Dust scattered around the remains of the once great city, before disappearing from view behind the decayed buildings and towers of the former utopia. The area was entirely devoid of life. At least, any life detectable by any formal or even magical means. If one were to find life that originated from this unnatural place, the encounter would likely only last a few scant moments resulting in your untimely and incredibly gruesome demise. That is, if the creatures are anything like the other monstrosities that are said to hail from there. Any who came close to discovering the lost area would either report feeling an ominous chill before turning back or keep going and never report back at all. Those who are wise enough to turn back would find that weeks or months had somehow passed in the few hours they spent walking towards certain death.
Great building blocks and giant towers dotted the landscape. The architecture featured here is seen nowhere else throughout the entire world. Tall obelisks penetrated the sky with unreadable writing covering them from base to point. The writing appeared to have a purplish hue, but only when one looked at it at the periphery of their vision. Wild whirlwinds would start up and just as suddenly stop. Anyone present to view this would feel no wind on themselves, despite the oddity happening just meters away. Tricks like this are common throughout the city, seemingly designed to drive any who visit mad with paranoia.
Perhaps the most disturbing of all the architecture would be the giant idols that stand erect high in the middle of the city, their gaze unceasing even after all the time that has passed. The statues varied in appearance; some appeared to be human with their heads obscured behind cloaks and their figures obscured by robes, while others were giant, horrible behemoths with monstrous appendages and frightening visages. The only things in common between all the statues was an extreme feeling of malevolence given off by them, as well as a feeling that when looking at them, the statues were looking back. In addition, they were all completely pristine and untouched by the ravages of time; Not a single scratch was present on them.
The relative tranquility was broken by the sudden opening of a dark, purple portal, large enough for a fully grown man to walk through. Several small, pink creatures burst from the portal and scuttled through the area on their 4 limbs; their 3 eyes scanning a random object before quickly moving on. Eventually, the creatures left the area and disappeared, much like the sand itself seemed to. However, the portal remained. It stood there, being part of the world and yet seeming to be separate from it at the same time. All was silent until two words echoed throughout the area:
"Icathia Beckons..."
A figure exited the portal, however his feet did not touch the ground. The man was dressed in blue and purple clothing that hid his entire body, except for his unnaturally glowing blue eyes. This man's garb was covered in the same letters that littered the architecture nearby, and glowed just the same. He had a dagger at his hip, although what use a dagger has to one such as he can only be guessed at.
It was the prophet of the void, Malzahar. He had not always been the mad prophet that he is today. Malzahar was born and raised like any normal human from Shurima was, however from birth he had a strange and wonderful gift. The power to see the future. He was incredibly talented and it was certain that one day he would become head of the seers. However, while dreaming he heard something calling to him from the heart of the desert. While he was able to resist this prodding for some time, he eventually gave in and ventured forth.
And that was how he found Icathia.
Normally, a discovery such as this would be celebrated throughout the entire world. But Malzahar would never tell another soul where Icathia was located. As soon as he entered the city he was beset by visions. Visions of mad, terrible creatures destroying everything in the proud world of Valoran. Not one human or yordle would be spared from the impending invasion. Malzahar, now an agent of those very creatures, does everything in his power to make sure that his visions come to pass.
"Yes..."
Malzahar suddenly spoke up, his voice seemingly echoed by a type of magic.
"We have located her in Freljord. She will not escape us."
He paused, seemingly listening to something.
"No. She does not know."
Another pause. One of the four legged creatures, a voidling as some call it, briefly looked at Malzahar before scurrying away.
"He will not interfere...I understand."
And with that, Malzahar opened a portal once again and left.
Kassadin sat cross-legged in his room at the Institute of War, his gleaming yellow eyes closed. Kassadin's story is very much like Malzahar's, in some ways. Despite not being blessed with the power of foresight, Kassadin still managed to discover the lost city of Icathia. However, his joy would be short lived, as the same nightmarish visions that would later assault Malzahar invaded his mind. Kassadin was left with two options: Die at the hands of madness, or let the insanity inside him. Kassadin chose the latter. But something miraculous happened. He somehow overcame the murderous urges while still accepting the void inside him. While Kassadin has never been the same since that day, he fights every day inside and outside the League of Legends against the future he had seen.
