Author's Note: Hi guys! First of all, let me apologize profusely for dropping off of the face of the earth! Nevertheless, I have returned, as promised, and with a new chapter to boot! I'll be happy to explain why I disappeared a little bit below, but for those of you who are just interested in story content, let me preface this chapter by saying that I am oddly happy with how this is turning out. In my experience, endings never really work out well for me, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I suspect the next chapter (and the last!) should come quickly, since I am rather excited for it myself.

As for why I went missing, it really just has to do with one little thing I'm sure many of you know about. College Apps! Oh my god. I thought I was done with that in high school. But, the college I am currently at is not good for me for a multitude of reasons, and so I applied to eight (EIGHT!) new colleges in the hopes of transferring! On the bright side, apps are done and I've already been accepted to one! (Yay!) Though I'm still holding out for UNC at Chapel Hill. :P

Anyways, I'm going to be traveling next week, though that may or may not impact my updating. If I can get the next chapter done before I leave on Saturday (unlikely but possible) than you all will get to enjoy the ending of Sub Rosa while I enjoy Disneyworld! Otherwise, you'll just have to wait until after my date with Mickey Mouse. ;)

Lastly, I'd just like to say thank you to all of you who favorite, review, and follow! It means a world to me and really helps me get these chapters into production. I hope you like "Classic Misdirection" as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Sitting nervously in the Institute Library, Lux carefully lifted the necklace over her head and placed it on the table. The man sitting across from her was stern and still, severe demeanor doing little to calm the mage. Little had changed in the day it had taken for the duo to leave Shurima and arrive back at the Institute of War. Talon was still his annoying surly self, often brooding and cold, but, every now and then, a glimmer of flirtation would shine through. It was giving Lux quite a rough time as she tried to decipher was exactly was running through that brain of his.

Ultimately, Lux had decided that Talon was not a trusting man, and therefore, the few times that she had, in his eyes, betrayed him had really cut deep. While the mage wished he would just man up and realize she did what she did out of necessity, Lux realized the chances of that happening were slim to none. After a few thoughtful hours on another boring, quiet train ride, Lux had quickly understood that Talon intended to do exactly nothing about their undefined relationship. In fact, she suspected the assassin would just as well leave the romance hanging in the air where it was, if he was not pressed. So that left Lux with the task of figuring out just how to trick Talon into admitting that he wanted to date her. But, unfortunately for the mage, those sorts of antics were hard to accomplish when tasked with a rescue mission.

Sighing, the mage wasted no time and immediately began to channel her energy into a spell to transform the necklace back into the book it once was. She could almost touch the tension hanging in the air, an incredible amount of pressure pushing on her shoulders as she prepared her spell. So much information lay within the book, and the thought that she might have sealed it away forever was almost enough to make her queasy.

Prior to transforming Parfuin Gúl, Lux had considered the tome to only contain information about hideous sorcery, but after she had agreed to help Talon in his quest to save his father, she soon learned that the book contained so much more. According to the assassin, Marcus Du Couteau had supposedly disappeared to investigate a connection between The Black Rose and a Darkin Talon thought went by the name of Aatrox. Aside from being a tome about spells once known only to the ancient species, Parfuin Gúl apparently contained the General's own handwritten marks penned on the sheets of paper, citing his suspicions about Leblanc's insidious organization and their involvement with the Darkin. That and a note from the General given to Cassiopeia just before he vanished, with a curious black rose printed on the page had been enough to convince Lux of Talon's theory.

After an intense moment of concentration, Lux released her power and the necklace glowed for a moment, just before returning to its former dusty tome appearance. Even the ivy covered door embossed on the cover remained the same. Opening the book, Lux was relieved to find that the pages were not blank, and, after a few page flips, could clearly see two different handwriting styles.

"You were right." Lux stated blankly as she thumbed through the pages. "I'll need a couple of days to read through this, however."

"I figured." The assassin replied easily. "Though I would be careful where you research. If the wrong person sees you with that it could be trouble."

"What do you mean?" Lux asked curiously.

"Read the note before the preface and you will see what I mean." Talon explained. "It tells of how my father acquired the book."

"Indeed." The mage mused for a moment before her face contorted with confusion. "I was told it had been lost in the sands until Sivir happened upon it two and a half years ago and sold it to the Jenkinses."

"Sivir did pick it up in the sands." Talon said calmly. "But it had not been there for very long. My father most certainly had it in the years preceding his disappearance."

