Chapter 14: Bell-Borne Geochelone

*Whispering Breeze*

The wind howled through the frigid ravine, icy and relentless, its biting touch cutting through Kyorin's side.

He stood still, his posture rigid, facing the colossal Tacet Discord—The Ice Tortoise—its breath swirling in frigid tendrils.

"Haah..."

Kyorin exhaled, his breath fogging in the biting air. His heart hammered in his chest, louder than the wind that whipped around them.

His gaze locked on the giant tortoise, its broad shell gleaming faintly under the overcast sky, remnants of frost crackling off its surface—an eerie reminder of their fierce, drawn-out battle.

They were both nearing their limits, but the tortoise still moved with terrifying strength.

The ground beneath Kyorin's boots fractured with each tremor of the beast's heavy steps. Ice had begun to form over the jagged breaks, creeping outward in thin webs.

"Kugh!"

Letting out a grunt, he winced, clutching his left arm, blood seeping between his fingers where the tortoise's last blow had struck.

A thin layer of frost covered his skin, freezing it numb, but the pain still throbbed in deep pulses.

In his mind, a voice cut through the storm, sharp with urgency.

"Boss!" DEVA's words rang clear, vibrating through his consciousness. "Its ice on that TD's body has melted completely it's... it's getting faster!"

He heard her, but his lips barely twitched in response. His body felt heavy as if frozen in place by something deeper than the cold.

He watched the Ice Tortoise, now eerily quick, its once sluggish movements replaced with terrifying speed. It had become an avalanche of power, faster, relentless. And with that newfound speed, it had landed a blow that nearly broke him.

Kyorin flexed his non-dominant arm, feeling the sharp ache of the fracture that throbbed beneath his skin. His breaths came in shallow gasps, his jaw tightening to suppress the pain.

Each pulse of agony from his injuries clouded his thoughts, but he couldn't afford distraction. Not now. He glanced at the beast, who towered over him like a mountain, its eyes glowing faintly, ancient and predatory.

The way it moved now, swift and deliberate, made Kyorin's stomach twist with unease. 

"ROAR!"

The Ice Tortoise let out a roar, unleashing a torrent of icy breath. Kyorin stood still, unmoving, even as the freezing gust closed in.

Only when the frost was nearly upon him did his right-hand twitch. He raised it, and as the ice storm enveloped him, the frost melted into droplets, cascading around him.

Kyorin: "Haah-Haah"

Bell-Borne Geochelone: "Raah-Raah"

Kyorin and The Ice Tortoise let out rugged breaths, their breathing growing heavier with each gruelling exchange.

"Kyorin!" DEVA's voice broke through again, sharper this time, calling him by name. "Move!"

His body tensed, but he gave no response. DEVA's processors whirred, registering every subtle change in Kyorin's demeanour. "It's almost as if he's possessed... he isn't listening."

Yet, in the next moment... "No," DEVA dismissed the idea.

She knew her boss better than anyone else and was aware that his stubbornness meant it was unlikely he would be surpassed by anything; his will was unshakable by others. The only way he could be surpassed was if he allowed it himself.

But this rationale was flawed, resembling gut feeling more than logical reasoning.

Her lens focused sharply on Kyorin as she processed. "Dammit, this isn't right," she muttered, "Not like him at all. Tch!" She clicked her digital non-existent tongue.

She relentlessly fired a barrage of crimson beams at The Ice Tortoise, knocking off its Gongs as quickly as they formed, causing the creature to become increasingly feeble.

'Judging by his manner of fighting, it's hard to believe he's doing this solely to gather the Gong. There must be something else at stake...' DEVA mused

She replayed the strategies and actions Kyorin had taken, pinpointing the moment when he had gone silent—as if he could no longer hear her. "Right now, he's fighting purely on instinct. This feels less like a battle for victory and more like a struggle for survival."

The Ice Tortoise glared at Kyorin with malice, every step shaking the ravine as it unleashed more icy breath, its movements swift and relentless.

Kyorin's eyes tracked the charging The Ice Tortoise. He dodged swiftly, his movements sharp, but DEVA noticed subtle shifts in his fighting style.

His strikes, once precise, now swung wildly, and his footwork had lost its practised fluidity. "He's moving more than necessary," she noted, her lens whirring in thought. Then, a possibility hit her. "Could it be... he's hallucinating?"

"Tch," DEVA clicked her imaginary tongue in frustration before raising her voice. "Boss, we must retreat while we still can!" she urged. "We've already collected 26 of those bells. If we provoke it further—"

"ROAR"

Her words were cut short by the Ice Tortoise which unleashed another blast of freezing breath, frost swirling through the air like razor-sharp snowflakes.

