Luxanna had always wanted to travel the world. Her dreams had drawn her beyond her beloved home, and she'd never been away long enough to grow homesick. When the Illuminant ones commanded her to only use her talents beyond the country's borders, she saw it as a new beginning. Away from the crushing weight of Demacia's magic dampening petricide, she breathed a bit more freely and set her sights far beyond the horizon.
Having lived in fear of Demacian prejudice, she had learned not to judge. Yet her first visit to Noxus defied her best attempts at keeping an open mind. Something about the simplistic brutalism of the outer walls, the filthy slums she had to wade through and the Noxians' endless obsession with conquest put her off beyond belief.
Regardless, Lux approached the exotic empire with renewed interest on her second visit. She stayed at the home of a Demacian expat, a rich merchant who found Noxus Prime an all too fertile soil for his ingenuity and willingness to trade with practitioners of magic. Two years had passed since her first visit and she'd proven herself enough to head far more important diplomatic missions.
The spoils of conquest flowed like a mighty river into the pockets of Noxian nobility, especially the generals, tacticians and mages who could prove their loyalty to Swain. As a result Lux was certain to see the right people at one of the numerous celebrations which illuminated Upper Noxus at night. The empire adored it's numerous mages and they, in turn, stuck together in guilds and societies. Lux sought to negotiate with members of the Arcane Fist, while hoping to eavesdrop on whatever else a mage's party could entail.
The lights of Upper Noxus dazzled Lux as she ascended the granite staircase. She noticed that no two structures looked alike. Land was expensive here and every noble family made sure to decorate their manor in a unique way, some going as far as to exile or maim the architect who created it, so that no one could benefit from his work ever again. Indeed, not even the most glamorous areas of Noxus were safe, and the bodyguard Lux was assigned was a testament to that. Alaria was her trusted partner in this mission, and was also gifted with near supernatural agility and skill in close-quarter combat.
There were guests from around the world at the party. There were Zaunite traders of hextech weaponry, an Ionian shadow mage, and even representatives of stranger lands and tribes, ones that Demacia did not concern itself with. Not everyone was a mage – some were just nobility looking to recruit powerful allies, or acquire innovative tools. Lux basked in the vibrancy of the event and felt herself warm up to how cosmopolitan Noxus could be.
And yet, when Alaria and Lux withdrew to the back garden for a breath of fresh air, they were given a reason to dread the city. They watched, startled, as four veiled figures descended from a nearby rooftop onto the brick fence, and finally landed in the flower square near the two women. Lux was quick to react and her bodyguard was even quicker – drawing her shortsword, the Demacian prepared to face the intruders.
Luxanna soon realised that despite the presence of several other important nobles in the garden, she alone was the target of these four anonymous men. A radiant orb formed at her fingertips, blinding the assassins as they dashed towards her. Alaria took it from there, somehow managing to fend off three of them. The fourth leapt towards Lux and soon jumped back, his clothing scorched by the light orb exploding. Wearing black was a terrible choice against scorching radiance.
The light mage had no desire to take a life. But the window of opportunity presented itself and she had to strike first. She took a deep breath and surrendered to the ecstatic flow of energy. A sudden flash brought the light of day back to Noxus for a split second. It was well-aimed, albeit far more powerful than the adrenaline-filled mage had intended it to be. A black ellipse in the flower square marked the spot where the assassin used to be, his ashes indistinguishable from those of the vegetation.
His comrades were demoralised as soon as they registered his disintegration. That, and Alaria managing to stab one through the gut after hacking off his fingers caused the two remaining men to retreat. A magenta spark in the air – presumably an escape spell – and both of them were gone out of sight.
There was nothing but complete silence in the second following the skirmish. Voiceless gratitude shared between the women, nobles tiptoeing towards them to see if they were fine, an increasing number of people rushing into the gardens after the blinding flash of light. It was what enabled Alaria to react as a twin pair of daggers pierced the night air.
Lux reawakened her powers, ready to summon a reflective barrier. But her ally was bent on not leaving anything to chance. A few inches to the right and she was out of the way of the first dagger. Another few and she stopped the second mid-flight.
She had hoped to deflect it with her shortsword, but her bad luck was evident as soon as the sound of steel meeting flesh echoed through the yard. She had gone too far in her loyalty. Alaria fell into Luxanna's arms, the knife buried to the hilt in her chest.
"No," screamed the blonde. She wanted to berate her friend for recklessly trying to stop a blade her magic could have deflected, but was perfectly aware how pointless that would be "Alaria! Can you breathe? Can you hear me?"
The two Demacians were now encircled by a small crowd.
"We need a medic!" someone cried out.
Not that a surgeon could save her, Lux thought bitterly.
Alaria opened her eyes and, with great difficulty, attempted to breathe in. Lux could not help but admire her toughness while wondering how long she had left. She imagined the grains of sand counting her last moments inevitably slip away and prepared to extract the knife herself.
"No, don't touch it," a woman from the crowd rushed towards Lux as her finger reached for the handle of the blade.
Noxians, Ionians, Shuriman tribe leaders – they all looked so very similar in the face of tragedy. Dozens of faces pallid with fear.
"What then?"
"The host of this party... He might be able to help."
For a price, Lux thought as soon as she realised who she meant.
There was always a price for blood magic.
