Act 4

The Birth and Rebirth of Evil


"Well my friend, what do you want to do now? All this death and destruction seems to have relit the flame in your heart. I'd say that you're ready for new opportunities."

Veigar and The River King stood blocking the sun's rays as it drowned into the horizon line. He really wasn't confident in what he wanted. Blinded with a sudden craving for bloodshed and terror, he only had one true calling; to rid the world of the crooked system that caused him so much pain and suffering. He wanted to stand up for the little guy- by mutilating the big guy. There had never been a smile on his face that shined so vividly; so deadly. But there was something that he couldn't quite put his finger on that was tugging at this new ambition. Some cracks of morality and personality shining through the bouldered up entrance. Except that it was no mystery. Veigar knew exactly what… Exactly who was calling to him. It was Lulu. This girl he still longed to see. The one that had always brought a flutter of joy into his previously cold heart. Did he even have a heart anymore? What about a soul?

"I want to-" His sentence started off quick and sinister, but before long broke into a child's plea, scolding himself with a quick slap to the head for almost forgetting her. "I want… I want to see Lulu."

"Well if I'll be. If there was a heart inside this soft shell o' mine, I'd be in tears for a love story such as yours." Tahm patted his stomach. "But boy, your happy ending is long gone, as well as your damzel."

"My… damzel?"

"Well you know, that purple fur ball that you live on to reunite with, etcetera, etcetera. She's been missing ever since that day she left your heart in shambles."

"M.. missing?"

A heavy chill fell down Veigar's spine and rattled his bones. An impulse snicker creeped from his lips.

"You might just as well assume she's long gone boy. I reckon you get a new start. How about… I help you out with that."

"Help me?"

"I can introduce you to a being of great power. He'll bestow a skill upon you unlike any other. However, he's as professional as they get at doing his job. To bring you there, I might need a little something. Of course, it's nothing you'd want nor need. I assure you, you won't even know it's gone."

A clench of fists signaled Veigar's readiness to start anew. He felt a new light spark within him. It was pure black.

"Do it."

"Ahhh, now that's what these sweet ears have longed to hear. Now come little yordle- we have business to attend to."

"How did you find me so easily?"

"The universe is just one vast, endless river. Have you forgotten who I am?"

"What do you want? I have galaxies to tend to. There's no time for your petty devil's play."

"Now now, where's the friendly welcome? I'd say I deserve it after all I've done for you."

The smooth tone of Kench's menacing words slithered into the dragon's ears like a slimy tongue slipping in through one and out through the other. It was a layer of irritation on top of his titanic ego. He made a swift turn to face the river dweller, paying a bit more attention to him after his bold remark.

"Why, you wouldn't be where you are now without the likes of me. I'd hope you haven't forgotten, little lizard."

Some nerve the oversized frog had, but what his clever words had a way with beings that just made them cooperate with him, whether they want to not.

"Let's just get this over with. What do you want? A sun destroyed? A new planet to toy with maybe?"

"Nothing on such a large scale my friend. And nothing that I desire either. It's… A gift, persay."

"You've captured another fool into the palm of your hands, and you want me to help. You never change, demon."

As much as he hated the reptilian devil, the galactic artist couldn't deny his joy in seeing the braindead victims of Tahm's make-a-wish foundation after they had realized the reptile for what he truly was.

"Now now, don't underestimate these hands, lizard. They're used for helping too, I hope you're aware. This is no little scam. It's the awakening of being so evil, he'll surpass even the devil himself."

Tahm Kench tipped his hat, as if to recognize the man whose work he takes after.

"For him, I want somethin' that'll turn a weak little fella strong."

"What do I look like to you, a blacksmith? I don't know where you got the idea that I craft weaponry."

"Ah, but it can only be you, for there's only one type of magic that could match his heart."

"You couldn't be suggesting…"

"I reckon it'll be a perfect fit for him. Hell, I don't think anybody would be so fitting to be my disciple."

The thought of a weak, helpless earthling wielding a weapon so dark intrigued the dragon. In most cases, this would be a swift 'no' following by laughter, however Tahm Kench was no sucker to children. If he sought to help somebody, they were the real deal.

"Hmm, interesting. I'll help you… Only because I think that somebody worthy of beholding dark matter qualifies as an... Interesting person. Well, not as much as I, of course."

