Last night Kent went to a place close to the capital. His uncle Ragnar sent him to meet someone who might be useful to them during the trident summit. After a successful task completion, Kent is returning to the capital now on his throne.
The golden throne sliced smoothly through the vast blue skies, with Kent seated on its lower steps. On one hand, he held a juicy spirit fruit, and on the other hand perched a small, milky-white bird, pecking eagerly at the fruit while curiously eyeing him.
The rest of his loyal pets—Jabil the serpent, Kavi the Fire Kirin, Ruby the Phoenix Lady, and the baby dragon—hovered close by, each emanating their unique aura.
As Kent raised his hand to the milky bird, he let out a series of soft, melodic chirps and whistles—sounds that milky bird can understand, thanks to his studies of the Fire Kirin beast language from Jambu, Kavi’s brother.
The bird fluffed up, its feathers standing on end, eyes widening as she heard her own tongue spoken by a human.
“Well, little friend,” Kent said in the beast language, his voice smooth and inviting, “tell me more about yourself. What are your strengths, your powers? You’ve been a quiet companion for so long.”
The bird, still stunned, blinked rapidly, her little beak open in surprise. She chirped back, her tiny voice both delighted and shy. “You… you’re speaking my language? You know the tongue of the birds?”
Kent chuckled softly, “Yes, I do. I want to hear about you.”
Her beady eyes brightened as she tilted her head, considering him, and then she spoke more confidently. “Well, if you truly want to know, I possess a rather unique power. With a single screech, I can break bindings—no matter how strong the enchantment or the yantric thread. One sound from me, and they shatter.”
Kent’s eyes gleamed with interest. “So, you can break through even the most powerful enchanted chains?”
The little bird nodded. “Yes, Master. That’s why birds of my race, been kept, hunted, by those who want to use us. My kind… we were once many. Now, I am all that’s left.” She lowered her voice, her feathers ruffling slightly. “They hunted us for this ability—to sell or use us for profit. And the one who owns me now, he is no different. He forces me to use my power to free those trapped in prisons, criminals who do not deserve freedom.”
Kent’s face softened as he nodded in understanding. “And you don’t want to be used for such purposes?”
She shook her head vigorously, her feathers trembling. “No, I hate it. But I have no choice. They keep me in a cage, feed me barely enough. I only do what I must to survive.”
Taking a deep breath, Kent held the bird closer, his tone gentle yet firm. “I swear on my honor, little one, that I am not using you for bad karma. I’ll see you free after this task, and you’ll be able to go wherever you choose. I won’t force you to do anything you hate.”
The bird’s small eyes sparkled with genuine happiness, her voice trembling with emotion. “Thank you, Master. I… I will do anything you ask. I’ll help you with this, no matter what it takes.”
Kent smiled and stroked her gently. “Good. Now, rest up. There’s work ahead.”
Moments later, the throne descended close to the royal capital’s walls, slowing as it approached the city’s edge. Kent carefully stored his loyal beasts within his spirit ring, each one retreating with a faint glow.
He then drew his shadow cloak over himself, his form vanishing entirely, hidden from any prying eyes. The cloak was his ultimate shield, allowing him to walk the city streets unseen, a mere shadow slipping through the bustling capital.
Silently, Kent navigated the narrow alleys and found his way to the hidden entrance to the royal prison’s underground network. He carefully descended through the shadowy tunnel, eventually reaching the area where the beastmen worked.
As he entered, his presence stirred awe and respect among the beastmen, who immediately straightened up.
The lead beastman approached him with a bow. “Master, you’re back! We’re making good progress, but we’ve encountered something unexpected.”
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Kent raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Unexpected, you say? What is it?”
The beastman nodded, leading Kent to a large, greenish rectangular stone embedded in the wall. “It’s an enchanted stone, Master. We think there might be a hidden prison cell behind this stone. But this room wasn’t on the map you provided.”
Kent’s eyes sharpened as he observed the stone, his senses reaching out to the faint aura it emitted. He laid a hand against the stone, listening to the barely vibrations within.
“Interesting,” he murmured, his voice tinged with excitement. “An enchanted prison cell. This could be more useful than we thought.”
One of the younger beastmen hesitated, then spoke up, his voice cautious. “Master… should we stop? Or should we keep working on the tunnel around it?”
Kent turned to him with a reassuring smile. “No, keep refining the walls and stabilizing this area. Prepare the area around the stone. Once I finish my inspection, we might even break through to see what lies within.”
The beastmen nodded and returned to their work with renewed vigor. Kent, meanwhile, focused on the enchanted stone. He placed his ear against its surface, his expression growing more intense as he strained to hear.
Faint, almost inaudible curses and grumblings drifted through the stone. The voice was gruff and indignant, with a bitter edge.
“…release me… come now… Ahhh…”
A slight smile touched Kent’s lips. “So, there’s a prisoner in here after all.”
Reaching into his robe, he retrieved his set of 81 healing needles. Kent decided to use the ‘bone breaking technique of untouched’ to cut out this enchanted stone from edges without ringing any alarms.
He murmured to himself as he worked, “Now, let’s see what kind of binding magic is keeping you in there…”
The needles began to glow faintly as Kent inserted them into key points along the stone’s surface, each needle vibrating slightly as it pierced through the enchanted barriers.
His fingers moved with expert care, slowly unwinding the magical threads without causing any disruption to the overall structure.
Minutes passed in tense silence until, finally, a crack appeared along the stone’s edge. Kent leaned closer, placing his hand against it, his voice low and composed. “You there—can you hear me?”
For a second, a stunned silence filled in the prison cell as Jamba Zi couldn’t believe his ears. He thought he was hallucinating for a second. But only after hearing Kent’s repeated calling, Jamba Zi realized that he was not at all dreaming.
“Who’s there? Let me out of here! Do you know who I am? Let me out!”
Kent chuckled softly, his tone both mocking and curious. “Oh, really? And just who might you be?”
The voice on the other side hesitated, then growled, “I am Jamba Zi, a warrior who’s suffered unjustly at the hands of the Quinn family! Now release me!”
“Jamba Zi… Jamba Zi… Jamba…
Zi?!!!!”
Kent repeated thoughtfully and soon his eyes went wide in shock.