So, I'm part of a discord server that hosts a bunch of fanfiction authors. This story here is a collab between three of us. You might recognize them both as they both have Chosens and both are relatively well known on this site. Everyone, I'm proud to introduce Masked Demise (authoress of Champions and We Are Chosen) and FicFansEverwhere (author of The Dawn Has Arrived). We got it in our heads that Fic's character Helios somehow met Cira...and then it evolved into including We Are Chosen). There are spoilers in here, I'm doin' my best to save SOMETHING for the actual story...which, due to this, has been moved up. The order of Chosen until the big story is: Urgot, Sion, Rakan and Xayah, Zoe. I will still do Chosens but I wanted to do the story for a long time...and I've been torturing Masked Demise far too much with all the ideas that I've been bouncing off her. BUT, that's not the time for that. Now's the time for hilarity, bittersweetness and a mashup of epic proportions. Ladies and Gentlemen, Summoners...I present Daybreak.
Chapter I
Jarvan IV looked out over the foothills of Mount Targon, barely able to see figures melting in and out of the mist in the pre-dawn light. His steed anxiously pawed at the ground, turning up the clay-like soil that even in the early summer was stubborn to thaw. He could hear the clanking of his soldiers' armor as they readied their weapons and fearfully looked up at the mountain. They knew that war was inevitable, but against the Mountain tribes? Who lived and breathed nothing but war? It was a longshot...but they hoped to bring real-life to superstition. That they would be able to return the Mountain of Ghosts back into just another mountain.
"So, why are we fighting them exactly?" a whisper-soft, male voice asked within Jarvan's skull.
"They declared war on us first, Zack," Jarvan replied to his Chosen, "They threatened our people, they have been turning to banditry and robbing our people as they walk the lower Mountain roads. We cannot let that stand,"
"But what about their Chosens?"
Jarvan frowned.
"Since when do the Pantheon and Leona have Chosens?" he asked, "Zack, we have been through this. The Kindred are the First Chosen, not Leona or any of the Targon Champions. I believe Aurelion is the only one who has one,"
Zack said nothing, but Jarvan could feel the unease in his very soul. He was about to ask his Chosen, when another fellow Champion and Chosen came up.
"Everything is ready, your highness," Garen said before turning his face to the mountain, "They're there...but they are not attacking,"
"If the Solari Matron is with them, they will wait until dawn or after," Jarvan said, "When she is most powerful,"
"But we have a light of our own," Kaiden, Garen's Chosen, grinned, "She's powerful, just like Leona is."
"We shall hope so," Jarvan nodded, looking around, seeing his army.
He could see Fiora sharpening her rapier, see Xin Zhao waiting patiently with his spear at ready, Quinn stroking Valor's chest feathers as she worried about her little one at home, Lux tapping her wand against her side...still not at ease despite the fact magic was now allowed in Demacia, Vayne readying her crossbow as she quietly talked with Fiora, Lucian resting with his eyes closed...thinking about Senna and their little boy, up at Galio who towered over them all with his steadfast presence, at Shyvana who growled softly...waiting for the moment she would leap into the fray, at Taric who was casually talking with another soldier, at Kayle who hovered high above with her sword unlit. Sona was back at the camp, ready to tend to the wounded...but other than her...all the Demacian Champions and their Chosens were here.
But it wasn't just them. So many Demacian soldiers, not Champions, had joined. Killing Champions of the League was forbidden...but if enough soldiers took the Targonians down, perhaps they would surrender.
"Whatever the case is...it's going to be a bloody day. Dianne's going to have a field day…" Zack said, "I...just hope they don't force Hailey to fight us. She and Aurelion wouldn't take that well and I don't think it would end well for us,"
"I am afraid you are right…"
...
"Your Radiance, they are here," a soldier stated, coming up to a tall woman in golden armor on a red charger.
"As expected," Leona said, her golden eyes watching the figures in the mist, "It appears they have brought Galio with them as well…"
"The Colossus will be no obstacle, Radiant Dawn," a low, male voice said from behind her.
Leona turned around to face the Pantheon, whose golden-scarlet eyes burned within the shadows of the helm of his host.
"We have an answer to him," Pantheon stated, "All I need to do is speak a name,"
"The dragon will be helpful," Leona nodded, "to keep the Colossus and the Judicator at bay. If my eyes don't deceive me, all the Demacian Champions are here,"
"Will we be attacking them?"
"They insulted our people," Leona growled, a golden glow flickering around her exposed skin, "I do not care for the repercussions of the League. We slay them all,"
"And the payment for after?" came the question from the Aspect of War.
Leona's blade flickered out, barely clipping Pantheon's helmet and throwing up sparks.
"Do not insult me further than you do already," she hissed, her face flaming scarlet.
When she got nothing but silence, she turned back towards the horizon and spurred her mount forwards so that she was in the front. She rode farther out, her golden armor chiming softly as it clinked together. She could clearly see Jarvan and she gave a smirk through the slits of her helmet. Oh this would be fun.
The Radiant Dawn slowed her charger to a halt, looking out over the soon to be battlefield. Her power was still dim, a faint flicker in her soul that was slowly growing as time wore on. She almost wished that the battle would start at noon, when she was at her strongest. However, her power would begin to wane as the noon hour faded, so this was for the best.
"Last chance, Leona," came Jarvan's calm, commanding voice, "Surrender and we will not fight,"
She was silent for a moment...and then her sword and shield began to glow.
"Stand...and fight!" Leona roared as sunlight exploded over the valley, filling her with power as she pointed her blazing sword at the Demacian Army, "Gia Targon!"
"GIA TARGON!" came the roar from the army behind her.
Leona wheeled her charger back towards the army.
"Targonianoí! Proetoimasteíte gia máchi!" she howled, riding along the line and smacking the flat of her blade against the raised spears of her people, her blood-red cloak flaring out behind her like a flame.
The Targonians howled back, beating their shields with swords, spears, fists as Leona galloped back to the front and leveled her sword at the army.
"Emprós!" she yelled...and the mountainside exploded with a glittering hoard of spears, swords and shields.
The Demacian army answered with a war-cry of their own and charged towards the Mountain's army. Leona's shield came up as Jarvan leveled his lance at her, the two crashed together as their armies did. Leona slashed upwards with her sword, pushing the lance tip away from her shield and keeping herself still seated in the saddle.
