In a room filled with cages of slaves and mystical creatures waiting to be sold at an auction, a fairy sits in a birdcage, sad, as she may never see her kind again, while listening to the auctioneer's mumbling words and the audience clapping their hands. The fairy thought to herself, filled with anxiety and regret, reflecting on her mistake.
"I was an idiot. I should've left the Mystic Forest, and look what it got me. What's going to happen to me? What are they going to do to me?"
A guard approached the fairy's cage and carried her onto the stage before the audience.
"For the next product, we have a fairy."
The auctioneer announced as the guard showed the audience a caged fairy. The fairy was scared as she looked at some audience members who liked the product, while others were curious about what made her so special.
"This one was hard to catch, as many of you may be wondering how this fairy hasn't escaped yet. Fairies can use their magic to flee, but this cage is reinforced with cold iron, which weakens fairy magic and causes them harm. As for its capabilities, it possesses mid-level healing magic through its dust. All you need to do is grab the fairy and shake it to release the healing dust, and as for its second magic—"
The auctioneers were interrupted by a sudden rumble that shook the building for a moment. Many in the room grew uneasy, worrying about what might happen next.
"Ahem...umm...as I was saying-"
He was interrupted again as something smashed through the wall behind the stage in an instant. The room erupted in shock as people turned toward the gaping hole. From beyond it came snarling, heavy thumps that announced the arrival of a terrifying brute of a monster.
At the sight of the monster, the audience bolted for the exits in terror, including the auctioneer and the guard, who abandoned the cage and sent it clattering to the floor. The iron seared the fairy's skin on impact, and she desperately beat her wings, hovering in the air to keep herself away from the metal.
The monster advanced toward the terrified woman, who stumbled on the stairs as she tried to flee. It raised its fist, poised to strike, when suddenly four massive icicles slammed into its chest, knocking it back and giving her a chance to escape. The monster roared in fury at whoever had launched the icy attack.
The caged fairy glanced back at the gaping hole in the stage wall, wondering who had saved the woman. A brown-haired knight stepped through, clad in light steel armor and a cloak, stretching his left shoulder while holding his sword, ready to face the monster once more.
He spotted a fairy trapped in a cage on the floor, his gaze shifting between her and the monster with concern. The beast braced for attack, spikes erupting from multiple holes on its shoulders. The knight raised two fingers, summoning an earthen wall in front of him to block the onslaught of missiles from the monster. Then, with a swift motion, he hurled his sword into the fray.
The sword shot through the air, slicing across the monster's face at incredible speed. The beast now focused on the flying blade, struggling to fight back, while the knight turned his attention to freeing the caged fairy behind the earthen wall.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out and step away from the bars."
While holding up the top of the cage, the knight heated his hand to an extreme temperature, melting the iron in the process.
"Why is he setting me free from fighting that monster? Does he care about my safety?"
The fairy remained stunned by the knight's heroic deed. The monster finally swatted the flying sword aside and, its attention now fixed on the knight hiding behind the wall, lunged toward him.
By the time the monster charged, the knight had completely melted the iron bars. He quickly grabbed the fairy's hand and hurled her off the stage, just as the monster crashed through the earthen wall toward him.
The fairy hovered in the air, her wings flapping wildly after being thrown, and watched in horror as the monster slammed the knight to the ground.
"NO!"
She shouted, believing the monster had killed the knight with its sheer strength. But then a powerful lightning bolt struck the beast, blasting it backward, carving a huge scar across its chest, and keeping it at a safe distance from the knight's electricity.
The knight rose from the ground, shards of earth tumbling from his arms. Having blocked the monster's devastating blows, he thrust his right arm upward and snatched the flying sword as it streaked toward him.
"Alright, beasty, now we can have a proper fight."
The knight stared down the monster, every ounce of resolve in his gaze, as his sword hummed and glowed with searing light energy, ready to strike.
The monster's nails grew longer and sharper, glinting dangerously as it lunged at the knight, roaring in fury.
The knight assumed a guarded stance, holding his light-infused sword low behind him. As the monster closed in, he unleashed a powerful upward slash, the sword's radiant energy tearing through the ceiling above.
The sun shone on the knight as he stood unmoving, while the monster was cleaved in two and both halves crashed to the ground.
The knight lowers his guard, claiming his victory.
"He just sliced that thing in half effortlessly. If he were that strong, he should have been struggling to kill it… or maybe he was worried about the people in the auction, about them being killed by that monster—including me. Still… he wields elemental magic at will. Who is this guy?"
As the knight began walking toward the exit, the fairy called out, stopping him in his tracks.
"Ah, wait!"
The knight halted as the fairy shouted after him.
"I just want to say... thank you for freeing me. May I ask your name?"
The knight glanced back at the fairy with a gentle smile and replied,
"Jack... Jack Ryder."