A woman climbed down the ladder that had been carved into the cave wall. The source she descended from was shrouded by the poor lighting, her face by the hood of her blue cloak. Black jeans tucked into hiking boots and a dark, long-sleeved blouse concealed the rest of her pale skin.
Her feet touched the ground, and she began her delve. Ignoring the wispy murk that rose to greet her was easy. Ignoring the stone walls narrowing as they became the trees of a thick forest, less so. As she paused at what became the edge of the treeline, the source of the haze was made clear.
Smoke exhaled from the once idyllic Ionian village. The Noxian invasion had progressed much farther than it should have, though pressures from the young League of Legends made it likely it was coming to an end. A group of Noxian officers were standing by a farmhouse that hadn't been ignited while the rest of their men set up camp. Completely ignored by the toiling grunts, she headed towards the unlit hut.
The battalion's commander looked out on the smoldering cottages with disgust. There was very little honor to be had here, but he took comfort in doing things the traditional way. Better this than having the chemical weapons other regiments used forced upon him.
His officers debriefed him as he stared unfocused into the distance. The fighting had lacked intensity as of late, and it had all become routine. March for a few days, come to a town, sack it, repeat. Only a handful of soldiers would even be injured in a week- mostly because the chemical weapons were drawing the brunt of the resistance elsewhere.
As his last officer finished speaking, he sighed. This was not what war was supposed to be. It was supposed to be a fierce struggle where great men proved their mettle. This? This was nothing more than a slaughter- and moral was suffering because of it.
A glint of something caught his eye, snapping him out of his reverie. With a shriek of a warcry, a dark-haired Ionian girl of no more than eight leapt at him from the nearby shrubbery. Reacting quickly, one of the officers dove and snatched her out of the air.
"Maybe there's hope for these people yet, we just got here a decade too early!" the officer pinning the girl shouted. Laughter erupted from the soldiers.
The commander couldn't help but chuckle in spite of the threat. At his request, they bound the girl and left her in his tent. Alone with her, he smiled.
"You've got a fire, kid- and a keen mind, too, sneaking up on us and going straight for the top. It's a shame you're so young, you'd have been quite the fighter grown up."
The commander paused and pondered. "Normally you'd be sent to a prisoner camp, but... Tell you what. I'm going to reward your bravery with a second chance." He shuffled through some papers on his desk. "There's a... Ah! I have a friend in logistics that owes me quite a few favors from officer training. I'll call one in for your sake." He began filling out a form.
The girl's scowl never abated, though her eyes lost some of their piercing rage. Her captor's apparent kindness had dulled the anger she was clinging to for stability. A torrent of emotions bore against the cracks in her composure, but she bit back the flood of tears. Her determination held firm, hiding her true feelings from all but the cloaked woman watching her.
Watching as the world warped in on itself. The woman shook her head as the cool cave air helped to clear it. With the ladder behind her, a glow from deeper called out with a siren song. She walked towards it.
"The staff won't give us anything." A faint female voice began. "It's the whole Noxian ideal. Those with both strength and the will to use it rise, while those lacking fall." The voice grew solid, growing into that of a little girl as the cave transformed itself again.
The woman found herself inside of a barracks-style dormitory at night. The bottom of a near-full moon peered through the window, lighting details on the bedded contours. One top bunk clearly held two shapes, the one below it empty.
"If you're strong enough for two, sure, you can protect someone. Otherwise, you're weakening yourself for no reason- and someone will take advantage of it."
Another girl, evidently the one being spoken to, started to ask, "But then, why did you-"
"I stepped in because you're not from here. Nobody told you how things work. Now you know, and can use whatever strength you have however you can."
"But-"
"Look, I'm not gonna leave you completely on your own. I'll keep an eye on you for the rest of the week. Or, I'll act like I am. If they choose to ignore my protection, then that's your problem. I'm far from strong enough for the both of us."