...
Jarvan pulled back, his stallion rearing as Leona's mare snapped at him. The Radiant Dawn gave an exhilarated laugh as she wheeled around, her cloak whipping behind her as she dared him to give chase. Her sword flickered out as she charged through the Demacian line, hacking with her blade and sending blood into the air like crimson rain.
"...Cira's heart is probably breaking because she's forced to do this…" Zack muttered.
"Cira?" Jarvan asked, but was torn back to the battle as his stallion squealed in pain, kicking and bucking as a Targonian arrow buried itself into a chink in is barding, "Easy! Whoa boy!"
He turned to Garen, who was currently in battle against a man in golden armor...one of the Solari honor guard, a Ra-Horak. Garen ran the Ra-Horak soldier through, his large sword stained with crimson.
"Garen! Kaiden!" Jarvan yelled, catching his attention and pointing his javelin at the rampaging Solari Matron, "We need to stop her!"
Garen nodded, shouting to his subordinates and pointing his sword at the mounted Radiant Dawn, who was glowing brightly.
"Bring her down! Bring her down!" he roared as Leona's mare reared up, the charger's hooves smashing into a foot soldier's helmet and cratering it as they wheeled.
"Gia Targon!" Leona shrieked, waving her sword once more as her horse went down and she guided it out for another charge.
Jarvan watched in horror as she galloped back into the fray...and with an animalistic scream, her horse suddenly pitched to the side before throwing the Solari to the ground, her golden helmet thrown into the dust and bloody grass.
...
Leona grunted as she staggered upright. The Solari looked down at her downed mount...just to be met with glazed eyes and a stumped leg. They killed her horse to get her on the ground.
The Radiant Dawn's eyes burned in hatred.
She had hand-picked that horse, the only one able to bear her and her armor...though known to only her, it was the only one able to bear the machine that used to be called Leona of the Rakkor. She looked at the soldier that had brought her steed down, a scrawny young man, barely more than eighteen. He held his sword with the grace of a toddler...but that didn't matter.
Leona roared, her red hair flaring about her like a flame as she charged him, seeming to blink to his side. The boy barely gave more than a scared yelp as she appeared behind him, grabbing his hair.
"You killed my horse," she hissed before ramming her blade through his back and into his chest, "You'll pay for it with your life,"
She dropped the slowly stilling soldier and stood upright, her long red hair flying free in the wind, a smear of fiery red blood upon the breeze. A sound caught her attention and she dodged out of the way with inhuman speed, watching in amusement as Fiora darted past her, her white and scarlet clothes flickering into gunmetal grey and pink circuits.
"You were ze best of us, Leona," not Fiora, but Victoria stated, swiping the heated energy blade through the air as the sunlight sparkled over her ivory locks, "I do not know what 'appened to you...but I will make sure you do not 'urt anyone again!"
"I do not care if you're enhanced as I am, Fiora," Leona spat, "You will not leave this battle field!"
Fiora rushed at Leona, her visor gleaming.
"I 'ave come to kill you for the sake of 'onor. And though you possess none, still you die," Fiora hissed, thrusting her blade at Leona, who blocked it with her shield and used said shield to knock Fiora off balance.
"This coming from the one who dishonored her house," Leona growled back, getting a metallic snarl from Fiora and Victoria both.
"...You hit the honor button...you shouldn't have did that…" came the faint voice in the back of Leona's skull.
"Silence you annoying voice!" Leona hissed, blocking yet another stab from Fiora, "I did not ask for your opinion! I liked it better when you were silent!"
"For as long as you force me to do this, I will never be silent," the voice snapped, "I don't know what has gotten into you, Leo, but I don't like this…"
The Radiant Dawn snarled as the tip of Fiora's blade found a chink in her armor, opening up a wound that spat scarlet blood and golden oil. Leona tried to fend Fiora off again...but the Grand Duelist and her Chosen had found an opening, and she was not about to lose that. Leona could not track Fiora quickly enough, the smaller, lighter Project was far too fast.
Inevitably, Fiora managed to knock Leona to the ground, bleeding heavily.
"Submit," Fiora snapped, "And all I might do is take your ear…"
"Never!" Leona hissed, trying to get up again, only for Fiora to kick her down once more.
"Very well, you 'ave chosen your fate," Victoria stated, "I'm sorry, Leona...Cira…"
Leona's golden eyes flashed blue for a split second as not the Champion, but the Chosen shielded her face.
"CIRA!" a male voice shrieked over the battlefield.
A circle of green fire blazed over the area surrounding the two Champions. Victoria's eyes widened as she dashed out of the way and the Artisan of War crashed into the earth, cratering it from the force. Two sapphire lights burned within the shadows of his helm as he rushed to the downed Solari's side.
"Cira…" Arthur whispered, gently picking her up.
Cira's panicked blue eyes streamed with tears for a second before they faded back to gold and Leona shoved him off of her. The Artisan of War's eyes faded back to gold as well as the Pantheon looked at a still quite angry Fiora.
"Take care of her," Leona ordered, looking back to the front line, where Jarvan was battling Ra-Horak and Rakkoran soldiers, "I have my target,"
"Of course," the Pantheon nodded, whirling his spear around and settling into a ready position while Leona dashed away at inhuman speed.
What they didn't see was a small figure watching from up in a tree, her long reddish-orange and violet hair waving in the breeze.
"We need to get help," a soft voice begged, "Zoe, they'll kill each other…"
"If you say so," Zoe shrugged, sparkling stardust playing over her hands, "But we're not supposed to interfere with mortals...doesn't mean I listen buuuuutttt…"
"Zoe, please! Those are our parents out there...I don't want them to die!"
"I still find it hard to believe they're our parents," Zoe huffed, "I mean, they're so young! Oh well! Where do you think we should go, Vesper?"
"...I...don't exactly know…"
Paradise, Helios found, was a special kind of hell.
Oh, it wasn't the setting, quite the opposite. Hawaii was one of the most amazing places he'd ever visited, and that was saying something, considering all the places he'd been. Oahu was especially pleasant at this time of year, with plenty of sand and sea to go around for everybody. The birds were a bit annoying, but otherwise, everything was great. The sun of this world, he grudgingly admitted, was doing its job of warming him up in his beach chair quite nicely. The yellow star's ability to hold a conversation was a bit lacking, though. One of the many issues with a world without magic.