Its tail lashed violently, followed by a thunderous charge rattling the earth, forcing Kyorin to step toward the ravine's edge.

DEVA hovered nearer, her tone growing frantic. "Boss, we're at the limit. We should fall back! This isn't like you!" Despite the urgency in her voice, Kyorin dismissed her concern with a wave, barely dodging another tail strike that cracked the ground.

"I have no room to retreat!" Kyorin growled, his eyes narrowing as he blocked an icy blast with his arm, feeling a stinging pain in his neck.

The freezing burn gnawed at his skin, but his mind was elsewhere, completely absorbed in the battle.

DEVA's sensors whirred in frustration as she looked around: there was room behind him to escape. Plenty of it. But Kyorin's words—it wasn't just about the physical space.

Her lens flickered, processing the situation, and a wave of unease washed over her. "What are you saying? You have space! You can still—"

Before she could finish, Kyorin launched himself at the Ice Tortoise, his once graceful movements now disjointed and erratic. DEVA's lens narrowed. Something was wrong.

"Dammit!" she hissed to herself, her lens flickering as she analyzed the situation. "This isn't rational. He's fighting like a cornered beast, not thinking at all."

She watched closely, and in those brief seconds, she understood. Something in the battle had triggered Kyorin.

Another Gong had formed on the Ice Tortoise's back, and Kyorin's gaze grew unfocused. This time, it was unmistakable. DEVA didn't miss the change. 

"Shit..." she cursed. "So that's the source." 

She held herself back from attacking the Gong, realizing it was the root of this madness.

"DEVA must protect Boss until he snaps out of it," she declared, her tone determined. Resolving to shield him at all costs, she now faced a dual challenge—safeguarding Kyorin and figuring out how to break him free from this mindless trance.

Kyorin stood at the precipice of his reality, his senses overwhelmed as the world around him shifted and morphed.

The Ice Tortoise unleashed its attack—a feral of blurs sending icy winds spiralling into the air. Yet... from Kyroin's perspective, its attacks appeared completely different.

Each strike resonated like a deep gong, echoing in Kyorin's mind and dragging him back to a haunting memory he had desperately tried to bury. The Ice Tortoise's attacks morphed into shadowy figures, and an authoritative voice broke through the chaos.

"Disciples of the Six Sura Sect," a husky yet clear voice pierced the fray, "Disciple Kyorin has killed the Water Demon Elder."

The words sliced through the haze of his existence like shards of glass, bringing forth the twisted faces of those he once knew, their expressions a mix of contempt and betrayal.

"Bring him to the Sect Hall," a commanding voice ordered, reverberating through the layers of his fractured reality.

Kyorin felt the weight of that distant memory pulling at him—the desperate escape from the Sect Hall, his teacher twisting and dodging as she fought against the encroaching shadows.

The pain of betrayal hung thick in the air, suffocating and palpable. With each movement, he recalled the struggle, the frantic dance between life and death, and the unbearable burden of his choices.

Outside Kyorin's distorted reality, DEVA whirred beside him, a luminescent energy sphere flickering around both, creating a protective dome as The Ice Tortoise struggled to break it.

"Tch!" she cursed, her voice laced with urgency and resolve as she glanced at Kyorin, her lens whirring with concern.

He continued to move around as if trapped in a dream, instinctively reacting to the Ice Tortoise's attacks while remaining oblivious to the protective dome DEVA had cast around them.

"Tch!" DEVA tched, frustration bubbling within her. She sensed their bond fraying, increasingly strained by the weight of his hallucinations. "The connection..."

.

.

.

"The connections and comm line are dead... Something's wrong," Rover muttered uneasily, her gaze scanning the mysterious surroundings.

She was undergoing a test in a Simulation Training at the Hanxu Academy when, following the initial two tests, an unusual event transpired, cutting off her connection to the outside world where Baizhi and Yangyang were waiting.

"Gotta be cautious," she resolved, continuing her cautious march as she muttered, "Now, where is the exit?"

In the distance, she spotted a familiar rift similar to the one that had formed earlier. Hoping it might lead her to freedom, she stepped inside, only to find herself back in the same spot. "I'm back to the same place again..."

Sensing the growing strangeness, Rover glanced at a convulsing image of an aligned dual moon hanging low in the night sky over a desolate landscape. "And this... moon? What is happening?"

