Groaning as he opens his apartment's door, Ren throws his shoes away before stepping onto the wooden floor. With his tail plastering its fur onto the drywall, he walks through a short and narrow hallway to his carton-box-filled living room only to throw his plastic bags of noodles onto the small kitchen counter before putting his sodas into the fridge.

He then walks back to his living room, though, in the process, he stumbles over a small carton box tagged as 'books'. Twitching his eyes, he lifts it before opening and putting the content onto a small bookshelf attached to the wall above his ragged old sofa. Nice and neat, he would say, even though there are only three books stacked onto each other, with a small pot of pigmy cactus vibing right beside the books.

God, unpacking is such a hassle. Don't get him started with the stacks of carton boxes filled with his video games, comics and miscellaneous stuff, just standing menacingly in the corner of his living room like that ancient Eiffel Tower. If only his family's butlers and maids were here to help, it would be so much easier.

Well, to be fair, he's not in a rush, currently, at least. All of his concerns as of now is how to get into the agency he wants in his brand new job. He is now a Knight after all, a protector, so it took priority over his new living room.

And that priority would be redundant if he is to stay up late. The clock points both its needles at eleven, so he tries to take his mind off his stress and goes straight to his bedroom.

His bedroom is small and cramped. His bed, taking up one-third of the room, lies on the side right next to the wall while his closet stands on the opposite end of it with a window placed in between them. With only a flippable counter on the wall beside the bed acting as a table, anyone would say that the size of this bedroom is not for comfort. But for minimalistic enjoyers, perhaps it's their dream home. But, well, Ren will get used to it eventually.

Flopping on his bed, Ren stares at the ceiling without knowing when this lump of pressure gnawing in his head will go away. Being separated from his loving family for the first time, from his parents and siblings in a city where differences are redundant, it feels welcoming but threatening at the same time. Anything could become so... Unpredictable.

But at least he has his friends, Charlie and Niz, ready to help him to adapt here. And with him being a Knight, he's now supposed to be the one watching over the people, not vice-versa, but he can't help but think how he would do that when he himself is this stressed thinking about it.

Well, it is nothing a little sleep couldn't take care of. This world is unpredictable anyways. Tomorrow could be the end or the beginning. He just needs the energy to find out.

Just before he closes his eyes, he glances at the window to see a purple butterfly fluttering by.

-----

"Whoa..."

Tall and strong, a bastion of metal and glass stands in front of the fox who's still staring at its limitless height. It is so tall that it pierces right into the blue sky and into space. Four other buildings surround the central bastion with a bridge-like construction high above the ground that connects them each to the central building. With white bricks of metal flowing with glowing electricity being its walls and pillars, the ocean blue windows of the main building reflect the sunlight onto the well-kept patches of greenery surrounding it.

The traffic circle around the central building connects the property to the rest of the city's roads, allowing for easy access from every part of the city.

The wind feels fresh with no sign of pollution whatsoever and the sky is clear and plain; it seems like the world just welcomes him here.

All kinds of Central city's citizens walk around; giant orcs in business suits, grotesque aliens in casual outfits and even more kinds of the horrid, yet fascinating menagerie in what most would say as 'normies fit'. It's the daily sight of the city that one could only admire.

Though Ren only wonders how this building, the Knight's Headquarters, came to be. It is so... Overwhelming that, even on his taxi ride, he couldn't even get his eyes off how tall it is. And standing in front of it, he certainly can't look away now.

That is until a glowing green aura suddenly pops right in front of his face.

He flinches back. The green aura then swirls onto itself in a spiral, slowly growing larger and larger, till eventually it reaches a jellybean-like form with jelly-like transparency. A pair of chubby fin-like appendages protrude along its sides while a pair of long antennas flail from its head; a form reminiscent of a sea angel.

Three pale green dots on the tip of its body act as its face and the one of dots, the one below its eyes, forms a... Smile?

"Ren Kitsuko, is it? My name's Vivie! I'm gonna be your guide, Wisp, here in the Knight center for today!" The Wisp introduces itself with a high pitched voice, moving up and down in a cartoon-like way with every word it lets out.

"A guide? Like a tour guide?"