"Curious." Lux said as she flipped through the chapters, mentally noting which she was to read first. "And that's why you think your father's being held out in Sai?"

"I don't think it." He spoke in a firm tone that drew Lux's attention. "There is a 'holy location' of sorts mentioned in Parfuin Gúl. One my father's notes point to as a particular source of interest. Not two months ago, I went to that location, a cave in Sai. As I lay hidden, one hundred feet away from the opening, I saw my father unconscious and chained. Just as I was about to go in to save him, a winged figure came into view. As you can imagine, I've been anxious to get him out of there, but I know better than to foolishly charge in."

"And you're sure it was that Aatrox character?"

"Given what I read about in the text and what Ezreal and Tryndamere told me, I'd say so."

"Ezreal?" Lux raised an eyebrow. Since when had he talked to Ezreal?

"Yes, I cornered him even before I knew about Parfuin Gúl." Talon explained calmly, but beneath the cool expression painting his face, Lux could see the beginnings of a smirk.

"You did?" She asked.

"He had stolen a couple of items that belonged to my father. Some Darkin figurines that were once in his office and a book of Noxian fables that also used to be one of my father's possessions. To this day, the Explorer denies stealing them, instead saying they were found in an abandoned Noxian library." After stating that, the assassin did smirk. "Well, I told him the next time he lied to me I'd make sure it was the last."

Sighing, Lux shot a scolding look at the man. "No wonder he has such a reaction to you."

The assassin said nothing, but he did sport a sort of satisfied look that Lux wished to wipe off of his smug, handsome, kissable… As a small blush began to crest her cheeks, the mage resigned to save such thoughts for a later time.

"And what did Tryndamere say?" She pressed on.

"He gave the name Aatrox." He replied easily. "I'd heard from my sister that he'd encountered a Darkin, and so I joined the league to ask him about it, among other reasons. Tryndamere gave me a similar description to the one Ezreal gave me, and both matched the figurines."

"But did they match the body you saw?" She asked.

"Well the figure I saw was winged."

"Did it have any of the other characteristics, like the horns?"

"I wasn't close enough to tell." His brows furrowed as he anticipated her argument. "You name another figure that has wings and could possibly behind this, and maybe I'll accept your theory."

"Fine." Lux crossed her arms. "I agree, you have a compelling argument. And certainly something is holding your father in that cave. The question now is how to save him. Though it sounds like he's not heavily guarded?"

"Not once did I see the winged figure leave. Depending on how dangerous it is, I'd say that's heavily guarded enough." Talon crossed his arms.

"Ok," The mage thought for a minute. "Perhaps an invisibility shroud would work."

"That's your plan?" His eyes went wide as he heard her proposition. "Go invisible?"

"It's pretty simple." She responded easily. "All we have to do is set an illusion at your father's location, cast the shroud, sneak in, break him free, and sneak out. Done."

"What if the winged figure can detect magic? Or see through invisibility, for that matter?" The assassin asked with a flat expression.

"Yes, that would be a problem." Lux admitted. "Let me do some research. I should be able to round up all the information I need within a week. Then we can get to planning."

The mage stood casually, gathering the book in her arm and readying to head back to her institute apartment.

"I'll bring you the books I have on the subject. As you can imagine, I've had quite sometime to delve into this." The assassin replied as he rose from his chair.

"And yet, you know so little!" Lux taunted.

Talon glared at her. She watched as a vein in his neck moved slightly, drawing her attention to the little crevice between his collarbones. Lux found that particular area of his upper chest rather attractive, and it wasn't the only part of his body she had regarded recently. Ever since he had more or less confessed his feelings for her, the mage had noticed herself becoming increasingly appreciative of the odder parts of his body, such as the lean look of his calves as he had pulled on his pants one morning, or the prominent shape of his knuckles and how long and lean they made his fingers look. These were signs to Lux that she was dealing with a notable amount of captivation, and while she would have prefered to deny it, the mage knew she needed to have her situation with the assassin resolved sooner rather than later.

A deep voice emanating from the man in question startled Lux from her thoughts.

"What is your apartment address?" He asked casually, as if his inquiry were completely normal. Lux could not help but blush.

Taking out a piece of paper, the mage scribbled her address down on the page, embarrassed by the shaky nature of her hand.

"Here." She offered the paper to Talon. Carefully, she lifted her gaze to meet his. "When can I expect the books?"