"And yet," He muttered to himself, swirling the liquid of his drink around absent-mindedly, "despite the atmosphere, this is still one of the absolute worst days of my life."
He chuckled bitterly. "One of the perks of being in my situation, I guess."
Here he was, clad in nothing but a pair of swim trunks (the palm tree pattern had caught his eye in the shop) and kicking back in the ultimate vacation spot, and he was still miserable. Anyone would be, bearing the knowledge that their pet project had been screwed over a few years ago. Planets took billions of years to make (especially ones containing magic), and Helios had taken a considerable amount of pride in Runeterra when it was finished. It had experienced a few...issues, sure, but it had turned out alright in the end.
Then somebody had thrown up a barrier, cursed his favorite warrior, and promptly tarnished everything he represented.
Gods, was he pissed.
"Another drink, sir?" The waitress asked, suddenly appearing by his chair.
"Sure!" He grinned. "Just put it on my tab." He winked. "Trust me, I'm good for it."
She smiled back. "I'll just take your glass, then. I'll be right back." He didn't miss the way she blushed, either. To be fair, his physique was more than a little toned. He could've given Garen a run for his money, if the two of them were placed side by side. The memory invoked put a bitter taste in his mouth. The drink he'd been sipping (piña colada was an interesting name, but whatever) hadn't done much to change that.
"Good gods, what am I even doing here?" He asked, with an exasperated sigh. "I should be doing anything but this."
A squawk to his lower right alerted him to the presence of a seagull. It apparently wanted food, though Helios had none to give. Unless the bird had a taste for pineapple mixed with coconut, in which case…
"Oh, no. Nah-ah!" He said, sitting up slightly in his chair. "Back! Back, foul beast! Shoo!" He waved his arms violently, and the bird flared its wings in response, taking to the skies.
"Filthy sky rats." He grumbled. "Geez, and here I was hoping that they wouldn't exist on Earth, but nooooooo….."
He laid back in his chair, staring up at the sun with a frown on his face. His drink had long since melted, though by that point he wasn't feeling thirsty anyways. He'd been trying to relax for only three minutes when a faint buzzing came from the small round table to his left. It was his phone. Selene was probably trying to text him again. With a groan, he picked it up, glumly flicking through his notifications. Crisis after crisis, and nothing could be done. Same old, same old. Gods, he was going to lose his mind if this continued for any longer. Sure enough, the most recent notification came from his sister, who had sent him another message. It was touching to know that she cared, but really, she needed to get the hint. He just wanted to be alone. It was easier to cope with everything that way.
Setting his phone down, he looked over his shoulder to check for the waitress, but she was nowhere in sight. He turned back to stare at the sea, grumbling. Listening to the waves crash upon the shoreline was somewhat soothing, if anything else.
"SQUAWK!"
Helios slowly looked down to see that the seagull was back. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds, not even bothering to blink. The bird tilted its head to one side, as if it was curious.
"You're awfully persistent, aren't you?" He asked. "You just have to have me for one of your Satanic rituals, don't you?"
The seagull said nothing.
"I don't know why you're even bothering with me." He continued. "I don't have any food. I know that you can drink saltwater, but I don't think you'd appreciate a melted and lukewarm piña colada."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Unless you're just doing this to annoy me."
It squawked.
"AHA! A CONFESSION!" Helios exclaimed, pointing his finger at it accusingly. "MAYBE! I DON'T SPEAK BIRD!"
The seagull unhelpfully pecked at the sand.
He deadpanned.
"I swear, you're just playing mind games with me, aren't you?" He asked, resting his elbows on his knees. "I've got to give you credit, you're seeing this through to the end."
It squawked again.
Helios looked around to see if anyone was watching. I can't believe I'm honestly considering this. He thought. When he saw that no one was paying attention, he focused back on the bird.
"Do you ever wonder about the futility of your actions?" He asked it. "That everything you do is all for nothing, no matter how hard you try?"
Once again, no reply. But Helios wasn't one to be deterred by small details like this.
"I mean, look at me." He gestured to himself. "I'm a god. Not an actual god - I'm not immortal, and all that - but a god in every other sense of the word."
"I made a planet. It's called Runeterra. It used to be pretty awesome." He continued. "I even started a fanclub. So did my sister. They…uh…didn't get along very well, which was kind of an accident, but it was still worth it overall. We figured that things would be okay, once Leona and Diana got over their enmities. Things looked even better when Cira and Mir got involved."
"Then, out of nowhere, there comes this big ugly barrier that wrecks everything. ...Followed by a curse that alters reality and turns Leona and Pantheon into, pardon my French, assholes."
"Just...what do you do in a situation like that?" Helios asked the seagull. "What do you do when everything you've ever worked for fades away in the blink of an eye, and you can't do anything about it?"
The seagull hopped up to his chair, then to the table, placing its beak in his drink.
"Wow, professor, I never would've guessed!" He mockingly gasped, placing both hands on his cheeks. "Tell me more!"
It didn't.
"I can't even-" He stood up. "I'm asking for advice from a bird, for gods' sake. HEY, LOOK AT ME, EVERYONE!" He suddenly shouted, waving his arms. "I'M TALKING TO A BIRD!"
Everyone in his immediate proximity turned to face him, staring. He awkwardly stood there, realizing his mistake. "Uh." He sweat-dropped, with a sheepish grin. "Don't mind me?"
After shooting him disapproving looks, they all went back to their business, putting a greater amount of effort into ignoring him. "Sheesh." He said, rolling his eyes. "You'd think the people here could at least attempt to lighten up a little."
He'd scared the seagull away for good, apparently, as it was gone from the table. Sitting back down in his chair, he once more tried to relax, though again, it was getting increasingly difficult. Hoping to spot something else to take his mind off things, his ears alerted him to hushed whispers, and he tracked the source to see a few chicks checking him out. They were trying to act like they weren't looking at him, and stopped chattering once he noticed.
He arched an eyebrow, smirking.
They giggled.
His smile faded as soon as he'd resumed reclining in his chair, however, though their gossip regarding his physique hadn't whatsoever. Cheekily flirting with the ladies was typically an entertaining process, one he enjoyed greatly. What was the point of having a divine figure if one couldn't flaunt it every now and then? And yet, like everything else, it had lost its luster. The appeal of it was simply lost on him at the moment. He needed to be carefree, but there was too much to care about. The thrill had been sucked out of life, all because of a stupid wall. And it didn't even affect him, either. The irony failed to escape him.
