Hey hey! I'm back! Enjoy chapter 10!

Lux ran through the dark forest, heart pounding in her ears. She could feel the branches slapping against her face and body, but she didn't feel the pain. Fear drove her onward as she felt the growing presence of something dark, something ominous. It was following her. It was coming for her. And it would get her if she stopped.

A sharp pain stabbed through her ankle, and she felt herself falling. She crashed into the leafy underbrush with a yelp. The pain in her foot told her she'd no longer be able to run. She was done for.

Scrambling backward, she watched, frozen with fear, as the shadows grew closer. She gritted her teeth. "God damnit. I feel like a movie character." It was laughable. It really was. She had laughed at every movie character who had tripped and fell while running away, and now it had happened to her. Karma was a real bitch. Both figuratively and literally. Sae Eleisa fuck you Karma. But this wasn't the time for that. Lux shook off her thoughts, focusing on the nightmare in front of her.

A deep chuckle came from the dark, and a pair of glowing eyes appeared in the shadows. "Haha, just like the movies." The shadows laughed, mocking her.

As much as it annoyed her, there was nothing she could do. She'd dropped her wand some time ago. "Just get it over with." Lux closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

"Lux." The shadows said. "Lux. Lux… Lux…"

"LUX!"

"Ahh!" Lux bolted upright, her forehead colliding with something hard.

"Ow!" She clutched her head, falling back on the bed and rolling back and forth.

"What the fuck, Lux!" Talon's voice came from the darkness. "Fucking hell…"

"Hey, it's not my fault you leaned over me like that!" Lux shouted. "Why are you waking me up anyway?! It's still pitch black!"

"Shh…" A hand clamped over her mouth. "It's late. You're going to wake everyone up."

"Ah." Lux pushed Talon away from her, embarrassed. "Ahem… why did you wake me up, though?"

"You were tossing and turning and sleep talking." Talon sighed.

Lux blinked. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could just make out Talon's form standing by the bed.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Lux asked. "I was having a bit of a nightmare."

"No, it's fine." Talon said, turning away. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh." Lux could feel some heat in her cheeks. Talon was actually kind of nice. Sometimes. Maybe. Why was she trying to convince herself he wasn't? "Okay. Thanks."

"Good night." Talon lay back down on the couch.

"...good night." Lux flopped back down on the bed. In a few seconds, Talon's breathing grew steady, indicating he had drifted off.

Lux sighed, draping an arm over her face. Turning over, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep as well.

When Lux opened her eyes, she was sitting on the ground in a forest. A pair of glowing eyes stared at her from the shadows.

"What the fuck!" Lux yelled. Why in the hell was she back here? She wasn't even scared anymore, just annoyed, now that she realized it was a dream.

The shadows chuckled. "Oh ho? Getting feisty aren't we?"

"What are you?" Lux shouted at the shadow. Narrowing her eyes, she got a closer look, and she realized what it was. "Nocturne, is that you?"

"Yes." Deep laughter came from the shadows. "I sensed something strange, so I decided to investigate."

Lux raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I can sense the dreams of any living being, as you know. Normally, the sealing magic prevents me from entering these dreams, but tonight, I was able to. I sensed something was off, and it appears I was right. Why are you in the green ninja's dream, light mage?" Nocturne seemed genuinely curious.

"Uh…" Lux blinked. She had no idea Nocturne was actually capable of conversation. She was also still kind of confused as to what was going on. "We switched bodies."

Nocturne seemed taken aback, if a shadow monster could seem that way. "What?"

"Yea." Lux said. "My consciousness is inside Akali's body. It's kind of weird."

"I see…" Nocturne said, pausing. "Now how did that come to be?"

"Uh…" Lux blinked. "Leblanc."

Nocturne chuckled, appearing to be deep in thought. "So that residue magic was hers. Strange. Maybe I can get her to release me some day."

"Um…" Lux raised an eyebrow. "Can I go now? To my normal dream?"

Nocturne snapped up at her voice. "Oh, of course, little girl. Lux… Lux…"

Lux frowned. "Stop repeating that. It's weird coming from a dream monster like y-"

"LUX!"

"Ahh!" She bolted upright, and her forehead collided with something hard.

"Ow, Talon!" Lux rolled back and forth on her bed, holding her face. "Stop leaning over me like that!"

"Sorry." Talon said, voice indicating he was in pain as well. "Are you sure you're okay? You're still tossing and turning. It's loud."

"Ah." Lux blinked. "Sorry. Nightmare."

Talon was silent for a couple seconds. "What?"

"Yea." Lux confirmed.

"Do you need me to hold you while you sleep or something?" Talon asked sarcastically.

"Um." Lux blushed as she imagined it. She was glad it was dark. "I'm… okay."

"Are you sure?" Talon asked. "Because if you wake me up again…"

"Oh." Lux gulped, unsure if Talon was serious with that threat. "Uh… yea. I'm sure."

Talon stood still for a couple seconds. "Do you have nightmares every night?"

Lux shook her head, realizing Talon couldn't see it only after the act. "Uh… no. Nocturne visited."

"What?" Talon's voice suddenly held a tone of alarm. "What did he do? Are you okay?"

Lux repressed the urge to giggle at Talon's worried tone. It was somewhat cute. "Yea. He sensed something weird because of the body switch and wanted to know why."

