Chapter 6

After the encounter with Kindred, Diana's mind seemed more at peace, and Lux wondered what Wolf had told her. She did not dare ask, however. Her shoulder was slowly healing, but the pain often awoke her. She hadn't told the Lunari, as complaining about the pain sounded childish. They walked for days though a large meadow and intended to find a way across the Conqueror's Sea a bit north of Demacia. Lux wanted to avoid the city as much as possible, which perfectly suited the Lunari.

"Have you ever been to the Shadow Isles?" Lux asked one day, as they were resting by a river.

"No, and I would have never thought I would go to such a place. I was told it haunted by the dead, and I'm not even sure any living being has walked those lands."

"Still, you are going over there. Are you not scared? I mean, all the stories I have read talk about a place close to hell."

"Let me tell you something:" Diana snapped her "I would have never agreed to Soraka's request if I had thought it was impossible. The Shadow Isles might be a hazardous place, but I do not believe what myths and legends say." Staring at Lux's staff, she added: "Why did you even bring this thing? You knew it wasn't going to help when you left."

Lux tightened her grip on her weapon before answering "I guess I feel better when it is in my hand. I've already lost my power. I don't want to part with the only piece of myself I have left. How would you feel if your sword were taken from you?"

"I understand your point, but I keep thinking this staff is useless in a fight."

"Of course it is! All that comes out are sparks." To show what she meant, Lux tried to cast a spell. Nothing came out of the staff, not even the slightest spark. Her blood turned ice-cold in her veins. How was it possible? Had she lost her remaining power? The mage felt like the last link bounding her to the person she used to be had broken. He staff was nothing more than a stupid stick. She let out a scream of rage, and tossed her weapon in the water. Diana stood up, probably surprised by the young woman's reaction. "Stop!" Lux said, standing up "Don't say anything. I need to... I don't even know." Her voice was shaking, and she let out a sigh heavy with all the sorrow in the world. She walked away: she needed to be alone for a moment. She had been acting brave in front of the Lunari, but the absence of magic from her staff had filled her heart with a wave of despair. What if there was no way of breaking the curse? She dropped by a small tree, and quietly cried.

When she got back to the camp much later, her head was buzzing, and she followed Diana in a complete silence. The Lunari had picked her staff up from the river and was carrying it. Lux didn't want to look at it. They finally reached the coast. The sun was setting of the sea, coloring the sky with fire. Despite the beauty of the scenery, Lux remained lost in her dark thoughts, ignoring Diana's stares. She wanted to give up. All her motivation had left, and her natural optimism had vanished. Diana seemed to have a plan to cross the sea, and asked Lux to wait in the port of a small town. Two hours later, she came back, a dark look on her face. "I haven't found a single boat to get us to the island," she angrily said "so if you have a plan B, it is time to reveal it."

Lux gave her a dark look before replying "From what I have read, you can't reach the Shadow Isles by boat. There is an underground tunnel leading there, but I don't know where the entrance is. No one does."

"That's not very helpful. You could have told me that before." Diana gently commented.

"Sorry not to have a map of the whole fucking world in my head!" Lux cried out.

Diana stared at her and slowly articulated "I don't blame you, but if you speak to me on this tone again, you will regret it."

"And what will you do? Yell at me until I call you 'mom' and agree to go back to my room? No you won't! I'm sick tired of your attitude and way of treating me like a kid! If you want to help, stop acting like a useless and selfish piece of crap."

In less than half a second, Diana was in front of her. The Lunari slapped her across the face so hard the mage fell on her knees. "I too am tired of your fucking behavior. I chose to help you because I thought you were worth it, but apparently I was wrong. You've been acting worse for the past few days. I have been wasting my time, and I am done now. I'm leaving." She threw Lux's staff on the ground, and grabbing her backpack, strode away. Lux wanted to scream and hit a punching ball. All this time, she had thought Diana and her had become allies, but she was wrong. The Lunari was actually nothing more than a mercenary. She punched the ground and picked up her staff and backpack before standing up. Her temple was still hurting, and when she turned her head, she saw a fisherman gazing at her. "What do you want?" she roared "A ticket to the closest asylum?"

She left the town, not knowing where to go. Was it really worth it? Wasting her time seeking a tunnel that might not even exist? She sat on the wet grass, and took a heavy breath which ended in a moan, as a sharp pain appeared in her chest. She didn't dare move, and waited for the pain to subside. What was wrong with her all of a sudden? Sure she had been tired for the past days, but she was still in great shape. It is only when the pain came back later that day, that she decided to check for any marks on her body. She took off her shirt, and a cold shiver ran trough her spine when she saw a black spot on her chest, right where Fiddlesticks had touched her with his scythe. What was this? Nor Soraka nor Kindred had mentioned this. Lamb's words sprang to her mind: she had talked about a growing shadow. A loud thunder clap startled her. She put her shirt back on, and stood on her shaky legs. She could not let the curse spread! She had to reach the Isles, but how? The tunnel was probably well hidden. She pressed her hand on her heart, as if it could appease the pain. A female voice from beyond the grave echoed in her mind

Come to me, it said follow my voice.

Lux did not even care about whose voice it was and blindingly obeyed. For a whole day she roamed, following the unknown voice to an unknown place. She walked though a large marsh, her legs sinking deep into the water. She glimpsed a lonely tree whose dead trunk was rising above the swamps. When she reached it, Lux was nearly crawling. She was covered in muddy water. Her blond hair had lost its golden tint, and she had dark rings under her eyes.

Put your hand on the trunk, the voice ordered. Too tired to think about what she was doing, Lux put her palm on the tree. The trunk slightly shook, and split in two. She felt like her heart itself was being cut in half, as an excruciating pain took over her whole body. The voice was gone. Everything around her was gone. There was nothing left but darkness. A small light shone in front of her. Lux sprinted towards it, but the light seemed to run away from her. She tripped and fell unconscious.

Note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Reviews are more than welcome, of course.

See you for the next chapter!