With a blink of the woman's eyes, it was late afternoon in some form of youth camp. Her vantage provided a clear view of a commotion at the entrance of one of the buildings. A boy was standing in the doorway, blocking the girl from Ionia. A few other kids watched.
"Did the mutt's master finally abandon her?" He teased, refusing to budge.
"Please move." She asked softly.
"Strays aren't allowed in the mess hall."
Her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath. Reopening them, she repeated her request with authority. "Move, Cadoc."
Cadoc grinned. "Is that what she told you last week? To be confident and I'd back down?" He gave her a shove, pushing her to the ground.
She spryly landed on her hands and knees, facing away from him. The kid directly in line with her glare took a reflexive step back.
"My father was right, the invasion was out of mercy." He laughed. "A people so weak tha-aht!" His legs swept from under him, he gracelessly joined her on the floor. Before he had recovered, she had pounced onto him.
"Mercy? Yeah, this is out of mercy." Her eyes blazed with anger as she drew a knife from behind her.
Cadoc stammered unintelligibly.
"Break it up!" A staff member had arrived from inside. Spotting the blade, he dropped low and grabbed the girl's wrist before blood could be spilled. "Where the hell did you get that!?"
The woman took a step forward. In response, the sun vanished, taking everyone save herself with it. Mounted torches supplemented the waning quarter-moon in providing ample, albeit dim light.
"I know you gave that Ionian cur that knife!" The voice came from behind the dorm. Dashing to the other side, the woman found Cadoc with a new, unarmed victim pinned on the ground. "Why'd you do it, huh?" He slapped her hard across the cheek.
"I-I swear I-" she managed to whimper before being interrupted by a jarring punch. The blow made the woman wince.
"Was it to humiliate me?" Another hit.
"I didn't-"
"Don't you lie to me! You're the only one who would help her!" He punched her again, knocking her out.
With a blink, the boy was gone, replaced by the Ionian girl in question. Silent tears streamed down her face as she held the bloodied girl tightly in her arms.
A whisper left the wounded one's lips as she awoke. "S...Sera? Is that you?"
Sera nodded, her eyes slowly parching as she spoke. "Natalie... who..."
Natalie's pained expression was chased away by an obviously forced look of confidence. "Don't worry, I can ha-"
"Don't give me that crap!" The tears resumed at full strength as her arms tightened their hug. "I don't care if it makes me weak!"
Natalie sighed, her eyes opening fully to stare at the crying girl. Her resolve wavered. "You won't let this go, will you?"
"Not until you're safe!"
Her eyes closed again, her expression one that spoke of misery yet knew it to be fleeting. In a soft voice, "You know who..."
The next blink saw daybreak and the two girls gone. A gaggle of kids could be heard chattering from the other side of the building. Walking for vision, the cloaked woman rounded the corner in time to see Sera charge out the door. Natalie followed close behind, an impressive bruise puffing her cheek.
"Leave Natalie alone, Cadoc." She yelled as she stormed towards the boy. All conversation stopped.
Cadoc laughed. "Why? Did you two get back together?"
"Need I remind everyone of what happened last time you went against me?"
Silence. Not a soul budged.
"That's what I thought. Now, if you so much as lay a-"
"I won't touch her!"
The cave returned, leaving the woman staring at the glow ahead of her. A moment of worry quivered on her lips before her current local processed. Having gained a large amount of ground during the visions, the source of the illumination was visible: a nexus fragment floating in the distance. She continued towards it curiously, until the walls dissolved to the inside of the dorm once more.
"Nat...?" Sera asked aloud. Dawn was just beginning to break through a light cloud cover outside. All of the bunks were still occupied, save the one directly below hers. She climbed out of bed and headed for the door with the cloaked woman in tow.
Upon stepping outside, her fears were confirmed. Natalie was on the ground, bleeding profusely from several fatal-looking wounds. She was barely clinging to life as Sera rushed to her.
Natalie smiled weakly upon seeing the girl. "I-" overpowered by a meek coughing fit, she paused to breathe and tried again. "I guess I can't handle myself after all." A pained chuckle followed.