Helios's phone buzzed, and continued to buzz for a solid five minutes, despite his obvious attempts to ignore it.
"Oh, for the love of-" He picked it up, answering the call. "What?!" He spat. "I realize that you're worried about me, Selene, but for gods' sake, just leave me-"
He froze.
The voice on the other end was definitely not Selene.
He gulped.
"Hey, boss." He said. "It's been a while."
Chatter on the other end of the line.
"About as good as I can be, thanks for asking." He replied. "You know, since…"
The voice continued.
"Of course it's hard. I've got all this power, and yet I'm powerless to help the people I care about." Helios said. "I mean, I know why you don't let me interfere, but I just wish I could-"
He stopped.
"What?" He asked. "You...really?" He started to stand up, gripping the arm of his chair tightly with his free hand. "You're- you're not just messing with me now, are you?"
More chatter.
"Yes, I know that you don't joke around with this kinda thing, but I just want to be sure." He replied.
He stood up and listened while the Big Man talked, explaining his reasoning. Helios's hands were trembling as he finished, lips quivering as a smile slowly spread across his face.
"Sir, I just-" He shook his head, sniffing. His eyes felt a little wet, so he wiped them with the bare skin of his arm. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I owe you one for this."
The line went dead.
"...Boss?" He asked, frowning. He checked the call status, then sighed. "Figures. Of course he has to make a dramatic exit. Why wouldn't he?"
Chuckling fondly, he set the phone down, folding his arms behind his back and staring at the horizon, calmly processing the information he'd just been given. For once, he could finally relax. The sun seemed a lot warmer than it'd been, the waves more soothing. Even the birds didn't annoy him anymore. The girls spread out on the beach were starting to look more appealing, too...but regardless.
For the first time in what seemed like forever, Helios could stop freaking out.
...
And then he freaked out.
"OH MY GODS!" He screamed, losing his shit. The people around him jumped from the sudden outburst, whipping their heads around to see the source of the commotion, but Helios didn't care. He began pacing frantically, running his hands through his hair as the shock settled in.
"Oh my gods oh my gods oh my gods oh my gods oh my GODS." He said, his mouth running a mile a minute. "This is it. It's finally happening. Holy shit, it's finally happening. What do I do I haven't even thought about actually stepping in I've only lamented the fact that I can't well I can now I just couldn't before but the Boss Man just gave me the all-clear and oh my gods this is really happening." He pressed both hands against the bridge of his nose, silently screaming into his palms (which came out as a somewhat undignified squeal, if he was being honest).
As if waiting for the proper cue, his phone buzzed. He whipped around and dove for it, falling onto his stomach as he picked it up and pressed it to his ear.
"Selene? Is that you?" He asked.
"Where have you been?" His sister asked. "Do you know how many messages I've sent you?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm sorry, but get this-"
"I know." Selene said. "He just gave me a call. I'm as excited as you are, but please try to show restraint. Especially with what's going on right now."
"Hm?" He replied. "What's going on right now?"
She sighed. "You haven't checked your notifications lately, I'm guessing."
"Wait…" Helios narrowed his eyes, then straightened up, feeling a slight tingling at the base of his neck. "My 'Shit's Going Down' senses are tingling!"
He flipped through his notifications hastily, searching for the most recent one.
His eyes widened. "SACRÉ BLEU!" He exclaimed with a gasp. "And this is going on right now?!"
"Mhm." Selene confirmed. "I suppose you'd better get over here then, hmm?"
"Damn right I do!" He agreed. "I'll see you there. Bye!" He ended the call, stuffing his phone into the pocket of his swim trunks.
"Time to give the fans a show." He said, grinning as he cracked his neck.
Flames burst to life around his torso, spreading to his entire body until it was no longer visible through the haze of heat. The flames dissipated soon after, revealing that he was no longer there.
The crowd watching him leave was silent, quietly trying to process what they'd just seen.
"I'm back with your drink!" The waitress cheerily walked up to his chair. "Sorry that it took me so long, there were just a lot of customers to deal-"
She trailed off, noticing that he was gone.
"...with." She finished.
She sighed.
"Freeloaders."
Dianne was absolutely exhausted. She had been from Runeterra to who knows where and back. Arthur had finally convinced the girl to take a break, and as a result, Janie, Arthur and herself were eating dinner together, courtesy of Arthur.
Janie was trying not to laugh as Wolf tried sneaking food off the table, but it's somewhat hard to hide yourself when you're… you know, a ethereal wolf.
Dianne reached towards Wolf and pulled him close to herself. "Wait to be served, it's nice that Arthur is doing this for us," as she finished her sentence, the girl looked up and smiled at her host.
"It's no problem, Dianne," the man chuckled. "You need to take breaks every once in awhile and you haven't been at all since Janie has been Chosen."
The girl fiddled with the bow that was resting on her lap. "I just… have my job as both bringing the release of Death and giving second chances at life."
Wolf slowly reached forward to a piece of chicken, thinking that his Chosen was no longer paying attention. To his dismay, and Janie's amusement, the first chosen lightly pulled on his ear. He let out a huff, causing all three Chosen to laugh.
"Let's not keep Wolf waiting any longer," Janie laughed as she reached forward and served him. He looked at her with what appeared like awe, and Dianne was certain that if he wasn't so interested in eating he would have offered up a "Praise the Sun."
The Purifier's chosen served himself as well, prompting the two girls to begin eating as well. "It's really good," Dianne declared in between bites. Wolf himself hadn't taken a break from chowing down on his portion, so his opinion was assumed to be the same.
"Thank you; I've been practicing since…" the man looked away for a moment, then shook his head. "Since Lucian. He's been helping me."
Janie looked at him sadly. "It is really good." Once again, Arthur nodded before his eyes flashed, turning brown. "Forgive him, he is a bit lost in memory right now."
Janie nodded as she picked up a forkful of food. "Leo gets put off a bit by it too." She stopped speaking for a moment to eat. Once she finished, she continued, "I don't think the loss will ever not hurt, but, we don't have any other choice."
Dianne, noticing where the conversation was going, decided to change the topic. "You two heard about the new champion, Zoe, right?"