As he was not currently participating in a league match, Kassadin was wearing his civilian clothing. His black hair fell down to his shoulders, unkempt. He wore a simple brown robe that was striking only in its simplicity. It was a far cry from what he wore while fighting. In the League, Kassadin would be a terrible sight to behold. He wore a helmet with large, frightening horns with additional spikes protruded from his shoulder armor, wrist braces and belt. No part of his face was visible under his mask, which could lead one to wonder if he was even human. His mouth was covered by a breathing apparatus, leading to oxygen tanks on his back. The only thing visible were his striking yellow eyes. The lower half of his body was completely covered in a black robe, itself covered in strange writing.
Indeed, Kassadin was nearly unrecognizable from his League matches. Kassadin's face was riddled with lines, not all of them from age. His eyebrows seemed to be stuck into a permanent scowl. Ever since the day in Icathia, his eyes naturally glowed yellow, however this was easily hidden with a glamour spell.
Kassadin's meditation was broken by a voice in the darkness
"We have located her... Freljord..."
Kassadin's brow furrowed. He recognized the voice. It was Malzahar. Anything involving the mad prophet could not be good. He tried to focus on the conversation but ultimately could not get a hold on it.
Freljord...
Kassadin reached for his armor.
Kassadin rushed out of the institute. While he could instantly riftwalk to Freljord, it would leave him exhausted for days. He needed transportation and he needed it now. He looked around, hoping to spot Anivia or possibly Janna. Both would understand the need to move swiftly and would have the means to help him. However, all he saw was a monkey, appearing to be sparring with a tree.
The monkey was tall and lean. He was wearing surprisingly ornate battle garb, made even more unusual as those of his species usually don't wear anything at all. While the armor was thick in some places, it was clearly meant to emphasize mobility. His green eyes stood out from the tan and brown color of the fur on his face
Such oddities were common at this place, however. Kassadin payed the creature no mind as he rushed to find assistance. The monkey, however, was not as polite. When he spotted Kassadin, his face lit up and he rushed in front of the Rift Walker.
"Hey! I'm Kong- Well, Wukong now, I guess-"
Kassadin had no time to induldge the creature and simply teleported past him. A few moments later, this "Wukong" was running beside him on all fours.
"Neat trick! Could you teach me to do that? I can just imagine all of the cool stuff I would do with teleportation. Master Yi has already been teaching me some cool things. And he gave me this cool staff. He's the best. Do you know Master Yi? You look dangerous. Are you a champion like him? I bet he could beat you. He's really strong."
Kassadin suddenly stopped and gave Wukong a piercing glare.
"Silence. I do not wish to harm you, but if you continue to speak I may have no choice. Leave me."
Wukong tilted his head and asked
"Is it something I said?"
Kassadin drew his nether blade to life, hoping that this would be enough to scare off the beast.
To his surprise, Wukong merely gave a large grin.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Wukong drew his staff from his back, gave a laugh only a monkey could give and charged.
Wukong thrust his staff at Kassadin, hoping to catch him off guard. However, the Rift Walker merely teleported behind the monkey, and blasted him with a charge of void energy. To his surprise, Wukong dissapeared in a burst of smoke.
"Up here, tentacle face!"
Wukong appeared a few feet above Kassadin and swung his staff down at his head. Kassadin blocked the attack with his sword and sent another blast towards the monkey with his remaining hand. The agile fighter dodged the spell, spun a few times in the air and landed on the ground. He quickly leapt towards the Rift Walker once again
"ENOUGH!"
A loud yell echoed out from seemingly nowhere. A man dressed entirely in grey and yellow leapt seemingly out of nowhere towards Wukong. He wielded a large, green blade, in addition to having two smaller blades in sheathes near his feet. The upper side of his face was covered in a pair of goggles possessing six lenses. He struck Wukong with the blunt side of his sword, pushing him back. He then shook his head before turning toward Kassadin and bowing.
"My apologies. My student can be quiet...Stubborn."
Despite his kind words, he still gave Kassadin a somewhat wary look.
Wukong was still on the ground, rubbing the area that Yi had hit and wincing.
"Ow, that really hurt, you know?"
