Hey guys! So I put this chapter up, woohoo. Keeping up with the schedule. I gave this some thought and I edited one or two things, so I'm doing a victory dance! Yippie!

Herivus awoke with a start, causing pain to go through him in a million places. He was far from full recovery, and waking up like this was certainly not going to help him. Sweat dripped freely from his face, swimming down his bandages and pooling at his thighs. His vision swam, making it very hard to focus. His head pounded constantly.

He smelled like a sewer, that was for sure. He got himself out of his bed and walked to the bathroom. It looked odd. His door was still locked, he could tell by his molding. The windows were locked too. He wondered what went wrong.

That was when he caught the scent. His reaction time was significantly slower due to his injuries and he was in no condition for combat. Nonetheless, he turned around, his eyes catching the color of gold and orange.

Could one of the Legends be here? He thought to himself before shaking his head vigorously. They couldn't be here. Even as high as he was on the social ladder, the Legends were on a whole different level.

He crouched and moved slowly forward. He felt around his body for a knife, which was not there. Strange, he thought. He could have sworn that he had it with him. He hid behind the wall separating the bedroom from the bathroom and waited. Gold and yellow flashed in his eyes again, so brilliant he had to look down and blink away spots of color.

He was going to have to attack this thing head on. He sighed as he made the decision. A part of his mind screamed 'Do it!' while the other told him 'Are you crazy?'. "Joranus Caesarus help me." He said, kissing his open palms. Without further ado, he ran into the bedroom.

On the bed was a girl dressed in a red blouse and a skimpy black skirt. Her grey eyes met his and time seemed to slow down. Then he remembered his purpose and shook his head. "Who are you?"

The girl chucked and brushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. "You don't recognize me?" Embarrassment went through him before he replaced it with another emotion. "No, I do not. And I do not appreciate intruders in my household."

The girl chuckled again. "I am the same girl from last night. I'm quite glad to see you followed my advice," Her eyes scanned the room before settling on Herivus again. "Are your parents home?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "Is that a rhetorical question or what?" Her eyes hardened abruptly and she glared at him. "No, it is not. Are your parents home?" Herivus gulped and backed slowly away from her, his eyes never leaving her. She gave off this predatory sense and he didn't want to be her prey.

"How am I supposed to know? You practically met me when I awoke." Herivus said, still moving back. The girl looked at him and shook her head, a smile spread across her mouth. She got off the bed and walked towards him until his back was against the wall.

"Yes, I did," She gave a questioning glance at his bandages that were soaked in blood. "Where did you get this?" Herivus gave her a small smile and stepped away from her reach. "I got this some weeks ago. An expedition."

"Hmm," She murmured and looked at him again. "The main purpose why I'm here is this. To warn you once again." Herivus groaned and rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I understood the message you gave me last night. And that was for only one night."

She face palmed and shook her head. "You misinterpreted me. Every night. You are not to leave your room in the night." She said, slowly pronouncing each word like he was unintelligible. "I suppose that doesn't matter now, does it? If you could easily break in here, I might as well leave the windows and the doors wide open and tell the strangers 'Hey, come on in'." Herivus said, folding his arms.

She clenched her jaw and her eyes hardened again. "Do you think I am some commoner or what? Some freak without sense?" Herivus remembered why he was scared of this girl again. "I highly doubt that. In fact, I believe that you are somehow related to one of the Legends."

A smile spread across her lips, her hair flying back. "Too early to give that kind of information, Herivus." Herivus looked at her, a questioning look on his face. "How did you know my name?" The girl simply laughed.

"I knew your name this morning. Ever since you saw the colors of gold and yellow." She said, still smiling. A Mantra artist, I should have seen that a long time ago, he thought to himself. "So what's the plan here? And who sent you to me?"

Her smile faded to nothingness immediately, her narrow shoulders straightening again. She was quite tall for a girl, almost at his eyes. He just took in her appearance for the first time that day. She looked smoldering in her attire even without any beautifier on her.

"There is only one plan, as all plans fail," She gave him a pointed look. "Keeping you alive is the only plan." Herivus raised an eyebrow, alarmed. "So you're saying I'd die nonetheless?" He almost screamed. The girl tilted her head to one side, studying Herivus. "Is that the-" He stopped mid-sentence as he suddenly couldn't breathe. He frantically flailed his arms, willing air to enter his nostrils. His vision started darkening, his face turning purple as he fell to his knees. Then finally air entered his lungs and he breathed in way too fast.

When he finally got enough air, he stood very slowly and glared at the girl, who was clearly having a fun day. Laughter shook her like an earthquake and soon she couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a full hard laugh, her shoulders quaking.

Herivus folded his arms and regarded her. Has she gone mad? He thought. Soon he started laughing to himself. The girl clutched her sides and stopped laughing, tears of laughter racing down her cheeks.

"So you attempted to kill me and you think that's funny?" Herivus said, getting slightly irritated. "I'm sorry...it's just...you should have just seen yourself." Her sentence was punctuated by bouts of laughter. He shook his head in disbelief, staring at the girl.

"Someone was dying and it's funny?" Herivus said with his eyebrow raised. "The way you flailed..." She burst out again laughing. "You looked like a ch...chicken flapping its' wings." He rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom.

"Herivus?" Herivus heard his mother call out from outside the room. Shit, he thought. He ran out of the bathroom, looking for the girl. She was looking oddly calm as the tapped her shoes on the marble floor.

"What are you doing here? Hide." He whisper-yelled, trying to shove her under the bed. She smirked and beat his hand down. "Do not open that door." She stated coolly, looking at Herivus directly in the eye.

Herivus gave her a clearly alarmed look. "Why would I do that? I'm supposed to open the door when she knocks." Her smile wiped away and her eyes became hard. "Do what you want. The people who want to kill you are here. I warn you."

"Herivus! Open this door this instant!" His mother yelled, knocking on the door. Herivus looked at the door then back at the girl in alarm. "What do I do?" Herivus asked.

"Simple. Pretend like you're asleep. She'll go away." She said matter-of-factly. Herivus thought on that before nodding. "What about you? Because her assault on this room would not be over. Isn't it best for you to leave?" Herivus said, motioning to the window.

"No, it isn't. Because you are bound to do something stupid and if I'm not here-" She shuddered at whatever thought was going through her mind. "Let's just say a lot of people will die." She offered a weak smile.

His mind raced at the thoughts. He calmed himself down. "So you are going to stay here then?" He asked nervously, feeling a lot better around her. "You bet."

"How do I get something to eat?" Herivus asked.

She shook her head, just barely holding back her laughter. "You, Herivus, are quite an unobservant fellow. I have a bundle of food on your bed and you didn't notice." He looked at his bed and saw it there. He raised a finger, trying to remember something.

"If I don't come out by afternoon, they are going to think that I'm dead. And besides the Chief Medico has not finished his treatments for me." He gestured to his body. "By afternoon, you'll be safe. I will be around you, watching your every move. If you make a silly mistake and refer to me even once, I will cut your throat. Do you understand me?"

Herivus gulped and nodded.

"Good." She said. "Now pass the food, I'm famished."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I hoped you liked the update. I may not be updating very often from here on due to resumption of school activities. I will strive to update when I can for you guys. The next two chapters will be updated on schedule. 

Vote, comment, fan and share.

Much love,

Ibekwe