They spent the rest of the evening riding. They dismounted by the creek that was past the training grounds.

"That was fun," Lucien said as he let himself fall back against the grass. 

She laughed as she sat down, "Agreed,"

They watched in comfortable silence as the horses rested up and drank water.

"Hey Neri..." 

She glanced at Lucien as he hesitated to speak. 

"I can't read your mind you know? If you have something to say you have to say it out loud."

Lucien sat up, "I'm quite curious, how did you become immune to poison?"

She looked up into the sky recalling the hell of pain she went through as the poison ran through her veins.

"At first it was an accident... I was left to die. But as you can see I survived." 

"It must have been hard for you..."

Flashbacks suddenly came, she had been left in the rain to die as her consciousness went and came. 

Her teacher took her in, and seeing she survived he continued to poison her until she no longer felt the pain coursing through her veins, she had become poison. 

The weapon of the shadows. He then named her Nyssa, meaning 'New Beginning'. She became the most talented in the guild, and many jealous members tried to assassinate her. 

She survived all sorts of attempts. Her teacher eventually made her heir, she eliminated those who stood against her. 

She glanced at Lucien, If he discovered her true identity, would he still regard her with kind eyes or would they be filled with horror and disdain?

 

"Neri?" She hadn't realized Lucien had been calling her name. "I'm sorry, I was in deep thought," 

Lucien stood up and offered her his hand, "I should be the one apologizing. I must have brought back painful memories, I'm sorry." She took his hand and he helped her up, "No need-" 

Her sentence was cut off by a sudden cry. Orin became spooked and ran off and Nyx stomped and snorted.

 "It sounded like a child screaming," Lucien said as he was about to run towards the sound.

 She grabbed his wrist "Don't, It's not a child."

 Lucien looked at her in confusion, "Did you not hear it? It clearly sounded like a child."

She shook her head "It's a-" Before she could finish what she was saying a large catlike creature sprang out of the underbrush towards Lucien. She pushed Lucien out of the way but ended up getting scratched in the process. Blood began to slowly creep out of her fresh wound. 

"A bobcat." Lucien finished what she was saying. 

"Precisely," she said. She had three options,

1. Reveal half power and quickly deal with it. 

2. Reveal her swordsmanship

3. Get Nyx to bring someone and handle it. but risk getting injured while protecting Lucien.

She then realized if she got Lucien to leave with Nyx, she wouldn't have to worry about being exposed or injured.

Luckily she was wearing riding clothing it was much easier to move around as needed.

 "Lucien take Nyx and find help. I'll distract it, hurry and go."

Lucien stood up from the ground, "I'm not leaving you. Why can't we go together?" 

She sighed, "If we're both in the same spot at once it'll come for us. At the moment its eyes are on me because I seem like an easier prey." she said as she began to slowly reach for a sharp branch she spotted on the ground.

Lucien didn't budge, " I said. I'm not leaving. Do you have any sort of weapon?" 

She ducked as the bobcat soared over her. "Don't you think I would have pulled one out by now if I did?"

"You have a point," he stated. She sighed in frustration, "Nyx, find Enya."

Lucien scoffed, "What is your maid going to do?" She glared back, "What you're not doing."

Lucien shrugged, "It's not my fault that the bobcat doesn't find me appetizing; in fact, I believe I would make a much more filling meal."

A pair of glowing eyes in the underbrush behind Lucien caught her attention. 

She ran towards him, "Duck!" she yelled. Lucien quickly ducked as the second bobcat lanced at him. 

She hit it with the stick in the head and it flew to the side.  "Looks like there's one that did find you appetizing," she said as she helped Lucien stand up. 

The bobcats seemed to notice their distraction and lunged at them. She was able to dodge hers. She glanced at Lucien "Are you alright?" she noticed he was trying to hide his right forearm from her sight.

 She ran over to him and grabbed his arm. "You are bleeding..." She felt rage, how dare those lowly creatures harm what she had sworn to protect.

She whistled for Nyx to come back, after seeing he didn't have Enya she decided to go for option one.

She looked at Lucien, "You defeated them,"

Lucien looked at her with a puzzled expression, "What-"

She released just enough aura around him to have him pass out.

"This was all a dream," she said to Lucien as he fainted.

 The bobcats lunged at them a second time, this time she stopped them in mid-air.

"I was planning on being merciful with your pets but you are really getting on my nerves."

Two assassins jumped out of the trees, "You had us fooled, It seems you knew we were here all along."

She sneered, "I wasn't going to deal with you personally but it seems there's been a change in plans."

She flung the bobcats against a tree, and they fell to the floor with a thud, "Don't worry they're not dead, just unconscious. Although I can't promise you two the same outcome." 

The assassins began to laugh, "Young girl, we admire your courage. For that, we'll allow you to walk away alive. 

Go on back and play with your little dolls."

She took a step towards them, "How about we play a game together?"

The assassin scoffed, "Listen here, little princess-"

 "You talk too much," she interrupted them her voice filled with boredom. 

At her will some water rose from the creek and floated around her. 

One of the assassins took a step back "Isn't that telekinesis? Didn't the guild warn us of someone with that ability? I heard the parents of the target requested the shadows guild to guard him,"

The other assassin laughed, "You're thinking it's this snobby kid? She barely has an ounce of aura."

She smiled mysteriously "Enough talking. Let's begin, shall we?