Chapter One – The League of Legends

Life for Bard was simple, yet incredibly complex. After retrieving the Ionian artifact from the Floating villages, he had not felt the need to intervene in any other mortal affair. But that did not mean that mortal affairs did not affect him.

Lately, a strange, pulsing light would emanate around him, wrapping him entirely in a golden explosion of light. He was used to traveling through the universe, but never in such a peculiar fashion.

Standing before him were four… well, not exactly all human creatures. Two of them were, a blond, scrawny boy with a strange gauntlet and red triangles under his eyes. The other wore a red scarf around his face, and moved with unnatural grace. A large fish-like creature with a sharp trident was putting gold coins on the shopkeeper's table, and a raccoon with a green hat was sprinting away from the large platform they were standing on.

The blond boy extended his hand. "Hey, I'm Ezreal. Looks like you're laning with me today."

Bard looked at the boy. His hair was ruffled and on his face was a charming smile that made him appear more boyish with every second. He grabbed a sharp looking sword and arcane shifted down lane.

Bard walked up to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper lifted his head from underneath the table and frowned slightly. "I have wares, if you have the coin," he said, continuing to rummage underneath the table. Bard chimed lightly and pointed toward some objects. He found some coins stuffed in his pocket, and laid them gently on the table. "Good luck!" the shopkeeper yelled, after Bard had set off.

By the time he caught up with the blond boy, Ezreal, Bard was thoroughly confused. He gathered some chimes on the way, and was reunited with some of his meeps. They chimed happily.

"I've never seen you before," Ezreal said, tilting his head. "I hope you're cut out for these games. I'm a natural at it, so just watch me! It's all skill."

Bard watched Ezreal proceed to attack the small monsters coming toward him. It wasn't really making much sense, but he figured it would later on. He spotted two more people coming toward them and chimed, waving.

"Oh, no, they're not our friends. They're going to try and kill us."

The game went on. Bard learned he could stun his enemies and give Ezreal the opportunity to take them down. Occasionally he wandered through the jungle, collecting his chimes. He found it comforting in this strange environment.

After about forty minutes or so, Bard noticed the same giant crystal at the end of the lane that had been near the platform he started out on. Ezreal pointed to it, grinning. "We're gonna take that thing out. Then the game's over."

Suddenly, the blind man leaped over the wall and ran for the crystal. Bard watched, intrigued. The enemy team was scrambling to get back in time.

The enemy nexus exploded in a brilliant shatter of light. It had been a long, tiresome game, and Bard was starting to feel the physical strains on his body. He looked to his other teammates: Ezreal, the fish, the raccoon, and the blind man. They were celebrating with high fives (with the exception of the blind man) and were laughing. Suddenly, in another flash of golden light, Bard found himself where he had first been, drifting through the tides of the universe.

This occurrence was starting to become more and more frequent. At first, it was exciting to him, as he was able to show off his skills and meet new, interesting people. But Bard quickly became bored with the pointlessness of it, and the confines of the game itself. He wanted to portal to the other side of the map entirely, and use the various celestial artifacts he had in his possession. In order to do that, he had to make this fact known with the person in charge of the game itself. He had to go to the place where this person was. The Institution of the League of Legends.

The gates of the Institution were wide open. No one was present to stop him, so Bard walked inside, strolling casually. As he walked along the grounds, he spotted some people lounging on the grass outside, chatting carelessly. A large building loomed overhead, with four floors and extending further back than Bard could see.

A man with a flowing, purple robe greeted Bard at the entrance of the building. "Welcome, Bard. We've been expecting you here at the Institute. Please, come inside."

The inside of the building was even fancier than the outside. A large staircase extended upwards, and marble columns held up the precariously high ceiling.

"You're probably wondering as to why you've been summoned to the League so often. You see, that last artifact you picked up was actually linked to the League of Legends in more ways than one. As long as you hold it in your possession, we have the right to summon you and have you participate in our battles."

