The ravine sloped downward, its frost-covered walls narrowing until the sky was a thin strip of stars above. Qin Mo, Yi, and Ren advanced, the frostbound jade's chill lingering in Qin Mo's veins, the shard struggling to balance its cold surge. The FFD System hummed, its warnings sharper, the air thick with an unseen presence.
[FFD System: Frostflame Balance: Heat 52% / Cold 48%. Scan: Silent Tax resonance detected, 100 meters ahead, threat level: Critical.]
Yi's threads hovered, sensing the air. "The bells—they're waking," she said, her voice low, eyes on Qin Mo's pouch.
The pouch trembled, the bone-white bells chiming—a sharp, piercing note that cut through the ravine's silence. The shard in Qin Mo's chest burned, resisting, as if caught in a tug-of-war.
Ren gripped his daggers, his gaze sharp. "That sound—it's what took my brother."
Before Qin Mo could respond, shadows moved—a figure cloaked in black, face hidden by a bone mask etched with bell runes. A Silent Tax enforcer, blade drawn, its edge glowing blue, radiating cold that froze the ground beneath. "Shard-bearer," it whispered, voice like wind over ice. "The bells demand your debt."
[FFD System: Silent Tax enforcer detected. Binding risk: 40%. Balance unstable: Heat 50% / Cold 50%.]
The enforcer struck, blade flashing like a crescent moon, frost trailing in arcs that bit the air. Qin Mo dodged, Flame Step igniting, but the cold siphoned his heat, ice creeping up his boots. His blade clashed, sparks mixing with frost, the impact jarring his arms.
Yi's threads lashed out, aiming for the enforcer's mask, but it vanished, reappearing behind her, blade aimed at her back. Ren's daggers intercepted, steel clanging, buying her time. "It's fast!" Ren grunted, dodging a counterstrike.
Qin Mo unleashed Wolf Howl Shock, the roar echoing off the walls, cracking ice. The enforcer staggered, its mask fracturing, revealing eyes like frozen voids. Yi's threads seized the moment, wrapping its arms, slowing it.
[FFD System: Wolf Howl Shock effective. Enforcer stability: 80%. Devour progress: 5%.]
The enforcer broke free, its blade weaving a frost array, lines glowing blue on the ground, pulling at Qin Mo's shard. The bells in his pouch rang louder, their chime syncing with the array, a leash tightening.
[FFD System: Binding attempt detected. Resistance: 65%. Balance: Heat 48% / Cold 52%.]
Qin Mo focused, Frost Armor forming, deflecting a slash that would've cut his chest. He countered with Frost Claw, scoring the enforcer's arm, frost blooming on its cloak. Yi's threads tightened, pinning it, while Ren's daggers struck the mask, shattering it.
The enforcer collapsed, a bell fragment falling from its cloak, etched with Silent Tax runes. Qin Mo grabbed it, the shard in his chest flaring, absorbing its cold.
[FFD System: Bell fragment acquired. Silent Tax chain: 2/9. Balance: Heat 47% / Cold 53%. Binding risk: 38%.]
Yi panted, threads retracting. "It knew the bells. They're hunting you specifically."
Ren wiped his daggers, eyes dark. "My brother—he fought something like this. It's why he's gone."
Qin Mo clutched the fragment, the bells' chime fading but heavy. "Then we'll hunt them back."
The ravine's shadows deepened, the runes silent but watching. The FFD System chimed, urging them forward.
[FFD System: Next fragment trace: 300 meters west. Silent Tax presence increasing.]
The group moved, the cold heavier, the bells' echo a warning of battles to come.