The black talisman light moved slowly as if just wandering around aimlessly. Zed knew that it might take some time for it to find the person that meets the requirements set by his liege so he crossed his legs and sat on his partners back silently.

Couple of hours passed by in silence as Zed enjoyed the scenery of the mortal world, completely invisible to all living beings in the world. Someone as powerful as Zed could do basically anything in the mortal world and he wouldn’t even break a sweat.

“Partner, don’t you think that this move of his liege seems to be too weird? Why would he send the Young Lord to a desolate land like this? Wouldn’t it be better to send him to at least someplace where there is an appropriate amount of celestial energy?”

Thinking about the words of his liege he asked to the majestic bird.

“Well it is weird but has his liege ever done something that was within expectation. Everything he does, he does with a reason. But sending the Fourth Young Lord to the Mortal Realm is indeed something that’s weird and out of anyone’s expectation. Don’t forget that you do have another mission that you still know nothing about. Maybe that mission is in the Mortal Realm and Fourth Young Lord just had extremely bad luck and had to tag along with you.”

The majestic bird said after giving it a bit of thought.

Zed took out the book that his liege gave him, gave its outside a look over and sighed.

“Maybe the Young Lord really did get unlucky this time…”

Zed placed the book back inside the spatial pouch and fell silent again.

Time passed as it was finally high noon and the sun was shining hard right on Zed’s head. They were flying slowly, passing above a forest, when Zed noticed that there was a change in the Black Light’s movement.

Out of nowhere the black light picked up its speed and zoomed at blinding speed, so fast, that even the majestic bird found it hard to follow it.

The black light suddenly took a nosedive and entered the forest below, its speed still as fast as before. The majestic bird still right on its tail as branches got destroyed left and right. Zed had now stood up and was gazing forward seriously when suddenly sound of someone singing a bunch of crappy lyrics entered his ears.

“

It’s Noon and a Rowdy Man Says Oh Oh

It’s Noon and a Rowdy Man Shouts Oh Yeah

It’s Time to Eat Some Food Oh Oh

And Take a Nap in The Shade Oh Yeah

”

Zed looked down and saw a burly man with a mohawk on his head shouting the lyrics and moving his hips, dancing around, while unpacking his ration.

Zed felt that he would never be able to forget what he saw; A burly, muscular, middle-aged man with a mohawk on his head, prancing around in the forest, toe to toe, like a young female elf yet to reach her adulthood.

‘Please don’t let it be him… Don’t let it be him… I don’t want my Young Lord to become like this!’

Zed prayed inside but he knew all was for naught when he saw the black light hit the man in his abdomen and flung him into the air like a cannon ball.

Zed knew that the time had come to hand over his Young Lord. He used his powers to create a domain and slowed the time down, making everything around him move in slow motion. Only those who had a certain level of power could remove the influence of the domain that he had just created.

He jumped down from the majestic bird’s back with the Young Lord in his hand. While infusing a wisp of his God Sense in the Young Lord’s body, he moved towards a tree besides him. He removed the blanket covering his young lord and saw the bandage on the Young Lord’s left arm.

Finding it weird because he remembered when Wolf delivered the Young Lord to him there were no bandages on the Young Lord’s arm, he took off the bandage. What he found was an arm stained black. Completely pitch black.

His mouth opened but no words came out his mouth. He didn’t even know whether he should be crying for his Young Lord or laughing his ass off at his liege’s expense saying that his swindling days had finally caught up to him and had even affected his son.

‘I guess what will happen to Francis will depend on the Young Lord when he returns.’

Zed wrapped the bandage back on his Young Lord’s left arm while chuckling and hanged him on a branch by his underwear.

He then retreated inside the forest with the majestic bird, created an illusion and removed his domain returning the flow of time back to normal.

Zed and the majestic bird watched as the burly man got up from the ground panting in pain as he fell into Zed’s illusion. They saw him moving towards the illusion of the majestic bird falling to the ground mortally hurt just a couple of minutes away from death.

They saw the man looking straight into the majestic bird’s eyes, matching it’s gaze. His eyes clear with no agenda behind them. As if being able to talk with the majestic bird, the man was able to understand the majestic bird’s thoughts from just it’s gaze and actions.

“He’s much better than I expected.” the real majestic bird standing beside Zed spoke with appreciation.

“I can agree with that.” Zed replied as his thoughts went back to man singing and dancing.

The majestic bird’s illusion looked towards the Young Lord then back at the burly man. Its gaze full of pleading as it cried at the man. The burly man who had been in a stupor, snapped out of it, rushed towards the Young Lord and got him off the branch. The illusion cried out for the last time hearing which the man took off, running away with the Young Lord in his arms.

As Zed watched the man take the Young Lord away Zed sighed.

“This is all I can do for you Young Lord… At least for now.”

“I hope that next time we meet in person, you have become a man of your own. Someone with his own convictions and ideals. Someone who is unbridled and does what he wants. Someone whom I would be proud to follow. Someone who Gella would be proud to follow.”

Turning his gaze away, Zed looked towards the majestic golden bird.

“Well partner, you want to stay or go back inside?” Zed asked

“It’s the first time we’ve come to the Mortal Realm, I’ll be staying outside for now.”

The majestic bird spoke seemingly interested in the Mortal World.

“Alright then, Let’s get going partner. It’s time to go have an adventure of our own in the Mortal Realm.”

Zed spoke jumping on the majestic bird’s back, hearing which the majestic bird flapped its wings and took off to the sky disappearing within seconds.

--------------------------------

||Couple of Days Later||

It was a beaten down path with farms on both the sides of it. Cold breeze was blowing, rustling the leaves on colourful crops. People could be seen working hard in the fields. Two man were walking down this path talking.

“Hank, tell me who’s the kid. Did you kidnap someone’s kid? You know that it could lead to a lot of trouble if you really did that.” One of the men, an old man asked the middle-aged man with a mohawk.

“It’s nothing like that Elder Dwight, but still I don’t know how to even begin explaining all the things I saw that day.” The middle-aged man named Hank replied.

“Lad you’re not making any sense to me right now. Cut the riddles and tell me what’s important.” Elder Dwight spoke.

“Fine, When I was coming back from the trip to sell those weapons, I took a break by Lake of Greenery to eat some ration. Just when I was about to start eating, I felt as if I was hit by a hammer and was flung in the air. There was no one there not even a soul but I knew I was not dreaming. I had not even had a drink for days so I knew I was sober.” Hank spoke.

“That’s quite a story you’re telling boy.” Elder Dwight said sharply measuring Hank up.

“I already knew you wouldn’t believe me without a proof old man. I guess I can only show it to you before you would start believing me.” Hank said as he took off his tunic to reveal a bandaged abdomen.

He then Untied the bandage. The whole centre of his abdomen, the front and the back were purple-black. Swollen.

“Heavens…” Elder Dwight looked at it as if his eyes would pop out.

“Haven’t seen anything like this have you? Believe me now?” Hank said feeling proud at the look on the elder’s face.

“Well moving forward, Suddenly I heard a cry. It sounded like a a bird and seemed like the bird was in a lot of pain. I looked up at the sky, all I could see was a divine shadow and then I heard the branches breaking. I waited for an impact but there was none.

I ran towards the direction of sound cautiously. The bird was up on the trees, many branches going right through it. The ground was pooling with blood. The bird was huge. It was still alive and it knew that I was there. It was looking right at me. I haven’t ever seen such crystal-clear eyes.

It looked at me like trying to peer right through my soul. Then it looked towards its right and cried out as if trying to guide me somewhere. I looked towards where it was pointing and I saw a baby hanging on a branch by its butt.

Shockingly, the baby was not bruised at all as if something was protecting it. It’s eyes wide open, looking around confused as wind blew the hairs on its face.

I looked at the bird again, it was at its last breaths but was still looking tenderly at the baby. The bird looked at me and cried again as if it thought that I didn’t understand what it wanted me to do.

I woke up from my stupor and ran towards the baby and got it off the branch. The bird cried softly again and I knew it was my final commands and the last one the bird will ever give. The command was to run and take the baby with me and that’s what I did.

You might be question that how did I know what the bird was thinking. You might even say why the hell was I taking orders from a bird. All I can say is I could feel it, I could somehow understand its cries and no I have not gone insane. Well, That’s the story of how I got the boy.”

Hank spoke relaying the scenario of how he got the little boy.

“I don’t know what to say. You have always been a kind lad. I have seen people be kind to each other but this is the first time I heard of someone being kind to an animal.”

Elder Dwight sighed.

“So, what now, you’re going to take care of the boy till he grows up?” Elder Dwight asked.

“That’s the plan well unless someone comes searching for the kid and seems legit.” Hank replied.

“You know that the villagers will not be kind towards him, right?” Elder Dwight spoke with caution.

“I know that but I think it would all work out and least the kid would be able to survive while also having someone like me backing him up.” Hank said with confidence patting on his arms.

“Moreover, I already named the kid when I was coming back. His name will be Scrifo from now on.” Hank said as he burst out in a boisterous laughter.

All Elder Dwight could do was sigh and move his lanky head left and right when he heard this hoping all went well for this new pair of father and son as the both of them walked down the beaten path.