Soon, her eyes locked onto a lone ghostly figure sitting on the water's surface, gazing at its hands as if questioning its existence.

"Are those Tacet Discords?" she muttered, observing the figure a short distance away. She moved closer to examine it, only to halt as the creature's visage came into clear view.

'Wasn't this...' Rover recognized the figure—it was the Tacet Discord, the same silhouette she had glimpsed previously.

"Ah," realization dawned on her as she recalled the same outline observed when she absorbed the Crownless's Echo. "Why has it appeared here?"

As she took in the creature's appearance, she noted the vast, ethereal wings arched dramatically from its back, composed of swirling dark purple energy that exuded both menace and mystery.

Perched upon its head was a formidable crown, studded with sharp spikes that radiated a sense of royal authority and extraterrestrial threat.

The Tacet Discord's body was sinuous and sleek, gleaming with a pale, metallic sheen that suggested an exoskeleton or some form of arcane protection, emphasizing its otherworldly and formidable nature.

Its sparse armour integrated seamlessly with its form, featuring intricate designs elevating its mystical and intimidating presence. This being radiated an undeniable aura of both dread and majesty.

'It's dangerous here,' Rover thought, feeling the weight of the creature's presence as it sensed her. It clenched its fist and turned toward her, its body beginning to levitate, casting an ominous shadow over her.

At that moment, a sudden muffled voice echoed in her mind, urging, "Leave... Mother..."

A scythe materialized in the Tacet Discord's hand as it lunged at her. But then—*ROAR!*—a thunderous roar erupted from behind Rover.

She glanced at the water's surface and caught the silhouette of a creature with reptilian eyes. "Is... is that a dragon?" she murmured, uncertainty creeping in.

"Rover! Rover!"—"!!?"—Yangyang's anxious voice echoed the fog of uncertainty. The world spun around her, and before she could react, her consciousness snapped back to reality, leaving her disoriented.

"Thank goodness... You're awake," Yangyang said, relief washing over him. "What happened? The connection was suddenly cut off."

Baizhi's calm and steady voice followed, "Rover... Can you recall what..."

.

.

.

"What happened to you, Boss?" DEVA asked as Kyorin breathed heavily, his gaze lingering on his shadow. Clarity began to return to his mind, and he noticed a small silhouette of a fish swimming around it.

He wondered how long he had been lost in his past, but as he focused on the shadowy creature, the remnants of his hallucination dissipated like fog melting away.

However, there was no time to ponder the existence of the shadowy fish; his attention shifted to the Ice Tortoise looming before him.

"DEVA," Kyorin mentally called out, reestablishing their fragile connection that had nearly broken apart.

"Boss!" DEVA exclaimed joyfully as Kyorin instructed, "Leave the rest to me."

Understanding his command, DEVA retracted her protective dome. The Ice Tortoise, thwarted by DEVA's barrier until now, took its chance.

With all its remaining power, it unleashed a massive frosty breath that froze the water's body, advancing towards Kyorin just as he intoned, "Echoes of the Chasm, Ninth Chasm: Beast of the North Gate."

As he uttered the spell, the lake shimmered beneath him, and a massive turtle's shell materialized, radiating spectral light and casting hues of deep blue and emerald green.

When the Ice Tortoise's frosty breath struck the spectral figure, a resonant hum filled the air as if the very essence of the ocean was rising to Kyorin's defence.

"Grrr..." 

The Ice Tortoise gazed up at the towering entity, instinctively taking a step back. DEVA marvelled at the sight of this spectral figure surrounding her and Kyorin, whispering, "Boss, is this...?"

Kyorin nodded. "The guarding of the North Gate: Xuan Wu."

The ethereal figure of Xuan Wu stood tall, encasing the two in a protective sphere. An ancient turtle radiated an awe-inspiring aura, its colossal shell etched with intricate designs while a serpentine tail unfurled gracefully behind it.

Its massive, shell-like back shimmered like constellations against the night sky, each segment of its robust shell bearing the weight of countless ages, radiating profound wisdom and strength.

Xuan Wu's long, serpentine tail writhed elegantly, coiling protectively around Kyorin and DEVA as if acknowledging their presence.

Its deep, piercing eyes resembled dark pools of water, holding a glimmer of cosmic knowledge. Water and ice billowed around them, echoing the currents of the ocean.

"A pity that I can only summon a spectral image, for now." Kyorin murmured, "—Kugh!"

It was a bad idea, as he soon clutched his neck in pain, a sharp sensation lancing through his jaw, feeling as though harpoon needles were being forced into his throat.

