Announcement
This story is undergoing a major revision.
As those following this story probably already know, I am not updating this story until I finish the whole thing. I am currently passing this around in a writing group, doing intense lore research, making plot and character charts, and drastically adjusting my writing style based on the critiques I get from my group. I have also joined the Necrit and Lore of League Discord servers to help me in inferring certain universe elements that are crucial to the story. To those interested, please join. I don't think there's a better repository of lore knowledge anywhere else.
I have poured a lot of effort into this story to be honest. I'm planning on releasing a Google Docs link to the final book version of this story (which I will not monetize). There you will see its cover, a neat little chapter design I've made, and other things that FF's current formatting doesn't allow me to put.
To those still following and checking, hang on tight. My goal is to finish this story before 3 months. If I haven't finished it by then, then I have to move on. In the mean time, I'm doing my very best to ensure this story's quality in the limited time frame that I have. This story's quite a challenge and marks my transition to writing original works. I have learned a ton of lessons so far in that regard thanks to my writing group, so if you're a writer, please do not underestimate the value of critique. It has gone a long way for me.
If you're interested in updates, I sometimes tweet about this story in my Twitter: Galahad Vinel. Follow or not, it's alright. You can check on in me there.
All said, I'm working hard to complete this story, so hang on tight! By the time it's finished, it'll be a fully fleshed out novel which I will totally not monetize through publishing. It's fan fiction, I know, but the lessons I've learned writing it will last me a long, long time.
Disclaimer: I do not own League of Legends or any of the publicly available user-made material which I've utilized. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Credits to Riot's narrative team for the lore and the characters, particularly to Thermal Kitten and FauxSchizzle for writing the narrative of the amazing characters of Taliyah and Ekko. Also credits to Bioluminescence for her writing advice.
Inputted Meanings
Throughout the story, you might encounter some little details that have hidden meanings or explanations to them. These are usually, but are not limited to, names and numbers that may seem randomly made-up but actually have a second layer to their construction. They may or may not be symbols connected to other details in the story. I leave that up to you. So to know these meanings, refer to this section.
My basis for inputted meanings mostly stem from a play on language. For example. I use the numerical values of Hebrew (each letter has a set value, and to get the value of words, you simply add them), and word roots from Arabic, Hebrew, and other languages (which will be revealed in the future).
Chapter 1 (First Rewind of the Day)
Timekeeper:
Three hours. Six minutes. Zero seconds. = 360 = אַשׁמָה (Ashamah)= Grief
Tally:
Thirty-three days = 33 = אֵבֶל (Evel) = Mourning
Admission's Book:
... Year '275... = 275= אִי סֶדֵר (Yi Seder) = Chaos
Chapter 2 (Withdrawal)
Timekeeper:
Three hours. Forty-five minutes = 345 = אַשְׁלָיָה (Ashelaiah) = Illusion.
Four hours. Five minutes. = גְאוּלָה (Geuhla) = Redemption.
Chapter 3 (Unwound)
Timekeeper:
Nine hours. Three minutes. Five seconds. = 935 = הִרהוּרֵי תְשׁוּבָה (Hirhurei teshuva) = Repentance
Chapter 4 (Tears Beneath I)
Not my own inputted meaning, but Taliyah's name has Semitic roots. According to the wiki, it is Hebrew, but some have interpreted to be Arabic. It means little lamb or dew. This was intended by, Taliyah's writer, Thermal Kitten.
Chapter 5 (Tears Beneath II)
Tribal Names:
Nivim (ניבים) = Fangs.
As intended by Thermal Kitten, Nasaaj has an Arabic root (nasij) which means "to weave".
Greetings:
"Ahm-sjhal" and "uhm-tzal" when reversed by their syllables are pronounced "sjhal-ahm and "tzal-uhm" respectively. This alludes to the Arabic and Hebrew words for peace, which are "salam" and "shalom".
Chapter 7 (Afterimage)
Timekeeper:
Five hours. Zero minutes. Two seconds = תוצאה (Totzaah) = Consequence
Chapter 8 (Sky and Earth)
The Nasijii (Taliyah's tribe's dialect of Shuriman) sentences at beginning ("Ehr-taa! Ehr-taa! Ofs-olch ofs!") are derived from jumbled up Hebrew.( אתה ער! אתה ער! סוף כל סוף/ Ata er! Ata er! Sof chol sof!). Translated to English is: "You're awake! You're awake! At long last!"
Commercian is a term I made up which refers to the language Zaunites and Piltovians speak. I imagine there are "upper/formal" and "lower/informal" versions of the language. Taliyah was speaking fluently in the "upper" form, the ones that Piltovians mainly use among each other and with their customers, hence why Ekko was impressed when she was explaining how she found him.