The Heavens Shall Fall

When the group reached the same spot as before, they looked around several times, as at first they thought they had taken a wrong turn. There should have been a narrow stream, with the old bridge going over it. And the spindly-looking tree on the other side. However... None of that was here anymore.

“Was that always this big?” Joren asked, pointing at the rushing water, separating a now-floating island on the other side that was clearly behind some kind of distortion, as looking at it felt like watching a distant mirage.

“No,” Seloryn answered immediately, watching the rushing water.

What had once been a simple stream was now wide enough that calling it a river was more appropriate. It was easily twenty to thirty meters across in places, coming from high above, crashing down loudly before hurrying downwards from their spot. It was clearly a bad idea to try to fall into it, because even with ample cultivation, you would be carried away in a flash, thrown off the mountainside, back down into the sect... somewhere.

Examining the sometimes foaming, rushing water, Siu walked closer to the edge and looked downstream, trying to see where it was heading. The river, not far from there, had curved around the slope they were on before disappearing underground, completely separating their Gemstone Terrace from the main road.

“Well,” Ruben muttered, smacking his lips, “At least we won't have to worry about someone trying to just jump over.”

"The clear spatial barrier on the place would be enough of a deterrent from that." Joren glanced at him, nodding his head towards the terrace.

"Interesting," Toban muttered, his eyes locked onto the bridge instead. "I am not that versed with formations yet, but this looks like it's part of one..."

"Is it?" Everyone looked at him at that, and he just nodded.

"I'm pretty sure it is."

The old one was completely gone as the new bridge was broad, easily large enough for the entire group to walk side by side over it. It was polished like marble, smooth, yet when Arya tried it with one foot, it was not so slick that it would be slippery. However, the moment she put a leg on it, visible silver lines ran through it in curling, flashing patterns, forming feathers, ripples, and circular motifs, marks that none of them could understand.

"Tsk... He is right..." Arya muttered, pulling her feet back in a hurry.

At the two ends of the bridge stood the real centerpiece, though. They were two tall, red-painted pillars that rose from square stone foundations on either side of the approach. They were thick enough that Siu probably couldn't wrap his arms around one, and two massive beams joined them overhead. The lower one was straight and heavy, while the upper beam extended farther beyond both pillars, its ends rising slightly toward the sky. Even more eye-catching was the dark plaque hanging from the center, gently swaying in the wind.

[Spirit Wardens]

The letters were golden-colored, shining whenever the setting sun's last rays hit them.

“That's an expensive advertisement, if I had ever seen one,” Vael muttered, holding back a smile, making Toban chuckle.

"You don't even know the pull this will have..."

"So? Are we crossing over or not?" Quillian asked, looking at the group with one raised brow.

Actually... they knew they should, but it was still Orzimar's doing, and nobody was sure he wouldn't pull some prank and tell them it was just a test. Maybe he didn't even finish it, because looking over at the mirage-like island on the other side, they could only see an obscured image of maybe a... a building. It was hard to make it out properly, but it should be one... shouldn't it? But it was like looking at a reflection on the top of a disturbed body of water.

“The spatial formation begins there,” Quillian spoke up once again, pointing his cane at the first gate on their end. “From what I read, this is a very ancient variant, from which our sect's entryways were derived later. Just like when you head out and the stones light up, locking onto your coordinates, these two should do the same, bringing you into the terrace."

“So we just walk?” Toban asked, while Siu was subconsciously touching his sash.

“Apparently.” He nodded, then looked at him. "Lucky you are officially a member now; otherwise, we probably would have gotten a taste of what happens when someone who isn't tries to enter."

"I wouldn't have dared to go over if that was the case." Toban smiled back, stepping out of the way. "You first."

"Hmph!" Arya stepped toward the gateway instead, swiping her tail around and almost hitting Toban, who just leaned back and easily dodged it.

"Arya," Siu caught her tail, pulling on it, "Manners."

“Nyauh!” She moaned out loudly, “Master! Pervert!”

“...”

Everyone looked at Siu, of course, as he let go of her, shook his body, and began walking forward. The moment his leading foot passed between the red pillars, he felt a kind of warmth run through him, while the silver lights on the bridge were flashing in an elaborate pattern. After Siu stepped fully through and stood on the bridge without issue, the others followed, curious.

