Falling Apart

Chapter 7

Time went on, and with each day, Veigar learned something new, he became stronger. He could feel it. Soon, perhaps, he should test his growth. It has been a while now since he had last seen the night sky. His powers, drawn from the cosmos, from creation and destruction, functioned especially well beneath the night sky. It was as if the stars grew that much brighter when he was present. He could feel the dark powers running through his veins, and he did not doubt that they too, the stars above, could feel him within as well.

It was years and years ago, perhaps so long ago that you could consider it a different lifetime, when he crawled his way out of that cell and found himself across the land and sea. He found them, magicians of the dark arts, and he begged them for their wisdom. "The power of creation and destruction is one that is too great for any man, one that not many should learn, let alone can." He didn't care. He forced himself to learn, twisting his body, deforming him even more, fusing darkness within his skin until it seared his fur black. They had refused him many times, but he always came back. He had nowhere to go.

Was he ready for such a weight, such power? He did not know. Creation, destruction, they meant little to him, for all he wanted was power, power to achieve what he had set out to accomplish. All war would cease, all factions will crumble, the world will stop with its pitiable issues and all of Valoran, which is so divided amongst its many inhabitants, shall unite as one beneath his foot. When he came to them, he was already something less than man or yordle, he was broken, he had nothing, and so, he had no obstacles. His body, already tortured and maimed became forfeit to what he did to himself, and what little of the person who Veigar once was died when he bloodied his hands in his escape. The real Veigar died in that hell, he knew.

But that mattered little to him. The old Veigar was weak, and now, HE was Veigar.

His ears twitched beneath his cap. It seems that he would have a sooner opportunity to display his power than first anticipated. He was being summoned. He closed his eyes, the yellow glow the only light of the room disappeared, and he was in darkness. But when he opened his eyes, he was not within his chambers, but rather, upon the summoning platform of Summoner's Rift. He winced at first, the light of the sun catching his eye. He tipped his cap lower and pulled up his collar more, keeping his eyes within the darkness. His hand tightened around his staff.

"V-Veigar!?"

He heard her, but he did his best to not turn to her, but that mattered not when all she had to do was step before him. Her long purple hair reached to the ground and her emerald eyes went as big as saucers as she looked at him. "It is you!" She clenched her own staff with small hands, not as he did, but rather, out of nervousness.

"I-"

He pushed past her, making her stumble back as he descended the steps of the platform. She would have fallen down those same steps had it not been for a firm hand on her should that helped steady her. Lulu turned to see Tristana. She had a disappointing look on her face, mixed with slight pity. "Lulu, who do you even bother with him?"

"I…I just want to be with him…" Lulu looked down, fidgeting. She raised her eyes to look down the platform, down midlane where she could see Veigar's midnight blue robes flow behind him. She felt her chest tighten. Was it so wrong that she yearned to be by his side?

"What, do you love him or something?"

Lulu pivoted swiftly, her eyes even wider than before, clutching her staff close to her chest. "No!" she replied, and yet, a blush crept upon her cheeks. "I…" She didn't know. She turned once again to midlane. It was a solo lane, and so, there was just him, far off. How long had he been there? How long had he been walking that solitary road of his?

Tristana sighed, patting Lulu on her shoulder, much to her surprise. "Well, keep your head in the match, alright? I am going to need you in lane and help me get to my late game, alright?" Lulu nodded solemnly. "And," Tristana continued, "if you want my advice. You should stay away from Veigar. He's nothing but trouble.

Lulu and Tristana started on towards the bottom lane.

Veigar stood beside his outer tower, rubbing his cramped legs. It was hard enough to be a yordle what with the short legs, but it was even worse when you do little with them. He was not used to walking much since he would spend most of his times in scrolls and tomes, learning and plotting. And, more recently, listening, although, that was unintentional.

Before today, he had thought he had seen the last of the yordle known as Lulu, and yet, even after that encounter, she still came back to his room every day. She would knock lightly on his door, as she would do before, and with a light and tentative voice, speak to him through the door, telling him of her day. How long had it been since he told her to left? Days? Weeks? A month? The darkness knows not of time, he found, and he didn't care enough to count her visits. But after a while, her stories of how her day went had been replaced with stories of herself and her past.

She was carefree, always bubbly, the ideal yordle. But she became filled with lament, she had run away from home, went somewhere whimsical, only to find that she could not return home. She found herself alone in a new world with only a fae as her only friend, the same fae that lured her away from home so long ago.

He didn't care. He didn't want to hear her, but, there was nothing else to listen to but silence. Her words fell upon his ear, and, he didn't bother to tell her to leave once again. He had already told her, there was no reason why she would listen now, he knew, so he had hoped that if he had ignored her, she would tire and leave him to himself. But that did not happen. She could hear her cry on the opposite side of the door, telling him of how Pix, her fae, had left her. She had changed. She wasn't the yordle she once was, apparently. She become "not fun", so, Pix left. She would tell him how she was weak, how she relied on Pix too much, and now, she was alone, but, she would be stronger. Her shields were weaker now without Pix to help and she could only cast one glitterlance at a time rather than in tandem.

Veigar shook his head. He didn't care about her, why would he think of her? She was an annoyance.

The minions marched into lane, going at it with the enemy's own push of the mindless drones. It appears that he would be laning opposite Orianna. That mattered little to him, however, for he was not weak and pathetic as Lulu, for he was strong. No one would be able to stand against him. He flicked his staff at each of the enemy minions, a baleful strike erupting at each of his marks, obliterating the targets. With each he slew, he could feel himself getting stronger. The magic was infused within him. He needed no spells or incantations to draw out his power.

As the Lady of Clockwork tried to harass him with her ball, Veigar simply took the hit and returned one much stronger, and as each of her minions fell, his hits become more and more threatening. She could not afford to so much as attempt to damage him. She took one step too close, and Veigar's yellow eyes darted from minion to champion, a baleful strike was launched at Orianna, and although she had used her shield, his damage shattered it, chunking her down. He felt his cheeks rise beneath his obscurities as he felt a mad and devilish grin spread across his lips. Yes, he was enjoying this.

And now, it was time.