.

You can close your eyes to an awful reality,

but not to an awful memory.


Memories of a Willow


Syndra knew long before she had met Zed that ninjas weren't her favourite. They were quite the bossy bunch, she thought, as if their art was most superior. And so, there she was - bossed under the warm sun, waiting for him to come back.

She looked around, bored, cursing at the shadow ninja taking his sweet time. She neatly folded her sleeping bag and gathered all leftover food. She placed the fruits carefully inside the straw backpack they used to carry some essentials, hoping that he won't protest them touching his weapons. The other young ninja, Hagen, appeared to have already left so Syndra sat on the grass and exhaled heavily.

Weak breeze tickled all nature around the sorceress as she rolled on the grass in boredom until she found a comfortable position overlooking the now dead camp fire, examining the salt and paper ashes.

She took a small leftover stick to even out the ashes and lined out the coat of arms of her village. A small bird carrying an even smaller flower in its claws. She used to love looking at the birds jumping up and down around the Big Willow's leaves.

Even in her rage she noticed what had become of Fae'lor. From up above the island seemed completely dead. Not a single green was in sight - as if the land's core was rotten. Where the Willow once flourished stood the fortress she collapsed… and her village - long gone. It made her ponder over all the time she had spent sleeping in that damn pool.

Syndra stiffened in an odd mix of frustration and grief. The Ghost Willow used to be her place. The only place where no one called her a freak… had become her very own prison. The old master she was assigned to once told her that her strong magic frustrated the spirits of Ionia.

In fact, it wasn't just the masters and teachers who used to say something of the sort.

"It is just too much magic for a person alone!" The old man said as he gently pulled on his beard. "I am not sure as to how I can help. I have not dealt with magic of such essence before."

"Please, master Ysai! You have to take her in! She is devastating the village, she can't control it on her own!" Her mother begged.

"She can't control it because it's constantly growing I assume… Have you taken the girl to an elder?" He questioned.

"We can't afford to travel that far… we can't afford to pay for the damage she does either! You have to take her!"

"If her magic keeps growing, the child will die, a human is not an endless vessel. She is cursed! I'm afraid there is nothing I can do."

"Mom!" The silver-haired girl hid behind her mother,

Her mother pulled her away to the front. "Look at her! She will get upset and ruin something again! What am I to do? Our family is simple, we can't deal with her!"

The old man looked at the girl again, contemplating. "There is this mage I know, an old master… I believe he might be able to help." He pulled the girl's forearm towards him. "I'll take her to him first thing tomorrow."

The girl pulled away from him and threw herself in to her mother's skirts. "Mother! Please no! I'll be good, I promise!" She pulled on her skirts as the old man dragged her away.

"Go with him! It's better that way!" She replied, pushing her daughter's hands away.

A muffed thud separated Syndra from her memories.

She quickly stood up, glaring towards the sound. The shadow master was quite clear about her not using magic in the open… at least that was their agreement. She had to rely on him when it came to unwanted company, but he didn't mention anything about when he isn't with her. She felt the air for her magic, summoning a stark orb on top her palm. She swallowed nervously, hoping this won't backfire.

The bush shuffled quietly interrupting her semi-confident steps until a victorious squirrel ran out, carrying a large walnut. "Oh… you stupid thing…" The mage exhaled heavily in relief. She took a moment to calm her racing heart and threw the dark orb towards the little animal. Being alone in the middle of nowhere started to get to her.

"And that ninja…" She had been waiting far too long, according to her book anyway. She looked behind her back contemplating if it was a good idea to leave their camp unattended. A frustrated sign later, she walked towards the nearby waterway.


"Venn, what the heck! What did I tell you about shooting peasants?!" The vastayan girl signed worried at the sight of yet another unconscious person today.

"Hey, Xan said that if I see someone suspicious - I get to knock them out, okay?" Her companion argued.

Rayak jumped off the tree they were hiding in. Venn had yet again sedated a random traveller. She walked towards the unconscious man, making sure to sound as annoyed as possible. "I can already hear Xan talking about this all evening! You know, Venn, I hate being in your team! Do you honestly think that a simple peasant would know absolutely anything about mages? Or even how to recognize them? When we go back I'm asking to be moved, I am tired of wasting my healing waters for your sedation kink!"

"Okay, okay…" Venn barely replied without bursting a laugh. He enjoyed irritating Rayak.

The young girl kneeled next to the unconscious man, examining him carefully. "Really, Venn!? You shot him in the neck?!This will take fo…"

"What is this again?" A deep voice interrupted the girl's protests. A tall figure dropped off another nearby tree.

"Well… he did it again!" Rayak nearly yelled in reply.

Venn scratched the back of his neck awkwardly "He has a weird aura…"

"Lots of people have weird auras, dummy!" She squeezed between her teeth.

"Okay, okay… stop it you two." Xan kneeled on the stranger's side. He tilted the man's head memorizing his features. He lifted up his sleeves and shirt to examine his scarred body. "He looks like a soldier, perhaps."

"Explains the scars. Doesn't justify why this dumb-dumb knocked him out for days to come!" Rayak replied, as she probed her small healing flask.

