CHAPTER 5

I was abruptly woken up by someone knocking on my door, "Come in" I called out after I had propped myself on my bed. After a few seconds the door opened to reveal Gareth who had a huge smile on his face and carrying a tray "Happy Birthday Cassie" I heard him shout as he walked up to my bed.

"Will you ever stop calling me that?" I said in reply to his use of my childhood nickname

"Nope its just too adorable for me to not say" Gareth said as he placed the tray down on my bed, as I looked down I noticed what was on the tray

"Pancakes with ice cream and strawberries, Gareth has anyone ever told you are the best"

"Alas you are the only one to have ever referred to me as 'the best' and to be honest it wounds me" Gareth said, trying his best to keep a straight face but failed and ended up doubling over and laughing, I couldn't help but smile at Gareth's antics if there was one thing Gareth was good at, it was making me laugh.

After a few more seconds Gareth stopped laughing, straightened his posture and said "I've taken up enough of your time so I'll just let you eat your breakfast in peace" as he moved to leave I was going to ask him to stay but I stopped myself. 'He doesn't see you like that Cass and you'll just make a fool of yourself if you try anything' I thought as I started to eat the breakfast Gareth had brought me. After I finished eating, I dragged myself out of bed and walked over to the wardrobe where all my clothes were kept. Ten minutes later I had finished getting dressed and made my way to one of the sitting rooms. When I entered the room I saw a small pile of presents on a table I was about to start opening the gifts when I heard someone knocking on the frame of the door, I turned to see Gareth standing there, fully armoured, with a present in one hand.

"Is there ever a time when you don't look beautiful?" Gareth said who still had a large smile plastered across his face, I couldn't help but blush at Gareth's words which caused Gareth's smile to become even wider "But it is missing something" he said handing my present over, I opened the present to see a golden chain necklace with a large diamond attached to it

"Gareth how did you afford this?" I asked fascinated by the necklace that he had gotten me.

"I saved up money from my job as your bodyguard and from enchanting items for a blacksmith who in turn gave me a percentage of the profit" Gareth said looking sheepishly at the floor.

I calmly placed the present on the table and stood up before running to Gareth and locking him in an extremely tight hug and saying for the second time "You really are the best" after a few seconds of standing there shocked Gareth returned my hug, although not as tight as he was wearing plate armour, after a few seconds, I broke away from the hug and looked up at Gareth whose face was extremely red faced.

He took a few seconds to compose himself before saying "Well since your father is at meetings for the rest of the day and Talon and your sister are off training for the whole day, I decided that I would take you out into the city for your birthday but first lets see how you look with the necklace on you".

Gareth quickly got the necklace and placed it around my neck before leaving the manor and going out into the city. The day went past very quickly and eventually I stood with Gareth back in the manor standing on a balcony overlooking the city of Noxus watching the sun set. I was resting against the railing with my head resting on my hands. "Gareth I don't see how this day couldn't get any better" I said taking a quick glance at Gareth who was smirking.

Before I could say anything about his smirk he started to glow, raised his hand and shot off multiple balls of energy towards the sunset, I watched them intently as they sailed off into the distance and then they exploded into smaller orbs which then exploded into more orbs and this continued for a few more seconds before they all burned out into smoke. After his display I turned towards Gareth who had turned to face me fully, as I looked into his eyes I couldn't help but feel my cheeks go red and my heart start to beat slightly faster and I had conflicting thoughts going through my head but one prominent voice that 'Forget what might happen just go for it'.

And thats what I did. I leapt at Gareth going to embrace him but instead of being caught by him I fell onto my face. As I opened my eyes and looked around I noticed that I was no longer on the balcony in Noxus but in a forest I had never seen or heard of before in my life. I heard fighting in the distance and as I glanced in the direction of the fighting I saw Gareth fighting three men all armed and armoured. I could easily see that he was losing and being pushed back by the three men and I was starting to fear that Gareth would lose this fight. Gareth parried a swing and before he could bring his sword up in time to block another one he was stabbed in the gut by one man and in the upper part of his sword arm by the other. I screamed out his name as he slumped down but no one seemed to have heard me as one of the men swung his blade at Gareth's exposed neck.

I woke up breathing heavily and sweating. I felt tears swell in my eyes as memories of Gareth and my time with him started to emerge. I tried to force the emotions and memories away but they just came stronger and I couldn't stop myself from crying. I reached out for the ring that Gareth had left for me before he died and I held it tight to my chest for several minutes before deciding to put the ring on my ring finger. I continued to lay there and cry for several minutes before a felt a presence enter my mind before quickly leaving. I was left shocked and not just because I had felt someone else in my head but because it had felt familiar but I wasn't quite sure of where exactly I had felt it before. I lay there staring at the ceiling trying to figure out where I had felt that presence before after a few minutes I bolted upright and yelled out "Gareth!"

At this realisation I slithered out of bed and started to make my way towards my father's study.