The dragon who went by the name of Aurelion Sol was no ordinary being. He could create galaxies with the snap of his finger. Nebulas were a boring sight to him. And Veigar? Well, a mortal wielding the power of dark matter was an interesting twist. For only one with true darkness in their heart can control it without it taking over their soul.

"Here's a small gem. As the centerpiece of a staff, it's wielder will erase planets at the flick of his wrist. Quite impressive, don't you say?"

The crystal was forged from thin air before Tahm's eyes, much like Aurelion Sol did with solar systems in his everyday life. He wasn't amused by this piece of glass, however. In fact, the devilish frog quickly crushed it in the palm of his hand. The small bits flew into the air, before quickly imploding in on themselves and creating a bite-sized black hole that sucked itself in an disappeared. For the average being, something would have been a priceless sight, but Tahm's face showed only discontent.

"Seems you know less about me that I thought. I less than rarely accept unsatisfactory work, boy. I really hope you don't intend to sell me short."

Tahm's smooth croak turned heavy, and his voice suddenly fell into a deadly tone. It even made the creator of galaxies shiver, with his ego ever so slightly deflating. In reality, Aurelion Sol was afraid. Afraid That if this earth being was as Tahm said, then he could possibly overpower the dragon in dark matter. Not to mention, he would become one of very few dark matter users in existence. Giving Tahm the core piece of a staff with only a small fraction of the power that dark matter could demonstrate would keep his superiority absolute.

"It will take time to teach him how to use it, but I'll do it. You'd better be thankful that somebody like me would take time to tend to your needs."

"That attitude is quite a bit more pleasing. I may not look it, but thankful I am. Nobody else is as great as you when it comes to the bigger picture, after all."

"Could you leave now? Like I said, I have responsibilities to tend to that a demon wouldn't understand."

"Sure thing, lizard. I'll be back later with the little guy. Take mighty good care of 'em for me."

"If you're trusting me with a child, then you're leaving him subject to my teachings, not yours."

"No, you're right. We ain't no elderly couple. I'll leave him to you. Much obliged."

Tahm backed out of the scene unnoticed, however not without the expectation of Aurelion Sol to do so. They were long time acquaintances after all, whether he liked it or not. The dragon looked around to make sure he really was gone, then continued his galactic sorcery. This little meeting had already left him behind schedule.


Act 5

Manifesting the darkness in your heart


"You think magic is mysterious? Ugh, you're just like all of the other lifeforms on this planet. Naive, and too easily awed."

"Well what else would it be?"

"Obviously any explanation I give you would be beyond your comprehension. Just remember that it's not so special. That advice will help you in your magic training too."

"Anything to make me stronger. I wish to see this world fall onto it's knees for me."

"You know, I hope you wouldn't mind if I were to ask for a favor from you, in exchange for all of this priceless knowledge and power you'll be receiving from me."

"A favor?"

"No, no. Nevermind. I shouldn't dare ask of something like that. It's not like you're soon to be granted the powers of a god by me, or anything like that."

"What's do you wish?"

"Make sure that by the end of your conquest for world domination, you see to it that Mount Targon crumbles. It would save me a large quantity of time and effort that I don't wish to expend."

"Destroying a whole mountain? Would my power alone really be capable of that?"

"Oh, my child, the destruction of mountains is a mere grain of sand compared to the absolute power you'll be withholding by the time all is said and done."

Veigar was astonished. This power, this… Magic Ability. Dark matter, something of sci-fi novels and fantasy, only talked about in terms of reality between exchanges of rumor. Magic that when honed correctly held near infinite power. Was it possible for somebody of his own size and physique to wield power so destructive and intriguing? However, when you've seen as many things as the little fur ball had witnessed over his short lifetime, nothing really seemed that out of the ordinary anymore.

"When will I behold this power?"

"In due time. A staff made to withstand power of this caliber is no easy craft. However while we wait, I must check something. I must know how strong the darkness in your heart lies. Dark magic is a forbidden art, only able to be used by those who have thrown away all happiness for the pursuit of evil and power. Otherwise it will grow unstable, and you will be consumed."

"Consumed? I have already been consumed by madness. There's nothing this magic can do to me that's worse than what I've experienced in my life."

"I feel that after this little experience, you may change your mind about this whole, 'world domination' thing. Well, that's assuming your mind will even survive it." The dragon gave a slight triumphant chuckle. "Give me your dominant hand."

