The Falling World
Powerful.
The single word was the perfect way to describe the dark sovereign. Unlike the last two times in which she rose from her unconsciousness, this time, Syndra awoke with her full powers at her command. She felt great.
No.
Amazing.
The moment the mage's eyes fluttered open, Syndra found herself gazing at a startlingly familiar pattern on the ceiling. It was her ceiling. She was home. Briefly shutting her eyes, Syndra took a breath before gazing upwards once more. The scenery didn't change. She wasn't dreaming. Finally, a smile slowly crept across the sovereign's face.
"Yes..." Syndra thought to herself as her joy rapidly increased. Still laying on the bed, Syndra shut her eyes and clawed her hands, willing her powers to manifest itself in her fingertips. The response was explosively strong. Magic instantly rushed through her body, throwing off the blankets laying on top of Syndra as the energy expanded and dissipated in a small shockwave. Syndra grinned widely. Unable to withhold her delight, Syndra practically flung herself to her feet, suspending herself in mid air as she made a leisurely spiral through the room; using her powers to safely guide her meandering twirls.
Unsatisfied with such a small exercise of her powers, Syndra's grin grew ever wider. Throwing open the windows to her room, Syndra shot out into the open sky, relishing in the reacquisition of her true potential. "YES!" Syndra shouted with delight. "THIS POWER IS MINE ONCE MORE!" the mage laughed manically, causing her voice to echo infinitely off of the fortress walls. Raising her hands to the sky, Syndra drew on the entirety of her magic, violently building up an intense amount of raw power about her. After allowing the energy to collect for a modest bit, the sovereign finally threw her hands to the floor, releasing the energy in an explosive surge that changed the very aura of the fortress; causing the fortress to once again regain its demonic purple glow.
Finally pleased with her exercises, Syndra descended to the ground until her feet met the fortress floor with a light tap. As abruptly as she had started her exercise however, Syndra's joy instantly faded. "How did I end up here?" the mage asked herself. Frowning, Syndra whirled on her heel and plodded her way back towards the entrance to her castle. Syndra's brow furrowed with thought as she attempted to recall the events that led to her current situation. Vaguely, she recalled being bumped around in an unceremonious manner. Somewhere along the line, she also remembered a significant amount of shouting as well as a large multitude of people flashing in and out of her view. Only one thing stuck out to her though, white lab coats. Syndra scowled immediately. "They did something" the sovereign thought with a grimace.
White lab coats meant scientists.
Scientists meant experiments.
Instantly, the aura about Syndra turned from happy to murderous. "If they think they can get away with this, they are wrong. Very, very wrong." Syndra thought to herself as she reflexively curled and uncurled a fist. Before the sovereign could fully submit to her fury, however, more flashes of her memories surged into her mind.
"Hey... Catch some rest... You need it..."
"It's alright, you'll be okay..."
"I'm here to request the immediate removal of Syndra's runes..."
Syndra forcibly stopped her recollection of the past the moment she recalled the last statement. Bringing a hand behind her, Syndra unconsciously checked whether the runes remained in her back. Sure enough, they were missing.
"...request the immediate removal of Syndra's runes..." Syndra's memory echoed again. Someone had requested the removal of the runes restraining her? Pensively, Syndra paced about the fortress courtyard as she brought a hand to her chin; her brow furrowed with thought. Only one question persisted in her mind: who...?
Syndra got her answer a few minutes later.
While she was pacing about in deep thought, Syndra didn't even notice Irelia quietly emerge from the castle interior. Unwilling to disturb the sovereign's train of thought, Irelia stood quietly by the fortress entrance; leaning patiently against the castle wall. It wasn't until Irelia let out a mutedly pleased sigh that Syndra finally noticed the warrior standing behind her. Startled, Syndra blinked with brief surprise before shaking off the feeling.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Syndra demanded offensively.
Irelia's mouth quirked upwards slightly at Syndra's caustic greeting. It was undisputable that the sovereign was once more her normal self. Sadly, Irelia's happiness only seemed to aggravate the mage.
"What? Happy that you managed yet another experiment on me?" Syndra snarled.
Irelia's smile faded until she spoke up.
"It's good to have you back..." Irelia said in a quiet, but honest tone.
Syndra was taken aback by the statement. It was apparent that she didn't expect such sentiment from her enemy.