"Nat..." Sera broke down in tears next to her, holding one of the dying girl's hands tightly. "D-don't..."
"Ah, don't you worry, you'll be fine..."
"But you-"
"Sera? Can you promise me something?"
"Anything, just don't leave me!"
"Don't let your heart get you killed."
"I..."
"Please?"
"I'll try."
Her smile warmed. "Now... I think I'll take a nap. I'll see you in the morning." She spoke barely above a whisper. Natalie's eyes closed for the last time. Her body went limp.
"Well well, what have we here? The Ionian cur mourning over her dead master?" Cadoc stepped into view, his taunt causing Sera's sobbing to slow.
"You should have heard her beg for your life! It was pathetic! And now she's lost hers for nothing." He brandished the blade he had lifted from the armory. It was real, unlike the ones they practiced with.
Sera's breathing slowed to normal as she continued to stare at her friend's corpse.
"Come on, stand up. Let's make a game of this! At least make it look like you tried to survive."
She stood, turning slowly to face her tormentor. Rage pulsed through her veins.
"Oh? Did I make you mad? Ahahaha, as if you could fight me even with a weapon." He laughed loudly at her. "We'll all be better off once I've culled you from the flock as well."
Sera leaned forward, roaring as she sprinted at Cadoc. Her right hand fell back, and pulled a similar sword straight out of the air.
Cadoc's smirk livened as he prepared to swing. The glint of steel in his prey's hand failed to register.
She slashed upward upon reaching him, deflecting his blow with enough force to launch both of their blades away. With a twirl following through, Sera pulled another sword from the air and cleaved into Cadoc's neck. His expression remained locked in surprise as he crumpled to the ground, dead.
The cave returned in time for a teardrop to splatter against the cold stone floor. More followed, quietly pattering against the ground. Her breathing deepened as the woman tried to calm herself.
Containing her sorrow to a sniffle, she pressed on. The next step found her in an office waiting room. Three chairs lined the far wall, with an empty secretary's desk claiming the corner to her right. Adorning the perimeter were portraits of wizened mages.
The left door opened. "I cannot fathom why the headmaster of a school as prestigious as Tayemnivi would ever want a mongrel like you- much less a year early- but who am I to question a gift?" A cruel-looking woman in stuffy bureaucratic dress entered the room, briefcase-first. She was implicitly speaking to the now-twelve Sera following behind her.
Upon reaching the middle of the room, the pair paused, and the caseworker turned to face her charge. "Sit quietly while the he signs the paperwork. After I leave, do as you wish- you won't be my problem for at least another two months-" She turned again and made for the other door. "Assuming you even survive that long!"
As soon as the door closed again, Sera replied. "You have it backwards, miss. It means at least two months I won't have to deal with you." Shaking her head, she sighed "I hope it's more than two this time."
Taking a seat, she leaned back with another sigh. After a moment of thought, she swiped her hands in a long arc in front of her. Magic coalesced at her fingertips as she did so, leaving a trail of dust. Manipulating the trail into a cloud, she positioned it below one of the portraits. She then gave her canvas form, attempting to place one of the old mages on the wall in a gaudy dress made from the magical motes.
An eleven-year-old girl with long white hair and a burgundy-and-purple school uniform pranced in through the door on the left. After one step into the room, she noticed Sera's spell and diverted course. "Woah, cool!"
Sera jumped, startled by the intrusion. The charged particles in front of her faded as her concentration broke. She raised her hands to a defensive stance.
"Awww..."
"Ilaya, what did I say about rushing up to people who don't know you?" An older woman with similar hair and formal dress robes followed in.
Ilaya's face bespoke panic before hiding under a very deep bow. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"
Sera relaxed her guard, having processed the lack of aggression. "I'm pretty sure that rule's to protect you from people jumpier than me. But you're forgiven." She smiled, and held out her hand. "Sera."