Lucian nodded. "She seems like a nice enough kid. Hopefully she gets a good Chosen when or if she decides to get one."
Janie grinned, "It might not be obvious, but she has a huge crush on Ezreal."
"I had no clue! Tell me about it," Dianne joked.
The mood of the dinner rather quickly lightened up, and Wolf (successfully) managed to sneak some scraps of food off of Dianne's plate.
The three of them cleaned up after eating and went to watch a movie after some insistence of Janie. Dianne made popcorn for the four of them, and they relaxed and laughed as they watched the commercials that played before it.
About halfway through the movie, a sound was heard from the kitchen. Arthur, who came back after the movie started, paused the television so the three could listen.
As they listened, the sound of a voice came through.
"O-Ow! That wasn't there the last time! You did bring us to the right place...right?"
Silence for a moment.
"Ok...so what now? I kinda don't wanna step on somethin'...or break something...I tend to do that by accident…"
Another pause and then a sigh.
"Ok, I'll try…" the speaker started, "I see light in the dining room so I'll head that way...jealous of Apolla, Artemis and Ares that they can make light…"
There was the soft padding of feet on tile and a figure appeared in the hallway. It was small girl, most likely no more than twelve years old. She walked into the light, holding up her hands to ward off any possible attack. The girl was small for a twelve-year old with a heart-shaped face that made her seem even younger. Her long, wavy light brown hair carried a faint streak of orange-red that faded to a dusky violet at the ends. Her large, brown eyes carried hints of blue in one eye and violet in the other. She was dressed in a turquoise tunic shirt and blue-jean shorts with a golden amulet around her neck and sandles upon her feet.
She spotted the three Chosens and her pale face went white as her gaze landed on Arthur.
"D-Daddy?!" she whispered.
Arthur looked at the girl in confusion. "Do you know her?" He asked quietly. After a moment, he shook his head.
Dianne jumped up and Wolf stood ready at her side. "You're… Zoe."
The girl gave a slow nod, still looking at Arthur.
"Daddy...y-you don't...how are you here..you were with Mama…" she fell silent for a moment, "Oh...you...you're not my Daddy. I'm sorry. Um...m-my name is Vesper. Vesper Noble...well, I guess it's Vesper Jonson now. I'm Zoe's Chosen,"
"But… I'm a Noble…" Janie muttered as Arthur froze up.
"Andrew didn't tell me about a new Chosen," Dianne murmured.
Vesper finally looked at Janie, her face falling again.
"You're Aunt Janie...I haven't seen you for a while...not since the Barrier...but I guess Zoe kinda threw me to another Earth?" Vesper went silent again as Zoe told her something, "Well you coulda told me that in the first place! You just said you had an idea to get help!"
"Barrier…?" Dianne asked quietly. The other two Chosen went quiet as they watched Vesper speak with Zoe.
"Yeah…" Vesper muttered, scuffing her foot against the floor, "These guys caught all of us and kinda locked us in Runeterra...this...I haven't seen Earth for six years…"
"Well you're here now," the first Chosen smiled.
Wolf slowly edged towards Vesper, sniffing the air. "Smells familiar…" he mutters.
Her brown eyes flared blue and violet as she squealed and hugged Wolf's muzzle.
"FUZZY PUPPY!" Zoe cheered, "OH MY SUN! I WANT TO LOVE YOU FOREVER!"
Janie and Arthur looked at each other before cracking up. Dianne joined them as Wolf grumbled. "Has Janie's scent."
Vesper took back control, backing off slightly as she let go of Wolf.
"Oops...sorry Wolf...Mama always told me to be careful when hugging fuzzy things…" she apologized, "I mean, I haven't had Zoe react that way since Daddy brought Aurelion so I could meet him. I love my little space doggy. So does Ares!"
Arthur smiled. Smiled. "I assume your daddy is Pantheon then?"
Vesper nodded.
"I...guess it's different here," she muttered, "Pantheon and Leona adopted Zoe...then Zoe Chose me when their Chosens adopted me,"
"Leona just Chose someone here," Dianne motioned to Janie. "Pantheon hasn't been Chosen yet."
Vesper frowned.
"That shouldn't be right...Mama was the First Chosen...then yo-our- Dianne got Chosen. Daddy got Chosen not long after Mama because he got shot protecting her," Vesper whispered, "But...I keep forgetting...this isn't my world…"
Dianne nodded before sighing. "You wanna sit? We were watching a movie… you can join if you want."
Vesper started to nod before shaking her head violently.
"I can't! Mama and Daddy are in trouble...that's why I came here...I came to find help. Demacia and Targon are fighting...Mama and Daddy are in war right now, but they aren't acting right...it's that Curse…"
She looked at the three Chosens, tears streaming.
"...Can you help us?"
Dianne looked to the two others. "I don't see why we couldn't…"
"It's not like I have anything planned," Janie smiled.
"Nothing here either." Arthur gives her a thumbs up.
Vesper squealed happily and immediately hugged Arthur.
"Thank you!" she sobbed into his shirt, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
The man blinked and gently held her before placing a hand on her head. "What do you need us to do?"
Vesper looked up at him.
"I need you to come with me...maybe you guys can snap them out of it…" she admitted, "I dunno...I didn't really think that far…"
She waved her hand and a portal of orange, gold and violet light shimmered into being.
"Just go on through...I promise the tickling won't be too bad!" she beamed before muttering something under her breath, pausing and then resuming her brilliant smile.
"Wait wha-!" Janie is cut off as she is shoved through the portal by a very amused Dianne. The reaper followed her poor victim, leaving Arthur to follow.
"After you!" not Vesper, but Zoe chirped, "The portal'll close when I go through. But I swear, you're gonna end up in one piece! Juuuuust probably with a lot of sparkles in your hair!"
The man nodded before following his first Chosen. Zoe skipped behind him and the portal closed on their world.
Inside the portal, fractured images danced along the walls. The image of a red-haired woman in golden armor and a dark-haired man rushing towards a fallen child, picking her up and dashing away. The image of the man and woman holding the child as they burned with an intense light. The image of a little brown-haired girl hopelessly sitting in the corner with her head in her hands as her shoulders shook with sobs. The image of Zoe offering her hand to the little girl, of the girl taking it, and both of them seeming to burst into sparks before reforming into the little girl. The image of a couple, faces blurred coming to the little girl and the woman picking her up, holding her tightly.
