_So all of this is told from Lilith's point of view and with her speaking with some commentary from Vayne and Lilith done in italics. Also, this chapter gets pretty violent with a good amount of death. I try not to be too graphic, but just to warn you guys... yeah. Anyway, with that out of the way, storytime!

Many hundreds of years ago, about eight hundred, the Shadow Isles were the Blessed Isles.

"Do I really need to know the origin of the Shadow Isles to know your story?"

"Don't be rude and interrupt. Yes you need to know."

Many people believe that the Kindred are the end of life. Even the kindred themselves think that they are the end. But that's not right. Those who choose Wolf's chase are in reality chased forever in a dream-like state of terror and uncertainty through all of their afterlife. Because those who are greedy enough to desire to live more deserve it. But those who choose Lamb's swift death have a different end. For them, they live in a peaceful grotto for the rest of eternity.

"How do you know all this about the afterlife?"

"I control darkness Vayne. Do you really think I can't see into the darkness of death?"

Now, how does all this tie into the Shadow and Blessed Isles? Well, the Blessed Isles were a place for those souls on the way to Lamb's grotto to stop and wait for loved ones. It was a peaceful place that the living couldn't enter. Except for animals; animals could live there.

"How did it change?"

"I'm getting there. Sheesh."

There was a powerful wizard by the name of Vincent that wanted to rule the world. Yet, he was an impatient man so instead of building an army himself he created a being of immense power that could build an army for him. A being that could control darkness but would obey Vincent's every command. No more, no less. Vincent unleashed him on the world with only the order to build him the most powerful army possible.

In the being's mind, the most powerful warrior would be one that couldn't feel pain or fear death. So he went to the Blessed Isles and used his powers to infect the island. What was once a place of light would from then on be shrouded in darkness. Even the inhabitants were cursed with twisted forms and minds that were broken by his magic. Then he turned his sight towards the shore. He summoned a black mist that protected and lured the now savage inhabitants of the island to the mainland. His magic was so strong that if a living thing was killed by something infected with his magic, their very soul would be corrupted; they'd become part of the Isles. This is the origin of the so-called Harrowing.

Before we go any farther, I must tell you about the being. He would later be named Koul Jhin. Vincent may have created him to follow commands, but the being was still alive. He had a mind of his own. He didn't want to kill and hurt, but Vincent's magic commanding him made him. He was a depressed being of absolute power that couldn't do anything to make him happy. He had no one to talk to or console him- until he met her.

Koul, like the men of all stories, managed to meet a woman on one of the Harrowing escapades. He never actually told me how he met the woman or her name. But he met her, loved her, and was loved back. He was only able to avoid killing her because of her love for him; she loved him so much she would go to war for him. Thus she was technically part of his army.

One night he finally told her who exactly he was. She knew he had great power and was a servant to a great, demanding man. When he told her the full story, she did not scorn him as he thought she would. In fact, she did not outwardly react at all, only to say that she didn't care. She loved him no matter what. Inside though, she 'secretly' decided to find Vincent and kill him. Koul could read her thoughts and emotions though, just as I can, and knew her intentions. Yet, he was not obligated to warn Vincent of this. Thus her plans begun to take form.

It took her five months to track Vincent down. She left her small home in Bilgewater and pursued every lead available. She was finally led to a shack on the outskirts of Noxus (of course). She tracked his every movement for the next five months, planning everything. Finally, she went through with the plan. It was completed without a hitch. Vincent died a quick, painless death.

Ecstatic about her success, the woman bought a small boat and begun a journey to the ex-Blessed-Isles. Soon enough, the black mist surrounded her ship, but she had no fear. In fact, this gave her hope. She could hardly control her excitement when she saw the being she had named Koul Jhin. Yet he was not happy to see her. Just the opposite.

He explained to her that even though his master was dead, he couldn't just abandon his orders. The magic commanding wouldn't allow it. He was doomed to forever continue building this cursed army. He couldn't even command them. He could lure them and hurt them, but he could never kill them. That would damage the army. He was helpless as creatures from the Isles attacked his beloved and rip her to pieces. But not before he read her mind. Not before he found out that during those ten months she was away, she gave birth. To a little boy she left behind with a relative.

Koul fell into despair and misery. His love was transformed into a broken-minded Shadow Isles ghoul. His child was orphaned in sad and lonely town that was frequented by the killer black mist. He was unable to do anything to stop and change it. He did not want to live anymore. Yet he could not kill himself. So he searched for people to do it for him.

Whenever he came across people with great darkness in their hearts, he bestowed some of his infinite powers onto them. They became filled with a deep darkness that gave them the same powers Koul had. These people never died so they never technically became part of the Shadow Isles. They were drawn to Koul's powers and wanted more, but they were not powerful enough to kill him. He hurt them in an attempt to make them stronger, tortured them sometimes even. But they just simply weren't strong enough and Vincent's magic demanded that he fight back.

That was, until, I came to the island.

"You read the journal right?"

"Uhhh..."