“I think," Toban muttered, walking after the group as the last one, "It is checking the authorization tied to the association's tablet. My first guess is that even if someone stole my sash, they wouldn't be able to cross it.”

“Correct.” Quillian agreed, "You are a well-read man."

"Part of my job." He smiled, as clearly Quillian's opinion of him was quickly rising.

"You hear that, Siu?" The old man added.

"..." He didn't answer, as there were no good answers for it... he had been reading so much that he was sometimes dreaming he was a letter on the page of a book that someone else was writing.

“What if someone followed directly behind an authorized member?” Arya asked curiously.

"Hm." Quillian looked toward the river, just as Toban did, and both of them smiled at the same time.

“What?” Arya asked, disliking their in-sync movements.

“They would regret it.” The two said, "Big time." Then the old man tapped the bridge with his cane as several lines briefly flashed under it. “The formation would let them enter, luring them in, then activate somewhere... probably around the middle. There is a reason there are no railings...”

“And then?” Arya asked again, and Toban began pointing towards the river.

"Splash."

“Oh,” Seloryn muttered, also coming to an understanding.

“OOOH!” Arya's eyes lit up, grinning. "Crafty!"

“So...” Joren slowly asked. “It throws them off?”

“Most likely.” Toban nodded as he looked downstream. "They would be flushed down, back into the Hollow Song somewhere below us, from what I can tell.”

“You are assuming they can swim.” Ruben said with a half-joking voice, “Oh well... A cultivator who cannot survive being thrown into a mountain river probably should not attempt to infiltrate the headquarters of an Inner Disciple association.”

“I agree.” Toban nodded, making the two smile at each other.

"Um," Arya began, looking at the two, unable to decide if she should still be wary of Toban or not, “Can we watch? Or test it?”

“No,” Siu answered at once, slapping the back of her head. "Only if you want to jump into it."

"Eh? Alone? No!" She shook her head. "But if you come with me, Master..."

"Walk." Siu pushed her ahead of him. "Let's get to the other side before Arya's intrusive thoughts make her do something stupid."

“I approve.” Seloryn nodded, holding back a smile, walking up right beside Siu.

“Master,” Arya spoke up again when they passed the halfway mark.

“What?”

"That." She pointed down, and as they looked, the river had become wider. Much... much wider.

Everyone stopped at that, because looking at it, it made no sense. They had not walked far enough for anything to change, yet the opposite bank was now perhaps fifty meters away. Immediately, Siu looked back, and the first gateway stood behind them, maybe ten steps away.

“What the hell?” Joren muttered, doing the same thing.

“Just keep walking,” Quillian said, being the first to move again.

As they did so, the previous roar of the sect-side river gradually softened, followed by the way the mountain air changed, becoming more refreshing, if that was even possible. The road behind them remained visible through the first red gateway. However, everything around it began feeling distant, as though they were seeing it through an uncleaned window. Feeling a bit weirded out, as if they were lost between two places, still in transit, Siu glanced over the side again. The river was still flowing fast, running down towards the sect, but it no longer had any sound accompanying it.

“This is weird,” Nokoh muttered, while Cho'Wa agreed with a quiet growl.

“Don't think about it too much,” Seloryn said, "Formations are way too complicated, especially ones that bend space."

“Good advice.” Toban agreed. "Most formations come alive only after you enter the Second Circle, and this one...? Oh... I no longer believe you were dealing only with a regular High Elder."

"Is there even something like a regular High Elder?" Joren asked, raising his brows.

"There are always regulars in every group, if you have any people in them," Toban answered simply. "Put together all the Sect Masters of our world, and there will be regulars and irregulars in them."

Nobody said anything to that, but it was, actually, the truth. Even if anyone tried to argue against it. Not that they would, especially when their gazes were now fixed on the second, red gateway that was gradually becoming clearer and clearer. By the time they reached it, it matched the first almost perfectly, and Siu had a thought that it was actually the first one, just... existing at two places at once. If that was possible.

“Ours!” Arya yelled out, jumping off the bridge, right onto the other side of the land.

“Big Sis!” Marly flung herself off Siu's head, landing on top of Arya. "Wait for me! Don't eat the food yet!"

