The fortress, a dark and looming monastery once home to native Ionians wishing to develop their magical affinity, levitated steadily in the silent midnight sky. The stars cast their glow on the spiraling towers that seemed to aim for the heavens, a feature the people of Ionia were very proud of accomplishing. It took many decades of building on such a grand scale; never had it been attempted.

The architects who designed it wanted it to represent the never-ending possibilities with magic. Thus the towering citadels and huge domed center to house practitioners of the arcane.

Never would they think one woman could destroy all that in a single night.

The once lush gardens that were sculpted around the monastery itself now lay barren, dead amongst the erupted earth that formed from when the sorcerer ripped the citadel out of its roots. The rivers that flowed through the canals as an irrigation system now poured upwards into the sky, as though the monastery developed its own gravity once it was free from the ground. The same went for the floating debris that littered the space all around the floating structure. Such magic was thought to be a myth; to be able to alter the physics of the world in such a manner was considered impossible. It was the doubt that fueled her.

She stood outside the vestibule, on the second floor of the main domed structure, intently gazing into the night sky. What she loved most was to watch the endless stars float all around her. How they danced to her every night, an endless song the universe itself. She would hum the tune forever, wishing to be a part of something that truly seemed magical to her. Her long, flowing black gown, mimicked after the early Ionian fashion that the ancient war mages used to wear into battle swayed gently in the midnight breeze. The long silver hair clung loosely past her shoulders, wisps gently caught in the wind. Her mother always said she reminded her of her grandmother, an archmage that once lead a battle in which Ionia won.

Floating gently above the ground, she thought the night seemed a bit odd. The sky was deep and clear, as though she could see for miles into the sky. The air was a comfortable temperature, which was odd with winter being around the corner. But there was something bothering her. A slight twitch in the air.

Lifting her head, she looked around in the night time sky, using her aura as a probe to find the imbalance. She slowly poked around, looking for fractured fluxes in the earth that connected to other fluxes all over Runeterra. These ley lines fascinated her; a magic that is as ancient as the world in which she lived in. How she longed to study the primitive magic that was being channeled all around her, but unable to touch it. She thought of possible theories as to why they were intangible. Perhaps the mages of old locked them away from the chance of being abused. Or perhaps it was similar to starting a fire; it only needed a spark to start the flame. But the power needed to unlock the ley magic had to either be more powerful or equal in order to subdue it. That thought always made her shiver with excitement. The thought of two ancient types of magic working together to balance each other out seemed otherworldly.

She put her concentration into the magic, creating tendrils of dark energy that silently slithered in the air. Her eyes closed, she slowly searched for that glitch in the lines. After a while of probing around, she began to think it was just her imagination.

She began to pull away when she felt the twinge again. It was a slight sensation, similar to the feeling of being watched. She could feel the knot somewhere, as if interference occurred. She concentrated harder and searched deeper into sky. When she felt it again, she looked up. Before her in the black of night was what appeared to be a miniature sun off into the distance. It seemed to be traveling at immense speed towards the ground. The meteor was also very bright, which seemed odd for a piece of space rock.

She focused her aura in that direction, determined to see if it was something else. Even before she could concentrate her power towards the meteor, she was met with some invisible force that prevented her from investigating what it was flying through the air. It was like a brick wall between her and the rock.

If that's what it really is she thought to herself.

Trying harder, she locked her eyes on the meteor and with all her might forced her magic onto the flying object.

Before she could even think her next thought the dark tendrils of magic forcing its way past the invisible barrier suddenly burst into a dazzling display of white fire that danced into the sky. It twirled and twisted, making loops and hills over and over. It kept weaving itself together, forming intricate symbols, none of which Syndra knew. The fire then drove straight into the ground, right where Syndra was standing. She tried shielding herself, but the white magic passed right through her own barrier, bursting once it struck her.

The impact knocked her down, dizzying herself. Raggedly breathing, she carefully got back up and looked around before her. The white fire was now a mere sliver of light, gently swaying against the breeze. Angered by the sudden altercation, she raised her hands and clasped them together quickly. The soft light burst into an array of sparks that showered the ground a few feet away.

After regaining her composure and once again levitating steadily off the ground, she looked in the direction of where the meteor was heading.

I'll be damned if I let that go unanswered she exclaimed to herself.

Turning around towards the entrance into the dome, she called out for her servant Jaxon.

"Jaxon! Get my cloak and a fast horse. I have an errand to run."

Jaxon, a muscular military man and personal body guard for the sorceress, quickly bowed and rushed to ready her things. Syndra stood at the doorway for a moment and paused. Not only was she angry, but she couldn't help feeling excited over what just happened.

It's been a long time since someone else's magic overpowered my own. And never that easily she thought to herself.

Turning around, she began her trek to find the meteor from the heavens.