into his eyes, "We could petition for the reallocation. This is so damn old that it is borderline rule-breaking to hog it any longer. Even if it is owned by a High Elder, he is doing nothing with it! Maybe we could get it for cheap... I will have to look into this."

"Be careful, though," Quillian spoke from behind a massive book, “Even amongst elders, there are some... difficult people. And this guy is one of those," He added, throwing the book onto the counter that had old notes copied into it. "The Crown Jewel was apparently powerful in its prime days, which also made them very selective and pushy. Just read those, some records call them outright arrogant bullies."

“What happened to their members?” Siu asked, mostly for his own curiosity's sake.

“They had the highest turnout of elders amongst associations of its time," Seloryn read, flipping a page, "Oh... They died out because they stopped replacing themselves with talent. Someone noted here that they had such a high bar for entry that nobody could join anymore.”

"Ouch," Siu chuckled as he looked at the quote, reading it, "I wonder why they didn't adjust it... But if they were that proud, I could also understand why. Anything else?”

“Nothing useful.” Quillian shook his head as Seloryn closed the book. “The plot disappears from association records, and after that, High Elder Orzimar keeps on working, then retiring.”

“Retiring?” They both asked, making Quillian shrug.

“Not in the term you think of it.” He explained, "He just no longer kept a position that dealt with the sect's day-to-day business. I can't tell what he is doing now, but after a certain point and time, this is pretty normal. Plus, not everyone can become a Grand Elder, so..."

“He will answer,” Arya said smugly all of a sudden.

“Why?” Quillian asked, just as surprised as the others.

“Because Master asked for a price. He challenged him for ownership!” The certainty in her voice left no room for questioning her belief, so Siu just patted her head, smiling like the others.

“If you are right, you can claim yourself a clairvoyant.” Seloryn joked, making Arya's mismatched eyes shine even brighter.

“We should! Arya the Clairvoyeur!”

“We should not, and that's not how that word works!” Siu moaned, turning the headpat into a knock.

“That is exactly how words work.” Arya argued, "Words are wordy, and they worky!"

"Khm," Seloryn cleared her throat. “Let's focus on finding a base, okay? So, the cave was easier to research.” She began by explaining to Siu all she had learned about it.

...

....

.....

A few days later, Siu was working behind the counter of the Red Leaf, but calling it 'working' was a generous description. While Quillian was preparing his next session of training, Siu was put on a 'rest day,' which meant he was left alone in the Red Leaf while everyone else was doing something. He wasn't complaining much, since no customers had come in since Quillian left that morning, and the only thing he was doing was reading. The book before him at that moment was titled 'Preliminary Affinity Development Through Controlled Environmental Exposure.' It was detailing something he wanted to ask Vael about, because the second half of the book was telling him about cultivators with lightning-affinity training in places where ther were more frequent storms, drawing on nature's energies much more easily than living in the desert.

It repeated the same thing for the other affinities, as the first half was devoted to explaining that a fire cultivator should spend time around fire, a water cultivator near water, and an earth cultivator standing barefoot on the ground. Siu had nearly closed it after that first revelation, but at least the book went into details later.

They described how an affinity was not merely an element or an external force, but the manifestation of the worldly essence, filtered through a cultivator's bones, marrow, blood, and flesh. Even then, nature's forces were affecting the worldly essence, permeating and passing through everything before being absorbed by a cultivator, hence the effect everyone could observe so clearly.

"Exposure is not enough..." He muttered, reading the closing words at the end of the book, "Developing your own technique starts with copying nature. Haaah... too bad, I can't copy nature but only others."

Closing the book, stretching, he gently reached out, checking on the feelings of Arya and Marly, who had gone with Seloryn to revisit the available properties and negotiate how far each price might be lowered. He knew the two were bored inside the shop, so he didn't argue and thanked Seloryn for taking them with her, even if Arya claimed she was necessary to be there, because the owners would be unable to resist her charm. Apparently, they were having fun, so he didn't bother them and turned his attention back to the empty shop, right when the bell above the front door chimed, and a man had entered.