Bard chimed noisily. He did not like the fact that the man with the purple robe was smiling at him, nor the fact that his rights as a celestial being were being infringed upon. Nevertheless, he continued to listen to what the man had to say.

"Apologies, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Gordon. I am in charge of the Institute. Feel free to stay in our lodgings and make acquaintances with the other champions. I'm sure they would be delighted to meet you." He gestured down the hallway, and Bard had no choice but to follow.

As they walked down the hallway, Bard spotted some familiar faces from the Rift through the open doors. A woman with long, red hair and sharp knives was combing the hair of a woman with blond hair and a radiant smile. They seemed to be chatting about the other champions, in particular, the male ones.

"Here we are. You can stay here, in the Support Quarters. They're the nicest people in the Institute." Gordon knocked on the door sharply three times, and a woman with white hair and hooves greeted them happily.

"Hi! I'm Soraka! Nice to meet you! You must be Bard!" Bard answered with a few low chimes. "Come in! I'm sure the other supports would be delighted to finally meet you. We've heard so much about you!"

Gordon turned to Bard and bowed. "It seems you are in the care of Soraka now, so I shall take my leave." He promptly walked off and started muttering to himself about the problems he was having with the other champions.

The other supports were busy with their own things as Soraka and Bard entered the room. A small girl with purple hair and light purple skin was playing with a small fairy, and a large man with blue armor was polishing some gems. They lifted their heads and smiled when they entered.

"Hello. I am Taric, the gem knight. And this is Lulu, the fae sorceress."

"Hello! I love your pets! Can I hold them?!" Lulu exclaimed, jumping off the ground. Bard chimed kindly and let one of his meeps crawl onto the girl's hand. She giggled and stroked it softly. "Hahaha! It tickles!"

Soraka put a hand on her shoulder. "Lulu. Please. Let's show Bard where he's going to stay, shall we?"

The supports led Bard down another hallway. This was the Support Quarters, one of the various wings of the Institute. Bard spotted other unfamiliar faces on the way. Lulu shouted their names as they passed by.

"That's Nami! She's really nice but she always smells of coconut. Oh and that's Janna! She can be a bit cold at times but she's really fun to play Frisbee with! Oh and over there is Thresh. He's a bit scary but his ghost stories are the best when we have campfires! And that's-"

Soraka laughed softly. "Enough, Lulu. We're here!" She pushed open a wooden door to reveal a small room with two beds and a bathroom to the side. "It's not very large but it is comfortable. I hope it will fit your needs, as it was actually designed for humans. If you find yourself getting bored, the Institute has a great library with tons of information! You should check it out sometime." Bard chimed in response.

After the others had left, Bard laid his instrument on the bed and checked out his new room. He hadn't planned on staying here in the Institute, but it wasn't too bad. The people were nice, and he had a comfortable home. He expected to leave soon though. A wanderer could never stay in one place for long.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He opened the door to find Ezreal standing before him.

"Hey Bard! What's up? I heard you were here so I thought I'd stop by and say hi." Bard chimed enthusiastically and hugged him. There had been more than a few times Ezreal had saved his life out on the Rift. "Haha. Nice to see you too, big guy. Hey, I was just about to head down to the cafeteria for dinner. Care to join me?" Bard chimed affirmatively.

The cafeteria was filled to the brim with characters of all kinds. Bard spotted the huntress woman with the crossblades that had killed him more times than he'd like to remember. He gave her lots of space when she walked by him.

"Hmm. Tacos again? Would it kill these people to serve some pizza once in a while?" Ezreal asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

A hand appeared on Ezreal's shoulder. He jumped and cried out, clearly spooked. The blond woman from earlier was standing beside him, laughing and clutching her stomach.

"Hahaha! Oh Ezreal. Would you stop being so jumpy? We're just eating dinner, that's all."