"Hmph." Syndra grunted and turned away from the warrior; being unable to formulate a suitable reply.
Pushing herself off of the wall, Irelia righted herself and stretched slightly before letting out a stifled yawn.
"I'll uhm... be on my way then, since you're awake and everything now... need to clean up a little..." Irelia stated awkwardly. Syndra, however, quickly deducted one major thing from Irelia's comment; Irelia had stayed in the castle during the entire time she was unconscious. Slowly, Irelia turned away and began dragging herself towards the stairs out of the castle.
"How long." Syndra hesitantly inquired after a few moments of silence passed.
"Eighteen hours twenty two minutes." Irelia answered, stifling another exhausted yawn.
"And why do you smell even worse than you usually do." Syndra demanded.
Irelia stopped in her dragging march to turn and face the sovereign.
"I carried you three miles to my home while you were passed out. I then carried you another mile to the hospital. I carted you off another three miles to the institute headquarters, and then I finally carted you another two miles back to this here fortress." Irelia stated flatly, her exhaustion stripping her of all enthusiasm or emotion. "Dunno about you, but that is a lot of carrying and a lot of running. Sorry if I sweat a little and never had a chance to clean up since I was busy watching over you while you rested." The warrior finished, blinking wearily with exhaustion.
Syndra glanced away and wrinkled her nose slightly with exaggerated disgust. Yet, it wasn't the smell that she was upset with. Irelia's words had confirmed something else and clarified her memories. In short, Irelia was the one that was talking to her while she was drunk with alcohol and running a high fever.
It was Irelia that attempted to alleviate her pains.
It was Irelia that took her to the hospital in attempt to cure her illness.
It was Irelia that requested the removal of her runes.
It was Irelia that gave her back her powers.
As Irelia trudged past the mage, a storm of mixed emotions flashed across the sovereign's face. Irelia didn't notice. She was far too deprived of sleep and far beyond exhaustion to be perceptive to such subtle hints of emotion. In fact, Irelia didn't even notice when Syndra offered to allow Irelia usage of her facilities. It wasn't until Syndra forcibly reached out and grabbed Irelia by the wrist that the warrior even realized that the sovereign was speaking.
"And you find it suddenly acceptable to ignore me?" Syndra demanded angrily.
Irelia blinked dumbly, having no understanding of what Syndra was referring to.
"Sorry?" Irelia muttered as she rubbed her eyes and tried to focus, "I'm just... I can't... I'm too tired to do anything right now. Can I come back and help you later?"
Syndra scowled as her temper skyrocketed. She was rapidly coming to regret her decision to give Irelia access to her shower. More than that, however, Irelia immediately thought that it was Syndra asking for help rather than offering it. None the less, the sovereign was a woman equally as stubborn as Irelia. She wouldn't allow the Ionian warrior to decline her offer after she had gone through the effort of offering it.
"I said you could use my bathroom." Syndra spat in an annoyed tone.
"Oh!" Irelia replied, her eyes suddenly flashing with understanding. "That would be perfect."
Syndra snorted in response, grinding her teeth slightly in annoyance with Irelia's abrupt change in attitude.
"Room is to the right of the entrance. Just go all the way down the hall." Syndra muttered flatly, sounding annoyed at herself for allowing an Ionian into her fortress.
"kay..." Irelia answered immediately as she started trudging off back to the castle; following Syndra's directions to the bathroom. By the time Irelia reached the fairly fancy bathroom, her brain was hardly functioning. Overcome with exhaustion and lack of rest, the Ionian dragged herself to the bathtub, tossed off her clothes, and sank into the depths of steaming hot water. She spent a good minute just soaking up the warmth of the water before she finally realized that the tub was actually the size of a small Jacuzzi. It was rather surprising considering something of such quality was normally only found in high end bathhouses. Irelia smiled slightly with content. Another thing had been discovered about the sovereign; she loved her baths. Before she could discover more about what Syndra liked, however, the warmth and steamy atmosphere of the bath caught up to Irelia. Minutes later, she was unconscious; floating blissfully across the clouds of dreamless sleep.
While one soul found blissful peace, the other only found a nightmare of troubled thoughts. As she watched Irelia disappear into her bathroom, another storm of emotions whirled through Syndra's mind. Frustrated, the mage turned on her heel and stormed into her own private chambers.
"It is the least I could do, I owe her that much..."