Once the girl righted herself, she grinned, and eagerly grasped the offered hand with both of her own. "Ilaya! And that's our mom- she's a teacher here!"
"Dr. Irissa Eirshy, Professor of Artifacts and Null Point Dynamics." The woman curtsied. "I was worried when you didn't write back, but you're thankfully here. I hope the arrangement wasn't too disagreeable."
Sera looked confused. "Write back? I didn't get a... That shrew!" Realizing the cause, she glared at the door to the headmaster's office. Her fist clenched briefly, then released with a sigh. She turned back to Irissa. "I'm sorry, it seems my mail was intercepted before I could have the pleasure. What was this arrangement?"
Gasping with glee, Ilaya pounced, wrapping Sera in a tight embrace. "We're gonna be sisters!"
"W-what!?" Sera barely managed to catch the girl without falling out of her chair.
Irissa smiled. "Custody isn't being given to the school like you're used to. It's being given to me. So long as that's okay with you, of course."
Shoving a giggling Ilaya off her, Sera responded with incredulity. "Okay, but why would you want me? I'm Ionian and have ten expulsions and two kills to my name- I'm a total delinquent!"
"Race is meaningless in the face of deeds, the last eight of your expulsions were political, and in Noxus, only the dead lack blood on their hands. Where you see a delinquent, I see an adaptive girl longing for the chance to flourish."
"I-" Sera was interrupted by the office door opening to reveal a middle-aged man with graying hair.
"Ah good, you're all here. Irissa, Sera, you're up. Ilaya, too, if she wants."
Irissa responded quickly. "Sir, she hasn't had time to decide. My letter never reached her."
He looked at Sera. "With only brief experience with that Miss Henneck of yours, I will personally vouch that Dr. Eirshy will be a trade up in all regards."
Sera smiled, amused. "When the bar is that low, that doesn't say much..." After brief thought, she turned to Ilaya. "Can I ask Ilaya a couple of questions first?"
The man gave his approval with a nod. "Whatever makes you comfortable enough to agree."
Ilaya seemed surprised to be on the spot, but not opposed. "Kay!"
"Firstly, are you okay with being picked on by bullies a lot? I'm kind of a magnet for them."
"Pfff so? We can just bully them right back! Mom says I need more practice fighting, too." She raised her hands to a mock martial guard. Two jabs and a hook targeted the air.
Sera nodded with a giggle. "Alright. Second... Would you say you're strong enough for two?"
"I..." The girl paused, unsure of what to say.
"Answer honestly, the wrong one isn't what you think."
Their eyes met before Ilaya next spoke. "No. I am not. But is anyone? That sounds like something you strive to be all your life! But..." She paused again, debating if she should continue.
"But?" Sera prompted.
"Well, isn't that dumb anyways?"
Frowning, the older girl asked, "What do you mean?"
"Sure, it would be nice to be able to protect someone by yourself, but why would you need to? You try to be, your friend tries to be, but in the end, you'll only be strong enough for two together."
It was Sera's turn to be surprised. "I... Huh."
"D-did I screw up?" Worry claimed the younger girl's face.
Sera turned back to the adults when she finally spoke. "I can't imagine I would fail to get along with my new sister's mother."
With a joyous exclamation, Ilaya wrapped Sera in another hug. "I passed!"
The man clapped his hands, clearly happy. "Alright then, can we please get that woman out of my office?"
A grin claimed Sera's face as she returned the embrace. "Sure thing, mister..."
"Wrensoth, Dr. Zelrick Wrensoth, Headmaster of Tayemnivi." He gave a half bow. "And I am appalled that your caseworker withheld even that information from you."
"I suppose she was too busy telling me I was going to die fighting real talent."
Zelrick chuckled. "It would have to be more than just talent, given your reputation and aptitude scores. But I digress, the paperwork comes first." He gestured inside. Irissa moved immediately. Sera and Ilaya parted and followed close behind
Regardless of her lack of invite, the woman in the blue cloak accompanied them as well. However, for her, the next room was the cave. The nexus fragment was just past the doorway- perhaps the reason the transition was different. Inspecting the crystal caused it to react, the energy inside beginning to swirl almost angrily.
