The Call of the Innocents
By: Spellcraft Writings
Amidst the chaos, every Ionia soul fell one by one like ashes to the floor; the scent of smoke, blood, and iron permeating the atmosphere. No one was spared from the massacre as men fell to their knees by the blow of Noxian swords and the dreading power of plaguing curses from the conjurers.
Irelia saw her own comrades die before her eyes, the life fleeting from their faint breaths without an opportunity to close their eyes to the eternal slumber.
Her body was broken, blood draining fast as the magic festered her skin.
She was careless.
They named her captain and yet she lay dying among them when they had the chance to surrender. She knew each of them, looked them in the eye and fed them the idea of refusing to put down their weapons before an enemy they all knew they couldn't defeat. She had lead them into a slaughter and now she paid the price as the curse from the necromancer performed its design. Noxus was too strong, their men trained for massacre without care if they were children or elders.
All sounds ceased to exist around her as she pressed her teeth to a breaking point of frustration. Tears flooded from her eyes and into the soil, leaving traces against her skin caked in dirt and blood.
Please…
She pleaded to any deities above to hear her prayers, something a warrior as her had refused to do as she held a weapon in her hand with an indomitable spirit.
Anyone…
She pressed on, broken without any resources as the pain in her body faded quickly. The magic was too strong and spreading quickly leaving her body numb. Her fingers faded into an ebony color as she attempted to reach the blade her father had wielded before her, the memories of his face and his harsh lessons drawing a new fresh of agony into her fading heart.
She had failed her father, she failed her country, the Hiten Blade too far from her grasp as the final corruption reach her fingertips.
Someone please…help us.
In the Southern shores of Ionia, the celestial order of priestess paced among the temple as the light quickly faded from the blushing skies. A flock of birds circled close to the unmoving currents, the water as still and quiet as a mirror of the heavens.
Vera, a young novice, sat in contemplation as she rolled the beads among her hands, a soft murmur of the candle light glowing against her dark complexion while safely enclosed by the great temple of their cult.
The walls depicted scenes of the numerous Celestial Beings in their moment of creation and struggle, their fighting efforts opposing the eerie creatures covered in shadows while others attempted to destroy distinct astral bodies from every corner of the universe.
The dome was dressed in imitation of golden mosaics with every known star carved in the ancient language, the Star Forger pictured among the altar as he casted a blessing among an image of the Star Lady.
She was painted in ceremonial robes of gold and dark blue, holding the celestial staff between her hands as she cast away the shadows. Her ebony hair reached the corner of the walls, her eyes closed in prayer as she called upon the stars to her aid.
The temple, once constructed centuries ago, now housed the celestial body inside the chapel, it's access granted only the highest representatives of their order.
In the time of her silent meditation, a pair of quiet steps approached the girl sitting at the edge of the pew. Vera was forced to look into the figure of the prioress, a heavy woman past her prime with a harsh look in her eyes.
"Is past your curfew miss Vega." The woman crossed her hands before her massive front, the golden hem of her habit glowing dimly by the gloaming tones of the candlelight.
"I'm sorry mother." She apologized as those harsh eyes unveiled her, attempting to settle her racing heart while going through the rehearsed explanation. "I wanted to do some praying after today's news, things seem uncertain with the stand in Placidium and I couldn't sleep."
Vera could smell the incense coming out of the prioress, aware of the time the woman always left the chapel. The golden key to the upper floors hang from the chaplet attached to her round hips, trying hard not to give away her impatience as her eyes focused into those of her superior.
Any other day the woman would have send her back without hesitation; however, she knew exactly why the young novice was praying, unable to find it in her heart to dismiss her.
"You know, it's been 33 years since the undead tarnished these shores." She mentioned after taking a deep breath, changing the subject as her eyes settled into the image of the matriarch. "I was there when the Great Lady chased them away and saved us from an inevitable calamity, not even their herald stood a chance against her."
Every member of the order knew about the story of the prioress, the scar from the soulless' touch carved into her wrist and how she was saved by the Star Child's will.
She had heard the story over a million times, yet she pretended interest as her superior looked into the soft features drawn on the altar.
"It would be wonderful if the Great Lady helped us in this time of need." She whispered almost to herself, her out-loud thoughts heard by the broad woman
She opened her mouth in protest until a part of her was forced to agreed. The star child had once been like them, a member of the Celestial Order who rushed into the aid of the suffering without hesitation. Their only hopes, after the breaking of war, were left to prayers given daily to those soldiers giving their lives to defend their country against the invaders.
"Please get back before the last bell." The woman mentioned, her tone rushed and affected by the same thoughts that tormented the young novice. "Unless you want to sleep outside till morning."
