Candidate: Kassadin

Date: September 9, 10 CLE

OBSERVATION

Kassadin strides along the stone walkway towards the Reflection Chamber. Huge double doors barred his entry inside it. Great marble walls reflected his image, a muscularly built man with skin as dark as the void energies he was once exposed in. Glare from the reflective surfaces of the halls blinded him, making him squint and cover up with his hands. He did not like being called upon by the League for this Judgement. He knew that he was more than qualified for this. But he knew he had to heed upon the requirements of the League if he was to cull out those who threatened Valoran with destruction.

He came closer to the doors and stopped to see what words were on the arches. To himself, he read what was inscribed upon it, "The truest opponent lies within." Kassadin simply scoffed and proceeded closer to the door. With minimal effort, he pushed the doors open and gazed upon the darkness within. He hesitated a while and thought about the rumored tricks that the summoners did during their Judgements on new League champions.

"The darkness calls."

Finally, he walked inside and let the darkness engulf him. Behind him, the light slowly thinned away as the doors of the halls closed.

REFLECTION

Without the slightest warning, a fierce gale swept inside the chamber, nearly sweeping Kassadin off his feet. Stinging particles blinded his eyes and he squinted in irritation. The particles then pelted every part of his body and he felt as if the sand was grinding away at him.

"Sand?"

Just as he realized it, the sand gale engulfed him, juggled him in the air and in a burst of light threw him down. Kassadin braced himself and expected to land hard in marble but was surprised when he landed in soft sand. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was in the middle of the desert, scorching heat and all. Around him lay ruins of variable shapes and sizes. It dawned on him that he was in the middle of Shurima Desert.

"Sh-shurima?! Why am I here?" he said as he stood up, brushing the sand off of his garments. He looked at his hands and to his surprise, it no was no longer blue in color. Instead, his skin was back to its normal color, a taut, fleshy hue. "What.. I'm.." He then reached for his large headdress atop his head but grasped nothing. He was once again human, untouched by the void.

"No. What is this sorcery? I will not fall for your petty tricks summoners!"

"Kassadin? Who are you talking to?" a voice called from behind him.

"That voice! It cannot be.." exclaimed Kassadin. Turning around, he did not expect to see what his eyes beheld. In front of him now was a tall, slender woman with long, dark, almost violet hair billowing with the wind behind her. She wore the regalia of a mage, just like Kassadin and at her side was an ornately designed dagger, strapped to her waist.

"Are you alright dear?" the woman asked

"Syrienne?"

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here?" Kassadin forcibly asked his wife. Taken aback by her husband's aggressiveness, she move a step back in defense. Kassadin noticed the cautious action of his wife and calmed himself. "Syrienne. What are you doing here?" he asked again. This time, his wife eased up and answered his question.

"You brought me here remember? We're looking for an ancient magical artifact. A gem?"

Kassadin was unable to remember what they were searching for in the Shurima Desert. He wasn't even sure if this particular event occurred during his life before the Void. Still unable to grasp the reality, he shook his head in an attempt to break free from the hallucination. "Is everything alright?" his wife asks, seeing him shaking his head.

"I.. I'm.. fine." said Kassadin, clearly confused.

"If you're fine then we should get going." said Syrienne as she began walking out into the desert. Kassadin did not know why she was going in that direction and asked her. "Syrienne, where are you going?"

Syrienne then grabbed Kassadin's hand and sadly said to him, "To the future."

She suddenly collapsed to the ground, still clutching Kassadin's hand. Not knowing what just happened, he knelt down to caress her in his arms. Slowly, the surroundings swirled like an illusion and melded into another place.

"What's happening? Syrienne? Syrienne?! Wake up!" Kassadin screamed. Finally, the place around him pieced together into something even more familiar. "This place."

Around him were scrolls and tomes of all sorts of thickness and age. Candlelights dimly lit the whole room where they were in. He remembered. This was the study area of their home. He and his wife used to ponder upon whatever secrets the scrolls held. Mages learning and discovering the realm of the arcane. But now, his wife lay there, dying in his arms.