"The way Clyde fights is weird." The statement was distorted and distant.
Clean, smooth gray of a combatant waiting room for an arena took hold, engulfing and dissolving the fragment. Sera was older now, looking to be half of the way through sixteen. She wore black robes with blue highlights, her hair was slightly longer than shoulder-length, and a perpetual smirk of confidence had claimed her lips. Ilaya was next to her, her robes in the same style, only with green replacing blue. In the arena stood two more students, both with the same colors as Sera.
"How so?" Sera inquired.
"He just seems to point and then everything goes to hell."
"Eh, it's just his style. Hell, you know if I was allowed to I'd just blink behind them and shove a sword-"
The maelstrom of meteors that Clyde had summoned interrupted their conversation. When the dust settled, his opponent was nowhere to be found.
"Geez, that's the third he's killed. You sure you can face him?"
"Don't really have much of a choice, do I? If I make it to the top of the bracket, he's probably going to be my opponent."
"I'm sure mom would understand if you yield."
"I'm not going to back down from a challenge, especially not one like him. Anyways, I'm up."
"G'luck!" Ilaya said to the puff of smoke that had replaced the girl.
Sera reappeared on the stage across from a girl in the same robes but sporting a stereotypical, oversized witch hat.
"Still refusing to walk in like a normal person?"
With another puff of black smoke, Sera appeared next to the witch. "Still wearing that ridiculous hat?" She extended a hand with a smile. "Let's give 'em a show, ya?"
The other girl shook it with a grin. "Let's."
Sera blinked back her side of the arena in time for their match to be announced. "HECATE VERSUS SERA. TWENTY SECONDS OF PREPARATION START NOW."
Small silver spell circles etched themselves in the air around Hecate's outstretched hand, with a large cyan one forming in front of the miniature constellation. As the last rune was inscribed, she glanced at what her opponent was doing.
Having opted to precast an enhancement, Sera had bent down and touched her feet. After a quick hop, she landed atop inline skates with purple, glass-like wheels.
"TEN SECONDS."
Hecate laughed. "I thought they were joking when they said you were fighting on skates." Her arm lifted upward, the circles following as if part of her.
"FIVE."
Sera adjusted her stance as she spoke, her right hand falling behind her. "It's the only blade the rules let me use." A ball of flame formed in her cupped hand.
"BEGIN."
The ring of magic at Hecate's fingertips flew upward and expanded as the silver circles slid into a telescopic formation. Meanwhile, the fire in Sera's hand exploded, giving her an instant burst of speed- and air. Leading with her rollerblades, Sera kicked through the silver chain, severing it. This triggered the cyan circle's first shot prematurely- but not incorrectly.
A gout of ice fired from the sigil, aimed at the skater. Catching her fall with a small wind burst, Sera used her momentum to swing a tight right and juke much of the attack. It earned her a chilled-numb left arm, but nothing more. The skater hooked again and aimed herself directly at her opponent. A new fireball danced up her right arm and spiraled down her left to warm it.
"A neat trick, but the blades make your movement quite predictable." The cyan circle consumed itself as it blasted down freezing rays for a second time, leading Sera perfectly.
Only an ice sculpture didn't skid out of the beam. Hecate stood confused as Sera rocketed out of a cloud of black smoke to her side. She dashed past the witch, tossing the firebolt in her left hand as she went. "Predictable? Please. I can rotate my momentum with a blink."
Hecate yelped as the small bolt struck her. "J-just the one?"
"A show, remember?" Laughing, Sera swung around for another pass.
"You cocky little-" Hecate cartwheeled out of the way of the next bolt, with new spell circles forming around both her wrists as she did so. At the end of her dodge she began slinging ice shards at the skater. Most missed, but one had to be deflected by yet another fireball meant for her.