Master Yi shook his head. "Come, Wukong. Apologize and then we will leave."
"Leave? But I was gonna help this guy on his adventure!"
"Adventure...?" Master Yi raised an eyebrow and looked at Kassadin. In return, the mage said "I require transportation to Freljord. Malzahar is planning something."
"Malzahar? I see..." While the Wuju swordsman had no vendetta against Malzahar, he knew that the prophet was allied with the likes of Cho'Gath, Kog'Maw and those like them. And he knew what they would do to the world, if given half the chance.
"Then it would be our duty to assist you in your cause." said Yi
"I require no assistance beyond transportation." Kassadin interjected. The Wuju master frowned at this.
Kassadin explained "You are not prepared to fight the void as I am. You would merely be a hindrance."
"I have an idea!" shouted Wukong, standing on his staff. "I can take him to this Freljord place on my flying nimbus cloud!" Said cloud was waiting just next to him. A nimbus cloud was a small, magical cloud that one could ride around on. They were incredibly rare. And incredibly fast. "There's only room for 2, though. So it'll just have to be me and Mr. Oxygen Tank right here"
"Why don't I simply take the cloud to Freljord and you stay here?" asked Kassadin impatiently.
"Nope. Ya need me to drive it. It won't go anywhere without me."
Both Master Yi and Kassadin looked at each other, both clearly nonplussed at this turn of events.
Wukong hopped unto the cloud and said "Come on! We can't let this Malzy guy do whatever he's doing, right?"
Master Yi let out a sigh, then nodded. He turned to Kassadin and told him "Please. Keep him safe." Kassadin, in return, let out a low growl and teleported unto the Nimbus.
"And, away we go!" shouted an excited Wukong as the nimbus blasted off towards the south.
"It's the other way." corrected Kassadin
"I knew that."
Filia washed the dish as she had a hundred times before, smiling as she did so. She was dressed in plain clothes, both simple and incredibly thick to protect from the coldness of the region. Her black hair was tied up behind her, bobbing as she worked.
"Incoming, darling." her father said as he rushed into the room, carrying a pile of dishes. She laughed when she saw him and yelled "Father! Not so much at once! You're going to break your back!"
"Hah! I'm not that old yet! You just do your work and I'll do mine." they flashed each other a smile before he fled the room to continue his work.
Icathia...
Filia turned around and looked back and forth, searching for the origin of the noise. Finding nothing, she shrugged it off and returned to her work.
Kassadin wondered if insanity could really be that bad. He had recently spent several hours listening to Wukong ramble on and on and he seemed to have gotten out of that relatively fine. They were nearly to the capital of Freljord now where he could finally be rid of this monkey menace and stop Malzahar.
"Hey, spikey-head?" said the aforementioned menace.
"My name is Kassadin." he corrected him for the umpteenth time.
"Right. So how do you know Malzahar is here?"
"I do not, but there are not many places in Freljord that are habitable. And it sounded like he was looking for a person. So if they're searching for someone, they're likely to be here"
"Who are they looking for?"
Kassadin briefly paused. "I do not know."
"So we're going to a city that may or may not contain a person they may or may not be searching for?"
Kassadin paused again. "Yes"
"Alright, just one more question."
"What?" Kassadin noticed the nimbus had stopped moving
"Who's that?"
Wukong was pointing at a lone figure staring at them atop the wall surrounding the city. The wall was a natural formation, it was completely made out of ice. And in the middle of it all was the city.
The figure was female, and had a thin frame. She wore a long brown cape that culminated in a hood on her head. The rest of her garb was equally brown. She carried a large, blue bow that appeared to be made out of ice. She had long white hair that fell down to her chest.
"That is Ashe. The frost archer. Queen of Freljord."
"Frost archer? No archer is good enough to hit someone on a nimbus-"
Wukong was interrupted by the arrow that soared mere inches away from his head"
"...cloud from this far away." The monkey completed, somewhat quieter.
" Do not test her."
The figure finally spoke up.
"Why do you come here, Rift Walker?"
"To save us all." he responded. An arrow then planted itself into the right horn on his mask.
"Do not give me riddles, void mage. I will ask again, why do you come here?"
