Amid the confusion that still plagued Jyu, faint sounds of pain could be heard from outside the prison. No one knew what was happening, but Jyu's eyes immediately grew alert, anticipating the incoming threat.
"We're saved, kid! We're getting out of here!" said the mysterious man.
Jyu hoped so, too, but how? Would a rescue team really be sent to save them?
Suddenly, a shadow approached. Judging from its physical traits, it was probably on the level of an Arabai. The mystical creature appeared, walking slowly past Jyu's cell. A second later, it opened the cell door next to Jyu.
"Finally, you've come," said the mysterious man as if welcoming his rescuer.
"Take them as well!" he ordered.
"As you command," replied the mysterious creature.
Then the creature walked toward Jyu's cell. Now standing right in front of him was a mystical being with human-like features, but its entire body was covered in scales, and its tongue slithered out like a snake's. Not long after, an old-looking mystical creature appeared—it was the mysterious man who had been talking with Jyu all this time. His physical traits were almost identical to those of the snake-like creature.
The cell door opened.
"Come with us," said the old man.
Meanwhile, the other one immediately cut Jyu's restraints and severed the chains gripping his legs. Now Jyu was free, able to stand upright without being weighed down by the heavy iron chains.
Jyu didn't know who they were, but his instincts told him they had no ill intentions. For now, he had to follow them—at the very least, it would get him out of this cursed prison.
Suddenly, the older man approached Yamile's body. He placed his palm against Yamile's half-severed arm.
"What are you going to do?" Jyu said in panic, trying to stop him.
"Calm down! I'm trying to stop the bleeding."
In an instant, a green light emerged from his palm. Slowly, the large wound on Yamile's arm began to close on its own, and the bleeding stopped completely. The older man then performed the same ritual on Yamile's severed leg.
"Amazing! What kind of power do you have, old man?" Jyu was truly astonished by the mysterious ability.
"I specialize in medicine. Call me Cobra, and this is my son, Mamba," he said kindly.
Jyu immediately looked at Mamba. Their eyes met. Mamba's gaze was terrifying—sharp and filled with menace.
"We need to get out of here immediately," said Mamba.
Everyone agreed, and Mamba quickly lifted Taffie's body. They exited the prison, and three mystical creatures were already waiting outside. They were Mamba's companions in the prison raid. Nearby, several guard corpses lay scattered.
"Our respects, Master Cobra. It's good to see you again," said one of them, and a second later, they bowed in respect.
"Good to see you too. Let's leave this place," said Cobra.
---
They were safe.
Jyu and the others escaped through a hidden passage known only to the former king and Cobra. The passage was located not far from the dreadful prison that had held Jyu captive.
After passing through the mysterious tunnel, they finally arrived at a desert filled with vast stretches of massive مخروط-shaped rocks. They continued walking south toward Mamba and his companions' hideout.
After a long journey, they finally reached the hideout behind the cone-shaped rocks. There was a large cave—it was their base. Jyu and the others quickly entered the cave.
The cave had truly been transformed into a home. There were many decorations and torchlight. There were also chairs, stone beds, and piles of blankets to ensure comfort overnight.
Then they arrived at the main area of the cave, where several mystical creatures had gathered—around 15 of them. All of them had features similar to Arabai.
"Jyu!" someone shouted, and Jyu immediately recognized the voice.
"Elveryn! You're here?" Jyu's eyes widened as he saw Elveryn running toward him. The two embraced tightly, as if releasing their longing.
"Hey, are you hurt?" Jyu asked.
"No! I'm perfectly fine," Elveryn replied with a smile.
"How did you end up here?"
"Mamba rescued me. Then where is Taffie?"
Elveryn's voice trembled as she saw Taffie's devastating condition in Mamba's arms. She immediately burst into tears and ran toward Taffie, who was now lying on a stone bed.
"Hey, are you okay?" she said, her tears continuing to fall.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I failed to save her," said Mamba.
Cobra stepped closer. "Calm yourself, Your Highness. She will surely survive."
Without wasting any more time, Cobra, assisted by other mystical creatures, immediately began medical treatment on Taffie. Jyu didn't know what Cobra was doing, but after witnessing his earlier power, he was certain Taffie would survive.
However, curiosity still filled Jyu's mind. While waiting for the treatment to finish, he invited Elveryn to talk, hoping to get some answers. Especially since all the mystical creatures in the cave showed great respect toward Elveryn—this little demon was even being addressed as "Your Highness."
"Hey Elveryn, who exactly is Cobra? What kind of treatment is he performing?" Jyu asked while sitting beside her.
"He's the greatest medical expert in the Darkent realm. No one can match his abilities. True to his name, he is the embodiment of a cobra. From what I know, his method involves extracting venom and turning it into a powerful medicine," she explained.
"But some also say he has surgical abilities. He releases needle-sized snakes and inserts them into a patient's body. These snakes heal the patient from within," Elveryn continued.
Jyu began to think, "Mamba is Cobra's son… does that mean he can also perform treatment?"
"Of course he can, but Mamba is not as skilled as his father."
After hearing all this, Jyu became certain that Taffie would survive. But it couldn't be denied that Taffie's survival wouldn't make him completely happy. After all, one of her arms and legs was gone. Just who was the enemy that had injured her so severely?
His curiosity about Cobra had been answered. Now, only one question remained unanswered. Jyu truly wanted to know the truth from Elveryn.
"Then who are you? Why have they been calling you 'Your Highness' all this time?"
Elveryn immediately turned and stared sharply at Jyu. A second later, she scoffed and formed a faint smile.
"I am the princess of this land… or at least, I was, before my father was killed," she said.
"In the past, the Darkent realm was ruled by my father, King Barbosa. But a few years ago, Alber came and led a rebellion. My father died at their hands."
"Many of my father's trusted people betrayed him and sided with Alber. But there are still those who remain loyal—like the ones in this cave."
"They want to reclaim the king's throne."