Isher Notra

Stella knocked on The Silver Knight's door.

After all the info she gathered a few hours ago, it was time to consult with the real deal. Everyone else was asleep or scouting far away, so there would be no nosy Wolves with super hearing to bother them.

Right after she knocked, a loud thud was heard from inside.

"Shoot!" The Knight shouted. Even now, he wouldn't say any swear words, huh? Now that she thought about it, Lien never said those either. The Human was too used to the potty mouth of her fellow homeless to reflect on it before.

While she pondered, the hero opened the door with the dramatic flair he was well-known for. "Ah! Greetings, Stella! What can I help you with?"

"Well..." The girl hesitated. She was so intent on getting answers from him that she realized just now how sensitive the subject really was. Would he resent her for that?

Well, if she wouldn't ask, she would never know for sure.

"I want to know about the Human before me." She stared at what she assumed were his eyes.

She missed the emoticons. It was impossible to read the Knight's expressions now that the visor had been badly damaged by Grýla. In fact, the girl questioned if he was comfortable using this cracked helmet.

After a few seconds of silence, the hero cordially gestured. "O-Oh! Of course! Please, enter!"

His bedroom was the same as the girl's, kinda bland with unpainted walls and white beds. The old couple did not put much care into putting a little personality to where their guests would sleep.

Huh. What was the deal with those two elders, anyway? Were they a couple? They sure seemed like one.

Eh, questions for later.

She sat on the bed that wasn't littered with the guard's gadgets and waited for him to do the same on the other.

He was much more apprehensive than usual, something that Stella could tell, even with his headwear on. "What do you want to know?"

Stella took a deep breath, hoping this wouldn't make things weird between them. "I've heard from Padda and other guards about the story of this man who visited Sayama three years ago. When the queen got him, Human technology suddenly appeared in the forest."

It wasn't exactly what they told her, word for word, but it held the same meaning.

The Knight fidgeted with his glove. "That is correct."

So, Stella pressed further. "And I was told you were his student before he perished."

He nodded. "Yes."

"Knight?" Stella stared at him intently. "What happened to him?"

The guard spent a whole minute stalling with the occasional "Uh..." His hands fidgeted non-stop as if they gained consciousness and were trying to find purpose.

Sighing with defeat, the hero spilled the beans. "Well, after the Human was captured, he was stationed to live in a section of the queen's castle. He had convinced her that his skills could give the Monoke the edge they needed if the Humans tried to attack again."

Stella hummed in comprehension. "But how do you fit the picture?"

"I'm getting to that." The Knight assured. "So, Queen Malka prohibited him from ever going outside." He lifted a finger. "One, she didn't trust Humans at all." Then another. "Two, if the Monoke discovered she hadn't executed him, it would be chaos. He had made some good for some Monoke in the Ganvi Woods, but it wasn't nearly enough to change their minds."

The girl crossed her arms and frowned. "Those Ogres sure weren't part of the fan club, I assume."

The Knight nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are very reclusive Monoke. When they're not hunting or playing pranks, they keep to themselves. Not to mention Grýla and how much she despises your kind."

Yeah, she didn't need a reminder of that. The fact someone hated her so much that they preferred death over keeping her alive was unsettling, revolting even. The worst part was that the witch didn't even know her, and she already saw her as a monster.

Judging by their history, she may have been right.

"That's an understatement..." Stella tried to be witty, but it seemed more like brooding. It kinda was, to be honest.

Surprisingly, the Knight returned to his trademarked heroic tone. "Even if he was instructed by the queen to never go outside, the young scientist couldn't resist the calling of adventure!"

The mood whiplash was uncanny but welcome. That was definitely the hero's intent. What a guy...

His gesturing and voice got more and more hammy with each word spoken. "It wasn't good for a brilliant, scientific mind to stay trapped on those castle walls forever, no matter how big it is!"

Then he tone it down a little. "Sorry. So, he wandered through the castle's surroundings and, as hard as he tried to be stealthy, he was seen by a brilliant, young Monoke who had no friends and was trying his luck training for the Dragon's Guard!"

Stella rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, this strapping young man was..."

The Knight pointed his thumb to himself and shouted the deepest and most over-the-top "ME!" then jumped back to his feet, making the wooden floor creak. "Of course, nothing could escape my eyes! An essential trait of any guard!"

And he was back in full dork mode. This guy flipped-flopped like a freaking light switch. "After he convinced me to not tell anyone about his existence, he brought me to his laboratory. Immediately, I became amazed by his scientific expertise, seeing all the great stuff he was doing for us!"