At first glance, he appeared to be in his early twenties, and he was handsome, though not the way Ruben was. It felt... a bit more artificial. His long, black hair had been tied loosely behind his head, with several strands falling forward on the sides, framing a calm face with green eyes as he scanned the shop. Looking at him more, his robes were plain, and Siu could notice no embroidery or association emblems, anything decorating them really. He wasn't a servant and... there were no sashes on him anywhere, so... he wasn't a disciple either? An elder? But no, he wasn't wearing clothes like theirs either. Though... It wasn't plain, and it was clearly finely woven, fitting him too well to be cheap, as it was custom-made.

A guest, perhaps...? Siu couldn't really think of anything else. While he was watching, the man closed the door behind him. Standing there for a silent second, he looked around the Red Leaf, assessing everything before finally gazing towards Siu behind the counter.

“Is the owner... Quillian here?” He asked, and he sounded young, too, but his voice... Something was not right. It was neither respectful nor rude... But...

“No,” Siu answered, feeling himself getting on guard for no reason but his own instincts. “He went out.”

“When will he return?”

“He didn’t tell me.”

"I see." The man’s eyes shifted toward the books before him, then turned fully toward Siu with a sharp snap. “You work here?”

“Sometimes.”

“That does not sound official.” He continued, stepping towards him.

“It is and not at the same time with recent developments.”

“Then why are you behind the counter?”

“Excuse me for asking, but is this some kind of inspection? If it is, can I see some documentation about it?”

"..." The man’s mouth moved slightly, almost like a smile, and he finally stopped and stood before the counter.

The longer Siu watched, the stranger the man became in his eyes. There was almost... nothing before him, even if he was seeing him. He could not sense any obvious essence leaving him, or any kind of pressure from an aura that every cultivator had. He couldn't count his breathing pattern either. Worse, Siu saw no weight in his steps at all, making it impossible to tell how he was moving. Something was off, further ringing the alarm bells in his mind, making it race to understand what was happening. The young man felt like a mortal, which was laughable, because he clearly wasn't, just because of all the things Siu had noticed already.

By now, even Siu's affinity reacted and reached outward carefully and... When that happened, for a moment, he sensed nothing, right until their eyes met. When that happened, his own senses automatically retreated, and Siu’s concentration broke, with a cold line of sweat running down his back. It was evident that the stranger had noticed what he was doing and so easily pushed Siu back that he had no chance of resisting. Now, he was reading him, making Siu's eyes flicker, and the stranger's smile curled a bit further up while doing so.

Siu had looked into the eyes of Grand Elder Yan before, and even had her aura weigh him down... But that was just a test, but this...? This was worse. Which made him think and furrow his brows, being sure that the one standing before him had to be an elder-level figure, or... a High Elder? In that moment, an idea jumped into Siu's mind, but for now, he just kept staring back, refusing to back down, even if he was facing someone so much stronger.

“Do you sell books concerning affinities?” the stranger asked suddenly, as if reading him like an open book.

“Yes.” He answered simply, having to lick his lips to moisten them. "Is there anything specific you are looking for?"

"Not really," The man turned around, but the pressure remained as he walked over and stopped before one of the shelves. “What were you reading?”

“Just the basics,” Siu answered simply, trying to read him again, but this time around, he couldn't even perceive the man. If he had walked out of his sight, Siu wouldn't even know he was there in the first place. He was sure that the man could use the same sensing methods he had read about before, and to a much larger degree.

“The basics are good.” The man nodded, "But books are just theories, and a disciple should understand the theories through actual experience.”

“Naturally,” Siu answered without stepping back from the confrontation, "But understanding what you experience needs knowledge."

"Well said." The man’s attention sharpened slightly at his answer, once again turning towards him, "So... You dislike wasted time?”

“Define what you mean by wasting time. Because my answer would be more like... I dislike avoidable waste.” Siu shot back without thinking much.