"It will take me a couple of days to get them from the house. I'd say I can have them mailed to you within two days." He replied coolly as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"And when should we meet up to discuss our battle strategy?" She asked as she pulled on the library door handle.

"Same time next week?" He suggested nonchalantly. "But I think perhaps not in the library."

"No..." Lux agreed. It was too public a place, even the prude part of her thought as much. "How about at my apartment?"

She noticed the assassin raise an eyebrow, and immediately flushed. He thought she was hitting on him! No sir, she was just being safe.

"Sounds good." Talon chuckled just before he stalked off into the hallway, leaving Lux to watch was he walked away.

It took Lux longer than she would have liked to admit to stop gazing at the assassin's form, but eventually she did find her way back to her apartment. For as much as she liked the man, she knew, or at least had very good reason to suspect, that she was not alone in her feelings. What she really needed was to turn the tables. Make him unable to stop gazing at her. But seduction was something the mage was entirely inexperienced in, and attempting to be a seductress would more than likely lead to an undue amount of embarrassment. In the end, Lux resolved to just do her reading, hoping that perhaps, somewhere in the book of dark secrets, there might be some inspiration for just how to deal with a surly, outrageously attractive assassin.

As the only daughter of the noble Crownguard family, Lux owned a great deal of possessions. She had things of all sorts of variety, like a pearl white vanity table with a secret storage space for her wand, a pair of high heels with the Crownguard crest embossed on the sole, and even a chestnut brown thoroughbred named Concord whom she rode far too little. But despite all of the material things she could claim as her own, the one thing the blonde Demacian mage could not say she owned was a seductive wardrobe.

This had never been a problem for Lux until she met Talon. As a noble daughter with what she considered was slightly above average attractiveness, Lux had never ever been in the position of having to seduce a man. Rather, suitors like Ezreal would easily fall for her heart-shaped face and large bank account and proceed to do all of the work for her. So, for the first time in her life, Lux was was struck with the issue of having to decide what exactly to wear to capture the interest of a man.

In the end, Lux resigned to wear a simple white summer dress with thick straps and a fitted bodice. It was in no way sexy. Sure the hem came only halfway down her thigh, showing a fair amount of leg, and her arms were completely bare, but no amount of skin exposure could make the dress racy. The white lace embroidered on every inch of the dress hinting at flowers and butterflies did very little to suggest flirtatiousness.

Looking in the mirror solemnly, the mage sighed. There was nothing to be done. She thought back to the white haired woman she'd seen Talon with at the wedding and knew there was no way she could accomplish such a mature look. All she could do was hope that Talon liked the adorable doll look, which at the very least, Lux could say he had in the past.

A loud knock on the door immediately shook Lux from her thoughts. The mage scrambled out of her room and over to the front door, but stopped harshly before the block of wood to take a moment to calm herself. She breathed in deep, trying to still her hands that were shaking, but eventually resolved just to get the job over with.

As she pulled open her apartment door, Lux was not at all shocked to find a handsome assassin in a simple T-Shirt and jeans standing on the other side. She was not surprised, but that did not mean she did not blush.

"Uh, hi." Not her most eloquent greeting.

"Hey." His deep voice rumbled past her ears.

Lux stood there awkwardly for a second, as if she had forgotten entirely what she was supposed to do. Then, after she felt the blush on her cheeks intensify, she stepped aside and gestured for Talon to enter.

"Um, thanks for delivering the books earlier." She said in what she hoped was a casual tone, but probably was not. "They were pretty helpful."

"No problem." The assassin replied coolly, his hands slipping into his pockets.

Lux led him over to the couch in her living room, gesturing for him to sit on the pale blue piece of furniture.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked, immediately remembering her Demacian hospitality lessons.

"Water would be great." Talon replied nonchalantly as he sat on the plush bit of furniture, immediately picking up one of the books resting on the coffee table in front of him. Lux almost considered asking him to take off his shoes, seeing as his feet were resting on a very old family heirloom, an ancient rug with intricate designs that had unfortunately been frayed far too many times at its edges. But the nerves overwhelmed her, and Lux could not find it in herself to order the assassin around.

She retreated quickly into the kitchen, hastily retrieving a couple of glasses from a cabinet. Trying to steady her hand as she poured water into the glasses proved to be an impossible task, and ultimately the mage ended up with several small puddles on her countertop. Even as she crossed the kitchen to retrieve a couple of paper towels, Lux could tell her knees were shaking. She'd never been so anxious in her entire life.

