CHAPTER 5: Incompetent Child.

Present hour.....

"I am sorry Mother. I failed at it. You must punish me with death mother". He gripped the rug firmly, quivering with his scales becoming conspicuous on his skin then he closed his eyes tightly and a tear dropped on the ground.

She raised an eyebrow, covering the shame with laugher "Haha.. haha.. ha, Please ignore that, wise elders of the viper council" She forced a chuckle again. "Hahaha hehe..."

Talking with her teeth jammed "Liang! Raise your head high and take the glory. Where is the Amethyst?" she became furious.

There was ominous murmuring amongst the elders of the Viper council.

"Pff! Incompetent child!" Yuze Fang scoffed as he muttered. He has been standing beside Queen Zuki the entire time.

She fiercely stretched her hands towards him, her scales detached from her skin, forming numerous arrows that pointed around his neck, she molded a fist and the arrows were suspended in the air.

"Call my son incompetent again and I won't think twice to slit your throat!" Her face contorted with rage, her jaws clenched, and with a hostile glare, she said in a ruthless tone.

Master Yuze stuttered vaguely with a quavering voice while holding his breath as he stood still.

She waved her hands and the arrows turned back into scales, returning to her skin.

There was an ominous silence in the crowd as everyone became wary of what they slander against the prince.

The queen turned to Prince Liang, raising his face with her feet. "What did you say happened?"

Gesturing while speaking, "I almost had it Mother. It was so close. It bloomed like a flower…"

The queen rolled her eyes for he was prattling. "Where is the Amethyst!" She fumed.

"S-she She got h-hold of it and va-vanished, mother. There was a sudden quake and I had to run for cover." He faltered, bowing his head.

"She?? She??? Who is she?" The queen felt bitterness.

"She said her name was… her name is…" he wavered to think.

"Look into my eyes when you speak, son. What is her name?" The queen gave a condescending sneer.

"Mae. Her name is Mae." He looked up

at his mother who was manifesting a shallow smile with deep piercing eyes and an evil mind.

"Mae Li? Prince Liang met with her already? She must be all-powerful invoking the ground to temblor just to get her hands on the Amethyst." Yuze thought logically, holding unto the enchanted orchid in his hand which has the power to block out his thought from the viper clan.

"T-that is all I know about her mother. I'm unsure of where i found her. I.. I don't know how i got to that cave. Forgive me Mother for putting you through the stress of gathering our people" He bowed with tears pouring out his eyes with every blink".

"Yuze!" the queen called with authority.

"Y-yes my queen" He bowed in front of her, biting hard on his lips.

"I want answers now! Summon the 'great whisperer.' It is time to pay a visit." She raised an eyebrow as she spoke in jurisdiction. Her chin rested on her hand with her foot tapping on the ground.

__________***__________

In the Mystic Den of the Third Eye resides the 'great whisperer'. A tamed beast in spirit form that knows all and sees all yet does not interfere with the affairs of the Clans unless summoned.

The Mystic Den of the Third Eye is a magical structure nestled deep within a bamboo forest. It is a place of wonder and mystery, where visitors come seeking the guidance of the Third Eye, a supremely powerful and mystical being with the ability to see into the past, present, and future. The Third Eye's insights are said to be infallible and its magic is known to be potent and transformative. The den's interior is a labyrinthine maze of rooms and passages, each filled with enchanting decor and mystical objects. It's a place where the boundaries of reality are blurred, and where the impossible becomes possible.

For two hours, the three of them delivered a thunderous performance, rife with drum-beating, horn-blowing, the jingle of bells and the clanging of cymbals. They threw handfuls of confetti to the wind.

Then they sat in seiza-style; kneeling on the floor with their legs folded underneath their thighs, while resting their buttocks on their heels as they faced the east.

The Viper Queen held up a bowl of fruits to her head, slightly bowed her head as she scattered the fruits on the ground. She opened her palm and Prince Liang passed on a cup of fermented wine to her. She sipped with her both hands holding the cup, then she sprinkled the wine on the ground.

"All knowing... All seeing... All wise... I request your presence." She bowed with Master Yuze, and Prince Liang following.

A groan accompanied by quieter cracking noise as the branches broke by strong gusts of wind hits the ground, crashing down on a rock.

A tamed beast in spirit form, with scales shimmering in the darkness and its tongue periodically flicked out as it slithered silently in the air with its enormous slender apparition of a legless body and elongated tail.

The Mystic Den of the Third Eye illuminates with flames. The den is aglow with soft, otherworldly light, and the air is heavy with the scent of exotic incense.

