Syndra called out to her Master excitedly, 'Master, Master! I found a fascinating spell! It says that it will make me immortal!'

Kiln rushed to his younger disciple's side, and quickly snatched the book from her hands and slammed it shut. 'No, no Syndra. You must not attempt this. Where did you find such a book?'

'It was in the corner of the library, Master!' Syndra beamed at her Master.

Her master's eyebrow furrowed and he shook his head at Syndra. 'Syndra. Do not look for this book again. This is forbidden magic. No one was supposed to find it. It is both far too dangerous and far too difficult for you to attempt. Go back to your room, Syndra. If you attempt this magic, I will be forced to seal your magic.'

Syndra couldn't believe what she was hearing. What was wrong with magic that helped you live longer? Did Master not want her to live longer? And why would it be too difficult for her to cast? She had an amazing capacity for magic, and she was the most talented mage that trained in this temple. Everything that she learnt here was easy, so why wouldn't this spell also be easy?

And sealing her magic? How dare he threaten something that belonged to her, something that he had no right to take. It was her magic, and it was she who decided what she did with it.

Did he want to limit her potential? She could not let this go. She had to accomplish this, to prove that she was not weak; that she was better than everyone he compared her to.

As Syndra slipped out of her room in the middle of the night, there was only one thing on her mind.

-o-

Syndra stood in her room, book in her hand. She read the spell instructions carefully, arranging the runes according to the diagram. She laid the runes out in front of her, a complex formation of symbols and shapes. Syndra wiped the sweat that was gathering at her forehead. She was ready to cast the spell.

She started to mutter in a husky voice, her rising voice beginning to echo off the walls of her bedroom.

Odda wan ae byer ga sa no a yelo sta a die rasa ei da ba lyph ta. Opha de tiez em…

Her eyes began to glow slightly, her normally ochre eyes melting into a milky brown, the runes that lay before her started to glow a pale blue. One by one, they levitated off of the floor, rotating around Syndra like the planets around their star. As she continued to chant, the air around her grew and grew with thickness, magic saturating the atmosphere around them.

Syndra could feel the magic draining out of her quickly, her energy was quickly depleting. But she had gone much too far to give up now. She had to keep going, had to see it through, for better or for worse.

She started to feel the wear on her body. She was beyond exhausted, but for the sake of her pride and to show her Master that she could do it, she would.

The sheer magical force it took to channel this spell made it possible to be felt for miles in all directions. And this did not pass by her Master. He woke up and immediately ran to the centre of this maelstrom of energy, only to find Syndra sitting in the middle, eyes closed and snarling.

Syndra opened her eyes and smirked maliciously at her Master, knowing she was able to accomplish what these weaklings could not. She was not so inferior as to be equal to these pathetic beings. She was the one who had gained immortality, not the lowly peasants that tried to stop her. As if to prove a point, she increased the magical flow, just for a second, to prove to her shocked master that she could.

Master started to walk towards Syndra before a wave of pure magical energy blasted him back, before slowly sucking in the energy from him. He could only watch on as the spell became stronger and stronger, all the while watching as magical energy from not just Syndra, but slowly everything surrounding them, from the plants and animals, to the other students and teachers sleeping peacefully not far away.

Syndra smiled balefully when she saw her former master collapse beneath the force of her power. But she knew that she could not maintain the spell for much longer. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. The charged atmosphere pulsed for a second… and then another.

The magic then exploded.

As blackness filled her vision, she smiled.

The unconsciousness washed over her, she knew she had won.

-o-

Irelia stood at the edge of the crater, staring at the ruins that used to be the School of the Gifted. She had no idea what happened, only that the temple collapsed during the explosion. Inside, the two that had perished that stood out the most was the death of Elder Terzin, and the pupil that he both looked after and restrained. The most gifted mage to every have walked the plains of Ionia, Syndra.

There were only two survivors, and those two had no idea what happened. They were patrolling the parameter of the temple when the school suddenly exploded. They had no idea as to exactly why the temple exploded, but it was evident that no one survived the explosion. The blast had cleared the landscape for half a mile in all directions, the remains of the school strewn haphazardly across the field.

However, the basement was not blown away, as it was underground, but it appeared to have collapsed upon itself, as a sort of a memento of the whole incident, marking the center of the explosion. Someone could have survived, but when they investigated the basement, it was buried under hundreds of tonnes of stone, so they all agreed that finding survivors in this wreck was a lost cause.

Ionia had a memorial service for the unfortunate incidence, for the magically gifted children of Ionia and the Elder and teachers that perished alongside them. Along with these people, potentially the largest magical powerhouse in the history of Runeterra perished along with them. The service was not large, nor was it small, although this event would go down in history as one of the most important events ever to have occurred in Ionia, and possibly Valoran.

The Ionian Council decided the leave the wreckage was it was, purely out of respect for the dead. They decided to build a large stone staff, the Staff of Wisdom, as memorial shrine in front of the ruins, to show the location of were the tragedy struck, and to etch a few prayers to the heavens for the safety of the departed.

And in the distant future, when everything was bright and right again, this place will be called the Tombstone, but it was not call that due to it being the Tombstone for over a hundred dead innocents, it was called that for one and one person only.

-o-

Irelia was sitting in her room, talking to Riven. Riven, having been a vagabond for over three years had finally taken to settling in Ionia. Although Riven's move into Ionia had been met with apprehension and unease, after countless times where Riven and Irelia had worked together to fend off invading forces (like Noxian attacks), the Ionian populace have slowly accepted the wanderer into their midst.