Resolving to just get the meeting over with, and also to sit her jittery butt down, Lux walked hastily back into the living room. Now, under normal circumstances, the mage would have set the glasses down on the coasters all nice and ladylike, flattened her dress as she took a seat, and gotten right to business. But these were not normal circumstances. So, instead of having all of the normal grace and elegance of a Crownguard, Lux's fidgety foot connected with a frayed end of the ancient heirloom rug. The mage was far too rattled to recover in any fashion, and so, poor Luxanna Crownguard, daughter of one of the most noble families in Demacia, found herself careening directly into one notorious Noxian assassin.

The second or two it took her to fall into the assassin's lap went completely undocumented by the mage. As far as she was concerned, one moment she had been upright and tidy, ready to deliver some cool drinks, and the next she was straddling Talon's right thigh, hands placed on either side of his hips, face buried in his neck. And, for some reason, she was also pretty wet.

It took longer than the mage would have liked to withdraw herself from the attractive assassin. The first thought that raced through her mind as she found herself within close proximity to the man who made her so nervous in the first place was that he smelled so good. Just like a crisp winter evening, with a touch of burning firewood and frost coating the grass.

The second thought was that she needed to get the fuck out of there.

After the mage had taken a moment to appreciate the assassin's incense, Lux was on her feet faster than Talon could say "kiss me". Not that Lux thought that he would have said that, but a girl could hope. Mouth open and eyes wide, the flustered mage stared down at the assassin with a face that must have resembled a shocked tomato, unable to conjure any sort of sound.

Talon just chuckled.

Lux flushed even more, but, for the first time that afternoon, not out of embarrassment. Anger began to rise up within the mage, but once again, she could find no words to express her feelings. In a frustrated huff, the mage bent down to pick up the two glasses that hand landed on the floor. Even as she marched back to the kitchen to drop the infernal tableware in the sink, she could hear Talon laughing at her.

"If that is your not so subtle way of saying I need a shower," Talon smirked as she sat down on the couch, not bothering to deal with drinks a second time. "Consider the suggestion noted."

"Let's just get to work." Lux huffed, ready to put the last few seconds behind her.

"That's fine with me, but," The assassin paused, allowing his dark eyes to drift along her neckline. "You might want to change."

Immediately, the mage glanced down at her bodice, and was mortified to find that her white dress, soaked now, was completely see through. With an undignified scream, the mage ran from the living room and sought out solace in her bedroom. She could still hear the assassin laughing. He wasn't even making an effort to muffle it.

The mage returned to the living room in a T-Shirt and pajama pants. She had completely given up.

Sitting down, Lux took a deep breath and tried again. "How about we get to work?"

"Alright." The assassin replied, still smirking. "Where do we start?"

"Well, how about with a plan to extract your father?" She suggested.

"You already know my plan." Talon replied easily.

Lux sighed. "Like I've already said, I don't think that is necessary. From what I can tell, Darkin don't have any special magic sensing abilities, and so my simple plan of illusions should work perfectly. Though I'm not even sure what you saw was a Darkin in the first place."

"Of course it was." Talon huffed. "Didn't you read the forward? And all of my father's notes? Swain and LeBlanc have been clearly working with the Darkin."
She had read them. Talon did have a fair point. A lot of the General's research had been about the relationship between the Black Rose and the mysterious race. Though, from what Lux had been able to tell, the General's findings suggested that the Black Rose was trying to gain the Darkin as an ally, not that they were actually working together.

"I just think we should be prepared for anything. Like, something that's not a Darkin. Did you know there's a spell in Parfuin Gúl that teaches the caster how to make itself a pair of wings?"

"I did." The assassin stated. "But this book hasn't been in anyone's hands who has done that. My father doesn't have wings and last I checked LeBlanc doesn't either."

Lux frowned. Although it was true that the General had stolen Parfuin Gúl from LeBlanc, Talon was making the assumption that she had held it ever since it had left the hands of the favorite mage of Jarvan I.

"Fine." Lux conceded. "Well if it is really a Darkin we're dealing with, I have no reason to suspect that he could detect magic. I suggest I cast an invisibility spell on each of us, then you will sneak in an untie your father while I cast an illusion at your location to make it appear as if nothing is happening. Once your father is untied, we can sneak out and be on our merry way."

"Won't my father need to be invisible?" Talon asked.

