Valoran is still reeling from the numerous conflicts that erupted shortly after the fall of the League of Legends. The Return of the Watchers, the Void Invasions, the Noxian Civil War, Shuriman Conquests, and most recently the Machine Wars have greatly altered the geological and political landscape of the continent. This tumultuous time period has been dubbed the "Century of Calamity." Now 50 years after the failed trans-humanist revolution led by the Machine Herald a new Valoran has begun to take shape...but is history about to repeat itself?

(Many human champions have long since been deceased due to the timeline. However many non-humans and the descendants of champions certainly exist and may make an appearance.)

Human….

Ba-Bump.

Human. Do you wish to live?

Ba-Bump.

Krystal coughed and spluttered. Fire danced around her and through the flames she could see the decaying form of the trans-humanist war machine. Even in its aged and ruined state the sight of it had still struck her with awe. Its shape resembled that of an enormous scorpion. Serrated chain saw blades made up its claws. The tail had been shorn off; its harpoon like appendage lay in a crumpled mess, abandoned in a pool of rust colored liquid. She imagined the eyes on its mangled face plate would have looked terrifying lit up; a merciless red color, and emotionless for all of the fire that might have blazed within them. Was that where the voice was coming from? No, it was closer. A vibration rumbled between her slender arms.

Oh yeah, the gem. She peeked down at it. It was all she could do to move. The pain…it hurt so much. A violet-sapphire gem the size of her head was tightly clutched in the folds of her slender arms. She vaguely recalled having pulled it from the core of the colossal metal monstrosity. That's right. That's when everything had gone horribly wrong…

Ch-Chink! She felt a new sensation as cold steel pressed against her left temple. Another machine towered over her, only this one was perfectly functional. A trickle of blood rolled down her cheek, tickling the surface of her skin. She wanted to wipe it away if only to relieve the itch. Krystal didn't understand. Why was there a Battlecast Marauder Class still active? Weren't they all annihilated in the war sixty years ago?

INTERLOPER PACIFIED. REQUESTING TERMINATION OF INTERLOPER. REQUESTING EXTRACTION OF BATTLECAST ARACHIA CORE. AWAITING ORDER CONFIRMATION. REQUEST 1….PENDING. REQUEST 2…CONFIRMED.

REQUEST 1…

T-termination? Krystal shuddered. The magnitude of what was happening to her seemed too nightmarish to be real.

"PENDING."

Am I going to die?

"PENDING."

The voice? What had it asked her?

"PENDING."

Do I want t-to live? She knew the answer.

"PENDING."

Yes. Please…

"CONFIRMED!"

"Please!" She wanted it to be a scream, but it only came out as a whimper.

As you wish. The Arachia in her possession hummed soothingly against her body.

Despite everything, Krystal managed to smile. "Thank you." Krystal squeezed the gem tighter as if to communicate her gratitude through body language. She hadn't expected it to reply, and she didn't know what it could do to save her. Even if it didn't she felt a strange sort of peace wash over her. At least she wouldn't die alone. "Thank you". Krystal whispered to the gem once more. "Whoever you are."

Are you ready?

"Mm-hmm." She nodded lightly and closed her eyes, embracing whatever would happen next. The heat from the muzzle pressed against her head was starting to burn. The Machine was recharging its augmented canon. Her death would come swiftly.