"Doesn't explain his aura, you mean!" He argued back, almost mockingly.

Xan signed in annoyance "Can you two just shut up for once?" To which Rayak and Vann looked at each other disapprovingly. "Maybe he fought the Noxians... they do weird things to people and it could have fucked his aura. For all we know…" His sentence was interrupted from a tickle in his ear - a faint sound in the distance.

Vann picked up the new scent with his nose and looked at Xan, expecting an order. "Someone is coming…" He whispered and sniffed the air again. "…a human."

They listened for a few seconds, making sure the person was indeed walking towards them. A commanding nod later, the three groupmates quickly climbed up on a couple of thick branches. "No shooting this time!" Rayak pressed her words at Vann, who only stuck his tongue out in response.

A couple of minutes later, a young peasant woman approached. Vann's eyebrows met as he frowned from the radiating negative feelings from her. He briefly glared warningly at Xan and Rayak, for they did not possess the same abilities as him.

"Zed!" The woman exclaimed loudly, when she noticed the lying man. Her long white hair moved with her body as she ran by his side. Her gloomy feelings didn't seem to be replaced by concern but instead, only merely weakened. "Zed! Can you hear me?!" She tried to shake the man awake.

"Guys…" Rayak began with voice full of concern.

"I don't think we should get involved further, Rayak." Vann warned.

"You're very convinced for someone who did this! What if he's her lightheart? Who knows for how long you knocked him out for!?"

"You two stop it!" Xan scolded them for the thousand time. "Vann?" He questioned with a nod towards the newcomer, to which Vann replied with a slow headshake. He didn't seem convinced about the two humans but before Xan voiced his observations, Rayak signed in annoyance and jumped back on the ground.

"Rayak!"

She looked at him angrily for a moment as she approached the young woman. Both men looked at each other knowingly, before climbing off the tree.

"Uh… hello?" Rayak broke the silence hesitantly. The white haired woman jumped in surprise and turned towards her, eyes wide. She slowly leaned back as if to shield the man behind her.

"What…Who are you?" The woman revealed her teeth slightly in a mixture of anger and wonder. "Leave."

"I can help him." Rayak slowly approached her. "My name is Ryak. I'm here with my friends Xan and Vann." She turned around expecting for them to show up behind her, which they did with faces that questioned her sanity. "We are from the Sodjoko vastaya tribe."

"Why are you here? Sodjoko is far east." The woman questioned, seemingly displeased with their encounter.

"Yes… um we are working here and… see my friend sedated your friend by accident…" She explained with new found confidence.

"By accident?" The woman confronted her words coldly.

"Heh… well… it happens." She lightly laughed on top of her nervousness. She looked back at her groupmates, who only raised their shoulders in response. They wouldn't be helping her explain, she thought, exhaling in defeat.

She turned back to the human "He won't wake up soon unless I treat him." The woman raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "We will help you take him to your residence." The vastayan quickly added, hoping to get on her good side.

The white haired woman looked at all three of them carefully, contemplating something in her mind for a while. "What are you working as?" She asked, ever so coldly, narrowing her eyes.

Rayak looked back at her mates for approval before answering. "We are patrolling… you know… just making sure that the mage who escaped isn't troublesome. Surely you've heard about what happened at Fae'lor."

The woman narrowed her eyes further before replying. "Sure."

"So… umm, let us help you, you can't carry someone twice as big as you." Rayak turned back towards her teammates, smiling at Vann. "He can carry him for you!" She tapped his shoulder smiling devilishly at him, knowing how much Vann hated physical activities.

The woman signed in disbelief "I can do it…" her eyes widened suddenly and looked at them blankly. "Fine. Carry him for me." She stood up and looked at the unconscious man, as quickly as she changed her mind.

"I can't carry him on my own." Vann protested and looked at Xan hopefully. His older mate rolled his eyes and mouthed 'fine'. Rayak's compassion could be so uncomfortable sometimes.


It wasn't until they reached the camp when Syndra allowed herself to think over an unconscious Zed and three vastayans, who were allegedly after her. The grumpy ninja wasn't overstating his concerns after all.

The two men carefully placed Zed on top of a sleeping bag and shared a concerned look. The girl called Rayak was quick to attend him, as Syndra sat down a bit further, without letting the girl's doings off her sight. It took her a good while to mend her magic, as her companions sat closer to Syndra in an attempt to make a conversation.

"So, what do they call you?" The taller one asked hesitantly.

"Chio." The mage looked at him with the most displeased face she could pull off. She had encountered vastayans only twice before. The first time was when she was a child - at a temple she had been send to. The second time was when she opened her eyes within the glowing blue waters. She wasn't sure what to think of those standing before her now, but the fact that they were out to hunt for her was more than enough to choose a stance.

"Oh... that's an unusual name, where about are you from?" The shorter one asked curiously. Syndra eyed at him for a moment as she licked her lips thoughtfully and slid her gaze towards the other man.

"Where is our water flask?" She changed the topic in response.

Both men looked at each other. "I guess we missed it."