"Yes, I'll probably need to put you in a sphere of invisibility in order for this to work. You'll probably need to carry your father on your back and be careful where you walk. If you get too close to furniture or something it will half disappear. That's a dead giveaway."

"Can't you just cast one spell on my father and one on me?" The assassin suggested.

"Doesn't work like that." She shrugged. "Anything that is not a sphere only makes one thing invisible. I'd have to cast one on you and one for each item you are wearing, and the same would go for your father. It would suck all of the energy out of me. A sphere is much easier."

"Yeah I can see how that would be the case."

"Sound like a reasonable solution to you?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I suppose." He shrugged. "What do we do if your assumption that Darkin can't detect magic is wrong?"

"We do the same thing that we would do if it isn't actually a Darkin we're dealing with." Lux put on a small smirk. "We improvise."

Talon frowned. Clearly he did not like the idea.

"We can't prepare for every situation possible." The mage reasoned. "And, unfortunately, we don't have enough information to know which situations are most likely. If it makes you feel better, it would require a highly talented mage to detect magic of my level, and an even better one to dispel it. I mean, if that's the case, we're probably dead meat no matter what."

The frown had not left his face. "Well I'm at least fairly certain Swain and LeBlanc don't have those sorts of capabilities."

"It's not taught in Parfuin Gúl either." She stated. "Magic detection and cancellation is a highly overlooked skill. Even some of the most prestigious colleges in Demacia don't teach it. Not worth the hassle, they say. Fortunately the place where I went did not hold such opinions."

"Alright." Talon sighed as he began to stand up. "I accept your questionable plan to rescue my father. Now, I'd like to head out sooner rather than later. The next train that leaves for Sai leaves in two days."
"That's fine." Lux said as she rose. "Just send me the tickets and I'll be there."

Talon nodded as they walked over to her front door.

"This meeting was quicker than I had expected it to be." Lux remarked. She was understandably relieved that he'd be leaving shortly. Though her knees were not on the verge of buckling anymore, she could still feel the butterflies in her stomach.

Talon turned on her.

"How long were you expecting it to take?" He asked with a smile that Lux thought was dangerously flirtatious.

She felt her cheeks grow hot.

"Uh, I don't know, I just figured you'd um…" Lux felt her mind go blank as she watched Talon lean on the wall beside her. The assassin had inched forward just a bit. Blushing even more, the mage recovered her train of thought. "Argue about the plan more than you did."

"Uh-huh." Talon murmured as his eyes drifted over her black graphic T-Shirt. Lux almost froze in shock when his fingers started to play with the hem. "Not your most flattering outfit."

"Well I had something nice on earlier!" Lux protested.

"So you were trying to seduce me with that pure white dress?" He raised an eyebrow, reading her completely.

"I was not! Just because I dress nicely does not mean I was trying to seduce you!" She lied.

"Look, Lux, if you want me so badly you could just ask." He chuckled.

"Oh so if I walked up to you and said, 'Hey Talon, why don't you step in my bedroom and take me to Squealtown?' you would oblige?" She asked in an incredulous tone, crossing her arms as she glared up at the infernal man.

Lux was surprised to see all hints of humor disappear from his face. She was even more taken aback by his answer.

His intense eyes bore into hers as he replied in an incredibly husky voice. "For you, I would."

There were only a couple things Lux could do when a man talked to her like that. Firstly, she could slap him. That would probably be the most sensible thing to do, especially if the man in question was a Noxian assassin, as he so happened to be. Secondly, she could run away to her room, hide under her sheets, and refuse to come out ever again. Lux was surprised exactly how much she wanted to take option number to. But, in the end, the Demacian mage went with option number three, which was to kiss the living daylights out of said Noxian assassin.

With all of the passion and vigor that only a twenty four year old Demacian mage can possess, Lux flung herself at the assassin, wildly wrapping her arms around his strong neck and kissing him with an unparalleled amount of ardor. Talon, seemingly surprised by her movement, took a steadying step backwards while he wrapped a strong arm around her supple waist. It wasn't long before his unoccupied slender fingers curled around the nape of her neck, tilting her head backwards as he stood tall in front of her, sucking on her lips as if he might never taste them again.

The two stood there, kissing and nipping, for what might have seemed like an eternity to an observer. But for Lux, it was just a blip in time. Still, the mage knew that as much as she might have liked to stay glued to her favorite assassin, kissing him would do nothing to quell the feelings that would rise up within her after he left. Slowly and reluctantly, Lux extracted herself from Talon's grasp.

