Chaos Beckons
As their blades clash, Riven and Yasuo discuss their lives before they became the Dawn and Nightbringer.
Staggering back on her heels, the angel formerly know as Riven glared at the demon standing proudly before her. His blade was unsheathed and his once ruggedly handsome was twisted and ugly. The drunken jokes he used to tell the angel were gone and now his mouth only let out disturbing premonitions and infuriating insults. Yasuo was a lonesome swordsman whose past followed him like a pack of hungry wolves. That is who he once was. Now, he was demon from hell motivated on causing destruction in the mortal realm.
Riven was once the same. She used to be human. They both had "normal" lives that were intertwined the moment they were born. They were different yet the same in every way. Now the spirits of chaotic evil and true righteousness possessed them. They were no longer Riven or Yasuo nor were they mortal. He was her devil and she was his angel and they will fight to forever to either save this world or break it.
The immortal being known as the Dawnbringer heard Riven's prayers for redemption in the high heavens. She showed herself to the ex-Noxian in a dream, startling the mortal awake. Riven couldn't make out the angel's true form when she woke. All she saw was a beam of light and the silhouette of wings. The angel's voice asked her: Will you give yourself for the salvation you seek? The mortal, after a moment of the angel explaining what the duty of the Dawnbringer was, agreed to give herself to fight for what is right. With Riven's pact of servitude, the angel embedded herself in the warrior's soul. For eternity, Riven now being the Dawnbringer, had to defend the world from evil and punish the sinful.
However, It wasn't the same calm meeting for Yasuo and the Nightbringer.
In a fit of anger, Yasuo slashed trees around him and his anger woke the demon as it lain dormant in the dark pits of hell. He cursed the foolishness of his past, enticing the spirit to the mortal realm. Your anguish and regret is a treat to watch. Give into me and I shall wipe them away. Unable to think with the demon waving his claws at him, Yasuo swung his blade at the flames. They split momentarily before forming a pillar of fire with molten horns. The woman who stole your life from you… That is what got Yasuo to stand still. With me, you can bring her down and return home as a hero. Extending it's hand again, the demon offered his power to Yasuo. The Ionian wasn't hesitant this time. Shaking hands with the demon of fire, Yasuo was engulfed in it's dark spirit and her screamed as it forced itself into his soul.
She. Will. Pay.
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The Dawnbringer's glowing blue eyes narrowed at the former Ionian as he laughed at her. His once long brown hair was now a flickering flame of black fire.
"Are you admiring me again?" He asked, his stance loosening casually. Yasuo's claws reached out for the angel, brushing against her perfect skin. "Immortality is a good look for you. However, you are even more beautiful when I envision you in my arms."
"Those days are over!" Riven shouted as she swung her heavy blade at the demon. Easily, Yasuo tumbled back and scoffed. The angel glared down at her heaven-blessed blade stuck in the stone underneath her feet. The immortal living within her quadrupled her strength and she could feel it. Riven knew she could punch a crater into the ground if she wanted to. But she was here to defend the earth, not give it anymore scars. Unlike him. This particular demon that possessed Yasuo was infamous for whispering dark things to mortals, driving them mad. Some say, he was the one who corrupted the Ruined King. It was strange to the angel, a demon of his strength could use his puppet from hell. Why combine souls?
"I know you are holding back." The former Ionian popped his neck. Riven recognized that as one of Yasuo's quirks. There was still of bit of him left. "If you wanted to fight, you would have. You want to converse with me a bit longer, don't you?" Yasuo took a step toward, making the angel slash at him. Her blade cut through the air, forcing the demon back. His voice lowered, "Riven…"
"Riven is no more!" The angel roared and let the light in her soul engulf her. The wave of energy sent Yasuo rolling to the dirt. As he looked up from the ground, he saw Riven charging at him with her blade swinging hard enough to drag her along with it. He recognized that technique. That stolen technique.
Wasting no time, Yasuo rushed to his feet to meet her sword with his.
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"There is something I need to tell you," Riven whispered up at her swordsman. He looked down at the beautiful woman in his arms, his nose buried in her soft hair. The wind was calm but brought along cherry blossoms in the breeze. They sat under a tree, shading themselves from the summer sun.
"What is it?" Yasuo asked, feeling the ex-Noxian shift. She got up and walked a few steps. Her arms folded over chest— she was bothered by something.
"You're not going to like what I have to say."
"It was me all those years ago," Riven whispered. She watched his face get cold with thought. "I was the one who brought you so much misery. I killed the life you had before."
"Why are you telling me such lies?" The swordsman asked as he got up from the cool grass. When he tried to get close to his Riven, she stepped back. His dark brown eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's not a lie, Yasuo. It was me." Her voice cracked slightly, "The guilt was eating me alive."
Yasuo stared back at her while her eyes avoided his gaze. She heard his hands clench on the hilt of his blade and she looked over. Riven saw that he was fighting himself to unsheath his sword. Her own broken weapon laid under the tree, grass lightly brushing over the runic lettering.
"All these years, I've made some shit choices… My village, my elder… and my brother. I… killed them because of what I thought was right." He growled, "I finally thought that I found someone who could understand me. I thought that you were the one thing that could bring me a bit of happiness!"
"I didn't think you'd truly be happy with me without knowing the truth…" Riven took a step forward, making Yasuo unsheath his sword. His lightning-like reflexes cut falling petals between him and the young woman. He pointed the tip at her throat. Riven held her chin up, "Yasuo…"
"I guess I can add trusting a Noxian to the worst choices I've made." He spat at her feet, "Get out of my sight."