It was not uncommon to see the two together, as they have developed a tight-knit friendship over time. They often journeyed together, travelling to faraway places to do jobs, and to act as an ambassador to Ionia. Riven was often seen as an emblem, a representation of the forgiving nature of the Ionian people. How does one show their kindness better than by opening their arms to a former enemy of their country?

Ionia has recovered well after the war, slowly reaching the pinnacle of influence and success. Other nations have become more passive, other than the political meatheads of Runterra, Demacia and Noxus. Both have developed substantially, both their magic and weaponry have reached new levels of effectiveness, both city-states hell-bent on obliterating each other.

Piltover and Bandle City are expanding in their own ways, with Piltover becoming more progressive than ever and Bandle city… really hasn't changed much.

Bilgewater's business is roaring, soaring along with the other city-states' development. And Zaun is… doing whatever they are doing. Probably growing another megalomaniac that aims to have Runeterra under its iron grip. Not unlike the megalomaniac that Riven used to work under.

Riven had not been listening, although she was sure that she should have been. Irelia was once again talking about the Elders again, the Elders that seem much too ancient for their own good. Bar Karma, of course. Irelia slumped in her chair, sighing into the pillow that she was hugging. Only Riven has seen this side of her. This side of Irelia that reminded her of the fact that she was in fact still a teenager, only nearly escaping from her teens. While she herself was only a few years older than the Captain, she was happy to see another who was forced to grow up too early.

'I don't want to do anything today. I don't want to go to the meetings, I don't want to listen to the old men and women fight among themselves. I don't wanna!' said a mop of raven hair mashed into the pillow.

Riven smiled at this display. She smiled fondly, remembering the many times that she had listened to this phrase. No matter how many times she hears, she felt privileged that Irelia trusts her enough to show this side of herself to Riven.

Three sharp raps at the door captured their attention, and the odd amalgamation of hair and cushion groaned, pleading to Riven.

'Could you please get the door, honey?'

Riven rolled her eyes. It wasn't like they were dating, but Irelia had always called her that, and no matter how many times she told Irelia to just call her name, she would always ignore her. She even insisted on doing this occasionally in public, so it was not wonder that the Ionian public always got the wrong idea.

Riven strolled to the door, and opened the door to see a young boy holding a scroll. The young boy cleared her throat and began.

'The Elders Council has requested the presence of the Captain of the Guard due to an urgent matter that must be dealt with as soon as possible. This is of very high importance and could escalate into a situation that could be beyond control and-'

Riven snatched the scroll from the boy's hand and thanked him, before slamming the door in the shocked young boy's face.

'Thanks. Bye!'

The young boy stared bemusedly at the wooden door, eyes boring into the oaken slab, as he thought to himself 'Were they doing something private? Did I interrupt at a bad time?'

-o-

Irelia sauntered down the hall to the boardroom, the invitation in hand. Every time that absolutely anything came up, they exaggerated immensely. It was probably nothing. It was always nothing. Most likely it was that something was stolen from a historical site.

'Something was stolen from a historical site.'

Irelia sighed.

'So why was I called? Does every little thing that happens around here have to be reported to me?'

'Because it is serious.'

'Like every other monument stolen from historical sites.'

'So remember the monument that we erected to remember the Shati Blast, the one that took down the School for the Gifted? The ruins were stolen.'

Irelia narrowed her eyes, squinting at Karma, who stared at her seriously. 'What do you mean the ruins were stolen? Ruins can get blown up, or demolished, but it simply doesn't get stolen. Ruins don't get stolen. Do you mean the ruins were vandalised and the importantness of ruins were hurt?'

Karma sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. 'Irelia, importantness isn't… Well, it was literally stolen. That's why it is so mysterious. It makes no sense as to who could have done such a thing. Not to mention why. The ruins are not worth anything, so why would it get stolen?'

'Another thing is that the Staff of Wisdom that was erected as part of the memorial is missing.'

Irelia sighed, groaning. 'Not that too.'

As they were mulling over what could have happened, a page boy ran, screaming his head off towards them. He was sobbing and crying, tears pouring down his face in a waterfall of bitterness and fear. 'There's… there's…'

A blast rocked the conference centre, distinct rumbling echoing through the building. Irelia tensed up, grabbed Karma and the young, bawling page boy and dashed out of the and into the wide open courtyard. And not a moment too soon. The hall that they were standing in a moment ago was crushed by a massive pillar.

Irelia panted, squinting at the pillar that almost crushed them. She stared intently until she realised what it was.

'Karma, does that pillar belong to the ruins that we thought were stolen?'

Karma, the ever the master of emotions, had the eyes closed and clearly thinking deeply.

'Yes. But how did these ruins get here?'

Irelia nudged Karma nervously, pointing at the sky.

'Karma. The answer is literally right in front of us.'

'The answer may be more complicated-'

'Damnit, open your eyes Karma.'

'They are open to the world-'

'STOP THINKING AND LOOK IN THE SKY!'

'You should try thinking once in a while, Irelia.' Karma snarled, slowly opening her eyes. 'It would do you some- WHAT.'

Karma stopped abruptly, brain trying to process what was happening.

A huge shadow was cast over the hall, as large pieces of temple floated high above the building. But the thing that shocked them the most was the massive Noxian castle floating in the sky.