As Strider got older, the number of strange incidents surrounding him grew as well. At first, he was like any other human, but the villagers soon noticed that he could leap to the tops of mountains and crush boulders. He was also often spotted radiating with a faint light.

All of this caused the villagers to feel frightened and spread rumors that Strider was the she-wolf's offspring that took on a human form to seek vengeance on the villagers. Thus, no one dared to get close to him.

After Strider's grandfather passed, his adoptive parents met their demise too, further solidifying the villagers' assumption that Strider was a wolf on a revenge spree.

***

Adrian was silent after hearing Flint's story. It was indeed easy for the uneducated to think of Strider as a monster after those series of events. Yet, this only made Adrian more interested in Strider.

"Adrian, as interesting as Flint's story is, there's no way Strider's a wolf's offspring. Someone must’ve deliberately placed him i