Riven hesitated but she nodded. She walked passed him, grabbing her blade before running off into the distance. Yasuo waited until he couldn't hear her footsteps to drop to his knees and scream. Full of rage, his clenched the grass in his fist, throwing the clumps in the direction she ran in. The Noxian heard his scream echo behind her but she didn't look back.
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"You regret that day, don't you?" The demon asked, his tone more serious than before. Riven clapped her hands over her ears while he circled around her. His words echoed in her mind, driving her insane. She threw a punch behind her, forcing the demon away. "You think about how things would have been if you would have just stayed silent."
"Stay out of my head!"
"If you wouldn't have said anything, maybe we wouldn't be this way. We'd still be human. We'd share our mortal lives together." Yasuo's claws tightened over the hilt of his sword. The former Ionian watched the angel's angered face wash over with guilt. He formed a stance he learned long ago, "We could still be happy."
"Our time together was short and you know that," Riven answered back.
"But now…"
"You're not the man I was in love with anymore!" She spat, "You're a demon! I will purge the chaos you brought to this world and I will start with you!"
Riven lunged at Yasuo, light surrounded her body like a protective shield. Angelic magic lengthened her sword as she swung at him. Evading her was all he did. He dashed around, waiting for the light to dim. A swift strike caught her sword before it could come down on him.
Their continuous blows sent waves of fire and lightning onto the land. The dead trees around them caught the flames in their cracked branches. It was Yasuo's anger that formed the fire. His years of wandered around for his master's killer lead him nowhere. Yet, when did find her, the swordsman fell in love. Even now. The demon could feel the emotions of the mortal swordsman radiating from his soul, even it couldn't overpower that.
The lightning was caused by Riven's unrelenting will. She seeked the redemption she knew she didn't deserve and she would defend it to the very end. Her whole life she was at the top in Noxus. She was blinded to her former nation's foulness and greed. That wasn't her. Running away from that life was all she could do. The angel in her soul saw that and it trusted Riven with it's power.
Yasuo circled around Riven's knocking her with the handle of his blade in the lower back. Grunting in pain, she retaliated with a shockwave of power. Dizzy from the blow, Yasuo's vision was blurry. He didn't see Riven charging at him.
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"You've been staring at her all night. Go talk to her," the bartender in front of Yasuo whispered to him while he nervously drank another glass of alcohol. The swordsman kept his eyes on the woman sitting on the opposite end of the bar, her ivory hair covered in a brown scarf. She had a shattered blade at her side and white paint smeared on her cheeks. The beautiful woman warily glanced around her as she sipped on a weak drink. Yasuo heard a glass being placed near his elbow. He looked down at the alcohol and back to the bartender, "It's on the house if you talk to that woman."
Yasuo knocked the drink into his mouth before getting up from his seat. He adjusted his torn shirt he had on and swiped his tongue over his teeth before walking over to the woman. She kept her eyes in front of her but heard Yasuo take a seat next to her. He cleared his throat, making the ivory-haired woman's glance to the side.
"Hel—"
"You've been staring at me," she interrupted, "What do you want?"
"I just wanted to say hello and maybe make a friend?"
"I'm not interested in casual sex," she said while getting up from her seat. The woman pulled gold from her pocket and left it on the bar countertop. She pulled her scarf closer to her face before making her towards the exit. Yasuo chased after her.
"That's not what I wanted," he said as he followed her out into the dark city. Riven kept her eyes forward and her sword in the hand the man could see. He gulped at the young woman holding such a heavy-looking blade but he continued to follow her. "I'm Yasuo. What's your name?"
"Riven," the woman answered while walking towards the outskirts of the city. Buildings became smaller and smaller until there was none at all. The road thinned to a small dirt path. Riven thought the strange man would stop walking beside her if she walked into the dark woods surrounding the city. To her, he had a deathwish. "Why are you still following me?"
"Following? I'm on my way to the capital."
"The… capital?" Riven asked reluctantly.
"You don't know where you're going?"
"I'm not from Ionina." She answered, slowing down to match Yasuo's pace.
"Can I ask why you're here?"
"I'm looking for a new life… I… ran away from my old one."
"Looks like we are in the same boat." Yasuo said, making Riven look up at him. Her light-brown eyes glimmered at the familiar face of guilt. He wasn't the usual man that asked for her company. He was the same as her. The swordsman coughed, "The capital has some good bars. Do you want to join me there?"
"Sure," Riven smiled.
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Breathless from their battle, both the angel and demon glared at each other. The angel and demon were evenly matched in power. They only managed to score a few blows on the other. Riven cut into Yasuo's arm while he busted her armor. However, they were using everything they could manage to force out, making them exhausted. They remained feet away, the land around them burning and shattered from their power. Both of them knew they couldn't fight anymore.
"You were thinking about the first time you met me." Riven smirked at Yasuo, earning her a confused look. She laughed, "I didn't think you'd remember considering how drunk you were."
"It took a bit of drinks to talk to a woman as beautiful as you," the demon answered back.
Their eyes remained locked on the other while they slowly backed away. Yasuo clutched his bloody arm as Riven wiped dirt from her flawless face. Using his blade to cut a portal into the ground, Yasuo snickered.
"An even fight yet again but I will kill you, angel." He promised before sinking into the ground. Riven watched the flames flicker on the dead grass. She walked over to stomp them out.
"We shall see…"
Notes: I applaud Rito for making such beautiful skins with such suggestive interactions :^)
See you next time!