Veigar reached out and touched Aurelion Sol's massive fingers. If he was to be honest, it felt as if his fingertips would just phase straight through the hand of this massive being. Hell, his palm was just about the size of the skin on the dragon's fingertip. There seemed to be this whole universe showing just through the body of Aurelion Sol, like his mere being embodied all of space. He took hold of one of the dragon's fingers, in which point there was a tingling that started to manifest in his palm. However, that was only the start.

Next was his whole hand, tightening up and shaking. However, he didn't let go. Veigar felt dark energy surge into his blood, protruding the veins all over the infected area. His palm and fingers had turned from a visible grey to a pure ink black. Waves of pain started shooting up his arm. It felt like a outside source was trying manifest his whole body just through his arm.

"What… what is this? What's happening to me?"

"The dark energy is taking control of your body. I suggest you let go now, or there may be permanent damage to your forearm. Don't worry, you've done surprisingly well. Most beings would have already perished."

Veigar tried to loosen his grip on Aurelion Sol's finger, but he couldn't… No, that's wrong. He didn't want to. The memories of his months upon months of torturous life beneath the watch of the noxians flooded his mind. The sheer insanity he felt while waiting for somebody to come save him from his suffering. He couldn't quite remember who it was, but… He could remember that they never came. All those years of pain and undeniable agony were flooded throughout Veigar's entire being. He clenched his whole arm to the point where his blood was boiling, and fed his thoughts and feelings straight into the dark matter.

He felt this foreign pain in his body stop. The fur on the back of his hand started to strip little by little, while the pain turned into a feeling of power. His hand turned a deep, gloomy purple, while he squeezed his grip harder. The grip that this little yordle had on the dragon's hand; it started to hurt. He could feel his muscles being slowly crushed by the sheer force and power in Veigar's hold. Then he began to feel a little weaker. The dark matter energy that was being given to Veigar in a slow, steady stream was now being forced out of him in large amounts. He had taken control of the magic in mere minutes. Aurelion Sol quickly tugged away from Veigar, separating the link between the two and stopping the power trade. There was a surging pain up his hand, and he felt drained.

However, Veigar's hand was now hairless and brimming with energy to the point where power was almost radiating off of it. It had become purple and veiny, with a considerable increase in size.

"This… I don't know what this is, but it… speaks to me."

It didn't take pointing out for Veigar to realize that he beheld a forbidden power. The power that flowed through his veins, he felt it. No mortal should ever have been able to bear this feeling. It was pain, but to him it was total power. Nothing was too much when it brought Veigar even another inch towards his goal. And this? This wasn't inches, this was miles.

Aurelion Sol Had a bit of a horrified look on his face. He never could have predicted the scale in which Veigar would be compatible with the energy.

"I don't know if you're aware, but you managed to steal almost a tenth of my dark magic energy. I'm not quite aware how it's possible, but you seemed to have mastered the manifestation of dark magic within minutes."

Veigar looked at his own, now deformed and misshapen hand, and felt its power move throughout his body.

"This… This will make me strong, correct?"

"What you have right now is more than enough to destroy this whole planet with the lift of your finger. Well, of course that's only if you use it correctly, but I don't think you'll have any problem mastering this magic. When your staff is finished, it will contain more than one thousand times the power in that little hand. I honestly couldn't take control of the crystal if I tried. At first, I thought the same about you, but seeing as you just stole a fraction of my dark magic ability with no effort once so ever, the power of a celestial god, I feel you may master even this magic in due time. You'll have complete creative control over the universe. In any normal scenario, there's nobody I would ever trust with that power but myself, however you're lucky enough to have a mentor that would never allow his acquaintances to receive subpar products. Especially somebody of your caliber."

"So you're sharing this power against your will?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. At first maybe… Yes. But now, I reconsider. You remind me of that saying that seemingly 'wise' mortals from your planet always spout, 'Don't let that power into the wrong hands.'"

"Does that make you my obstacle?"

"Well, not an obstacle. More like- an outside watcher. When that phrase comes to mind, it isn't a thorn in my side like most things are. It's… Amusing."

"I guess this means I win't have to kill you?"

"I urge you to try. I mean, it's not like you'll accomplish much without my guidance. And if you want the blood of an interstellar dragon on your hands, then it would do you well to learn more than just dark magic. That's another journey however, as it wasn't part of our deal. A shame it is."

Veigar spent the next several months of his life on a distant wasteland of a planet practicing the dark arts under the wing of a legendary user of the arts. He was able to pick up small tricks and uses quickly, but couldn't quite get his head around the thought of completely controlling it. That was the most basic, yet most important step.