"I can read your mind Vayne. But I'm trying to refrain from that kind of privacy invasion. You read the journal didn't you?"

"Yes..."

"Then I don't need to tell you about that."

So for a little bit of extra backstory... My parents were killed by some of the first Shadow Isles creatures that found their way onto the mainland when I was four. Elise saved me from them. Raised me as her own. She told me about what happened, told me that when both of us were ready, we would go to where the attacks were coming from and solve it ourselves. When I was eight, she made that a reality when she took me to the Shadow Isles.

The journal ends with her deciding to bring down the barrier for the man so I guess I'll start there. Elise breaks the runes and brings down the barrier. This is where my story really begins.

I was locked on the ship studying rock and mineral samples. The entire camp was tense and uncertain since Elise had left with a group almost twelve hours ago and still had not returned yet. No one else was on the ship. They were all outside trying to decide what to do.

That's when they attacked.

I ran to the small round window in the cabin I was in when I heard the screaming. The darkness and mist of the island made it impossible to see anything. I ran to the door, but just like the dozens of times I had tried it before, the door wouldn't budge. I was helpless. Helpless as I heard the screams get louder, then go away completely. Helpless as the door to my cabin quietly clicked open. I rushed outside. Whatever was happening, maybe I could help. I regretted my naive thinking immediately.

The carnage was terrible. I knew this had to be the people in the crew, but I couldn't even recognize the people. The bodies were so torn up. So much blood... I'm afraid to even go into more detail.

I violently retched at the sight of it all. I had barely stopped when a group of three people began to approach me. I hadn't seen them before and I hadn't seen them a few seconds ago, but there they were. I scrambled back, only to trip on something soft and wet. I feel hard on my butt. I looked up fearfully as I heard a dark chuckle.

"Oh look at the little girl! She's so cuuuuuute!" The woman talking said it in a mocking way. She bent down, giving me a better look at her and a cruel smile. She had black hair but stark white skin. "How do you suppose we kill this one? The others were... well, less than special. But this one..."

"How about we burn her alive?" A man speaking this time. He had a similar appearance to the woman. He laughed maniacally. Right before the third person, another man, cuffed him on the back of the head.

"And how exactly do you suppose we light a fire? Koul will skin us alive if he catches us!" The third man sneered maliciously at the other. The other man pouted and took a step back.

They turned back to me after another moment. I was hyperventilating. I crawled back furtively. I flipped myself over onto my hands and knees right before I felt a sharp pain in my side. I cried out as I heard more laughter. I looked up, tears blurring my vision. The woman giggled at me. "I suggest we-"

"What are you all doing?" This voice was much softer, much more dangerous. A man's voice. "I told you not to kill the girl."

"But whhhyyyyy?" The woman whined. "It would be so much fun..." She cut herself off violently as the new man took a step closer.

"She has a great darkness inside of her." The new man kneeled down next to me. I held my breath as he rested a hand on my arm. "I will make her one of us."

Pain began to blossom where he put his hand. I tried to pull back, but he held on. He held my terrified gaze with his own dark eyes. The pain spread, icy and burning at the same time, all over my body. I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was surrounded by fourteen people with black hair and white skin. Koul welcomed me to the family.

My life at the Isles officially began.

I'll go through this fairly quickly, as not much happened until, well, the event at the end. I was on the island for about seven hundred sixty years. Koul tortured me all the time and I was an outcast from the others Koul had gifted his powers to. I was the only one of them left with any of my humanity. I think Koul knew I'd kill him one day because of this and treated me so poorly to make me stronger. The area of the island that we were in was generally considered the shades' part of the island so other creatures didn't come over or the other shades would kill them. That's why my group didn't run into any other creatures other than the occasional spider. Sometimes, I was forced to go to the mainland with the shades on Harrowings.

"So you are a shade!"

"Yeah. Why's that important again?"

"Oh. No reason... You never killed anyone did you?"

I tried to refrain from killing, but sometimes the other shades would make me kill someone. If I didn't, they would go to the mainland and slaughter the first town, village, or city they came to. I killed forty-seven people in all.

"Why did you never try leaving?"

"You think I didn't? When I tried they tracked me down and made me watch as they slowly tortured and killed an entire village."

Finally, we arrive at the event that broke the camel's back. A ship was blown off course in a storm and ended up at the Isles. After the first crew that came to the Isles, my crew, the shades and Koul were no longer interested in visitors. They made me come with them to the slaughterhouse.

There were fifty-eight people there. Mostly men. I watched as my fellow shades brutally killed everyone there, as I had watched them do many times before. However, I was distracted by the sound of crying.

I went to the source to find a little girl, no older than six. She was trying to quiet her sobs as she hid, but was unsuccessful. I slowly approached her. She screamed at me, and I tried to calm her down. But the others heard and came.

The other shades slowly gathered around me and the little girl who was physically not much different than me. They told me to kill her and I said I wouldn't. They tried but I blocked their attacks. The girl clutched my shirt painfully. I saw so much of myself in her. That sadness. That helplessness. The confusion. I had seen so many children die, but none of them at the Isles. I wouldn't let this one die. I couldn't do it anymore.

