Hello, and welcome to my story! ^^ This is my first fanfic for League of Legends, and I hope you enjoy it.

I know that there are already a lot of Ahri fics, but I just couldn't resist. She's one of my favourite champions, and is the reason I even decided to play League. I just had to write a story for her.

This fic is basically an in-depth look at her lore. I wanted to get the emotions and struggle across. Ahri's tale is lightly touched upon by the lore, with so much potential for more depth. I wanted to bring that depth out, so I wrote this.

Well, without further ado, let's get to it!

Disclaimer: Writing is by me, but Ahri and her lore are copyright Riot Games.

Ahri had always felt like a stranger in her skin.

Sleek white fur, long snout, fluffy nine tails. It was a body strange to her; one she was born into, but one she could not live in. Something indescribable pulled her on: a sense of wonder, a world of light perhaps. Only later did she learn the word for this light — magic.

This magic attracted her like a magnet. She caught glimpses of it: sparks that danced across her fur, shook her body, made her feel alive before it disappeared, leaving her emptier than before. It fascinated her. Called to her. She couldn't help but answer that call. She saw strange beings on two feet. They wielded this magic, made it do their bidding. Ahri was fascinated. She had found something in watching those beings. She had found what she was meant to be — not a fox, but a human. The world of light became something new: a mean to change and grow, to realize her true potential.

It was in that constant pursuit of the world of light that brought her to a world of death.

One day she stumbled across a plain of carnage. A recent battle has left the grass stained with blood, broken bodies littering the ground as their essence evaporated into the air. Moans wafted towards her — the last cries of humans too weak to go on. As a predator, Ahri was not bothered. She knew all too well of blood and the hunt.

But she did not come for meat. She came because she had felt it: the magic was here.

She found it in the form of a robed man. He was encircled in the magic. The moment she stepped in the circle she felt as alive as she'd ever felt. Ahri reached towards the core of this magic. And, in doing so, she absorbed the man's life essence.

When she'd become fully aware of what had happened, she realized that she had shed her ill-fitting form and become what she most desired: human.

And yet, something felt off. Her body was human, but she still felt like a fox. The transformation wasn't complete. How then, could she truly become human? She knew the answer lied in what she'd done. It was life essence she needed.

So the fox began her hunt.

It went well — at first. Men fell for her beauty and she dropped them like flies. Every time she drew the essence from their bodies she felt a step closer to her goal, yet still far. Each new step revealed another mile. It would be a long, arduous journey, but Ahri felt that becoming human was worth it.

Yet each step brought along unexpected consequences: her senses dulled, her body no longer tolerated raw meat. She found that she was often cold, despite the nine tails — which seemed to only disappear should she wish it — that could wrap around her and keep her warm.

But perhaps the most dramatic of these consequences was guilt.

Ahri first experienced guilt after her 103rd victim. It was an older man, a father of three. She caught him as he went to the bar after a hard day of work. He easily succumbed to her charms — few men could resist them. If her beauty didn't work, a little magic always did. She brought him to a back room, drained his essence, and dumped his body in the river.

Yet she did not feel this guilt until the next day. She'd recently found that she had a fascination with the havoc she'd caused — that was what led her to spy on that day, as he was found. A mother and children were brought forward. The mother saw the body and burst into tears. One child gazed emptily at it, as if she could not understand the emptiness that had been wrenched into her life. The other — an older child — knelt by his mother and comforted her. The third child stood silently, tears streaming down her face.

Something in that child's face brought forward a new sensation in Ahri. It started in a cold feeling. Her heart hurt, and she wondered what caused it. Her eyes felt wet. With surprise, she realized that she was crying. For a second she felt…hatred towards herself. Anger that she'd done this to this innocent child.

A sudden fear rose within her, and she fled. She realized with horror that even though she was running, the tears wouldn't stop. Enemies could always be escaped from, and yet she could not stop the gnawing at her heart.

When she took a moment of calm to reflect, she realized that perhaps this new sensation was not an enemy. She'd seen humans cry or grow angry, after all. Perhaps this was just another step to humanity. She let that thought buoy her as she ensnared another victim.

And yet, in that crucial moment when she was supposed to drain his life, she couldn't. The gnawing returned. She fled from the scene, leaving the man bewildered.

Ahri could not do this anymore. This sensation of regret and guilt made her more human, but kept her from her goal. She could never become a true human if life essence was beyond her reach.

But another idea occurred to her. Magic had turned her — so surely magic could continue her evolution. Her hunt turned from life essence to magic, and that hunt brought her to the steps of the Institute of War.

"What a bright new world." She murmured and strode into the halls of the Institute.