A/N: I do not own League of Legends nor do I have any affiliation with them - I just enjoy the characters and lore! The story may swap to a higher rating if violence escalates into more description.
REBOUND: Chapter 1 - Alit
Her voice rang constantly in his head. The beat of her heart became his. His existence meant only retribution for the woman he loved with a passion unknown to all until it was prematurely snuffed by a soul hungry aberration from the Shadows Isles. Her voice screamed eternally inside the eerie lantern it clutched. The spiral etch of her fingertips imprinted against the panes of glass that contained her soul. Her wavy tufts of chocolate hair were disheveled in the purgatory as she helplessly cried near the panes. A manic cackle reverberated in reply to her screams.
"Lucian!"
"Senna!" Lucian woke in startlement; his cot soaked through by cold sweat. The pitch black of the standard issue room only unsettled him more. He kicked off the damp cotton bedding and launched himself to the sealed window. Piercing shafts of Valoran daylight forced Lucian's deep eyes into a harsh squint, his hand still clutched to the curtain.
Layers of armour piled upon his body until the trademark trench coat was donned. Calloused fingers gripped onto the unsymmetrical set of firearms the smaller one belonged to his lost wife. Past the locked door that barricaded himself from the other champions, the Institute of War geared to life; The first match was about to begin.
Lucian strode into the empty alcove without a single emotion on his face. All around him separate banners stuck to the stone walls. Each pinned above identical ornately decorated doors, they represented each faction from Valoran. Past the doors, a single communication room was used to talk war strategy - with each nation at war in specific areas, the rooms had been divided into sub-rooms to enforce peace inside the Institute's walls. The most prominent example was Freljord use of sub-rooms, which had to be equally divided for its three warring factions. Lucian stepped into the door with the Demacian banner overhead.
Garen Crownguard refused to skip a beat in today's strategy for the Rift as Lucian quietly slipped in. Beside him, his sister stood dwarfed by his massive frame. She used a projected ray of light from her staff to direct the other gathered Demacians. Each noble Demacian house crowded around the circular table that contained a replica of Summoner's Rift. Lucian slid behind the head of House Vayne, beside the bird-toting woman named Quinn.
Quinn gave a small smile and nod to the purifier, letting him know that he wasn't invisible. Garen continued to boom valiantly about the group's healthy chance to be picked. He focused on the popular Night Hunter, Shauna Vayne:
"The chances of Lady Vayne to be picked over any other bottom laner is quite in our favour," he began stoically, "Lady Vayne, I want to make you the forefront laner; to bring Demacia pride."
"And valor!" Luxanna chimed in. Quinn's bird squawked in confusion.
"Not you, Valor," Quinn chuckled and ruffled a few of his royal blue feathers.
Vayne grunted in agreement despite the noise having cut out due of the blare of the announcer over the room's issued intercom.
"The first battle of today shall take place in five minutes," she started without any hint of enthusiasm, "the blue team lists as followed in order of lane. As a friendly reminder, that's top, jungle, mid, attack-damage carry, and support."
Maokai shrugged his massive trunk shoulders as he was called for the top lane.
The Shurimans rejoiced as their emperor Azir was placed in the middle lane.
Sejuani grinned as she received a slap on her pauldron from Udyr as she was called to control the Blue Team's jungle.
Everyone gasped in shock, aside from Sona who lifted her brows to convey surprise as Lucian was picked over Vayne. She turned around and gifted him a rare smile. Garen shouted strategies to Lucian as form grew ethereal in the Summoning process.
The ghastly inhabitants of the Shadow Isle's war room collectively growled as Thresh's name was called to support Lucian. The Demacians revealed the same reaction. Thresh craned is head to the side and cackled to Evelynn who gave a waggle of her wide hips tauntingly.
"Thresh and Maokai on the same team as Lucian? Oh boy, good luck not slaughtering him," she purred.
"That's another loss for us," Elise sighed.
The Purple Team consisted of Lissandra for the top lane, LeBlanc in the middle lane, Gragas in the jungle, and Tristana and Janna together in the bottom lane. Everyone was much too shocked by the idea of Lucian's wife's murderer on the same team as him.
Back in Demacia's room, Fiora Laurent plopped into one of the cushy viewing chairs and grimaced at the screen, "Good luck, Lucian."