Worlds Apart, Separate Ways Ch. 8

Author's note: You know, something I've always had a trouble with is that I'm very easily attached to fictional characters. All it takes is a pretty face and a cute personality then I'm hooked. That being said, it always pains me when I have to do something bad to one of the characters that I've grown attached to. Be it killing them off, or watching them go through that one scene every animated Disney movie has where the couple breaks up for a bit because of some huge disagreement and Elton John feels the need to play his piano in the background as if it wasn't already sad enough. I'm looking at you Lion King. That being said, I'm glad you guys enjoy my work, and I know some of you either argue to kill Ren or to keep him alive and keep Syndra happy. To both parties all I can say is, wait and see what happens. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please be sure to leave me a review, I do so love getting them.

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I sniffled as I braced myself, another powerful gust of the frigid mountain air chilling me to the bone and stinging my flesh. I could even feel the tears that were running down my cheeks starting to freeze as I tried desperately to continue my way across the mountains, seeking a place for a dirty monster like me to live.

Another blast of wind sent me to the ground as the small suitcase I packed fluttered behind me in the wind. I turned my body, sitting in the snow so that I could hold on to it better, unaware that the latch on its polished leather was beginning to weaken. Once the wind died down, I stood continuing to make my way through the thick snow to find at least a cave that I could stay the night in.

Looking through the flurry of snowflakes that were cascading around me, I managed to see a small dark spot in the distance. Sure enough as I came closer, I could make out the opening of a dark cave that was sheltered from the snow and the wind. I almost couldn't contain the excitement of having found some form of shelter and immediately I raced towards it, just as another gust of wind pulled my suitcase from my grip.

Holding out my hand I grabbed tight to the handle with my magic, but this only served to break the latches that held it shut and causing all of my clothes to blow outward, scattered on the wind and snow onto the mountain's face. As the snow continued to fall, I could feel fresh tears running down my cheeks as I turned back towards the cave, dropping the leather suitcase where it had been hovering only moments ago. It felt as if the entire universe was rejecting my presence and right now I felt the best thing for me to do would be to disappear. Snapping my fingers, I lit an ethereal violet flame that exuded warmth through the cave as I bent my legs up to my chest. Then, slowly but surely, I cried myself to sleep.


Ren grumbled to himself as his hand sought out another hold on the mountain's rocky face near Syndra's floating fortress. He wasn't mad at her, after all how could he blame her for misunderstanding his intentions. He should have been more sensitive to the way she was feeling considering it was the first time she'd ever done anything with a man. Truth be told, if he was to be angry with anyone it would be himself for not foreseeing this beforehand.

As his outstretched fingers curled into another crag he tugged on it and finding it to be safe lifted his leg to the previous hand hold. With a quick kick, he buried the tip of his boot into the stone before shifting his weight and lifting his other half of his body to grab the next safety hold. He couldn't believe he was moving so slowly when every second was another moment that Syndra had to get further away from him.

Of course she hadn't had to climb the damn mountain, she could just float over the stupid thing. Placing his left foot against the cliff with a harsh kick, he tried to shift his weight on to it, only for the thing to crumble beneath his weight, causing him to dangle from the rock, only his right hand and foot securing his presence on the ancient stone.

He tried with little avail to swing himself back so that he could find a new hold, but his movements only served to make him flail about. Just then a harsh wind blew, causing his cloak to ruffle outwards and with the wind's help he was able to make it back to the stone face safely. Clinging on tightly, he waited for the wind to die down before he continued making his way.

What he was doing was incredibly stupid and dangerous; even he could admit that to himself. But he also knew that for Syndra, scaling this mountain was a cheap price to pay in comparison to bringing her home safely.

After what felt like an eternity, he managed to make it to the top of the precipice, using his burning arms to hoist himself over the ledge where he laid in the snow, gasping for breath from the amount of strain he'd just put on his body. He couldn't wait however; the last thing he'd want is for her to get away because he decided to take a breather. He couldn't rest yet, not until he found her.

Rising to his feet, he began slowly wading through the thick snow, ever step he took causing him to sink a foot into the freshly fallen powder. Audible crunches followed him as he braced himself against the fierce wind, looking for any sign of the beautiful woman he'd come to find. Cupping his hands to his mouth he called for her, "SYNDRA!" However, his cries were quickly muffled by the mountain's constant storm.

