Chapter Two

"Friendship"

Vestos woke up early that morning. He had to go shopping for clothes. Even though he planned on running around the city at night in a mask and suit, he wanted to be able to live a normal life outside of that. He grabbed some cash and walked outside. He had been to Demacia a long time ago, so he knew the layout of the land. He went to the nearest mall and began to look for clothes to wear. He didn't want anything special, just some generic clothes. He walked around the street, and saw a lot of people whispering to each other. He didn't get to hear much, but he heard a few things about a mask. It seemed like word had gotten out about him, which was good and bad. It was good because now he has a bit of a reputation, and probably a good one since he saved Lux, who is a very important figure in Demacia. However, this meant that being stealthy was going to be harder. He'd still have opportunities to slip through the night, but he'd have to be much, much more discreet. He pondered how he was going to do this as he walked into the mall. He didn't really need anything besides clothes, but he had never actually been to a mall before. He walked around aimlessly for a few minutes, until he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking." he said to the girl he bumped into. However, he instantly recognized the long blonde hair, and realized it was Lux. Lux shot her eyes forward as he spoke. He had the same voice as the man in the mask last night, the exact same. Though, as she looked at him, he couldn't recognize his face at all.

"N-No, it's okay... " she responded, completely skeptical of his voice. "Hey, I don't think I recognize you. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I just moved in last night." Vestos kept his calm, he didn't want his identity revealed, but he thought Lux was catching on already. And he was right, Lux was extremely interested in Suken, which meant that she was interested in someone who sounds exactly the same. It couldn't be just a coincidence, it had to be more. At least, that's what she thought. "Sorry, I'm in a bit of a rush to get on with shopping. Excuse me." Vestos began to walk away. Lux turned and opened her mouth, but she couldn't find anything to say. Instead she walked away and left the mall, not even remembering why she was these in the first place. She got outside and took her phone out and began to call someone. After a few seconds, someone picked up.

"Lux?"

"Garen, do you know if anyone has moved into Demacia recently?" She needed information on him, so far she didn't even have a name.

"Why are you asking? Did something happen? Are you hurt?!"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Nevermind why I'm asking, just give me info."

"There has been only one person who recently moved in, just last night actually, but…"

"But…?"

"There are no records of him, anywhere. No arrests, no parking tickets, no schooling… it's like he doesn't exist. The only thing we have on him is the name he gave us, Vestos Otil."

"What?! But… how is that even possible?" Lux was beyond confused now. How could someone not exist, when you can see them with your own two eyes?"

"Look, Lux. I would stay away from him. If he has no record, then for all we know he has no morals either."

"...Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you later, Garen." Lux hung up on her brother and looked behind her. She looked through the crowd of people for that dark red shade of hair he had. She looked and looked, and eventually she saw him. He was holding a bag in his hand, full of… something. Clothes, maybe. She ran through the crowd and eventually got closer to him. "Hey! Wait up!" She was a decent runner due to military training at a young age- or at least, she used to be. She had fallen out of practice. After some more running, she eventually caught up to him. He turned around and looked down at her as she held her knees and panted.

"Uh… is there something you need, miss?"

"What? OH! Yes, sorry, just give me a minute, I haven't run in a while." Vestos chuckled. He wrapped an arm around Lux and brought her to the wall so she could lean on it and catch her breath. He leaned next to her and waited.

"So, once you catch your breath, what exactly is it you needed?"

Lux finished catching her breath after a few more seconds and began to speak. "You said that you're new here, right?"

"Yeah, I just moved in last night. Why?"

"I'm just curious… why did you choose Demacia?" Vestos sighed, softly.

"Well… all of the other city states just seem so… corrupted, you know? This place seems a lot better than the rest, so I chose here."

"Well, I'm glad to meet you! My name is Lux, by the way." Lux held her hand out towards him.

"Vestos. A pleasure to meet you." Vestos put his hand out and shook her's. Vestos was certain she was on to him. He had a choice here. He could he friendly to her, and potentially even make an ally… or he could be an asshole and walk away. To him, it was a very hard choice. He wanted the best- not only for him- but for everyone else, too. That's why he was doing what he's doing. But maybe… doing the right thing and being an asshole at the same time wasn't necessary. While a million things ran through his mind, a million more things ran through Lux's. She knew it was a bad idea to be friendly with him, but she couldn't help herself. She wasn't generally allowed to talk to many people due to her overprotective brother and parents, but she felt a sense of freedom around him. He felt like the kind of person who was doing everything he wanted to- and then some.

Disrupting both of their thoughts, Lux's phone suddenly rang. She took it out of her pocket and saw it was Garen. "Ugh… stupid brother. I'm sorry, I have to take this. Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? I should be free, yeah. Where do you wanna meet?"

"How about we meet here? We can go wherever after that!" Suddenly there was a glow in Lux's eyes. A glow of pure happiness. A happiness she had never felt before.

Adorable.

"I'll be here." Lux smiled at him, and he smiled back. Lux turned away and picked up her phone. Vestos turned around and walked the other way.

"Lux, I want you off the street. NOW."

"Garen, what? Did something happen?"

"There's some guy here, a thug. He's saying he got beaten senseless last night by some freak in a red mask." Lux's heart skipped a beat. That must have been the thug from last night. She thought she should keep the fact that she saw Suken a secret, at least for now. Her family would go crazy if they found out.

"Okay, I'm on my way home."

Meanwhile

Vestos was on his way home, when suddenly he heard a loud siren. He looked around and saw people with mega phones everywhere. "Everyone, evacuate the area! There's a criminal on the loose!" The people on the street went into complete pandemonium when they heard this. Screams of complete terror. Vestos ran through the crowd and got into the nearest alleyway. He ran to the end and looked back, nobody was following him. He needed a good idea of what was happening. He kicked his way up the walls the way he did last night and got to the rooftop. He peeked his head over the corners, and saw everyone running in one general direction. He started to hop roofs and run into the opposite direction, to try and find what they were running away from. As he was running, he looked down and noticed a lack of any Demacian officials. No police, no royal guards… nothing. Odd, to say the very least. If someone broke out of prison, they should have people roaming the streets looking for them. The thought of this being bait crossed his mind, but he couldn't risk it not being bait. As he kept hopping houses, he ended up at his own. He got inside and quickly changed out of his clothes and into his suit. He grabbed his mask and put it on. Before leaving, he picked up his blade and sheath. He didn't really like to use it at all, but if it was a criminal who broke out, then he had no choice but to bring it with him. Thanks to the blade's magical properties, he knew it'd come in handy. He got back onto the roof and started hopping roofs even faster. After a few more roofs, he found where the action was coming from.

"Keep it coming, boys! We need to keep going until we get that masked freak's attention! He'll pay for what he's done to our man!" There he was, a man standing in front of 4 others. A gang leader of some sort, and he was angry at the masked man for taking down the thug, from what he could tell. He knew it was legit now, but there were still no Demacian officials. Was this really so unimportant to them?

"Boss! Look at who we're got here!" Another supposed gang member came out, holding someone by the arm. He threw the person on the floor, and Vestos felt his heart skip a beat.

"Well, well! If it isn't Luxanna Crownguard herself! You've got some nerve showing up here, girl." The man walked over and grabbed Lux by the shoulder.

"Let go of me!" Lux cried out, but the man simply laughed in her face. He couldn't let Lux get hurt. He jumped down from the rooftop and stared them down.

"I'd listen to the girl, unless you want to end up like your friend."