Under the gaze of the rising sun, a lone wanderer slowly trotted against the humbly paved road that was set before him. Marked by long hair which flowed against the morning breeze, a disheveled appearance and a curved longsword that was restrained across his waist, the swordsman quietly wandered the path before him, unsure of where his final destination would take him. For what felt like a century, Yasuo the Unforigven had been on the run, searching for a moment of justice in a bleak, unforgiving world. Although he had once been willing to take his life in disgrace, the thought of being cursed with the crimes of another would haunt him in the afterlife. Such impregnable thoughts had cursed him into seeking this never ending existence of atonement.
Yasuo wandered on until he eventually came to an impasse, a fork in the road that split the path ahead of him into two. It was always these sort of situations that rattled the wanderer. Yasuo was always afraid of being led down the wrong path. Afterall, the road to ruin was always closer than he thought. The Lone Wanderer stood at the fork in the road, his eyes studying the Ionian that was inscribed on the signpost. It was in a dialect unfamiliar to the swordsman, but one that he could still vaguely understand.
As he pondered which path would be more appropriate to take, he shut his eyes, confiding in the only thing that had ever been true to the young warrior; the wind. His hand navigated itself downwards into his satchel, removing a bamboo, end-blown flute known as a shakuhachi. An object utilized in Ionian meditation, it was an instrument that Yasuo could manipulate masterfully.
Under the rising sun, the Lone Wanderer placed the bamboo to his parted lips and with a deep breath, summoned the wind from his lungs. With the signpost as his audience, Yasuo began a melody through the bamboo shakuhachi. Although his eyes were closed, he could feel the wind summon around him, almost suspending him into the air as he played. He tightened his focus as the wind began to point him down the right path. He felt the wind manifest itself in the correct direction, only to scatter like a bewildered animal.
Yasuo's eyes suddenly drew open, the disturbance in the wind breaking the swordsman's concentration. He instinctively dashed to the side as a loud roar bellowed from behind, a sword missing him by mere inches. As he rolled across the dirt, the sword viciously cleaved the signpost behind him into two as it missed its mark. As Yasuo regained his footing, he averted his eyes away from the ground and towards his attacker. His attacker, was none other than Hideo, the Giant of Ionia.
When Yasuo was nothing more than a child, he and Yone had once visited the village of Kai. It was a village famous for harboring warriors of immense strength. It was then he had first met Hideo. Just a child back then, Yasuo watched as this child cleaved the greatest oak tree into two with nothing more than his blade, a display of immense strength that awed all of Ionia. When he had witnessed such a deed, Yasuo had wished for nothing more than to be strong, like the Giant of Ionia. But, while Hideo was a swordsman of great strength, renowned throughout all of Ionia. Although he could cleave the greatest tree with just the tip of his blade, he could not cleave the wind.
"Murderer! I have come to bring you to justice! Today, you will taste defeat from Hideo, the Great Giant of Ionia!" The man exclaimed. He towered almost a full foot over Yasuo, and his shoulders were almost broad enough to block the entire road.
As Yasuo recovered back to his feet, he gazed towards the man he had once looked up to, the man that had inspired him to gain the strength that he now possessed. "Justice? Now that's a pretty word." He remarks with a mischievous grin painted across the canvas of his face.
"You disgust me, student of the wind. You abandoned your post and your honor! Killed the man you were supposed to protect! And for that, I will show you the wrath of all of Ionia!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the lumbering giant charged forward, swirling his greatsword as if it weighed no more than a handful of feathers. As the Giant of Ionia charged towards him, Yasuo drew his blade with the speed and grace of the wind, dashing his blade through the air. In front of him, a wall of wind manifested itself, slowing the Giant's advance, but not for long.
"Fool! Your wind means nothing to me!" The Giant of Ionia exclaims as he charges head first through Yasuo's wind wall, slamming his broad shoulder into Yasuo's chest. "I am going to kill you this day, murderer!" Hideo roars as he grabs Yasuo with both hands, raising him high above his head. With one, swift and deliberate motion, Hideo tosses Yasuo as far as the wind would carry him, which, unfortunately for Yasuo, was very far.
The student of the wind flew across the morning breeze and into the fields adjacent to the road. As he fell, his descent was cushioned by the air around him, dropping him gently onto his back. As Yasuo rose to his feet, he found himself surrounded by a field of beautiful, white, Tsubaki flowers. Before Yasuo could react, the lumbering man charged through the field of flowers, trampling them as he marched.
Once the Giant of Ionia was in range, Yasuo drew his blade once more, thrusting outwards as the wind accelerated his piercing strike, a tempest of steel that was powerful enough to strike through the wall of a fortress. The tip of his blade struck the Ionian Giant, a sea of red painting the beautiful, white canvas around them. The Ionian Giant stopped in his tracks, growling as he held onto his wound.
Yasuo raised his blade once more, pointing it towards the Great Giant of Ionia. "If you've come to kill me…" He begins softly, raising his head as he watches the Giant. "I hope you brought friends."
In a fit of rage, the Giant drops his hand from his wound, allowing his blood to pour onto the flowers below. Unfortunately, it was too late. Yasuo navigated himself under the Giant's wide swing, another steel tempest striking the Giant in the arm. "Hasag!" He shouts as he strikes the Giant, running past him.
Hideo attempts to turn about, so that he could strike Yasuo in the back as he ran past. As his blade fell upon the Lone Wanderer seemingly impossible to dodge, Yasuo suddenly dashed back towards him, the speed of the wind carrying him in a sweeping blade. "Aseryo!" He exclaims as he runs past, the force of the blow manifesting the wind around him, carrying the lumbering giant into the air.
"Sorye!" He shouts with his last breath of air, the wind carrying Yasuo to Hideo's elevation. With a single dash of the blade, the Giant of Ionia's blood swept across the white field, painting the once gorgeous land in a layer of crimson. As both of them fell to the ground, only one survived. The Lone Wanderer sheathed his blade as he roamed across the field and towards the path that the wind had set before him.
"Goodbye, friend." He beckons softly to the wind.
Author's Note: Hello. This is my first fan fiction and one of my first attempts at writing. Please inform me of any and all criticisms you may have. This will be frequently updated, and the first three chapters will explore Yasuo's dark past, culminating in the duel with his brother. I plan on then exploring more of the League of Legends lore. Expect dramatic and romantic themes in the future.