"YOU OWE HER NOTHING. SHE IS IONIAN. SHE OWES YOU HER LIFE."
"She isn't that bad..."
"ALL IONIANS ARE BAD. SHE IS NO DIFFERENT."
Heaving a frustrated sigh, Syndra massaged her temple as she continued her internal debate against her greater conscience.
"She... cared... for me..."
"SHE DID SO OUT OF PERSONAL GAIN. DO NOT TRUST HER."
"But she still cared-"
"SHE DOES NOT CARE. SHE IS AN IONIAN. SHE WILL DESTROY YOU."
"But I-"
"DO YOU WISH TO BE DESTROYED AGAIN?"
"No... but I-"
"THEN YOU MUST DESTROY HER BEFORE SHE HARMS YOU."
"..."
"TRUST NO ONE! TRUST ONLY YOURSELF! TRUST ONLY THE POWER YOU HAVE!"
Abruptly, Syndra shook her head, attempting to dispel the raging battle going on in her mind. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes, only to find the very image of herself staring back at her. In the midst of her internal struggle, she had habitually seated herself in front of the one mirror in her room. It was habit that developed long ago when she first experienced betrayal... Alas, Syndra took an uncharacteristic swallow of fear and closed her eyes; allowing the battle to continue once more.
"I owe her..."
"YOU OWE NOTHING! ERASE HER!"
"But she's different-"
"SHE IS NO DIFFERENT. DESTROY HER!"
"But-"
"ERASE HER!"
"..."
"DESTROY HER!"
"..."
"LET NOTHING REMAIN!"
"..."
Abruptly, Syndra tore her eyes open, gazing wide-eyed at her mirrored reflection once more. She was sweating, panting for breath.
"DESTROY HER!" Sydra's subconscious screamed once more.
Unable to bear her stress any longer, Syndra blindly lashed out with a hand, releasing a potent wave of energy in a swath in front of her. Instantly, glass shattered and furniture clattered to the floor; the blast obliterating the mirror along with the table beside it.
A minute passed in silence.
If Syndra still had a mirror to gaze into, she would have hardly recognized herself. Sweating, her eyes glazed in self induced brainwashing, the mage looked but of a shell of her lively self. Finally, she rose. Only one thing remained in her mind.
Destroy.
When Irelia finally emerged from the warmth of the bath, Syndra was nowhere to be found. Allowing herself a contented sigh, the Ionian warrior stretched her entire body, relishing in the rejuvenated feeling coursing through her. If one thing was for certain, it was that she too enjoyed a good bath every so often. Amidst her absentminded meandering, Irelia slowly made her way towards the main entrance to the castle. She had every intention of leaving the fortress in order to get a fresh change of clothes. After all, who wanted to get back into a set of dirty clothes after such a nice bath? Of course Irelia had little choice seeing as that the only clothes she brought were the ones on her person.
The moment Irelia neared the front doors to the fortress, however, things took a nose dive towards disaster. Just as she took a step that placed her remotely close to the open entrance, the huge metal doors shuddered and groaned, suddenly gaining animation before they slammed shut with a hollow clang. Subconsciously, Irelia swallowed the growing lump in her throat. The hairs on her neck slowly pricked upwards; a reflexive response to danger. Even without turning around, Irelia knew that only one person stood behind her. Syndra.
When Irelia finally turned herself around to face the mage, she found herself barely able to recognize the sovereign. Syndra's eyes were glazed over. Glassy and dull as though there was no life behind them. But that wasn't what Irelia focused on. She focused on the aura of death emanating from the mage. Syndra didn't appear happy or angry. In fact, she didn't appear to harbor any emotion at all. It was as though she was just a shell of existence; a soulless being. Only the aura left a trace of what the mage was feeling.
Murderous.
"Syndra..." Irelia whispered quietly with a taint of fear in her voice. "Is everything alright...?" The Ionian finished hesitantly.
Syndra's glassy gaze flicked over to stare straight into the depths of Irelia's eyes.
She didn't answer.
Instead, she lifted a hand.
Instantly, Irelia knew what was coming. Flinging herself to her right, Irelia tucked into a tight roll; narrowly dodging an explosive release of magic as a sphere phased into existence milliseconds after Irelia had vacated the area.
"What is she doing?!" Irelia thought to herself frantically as she dodged yet another sphere.
