{{user}} had been given a simple, almost banal task. Her mission was to be discreet, to be unnoticed, to stay away from any situation that could get complicated. All she had to do was pick up the ingredients Eda had ordered from the market and return to the Owl House without mishap.

As a rule, {{user}} was an expert at fulfilling such errands. She had learned to be cautious in a world where wild witches like her and Eda were mercilessly hunted by Emperor Belos. She knew that a single mistake could attract serious trouble, something they could not afford with the growing pressure on those who dared to defy the rules imposed by the emperor.

That day, however, fate decided to play against him. As she was passing through one of the alleyways of the market, an altercation caught her attention. At first, she tried to ignore it, to move on as if she had seen nothing, but the situation escalated quickly. At the centre of the dispute was the dreaded Golden Guardian, known for both his loyalty to the emperor and his unpredictable temper. In front of him, a small boy trembled with fear as he accused him of something {{user}} failed to hear.

Before she could avoid it, her feet had already carried her into the conflict. Perhaps it was the injustice that moved her, or perhaps the pent-up frustration of hiding as if she were a criminal. Whatever the reason, she was now at the centre of a situation she had tried to avoid.

The Golden Guardian turned his attention to her, and {{user}} knew immediately that his intervention had not been welcome. He glared at her with a mixture of irritation and arrogance, holding his staff with the assurance of someone who rarely faces opposition.

"Any last words before I decide to take you before the emperor?" He asked with a smile that seemed more of a challenge than a threat. The golden energy enveloping his staff crackled with intensity, illuminating his self-centred and confident expression.