"Syrienne! Please.. Wake up.." a rasp desperation clear in his voice. He remembered now. His wife died of an incurable disease that afflicted her during their travels in the Shurima Desert. It was happening all over again. More dreadful was the fact that he was not able to do anything about it.

Syrienne weakly opened her eyes. "Kassadin.."

"Syrienne.."

"Don't be saddened, my love."

"Don't go.. I need you. Your daughter needs you.."

Syrienne breathed heavily, her lungs working in vain to get her precious air. "I'm happy Kassadin. To have been.. with you. And to have.. such a wonderful child.. with you." said Syrienne, hard breaths in between her words.

Kassadin hung his head in anguish, tears streaming down his face. Syrienne weakly raised her arm to Kassadin's face and caressed it. "Promise me.. Kassadin. Live on.. don't waste your life in looking for a way.. to make things as they were before. Raise our daughter well." Syrienne's breathing grew weaker and weaker, her eyes giving up to the darkness of death.

Kassadin was sobbing heavily now, cries of anguish hinting from his voice. "I will Syrienne. I promise." Hearing what she wanted to hear, she mustered up the last of her strength, put her lips to Kassadin's and gave him one final kiss. "I love you."

Syrienne went limp in Kassadin's arms as her soul was taken away by death. Kassadin held up her body close to him, hugging it tightly. From behind him, a young woman approached the two. She was like also of a slender build, almost as tall as Syrienne. Dark hair long hair flowed down her back and her eyes were of a stern blue hue. She wore a simple robe, but on her arm was a bracelet adorned with multiple small gems. "Father?"

Kassadin turned his head and saw his daughter, Reiora, standing behind him. "Reiora. I.. I'm sorry. Your mother is dead."

"You broke your promise." his daughter started. Kassadin did not understand. "What? What are you talking about?"

"You went on searching for ways to bring her back! You left me alone for your own selfish ambitions! YOU CONDEMNED ME TO THE VOID!" screamed Reiora as her form twisted and turned into impossible shapes and grabbed Kassadin by the neck. Kassadin surprisingly could not match the strength of the abomination that was once his daughter and tried to break free from the stranglehold. "Why?! Why did you break your promise?!" the monster said, flailing Kassadin around by the neck.

"It was the only way! We were not happy without her!"

"You were not happy without her! I loved mother as much as you did but broke your promise!"

Still, the monster grasped his neck and choked him. "Why?" the monster asked again. Kassadin's resistance grew weak as he let himself be held up by this abomination.

Kassadin answered the beast in between breaths that he could take, "Because.. I was weak. I, a mage, could not treat a simple disease. I wanted to be with her, even if it lead me to death. But my sadness.. blinded me to the fact that.. I still had you. My beautiful daughter. I left you for so long.. I'm sorry. Reiora."

Tears once again streamed from his face. Surprisingly, the monster let Kassadin go and reverted back to the form of his daughter. The surroundings swirled once more into the darkness. Kassadin knelt in front of his daughter and gagged for breaths of air. Once again, he was back to his void-touched self. Back in the darkness of the Reflection Chamber.

"Why do you want to join the League, Kassadin?" his daughter asked

Kassadin took in one last breath of air before he answered. "I have a promise to keep, for my family. Valoran must be protected. At all costs. I will not allow others to share the same fate as mine. Losing your family.. and yourself."

Reiora laughed at her father, which Kassadin did not pay heed to. "How does it feel, exposing your mind?"

"Invasive. Unnecessary."

"Very well Voidwalker. Welcome to the League."

A streak of light emerged from the darkness in front of him as the doors opened up, signaling the end of his Judgement. It blinded Kassadin, as he squinted his eyes and raised an arm to block the glare. Reiora's form dissipated in the light, Kassadin noticing a faint smile from Reiora's face before disappearing completely.

"I will save you Reiora. I will keep my promise, Syrienne." said Kassadin as he walked out of the hall and into the light.