Siu just shrugged, soon also stepping through the gate, and the moment he crossed beneath it, the world opened before him. The place suddenly was just as vast as when they fought Orzimar. Once again, the land stretched in all directions, now forming a rolling expanse with hills in the distance, covered in deep green grass. Wherever they looked, the horizon felt as if it was impossibly far away. The familiar peaks of the Hollow Song remained visible beyond it, still, but... Only as backdrops, as pillars, holding up the sky.

As for what Orzimar had built, their main building was right before the group, the moment they stepped off the bridge. It stood two levels high, and it was built to be broad rather than towering over them. Its rectangular form stretched across the open landscape, with an inner courtyard hidden at its heart, just like in the plans Orzimar had shown them. It stood on an off-white stone foundation, slightly above the surrounding grounds, while warm-feeling wooden walls covered much of the upper structure. The roofs were layered and steeply sloped, covered with a bit more dark tiles, their broad eaves extending far beyond the walls before curling upward at the corners. However, it did not look like an old temple. The tall arched windows contrasted with that first feeling, their proportions giving the structure the appearance of a wealthy noble estate rather than a monastery. Some rose nearly the height of an entire floor, fitted with dark frames and colored glass that reflected the surrounding mountains, sparkling with different shades as they broke the light into a rainbow.

Still, what really gave it a luxurious feeling was the path leading up to it. It was part of a massive garden, filled with perfectly cut grass, shrubs, and colorful flowers. They ran in both directions and lined galleries, and gazebos were placed along the paths, here and there. As for the building itself, at some points there were slender pillars that held up its roof, creating shaded walkways around the exterior and, Siu assumed, similar things were to be found around the inner courtyard.

Moving their eyes away from what was completed, there were clear connections where the stone roads spreading across the front garden and out from the building simply ended. Beyond those, most of the land was still empty grass, waiting for something new to be built, connecting them to their main compound.

“This...” Siu began, because seeing it from here and looking at an eccentric elder's plans were two different things.

“Even I'm impressed.” Ruben muttered, smacking his lips, "This is better than the king's palace where I'm from."

"He's not lying." Joren agreed, then he looked at him. "So... I guess you ain't quitting?"

“I will remain.”

"So," Seloryn nudged Siu with a smile, “Worth the contract?” She whispered, nodding towards the Silent Toban.

“I should have asked for more,” Siu whispered back as both of them chuckled. "Well then! Let's go in!"

The others followed him at once, and the closer they came to the main building, the more details became visible. The entrance sat beneath the deep overhanging roof supported by red and dark-wood pillars, deliberately copying the twin gateways, flanking broad double doors that stood open. Looking in, past those doors, Siu could see straight through the front section of the building, right into the green, central courtyard. It was open to the sky, square and wide, surrounded on all sides by covered galleries. For now, the courtyard itself was mostly simple stone and grass, with enough room for dozens of people to gather, even when there was a rectangular pool in the middle, filled with crystal-clear, blue water.

Even though the main hall was empty, it was still... luxurious. The floor was made of dark marble, the walls of polished wood, with two curving stairs on either side that led up to the upstairs galleries and the second-floor spaces. Naturally, the group quickly split up, exploring to their heart's content.

What quickly became apparent was that they only got the skeleton of the building, meaning all the rooms were empty. There wasn't any furniture in them, allowing the Wardens to design and designate every space as they felt like. The only exception was the kitchen, because there was actually space created for special appliances, with cooled storage built into the walls themselves.

And with an underground pantry that Marly had found immediately. Even if it was also empty.

"I have to say," Seloryn said, catching up to Siu and finding him in one of the second-floor rooms with a wide balcony overlooking the inner garden. "Now I want to move into this place."

"Will you?" He asked, smiling.

"I think I will." She nodded. "We have the space, and it saves us CC. "I think the others will agree, too. Which room will you pick?"

"None," Siu answered quickly, making Seloryin blink a few times, as she wasn't expecting that as an answer. "I still have an obligation towards Senior Quillian and—"

"It's fine." Quillian's voice interrupted him as he walked over, tapping his cane on the room's crisp, wooden floor. "I'm moving the Red Leaf here."

"Huh?" They both flinched, looking at him.

"You need a library," the old man said; his eyes were flashing behind his glasses. "I'll build that for you. Of course, you keep working for me, boy! Making sure my collection doesn't get ruined by newcomers. So, pick your room well... because we will have a lot of work to do after this place is up and running!"