Me and my companion had been travelling for a few week across Valoran and we had found nothing that gave us any indication of where the two fragments may be, during this time I had learned very little about my companion, due to the fact that I was not very interested in small talk and she seemed to be too scared of me too start a conversation with me. After summoning two Golems to keep watch over the camp I sat down and looked over at my companion who was staring intently at a book.

After clearing my throat before saying "Summoner, we have been travelling for a few weeks and I believe it is necessary for us to become acquainted with one another, I'll go first, what's your name?"

"Uhh… My name is Nyruka" she replied hesitantly.

"And where did you grow up?"

" I was born in Piltover but I had showed signs of magic from a very early age and I was taken in by the summoners. I have spent most of my life inside the Institute of War training to be a summoner. If you asked me to describe Piltover to you, I wouldn't be able to remember anything about my home state."

"You already know my name and I was born, raised and trained in Fort Irim which was located inside Mount Ural but that is all I will tell you of my homeland as I do not trust the members of your order. They seem more likely to invade my homeland then help it"

"Why don't you trust the summoners?" She asked, curious about my suspicions.

"They are an order of the most powerful mages on your continent and when they learn that there is even more power to be found in my realm, I believe it is wise to factor in the possibility that they may try and take it by force."

"What is the most powerful spell you can cast?" I asked Nyruka as I had yet to see her use any magic.

"Training as a summoner has allowed me to use a variety of different spells but ever since I first learnt I had magic, I have had a natural talent for controlling other people's senses. I can alter one's senses, whether it be sight, smell, hearing, touch or taste but i can also cause opponents to start seeing illusions where none exist. That is probably my most effective spell that I can cast. Now I would like to ask you about these fragments that we're supposed to be finding. What exactly are they and if they are from your world then how did they make it to Runeterra?"

"A long time ago the God of Light had the thought that he was purer than his creator, The Ancient, rebelled against him and succeeded, sealing him away. To stop anyone who might be able to defeat him he shattered them. The fragments we are searching for are fragments of a virtue, who were created to represent the attributes that would later be implemented into the mortals of my realm. I do not know exactly why they are in this realm but my best guess would be either they were summoned by someone in your realm or banished by someone from mine" I paused for a few seconds before asking my next question "I have noticed you are quite small for a member of your race and would like to know just how old you are?"

"I'm only 16 years of age. Why would my age concern you?"

"You're magical ability will grow as you continue to age. From what I can sense of your current magical ability, it will grow into something quite powerful and it also helps me create a rough estimate of what you may be able to do physically"

"I noticed that you also have magic talents of your own. Most magic users in Runeterra, focus mostly on one school of magic, such as healing, pyromancy, illusions or another school of magic. Do you have a certain school of magic that you focus on?"

"I am the most powerful Earthen mage and although that may sound like arrogance to some, it is fact and I know this because I am the only person to ever bind two fragments to themselves. Magic seems to be different here than in my homeland because when a mage is born they are born with a link to a god; the stronger the link, the stronger the mage and having a single fragment bound to you significantly increases the bond. Having two fragments has left me with a bond that is more powerful than any other mortal in existence." I looked up at the position of the moon and noticed that was rapidly approaching midnight "It appears to have gotten quite late so you can ask me any other questions you may have tomorrow and I suggest you try and get some rest because we leave early tomorrow and start our journey to Piltover " I said standing up and walking towards my tent.

I threw my one of my chakrams at Gareth, forcing him to block with his blade and leave an opening for me to strike. I charged towards him and attempted to slice through his defences but as usual the barrier he had around him kept him protected from my strikes. Ever since Gareth had recovered from the incident, me and him had been constantly sparring against one another. These battles always ended up becoming tied matches as, for every advantage I had over him in physical combat, he had the advantage over me in magical combat. As our battle continued, it soon became obvious that this match would end without any difference in the outcome as we both faced each, exhausted from the last hour we had spent trying to defeat the other. Knowing that there was no point in continuing, we decided to take a break and rest for a few minutes before we would go back to tiring each other out.

We sat on the ground recuperating from our fight when we saw Irelia and Riven approaching us with their weapons either in hand or floating around all over the place. "Seems the ladies were getting lonely without us Gareth," I said with a grin across my face. "maybe we should keep them company."

Gareth just glared at me for a few seconds before saying "Zydan, I'm not sure what you are trying to do but if getting stabbed is your goal then keep it up"

"We're talking about me getting stabbed while Irelia is approaching us with her blade floating around wildly. I swear Gareth, sometimes I think you are trying to curse me into getting killed by her."

"For all you know Mercy could be attempting to get you killed just so he can win a little bet we have going on, he can be pretty competitive" Gareth said with a slightly evil look on his face

"Well we're about to see if his sabotage is successful" I replied before turning my attention to Irelia. "What brings you two here?"