"Syndra! Why are you doing this?!" Irelia demanded amongst her evasive movements.
Per usual, Syndra didn't respond. Irelia expected such was the case. It led her to believe that something had changed within the sovereign while she was taking a bath. And yet, Irelia couldn't help but feel an unsettling familiarity with the cold, glazed look which Syndra now harbored.
Irelia tossed herself to the floor, evading another sphere as the ball smashed into the wall above her; showering her in a rain of debris.
Glancing up once more, Irelia caught a full image of Syndra's form. Finally, she recognized the look. It was same look that Syndra had when she was in the hospital; when she was weak, stressed, and deprived of her powers. Syndra wasn't angry with her, she was just-
Abruptly, Irelia's train of thought was cut short as her body suddenly seized up. Grunting with strain, Irelia tried to free herself, but such a thing was impossible. Syndra had her encased entirely in the grip of her magic. Without hesitating, Syndra emotionlessly waved her arm around, sending the powerless Irelia flying about the room, crashing into and through several objects. Helpless, Irelia could only brace for the impacts as she painfully smacked into stone surfaces, furniture, and finally the floor.
"Dammit, she's really going for me..." Irelia grimly thought to herself. The warrior dragged herself to her feet with a hoarse cough. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to arm herself and fight back, but Irelia quelled the urge with all her might. "No." Irelia told herself "I'm not going to hurt her anymore than she has been." Irelia tensed her body once more in preparation to dodge as Syndra raised a hand once more. When the attack came, she was ready. Catapulting herself to her right, Irelia evaded another deadly sphere. Instantly, the Ionian righted herself on her feet and sprinted at full speed straight at the sovereign. Syndra reacted quickly, summoning several spheres and sending them haphazardly crashing about the room, only missing Irelia by less than a hair's breadth.
Had it been Syndra who was actually dictating her movements as opposed to her brainwashed core, things might have played out differently. However, because Syndra had caved into her core instincts, she was far less effective in combat than she usually was. She was only trying to defeat Irelia through brute force, not though the cunning use of her powers. Moments after her last attack missed, Irelia bodily tackled Syndra to the floor, sending both women to the floor in a heap. The shock of the impact broke Syndra's trance like state; returning the lively glow of her existence to her eyes. Syndra usually came around to finding large stains of blood and dead bodies about her when she emerged from her trance. This time, she awoke to the sight of a blossoming Ionian woman pinning her to the floor. Instantly, her eyes dilated in fear.
"GET OFF ME!" Syndra howled furiously.
Irelia didn't budge, instead choosing to gaze intently into the depths of the sovereign's eyes.
The look was piercing, cutting deep into the depths of Syndra's soul.
She hated it.
It scared her.
She panicked.
Quaking underneath the weight of Irelia and her intent gaze, Syndra blindly called upon her magic, dispersing an inhuman explosion of magic with such force that Irelia was catapulted off of the mage; sending the warrior up a full two stories, into the roof, and then finally back to the floor in a sickening crunch. Now fully aware of herself, Syndra scrambled backwards, trying to increase the distance between her and the crumpled form of Irelia's body. Syndra stared at the limp form for a few seconds, wondering whether or not the Ionian was dead or merely unconscious.
She got her answer after a minute passed.
Heaving a pained groan, Irelia stirred and gingerly pushed herself to her feet. The warrior clutched her side as she moved; clearly in pain due to what was most likely multiple broken ribs. Yet, Irelia ignored the agony searing through her body. Instead, she focused entirely on the mage before her. Locking her gaze onto Syndra's eyes, Irelia's expression conveyed a sense of understanding. Not a single trace of fear or hatred laced her eyes. No resentment for the injuries Syndra had caused her. Nothing. Only understanding and acceptance. Still breathing heavily, Irelia took a step towards the mage. Syndra matched the step forward was a step back. Again, another step forward, another step back.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Syndra yelled in a panicked tone.
Irelia ignored her.
Another step forward, another step back.
" I'LL KILL YOU!" Syndra screamed
Irelia ignored her again.
Another step forward, another step back.
Finally, Syndra attacked, summoning a sphere directly in front of Irelia's path.
Irelia ignored her yet again.
Another step forward, another step back.
Syndra attacked again, sending a sphere flying straight at Irelia.
She didn't dodge it.
It missed.
Another step forward, another step back.
