I do not own any part of League of Legends. This work is written purely for recreational purposes. League of Legends is property of Riot Games.
Yes, I will continue Secrets of the Xer'Sai, but updates will be sporadic.
"Question Song" is from the Dragonriders of Pern, created by the late Anne McCaffrey and owned by her son, Todd.
Devon Castel awoke back in his room.
Wait... How did I get here? What happened back there?
He struggled to recall the events from before he lost consciousness.
A portal opened through glass-
Images flashed through his mind as if they were not his own memories. Disorientation set in.
His own outstretched hand-
A glistening blue carapace-
He slowly rearranged the pictures into an orderly, chronologic progression.
A town swallowed in darkness-
Feet sinking into the sand-
A splitting headache-
But some memories did not fit.
Sand and bedrock alike crumbling beneath powerful claws-
Echoing calls dissipating through the earth-
Resonating in chorus with other creatures to create a haunting, mournful tune-
"Gone away, gone ahead, Echoes roll unansweréd..."
A chill went down his spine, despite the thick blanket covering him.
"Empty, open, dusty, dead."
The next memory was more cohesive than the others.
Rek'Sai awoke in a chamber of impenetrable stone. She felt the presence of her people in the room, all unconscious. Xer'Sai, she thought. And I am their Queen. She felt the stone beneath her vibrate slightly. Something was approaching, but it was outside the chamber, which she realized was a cell to contain the Xer'Sai.
A stone rolled away. A large creature appeared in the new opening.
"Ah, Rek'Sai. You are already awake. Good. We have much to discuss." The creature never introduced itself, instead telling her to merely think her replies to its words.
It went on to explain that they were in the Void, a dark dimension parallel to Runeterra. The inhabitants of the Void were envious of the fertility of the other world and sought to merge it with theirs. The Xer'Sai, similar in appearance to most Void creatures, had been recruited from their desert home to be warriors in the Void's army.
The Xer'Sai, now awake, gladly agreed to participate. The humans, they thought, did not deserve the splendor of Runeterra. Not when they were constantly fighting over petty matters. To the humans, war was a struggle between pride and life. The coming of the Void would end the suffering and strife that plagued the natural beauty of Runeterra.
Rek'Sai herself felt conflicted. Runeterra had abandoned her people long ago, true, but a part of her was loathe to fight. But not for just any reason.
She didn't want to dirty her claws with human blood.
Devon sat up with a start. Somehow, he knew that memory was not one he was meant to see. It revealed so much about the Void's intentions.
He suddenly found at his throat a blade, shimmering with dark energy.
"You will not speak of what you have learned..." an ominous voice rasped from his bedside. Malzahar.
Devon was too afraid to speak. He knew the Prophet was wholeheartedly dedicated to the Void's cause with a fanatic zeal. Malzahar would not hesitate to kill him.
He remained quiet while the hovering Shuriman seemed to contemplate something. "I believe," continued the Prophet, "that this situation requires direct interference."
The glow of the knife intensified for a brief second before pain erupted in Devon's chest. He could see a shadowy aura seep into his body from all corners of his room. "What... are you doing to me?" he croaked.
As abruptly as it began, the strange magic ended. "A piece of the Void now resides in you," Malzahar said. "It will not allow you to tell a single soul of our purpose. And it will whisper to you of what we want you to do."
Devon's heart sank at this news, even as Malzahar began to laugh, a throaty sound that spoke of coming doom.
"That's right, Devon Castel. You belong to the Void, now and forever..."
There's a quote in here, other than the song, from one of my favorite animes.