"Yes mother." She whispered as the corpulent woman headed toward the entrance, her steps growing fainter until nonexistent.
Vera's sea-green eyes watched hesitantly into her empty surroundings, the beads on her hands reflecting the glow of the golden key she managed to acquire while her tension faded away.
Time was limited to precious instants before the woman noticed the key gone from her robes, standing from her sit and rushing to the backside of the chapel toward the upper floors. The relics and holy remains under the jurisdiction of the temple were held in the tallest rooms of the structure, believed to belong closer to the stars and celestial beings that ruled over the universe.
Her slippers ghosted over the stone floor, silent as a spirit while taking three steps at a time. She could feel herself gasping and a frigid sensation slip between her chest without stopping her rushing feet.
She stumbled several times among the darkness, her knees bruised and her hands scratched while approaching the natural light of the chapel, the glow making the novice press even harder.
It took the woman painful seconds to relax her strident breathing, her eyes sparkling against a sapphire edge coming between the spaces of the twin doors, golden stars attached to the pale wood.
Vera pressed the key hard against her chest, her body moving hesitantly into the entrance while her eyes reflected a sorrowful look.
It had taken her years to earn her position between the order, renouncing to any life choices after she told her parents she wished to join the cult of the stars. They had been against the idea of her remaining daughter secluding herself like this after her brother was called into the army to fight against Noxus, unable to stop her as she devoted herself to a life of praying and meditation.
Everything she had done, sacrificed, and fought for had led her to this moment.
She hated herself more each passing day as the enemy murdered her people and submitted her country to a reign of misery and oppression. Unlike her brother, who always enjoyed a healthy constitution, her own body suffered from a weak heart and any amount of physical activity deprive her of consciousness. No authority would ever allow her into the battlefield as she represented a liability.
The metal of the key bit hard into her palm, her conviction unbreakable as she pressed it against her feeble heart.
Her entire childhood was filled with stories of the Great Lady, the spectral's arrival from the sea announced by the eclipse on the skies after harvest season.
She had helped them once and Vera knew she could do it again.
Her hand pressed against the door without hesitation, the key in her fingers turned inside the keyhole and opening fluently as she turned it to the side.
Vera shielded her eyes momentarily as a sapphire glow received her, the room enveloped in a soft light while she watched the figure of the Great Lady stand floating between a glass coffin protecting her from the outside.
The room had no stone visible as the walls constituted of glass and wood, the shine of the stars blessing the figure that slept soundly with her arms crossed against her chest and covered in a golden attire.
The young apprentice let a gasp escape her lips as she stood before the presence of the Star Child, her faint pulse attempting to beat rapidly as she walked closer to the figure.
She looked nothing like the paintings of the temple nor the descriptions given by the prioress.
Her presence spoke of purity and virtue, her features almost childlike while her complexion glowed in an amethyst tone. She seemed no older than fifteen, her snow-white hair loose and floating inside the case.
Vera couldn't tell what color her eyes were but she imagined the Aurelian tone dressed under thick eyelashes caressing her cheekbones.
No hint of her mortal days remained as the apprentice witnessed the rosette glow of a horn between her alabaster locks, liquid silver linings traveling among the coral tone. Even her long legs transformed into those of a satyr, old creatures known for their knowledge and magic abilities.
Only a few of the elevated rank could address her by her real name…
"Soraka." The apprentice whispered as her knees softly gave away under her, tears rushing into her cheeks as her hand covered her gasping sobs.
She was overwhelmed by the presence of the celestial being before her, the soft features of her face giving away the gentleness she portrayed and how easily one could believe she sacrificed her own life for others.
The memory of her brother's face appeared in her mind as her eyes conceived her suffering.
"I know you..." She began her prayers out loud, her voice cutting by the emotion stuck inside her throat. "I know you were once like me, helpless and broken inside as you watched… everyone killed before your very eyes, without any way to prevent it."
Another sob reached her voice and she forced it down, her conviction strengthened as she stood with difficulty, attempting to continue her approach to the glass coffin.
"My brother is out there, fighting enemies that came to threaten our country, our families, every child and old person will die and he is out there, attempting to prevent it."
She was before her now, her eyes gazing among the deity in front of her, the stars as their only witness.
"Please." She begged, tears gone while pressing her hand against the casket that permeated a warm sensation against her skin. "I cannot fight like my brother, so I'm here to beg you to wake up."
No reaction seemed to reach the glowing figure of the priestess, her light permeating around her.
"Please…help us."
The wooden doors opened again, the sound of several rushing steps echoing among the chamber as Vera's eyes turned toward the entrance.