Holding himself strong, he continued to push forward through the snow. Right now, he was so focused on finding her it would take nothing short of death to stop him from finding her. Squinting, he saw a small dark shape fluttering on the wind as it came towards him before becoming caught on his torso. Peeling the small object from himself he recognized it immediately as Syndra's clothing. He balled it up in his hand, pressing forward as he began to trudge up more articles of clothing, as if it were a trail that would lead him straight to her. "Don't worry Syndra, I'm coming." He whispered knowing he could shout it to the world and she still wouldn't hear him.

As he went further up the mountain, he could feel his finger tips and nose numb from the icy sting, seeking for any sign of Syndra other than the clothes that he'd discovered. A large amount of laundry tucked under his arm his eyes went to the horizon where a small violet light stood out like a beacon in the dimming light of the sunset. He gasped, ecstatic that he finally found her as he began to move quicker towards the source.

Having now found the broken suitcase, he tucked everything inside before holding the leather thing under his arm so that it wouldn't come apart again. Sure enough, in a cave not far from where he stood Syndra sat by a magical fire with her face buried in her legs.

Ren let out a sigh of relief. Syndra was safe. Walking into the cave he softly set down the case next to the wall. He approached her, soft sounds of slumber coming from the young mage. He sat next to her, and noticing the way she shivered he pulled off his thick cloak and draped it over her like a blanket.


My eyes opened slowly as I found myself hovering over my home village, the place where Ren once lived. I could feel an anger building in my chest, maybe if they'd just left me alone, Ren wouldn't hate me now. Nothing in the library would have happened, and I'd still be happy just being able to see him every now and then. I could live in my Fortress above the world and everything would be okay. As my anger built with every second I looked down upon the city I could see a purple hue coating the city's streets.

From behind me, large balls of violet flames rained down upon the unsuspecting citizens, causing them to run in fear as their homes, their friends, their very lives began to burn to the ground. I could hear their screams, echoing into the sky as they begged the Gods to spare them from my wrath. But the Gods wouldn't come for them, the Gods themselves didn't have the power to stop me from seeking my revenge on the people who had called me a monster.

When at last the entire village was dead, I could feel something building up in my eyes, as if they had simply turned into the violet flames that now engulfed the village and had begun to settle into embers and ash. I knew then what would come next, I'd burn down all of Ionia. And once I was done there, I'd burn the entire damned planet to the ground for the pain and suffering they'd caused me.

However, the flames that had consumed my eyes left me with a bitter chill. My entire body began to shiver uncontrollably as I tried hard to stop all of the warmth of my soul from escaping me. And as darkness began to cloud my vision, I felt a warmth drape over me in a soft embrace.


My eyes fluttered open as I woke up from my dream to find that the warmth I felt was in fact very real. Looking next to me, I saw Ren smiling softly as his eyes met mine. "R-ren?" I asked dumbfounded. How did he find me? Why had he come looking for me in the first place? Ren said nothing to me, simply sliding closer and wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me against him.

I too didn't know how to respond, and so I pressed myself against him more, resting my head on his shoulder as the crackling flames coated us both in warmth. I felt his arms wrap around me in an embrace, pulling me into his lap to snuggle closer, his lips gently pressing against my cheek now rosy red from both the cold and his affections.

"I was so worried about you." His words easily cut through the silence as I wrapped my arms around him clinging to him tightly.

"You were?" I sniffled softly as I looked into his eyes. He nodded gently leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on my lips, a gesture that I shyly pulled away from much to his disappointment. "I thought you hated me." I whispered, "You wanted to wash yourself of me so quickly after…" I let my words trail off, unable to describe what had occurred between us.

"Oh Syndra…" he whispered, "Whatever am I going to do with you?" He held me closer to him his chest rising and falling with what seemed like exhaustion. How long had he been searching for me out here on the mountain? "I would never want to wash myself of you. The reason why I jumped in the shower is because…well my body wanted something from you that my heart knew neither of us were ready for."

"So…you don't think I'm dirty?" I asked causing him to chuckle as he squeezed me tightly in his arms, my cheeks becoming even redder from his affection.

"Syndra…if you were covered head to toe in mud I still would gladly hold you in my arms. The things we did…it's not something I regret at all. Do you regret it?" He asked. I shook my head, no. His hand gently went to mine, our fingers interlocking. "I promise Syndra, the last thing I'd ever want from you is for either of us to leave each other."

I suddenly felt so very foolish. My memories began to pour forth from my mind as I remembered all of the times I'd told him to leave me alone, only for him to show up at my doorstep not even a day later. He'd worked hard to try to get me to open up to him, and he'd succeeded. I tried so hard not to let him reach the scared little girl inside of me, but every moment I spent with him caused me to feel his hand reaching into me to softly caress my heart. "Ren?" I asked quietly.