A fresh flame in each hand, Sera weaved through the torrent of ice on her fourth approach. Her slalom ended as the first fireball detonated behind her. The rocketing boost launched her into the air and into the dark smoke of a blink. She reappeared above and behind Hecate, and spiked the second fireball onto the witch's head.
Hecate stumbled out of the explosion. Disoriented by the concussive blast, she didn't seem to realize the tip of her hat was on fire. Her legs gave up as she passed out, collapsing.
After landing, Sera swerved and slowed to a halt. Blood ran down her arm from where it had caught a shard, but the fading adrenaline traded the job of numbing it to the lingering cold. With a flick of her hand, a localized gust put out the fire on the unconscious witch's hat.
"SERA WINS."
At the bottom of an exaggerated bow, she teleported out of the thunderous applause and back to Ilaya's side.
A gasp met her. "You're bleeding!"
"Oh?" Sera checked herself, noticing the gash on her arm- and the pain. "Ow. So I am."
"Ugh, I wish you'd stop going for the flashy victories. I won't always be able to patch you up before your next match." Ilaya placed a glowing hand on the wound as her eyes closed. The small stream of blood slowed to a trickle, then stopped entirely.
"But if you keep fixing me, how will I learn?" She pulled Ilaya into a tight, loving embrace. "Thanks."
The girl squirmed uncomfortably. "N-no problem. Mom'd be mad if I didn't."
Sera released her captive as she looked away. "I... Sorry. "
"Me too." Ilaya replied, her gaze in agreement.
They remained in awkward silence until the next duel, but the topic never strayed from commentary or gossip about its participants. Five fights later, Clyde was up again, but his opponent seemed to be missing.
After a brief scan of the crowd, Sera gave a sadistic grin. A kinked dagger with a purple glass blade similar to her roller-skates materialized in her hand. "Be right back."
"What are..." was all Ilaya could manage before her sister vanished. She grumbled in annoyance, then jumped when Sera returned almost immediately. Crimson dripped from her weapon. "Did you just stab someone!?"
"Yep!" She dropped the knife, which faded out of existence before it reached the ground. "And Elcid still hasn't shown?" She glanced back into the arena. Clyde was alone. "Perfect, now to beat Clyde into the ground because of it. You were right, his duels were strange." She gave a wink before teleporting off again.
Reappearing in the arena, she shouted, "Elcid would like to declare me his second,". At a more normal volume, she continued, "And in case you want to back down, Professor Laurel just had an unfortunate accident and won't be able to assist this match."
The man glared at her. "I have no idea why you are telling me this, but if Elcid would rather cower behind you instead of face death like a man, so be it." Louder, "I accept Sera as Elcid's second."
"SERA IS RECOGNIZED AS ELCID'S SECOND, AND WILL SWAP PLACES WITH HER IN THE BRACKET AS PER THIRD YEAR TOURNAMENT RULES."
There was a pause as Sera stepped into the starting circle.
"SERA VERSUS CLYDE. TWENTY SECONDS OF PREPARATION START NOW."
Clyde began the way he always did: pointing up. Dark clouds formed at the top of the arena as he laughed. "I have to thank you for finding the one casting that limiter field."
The girl groaned in response. "Ugh, really?"
"It makes me almost sorry you're going to die."
Tuning out the inevitable taunts, Sera focused on the streams of prana converging above her. There was one coming from Clyde, but it wasn't alone. Three others were routed wide and far, dancing through the crowd.
"TEN SECONDS."
Two. The third was a dead end behind Clyde to distract a trace.
"Oh? Lost in the gravity of your mistake? Don't worry..."
"FIVE."
One, the first had splintered from the second behind her.
Clyde's arm began a slow fall. "All those regrets that are welling up are about to be turned to-"
Sera's head snapped left with a smirk as the announcement resonated: "BEGIN."
"-Ash." Clyde's arm stopped, pointing at his opponent. A torrent of meteors poured out of the clouds above, showering the arena. Smoke and fire formed a shroud denser than his last three matches combined.
