The man in shining armor looked down on me, his expression hidden behind his helmet; the crowd around us had gone quiet, everyone staring at the knight and me. He stared at me, his bright blue eyes visible despite him wearing a helmet, almost as if they were glowing; there was a curious look in his eyes as if he was staring at some puppy which made me feel nervous, nervous enough to make me feel my own heartbeat, each beat so strong it felt like it wished to escape my chest.

He took off his helmet, revealing his slicked back, blonde hair, some strands falling on his face. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, still in its scabbard at his side, holding it gently, reminding me of how a kid might be careful when playing with their favorite toy. But I am not foolish enough to think that a sword is just a toy, especially in his hands.

Despite never having met a knight before, one thing was certain: this man was strong. The size of this man, the way he carries himself, and the confidence he exuded was not something I had ever seen. Not to mention his aura, he just emanated this aura that screamed that this man was strong, just his gaze rested heavily on me, making me feel cold sweat on my head. It was the first time I had seen someone bigger than my father. The heavy chest armor rests gracefully on his shoulders, the metal shining and reflecting the light of the suns, yet he bore its entire weight effortlessly.

The knight knelt down, maintaining eye contact until he was directly at eye level with me. “Are you hurt, boy?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.

“Y-yes… I-I mean no, no, I’m not hurt, I'm ok, sir. Thank you, sir." I stammered, unsure of how he would react.

“That’s good to hear, you looked so scared, I thought you got hurt really bad” he replied, following with a hearty laugh breaking the tension and overshadowing the subtle murmurs of the crowd.

The knight stood back up, extending his hand, offering to help me to my feet. I grabbed his hand, feeling the smooth leather of his gloves as he pulled me up with surprising gentleness. I looked at the knight, at his cheerful smile as his gaze was fixed on me, and I felt an indescribable amount of relief at his friendly demeanor, feeling myself relax as I released the breath I was subconsciously holding.

“Thank you very much, sir,” I said, bowing. As I looked down, I noticed mud splattered on his legs, but as I raised my head up, I looked at the rest of his armor, his chest plate was spotless, as was his helmet and gauntlets; only the armor on his legs was dirty.

“Please sir, forgive me. I didn't mean to dirty your armor, I am sorry” I shouted, my voice raised by my sudden panic, my chest tightening once more.

The man looked down, and then smiled at me again. “Oh, don’t worry about this old thing” he said, brushing the dirt away. “It’s bound to get dirty, it’s armor after all”.

My heart was still racing, but I felt my chest become much lighter at his understanding.

“Thank you for your understanding, sir. My name is Caine, it is my pleasure meeting you” I said, thinking this was a good time to introduce myself.

“Your name is Caine, lad? That’s a good name, your parents chose well” he praised. “My name is Ranork, Ranork Saintsworth, and the honor’s mine”.

I couldn’t remember the last time someone treated me so well. It was so refreshing to be treated like a normal person, and this man was just so… I don't know how to describe it, but he is the kind of man I'd like to be. Strong, but kind. A real knight. Maybe… maybe I could also become a knight one day as well.

A knight just like him.

“Mr Saintsworth, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you here to Arzamac?”

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“The Forest.” He replied nonchalantly. “My party and I are tasked with a subjugation to get rid of some demonic beasts; so tomorrow morning, at early lights, we will venture in and kill the pesky buggers.”

I never met anyone who would willingly venture into The Forest. Everyone in Arzamac always stays away from there, out of fear, Mr Saintsworth and his party, they really are willing to go there themselves and keep us safe.

Wait.

“Wait. Demonic beasts are real?!” I ask incredulously. I mean those are just stories to scare the children. That’s all they are. That’s what they are supposed to be.

“Yes, boy, they are as real as you and I, but they are not too difficult to take care of… well not for us at least. They may be aggressive, but they are dumb, and they are no match for our magic and our swords” he replied, with another boastful laugh, whilst grabbing the hilt of his sword and partly pulling it out of its scabbard.

I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was about this man, but he was so likable, I couldn’t help but be so interested in him. His every movement felt purposeful and powerful, even the way he would occasionally glance at the crowd and smile at someone, it felt so noble.

“...Sir?” I said, my voice almost a whisper, “Do you think it’s possible for me to become a knight like you? I mean I’ve never wielded a sword, nor do I know magic. I am nothing special.” The murmurs and laughter from the crowd stung, although it was not the first time I had heard them.

“Oh come on, Caine, that’s not true. Trust me, you have no idea the effect you will have on those around you. Not to mention that you are special. You’re so young, I’d say you’re about 10 years old, but you speak much better than any other kid I’ve ever met. Your faculty for language is really impressive for one so young. Plus, there’s still time to develop your mana core, so there's no need to stress about it now, and when you develop one, if you’re near the capital, I will recommend you for the Arman Academy.”

I felt my face flush with heat, looking down at the ground to hide my embarrassment. This man… not only is he willing to talk to someone like me, but he is even willing to recommend me to receive an education. Could someone so noble truly exist?

“Come on Caine, no need to get embarrassed. Here, take this” he said, putting a silver coin in my hand.

I’ve never held this much money in my hands. With this, I could probably buy enough food to last us a month. I carefully placed the coin in my pocket, carefully inspecting it beforehand to make sure that there were no holes in it.

“Use this and buy some shoes, I’ve noticed yours have seen better days.”

“Thank you, sir,” I said, my eyes almost getting teary at his kindness. “Sir, I can clean your armour if you want, after all, I am the one that dirtied it.”

“Listen Caine, I told that you don’t need to worry about this, but if you really feel so bad about it, you can just wish us luck tomorrow morning” he said, smiling at me.

“Mr Saintsworth, I live in a hut with my parents outside the walls, really close to The Forest.” I told him, “My home is near the path to The Forest, so when you get there tomorrow morning, I will be there to wish you luck, and I will pray to the Gods for your success and safety”.

Mr Saintsworth’s expression shifted, a grin suddenly appearing on his face, uncharacteristically of the man I just met. But that just as quickly vanished from his face, returning to his cheerful smile he had throughout our entire conversation.

There was something unsettling by the sudden shift in his aura, his grin had been so wide, almost as if he had finally got something he’s been wanting for a long time. A shiver ran down my spine, and for the first time I looked at the party behind him. There were three other knights, all of them wearing some light armour, definitely lighter than Mr Saintsworth’s, and in different colours – red, blue, and yellow – representing the colors of the Arman Kingdom. They consisted of just three other men, none of them wearing their helmets, and the one hiding behind everyone carrying a large staff, rather than a sword, with some markings on the side of it, and a bright red gem on top of it; he must be a mage rather than a swordsman.

Though each knight was different, they all shared one characteristic: they were all pale, their faces carrying the same expression of pity and sadness, staring directly into my eyes.

The shift in the atmosphere is made it difficult for me to speak, I wasn’t even sure how long we’d been silent, though it couldn’t have been more than moments, but every single person was now staring directly at me making it seem as if time was almost frozen as no one moved.

I looked back at Mr Saintsworth, his face carried the cheerful, bright expression he carried throughout our entire conversation, but there was something different in his eyes, staring directly into my own, but almost looking at something beyond.

My heart was now racing as something heavy began growing in my chest.