The archive's depths were a labyrinth of ice, scrolls scattered like frozen leaves, their runes glowing with bell shapes that watched like eyes. Qin Mo's shard strained, its heat a faint spark against the cold numbing his limbs. Yi, Ren, and Lian followed, the FFD System's warnings sharp, the bells' chime a relentless pull.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 19% / Cold 81%. Scan: Silent Tax presence, 40 meters ahead, threat level: High.]
Yi's threads trembled, her voice breaking. "These scrolls—they name my village. Sacrifices for the bells."
Lian's bow was ready, her eyes cold. "My family's relics warned of a keeper. Someone controls the Tax."
Ren's daggers glinted, his gaze dark. "If it's my brother, I'll save him—or end him."
A figure emerged—Ling Shou, the bellkeeper, his frost-white robes glowing with runes, eyes sharp but conflicted. "Shard-bearer," he said, voice heavy, "the bells test you. Balance, or ruin."
Yi's threads lashed out, her anger raw. "You serve them! My village burned because of you!"
Ling Shou raised a hand, frost swirling, deflecting her threads. "I serve the balance," he said, eyes flickering. "The Tax binds gods, not men."
[FFD System: Bellkeeper essence detected. Frost aura active. Heat loss: 20%. Balance: Heat 17% / Cold 83%.]
Qin Mo lunged, Frost Fang biting, but Ling Shou's frost armor deflected, ice cracking. Lian's arrows struck his shoulder, frost blooming, while Ren's daggers slashed his side, drawing blood that froze mid-air.
Ling Shou countered, frost chains binding Yi's threads, slowing her. Qin Mo activated Eagle Eye, spotting a bell rune on Ling Shou's chest—an old sect scar. "You're one of them," Qin Mo growled, blade slashing.
The shard burned, Frost Veil shielding him from Ling Shou's frost blade. Yi broke free, threads disrupting his chains, while Lian's arrows pinned his arm. Ren's daggers struck the rune, cracking it, Ling Shou staggering.
[FFD System: Bellkeeper essence trace absorbed. Balance: Heat 18% / Cold 82%. Binding risk: 68%.]
Ling Shou knelt, eyes conflicted. "The bells chose you, not me. Break them, or they'll break you." He tossed a frostflame scroll, its runes glowing.
Yi's voice shook. "Why help us now?"
"My debt is older than yours," Ling Shou said, fading into the frost.
Qin Mo gripped the scroll, the bells' chime deafening. "We'll end this debt."
The FFD System chimed, urging them deeper.
[FFD System: Silent Tax resonance: 78%. Next trace: Archive core.]
The runes pulsed, the bells' chime a call to judgment.