"Malzahar is searching for someone here. I must stop him."
" I have not let that...man into my domain."
"Who said he needed your permission?"
Another arrow was sent, this time into his left horn.
"I do not need your help ruling my city. Begone!" She turned around and started walking away.
"You need my help more than you realize, young archer. Turn away my help now..."
Ashe turned around, this time to send an arrow straight into his chest, but found that they were no longer there.
"...And your entire world will be destroyed."
Ashe turned around to see both Kassadin and Wukong standing just a few feet away, looking at her.
Wukong laughed. "You should see the look on your face right now..."
Filia smiled as the patrons moved in and out of the bar, even though it was a somewhat slow day. It was a quaint life. But it was her life. And it was nice. Not particularly exciting but still nice. Maybe someday she'd go exploring. She always felt like something was calling her. However, the one time she mentioned this to her father he was incredibly worried for days. So maybe she wouldn't.
This train of thought stopped abruptly when she eyed several men in dark, purple robes sitting around a table in the corner of the room. "I...don't recall them entering" she thought. She shrugged it off. "Oh well. Probably my imagination."
Ashe drew 2 arrows and fired them both at once, aiming to hit both her targets in one swift move. The Rift Walker teleported away while Wukong disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"The sooner you aid us the sooner you will be rid of us." Kassadin said, once again appearing right behind her.
"And what proof do you offer that you are truly against Malzahar?"
She drew an arrow and attempted to stab him with it. He dodged out of the way.
" I have done nothing to harm you since we've gotten here."
"It could all be a trick."
"Granted, but then why trust anyone?"
"Hey, lady! Turn around!" Wukong was holding his staff like a bat
"Batter up!" He swung
"NO!" cried Kassadin, pushing her out of the way and getting hit himself in the process.
There was a short awkward silence as both Wukong and Ashe stared at Kassadin on the ground
"Uh, woops. You okay, tinhead? Buddy?"
Kassadin blacked out.
The strange men in cloaks stood up in unison, then proceeded to walk towards the counter that Filial tended in a fashion that almost made it seem as if they had choreographed their walking together. They all stopped in front of the bar, but did not sit down.
"Can I...Uh...Can I help you?"
They all gave the same grin as their eyes started to glow blue.
"Yes..."
"NO!" Kassadin shouted as he leaped upright from his bed. He then took a look around the room he was in. It was clearly of the same type of architecture that he saw in the bar. Designed to keep the cold out and the warm in. He looked to his left and saw Wukong standing beside him.
"Shouts the same thing he said before he took his nap. You always do that?"
"Where are we?"
"Good news, we made it in the city! After I hit you, she took us inside so you could get some medical attention. Which was probably my plan the entire time. She said you either were really dedicated to your role of deceiving or you were actually were against the bad guys."
Kassadin didn't hear a word that he said. He could sense her. He felt a...connection to her. The women from his dream. He didn't know how or why. What he did know was that he couldn't let those void followers get a hold on her.
"She was kinda mad though. Said her guards spotted Void followers in the city but could never catch 'em. She also didn't want us to leave the-"
Kassadin blinked away
"...room."
"No! Get away!" Filia shouted, throwing beer bottles at the men trying to apprehend her. Despite hitting them directly several times, they were completely unfazed. "We are merely returning you." they said in unison.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" a bottle she threw smashed against the head of one of the men. He was unhurt.
"You cannot harm us."
From behind them came a voice.
"Then let me try."
Kassadin's nether blade blazed to life right through the chest of one of the cultists.
"Brother!" shouted the remaining ones.
The void mage wasted no time in eliminating the remainders, obliterating them with a single powerful force pulse.
Kassadin withdrew his netherblade, the body on it dropping to the ground. Filia looked at him in horror.
"I suppose you have questions-"
"FATHER!"
"That is inadvisable."
"DAD!"
"Do not be difficult"
"Where's my dad? He should have come when I was being was taking out the trash..." Her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh my god, no!"
She ran towards the back exit, with Kassadin following behind.
"Be careful! There may be more cultists!" he said
"That's what I'm worried about!" she replied.
She ran to the door and quickly pushed it open. She nearly continued to run before her eyes took in the sight. Her father, surrounded by 10 of the now dead cultists.