"Yes Syndra?"

"Do you…like me?"

"Of course." He whispered causing me to smile.

"I mean…do you like me?" I asked, emphasizing my point. He chuckled lightly again, and I'd worried that I said something stupid once more. However, his fingertips trailed along my cheek, gently reaching beneath my chin to pull it upwards so our eyes were staring deep into one another's.

"Let me answer you like this…" he purred before he leaned forward, placing his lips softly against mine in a loving kiss. I felt my entire body melt in his arms, my lips unconsciously pressing back against his as tears again began to fall from my eyes. These weren't tears of pain or sorrow; these were tears of joy that I'd never experienced before. His hand went to my cheek, brushing away the salty liquid that was running down my face. I was surprised when I felt his lips part mine, and for a moment I wondered just what he was doing before I felt the strange sensation of his tongue.

Unsure of how to respond, I just kept still, feeling his tongue softly beckon mine by caressing it with the tip. Nervously, I let my tongue follow his back into his mouth, each of them dancing with one another back and forth as our lips stayed together in a loving embrace. I couldn't believe the way he was making my heart race. I'd never have guessed from the first time I saw him in my Fortress that he'd ever make me feel this way.

When our lips finally parted, I smiled sheepishly causing him to nuzzle my cheek with his own. "You are just so adorable." He teased. I wanted to chastise him, but the truth was it'd been a long time since anyone thought me cute. Now I knew his words were genuine and I felt so silly for ever thinking that he would just abandon me.

The two of us stayed huddled together like that for a good amount of time, watching the snow continue to fall down violently. The sun had completely set now, the cold night had arrived. "Ren…I don't know if we can go home yet." I whispered causing him to nod in agreement.

"We'll stay here for the night. Tomorrow we can go back to the Fortress." I smiled at him, my fingers weaving between his as he pulled over the case and laid down using it as a pillow. I snuggled into his chest, curling up on him as his arms wrapped around me protectively. For the first time in my life, I felt as though nothing could ever hurt me.


I watched from above as Ren was on his hands and knees, sponge in hand as he scraped the dirt and grim from the tiles on the floor. I could see he had started to become tired, after all this was one of the final rooms in the fortress he'd yet to clean. Sitting upon a chair, I crossed my legs, watching as he worked, the sweat glistening off of his incredibly toned body. "Mistress Syndra…I'm so tired." He whimpered as he looked towards me, his eyes pleading for mercy.

"You should have considered that before you pledged yourself to me knave. Now back to work, and be sure get deep into the crevices between them. This floor should be so clean that you can eat off of it." I snapped, causing him to immediately nod in obedience, returning back to his work as I poured myself a goblet of wine. Hearing the liquid pouring, his head turned back to look at me where I know lounged across the sofa as he came crawling to my side.

"Mistress…please…I am so thirsty. Just one sip…that's all I ask." I smirked at him, my eyes glimmering in enjoyment of the way he begged me. Laying back, I tilted the goblet, allowing the wine to drip onto my flat stomach, pooling on my navel.

"Clean it." I instructed to which he obediently obliged. Leaning his head forward I let out a soft sigh of enjoyment as I felt his warm, rough tongue lapping greedily at the wine that rested on my body. As he slurped it from me soon it was all empty before I beckoned him to me. As he crawled closer to me, I leaned in placing a soft kiss on his lips so he could have the taste of my wine upon his lips before I placed my hand on his forehead and pushed him away. "Good boy. Now back to work with you. And once you're done cleaning the tiles, I'll expect you to begin dusting."

"Yes Mistress. Thank you Mistress for allowing me to serve you so." He replied before going back to his work. A smile crossed my lips as I took another sip of wine, the sound of his sponge scraping across the floor like music to my ears.


I awoke in surprise as the dream faded from my mind, leaving me laying on his chest with the sun's light streaming into the cave after being reflected from the freshly fallen snow. My movements in turn caused Ren to stir beneath me, his eyes opening as he smiled up at me. "Good morning Syndra." He whispered to me.

"Good morning Ren." I whispered back before gently levitating off of him so he could stand. He rose, placing his hand on his back and turning this way and that a series of cracks could be heard aligning him back to normal. "Sorry." I apologized, knowing that he'd chosen to take the floor so that I'd have something soft to sleep on.

"Don't worry about me. I sleep fine anywhere." He replied scooping up my suitcase full of my clothes. "Oh…I forgot to tell you. I found all your stuff. I can hold on to it if you like for the trip back." I smiled and nodded at him before looking outside of the cave. The storm had subsided leaving only a trail of freshly fallen snow behind.