"You don't give up, do you?"

"This isn't for me. It's for the world. Through the ashes of my destruction, a new age will be born. And the prodigy of the age will be me."

"But wouldn't those who survive your onslaught despise your very being?"

"An creator of worlds like you ought to know this, Sol. The ones who write history are the victors."

"Interesting. I knew you had a cunning side to you, but I didn't know that anything existed in that mind of yours except for the hauntings of your past and the voices of the tormented."

"I used to be a proud scholar as a hobby, but much of that knowledge has faded with my past and my memories of fun times. The only joy in my heart comes from the screams of others as I spill their blood."

"Crush the apple first, then talk about spilling blood and world domination."

Veigar took the reminder to return to his training. He didn't have too much time to waste. He had to make unleash his opening act before the world forgot his name. He focused all of his energy into twisting the dark matter scattered across the nearby area into a compressed vortex that would in turn compress the apple into a single point, then letting go, causing it to explode. He held his arm out towards it as if reaching for it, and unleashed his power upon it. The apple suddenly started to swirl up into a small black ball the size of a tick. It then disappeared completely from existence.

"It's impossible, I swear it upon Lulu's good name!"

"Well I've never heard that expression before. Who is this Lulu?"

"Who is… I'm not quite sure exactly."

Veigar was suddenly confused at his own words. This name, not familiar in the least struck some chord in his deformed mind. The endless stream of voices attempting to direct Veigar's every move wobbled. They almost seemed to weaken for a slight moment, and suddenly he was in a bright, sunny field.

Beams of light rained down upon his head, and he felt the warmth and comfort of it on his ears. The light wasn't what welcomed him with open arms, however. It was the shouting of an innocent girl that caught his attention.

"Veigar, I've found you! I was afraid you went off to be a gloomy bookworm again!"

The statement slightly irritated him, but he was happy to hear it anyway. There were footsteps running toward him, but they didn't echo through cold concrete corridors, or slap the ground with a slimy, reptilian composure. They came from small, harmless feet shifting through tallgrass. He heard the voice behind him again. "Veigar, turn around!"

"What do you want, Lulu?"

He didn't know why those words came out of his mouth, but he just felt like they were appropriate. The little yordle shifted his head to look at this mystery girl who just seemed so familiar, but what he saw when turning his head was an exploding apple in the middle of a barren wasteland. The juice had squirt all over his fur, but what was even more of a nuisance was the tears that Veigar only just noticed streaming down his eyes.

"Let's end practice here for the day." Aurelion Sol hadn't quite understood what had happened himself, but as he watched Veigar stand there lifelessly before popping the apple like a balloon, he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to know. The whole night Veigar thought about the weird experience he had. Who was Lulu? Was that the girl that he so longed to see? Was she the one never came to save him? Veigar didn't know, but it was that experience and the exploding apple that gave him a stellar idea for a move against enemies. By the next morning, Veigar had come to a conclusion. He decided that he would set out and learn new abilities through his experiences. He would travel again, however this time in search of both power and knowledge that he didn't possess. He gave the news to Aurelion Sol, and the dragon brought him back to Runeterra.

"Before you go on your journey, I want to give you a little parting gift for all the hard work you've put in."

"That doesn't sound quite like something an arrogant space dragon would do."

"Look mortal, Do you want it or not? I put more effort into this thing than I do with the stars that your people force me to create."

"I'll take it…"

"Good. Besides, this now means you're indebted to me."

Aurelion Sol handed Veigar a large gauntlet. One just big enough to cover his hand.

"A… Gauntlet?"

"No you imbecile. Just shut your mouth and watch."

A bit irritated, Aurelion Sol nudged Veigar's misshapen hand onto a flat surface, then pressed hard into it with his thumb. When he let go, a strange symbol glowed on the the palm of Veigar's hand.

"That couldn't possibly be what I think it is…"

"Oh, but it is."

"How did you obtain this? These powers few even know about, let alone possess."

"Well now you are in possession of one, so use this gauntlet to always keep it hidden. Plus, you might want to cover it up anyway. It ruins your cute fluffy nature."

"This statement highly irritated Veigar, but it irritated him twice as much because he knew that pestering him was the ideal outcome. That wasn't important however, because with an all powerful staff in one hand, and a shiny new gauntlet in the other, Veigar set out to conquer the world he despised so.