Stella watched, amused. "So what? He turned you into a nerd?" She could barely finish the sentence without breaking into a chuckle.

The guard spun to a heel to be face-to-face with her again. "Not just a nerd, my Human friend! I was enthralled by the extraordinary world of your people's science! Weapons, household appliances, the internet! Oh, it was destiny calling me!"

The girl was overwhelmed by the hero's words and feelings. But she couldn't deny that all this sounded incredible and quite exciting.

After all that show of unadulterated goofiness, the Knight took a minute to breathe. That allowed Stella to fill in more gaps in the story. "How did the queen react to this?"

"Not... well. But! We managed to convince her that this was a blessing in disguise. A Monoke, being a Human scientist's assistant and learning how he works, was perfect for us. That would mean that this knowledge would pass on to her people."

Stella's eyes wandered through the hero's armor, helmet to boots. "But you never gave up on being a guard, right? And all this..." She gestured at his outfit. "Superhero motif is related to him, right?"

The guard eagerly nodded. "Yes! You're right! My mentor introduced me to all these comic books, manga, and other media from Human society. When my eyes met the Super Sentai franchise for the first time, I created the perfect persona to transform me into a beacon of hope! The Silver Knight!"

As he shouted his hero name, he made his trademark pose. Even though there wasn't any reason for it. What a weird-ass dude.

He continued. "Every detail of my armor was carefully crafted to exude heroism but not be too intimidating, hence the helmet." He gently tapped his headwear. "Asra helped me through the whole creative process."

The Human raised an eyebrow. "That's his name?"

The guard sat on the bed again, now more somber. "Yeah. It was a shame we couldn't save him in time. Apparently, not even your people knew how to treat his disease."

"That must have been difficult to go through." Stella sympathized.

He didn't say anything for about another minute. Again, it was too fucking hard to read him, thanks to that damn helmet. The girl would definitely press on this detail later.

The hero clasped his hands on his thighs. "Well! I hope your questions have been properly answered!"

The Human nodded. "That was a great story..." Then she smirked. "...Asra."

The Knight's posture tensed, taken aback. "W-What- What did you say?"

Stella stood up and started pacing with her hands clasped behind her back while a smug smile graced her lips. "Your story is compelling, Knight. However, there are a few gaping flaws in your testimony!"

She dramatically pointed at the hero, inspired by a videogame she glimpsed with a freaky-haired attorney as a main character. She wondered if an actual courtroom was that exciting.

"If what you said is the truth, then you're telling me you succeeded in learning to create all those fancy inventions in less than two years!?"

The hero began stuttering. "W-What?! I mean-" He tried regaining his boundless confidence. "I don't want to come across as a braggart, but I am quite the prodigy!"

Stella snorted. "You may not be a braggart, but you're a bold-faced liar!"

"You mean 'bald-faced'." He corrected.

"Regardless!" She approached him with a confident swagger. "Even if I accepted this impossible claim as truth, I have another question for you!"

The hero didn't respond.

The girl bumped her fist into his helmet a few times. "Why do you keep a secret identity?"

He puffed his chest and laughed. "I'm a superhero, Stella! This is our main thing! Besides, to keep myself as a perfect agent against Sayama's enemies, my true identity must be a secret!"

Stella scoffed. "Even from your fellow guards?"

That completely broke his facade. "I-I..."

The girl turned her back at him, hands behind her back. "Does that mean I'm Sayama's enemy? At least, a potential danger to you?"

Of course, she didn't believe that. But she would cut through the guard's bullshit, no matter what!

"Stella, please! I didn't mean it like that!"

She hummed. "Then show me. Prove to me you're a Monoke!" She dramatically spun to face him again. "Or just be honest with me, hero! I need to know if I'm the only Human here!"

To her surprise, the hero stood up, saying nothing. He made steady steps towards her, still in silence. She hadn't realized how scary he could be without the goofy eyes.

Stella thought for a second that this was the end. She poked too deep into this hole. Now, she would be silenced like one of those conspiracy theories.

Her cracked reflection could be seen clearly on the Knight's black visor. Her terrorized expression was absolutely detectable, unfortunately.

He stood there menacingly for about twenty seconds, which felt like twenty minutes. Stella tried to tap into her smugness again.

But nothing came.

"Knight? I'm so-"

He shook his fists in the air. "DANG IT!"