He began to march through the soft powder on the ground, causing me to just giggle as he looked back at me confused. With a wave of my hand, I lifted him easily off the ground, floating from the mountain with him in tow. "Are you okay?" I asked as we approached the sheer drop of the cliffface.

From behind me I could hear a shaky "Yes" in response. I smiled softly, slowly descending with him down to the Fortress' front step turning to look back as I slowly pulled him to the ground beside me. His legs were shaking as he stood on the ground, and when he felt himself back on solid land he took a deep breath before straightening. "Thanks. That was much faster than when I went up." I turned to look back at the large vertical stone face before frowning.

"Please, tell me you didn't climb that all by yourself."

He nodded. "It wasn't easy…but it was worth it." He replied causing me to blush as he handed me my suitcase with a grin. I took the handle from his hands, holding it in front of me slightly embarrassed as he opened the front door before dramatically bowing. "Welcome home Madame." He said in a deep silly voice that caused me to giggle.

Floating inside I tried to imitate a noble accent myself. "Thank you servant boy, now run along to do the scrubbing." This caused both of us to erupt into laughter that slowly died down a few moments later. I smiled at him; it'd been so long since I laughed at anything. "Seriously though Ren…thank you. It means a lot to me."

"It was my pleasure Syndra." He replied. I looked at him, before floating closer to give him a quick peck on the cheek before going off to my room to unpack, failing to notice the way his cheeks burned a fierce red.


Ren smiled softly as he watched Syndra leave to unpack, his hand reaching up to gingerly stroke his cheek where she'd kissed him. He was so grateful that she'd been safe when he found her. He hated to think what would happen if she hadn't managed to find that cave she'd holed up in.

He quickly banished that negativity from his mind. What could have happened didn't, and that's what he needed to focus on now. However, any attempts he had to focus on a positive light ended nearly immediately. A few knocks emitted from the door, causing him to let out a growl before turning to open it, seeing the two guards from the village.

"Hey Ren." They both said softly, unable to look him in the eye.

"What do you idiots want?" He snapped angrily. They looked at each other with a frown.

"Can we come in?" The second one asked. "There's something we need to discuss with you."

Ren glared at them both. "And why should I trust you? The last time you came here, you threatened Syndra, broke your promise and kidnapped her, and because of you we both were nearly killed. Why would I ever let you two back inside? More importantly, why wouldn't I just shove you both off this floating island and be done with you?"

"Ren, this has nothing to do with Syndra. We don't care if you decide to stay here or what, but we need to talk to you." Ren looked over his shoulder to see Syndra slowly floating down the stairs towards him.

"Ren? Is something wrong?" She asked softly.

"Just a moment Syndra, I'll find out." He replied before looking at the two guards, as if contemplating to follow through with his threat, or at the very least to break the other one's nose.

"Ren, this is about your parents." The second one said causing Ren to grab him by the collar and pull him closer.

"Now you listen to me prick, you leave them out of this, do you understand me?" He growled but the guard just reached behind him and pulled out a small piece of parchment rolled up and tied with a black ribbon. "What is this?" Ren asked flatly, taking the paper and setting the guard down.

"Ren…there was an accident in Piltover. We're sorry for your loss." The first one said softly. "We know we're the last people you wanted to see…but we were the only ones who were willing to bring this to you. It has the time and dates for the funeral there. I know your family would want to see you over there."

Ren took a deep breath, pulling the ribbon from the parchment and unrolling it. He bit his lip, his chest rising and falling as he looked from the paper to the two guards who stood outside. "Thank you for bringing me this. Now please, go away." He whispered softly, his two friends nodding and turning to leave.

Slowly closing the door Ren could scarcely believe his parents were gone. He was young when they'd left to travel to Piltover, and they loved it so much they'd just stayed. Sure they sent him money every now and then, and on occasion they'd visit for his birthday or for Solstice, but still they were his parents.

"Ren?" Syndra asked softly, floating closer to him. "Are you okay?" Ren looked up at her shaking his head no as tears began to form in his eyes. Taking the parchment, Syndra read it before frowning and wrapping her arms around him in a hug tightly. "Ren, I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Ren sniffled, holding her in his arms tightly. "I just…I can't believe it." He whispered to her. "It says the funeral is in a week…I know…I know you're really nervous around people…but it would mean the world to me if you were there with me." His eyes shimmered in the light of the fortress due to the tears that had formed there.

Syndra silently nodded her head, clinging to him tightly. She'd known the loss of parents…though as terrible as her loss had been, she could empathize with Ren's situation. "Don't worry Ren…I'll be there for you." She whispered, holding him tightly. She was scared and nervous…but for Ren, she'd face her fears if she had to.