"It's for our travel." Syndra kept her cool mask on, as her best attempt to try and get the two off her case. In her mind, they were not to be trusted, even if they did not know who she really was.

"Ugh, for God's sake Vann, just go and bring it back, least you could do after doing this to her mate!" Rayak raised her voice interrupting the stiff interaction. Syndra smirked smugly towards the girl. She wouldn't even have to try.

"We wouldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for you anyway Rayak!"

"Vann, just…" the taller man pushed his back lightly, "I'll come with you, let's go... just go."

The man kept protesting while they walked away, as the mage eyed their backs.

Syndra looked at Rayak standing over Zed. Her red feathers were shining under the warm sun, lightly reflecting the glowing blue waters she mended. Her hair was up in a braided bun just like the vastayan inside her chamber. The memory frustrated her more than she would like to admit. The bird-lady, ready to stab her in her sleep was deeply engraved in her mind.

The low burning anger tickled her chest lightly. The more she looked at the girl, the greater the irritating tickle was. For a moment, Syndra lost herself in her newly made memories.

"Well I think I'm done." Rayak spoke and prepared to gather her magic waters. "You know, Vann does that a lot! Only this weak I had to treat like six others he knocked out by accident! I always tell him he has to be more thoughtful before…" Briefly, the mage submitted herself to the scorching feeling Rayak's voice ignited. Faint light burned the side of Syndra's cheeks as it dripped off her eyes. You're either the hunter or the pray. She tried to keep her anger at bay with no effect.

Syndra stood off her seat and inhaled the air for her magic for the second time today. The air filled her lungs, as couple of dark orbs appeared near her.

"…I think, maybe, we should escort you to a safer zone until sundown... really it's the least…" Rayak's voice trembled and disappeared when her gaze found the horrific sight of Syndra's eyes filled with liquid light staring back.

"What…" But before she could finish wording herself, she had to jump on her feet dodging a dark orb thrown at her. She looked around quickly for a place to run or hide, but was interrupted by yet another orb. "You are the sorceress!" The girl's increasing panic pleased the mage more than she would ever like to admit. Her mother never allowed her to play with her food. The little game was as exciting as breaking a home rule for the first time.

Syndra smiled faintly - she was so eager to feel that warm joy she felt after ending those insignificant guards. She threw another orb at her, slightly off target to watch the girl struggle. Rayak was quick on her feet and managed to pull out a dagger off her belt. She dodged a couple more orbs and as she avoided another one with a high jump, she threw the dagger towards Zed.

The dagger sank in to Zed's abdomen, causing his warm blood to spill down his side. Shocked by the girl's poise, Syndea lifted herself off the ground and with a vicious scream, tens of her dark orbs found their way towards the vastayan. Rayak's eyes widened in fear with the realisation that she couldn't escape the attack. The orbs went through her; paling her skin and leaving her face empty as life left her. She wobbled for a short moment and dropped face down with a muffed thud.


Syndra sat back on the soft grass drunk with the warm intoxication from killing the vastayan. If it meant feeling like this all the time she could end all of Ionia. She enjoyed the initial thrill for a while, until she remembered that a wounded Zed was lying around. She crawled next to him and unsuccessfully examined his wound. She had no idea how to deal with it, aside from cleaning it and hoping for the best. She carefully pulled the dagger out and frantically threw it to the side as blood started pouring out uncontrollably. As genuine panic replaced the heinous bliss, she pressed the wound with her hands and looked towards his backpack, hoping that there was a first aid kit hiding somewhere inside.

"I'm telling you, I do hope she asks for a new team. I'm tired of her rash decisions wasting our time!" Syndra's eyes widened with even greater panic, as the voices of Rayak's companions broke through the summer breeze. They wouldn't help her with their friend dead on the side and the longer she fought them, the longer would Zed bleed.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed under her nose. She looked at Rayak and back the bleeding wound. She lifted the girl's body up on to a few branches with magic, as she reached for her folded sleeping bag with one leg. She quickly pulled out her sheer dress and fastened it around Zed's torso, as the vastayans' steps became clear on her ears. Even if she hid the mess they would figure everything fast. She knew of the vastayans' enhanced human senses. She took a deep breath and summoned a few orbs around her.

"Or, I have a better idea – ask her on a date already!" His friend replied laughing.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Vann asked curiously, when they neared enough.

As her eyes burned with liquid magic, she thought that perhaps her mother was right – she was just a monster who can't control herself. But did she have a choice now? She submitted to her desires - murdering the girl and now… the only way out was to rid of her comrades too. Zed is the one who understands, right? She tried convincing herself that killing them is protecting him too, not only herself. Without him, she had nowhere to go. All were out hunting for her like an animal. If she doesn't kill them first they will kill her instead.

She faced them with radiating eyes. Their surprise didn't last a moment, as Rayak's body hastily flew over them. Syndra chuckled in amusement and unleashed her magic for a quick end.

.


what-a-wannabe, thank you for being such a dedicated reader already! This chapter is a tad longer…well, actually twice as long compared to the rest. I left it that way as a 'thank you', for you and everyone else who is following my scrabbles so closely!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone!