"Shut up…"The words were barely loud enough to hear, soft, muttered, and almost drowned out by the creaking of the old wooden beams and distant clinks of iron. But they were there. A new voice. Different from Ezren's.
Ezren didn't notice at first. He was too busy talking to himself, yet again.
"I mean seriously, first I got beat up by that buffed up rabbit guy, and then I had to sleep on grass and sticks!" he groaned, throwing his head back against the cold stone wall of the cell.
"I've really hit rock bottom."
"Shuuut uuuuup…"This time, it was loud. Annoyed. Sharp like a pebble hitting glass.Ezren flinched. He looked around the dim cell, eyes adjusting to the gloom. "Who's there?"
A grumble echoed from the cell across from his.
"Can you not?" the voice snapped. "Nobody cares about your tragic monologue, alright? Some of us are trying to sleep in here."
Ezren sat up, fists clenched. "It's like the morning right now, who sleeps at this time?"The unknown person replied "I couldn't sleep earlier. because I got blamed for stealing bread and now I'm here."Ezren blinked.
"…That's exactly what happened to me."
There was a pause. The voice shifted. "Wait, they're just out here imprisoning people left and right? What's your name?"
"…Ezren. You?"
"Kagetsu."
Another pause. This one was gentler. The tension had faded, like two strangers realizing they shared the same storm.
Kagetsu yawned. "Look, I'm tired. Let's talk more later, I'm sure you could get some more sleep, yeah?"
"Sure," Ezren mumbled, a small smile forming.
They drifted off soon after, their breathing evening out in the rhythm of sleep. It was the first real rest either of them had gotten in days.The evening came with chirping birds and clanking iron.CLANG CLANG CLANG."Oi, you're getting bailed out," a gruff guard barked, rapping the bars with his baton.Ezren rubbed his eyes. "Huh? Who's bailing me out?"
"Go find that out yourself."
Ezren stumbled out, stretching his limbs and standing just beyond the gates was a familiar figure with a long white beard and a crooked cane.
"Greetings, young man," said Old Man Qiu, his voice like warm tea on a cold morning.
"How did you even know I was here?" said Ezren with a confused look.
"I have my ways... young man, didn't I tell you to be careful?" said Old Man Qiu.
"Sorry old man, I'll be better next time."
"But anyway, thanks for bailing me out, Old Man Qiu," said Ezren with a grateful look on his face.
Then, remembering something, he perked up. "Hey, could you do me a favor and bail someone else out too? I'll pay you back, I swear."
Old Man Qiu chuckled. "Fine, fine. Let's go meet this mystery friend of yours."A short while later, Kagetsu a young man with black straight hair stepped out wearing a black shirt and white pants, He had a lean body. He blinked against the sunlight.
Ezren clapped him on the back. "Old Man Qiu, this is Kagetsu. Kagetsu, meet Old Man Qiu."
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly. He observed Kagetsu with a thoughtful expression."I don't sense any essentia from him… yet he seems quite powerful," he muttered.
"Kagetsu, would you demonstrate your abilities?"
Kagetsu shrugged. "I don't wanna hurt you old man."
"Don't worry young man, it may not seem like it but I am quite powerful," said Old Man Qiu.
"If you ask for it, old man."
Kagetsu crouched low then in an instant, he vanished. A gust of wind followed the sudden movement. By the time Ezren blinked, Kagetsu was behind Old Man Qiu.Ezren spun around, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
"WHAT THE HECK?! You literally just disappeared!" said Ezren with a bright smile.
"No way, I really did get isekai'd into a fantasy world," Ezren thought to himself with the biggest, brightest smile.
Old Man Qiu smiled calmly, turning without surprise. "Ah… the ancient art of Ghost Pulse. A martial art extremely powerful only a select few can use. Even I couldn't use it, no matter how much I trained."
"Fascinating. So that's how you've adapted to a lack of essentia."
Ezren furrowed his brow. "Ghost what now?"
Kagetsu smirked. "Don't worry about it."
Kagetsu glanced at Qiu. "Though, old man… You noticed my movement? That means you're not normal either."
Old Man Qiu chuckled. "Oh, just luck, I'd say. But you've got talent, boy. How would you two feel about enrolling in the Essentia Academy of Arts?"
Ezren tilted his head. "What now?"
Kagetsu's eyes lit up. "THE academy of the kingdom! How do you not know about it?!
The enrollment fee is very high which results in only nobles and powerful people getting scholarships to be able to enter."
"We'll take you up on that offer!"
"We? Who's we? Why would I go to school? And why does he want US to go? It's not like I'm crazy powerful," replied Ezren.
"I see an ocean of potential from you two," said the old man.
"If you graduate from there, you'll be guaranteed a life of luxury," said Kagetsu to Ezren.
"I'm in," Ezren replied a second after Kagetsu said that.
Old Man Qiu smiled, eyes twinkling with some mysterious intention. "Then it's settled."With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a scroll from his sleeve and began writing a letter — one addressed to the headmaster of the prestigious academy."
Old Man Qiu: "Now just meet me at the harbor in a week's time and we will take a ship to Essentia Academy of Arts."
"Uhh… but I'm pretty much broke, not a single coin to my name," said Ezren with an awkward laugh.
"Here are 3 gold coins, that could hold up for the two of you for the remainder of the week," Old Man Qiu replied.
Old Man Qiu told his goodbyes to the group and left the city all mysteriously.
"That is one old shady guy," said Ezren.
"Well at least he gave a free scholarship to the most prestigious school," replied Kagetsu.
"Okay, well how about we go settle at an inn for now and figure out our next move?" said Kagetsu.
"Ai ai, captain," replied Ezren with a teasing sound.