Vesper tried not to look at the images, but the tears still slipped down her face as she saw her adopted father picking her ghost up on his shoulders and parading around the house with her, singing at the top of his lungs as she giggled.
Janie burst out of the portal in Valoran, gasping. Dianne followed after her but, once out, she turned back to the portal quietly. Arthur followed suit after he came out. Wolf… well… his fur was covered in glitter and sparkles.
Zoe hopped out, literally, with her little jump rope of stars before delicately coming to a stop, her long, orange-red and violet hair fluttering in the breeze like a flame.
"Welcome to Valoran! Well...our Valoran, not yours, buuuuutttt well, I guess it's the same? Maybe not. I-" she cut off as Vesper took control, shrugging, "Sorry, she's a bit excited. We've...never really transported more than two people before. Especially not from our universe I guess. I mean, we did get Artemis, Ares and Apolla out...but that was just to our Earth and it was before this Curse...what do you mean 'who's Artemi-' nevermind, Zoe...you don't remember...no one does…"
Dianne tilted her head ever so slightly before laughing at Wolf's appearance. The beast huffed and turned away.
Janie and Arthur looked around before the former's eyes turned gold. "We wouldn't happen to be near Targon, would we?"
Vesper nodded.
"We're in the foothills right now," she said before looking at Arthur, "Oh...so you're Lucian on your world. But...what would Mama be then? Unless...she's not a Chosen…"
"Who's your mother, Vesper?" Dianne asked.
"Like I said...she's Leona's Chosen," Vesper told her before freezing, "Wait...um...Miss Janie, would Senna happen to be out of the Lantern in your world?"
Janie and Arthur went still and it was Dianne who had to respond. "No… she isn't."
Vesper's brown eyes dimmed and she bit her lip as she scuffed a foot in the dirt.
"I...don't think I should tell you who she is…" she mumbled.
Arthur nodded. "Okay. Just… Janie and I don't enjoy talking about Senna's Chosen."
Vesper nodded, holding her arm.
"If it helps...she might come out...she's free here. She and her Chosen are happy with Lucian. They have a little boy...I just hope that yours comes back to you too…"
Janie managed a small smile. "We hope so too."
Dianne waited a moment before saying, "I think I'm going to scout out the area, see how much different your Runeterra is from ours, okay Vesper?"
"Just be careful...the Curse might still be around here...I don't know if patches are still there or not. All I know is that Mama, Daddy and I got hit right after Aunt Mir and Diana. We were getting my siblings off world so they'd be safe from it,"
Dianne nodded before running off, Wolf trailing alongside her.
Vesper's eyes widened.
"Wait!" but Dianne had gone, "No, no, no, no! I didn't tell her what it looked like! She might run into it!"
"Wouldn't it be obvious what a curse looks like?" Janie questioned.
"Not if it took the form of something in nature," Vesper panicked, "It's a storm. The clouds are a bruised purplish color, but on Earth, that's what they looked like if there was a bad storm there. I don't know how it would affect her...our Kindred seemed to be fine...but she's not our Dianne so I don't know!"
Janie blinked. "That would be hard to tell… she's gone though. None of us can match her speed."
Vesper huffed.
"If you're anything like our Projects, you can nearly match it. But I don't want you going through it, Miss Janie...because you'll...you'll end up like Mama…" she started, sniffing as she wiped her tears with her arm, "I'm not crying...I'm...I'm…"
Arthur moved towards her and hesitantly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dianne will be fine. She can handle herself."
Vesper's little face fell.
"Bad things always happen to those around me…" she whispered, "I'll hope she's ok…"
Janie moved towards Vesper. "Why don't we follow where she went?"
Vesper nodded, her face set in a determined expression, something that normally didn't have place on Zoe's face.
Janie smiled in an attempt to reassure the girl before she started following where Dianne had headed off to. Arthur held his hand out to Vesper.
The little girl gave a shaky smile and took Arthur's hand, still looking like she was about to cry, but happier than she had been.
Janie watched the sky as Arthur led the small group in the direction Dianne had run off in. It took a while but after a moment, Janie spotted her under a patch of dark, dark clouds, the reaper's back to them.
Vesper gave a small whimper and tried to pull away, she grabbed Janie's hand and tried pulling her back as well.
"No...please...don't go…" she stammered, eyes wild, "Please...not again…"
"I won't," Janie promised, holding still even as she said so.
Upon hearing them, Dianne turned, a curious tilt to her head as she seemed to look over the projects and Aspect of Twilight.
"Uh… Dianne, are you okay?" Janie asked as the reaper crept towards them, Wolf grinning wildly at her side.
Dianne did not respond and simply tilted her head even more.
"Dianne, come on, answer me." Janie huffed. "You're scaring me." The Chosen of the Sun turned to Vesper. "Could the curse have made her mute?"
Vesper shook her head.
"O-Our Dianne can still talk.." she whimpered, holding Arthur's arm in a death-grip.
"Come on, Dianne. Just answer me."
Dianne, in one smooth, slow motion raised raised her bow, aiming it at Janie's chest. The girl went deathly still, staring as an arrow formed in the bow. Wolf looked at his Chosen curiously as she took in a breath.
The arrow flew, missing Janie by mere centimeters as Wolf headbutted the bow. "There is no Mark on Janie-child, Dianne." He growled out.
Dianne paused, before suddenly breaking into a run, heading away from the small group.
"I… think it affected her," Arthur muttered.
Vesper looked towards the West, where a cloud of smoke rose. Her little face fell.
"I think I know where she's going too…"
...
Dianne ran, Wolf at her side into the battle raging between Targon and Demacia. Her body, if she was in her right mind might have begged her stop through pain from running at a speed she was unaccustomed to, but currently the only thing on her mind was the Hunt.
She could have sworn there was a Mark over that girl's head she had seen earlier. Wolf corrected her and, instead went towards where she knew Marks were certain to be: a war.
She spotted a figure too similar to herself and hissed as she saw the person taking her Marks. Dianne hissed and stormed towards her.
Forms were… more of a blur for Dianne in this state, and they were easier for her to see from further away. The Chosen could've sworn she heard something trying to speak to her, someone other than her Wolf, but she dismissed it. She raised her bow at the person who would dare steal from Death.