"Yes! That's correct! As I said, I'm the Knight's department guide. Any rookies that have questions can simply chant my name five times to call me! But of course, please don't do that just to poke fun at me. It is very rude, and it happens way too often!"

The little green Wisp turns towards the giant building, flapping its wings at the fox, "Oh! And if you have any questions, feel free to ask!" The Wisp then begins to float towards the main building with Ren tailing it behind.

"Yeah, I have two, actually. So, I'm planning to join the intelligence agency. Where can I take the qualification test? Also, are you a girl or a boy?"

"Oh! You just have to go to the admin of the intelligence agency."

"And where is that?"

"Oh, don't worry about that! I'm gonna show you around first anyways," The Wisp then puts its wings onto its 'chin' whilst it stares at the sky, "And as for my gender... Well, Wisps like me are essentially genderless, but, I like to think of myself as a boy!"

The two approach the giant entrance of the central building. The door itself is as tall as a cargo that stands vertically with a lot of red dots adorned on the trim, seemingly being a sensor of some sort.

"Now, I'm sure you've already learned a lot at the Knight's Academy! But I'll give you a recap of how we Knights came to be!"

"Well, actually, I've never listened during lectures. So..."

"Shhh! This is what I like most about my job, so shut up," With a deep breath. The wisp's voice suddenly turns deep and cinematic as if he's telling a bedtime story to his grandchildren.

"After the deities fell dormant under the nameless land in the center of the four nations, people from all over the globe began to slowly depart from their homes to inhabit the nameless land, building their houses and creating landmarks and tall buildings until it finally became a real city."

"The land of the deity would soon be called simply The Central City by the people all over the earth, a place where all kinds of races live together side by side."

"But, of course, without anyone to govern and watch the city, chaos was sure to ensue to destroy everything the people had built."

"Because of that, a representative from each nation stepped forward, soon, they would be known as The Overseers; rulers that are tasked to govern the balance within the city and to enforce new laws to its citizens."

"To do that, they created an organization, The Knights of The Central City. Just like its name, the organization is tasked to keep peace in the city, to keep everything under control and not to let history repeat itself."

"And so, that's how the Knights came to be. And till this day, the organization still holds onto its dearest mission to protect the people of The Central City."

Just like in his college days, a bead of saliva slides down out of his mouth as he closes his eyes halfway. Of course, Ren knows well about the history of the Knights, but he could only hear it just a few times before he would eventually get tired of it. But now, he finds himself in front of the main building's entrance. He stares at the insignia of the Knights that is perfectly displayed above the front door; a Paladin's helmet with a pair of magnificent wings.

"Heheh, impressive, isn't it?"

The Wisp floats right through, passing through the automatic entrance without any difficulties. Ren gulps as he takes a deep breath. When he steps into the black-marbled floor of the main lobby, he can only marvel at the sight.

Beastmen, demons, humans, even grotesque creatures from the other side, they're all present here, either just walking by, having brunch with friends or passing some documents. Some are carefree, some seem stoic, but all of them just... Vibe with no care for each other's differences.

The main lobby itself is a wonder to behold. With the natural light and air from the large windows keeping the room lit and fresh, it is mostly empty in the middle except for the round receptionist desk and the furniture such as sofas and coffee tables put at the sides of the room, allowing for easy access to most of the HQ's facilities and a comfy hangout spot while above it is a hollow space with bridges and pathways connecting the walls together.

As he gazes at the sight of the main lobby, a slime bounces past him with the Knight's coat floating within its translucent body. Afterwards, a centaur woman steps with carefree glee, passing the slime with a humanoid alien sitting on her back, chatting with her as she carries files filled with paperwork.

This unifying atmosphere from his fellow Knights raises his hopes. If a slime can become a Knight, then why can't he?

"Ehm, this is the main lobby for the main Central building. Here you can find the administration center where you can get your qualification test for your desired agency sorted out. Something you want to do, right Ren?" Vivie explains.

Ren's ears wiggle as he glances at the Wisp. The two then approach the reception center in the middle of the lobby. Behind a large, oval-shaped, golden and black marble desk sits a tall and pale woman with blonde wavy long hair, wearing a black Victorian short dress with scarfs and ribbons embedded with rose patterns, her face covered with a faintly transparent black lace.

"What do you want, you annoying sprite?" Says the woman in a grumpy and scratchy voice as soon as Vivie approaches.

