Life of a prisoner

So here I am, tied up like a side character in a bad adventure story. The bandits took my scroll, and now I'm left with nothing but a hair clip, a muffin-related embarrassment, and a serious lack of good ideas.

"Alright, Amon," I muttered to myself, staring at the rusty bars of the cell, "you've got this. A hair clip and a muffin. How hard could escaping be?"

I fiddled with the clip, trying to jimmy the lock on my cuffs. The bandits were in another room, probably celebrating their "victory." Big mistake. They clearly thought I was harmless. Which, to be fair, wasn't entirely wrong. But even the most useless people can stumble upon a miracle.

Creak.

"…."

"The clip broke?"

I stared at the two halves of the hair clip in my hands, utterly betrayed. "Seriously? One job!"

Resigned to my fate, I flopped onto the cold stone floor. The icy surface bit into my back, and the mosquitoes were having a feast on my probably half dead body. This was definitely not how I imagined spending my evening.

I looked up at the small vent high above, where the moonlight poured in. It was the kind of poetic scene you'd read about in stories where the hero has an epiphany or discovers some hidden strength. Me? I discovered that the vent was way too small for me to fit through.

"Should've skipped all those late-night dumplings," I muttered.

Just when I thought the universe couldn't kick me any harder, I heard footsteps.

I froze, heart thumping in my chest.

The faint light of the moon cast a shadow as the figure approached. Who in their right mind would come to this mess of a place at this hour?

They stopped right in front of my cell. I squinted, trying to make out their features. A hood covered their face, but their silhouette… was that a woman?

The figure pulled back their hood, and my breath caught. Li Mei. The walking jade beauty of our class.

"Amon," she said in that sweet, melodic voice that made half the sect swoon, "I really like you and came to rescue you."

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, she pressed her hand to her face and pulled something off.

Wait, was that… a mask?

I blinked, and standing in front of me was not Li Mei. It was Astel, grinning like a lunatic.

"Ha! You thought it was a jade beauty? But it was me, Dio-I mean, Astel!"

I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Astel… why are you here, and what's up with that ridiculous mask?"

Astel chuckled, clearly pleased with himself. "I was assigned by the elders to follow you and capture anyone suspicious you might run into."

"Wait, what? Why didn't they just tell me?" I asked, still trying to process this bizarre turn of events.

Astel shrugged. "Because, apparently, they think you'd mess it up if you knew. Something about 'keeping it authentic.' Also, let's be honest, they're not wrong."

I glared at him, but before I could retort, he knelt down and started picking the lock on my cuffs.

"Anyway," Astel continued, "turns out there's a traitor in the sect. The elders are using you as bait to draw them out. And guess what? It worked. I've already captured the guy who hired these bandits. He's upstairs."

"Wait," I said, narrowing my eyes. "You mean to tell me this entire thing was a setup?"

"Not entirely," Astel said, grinning. "The bandits didn't know you were bait. That part was real. But don't worry, I'm here to save the day."

"Fantastic," I muttered. "I'm a pawn in some convoluted game, and you're the hero swooping in at the last minute. This just keeps getting better."

Astel finally got the lock open and stood up, looking entirely too smug. "C'mon, let's go interrogate the traitor. And maybe next time, don't get caught."

I followed him out of the cell, muttering under my breath. "Next time, I'm staying in bed."

When we get upstairs, I'm met with the sight of the bandits, all tied up and knocked out, like they'd just been through their worst nightmare. Some were drooling, one was twitching, and another was sprawled out in a pose that looked almost artistic in its despair.

Before I can pat Astel on the back for doing something remotely useful, he freezes mid-step.

"No… it can't be. How could he escape?"

I blink, confused, as Astel suddenly sits down dramatically, clutching his head like someone just told him dumplings were outlawed.

"Uh, Astel?" I ask, waving a hand in front of his face. "Care to explain what's going on, or are you just going for the 'mysterious tragic hero' look?"

Before he can answer, a random bug buzzes out of nowhere, zipping straight toward him. I take a reflexive step back, but it doesn't stop. It flies right into his chest or, more accurately, into him.

Astel shudders for a moment, his entire body stiffening like he just bit into a lemon. Then, with a long, frustrated sigh, he stands up.

"Tsk. He escaped," he mutters under his breath.

"Who escaped? And why is there a bug involved? What, are we using insects now?" I ask, completely lost.

Astel waves me off like I'm not even worth explaining to. "Don't worry about it. The important thing is we still have the bandits. Let's take them back to the sect and let the elders deal with it."

"Oh, and the scroll?" I ask, suddenly remembering the whole point of this disastrous mission.

Astel smirks, pulling the scroll from his bag and tossing it at me like he's just won a tournament. "Here. Try not to lose it again."

I fumble to catch it, barely managing to stop it from hitting the ground. With a mix of relief and curiosity, I unroll the scroll, expecting some ancient wisdom, a powerful incantation, or at least a map to a hidden treasure.

Nope. It's completely blank.

I stare at the empty parchment in disbelief. "This… this is a joke, right? Where's the writing? The mystical power? The 'save the world' instructions?"

Astel peers over my shoulder and bursts into laughter. "Maybe it's just a really fancy bookmark."

I groan, holding the scroll like it personally insulted me. "What am I supposed to do with this? Frame it?"

"Don't ask me," Astel says, already marching off. "You're the one who lost it in the first place."

And with that, he leaves me standing there, scroll in hand, questioning every life choice that brought me to this moment.

I didn't even get a chance to properly rest before I was summoned to the Elders' Hall. Again. At this point, it was practically my second home, except with fewer comforts and way more scowling old men.

Elder Wei sat at the head of the room, his expression surprisingly… pleased? That was new.

"You did well, Amon," he said, his voice carrying a rare note of approval.

I blinked. "Wait, really? I mean, of course I did."

Elder Wei ignored my attempt to act confident and gestured toward an assistant, who brought forward a long, wrapped object. He unwrapped it, revealing a sleek, black katana. The blade gleamed ominously, its surface almost absorbing the light.

"This is your reward," Elder Wei said, handing it to me.

I hesitated before taking it, half-expecting it to explode or turn into a snake. "Ah… thank you?"

Elder Wei chuckled. "You don't seem to have much talent for cultivation, so perhaps you can practice with this. And," he added, his eyes twinkling with amusement, "there's a competition at the sect's school in a three month."

My stomach dropped. "A competition? But I haven't even studied anything! I've barely been here two days, and I've already been thrown into a mission!"

Elder Wei laughed heartily, clapping me on the shoulder as he walked toward the door. "Oh, you'll figure something out. And if you can't, well…" He paused, looking over his shoulder with a mischievous grin. "You do have a mastery in sweeping floors."

The door shut behind him, leaving me standing there, clutching the katana like it was both a blessing and a curse.

I looked down at the blade, its black surface gleaming faintly in the dim light. "At least I got a cool-looking katana," I muttered, strapping it to my waist.