"I'm sorry, I…" She started, breathing heavily, not knowing quite how to finish. "I can't keep on hooking up with you like this."

Talon's brows furrowed and immediately Lux recognized the confusion painted on his face, but she also thought she saw a glimmer of pain. The mage began to feel guilty for claiming such a drastic sentiment.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a cold voice.

"Everytime we kiss or we…" She paused, feeling herself blush. "There's nothing defined between us, Talon. I don't like feeling like I'm being lead on a chase that has no finish."

Talon snorted. "You think you're the one who's being led on? You're the one who kissed me!"

"I know!" Lux exclaimed. "That's because I like you, Talon!"

She stared up at him with what she imagined must have been amazingly wide eyes. His own dark orbs gazed back down at her, almost softly. There was undoubtedly conflict in the air, but from the look of it, the assassin was sympathetic to her feelings. Just as Lux was about to open her mouth to apologize for not expressing herself in a more controlled manner, Talon did something she would not have anticipated in a million years. He hugged her.

The assassin's strong arms wrapped around her small shoulders, his chin resting softly on her head. Slowly, the mage returned his gesture, clasping her hands behind his back. Her breath caught in her throat and Lux found it impossible to conjure words.

After a long moment, Talon finally spoke.

"There are many facts about my life that tell me I should not feel about you the way that I do." He said quietly, continuing to pause for a calm few seconds. "Who am I, a Noxian, a cold-blooded killer, a vengeful man seeking to free his father, to fall in love with a beautiful, bright Demacian noble?"

"Talon," Lux sighed gently. "You're human."

"Vasher!" She screamed in desperation. "Vasher, stop it! This is madness!"

Running up to the elusive man, Vivenna pulled hard on his muscled bicep, trying, and failing, to rip it away from Nightblood. Even through the corner of his eye, the princess could see hatred burning in his dark eyes.

Draw me. Nightblood spoke eerily to Vasher. Destroy evil.

"Cut it out!" Vivenna shouted as she stepped in front of the determined man. Forcefully, she pushed against his shoulders, backing him away from the people he sought to destroy. She then moved her hands up to his face, resolved to make him listen to her before he turned to Nightblood.

"Vivenna." Vasher spoke softly, almost as if he was noticing her for the first time.

"Vasher, please." She could feel the hot tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't draw the sword."

I don't know why you'd say that, Vivenna. Nightblood spoke evenly. These men need to be vanquished.

"I have to, Vivenna." He was no longer looking at her. Instead, his eyes were dead set on the men not one hundred feet in the distance, completely unaware of their presence. "They deserve it."

She couldn't hold the tears in any longer. With her face pressed into his chest, she cried into his shirt, delicate hands pulling on the fabric, willing him to just stay with her.

But he didn't. Vasher's hand slowly wrapped around the hilt of Nightblood, clicking the clasp undone, allowing black smoke to seep into the air. The willful man pushed past Vivenna, heading towards the group of murderers, rapists, and thieves he fully intended to give a fate worse than death.

Vivenna couldn't watch. She sank to the ground solemnly as she listened to the screams and cries of men suffering. Those men deserved it. But their pain was not what made Vivenna distraught. Rather, it was Vasher. He couldn't wield the sword for such a purpose. He would lose his soul.

With a surge of bravery and strength, the princess shot up and bolted for the man, intent on keeping him from destroying himself in the process of punishing those men. They weren't worth it.

Vasher didn't see her. He didn't notice as she came running around to his frontside. He didn't hear her loud footsteps and whimpering cries as she approached. He didn't see her step in front of the murderer, determined to keep Nightblood from taking any more souls. And what followed Vivenna's brash movements and Vasher's inability to sense his surroundings was a cut so deep no amount of magic could possibly mend it.

Hair white in shock, Vivenna collapsed to the ground, arms wrapped around her bleeding guts.

"Vasher." She choked. "Stop."

"Vivenna!" The man bellowed, Nightblood clattering to the ground as he let the sword leave his grasp. Immediately, he bent to hold the princess. "What have you done, Vivenna?"

"You can't do this, Vasher." She breathed shallowly, color slipping from her as she began to pass away. "Don't sacrifice your life for men who aren't worth it."

Gasping for air as her lips paled, the dying princess offered her last words to the heartbroken man. "I love you."

