Chapter 13: The Broken Song's Threshold

The Ashen Wind howled through the massive chasm of the Sundered Vein, carrying gritty particles that stung Yao Jun's eyes and the smell of old, rusted metal. It tugged at his tattered robes, whispering secrets in a language made up of sighs and distant rumbles. Next to him, Mei Ling stood calm, her silver aura a delicate light in the gloom, her blindfolded face tilted slightly as if she were listening to the sorrowful tune of the wind.

"...deeper," Guiying's voice strained in Yao Jun's mind. "...the Broken Song is hidden beyond the Screaming Falls. The way is dangerous. The wind carries echoes... and hunters."

Hunters. The word bounced around in his mind, echoing the angry shouts coming from above. But what chilled him more was the deep discomfort within himself. The anchors that Master Kael had put in place weren't just chains; they were wounds to his spirit. Intense heat burned through his meridians, each breath was a struggle, and each step sent fiery jolts through his dantian. He leaned heavily against a jagged stone outcrop, gasping as the world swayed around him. The Void Flame inside him stirred sluggishly, reacting to the violation of the anchors and the oppressive atmosphere of the Vein. He was more than just exhausted; he was losing Qi from within.

"They're coming," he managed to say, his voice nearly swallowed by the wind. "The Academy... and the Destroyer... he knows."

Mei Ling placed a cool hand on his arm. "The Ashen Wind mourns their coming. We need to move. The Broken Song offers refuge. Its melody knows of healing." There was a quiet confidence in her tone.

Refuge. The word felt strange. Yet, Yao Jun pushed himself away from the rock, forcing his aching, battered legs to carry him on. Guiying projected a mental map: a narrow, crumbling ledge leading down toward the thunderous noise of the Screaming Falls.

The descent was agonizing. The ledge was slick and perilous. Yao Jun clung to the icy stone, feeling his injured core cry out in pain. Below, the abyss gaped wide. The roar of the falls grew louder. Mei Ling moved ahead with eerie grace, her silver glow illuminating the dangers around them. She was his eyes, his compass.

"...there," Guiying hissed, a wave of dread coursing through him. "...just below the falls' veil... the entrance. Sealed."

Yao Jun squinted through the mist. Behind the dark water pouring down, an archway glowed with ominous amber symbols – a barrier woven from grief and fury.

"The threshold of the Broken Song," Mei Ling confirmed, stopping across from the falls. Spray drenched them immediately. "The seal... it's a song trapped in sorrow."

"How do we break it?" Yao Jun shouted over the noise. Pain shot through him with the effort. "The Void Flame?"

"...it can," Guiying replied. "...but you need to focus. Be precise. Listen to the dissonance of the seal... find the broken note... offer the Silence." He paused, anxiety radiating from him. "...be quick. Hunters..."

A guttural, multi-voiced howl echoed, sending chills through the spray. Shapes slipped down from the shadows above: three hounds made of jagged obsidian and crackling violet energy – Chaos Hounds. They slid down the wall like liquid shadows, converging on the ledge.

Panic gripped Yao Jun. He had no Qi to spare, no strength for a prolonged fight. The anchors protested against even the thought of channeling his power. The Void Flame rose defensively, cold fire battling against the hot brands in his lower abdomen. No uncontrolled waves! Not here!

Mei Ling stepped calmly in front of him, arms raised. "Their song is pain. Let them hear the Silence." Her aura flared brightly.

The lead hound lunged, jaws wide open. Yao Jun pushed her aside. "MEI LING!" He stumbled back against the stone.

The hound soared past, claws scraping against the rock. It twisted around and lunged again at Yao Jun. Protect her! The thought screamed through him, mixed with the Flame's fury. He needed precision. Silence.

He focused despite the agony in his center, disregarding the anchors' fiery protest. He didn't concentrate on the hound, but on the space around its snapping jaws. He listened, seeking the fractured note Guiying had mentioned. There it was – a pulsating, unstable core of chaotic energy in its chest.

