River heard the name, and could not help but tremble internally. Cliff H. Anger. The mere utterance of the name made him feel like it was a name that caused thousands to tremble in fear and exasperation. It was a name filled with incalculable power. How many trembled every time they heard that name? There was, perhaps, no real answer to that question!

The image in the mirror disappeared, leaving River with only a single set of instructions as it did: to remember his oath, and adhere to it strictly!

River closed his eyes and felt his power, and tried to understand it. It was so different from what he was used to, and what he had always seen. It seemed he would need to get a sword and shield.

A short while later, when Pearl returned, she noticed that there was something different about River, and the look in his eyes was no longer as helpless as it used to be. Before she could even begin to wonder what had happened, River suddenly picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

His bright smile and his loud laughter resounded through the room with Pearl too shocked to react. When she finally broke from her stupor, she dared not resist his strength at all, lest she accidentally hurt him.

"River! What are you doing? Put me down!" she exclaimed with more emotion than she’d shown in days. But instead of putting her down, River began to spin, as if he could not contain himself and needed to dance.

"I told you Pearl, I’ll change our fates. I’ll write our love story in the stars, and use the moonlight to build you a crown. Nightingales will sing of our story for generations, and immortals will envy our eternal love!"

Filled with vigor, River said all the words that came into his heart, uncaring of how they sounded.

Shock, surprise, but mostly concern filled Pearl’s heart as she listened to River. Had he finally lost his mind? But how had he gained the strength to suddenly pick her up like this?

She did not know, and River did not elaborate, but from that day onwards their lives changed for the better.

River kept his oath at heart. It was not to protect Pearl or anything of the sort, but to do everything he could to give her a better life. That sounded so difficult, and abstract, and yet for River it was easy. Without the pressure of being pursued, and with his body suddenly recovering somewhat, all he needed to do was return to his old self to make her laugh and fill her days with wonder.

They worked at the clinic, made meager money, ate sparringly, and yet the months that passed were the best they’d had in a long time.

Meanwhile, the man with the unusual clothes seemed to have disappeared. It could not be helped. Lex needed to recover a certain amount of energy before he could carry out the next step of his plan, so he remained within the necklace, absorbing the limited ambient energy.

With the ridiculous speed of the flow of time in the Land of Rivers, Lex could afford to spend some time here to recover, even if he preferred to do things more quickly.

To avoid being detected, or leaving behind traces, he had resolved himself to taking fewer risks. Thus, at a snail’s pace, Lex absorbed enough energy until he was ready to take the next step.

He turned his gaze towards River and Pearl, and glanced at their karma, and their causality. Just that glance alone caused him to use up some energy which was a tragedy, but necessary even so. It seemed like trouble was on the horizon.

One day, River was accompanying Pearl in the clinic, acting as her assistant while diagnosing patients, almost sounding as if he was being questioned by Pearl. He also no longer needed to rely on her Qi, for his newfound power granted him faint healing capabilities.

It was at that point that the doors of the clinic burst open under the force of a body launched through the doors, slamming directly into the registration counter behind it. The man thrown through the doors was dead - whether he died on impact or was already dead before was uncertain.

The loud commotion startled everyone, and River suddenly stood in front of Pearl, shielding her from view as he tried to understand what was happening.

Clearly, whatever had caused the issue was far from over, for through the doors River could see numerous guards protecting an injured man while fighting against a warlock!

The strength of the warlock had to be at the very peak of the Qi training realm, for every attack he launched would throw the guards left and right, killing them before they even landed.

River grabbed Pearl’s hand and turned to run - they could not get involved in this mess at all, yet when he turned around he saw the strangely dressed man, leaning against a wall.

"Your power comes from your oath. The more difficult task you complete to fulfil your oath, the greater the feedback. That man being attacked back there is the son of the Lord of this city. Think of how you could improve Pearl’s life if you only saved his."

The man disappeared after speaking, leaving future decisions up to River, but there was no decision to be made. River knew that what he had now was fleeting. To truly secure themselves, he needed even more power.

He ran, pulling Pearl alongside him, until they reached their small apartment at the back of the clinic.

"Hide here and don’t come out until I get you," River said as he grabbed the sword and shield that lay in the corner.

"What are you doing?" she asked, suddenly feeling panicked at his actions.

River paused at the door, not only to answer her, but to summon his courage as well. In truth, he was no great warrior - or even a decent one at that. He was merely a survivor.

"I told you Pearl, I’ll write our stories in the stars. This is not our end - it’s just the beginning."

Within the necklace, Lex watched without a single change in expression. He had, in the past few months, become immune to the cringe one liners of a couple in love. They could not match up to his one liners as he beat his enemies anyway. Speaking of which, he should come up with a cool one liner for when he beat his enemy - Stalker.