Dianne was… confused to say the least. She had to suddenly leave her twins at home, given they were in good care, and come to where dozens upon dozens of Marks were calling to her.
Now there was a look-alike of herself now facing her down, bow aimed even at her throat. The one difference was the splintering crack underneath the right eye of the other Kindred's mask. Dianne's Wolf was off taking Marks elsewhere on the field, while this newcomers seemed to eye her throat with a bloodthirsty gaze.
"Who are you?" Dianne asked quietly. The Lamb in front of her simply tilted her head. Instead of properly answering, Wolf spoke.
"You steal from us…"
An enraged growl came from 'Lamb' and she fired her arrow.
Dianne, being given no choice but to fight leaped out of the way and fired three arrows of her own. This girl seemed like a Chosen… but two things were off. She was Kindred's Chosen and something about this girl seemed feral. The girl, even if she was some sort of Chosen, seemed less experienced, as was evident by one of Dianne's arrows piercing 'Lamb's' leg.
She let out a hiss and pointed towards Dianne, sending Wolf flying at her.
Dianne's eyes widened and she began trying to jump away from the ravenous beast. She escaped with minimal damage, but Wolf had bit into her left arm, leaving her grip on her arm a bit weak. He must have ripped something apart, she reasoned.
Just when Dianne was about to retreat, a dark blur zoomed past her, tackling the Wolf that was attacking her.
"Dianne you are fine, right?"
"Now I am," Dianne grinned beneath her mask, holding her bow with her right hand.
"Then let's rip them to bits."
Dianne let her left arm dangle at her side, instead using one of her hooves to fire the now. She was glad she has asked Lamb to teach her this, without it… the fight might have ended, even with Wolf joining. She was trying to force 'Lamb' to retreat.
The girl had no Mark, so she couldn't be killed, but she could still be wounded. She landed several more arrows in non-fatal places, but the girl kept advancing on her Wolf. Dianne began to grow worried as she landed her third arrow in 'Lamb's' thigh. She fired one more before the other girl hesitated and dashed off suddenly, her Wolf following her.
Dianne simply stood there for a few moments feeling very confused.
"We must continue, Dianne."
The girl shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze before running back into the fray.
...
Jarvan was currently engaged with a few members of the Ra-Horak, their emotionless faces hidden behind golden helms, leaving nothing but glowing embers in shadow. They had knocked him off his charger, who was currently on it's way to the camp, several arrows and spear shafts sticking out from it's barding. It was for the best...this was not a place to be on horseback.
"There's something really off about them…" Zack noted as Jarvan pinned one to the ground with his javelin, "It's like they're not human...at all…"
"Maybe they're ghosts, like the legend says," Jarvan growled, "But ghosts or not, they die as easily as we mortals do,"
"Still…" Zack grumbled, "It's like they're not real…"
Jarvan hissed as one of their swords slipped through a chink in his armor.
"They hurt like they are real...I imagine they would kill us for real," he deadpanned.
The golden-armored soldiers suddenly froze, slowly backing away from the Demacian King.
"Did you scare them that badly?" Zack asked.
"I do not beli-!" Jarvan gave a yell of shock as something struck him from behind, sending him flying headlong into the dirt.
He looked up, seeing none other than Leona standing where he once was, her sword and shield glowing brilliantly in the late morning light.
"Never thought you'd run into someone with their back turned," not Jarvan, but Zack snapped, getting up, "Cira, what's happened to you?"
"I don't know who this 'Cira' is," Leona growled, "If you are talking about your precious 'Chosens', I regret to say that I have none...so you might have an advantage against me. However, I have an advantage on my side. Two, actually,"
"And that would be?" Zack spat.
Suddenly, Leona wasn't in front of him...and Zack hit the ground again, turning his head to see Leona right beside him. She had swept his feet out from under him in less than the blink of an eye. No one had the right to be that fast…
"Remember, Zack, she is not human...at least, not anymore. Even after becoming an Aspect, she had a sliver of humanity...it is all gone now," Jarvan reminded the Chosen, "At least Fiora, Vayne and Lucian have kept their humanity for the most part,"
"Right…" Zack growled, giving control back to Jarvan as the Champion got up.
Jarvan looked around, seeing the golden armored Ra-Horak surrounding them, creating an arena. Well...if that was the case…
"Shall we make this more private?" he asked, a faint smile on his face.
"Do as you wish...it will be your last day breathing," Leona smirked.
"I never expected to see that expression on her face…" Zack murmured as Jarvan raised his javelin and smashed it into the ground.
The earth rumbled, shaking like a leaf in the wind, before rupturing, creating a clay and stone arena so high that no one would easily get in.
"Satisfied?" Leona asked, whirling her blade around.
"Oh, Leona, did you forget that while we're in this arena...I am stronger?" Zack asked.
He rushed her, catching her off guard for a moment as the javelin pierced her shoulder, and lifted her up until she hit the wall, pinned against it. She grabbed the shaft of the javelin,the ancient wood cracking slightly under her grip as she pushed outwards and removed it from her shoulder.
She hit the ground, her shoulder sparking slightly as golden oil and scarlet blood dripped from it.
"Impressive," she said, "Jarvan, your Chosen is strong, you should be proud...however, you also forget something?"
"And what would that be?" Zack asked, settling in a ready position.
"Do you happen to know the time?"
"Probably about noo-" Zack stopped, his face paling as the sun shone right overhead, "...Oh…"
Leona gave a wild, exhilarated laugh as her armor, her sword, her shield...even her skin glowed with a light so bright it hurt to look at.
"Perhaps we should have waited until after noon to fight her?" Zack asked as the Solari tossed aside her shield and held her sword in both hands.
"Possibly...but I doubt she would have allowed it," Jarvan replied.
Zack didn't get the chance to answer. Leona suddenly appeared beside him, smashing him in the side of his head with the pommel of her sword. Her shield had slowed her down, that was why she had discarded it. It left her defense low...but she made it up with strength and speed.
Jarvan took over, bringing his javelin up to block the hacking blow Leona brought down on him. The gold and scarlet blade connecting with the silver head and sending sparks flying in a dazzling array. A crushing blow caught him in the chest, sending him flying across the arena and into the wall where the Radiant Dawn had kicked him. He had barely enough time to roll out of the way as her blade sank up to its hilt in the stone where his head had been.