"Oh." Talon sounded relieved. "Fuck, Nocturne is the one champion who scares the shit out of me. Something that doesn't take physical form, but stalks you in your dreams. I only believe in things I can stab." So Talon could be scared as well. It seemed kind of strange.

"Well you CAN stab it." Lux pointed out.

"Only on the rift." Talon said. "Off it, you can only fight it with certain magic." He paused for a second before continuing. "Speaking of such magic, it should be sealed. How can it visit your dreams?"

Lux frowned. Now that she thought about it, it did seem weird. "Not sure. Probably something to do with Leblanc's spell. The traces of magic she leaves with her spells could be enough to enable Nocturne to absorb it and enter my dreams."

"I'm not quite sure I understand, but he let you live, I guess." Talon observed, turning away and heading back to the sofa. "Kill it next time you see it so I can sleep, will you? Thanks."

"I can try."

"Well try your best." Talon sighed in content as he lay back down. "Good night. Again."

"Ehe… sorry." Lux chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Good night."

She flopped back onto the bed, sighing. She was almost scared to go back to sleep. Talon would probably actually kill her if she woke him up again. Lux leaned over the side of her bed to look at the clock. 1:28. Should she go to someone else's room? Sona would probably be okay with letting her stay. Buuut… she didn't really want to wake her up though.

"Fuck it." Lux swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose. Quickly changing out of her nightgown and into her day clothes, she quietly exited her room and headed for the garden.

Lux inhaled deeply as she emerged into the open, the fresh night air refreshing her senses. The expansive gardens that the Institute of War maintained stretched out in front of her, marble paths winding through the patches of glowing flowers and plants.

She started along one of the paths, stopping now and then, kneeling to get a closer look at some of the flowers. A voice from behind her startled her as she was sniffing a particularly pretty silver flower. "Didn't think you were the type to take late night strolls, Akali."

She jumped as she remembered she was Akali, rising to come face-to-face with Diana. "Oh… I just, uh... needed to clear my mind a bit tonight." She said uncertainly, smiling awkwardly. She'd never really talked to Diana before, and she wasn't sure what standing Akali was on with her.

Diana chuckled. "No need to be so uptight. Is something on your mind?"

"Um…" I've been forced to room with an assassin who I have repeatedly woken up in the middle of the night and who will probably kill me if I do that again? ...was what Lux wanted to say, but she ended up saying, "Nothing especially. Just… woke up in the middle of the night feeling restless, that's all. What are you out here for?"

Diana looked up at the sky, pointing up. "See, the moon is full tonight. I meditate outside during nights with a full moon to absorb its light and refresh my power."

"Oh… that's… cool." Lux vocalized intelligently, lost for words.

Diana looked at her oddly. "You don't appear to be yourself, Akali. Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, y-yea. I'm fine. Just a little… preoccupied. Sorry." Lux said, chuckling nervously.

Diana stared at her wordlessly for a few seconds, during which Lux repressed the overwhelming urge to fidget. Her gaze was icy and sent chills down her spine. Then she looked away and Lux let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Alright. I won't pry."

Then she looked back at Lux with a smirk. "How are you and Shen though?"

Lux recoiled. "H-huh? What about Shen?"

"Come on." Diana teased. "He clearly likes you."

"Oh… uh…" Lux looked away, searching desperately for words. SOMEONE HELP! I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN ENLIGHTENED OF A SECRET I SHOULDN'T KNOW! "I don't know… I-"

"There you are Akali." Katarina's voice suddenly came from behind her.

"AHHH!" Lux jumped in surprise, whirling and almost tripping over herself. "You scared me."

Katarina glanced at the moon goddess. "Sorry Diana, I'm borrowing her."

Diana inclined her head, her demeanor changing instantly, friendly attitude gone. "No problem. Good night." She walked past them, deeper into the garden.

Katarina watched her go for a second before turning back to Lux. "You looked like you were struggling."

"I was." Lux sighed. "You saved me. I've never talked to Diana before in my life."

Katarina shrugged. "Oh well. What are you doing out here?"

"Uh…" Lux looked away in embarrassment. "I kind of woke Talon up a few times… and he threatened to kill me if I did it again… so… I came out here."

Katarina blinked, clearly holding in laughter. "You what? Seriously?"

"Yea."

"Oh my god." Katarina burst out laughing. "I can't believe you're still alive." She paused, regarding Lux with a knowing smirk. "Actually, considering what you are to him, it's not that big of a surprise, but still."

Lux tilted her head, confused. "Huh? What am I to him?"

"Nothing. I'm just rambling. Don't worry about it." Katarina waved her off.

"What?" Lux asked. "What is it?"

"You'll see soon enough." Katarina winked, then stopped, contemplating. "...I hope. Unless that guy continues to be a fucking bitch."

Lux was getting more and more confused by the second. "What do you mean?"

Katarina sighed. "Nevermind. You're as dense as a rock."

"Hey!" Lux pouted. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"It MEANS, your brain is literally a rock." Katarina knocked lightly on her head. "I don't understand how you haven't gotten it yet. I'm pretty sure I've made it quite obvious."

Did she mean…? No way. Lux refused to believe it. But she had to confirm. "What, do you mean Talon likes-"

"YES, holy shit!" Katarina said, exasperated. "Final-"

"...Akali?"

Katarina's expression of disappointment, amazement, and frustration could melt boulders with its heat.