Ezreal blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Haha… Hey Lux. What's up?" He looked at her sheepishly. She stared back, until Ezreal realized she was expecting something from him.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Umm, think Ezreal, think. What could it possibly… Oh crap! It's her birthday! I toootally forgot! "Hey, Lux! I forgot something in my dorm room and I gotta go grab it. Be right back!"

Ezreal grabbed Bard's hand and made a dash for the door. Lux stared after him, squinting her eyes and thinking. There was no way he had possibly forgotten her birthday…

"Yo, Bard, you gotta help me. What do girls like? If I were Lux, what would I want for my birthday? Ahhh… I can't think properly."

Bard chimed noisily, laughing. Ezreal was in quite the pickle. However, he didn't have the answer to Ezreal's question. His only knowledge rested in the artifacts he held in his possession. He pulled out a small blue stone that glowed softly and held it before Ezreal.

"Hmm? No, I couldn't take that from you. Hold on, what is that? I've never seen an artifact like that before." Bard pointed at the stone again, chiming eagerly.

"That's it! Bard, you're a genius! I'm an explorer. And what does an explorer do? Explore and find artifacts! I'll give her a special artifact that means a lot to me, so it should mean a lot to her as well. I've got to have something in my lab. Come on!"

Ezreal led Bard to the outskirts of the Institute grounds. A small shed was wedged in-between two large evergreen trees. Ezreal threw open the door, revealing steps going downward.

"This lab was originally built by my mentor, Heimerdinger. He's a mad genius. You can probably find him in the library if he's not down here, which he is most of the time."

The lab was surprisingly large for being underground. Random pieces of tech littered the floor, but in a slightly identifiable fashion. A small man with a large yellow hair and a white lab coat was scribbling something on a piece of paper.

"Hey Heimy! What's up? Mind if I browse the artifact collection?" Heimerdinger grunted in response, clearly not listening. "Good ol' Heimy. He cracks me up. Come on! Lemme show you the collection."

Artifacts and more artifacts lined endless rows of shelves. Bard couldn't make out what most of the objects were, but recognized some of them. He spotted an important celestial artifact and chimed angrily. These humans weren't supposed to be in possession of something so powerful.

Bard held the artifact under Ezreal's nose, chiming urgently. "Oh, that? Don't worry, I know perfectly well what it is. The truth is, we were about to ship it off to a museum located back in my hometown, Piltover. Artifacts are really safe in museums. Don't worry, nobody would use it to harm others. Also, I removed its power source, see?" He rummaged through some boxes and held up a strange object that resembled a small jellyfish out of water. "After I removed it, it transformed into this. I doubt the artifact will ever function anymore.

Bard was impressed. This boy knew things about the artifacts that not even he knew. He chimed in approval, putting his mind at ease knowing such an accomplished explorer was handling artifacts appropriately.

The object zapped Ezreal, and he dropped it, screaming in a high pitched voice. Bard slapped his forehead. Maybe he wasn't as competent as he looked.

Ezreal led him far down the collection room, coming to a stop at a small wooden box.

"Oh boy, this is it. I can feel it." He opened the box to reveal a silver necklace with a large sapphire dangling from its center. "I found it in an old Noxian temple." Ezreal breathed in awe. "I'm sure this'll make her happy."

"Another necklace? Really Ezreal? This is the fourth necklace you've given me!" Ezreal looked down in shame. Not only had he forgotten her birthday, he had forgotten the gifts he had given her previously.

"Another freakin' necklace. And I love it. Thank you so much Ez!" Lux hugged Ezreal tightly, squeezing the air out of him. Bard looked at Ezreal, confused. He shrugged in response. Human emotions were something different to Bard. He didn't quite understand them very well. Especially those of girls. Neither, it appeared, did Ezreal.

Bard wondered if he would ever feel the human emotion they labeled "love." He doubted it. Still, there was a chance it was possible. If it was possible anywhere, it was at the Institution. But first thing was first.