“Are you now...?" He tilted his head, still smiling, his eyes not even blinking, "Yet you founded an association before securing land, money, facilities, patronage, and... a clear income.”

"..." Seeing Siu's silence, the stranger continued browsing the shelf while Siu was now sure who he was talking to... which made things even weirder than before. “So..." He spoke up, taking a deep breath, "You know who I am.”

“I looked it up, yes.” The man answered nonchalantly.

"I'm flattered. So... Are you looking for a book, or did you come to question me?”

"Why ask that?" He actually chuckled, still not looking at him, "Can I not do both?”

“You can, but it insults me, wouldn't you agree?”

"Oh, come on now," The man pulled a thin volume from the shelf as he checked its title, opened it, flipped through some of the pages, then returned it precisely to its former place. "Tell me, these... Spirit Wardens,” he said in an almost jovial manner. “What kind of group is it?”

"If you looked me up, you would know. Why should I divulge anything more about it? If you are here to apply," Siu went on the attack at once, "then we can talk, and maybe I will tell you more about how we work. Otherwise... Those answers are not for your ears."

“Oh my, me joining your group?" He said, once again facing him, "That would be the hilarity of the century. Still, I am not asking for your rules, or members, or whatever else... I am asking the type of group you are. What are your goals? You gathered Paragons, three of them...” While speaking, the stranger crossed the room back towards Siu, stopping on the opposite side of the counter, directly looking into Siu's eyes, searching for his answer.

"What if I tell you, we have no goals yet?" Siu answered, blinking, actually losing the staring contest.

“Please, nobody forms a group without one. Even if it is for your own benefit, so you can copy affinities better, that is already a goal.”

Hearing him speak about it so openly, Siu’s expression remained still, even if that was not public information... Now he knew who the man was, he just didn't know what he was playing at. Was this what High Elders get to when bored? What a bastard.

"Why should I answer any of your questions clearly when you can't answer mine the same way?" He blurted out in the end, watching as the man’s eyes lifted in surprise.

Then, in a snap, the room simply became heavier, and Siu was sure he heard the counter groan under the weight. Just then, his lungs failed to draw in any breath, as if the air had changed into water, almost making him cough and suffocate. In that moment, every instinct told him to lower his head, but instead of doing that, Siu’s shoulders tightened, keeping his head level. He was now forcing himself through the pressure, breathing again, doing the same thing he did when Grand Elder Yan tested him.

In answer... The pressure continued to rise as the stranger watched him, clearly waiting to see how far Siu was willing to go.

What was he after? Fear? Submission? Or simply, he just wanted to break him? Was he just a bully? Because he was acting like one, and Siu was suddenly feeling very much defiant, deciding he would resist with all he had, even if it would send him into a coma.

“What do you want?” Siu asked through gritted teeth, "You old fuck?"

The pressure vanished at once, and Siu almost buckled as his blood was boiling, his affinity trying to grab onto anything to help him fight back, but it was so hard to think clearly.

“That was rude,” the man muttered, yet he didn't sound angry, “Hmmm... You responded better than I expected.”

“Do you do that to every shop worker?” Siu continued asking, panting for air, "No wonder your group was called arrogant, you are a damned bully."

“...” The man said nothing, just kept smiling, watching Siu wipe his mouth, glaring back at him, unafraid of consequences. “You are less respectful than your records suggest.”

“Earn it.” Siu snorted, placing his hands back on the counter, "I never agreed with the sentiment that it has to be given unconditionally."

“I agree.” The man said simply, crossing his arms, measuring Siu once more, "I very much abhor the always polite, fake idiots who can only show teeth when someone's back is turned. Glad you aren't one of those."

"Are we done?" Siu asked, now feeling impatient, "Is there anything else to check, High Elder Orzimar, or can I hear your assessment already for why you are not letting us buy the land?"

"It isn't for sale," Orzimar answered, waving a hand, "You have to earn it."

"Care to tell me how?"

"Easy." He chuckled, crossing his arms, "Fight me."