Irelia approached me and said in a calm voice "Riven and I saw you sparring and thought you might like to try fighting someone else for a change instead of facing another tie against each other." 'What a coincidence that Irelia challenges me to a fight right after Gareth and I talk about her stabbing me' I thought sarcastically. Gareth must have had the same thought that I did as he started to burst out laughing.

It was my turn to glare at him now. "I hope you and Mercy die a slow and painful death at the hands of bloodthirsty Noxians." I told him as I looked back up at Irelia who had a small smile on face. "Well I guess I could try and get some payback for you nearly ending my life and everything." I said as I stood up and readied myself. Before we started our battle however I looked at Riven and told her kick the mage's ass for me, which was greeted with a small laugh from her.

I cast a shield spell over myself as Riven lifted her blade and adopted a fighting stance. After successfully casting the spell, I raised my sword into a defensive position and waited for Riven to make the first move. I didn't have to wait long as Riven lazily swiped at me, which I easily knocked to the side and in response I half-heartedly swung at her, which she also easily knocked away. We half-heartedly swung at each over for a few more seconds both of us trying to asses the others skill with a blade.

This changed when Riven swung down heavily forcing me to jump back to avoid the blow. I then lunged at her which she dodged by stepping to my left. She then swung at my shoulder and I barely got my sword up in time to block the swing. Although I managed to block the swing, it stilled jarred my arm and it forced me onto the defensive. after a powerful swipe knocked my sword out of my hand, she then swung down vertically piercing my shield and armour and leaving a shallow cut, before I had time to move for my weapon Riven spun around and sliced horizontally across my chest which had the same effect as the first but leaving a slightly deeper cut.

As she readied her third swing I felt myself starting to lose control of my body and instead of her swing leaving a third mark it hit the shield that Mercy had erected and sent her flying away with a simple offensive spell. Mercy then quickly strode up to where Riven had landed and started to channel a spell that would leave her as a smear on the wall and floor but before he could cast it we both felt our energy levels start to increase. Mercy quickly created a very powerful shield before returning control back to me.

As I regained control I started to stagger away from our training and when I turned around I saw a concerned Irelia holding back a concerned and confused Zydan. I managed to stagger for a few more steps before falling onto my face and losing consciousness .

I stared at the unconscious body of Zydan, shocked at what I had just seen. 'What the hell is wrong with Gareth?' I thought as I turned my attention to Riven, who had only been winded from Mercy's attack. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned my attention to Irelia who was looking at me with a determined gaze. "Zydan, we need to take Gareth to Soraka then we need to have a talk with Karma and find out what's happening to your friend."

I nodded my understanding and picked up the unconscious body of Gareth. I ran towards the medical tent, while Irelia ran off to locate Karma. I made it to the medical and put Gareth into Soraka's care. I explained to the healer what had just occurred and made my way out of the tent, looking for Irelia and Karma. Fortunately I didn't have to search for long as I saw Irelia who was signalling for me to follow. I followed the Ionian warrior who led me into what appeared to be the main headquarters of the Ionian army. We walked into the headquarters where we approached Karma, waiting patiently in a chair. "Irelia has informed me that Gareth had another incident concerning Mercy." she said calmly.

"What is going on with Gareth's power? You had told me that he had learned to control his power and yet in the space of a week, he has lost control twice." I asked.

"I don't know what is causing Gareth to lose control; I doubt if he even knows because when he was suffering from these outbursts before he came to Ionia, he had no clue he was the host of Mercy."

"So you're basically saying that Gareth could have these outbursts at any time no matter how much he has learned, to control them?" Irelia asked the enlightened one. When the dutchess nodded her confirmation, the Ionian warrior turned her attention to me before saying, "If that's the case then Gareth may have to leave Ionia, for I cannot allow the possible harm of my people when there is a chance to prevent it."

"Irelia, if it wasn't for Gareth, then the casualty rate for your people would have been much higher and now you're saying that we should just send him on his way because of a single strange occurrence?" I replied, feeling angry that Irelia would just throw him away after everything he had done.

"But it wasn't just a single occurrence Zydan, as you yourself said, he has had two of these outbursts in the space of a week. I am well aware of what he has done to aid my people but I cannot allow him to continue if he is going to endanger the very people he has helped to protect." Irelia's blade began to spin around her, readying themselves for a fight if our argument couldn't be ended verbally.

It wasn't required though as I stormed out of the Ionian headquarters and made my way to the medical tent to watch over Gareth as he lay unconscious. He had saved my life and gave me a new life where I could live free from Noxian rule and I wasn't going to just let him be unfairly punished for something he could not control, without fighting for his own freedom.

Even if it meant sacrificing my own freedom in the process.

Author's Note- So here is chapter five of 'Mercy and Rivalry'. What did you think of it? Are you liking any of the characters at the moment? Or are we just terrible writers? Regardless, 'Blargmaster13' and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. We would appreciate any reviews about your thoughts concerning the story and any constructive criticism you may have for the story so far.