DEVA snapped her focus back to him, asking with an incredulous tone, "Wait Boss, what... what do you mean that... that you can only summon a spectral image for now?"

"Exactly what you're thinking, DEVA," Kyorin stated, mentally communicating with her. "I remembered some techniques from my past. This was one of them. I recall once summoning the true beast guardian of the North."

"Whoa!" DEVA exclaimed as Kyorin's eyes sharpened, fixating on the Ice Tortoise. As he gazed at it, the divine beast Xuan Wu and the serpent-like tail behind it also regarded their opponent, watching as the Ice Tortoise began to sweat.

Bell-Borne Geochelone: 'I am cooked.'

"Boss, I sense a presence nearby," DEVA warned. Kyorin nodded in acknowledgement. "Let's finish this—Argh!" he exclaimed, his throat aching from the strain of speaking.

As Kyorin's words echoed, the air thickened with otherworldly energy, and the echoes of the ocean surged, poised to unleash the full might of the depths. Xuan Wu opened its mouth, a greenish glow emanating from deep within.

The next moment, it unleashed a concentrated attack—a surge of energy that struck the Ice Tortoise with devastating force, causing its body to disintegrate into shimmering particles, leaving behind only a solitary Gong. "Let's exit," Kyorin commanded.

But it was too late. Outside the ravine, shrouded in dense fog, researchers and scientists stationed above had drawn closer, their curiosity piqued by the strange sound.

Through their devices, they captured the silhouette of a massive tortoise, marvelling at the sight. Suddenly, a flash of green light streaked through the fog for a split second, prompting myriads of expression and thoughts to churn from them.

"Could... Could this be Xuan Wu?" one scientist speculated, but his colleagues swiftly refuted him. "It can't be. I heard a gong, and Xuan Wu doesn't have a Gong." 

"Hm, then it could be a new type of Tacet Discord." The scientist once again speculated.

"A new Tacet Discord?" another echoed, eyes widening with intrigue. 

"Interesting. How about we name it for classification," one of them suggested, scratching his chin.

"Xuan Wu doesn't seem like a fitting name. It's almost sacrilegious to use the name of a divine beast for something else," another scientist mused.

"How about the Bell-Borne Geochelone?" one finally proposed, and the group fell silent, considering the implications.

As the scientists busied themselves with their discovery, Kyorin stepped cautiously from the other side of the ravine, his movements a bit unsteady. DEVA hovered nearby, providing support as he muttered, "Is there a city nearby where we can rest? "

DEVA quickly loaded the map of Huanglong, scanning the vicinity before answering, "There's one to the northeast—not too far—a small settlement called Taoyuan Vale."

"Alright, let's go there," Kyorin said, lightly leaning on DEVA as they made their way towards the vale.

Kyorin and DEVA made their way towards Taoyuan Vale, the path winding through lush greenery that framed the sky above.

The air was laden with the fragrance of blossoms, and the distant laughter seemed to drift on the breeze, a stark contrast to the profound silence that enveloped the Vale.

As they neared the Vale, DEVA explained, "Boss, this is where the main event of the annual Moon Chasing Festival is held."

She gestured towards the massive peach blossom tree perched tall on a nearby small mountain. "The people make wishes beneath the great cherry blossom tree," she continued, her tone imbued with perhaps a sense of melancholy for the site's significance.

But as they stepped into the heart of the village, a palpable somberness enveloped them. Villagers rushed past, their faces etched with uncharacteristic sorrow, murmuring amongst themselves, "It's starting."

"What's happening? " Kyorin asked DEVA, confusion furrowing his brow.

"I'm not sure," she replied, her lens honing in on the crowd. "Let's follow them."

As they pressed deeper into the village, the weight of the atmosphere settled around them like a shroud.

The crowd was drawn towards the cherry blossom tree, the festival's centerpiece. Its blossoms, usually vibrant and inviting, hung heavily, as if mourning alongside the villagers.

When they reached the base of the tree, Kyorin scanned the crowd. The people stood still, their expressions solemn and reflective, an air of reverence hanging in the air. He turned to a nearby villager, a woman whose eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"What's going on?" DEVA asked, her mechanical voice barely breaking the silence.

"!!?" The woman looked at them, surprise flickering across her features. "You're not from here, are you?" she said, her voice soft yet weighted. Kyorin and DEVA nodded, sensing the sorrow behind her eyes.

"We are mourning for the fallen," she continued, glancing back at the tree. "Before the Moon Chasing Festival begins, we honor those who have left us—those who no longer chase the moon."

To be continued...