"Father!"
Kassadin riftwalked in front of her, kneeling down to check the man.
"Let me see him!"
"Silence!" The Void Walker yelled, checking his injuries.
"Is he...?" said Filia, tears forming in her eyes.
"No. His injuries are superficial, but he is greatly exhausted. He must rest."
Kassadin looked at the aged man. He took down 10 of these cultists on his own?
"Come. We must go."
"Where?"
Kassadin looked at the castle towards the middle of the city.
"I know someone."
Ashe entered the room where she had stored Kassadin and Wukong, escorted by two guards. She somehow carried herself with both the elegance of a queen and roughness of a soldier. She walked into the room and found herself one prisoner short. She scowled at Wukong, who merely shrugged. Ashe looked to the guard to her left.
"Tell the guard to be on the lookout for cultists, Malzahar or Kassadin. I want any of the three to be brought in at once."
"Yes Ma'am!"
With that done, Ashe returned her attention to the monkey apprentice.
"I know what you're thinking. And it's really your fault for thinking a locked door would stop a teleporter" he said, relaxing on the bed.
"Did you tell him why I wanted you locked up?"
"He didn't really let me get that far."
"The fool is playing right into their hands!"
"How is he doing that again?"
She gave an irritated look towards Wukong, who was completely oblivious to her contempt.
"The cultists have been here for months. And if they were looking for someone they would have found them at the very least weeks ago."
"So then why didn't they kidnap her sooner?"
"They were waiting for something."
Realization spread across Wukong's face.
"They were waiting for us!" He paused. "Why?"
"That, my...acquaintance, is the question. One that I hope to have an answer to soon"
The guard that Ashe had sent off earlier returned. "My liege, we have found Kassadin, accompanied by an unconscious man and a crying woman."
Ashe sighed heavily.
"And you're sure that she's the one that the cultists are after?" Ashe asked, looking over her city.
"Yes." responded Kassadin
"Why?"
"I do not know. The only one who might know would be her father." Kassadin said, recalling the 10 cultists somehow slain by the elderly man.
Ashe nodded. "I have my best medical experts attending to his health. However, he is not expected to recover for several months."
"We do not have that much time to waste."
"Agreed. Which is why I have prepared you for travel to Ionia. There, the Starchild Soraka may help you."
"Ionia?" Wukong finally spoke up. "Great! That's where my master's from!"
"I'm sorry, Wukong. You will not be accompanying Kassadin to Ionia."
"What?" Wukong yelled, outraged.
"You must return to the Institute of War and warn the summoners and champions there of what we have learned. This is integral. If Kassadin fails in his mission then the remaining summoners and champions will be the only thing able to stop Malzahar. Am I clear?"
"Oh, fine." said Wukong, clearly still unhappy with the arrangement.
"You both move out tomorrow. Get rest."
Filia knelt at the side of her father, her eyes heavy with tears. Who were those people that attacked her dad? Why did they attack them? They were just bartenders. They've never done anything to anyone. She heard the distinctive sound of the void mage, the one that was supposedly on their side, teleporting behind her.
"Can't you leave me alone for 10 minutes?" she sighed
"I do not know when they will be back" he said in turn. She was shocked at the sound of his voice. It sounded significantly less...scary. Less modulated. She turned around and found that he was not wearing his intimidating armor, but simple robes.
"Oh, uh, hey." she spit out, not entirely sure what else to say.
"What?" Kassadin asked, perturbed by her change in emotion.
"It's nothing. I guess I just didn't realize you had a face under that mask." Filia said, brushing her hair to the side of her face.
"That mask fits me better than my face does." said Kassadin solemnly. There was a short silence before Filia spoke up.
"Well, you saved me. So you're not all bad. Right?" She gave Kassadin a wide smile. He did not return it.
"Well, aren't you mister grumpy?"
"I'm not a very... happy person."
"Well, I'll have to fix that!"
"Have fun with that."
Filia laughed. "See? Already got you making jokes! We'll have you up to speed in no time!"
Kassadin shook his head. The girl's dad was in a coma and she spends her time cheering other people up. It seems you don't need to be in the League of Legends to meet strange people.