Yet, also unlike the previous duels, the storm of slag ceased mere seconds later. When the haze cleared, it revealed Sera grinning, the dagger from before bloody and in-hand. Applause met her as she spoke, her words barely audible over the roar. "Was Professor Naussica your card?"
Stupefied, Clyde stammered. "W-what did you do to her?!"
"Oh, nothing that can't be healed in in a few minutes." The blade faded out of her hand, leaving the blood to splatter to the floor. "It's what I'm about to do to you that won't" She snapped her now-empty fingers, causing her hand to ignite.
Sobering from his surprise, the man shifted his stance. "Fine! It's not like I needed the help to beat any of you!"
"THE MATCH IS OVER; THE RESULT IS A DRAW. WE WILL BE BREAKING FOR THE DAY. SERA AND CLYDE, PLEASE COME TO MY OFFICE."
"What!?" The combatants asked in unison. Various boos propagated through the audience robbed of what promised to be the best fight that day.
"I guess he doesn't want me killing the girl who assaulted two professors." Clyde grinned.
"Or he wants to punish the cheater himself!" The girl shot back. Without waiting for a reply, she blinked back into the waiting room.
A panicked Ilaya caught her in a hug. "I thought you were going to die! What happened? Why did Dr. Wrensoth cancel the fight?"
"I'll tell you on the way." In spite of earlier, Sera seemed uninterested in the sudden affection. She coldly broke out of the hug and took three steps toward the door before everything froze.
The nexus fragment reasserted itself where the girl stood, sending occluding ripples through the air. Distortions were followed by substitutions, until the cavern chamber and the cloaked woman were all that remained.
With a sigh, the woman inspected the attention-demanding crystal. The mana monsoon contained within had calmed once more, glimmering in time with its aural hum. She placed a hand on the side of it. Motes closest to her touch whisked deeper into the fragment, before the whole billowed towards her hand. As the mana bounced off her point of contact, it spread into the image of Sera, now in her early twenties, asleep in an infirmary bed.
"To think morning came this quickly..." The voice was female and familiar, originating from the entrance of the chamber. "It's good to see you again, Sera"
Turning suddenly, the woman's hood fell, revealing the same Sera as the one in the fragment. "Nat?!"
Natalie, seemingly in her twenties as well, smiled as warmly as she had the day she died. Sera dashed to the woman, who caught her in a hug.
To Sera's distress, they parted shortly after. Natalie spoke. "Sadly, we don't have much time. As is, you're having to go back much sooner than I'd have liked."
Confusion was Sera's response. "Go back?"
With a nod, Natalie gestured at the fragment. "You've been in a coma for half a year. While I'd love to keep you longer, if I do, it may be too late."
Sera took a hesitant step towards the crystal, staring at the picture of herself. "Too late for what?"
A sigh. "As is, I'm not sure you'll be enough for it to matter even without the early return."
"Be enough? What's going on?" She turned back to her friend.
Natalie shook her head in response. "I have other preparations to make. I must be going." She began to fade out.
"Wait! How do I go back!?"
"Reach out to yourself, I'm sure she'll hear you."
"What does that mean? Wait! Nat!" The woman was gone.
Sera let out a sorrowful sigh. "Reach out to myself..." She placed her hands on the crystal. Its hum quieted in appreciation of her touch.
Staring at her unconscious body, she stood in thought for minutes, maybe hours. "This must be what insanity is like." She sighed. "Well... Let's try the literal approach." She took a hand off the side of the crystal, and reached in.
Author's Note:
If the last time you checked this fic out was prior to February 2018, welcome back. To you and myself.
In the intervening age, I've done a total rewrite of, well, basically everything. New scenes, reworked scenes, a lot more characterization... The works.
I am hoping to have four chapters up by the end of June, then return to a slow but reasonable release schedule that doesn't involve me disappearing for a few years.
This story is cross-published on AO3 under the same name. Or at least will be very soon.