An ethereal voice sounded by his ear. Li Ke looked toward the shrine and saw a green light appear, forming a glowing orb. Then, the green orb transformed into a tiny bluebird no bigger than the palm of Jinx's hand.
The bluebird was exceedingly thin, and the teal light around its body flickered in and out. It flapped its wings twice, seemingly trying to fly, but failed.
Li Ke stepped forward and extended both hands, cupping them in front of the shrine.
Then, the bluebird stood up. It looked at Li Ke, then at his hands, before "strenuously" hopping into his palm.
Holding the bluebird in his hands and looking down at it, Li Ke said, "I never thought our first meeting would be like this."
"First meeting? No, Li Ke, this isn't our first meeting." The bluebird looked at Li Ke, its ethereal voice gentle and holy, carrying a faint hint of amusement.
"We met when you were born," it said.
It lowered its head and gently pecked at its feathers before continuing, "I know every Zaunite."
"Then why have you never appeared?" Li Ke hesitated before asking.
It was not only what Li Ke wanted to ask. It was probably what every Zaunite, especially those who believed in Janna, wanted to know most.
Why had she not appeared?
When they needed her most.
"Because I was asleep," Janna said. "But even while sleeping, I watched over you."
The bluebird shifted and curled into a ball in Li Ke's palm. "The faith I had before was not enough to sustain my wakefulness for long, so I spent most of the year in deep slumber.
Sometimes, I would wake up and watch over you from places you could not see, helping you. In truth, I wanted to tell you that