-bump-
Syndra's back had reached the wall behind her. She had nowhere to retreat to.
Increasing her pace slightly, Irelia shuffled forwards. Inexorably decreasing the distance between them.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Syndra howled once more. Raising her hands to the ceiling, the mage willed forth a tremendous amount of magic; cloaking the raw power about her in an blistering purple aura.
"FEAR ME!" Syndra screamed "MY POWER IS ABSOLUTE! NONE CAN OPPOSE ME! I AM-"
Abruptly, Syndra's speech cut off; Irelia had reached out and caught Syndra by her finger tips in a gentle grasp. Slowly... Gently... Irelia guided Syndra's clawed hand down to her side. The two stared into each other's eyes, unable to break their gazes.
Finally, Irelia lifted her other hand. Gently reaching out for Syndra's face, the warrior's gaze softened into a kind, accepting expression. Terrified, Syndra shrank away, trying to escape Irelia's touch. Alas, she was unable to flee from the contact. Gently caressing Syndra's cheek, Irelia moved her hand behind Syndra's head, providing support for the mage. Finally, Irelia moved closer. Pulling Syndra close to herself, Irelia shut her eyes and tilted her head slightly to the side and planted a solid kiss on Syndra's lips.
Instantly, Syndra's eyes dilated in panic; emotions of panic and fear immediately surging to her brain.
And yet...
It felt right...
It felt good...
Finally, Irelia broke her kiss; backing away slightly and gazing shyly into the sovereign's eyes. It wasn't a look of kindness or a look of gentle acceptance.
It was a look that begged to be accepted.
It was Irelia that was asking Syndra to accept her.
Overwhelmed by the countless emotions swirling tumultuously in her mind, Syndra trembled slightly as she met Irelia's gaze with equal shyness. The warrior had conveyed a million messages to the sovereign with such a simple kiss. Everything the warrior had said was true. She had cared for the mage. She had never hurt her. She had protected her.
She had fallen for her.
Syndra squirmed feebly in half-hearted resistance of Irelia's gentle grasp on her. Irelia moved in for another kiss. This time, Syndra didn't shrink away. She wanted it. The human contact she had run away from for so long had finally broken past her defenses. Still, Irelia moved closer. Their bodies now in contact with each other, Irelia broke her supportive grasp on Syndra's back and neck, slowly moving her hands down to gently clasp the sides of Syndra's stomach. The mage broke their kiss momentarily, drawing a sharp breath as she allowed the warrior to maintain her touch. Relentlessly, Irelia continued to give in to her passion. Moving her hands around the sovereign's sides, she pulled the mage close in a strong embrace before moving in for another passionate kiss. Frantically, Syndra searched for an escape; a path to flee from the desire that was overpowering her sense of control. Behind her, Syndra's hands scrambled across the smooth stone wall behind her, desperately searching for a surface to latch on to; a surface to escape to. Alas there was none. Unable to find such a surface, Syndra instead latched onto the one thing left to her. Irelia.
The warrior gasped slightly as the Syndra painfully dug her nails into Irelia's back. Finally, Syndra met Irelia's kiss with her own lips. Spurred onwards, Irelia lifted her embrace off of the sovereign and ran the tips of her fingers down Syndra's spine, causing the mage to archer her back and tilt her head to upwards, attempting to escape Irelia's tantalizing touch. Overcome by her emotions, Syndra could feel the very last vestiges of control slipping out of her grasp...
And yet... it was exactly what she wanted.
A final kiss from Irelia planted on the mage's neck broke all restraints holding Syndra's desires back. Though she wasn't aware of her own desires, Syndra had always wanted someone to be hers. Somewhere to belong. Someone to trust. At long last, the mage pushed herself off of the wall, moving inexorably in one direction.
Her private chambers.
Author's Notes
That was... a hard chapter to write. I wasn't really sure how I wanted write this, but I think it turned out alright. I guess having a plot line is one thing, actually writing it is a whole new thing. Anyhow, smut chapter inbound... or lemon... I get my terms mixed up a lot. That being said, yes, the next chapter will have a lemon in it and it will be exclusively a lemon. That way if there are those of you who do not want to read such a thing, you can skip it without missing anything important plot wise. What is going to happen between the two should be clear enough anyways. That being said, I apologize for delaying this chapter slightly, it was a little hard to get it down in words. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I look forward to seeing you all in the chapters to come.