The door to Gordon's room was slightly ajar. Bard pushed it open slowly, then entered the room when he was sure he wouldn't disturb him. Gordon was leaning on top of his desk, scratching his head. His desk was piled with papers and folders, and a couple other summoners were trying to organize it all, in vain. Gordon lifted his head and was met with the stoic face of Bard.

"Hello Bard. Is there something you need? How are you liking the Institute?"

Nothing. Bard neither moved nor made a sound. The intimidation factor was starting to creep in. "Is the Support Quarters to your liking?" Nervousness crept into his voice. "I can arrange for you to sleep elsewhere if you'd like. The AD Carry Quarters is a bit different but I think you'd like-"

Gordon's rant was interrupted by a loud, reverberating chime. Bard held up the same blue stone from earlier, one of his celestial artifacts.

"A blue stone? Oh, that must be one of your celestial artifacts. You're probably wondering as to why you can't use all of your artifacts out on the Rift." Bard chimed affirmatively in response. "Ah. I understand."

"The game, as we would have it, has its own confines and bounds. It's not actually as pointless as you might think. Here at the League of Legends, our job is to keep the peace. In order to do that, we hold our games, where champions from all the different factions of Runeterra can face off. Summoners control the champions, and the winners are recognized throughout the land. However, the game must be balanced. What you see out on the Rift is only a fraction of the skills these champions have. As is the case with yourself. We can't have you being too powerful, as the other champions wouldn't be able to keep up. At the same time, their skills are restricted so that you can face them on an even level. Does that make sense?"

It was a strange way of keeping the peace to Bard. But it did make sense. He couldn't argue with the impenetrable logic, so he simply slipped the stone back in his pocket and strolled away, chiming in farewell.

Back in the Support Quarters, the supports were getting ready to sleep. Taric put the last polished stone back in its place in his gem case. Nami settled down in her pond, nuzzling against the warm, fuzzy seaweed. Janna fluffed her pillow for the last time, and laid down with a sigh.

Bard pushed open his door, suddenly aware of the fatigue plaguing his limbs. Standing before him in his room was Soraka. She saw him enter and blushed.

"Oh! Bard! I was uh… fixing up some things in your room." It was true. Both the beds were made with new covers, and the room was now filled with decorations, mostly star posters. However, these stars seemed real, and filled the room with a soft glow.

Bard drifted over to one of the posters. He spotted Soraka's signature in the bottom right hand. He peered into it, losing himself in the starlit sky. Soraka coughed softly.

Bard turned around, chiming softly. He was feeling great, better than since he first got here. Soraka was wearing a traditional healer outfit, a white, loose shirt and a beige dress. She looked up at Bard's face, full of wonder.

"You know Bard… I was a celestial being too once. Let's just say some things happened, and I chose to live the life I do now, as a mortal. Sometimes I miss it. But other times, I'm glad I'm able to live with my friends in peace."

Bard let out a few low chimes. Soraka interested him greatly. Previous contact with the other celestial beings was usually short and boring. He never felt the need for companionship, not since he had the company of his meeps. But suddenly, Bard felt a sense of longing lodged deep within him. He needed someone to be there for him, and share his troubles.

Soraka approached Bard slowly. She could tell he was sad. Resting a hand on his mask, she gazed into his eyes. He lifted his eyes and met hers. It seemed the entire galaxy rested within them. He found himself losing himself, slipping. Soraka's breathing became more and more ragged. She wasn't usually this prone to human emotions. They came flooding into her: love, compassion, desire. Her white shirt suddenly felt tighter, and she gasped softly.

"I… I should probably go." She stood up straight, smiling. She couldn't force Bard to do anything, not now, not after he had just arrived. Bard understood. It was a foreign concept to him as well, love. Instead, he hugged her tightly, and she left as abruptly as she arrived. Bard sighed. He didn't know he could sigh, only chime. When he did chime, it was drawn out and forlorn. He was going to get closer to Soraka. He could feel it.