"Did you hear me?" A bold voice cut through the mage's thought's, interrupting her reading. Slowly, Lux canceled the spell that she had used to keep her book, "Peacegiver", floating in front of her and aligned with her eyes as she walked. It was one of the many handy spells Lux had learned in her time at college, though this particular one was only useful if she did not need to watch where she was walking. Seeing as Lux was currently in the middle of the desolate desert known as Sai, there was little need for her to watch where she stepped.

Since her last time traveling to Shurima, Lux had learned from her mistakes and had thought to bring a couple of books along with her. Over the day long train ride to the capital, the mage had managed to finish three of the four books she had brought with her, and now she was in danger of finishing the fourth. All of that and she still had to make the journey back. Perhaps after rescuing his father, Talon would prove to be a better conversationalist.

Sighting, the mage caught the book as it fell and carefully tucked it into her backpack.

"Why do you always interrupt at the best parts?" The mage whined, staring up at the stoic assassin.

But Talon just looked dead ahead, intently focused on something in the distance.

"We're here." He muttered quietly. Lux could see the intensity swimming in his eyes. So much anticipation was hanging in the air, and immediately the mage knew she had to do everything in her power to help Talon save his father.

"Alright well I guess it is time we get started then." Lux shrugged, offering an air of nonchalance that she certainly didn't possess. She hoped it might do something to help quell Talon's nerves, and her own.

Setting down her backpack, the mage dug deep within until she withdrew a plastic flask, which she proceeded to hand to Talon.

"This is an anti-magic serum." She explained. "Drink it and it will rid all magical effects on you, including the invisibility. Hopefully you won't need to use it at all."

"Won't I need it once I'm done rescuing my father?" He asked plainly.

"No, once you're back I have a couple of spells I can use to cancel the magic." She reasoned. "No need to waste the serum. It's very expensive stuff."

"Ah."

"Ok, next point of order is that once we both go invisible, there will be little way for you to find me. I have spells that will allow me to track you as you move, but I'll be in an invisibility sphere too. Unfortunately, there aren't a whole lot of efficient ways for me to give you my location without you knowing some magic on your own, so you'll just have to trust that I'll cancel the invisibility once you return. Of course, if trouble finds me, I'll scream."

She smiled in what she hoped was a humorous manner, but the assassin did not seem amused.

"Sounds good. Let's get going then." He said gruffly, clearly concentrating on the task before him.

"Very well." Lux replied. "Wait until I tell you to go. Your invisibility sphere will be a one and a half foot radius. That is, anything within one and a half feet from the closest point on your body will be invisible to anyone standing outside the sphere, so be careful where you walk. Mine will be a five foot radius, so you will be able to see me initially, but once we move to get in position I'll disappear."

The assassin nodded gruffly, and, with that, Lux set about casting her spells.

Firstly, she cast an infrared detector on herself, allowing her to toggle between normal vision and infrared vision. She'd be able to keep track of Talon that way, and more importantly, any other bodies that entered the scene. Secondly, she cast the sphere of invisibility on herself. She had thought about casting a sphere of silence as well, but should things go wrong, the mage still wanted to have the ability to scream and be heard. Lastly, she cast the sphere of invisibility on Talon.

She watched as Talon faded from completely opaque to invisible, almost as if he was slowly becoming more blurry, like some indescribable force stood in front of him, preventing Lux from viewing him. The mage almost lost control of her emotions as she wondered morbidly if that would be the last time she saw the man, but after taking a deep breath, she was able to regain her calm demeanor.

"You're ready to go." She said matter-of-factly. "I'll be down by the entrance of the cave as well, to cast the illusion and to keep track of you. And, if things go wrong, don't hesitate to holler for me or drink the serum."

"Do you have one?" He asked in a concerned tone. Lux almost blushed. Was he that worried for her safety? Probably, and that came of no surprise to the mage, though it still continued to tickle her pink. She suspected it always would.

"Yes, I do. I have two more in my backpack."

"Well, I think we're ready." Lux stated in a steady voice. If she could have seen the assassin, she would have guessed that he still had that determined air about him. She wished she could tell him that everything would be alright, that his father would be healthy and fine, that the rescue would go off without a hitch. She wished she could tell that to herself, but ultimately, there was only one thing she could do.

"Let's go." She heard Talon say coolly, marking the start of their mission. With that, Lux set off trudging into the desert, intent on saving a Noxian assassin.