The Aerie Council chamber was a vast circular pavilion where the mountain's crown had been hollowed and shaped by generations of Sky Rider craftsmen. Immense pillars of polished stone supported a domed ceiling perforated with precise apertures that created harmonic whistling as the mountain winds passed through. Liu Yun recognized the arrangement as both musical instrument and power conduit—each tone summoning different aspects of sky essence.
"Seven seats for seven elders," whispered Jiang Tao as they were led to the center of the chamber. "The ancient texts speak of their circular governance—no head, no tail, like the winds themselves."
The Sky Rider elders entered not through doors but from above, each descending through individual skylights in choreographed spirals. Their winged harnesses were more elaborate than Zephia's, adorned with tokens and talismans that chimed in the constant air currents. Unlike the functional gear of common Sky Riders, these harnesses incorporated precious metals and sacred woods—symbols of rank and achievement.
"The covenant seekers present themselves before the Aerie Council," announced Zephia, her voice carrying a subtle resonance that suggested she manipulated the chamber's acoustics through her bloodline abilities.
The eldest of the council—a wizened man whose skin had taken on the translucent quality of high-altitude ice—stepped forward. "I am Elder Guo Fengshen. Your arrival was foretold in the wind patterns three days hence, yet your purpose remains obscured." His massive eyes reflected Liu Yun's image back at him. "Speak, Earth Vein, who now carries more than mountain essence."
Liu Yun bowed with the precise formality of a subordinate addressing a venerated master—not from fear but strategic respect. "Honorable Elders of the Celestial Heights, we journey to unite the seven bloodlines before the Sundering tears apart what our ancestors fought to preserve."
He gestured to the Imperial Jade Seal hovering beside them. "This artifact of the first covenant guides our path. Four bloodlines have already joined: Earth Vein, Water Weaver, Timeshaped, and Flame Forger."
"Not all who fly are Sky Riders," interrupted a female elder whose harness incorporated feathers that seemed to shimmer between physical and ethereal states. "Yet you claim our bloodline affinity without our bloodline flowing through your veins."
Lin Fei stepped forward, her Water Weaver training evident in her fluid movements. "When we united with each bloodline, their essence became part of us through the covenant process. We carry the fundamental nature, if not the full expression."
Elder Guo Fengshen's expression remained impassive, but Liu Yun noticed subtle shifts in the air currents around him—emotional responses made manifest through bloodline connection.
"The Sky Riders have maintained sovereignty for ten thousand years," stated another elder. "We observe the world below but do not entangle ourselves in its ephemeral conflicts."
"The Sundering is no ephemeral conflict," Jiang Tao countered, unrolling an ancient scroll he had carried from the Timeshaped archives. "These celestial calculations show the convergence of destructive forces that will reach even the Celestial Heights. No domain will remain untouched."
The elders conferred in their unique non-verbal language—shifts in posture and manipulated air currents carrying meaning between them. Liu Yun's enhanced perception allowed him to sense these communications, though their specific content remained beyond his comprehension.
Finally, Elder Guo Fengshen spoke again. "The covenant would bind us to earthbound concerns once more. What assurance can you offer that this sacrifice serves the greater harmony?"
Liu Yun drew the Earth Shattering Sword, its blade catching the diffuse light that streamed through the dome above. The weapon hummed with accumulated power from each bloodline they had encountered.
"This blade was forged at the first covenant gathering," he explained. "It remembers what we have forgotten. When all seven bloodlines unite their essence within it, the Sundering can be channeled rather than merely survived."
A ripple of disturbed air currents—the Sky Rider equivalent of murmurs—passed through the chamber.
"The sword reacts to our domain," observed Elder Guo, his enormous eyes fixed on the subtle distortions in the air around the blade. "It carries sky memory, albeit dormant."
The Imperial Jade Seal rose higher, projecting images of the previous bloodline unions—Earth Vein mountains stabilizing, Water Weaver currents flowing, Timeshaped moments crystallizing, and Flame Forger fire purifying. Each manifestation had strengthened the group's connection to the fundamental forces of existence.
"Five must become seven," intoned the Seal. "Covenant completion critical for Sundering navigation."
Zephia stepped into the council circle, her position indicating formal address. "Honorable Elders, I have guided these seekers to our domain as protocol demands, but now I speak as Wind Commander. The air currents beyond our mountains grow erratic—patterns unprecedented in our recorded history. The ancients' warnings align with present observations."
Elder Guo raised his hand, summoning a vortex of visible air that encircled the council chamber. Within this controlled tempest, images formed of distant lands—the Sky Riders' method of remote observation.
"The Water Weavers' eastern sea boils," he noted. "The Earth Vein territories fracture along new fault lines. The Timeshaped sanctums experience temporal bleed. These are the harbingers described in our most sacred texts."
The council's deliberation manifested as intricate patterns in the viewing vortex—complex air manipulations representing competing viewpoints and centuries of protocol.
Liu Yun watched patiently, the Earth Shattering Sword still drawn. He had learned through their journey that each bloodline required different approaches—Earth demanded steadfastness, Water expected flow, Time required perspective, and now Sky would value patience and elevation of thought.
Finally, the patterns stabilized into a unified flow—consensus had been reached.
"The Sky Riders will honor the ancient covenant," declared Elder Guo Fengshen, his voice harmonizing with the chamber's acoustic properties. "Not from fear, but from recognition of the greater pattern. The winds of fate blow toward unification."
Liu Yun bowed deeply, feeling the fifth resonance begin to build within the Earth Shattering Sword.
"Prepare yourselves," Zephia warned them. "The joining of Sky essence is not gentle. You must learn to fly before you can fall."