WINDS OF TAINIA (3)

Marshall decided this was the time to lend a hand, and pressed his palms against the snow deity's back, transferring the spiritual energy.

Wyn's breathing eased and the freezing process sped up. In a few moments, the river's surface became a solid sheet of ice, trapping most of the army in ice.

The few demons who escaped were left hopelessly scrambling across the ice, slipping and falling like a bunch of fawns. Unable to get off the river, they served as entertainment for the crowd of warriors watching from the shore.

"Hey, you pulled it off!" Marshall exclaimed, extending a hand towards the snow deity to pull him up. 

Wyn, exhausted from the task, accepted the helping hand and rose to his feet. He pulled Cheimon out of the ice with relative ease. 

"My spiritual flow was..." the snow deity muttered, staring at the stiff river.

"Better than expected?" Marshall finished the sentence, a grin stretching across his face. 

"...insufficient."

A disbelieving scoff left Marshall. 

The rest of the warriors were snapping out of the daze, celebratory chuckles breaking out as they gathered around the snow deity.

Marshall nudged Wyn into the enthusiastic crowd.

"Just enjoy the accomplishment. Any other person would have fallen down unconscious from fatigue, but you're still standing."

Lai Rylan approached Marshall with a strong pat on the back, nearly throwing him off balance. "Good thinking. Transferring your spiritual energy, I mean."

"Ah, yeah—" Marshall sneezed before he could respond, prompting a laugh from his friend.

"Don't catch a cold, now."

Some of Jilu guards recognized Lai Rylan, waving him over for a chat. He moved away, leaving Marshall to linger by the edge of the crowd. "Be right back."

Slivers of blue peeked through the colorless ceiling, as if the heavens had slit the clouds open to witness the impressive feat.

The disciple glanced around, then followed Calla Akeya, who was heading towards the snow deity.

"Chioni Wyn, how long can you maintain the ice?" she inquired.

Marshall joined in time to hear the explanation. 

"Considering the weather conditions, the spiritual ice will thaw in approximately four days."

The disciple interjected, "What if the demons try to break it? Once the ice begins to melt, they'll get to smashing."

Barely a second after the words had left his mouth, the demons atop the ice began jumping up and down, scratching and fisting the ice.

Calla Kai's alarmed shouts reached them. "Did you see that?! They are going to escape!"

Marshall scratched the back of his neck, noting. "We probably should find a way to lift that seal before the demons get creative."

Calla Akeya nodded, her expression deep in contemplation as she gazed at the stronghold. 

"Chioni Wyn, you are familiar with the north of Sky Oriels. Are there any songs that hold meaning for locals on this side?" she questioned.

"I happen to know a few."

"In that case, could I burden you by asking you to sing in front of the gate?"

"Of course."

As they walked up to the gate, the disciple couldn't stop comparing the snow deity to a marble statue. Nor pain, nor pride shook him. It seemed that nothing got to him except his own standards.

What a weird guy. If he was going to pay so much attention to his mistakes, why not acknowledge his successes as well?

Wyn cleared his throat, and his deep voice brought the attention back to him. People gathered behind, listening as he went through a few songs. Yet, none of them were up to the Ribbon Orchid seal's tastes.

After the third attempt, the icy gaze ran over the crowd, seemingly faltering on someone for a moment. Then he turned back to the gate and began humming a mournful melody. It sounded like it was written by a grieving guardian angel who had lost their human to fate. 

Judging by the surprised faces of the crowd, no one seemed to recognize it. On the third line of the song, the tunes resonated with the gate, causing it to emit a subtle hum in response. The seal glimmered and the pattern of the flower separated into a loose spider web before fading away completely.

"What song was that?" Calla Akeya couldn't suppress her disbelief as she took the keys out.

Wyn's expression remained cool, as if he hadn't just completed two major tasks in a row. Instead of responding straight away, he looked in Lou Yumei's direction. 

"Do you happen to know the name of the song?" he asked the girl in purple.

Lou Yumei's paled, and pressed her lips together, staring at him tensely.

Wyn turned back to Calla Akeya. "The song I just sang is called the Lament of Tainia."

Marshall tilted his head inquisitively. "So there was a song about the river after all?" 

The snow deity shook his head in denial. "It is about a flower. Tainia is also another name for the Ribbon Orchid, which happens to originate from Lou."

Calla Kai chuckled, scratching his head. "What a coincidence. Yumei, did you know that?"

Wyn gazed at him with a look of 'of course, she knew,' but he didn't say it out loud.

All eyes turned to Lou Yumei, who was standing stiff as a lantern pole. The beads of sweat rolling down her forehead made her appear guilty.

"Wait, why didn't you try singing it to the gate?" Calla Kai asked, stepping closer to the girl in purple.

Lou Yumei shot an unsure glare at Wyn. "It's a song only known by the members of my family, nobody else could have known of it! Why would I sing a song from Lou Sect's heritage in front of other people?"

"You put us and the mission at risk!"

Calla Kai kept pouring oil over the flames. Every time he opened his mouth, the unfriendly gazes that were eyeing Lou Yumei intensified.

"Is a mere song more important than our lives?!" 

"It's not a mere song!" Lou Yumei yelled back, getting heated.

Calla Akeya had unlocked the gate, the heavy doors rumbling open. She cast her brother and the girl a disapproving look.

"This is not the time to argue over the details. The seal has been broken, so let us focus on the mission. We shall settle this once the pressing matters are taken care of."

Lou Yumei didn't dare to disrespect the order, following Calla Akeya into the stronghold with a heavy gaze and even heavier steps.

As the rest of them passed through, Marshall kept glancing at Wyn, itching from curiosity. Secrets stacked upon secrets. How did he know the Lament of Tainia? 

The disciple skipped to the snow deity's side, shooting out a question. "How do you know Lou family's secret song?"

"I happened to overhear it," came a dry response.

Calla Kai, having overheard the exchange, scoffed. "How can you overhear something like that? Do you think we're stupid?"

"Manners," Calla Akeya shot a warning glance at her brother, who moved away with the face of someone who had sipped on bitter tea.

Marshall leaned over Wyn's shoulder to whisper.

"Was that your owl? Did the owl sing a song that it heard while making the rounds to check for demonic presence?"

Wyn stepped sideways, restoring his personal space. He looked at Marshall with an utterly unimpressed expression. "Do you think birds can speak?"

"Don't patronize me. How am I supposed to know what your owl can or cannot do?"

The snow deity sighed. "Why must you know?" 

"You know something you shouldn't, so I want to know how you know it."

"Do not attempt to cross bridges you have not built."

With that, Wyn followed Calla Akeya inside the stronghold's castle, leaving the disciple behind.

Marshall exhaled impatiently, muttering under his breath."What bridges? Why can't he just tell me...? Did he read it in some book? A secret book? Maybe the owl took a page of the song?"

Lai Rylan, who had been walking a few meters behind them the entire time, walked up to Marshall's side. "Let it go. Getting involved in that will only give you a headache."

"No way. I won't rest until I find out what he's trying to hide."