The Elder winced as she felt the techmaturgist from Zaun tightening up the prosthetic arm onto her shoulder. The pain was absolutely terrible, but not nearly as painful as knowing that her monstrous daughter was still on the loose. It was bad enough knowing she was just sitting in that floating fortress, day in and day out. But now she'd taken someone from the village, and that meant that soon she wouldn't be afraid to come to the village anymore.

And if she ceased being afraid of the village, the village would never be safe from her again. "How's that?" The man asked, pulling away to allow the old woman to move the mechanical arm around, the digits all working well as if she had her real flesh and blood back.

"It feels a little stiff." She grumbled, but the man just nodded.

"It will feel that way for a few days until you get used to it. Then it'll be a bit more fluid in movement. Your brain has to get used to mentally commanding it again." He began to pack up his tools into the large red kit that he carried with him as the Elder continued to experiment with the arm's movements.

"And it's the material I requested?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am, 100% cold iron. Though I have to say, that's a rather odd choice. It's heavy and nowhere near as durable as our other prosthetics."

"Call me superstitious." She replied. "After all…it'll keep away the ghosts." The man shrugged as he finished gathering his tools. Tipping his hat to her he grabbed his toolkit and left. "And the monsters…" she whispered to herself, her eyes dark and stormy.

A knock came from the door, causing her to turn towards it just as it swung open, revealing the two guards. "Ma'am, we've returned from delivering the message to Ren."

"And?" She asked expectantly, looking intently at them both.

"He doesn't suspect a thing. We believe that he'll be going to Piltover alone. When he does we'll be waiting there to arrest him for conspiracy and for attempting to escape from custody to a foreign country. Piltover will gladly extradite him to our custody."

"Good. Then we'll move forward as planned. Once he leaves, you're to burn down the entire fortress, with that monster still inside of it. Do I make myself clear? If you screw this up, I'll see both of you hanged for treason."

"Yes ma'am." Both guards said, putting their hands to their forehead in salute.

"Good. Then get out of my sight." As they scrambled to leave her home, the Elder walked to her window, pulling back the curtain to look up at the floating fortress that loomed high over the small village. It wouldn't be long now. Once the world was burned to the ground with her daughter inside, maybe then she'd finally have peace. She feared for a moment that her daughter was going to kill her the same way she'd killed her father and her mentor, but perhaps her powers were reduced from the cold iron.

No matter…once her plan was finished, Ren would be in prison and Syndra would be dead, and she wouldn't have to worry about any of this ever again.


I sighed softly as I stuck my head into the lounge where Ren sat in an armchair, staring into the fire. There were so many things I wanted to say, I wanted so desperately to make him feel better. But I also knew that nothing I said would be able to give him back his parents.

"I know you're there Syndra." He called, causing my heart to skip a beat. "If you're worried about me…don't be. Really, I'll be okay." I slowly floated to his side, sitting beside him on the chair before crossing my legs politely.

"Really?" I asked softly. "Because I don't like seeing you hurting…I can tell."

He shook his head. "I'm fine. Honestly." He turned to look at me, smiling softly. I could see it was just a mask though. There was pain in his eyes, the kind of pain I knew all too well. I gently brushed a lock of his hair from his eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. There isn't much to say. When I was sixteen years old my parents left me alone for what was supposed to be a few weeks' vacation. They loved it so much they decided to stay. They sent word back, saying that if I wanted to I could move to Piltover if I wanted. Or I could stay here in Ionia. So I stayed. They never really visited much. Sometimes they sent money. But truthfully, and I know this sounds horrible, I lost my parents a long time ago."

"I'm sure they loved you." I replied softly.

"Why's that?" He asked, his eyes returning to the fire.

I wrapped my arms around his head, holding him tightly to my chest. "Because I know you…and I know they had every reason to love you." He hugged me back tightly.

As we parted he smiled weakly. "What's made you so lovey-dovey all the sudden?" He asked, trying desperately to change the subject. "Normally it's all 'Shut up idiot!' and bouncing your orbs off my head. If you're not careful people will get to talking and they'll think you have some kind of huge crush on me." He smirked as I turned a bright red.

Gently rubbing one of my arms I looked at him bashfully. "Shut up idiot." I teased, playfully hitting him on the top of his head with one of my orbs. He chuckled softly, causing a feeling of warmth to spread through me. I was able to make him smile even when he was sad, and I hoped so desperately that when the time came to go to Piltover, I'd be strong enough if he needed me then too.

To be continued…