Channeling the Void Flame felt like ripping open his own spiritual veins. The anchors flared painfully, burning him. He gasped, his vision blurring, but fought through it. He thrust out his hand, pouring a thin needle of concentrated Silence into the chaotic core.

Snap.

No explosion. The violet fire vanished. The obsidian crumbled. The hound disintegrated into inert gravel.

The other hounds hesitated. Mei Ling began to sing – a clear, chiming tune that cut through the chaos, calming the twisted echoes, making the beasts falter.

Seizing the chance, Yao Jun forced himself to focus again, each movement slicing through him with fresh pain, every channeling of the Flame feeling like dragging blades through his spirit. Snap. Another hound vanished. Snap. The last turned to gravel.

Yao Jun slumped against the rock, trembling violently. Sweat and spray mingled on his face. He coughed, tasting copper – spiritual blood. His vision swirled. The anchors burned like molten hooks in his dantian. He'd done it. Controlled. Focused. But at a high cost.

Mei Ling lowered her hands, her aura dimming. She turned toward him, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Well sung, Void Sc—"

A jarring surge of corrupted energy – the lingering Chaos from the defeated hounds and the backlash of Yao Jun's own exhausted power – crashed into her exposed spiritual senses like a physical blow.

She gasped – a choked sound that felt utterly foreign to her. She stumbled back as if hit. Thin trails of silver blood, startlingly bright, instantly oozed from beneath her blindfold at the temples. Her silver aura flickered wildly, then faded to a weak, sickly glimmer. She collapsed.

"NO!" Yao Jun's mental shout mirrored Guiying's panicked hiss: "...the backlash! Corruption... has breached her defenses... her spirit is fraying!"

From above: Clang! Clang! Grappling hooks slammed into the ledge. Master Kael's terrifying voice rang close: "DOWN! NOW! TAKE THEM!"

Guiying's presence surged with alarm. "NO TIME! THE SEAL, VOID SCION! NOW! SHE FADES!"

Yao Jun lunged, ignoring the searing agony in his core, catching Mei Ling as she collapsed. She felt weightless, terrifyingly limp, the silver blood stark against her pale skin. Her aura pulsed weakly, like a dying ember. He staggered toward the falls, half-carrying, half-dragging her.

He faced the sealed archway, its amber symbols glowing ominously. The pain was blinding. His Qi felt like shattered glass within him. Channeling the Flame again felt like a suicide mission. But Mei Ling's shallow breaths against his neck were fading.

He shut his eyes, blocking out the roar, the spray, the pain. He listened to the dissonance of the seal. Guiying hissed the fractured note. There.

Channeling the Void Flame this time felt like tearing his soul to shreds. The anchors screamed, their heat unbearable. He tasted blood in his mouth – real blood now. He raised his trembling hand and poured focused Silence into the seal's broken note.

The amber sigils flared, flickered, and wavered. The rock beneath the archway rippled, becoming insubstantial, revealing darkness.

"The way is open," Mei Ling breathed weakly, barely conscious.

"GO!" Yao Jun rasped, pushing her through the curtain of water and the insubstantial rock. He took one last look up. Master Kael's furious face glared down. His sky-blue robes descended.

Yao Jun poured every last ounce of his strength and will into a final, desperate push of Void Silence, then plunged through the falls. Icy water slammed into him, stealing his breath. He stumbled into damp darkness on the other side, collapsing to his knees, with Mei Ling lying still beside him. Behind him, the seal solidified with a resounding thud.

The roar of the falls faded into silence. A deep, ancient, heavy silence. Lit only by Mei Ling's flickering silver aura.

He coughed violently, crimson blood splattering on the dark stone floor. The world spun around him. The anchors burned. He had won them sanctuary, but the price was marked in blood – his own and Mei Ling's. The Broken Song held its breath.