"Heheh... No need to be rude, Michella, I just want to ask you to get things set up for this trainee here."

The woman, Michella, glances towards Ren, revealing a snow-white face that is segmented into four plates that curve out then down on its center, forming a beak that slightly resembles a doctor's plague mask. The faceplate itself is decorated with a pair of red, sharp eyes on each of its top segments with no mouth or nose whatsoever.

"You, why aren't you wearing your uniform?" She says coldly, staring daggers at Ren.

"Oh, uh... Well, I haven't received mine yet..." Still wearing his denim jacket, he puts her intimidating glare aside as he scratches the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"And whose job was that?" The admin says, averting her gaze at the Wisp.

"Ehehe..."

The woman sighs as she rises from her seat, revealing her lower body; the long segmented body of a black centipede decorated with pairs of thin, needle-sharp legs that are dotted with red on its tips. As Ren gulps at the sight, she skitters her way out of the lobby without any words, presumably getting Ren his uniform.

"Ah, Ren, you're an alumni of Sylvae Knight academy, right? So I assume you're familiar with all the rules here?" Says the Wisp as he playfully taps the fox's ears here and there.

"Yep, yep, I certainly do... To an extent," says Ren, looking away at the last part of his words. It seems the Wisp didn't hear it, thankfully.

Looking up at the seemingly endless cylinder that is the building, he sees no ceiling. Only seeing the bridges connecting the wall with each other where people walk and fly through without difficulties, "This building's really tall, huh?" He hums to himself.

"Of course! This is the Knight's headquarters, after all. Built by the magnificent Knight's Overseers' blood, sweat and tears. So it is supposed to be tall! Though, all the space above is mostly just the interplanetary border, heh," Vivie says, giggling suspiciously.

Ren looks back at him with a raised eyebrow and folded ears.

"Heheh, get it? Space?"

"Yeah, no."

"Aw."

"I see this little shit is already telling you his nasty puns, huh? Good luck with that from this point onward," The centipede's creepy voice suddenly comes out of nowhere, sending shivers down his spine.

She passes the Knight uniform to Ren, just as he expects. It consists of a dark blue leather coat, a white suit and a tie with the Knight insignia printed on it with no bottom included. Ren sees that no one has matching pants or skirts when he looks around.

Perhaps there is no bottom to begin with, huh? Well, that's a relief; it would be hell to design matching pants for every single kinds of people possible. Props to the designers for being smart enough. Though, they still have to print the shirts.

"So, should I change or-"

"Hey! My jokes are fine!" Vivie yells at the centipede woman, cutting Ren's words.

"Hmm? Fun fact, I have an actual sense of humor. Unlike you," She folds her arms.

"Fine then. Tell me a joke."

And Michella, even without a mouth, smirks somehow; at least, that's what her aura is saying.

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Siri."

"Siri who?"

"Siri say Vivie five times."

"You motherfu-"

Without finishing, Vivie disappears, popping out of the air like a soap bubble.

"Anyways, I've already prepared your uniform and it all just comes down to what agency you want to be in, " She pauses for a moment to search the drawers under her table before pulling out a paper, "So, your agency. Which one?

"Oh, um... Intelligence agency."

At that, she pauses.

"Huh, interesting..." She whispers with her eyes narrowed, "Just give this to the receptionist there and she'll work it out. Also, it's the building on the right side of this one. The one with a weird billboard on the rooftop," The centipede says as she hands him the paper, a document filled with information about him.

"Wait? Is it like an exam or a field test or something?" Ren questions.

"I don't know. I'm not obligated to answer that question."

"Huh..?"

"Go on, move along now."

Raising one corner of his lips, Ren turns back, grabbing his uniform before he goes on his way out of the main lobby. Stepping outside, he replaces his denim jacket with the Knight's coat and straps on the belt. It sure does fit nicely; they got his size perfectly. Too bad there's no mirror around for him to see how good he is looking though.

After wrapping his denim jacket around his waist, he looks around, trying to find the building based on the description Michella gave him.

Weird billboard... Weird billboard...

His eyes catch onto a big giant sign in the shape of a nose that says 'Snot vacuum: 50% off! Get it while it lasts!' Stuck on top of a tall building.

Yep, that's the one.