"Your ability, your energy, your magic... they have improved greatly. Sssss...." The Great Whisper writhed around Prince Liang's body, flicking out its tongue.

"Gratitude to thee, wise one." Prince Liang nodded slightly.

"All-knowing one, I seek thee this day for thy servant hath a lot of questions. Sssssss.....". The queen bowed with her right hand on top of her fist, honoring the great whisperer.

It floated to her, contorting its body with squirming movements. With its tongue flicking out, it let out a loud hiss, showing off its elongated fangs as wind blew, flapping the strands of hair that falls over her scalp's front hairline, covering her forehead just above her eyebrows.

The Mystic Den of the Third Eye was charged with electricity. She sat still with her pupils moving upwards as they stayed hidden under her eyelids.

Her eyes were fully pure white and she could see a vision of the girl possessing the Amethyst stone.

"Who is she?" she spoke in a hypnotic voice.

"Mae Li, the descendant of Jin Li" the great whisper responded, snapping its tail and her pupils returned to the center of her eyes again.

The Viper Queen jerked up, striking a rock with the zan clipped on her bun as her hair fell back. "What?! Jin Li had a child?? Unbelievable!" She was simmering with resentment as she spat on the ground.

She turned to the great whisperer "Where can I find her." Her palm molded into a fist as her thumb strangled her fingers. Prince Liang held her by the hand and she sat again calmly in seiza-style.

"Earth." The Great Whisperer responded in a flat tone.

Prince Liang's eyes dilated in confusion. "Earth? But I wasn't on Earth, was I? I only followed the bright light that led to the Amethyst" he thought, scratching his head.

"I still can't believe he had a child with that imbecile" Queen Zuki wrestled with her thought as she felt anguished.

"We have tried to cast the right spell to open the portal to Earth for hundreds of years. This is the specialty of the Great Dragons for they were mighty sorcerers. How then can we get there?" Doomed we are!" She sighed feeling a deep yearning for the crystal stone.

"I know the passphrase Mother." Prince Liang said in a calm tone.

"What? Impossible! No no no.. He might be bluffing again." Master Yuze slightly chuckled, holding onto the enchanted orchid flower as he thought.

"And may I know how you got that information?" He proceeded to ask Prince Liang sarcastically.

"It appeared in a trance or should I call it a dream? Or maybe.. I don't really know. But trust me on this. Mother, if this Mae girl is real, that means what I experienced is real. Just look at the injury on my forehead. I got knocked out by a stalactite in a cave where I mysteriously found myself following a twinkling light" Prince Liang explained.

"That is arrant nonsense!" Master Yuze objected.

"Silence!" the voice of the Great Whisperer shook the place.

They kept mute, Prince Liang and Master Yuze looked at each other from the side of their eyes, with jaws clenching and heavy breathing as the great whisperer proceeded to speak.

"Prince Liang is not a child to cook up stories. So I'd let him pass this one." Turning to Prince Liang, the great whisperer continued.

"You say you know the right magic spell, yes? Then you shall embark on a journey to Earth. That is your fate".

His heart jumped out of his chest as his pupils dilated in fear. Likewise, the Viper Queen trembled;

"E-earth? Please wise one, I beg of you. Have mercy upon my only son. Earth is too dangerous for my precious boy" The queen laid flat on the ground pleading with her hands clasped together.

"She must be a demigod, he can't go there. Have compassion wise one." Master Yuze added.

"Hahaha-haha here is an eye opener your Highness. This is a chance for Prince Liang to prove his worth. Don't you think so?" The Great Whisperer chuckled again.

The Viper Queen paused to think critically and then smiled in a sly manner as she got up from the ground, dusting herself. "I didn't think of it that way. Pardon me wise one. I underestimated thy thinking" she bowed.

Master Yuze did not know how to react. He sat calmly. He could bet on it that Liang would not last long on Earth for he had an ulterior motive to ascend the throne after the reign of Queen Zuki. With Chen Zhao working undercover for him, the Amethyst would be in his possession in no time and he would sovereign over Marinda.

Having no clue about Master Yuze's plan, the queen concurs with his idea of sending her only son to redeem the Amethyst on Earth.

After a sit of discussion with the Elders of the Viper council, they approved of Prince Liang going to Earth in the form of a human to retrieve the purple crystal stone as he enrolls in the school Mae Li attends in order to quickly get all information about her.

She believed this to be his only chance to prove himself worthy of the throne. If he succeeds, his pride and glory would triumph over contempt and all heads will bow at his feet.