"THERE SHE IS!" Hysterical yells of the prioress resounded inside the chapel, accompanied by the mother superior of their order and even the head cleric.
Vera remained frozen as a couple of guards entered just behind them, securing her arms as they force her to remain standing, the golden key dropping into the floor.
"YOU PROFANIC DEVIL! HOW DARE YOU ENTER THIS SACRED GROUND!" The corpulent woman delivered a heavy slap against Vera's cheek, her face almost torn apart as her thick locks obscured her features.
The apprentice felt the blood rush to her injury, the hit pulsing against her skin while the woman kept insulting her.
"Settle down prioress, remember where you are." The cold tone of the cleric overruled the woman's screams, quickly recovering control of the situation as her eyes reflected her mistake, the boiling rage quickly settling back as well as her steps.
The towering man approached the same spot where the key of the chamber had fallen. He inspected it between his long and slim fingers, his harsh eyes forcing Vera to look into the floor as its reflection glowed differently; perhaps she had imagined it.
"What were you trying to attempt child, to go so far as to take something as meaningful as this?" The man asked with a deep tone, unable to see the emerald stare of the woman between the guards.
"I wanted to wake the Great Lady, so she…" Her voice was weak, trembling before the presence of the figure she had only seen in times of great importance.
"Continue." He instructed with patience.
"So, she could help us fight the Noxian invaders!" She almost screamed, her tone filled with frustration and rage.
"YOU FOOL!" Once again, the prioress addressed her and was quickly silenced by a calm gesture of the superior.
Silence reign as the man walked next to the captive woman, her harsh stare softened slightly by the features of the glowing figure before him.
"The Lady of the Stars cannot be wakened." He mentioned after a pause, his words delivering a heavy blow against the apprentice as she looked into the man with disappear.
"But… I thought…" She mumbled, silenced by the answer of the man as he continued.
"After she drew away the undead, she said a few words to a witness she saved after he was almost taken by the envoy of Death.
'It's all right now, you are safe.'
"After that she closed her eyes and had remain as such for three decades. Her life force depleted in exchange for our lives."
Vera was struck by the honesty behind the words of the cleric, her hopes vanished. She never knew the Lady had sacrificed her own vitality to fade away the shadows, believing her to be like other deities rumored to pace in Runaterra.
"We shall not disturb this sacred quarters any longer." The man instructed, looking into the two women standing behind them awaiting instructions. "Let us take this matter elsewhere."
The guards pulled Vera along, her body refusing to put any resistance as her hopes to help her brother and her country vanished with each step.
It was over, she will never see him again.
The soft glow disappeared behind her, the superiors following close while the cleric was the last to join the group. His hand reached for the door before a curious frown appeared between his brows, his sharp eyes looking back into the priestess.
A soft murmur seemed to disturbed his thoughts, the stars outside somehow brighter as they twinkled regularly; the flaming trail of a shooting comet flashing against the dark veil.
"Your grace?" The mother superior called after him, the group waiting for the man who looked at them with disbelief.
"It can't be…" He whispered out loud, almost to himself.
"What can't be your grace?" The woman asked as she approached the cleric, the man looking back into the room as the stars traveled among the skies, the murmurs somehow understandable as they originated from the body inside the coffin.
Vera felt her tears rush into her eyes, one of them breaking from the surface and sliding by her cheek like a liquid diamond.
Her emotions broke as she witnessed the same man with a cold template break into tears of his own, a glow manifesting inside the chamber as she listened the celestial voices fill the room; time itself somehow frozen momentarily.
The guards dropped the hold of her arms and no one tried to stop her as they witnessed the miracle of the figure breaking the glass that confined her, the broken crystals floating harmlessly as the priestess's chest filled with a rush of fresh air.
No one was spare the spectacle of the night skies around Runaterra, the meteor shower witnessed from the farthest corners of Freljord to the burning dunes of Shurima.
Golden light burned inside the chapel, her feet landing softly into the floor as every figure on the room fell to their knees in disbelief.
Vera saw as the Lady of the Stars opened her eyes, her assumptions accurate as she let herself be drawn into those celestial orbs; somehow the universe reflected around her pupils as she witnessed the mortal world for the first time in years.
Her stare dropped toward the same young girl of raven hair and emerald eyes whom she recognized from her prayers, her cheeks humid from tears while Soraka's own features softened by the innocence of the stranger's expression.
"I heeded your call." Her voice was mellow and soft like a murmur of the clearest string of water. "Where am I needed?"
Vera's smile broke into tears as her calls were answered, the last of the stars grazing the sky as the light that enveloped the Great Priestess faded like the night's embrace into a new dawn.
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