AN: I wanted to take a break from Ascend for a while, since i'm stuck (again). Since the new lore popped up back in February, I've had some random little ideas float around in my head, none of them particularly...coherent. Regardless of that and my gripes with some parts of the new lore, I wanted to write them anyway, and since I'm at an impasse with Ascend, what better time to do it?
The majority of this I wrote a while back and posted it on my Tumblr; I've since completed it and fleshed out my ideas for the rest of it. By no means is this going to be on the scale of Ascend; I expect this to be 3-5 chapters in length and around 5-12k words.
Not exactly sure how on-point this is going to be in terms of cannon but it should be pretty close? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it regardless.
The Sun was especially unforgiving that day. Even here, on the lower slopes of the mountain, the air was hard to breathe. The footpaths leading up were deserted, save the poor sods who thought it wise to climb, their corpses now nothing more than lunch to the mountain's beasts. What was left of them served as a sign, a warning to turn back from whatever mad quest one may have had.
But none of this bothered Leona.
She had spent the better part of the day walking from the Solari stronghold. She made the trek alone, much to the dismay of the Solari superiors and Ra-Horak. It was typical for the Aspect to travel with a platoon, both of her own protection and for those who called the mountain home.
This quest was much more important. It had to be done alone.
Nonetheless, she needed to find someone before the real task could begin. Leona could only hope to find him, tucked away in one of the mountain's recesses.
Leona paused to rest as the path she walked began to snake downwards. She looked out to the east, where a valley sat some few hundred yards below. It was brimming with life and color despite the harshness of the land that embraced it on all sides. Even the Sun seemed to shine a little brighter on this small spot. Something pulled in Leona's chest; she knew this was where she needed to go, and she spared no more time for resting.
It became clearer as she drew closer that life stemmed farther from the valley than she anticipated. It was a small grove, a haven slowly reclaiming that part of the mountain.
Its threshold was guarded by a pair of stones. The face of each one bore runes carved in some ancient dialect, worn from the weather and time. One of the stones was blemished by three deep scratches. The cuts appeared recent; the stone was lighter there, less worn than that of the runes carved upon it. The other was splattered with a dark, flaking substance.
A third stone sat further into the grove, directly ahead from the entrance. A lone figure, a man, stood in front of it. He seemed oblivious to the Aspect's presence, engrossed in his surroundings.
"Taric!" she shouted. He quickly turned. The concern on his face melted away into a warm and gentle smile.
"Leona," he answered coolly, "What brings you to this part of the mountain?"
"I have something to ask of you," she replied. Leona continued on toward Taric, and he turned back towards the stone.
"If this has anything to do with the Solari council, then–"
"No, not quite." The Aspect of the Sun paused a few yards from him. "This is a personal matter."
"Speak, then."
"I need some advice." This piqued the Demacian's interest and he turned towards her. His brow was terse, head tilted inquisitively.
"A famed Solari zealot needs advice from a lowly Demacian exile?" His face softened, his lips quirking in mirth. "I am not sure if I should be flattered or insulted." Leona scowled and huffed a short laugh, to which Taric chuckled. "I apologize, Leona. How may I assist you?"
The Solari turned and walked to a nearby boulder. She planted her sword and shield in the ground and leaned against it, her arms crossed. "I am not sure how much you know, but…have you heard of a woman by the name of Diana?"
"Honestly, Leona," Taric chastised, "You speak of her as though she is a mythical beast that has graced Targon with its presence." Leona prepared for a quick retort, but her fellow Aspect continued. "I have heard of her, yes, though the tale differs depending on who you ask. Curious, really. Why do you ask?"
"I need to find her."
His eyes narrowed upon her. "I hope you do not plan on bringing me along for this endeavor. As much as I would like to help, I do have a lot of work."
"No, nothing like that," she assured. "I need to do this myself. I…well, I was wondering if you might have an idea of where I would find her."
Taric erupted into laughter. "You think I know where she is?"
"No, I—That is not what I meant." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If any of the Ra-Horak went missing, I know where they would be. She is different than the other Solari. She sees things differently; so do you. You are a bit more…objective and understanding. The Solari do not know exactly why I left the village. If they did, I would quite possibly be sitting upon a wooden pike." Leona looked back up to him. "I just need to know where to start looking."
"I see." Taric drew a deep breath. He turned his head, then his back to the Solari. He was silent as he walked around, finally pausing next to a fallen tree, a palm upon its trunk. He looked up toward the canopy. "I believe she was here, not too long ago."
Leona scoffed. "You cannot be serious."
"Look around you, Leona. What do you see?"
She took a moment to look around, her brow furrowed. "Trees?"
Taric shook his head. He balled his hands into fists and shook them. "Life, Leona, life! You see life and beauty. Everywhere else on the mountain is riddled with death and decay, yet here is life. Someone is responsible for this, someone with a higher power like yourself." He extended an arm and motioned across the breadth of the valley. "This is Diana's doing, I am sure of it." Taric walked to her. "If you wish to find Diana, you must look for death, for where you find death, you will find life and therefore the woman you seek." His head tilted slightly. "May I ask why you seek her?"
"I have something I need to share with her," Leona explained. "Something I saw at the top of the mountain. She will be the first that I tell."
"Fair enough." Taric returned to the stone he was previously fixated with. "Is that all?"
"Yes. Thank you, Taric."
"You must be exhausted from your long journey here. Why don't you rest for a while?"
"I am, but," The Aspect corrected herself, pulling up her sword and shield from the earth. "There is plenty of daylight left. If I am to find Diana, then I cannot spare any time."
Taric laughed. "Do what you will, but you may have poor luck finding her beneath the light that condemned her, Leona."
The Solari shook her head but made no further retort, instead turning and exiting the valley the way she came in. When finally she made her way out of the depths of the valley, she again paused on a high point to overlook a stretch of the mountain. While it was easily evident that some spots bore more color than others, much of it was a mix of muddy tones, littered with barren and broken trees and spent battlefields. She did not bother turning and looking elsewhere; she knew it was all the same.
"'Look for death,'" she muttered. She removed one of her gauntlets and ran her hand across tired eyes. "I could spend months, years searching this mountain." She looked out to the East, where the sky was already beginning to darken, then to the West and its myriad of mixing colors. Her mind set, she reequipped the gauntlet and began towards the light. Leona did not pause when the scorching entity within her questioned why. "It is safer to continue this way. It will be easier to find shelter before nightfall."
The darkness is not your enemy, Leona.
She drew a heated breath, but kept her composure.
"It is not the darkness that I fear."