Wodian was almost entirely composed of beautiful scenery; the gate to the city was no exception; not only the buildings' elements but the nature also added to the elegant, godly panorama of the domain. Multiple knights usually guard the entrance to the kingdom of Wodian, but at this time, there was only one making his rounds continuously. The knight was tall, with umber skin and chocolate-brown hair. His most defining features were his eyes, shining a lustrous blue like an afternoon sky. His eyes stood out against the darker colors of his hair and skin, which the blue accents of his armor enhanced. The armor was simple but enough to protect a guard of his standing.

A small girl ran up to the knight who was changing positions at the gate. "Mister knight! Mister Ariuk!" She exclaimed, tugging at the loose fabric of the knight's armor. The knight, named Owyne Ariuk, acknowledged the girl with a "Hm?" 

"Why are you all alone?" The girl asked with a saddened expression. 

Owyne knelt to the ground to speak. "Well, all of my friends are eating lunch, but I stayed behind." He replied.

The girl's face lit up, and she exclaimed, "Did you stay behind to protect me and mama?!" 

Owyne chuckled, "Yes, I did." He replied; the girl jumped about and laughed.

"Thank you, mister knight!" She exclaimed and rushed back to her home. Owyne smiled to himself and stood up, and as he returned to his post, a shout came from the bushes across from the entrance's pavement. Owyne squinted and stood on guard, prepared for anything, when suddenly, someone shot out from the bushes and sprinted towards the city entrance. This man did not look like the usual Wodian citizen, with pointed ears and platinum blonde hair, not to mention his attire. His skin was light, and he had stark magenta irises. He wore a shirt that exposed his stomach with a small jacket over top of it; his pants were laced down the sides, revealing the skin underneath. His entire outfit was somewhat unpractical but eyecatching nonetheless. A pursuer, seeming to be a farmer, also fled from the bushes, chasing after the blonde-haired man. As Owyne stood on his guard, the blonde-haired man went crashing into him onto the ground.

The man quickly scrambled to get up and asked, "You're a guard, right?" He panted. "Help me out here, this lunatic won't leave me alone." He pointed with his thumb to the farmer behind him.

"I AIN'T NO LUNATIC!" The farmer yelled and held up his arm as if to swing it. Owyne swiftly seized his arm. 

Owyne held the farmer's arm firm. "Please, stop this," As the farmer calmed down, he let go. "Let's talk this out." 

"Ain't nothin' to talk out!" The farmer grumbled. "This wretched thief stole my fruit!" He clamored with his arms flailing in the air.

The accused thief laughed. "How can you prove I stole?" He questioned with a mocking smile. 

The farmer gritted his teeth. "You were eating them! I saw you eating them!" The farmer accused. "You must have more!" The farmer pointed to the thief's satchel and spoke, "Knight, sir, you must look in his bag. That's where you'll find them I'm sure!" The man looked exasperated as he frantically waved his finger at the pack.

Owyne sighed and turned to the accused thief. "Would you let me search your bag? I am uncertain as to who I should believe." He voiced calmly, trying to keep the situation docile.  

The blonde-haired man only smiled and stated, "Sure," Before tossing his bag over to the knight. Owyne opened the pouch and flipped it upside down; nothing came out. 

The farmer grabbed the bag from Owyne's hand. "And a glutton too!" The farmer griped, "You ate them all!" Just as the farmer stepped towards the accused thief, Owyne stopped him once more. 

"I am sorry, sir, but I cannot prove that this man did, in fact, eat your fruit." Owyne stated firmly. "I am afraid you will have to deal with it on your own." 

The farmer gave in and threw the sack down in defeat. "Tch! You should trust in your elders before any other!" The farmer groaned and turned around to walk off before mumbling to himself, "If I see that man again, I'll..." He walked away kicking at the ground madly.

Owyne sighed and turned to the blonde-haired man behind him. "I'm sorry, could I offer to help you find somewhere to stay? You don't look like you're from Wodian." Owyne asked politely. 

The blonde-haired man smiled. "No need," He picked up Owyne's arm and placed something in his hand. "I'm fine on my own." The man took off with a wink and a smile. When Owyne looked to see what the man gave him, he saw a shiny red apple with no imperfections. He chuckled and gave in to take a bite.

Seeing the same thief again later was a surprise. The number of thieves in Wodian was relatively low since knights patrolled high-risk locations. Owyne made sure to keep a close eye on him whenever he was near. Days of patrolling and monitoring this questionable individual passed by, but there were no reported missing items. Everything was as it should be.

Owyne was intrigued by the actions of this thief. The mysterious blonde-haired man was not stealing, but he was not acting like your usual visitor, either. Could he be out for information? There is no unrest in Wodian. There are no bands of thieves, no guilds, no crime organizations in Wodian. Determined to figure out what he was up to, Owyne lingered near him, listening and observing. The "thief" looked around as he trod through the marketplace and abruptly ducked behind a stall with no owner. Owyne followed him, casually standing in front of the kiosk the other was hiding behind. Suddenly, there was a groan from behind the counter. 

The blonde man stood up and stepped in front of Owyne. "Why are you following me?" He sighed. “I’ve noticed it before, but now you’re just in my way.” The man remarked flatly.

Owyne looked at him and responded, "Can I ask what exactly I am in the way of?" 

The blonde-haired man chuckled and shifted his weight to his other foot. “What’s it to you? I’m not stealing anything.” He said with a smile. 

“I know. That's what makes you suspicious.” Owyne replied with a huff. “Look, I don’t know what you’re searching for, but Wodian is surely a safe place for its citizens,” Owyne spoke intensely. “And I would like to keep that peace.” He continued, and for whatever reason, the blonde-haired man looked baffled by this, his eyes widening slightly. 

The blonde man huffed, “Safe, huh?” He scuffed his foot on the ground. "You really believe that?" The man asked.

Owyne furrowed his brow. "I haveno reason not to," He replied confidently. The blonde man stared at him for a while. Owyne looked back, confused.

"Hmph." The blonde-haired man frowned. "Anyway, I'm Zelvan," He stated and smiled once again to ask, "What should I call you?"

"Owyne," The knight replied. Zelvan glanced at his surroundings.

When he looked back to Owyne he stated, "Watch yourself, Owyne." He reached to pat Owyne on the shoulder. As Zelvan walked past, he spoke, "And don't tell anyone about me." He walked off while Owyne looked back at him. Thoughts were racing through his head, wondering what the other man meant. Did he believe Wodian was unsafe? How did he know if he had never been there? 

Owyne decided to let it go for the moment to focus on his work, but the thoughts continued into the night. A strangely-dressed man came from nowhere and suspected the great kingdom of Wodian to be unsafe upon his first visit? 

He decided he must investigate further.