Koul slowly strode up to me. He gave me a bored look as he summoned a shadow under the girl. I tried to block his attack, but his shadows broke through mine like they were paper. He sliced the girl in two.

Something broke inside me. The thing that held me back. I think in that one instance that I saw the two pieces of the girl's corpse fall to the ground, I lost my humanity. I had only one thought in my mind.

Kill.

I exploded. I roared and five of the shades died. Koul stepped back, eyes wide, shadows beginning to appear around him to attack me. But it was my turn. When he attacked, my shadows were able to block them. I snarled at him and four more died. I took a step forward and only Koul was left. I didn't even know what I was doing. I couldn't control myself. Something feral and savage was killing them all without my awareness. Koul smiled, tears of joy streaming from his eyes as my shadows tore through his to stab him in the heart.

I was now surrounded by carnage, some I had created and some I had watched others create. I buried the bodies of the crew that was shipwrecked, or at least, I buried what I could. I left the bodies of the shades.

I roamed the islands. I didn't know what to do. I was finally free, but I had never felt so much like a prisoner. I still wanted to fix the Isles. I wanted to help Elise, but when I went to her she scorned me. Sent me away. I just roamed, watching the ghouls, wishing there was something I could do.

I found myself sitting on a ledge, looking over the island shrouded in darkness and mist. I had such great power, but I didn't know really how to use it. But it did dawn on me in that moment. I control darkness itself. I got up and found a ghoul. I went into its mind. It was like a house of broken mirrors, but I could feel it. I could draw the darkness from its mind out from it and into me without any consequences to my sanity. I did it.

The ghoul's sanity was restored. He thanked me over and over. He swore his allegiance to me. I repeated this process, finding a ghoul and healing its mind. Some of them went crazy from the things they had witnessed on the islands. But most of them swore themselves to me and were reverted back to how they were when they were alive and human.

I began to build up a society. I helped them build a wall to keep the other monsters out. They built me a tower for me to live in. Then they began to build houses for them to sleep in. They didn't know what I had in store for them, but they trusted me. They knew I wanted to fix the Isles and that's all they needed to know.

One of them told me of a place called the Institute of War. He told me of the League of Legends and said I should join. I agreed. I told the little town that I had created that I was going to leave for the mainland. I was going to change the world's view of the islands and try to convince the champions of the league to join our cause.

Lilith looks at me expectantly. Kind of an abrupt ending, but whatever. I stare back at her. Finally she says, "Are you going to say anything?"

I awkwardly scratch the back of my head. "You're not the best storyteller."

She punches me in the arm, and although it doesn't hurt, I don't know if it's playful or not. "Really though. I want to still fix the island. Will you help me Vayne?"

The answer is immediate. "Yes."

Lilith rests her hands in her lap and stares and them for a moment before saying, "Do you think I should kill Elise?"

I raise my eyebrow at her. "After everything she's done, I wouldn't let her live."

Lilith sighs and nods. "I know I should, but I can't Vayne. I still see the woman that raised me and loved me. I can't kill her."

I rest a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Lilith are we friends?"

She looks up at me abruptly. "I'd like to think we're friends."

"And so would I." I reply smoothly. "So as long as both of us want to be friends, I would say we're friends. I'm no expert in the subject certainly, but I believe friends help each other." Her expression brightens slightly at this. "So I will kill Elise for you."

After a moment, she looks crestfallen. "But, champions cannot be killed. It's by law."

Right. Forgot that little tidbit. "Well," I finally respond, "I'm sure I could talk to the Head Chancellor and get something resolved. She adores you and I'm sure she can't just let a slaughter like this go unpunished."

"I don't think she'll help."

I give Lilith a levelled look. "I thought I was supposed to be the pessimist here."

Lilith sighs. "You're right. I think I just need some sleep." She hesitates. "Wait here for a second."

She leaves and enters the tower before returning with a length of rope that's been slightly burned at some places. She reaches for my hands and I withdraw, giving her a suspicious glare. After a moment she explains.

"Vayne, I don't want you leaving again while I'm sleeping. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that the island affects people differently, and I think you become overcome with morbid curiosity and lose you self-preservation. Not the best combination and I don't want you to get hurt. So I'm going to tie you to my bed's frame. Okay?"

I just nod. It's probably for the best. Lilith ties my hands and leads me to her bedroom that wasn't ravaged by flames. After quickly tying the other end of my rope to the one of the legs, Lilith flops down and almost immediately falls asleep. I sit down and look around at the tiny bedroom. It's just the bed and a dresser.

My mind wanders to what happened today. I think of my father, how I inadvertently killed him again and feel... nothing. Lilith took my capacity to feel anything negative about the situation. I feel strangely empty. Does feeling nothing for the death of loved ones make me a monster? Even though I have no control over it, I don't feel better.

I feel the sudden urge to go exploring, find something to kill here. I stand and try to leave, only to be held back by the rope. So I'm stuck in this room, but the feeling doesn't go away.

It's going to be a long night.