"Fight me, coward!" Leona snarled, "No, I expect this from a Demacian lapdog! Weak and worthless! Not worthy for the sun to look down upon!"
"We just have to hold on...for an hour…" Zack tried to be hopeful...but as Leona's attacks became relentless, his hope waned.
Crushing blow after crushing blow, Leona pummelled the King, smacking him into a wall, into the ground...never giving him a chance to set up an attack, to retaliate. She was far too fast and far too strong for him to fight.
Leona gave a loud shriek as she hacked down at Jarvan, the blade biting deep into Jarvan's shoulder, burning his skin as it ate through the metal. Jarvan howled as she grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground repeatedly. She planted her foot on his chest and dislodged her sword from his shoulder, raising it over her head.
Jarvan caught a flicker of white behind Leona. He could see the Lamb and Wolf standing, at the ready.
"Jarvan...Dianne…" Zack croaked hoarsely as Jarvan's heart hammered, "We're gonna die…"
"I'm sorry, Zack, Jarvan…" Dianne started, her voice calm and soothing, "Please, choose. I don't want to make you suffer. My arrow…"
"Pathetic...you thought you could lead your people...yet you could not defeat, what was it? Oh yes… 'A bumbling band of barbarians who are stuck in the past'," she hissed, "The line of Lightshield ends here! THERE WILL NOT BE A JARVAN V!"
"Or my teeth?" Wolf growled.
Her sword flashed down…
"HOLD THE GODDAMN PHONE!"
The cry rang out through the entire battlefield, stopping everyone in their tracks. Demacian and Targonian alike froze, suddenly immobilized by the command. Even Galio and Aurelion Sol faltered, pausing mid-brawl.
"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT!" The voice yelled again. "I'M TALKING TO YOU IDIOTS!" It...seemed to be coming from the sky, directly above them.
Aurelion gave an annoyed grumble.
"What is it?" Hailey asked her Champion.
"If that is who I think it is...this world is going to be getting quite interesting…" the Star Forger sighed, "One of my hearts has decided to grace us with his presence,"
Meanwhile, in the stone arena...Jarvan looked up, just to see a golden blade mere inches from his nose. He cast his gaze towards the Solari...just to get met with a faint flicker of blue shimmering around her irises…
"...Cira…?" Zack asked.
"S-Stop...Leo...please…" the Solari growled through gritted teeth, the blue becoming stronger as tears streaked down her tanned cheeks.
Dianne became visible as well, starting forwards, hand outstretched to the violently shaking Radiant Dawn.
Leona's eyes blazed back to gold, the blue disappearing instantly as Leona reared back again, aiming to remove Jarvan's head from his shoulders.
"DID I STUTTER?!" The voice from the heavens boomed again.
Everyone stumbled as the ground trembled, shaking underneath the force from above. The sky began to glow, mixing shades of raging gold and glimmering silver. The gathering energies condensed into a swirling maelstrom of power, located directly above the mountain. The temperature began to rise, and the ground began to smolder and smoke in response.
"WHEN I SAY TO HOLD THE GODDAMN PHONE…." A high-pitched whine filled the air as the storm of flame above them glowed white-hot, growing louder as its power increased. "YOU HOLD - THE GODDAMN - PHONE!"
B
O
O
M
!
A column of gold and silver fire exploded down from above, landing in the center of the battlefield. Everyone in the immediate area was thrown off their feet, landing on their backs clear of the blast radius. It shook the entire mountain, staggering everyone who was still standing. Leona was forced to drop her sword, the blade clattering to the ground at her feet, leaving the king of Demacia unharmed.
And then, just like that, it stopped.
The roaring pillar of light dissipated, leaving a gigantic cloud of smoke in its place. It diminished after a few moments, until there was nothing left. Except for two silhouettes that stood in the center, revealing themselves as the smoke cleared.
The first newcomer was female, standing tall with her back straightened in a posture of dignity and poise. She wore brilliant silver armor with black highlights that appeared to be of Targonian design, similar to what Diana wore. It was form-fitting, yet durable, bearing a chestplate with flat shoulder blades that transitioned to a dress at the waist, which went all the way down to her feet. She wore fingerless gauntlets on her wrists, and her dress opened up in the middle to make room for her legs, which were clad in armored boots. Her skin was pale, her eyes the color of her armor, her platinum blonde hair tied up in a braid that went down past her waist. In one stand stood a crescent-shaped scythe, its edge gleaming wickedly as she surveyed her audience with a neutral gaze.
At first, she appeared to be the source of the outburst. But then…
"Now that I've got your attention…" The voice said, coming from the figure next to her. This one was male, and a striking one at that. He bore a tanned body that was impressively sculpted, rippling with muscle. He was tall, easily Jarvan's height, if not taller. His face was handsome, and despite his fury, held a hint of humor in his golden-amber eyes. His hair was the shame shade, and glimmered like flames in the night.
There was also the fact that he was dressed in nothing but a pair of palm tree swim trunks.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" He yelled.
Well, I believe that is a good place to stop! Have to have you guys come back for more somehow, don't we? But anyways, we all hope you liked this, and that you will tell us all what you think! We'd really appreciate it if you guys let us know if you had as much fun reading it as we had in writing it.
And because I KNOW it is going to come up...NO I am not doing a third Project story...at least not in the same way I have been. If Jhin's creator reads this somehow, please PM me, I want to talk to you!
Chosens Used (We Are Warriors)
Leona- Cira Noble (Jonson)
Pantheon-Arthur Jonson
Jarvan- Zack Turner
Garen-Kaiden Darkhound
Lux-Amelia Pond
Lucian- Jonathan Cross Jr. (Senna-Sienna Cross)
Quinn- Seluna Russignol (Armstrong)
Vayne- Valencia Storm
Fiora- Victoria Meraux
Galio- Stan Jackson
Shyvana- Sonja Chadayev
Xhin Zhao- Lex Fuller
Taric- Ruben Synne
Kayle-Ryo Kaida
Zoe- Vesper Jonson
Kindred-Dianne Faye
Chosens Used (We Are Chosen)
Kindred-Dianne Faye
Lucian-Arthur Jonson (Senna-Cira Noble)
Leona-Janie Noble
...And then there are Helios and Selene.
Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please let me know!
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.
