A/N: Wow, I literally have not done anything forever.
And ever.
Woops.
Hope you all enjoy this. Haha. Err.. Yeah.
I might write more, depending on how I feel about the story. Cheers!
"...you kidding me? That's impossible."
"We don't know how it happened, we just know it did."
"Don't you lie to me."
"I don't have reason to, neither does the medical staff. I suggest you simmer down, for there is nothing we can do."
"What do you mean nothing, don't you have Soraka?"
"Soraka may be a divine being, but it does not mean she can help nor understand the inner workings of an immortal from another realm."
The argument continued, one voice adamant in proving the capability of their team, and the other more rash, feminine vocals continued to question them, every so often lobbing out empty threats.
Everything stung.
"Enough." Kayle interrupted, barely holding one hand up as her eyes kept closed. There seemed to be an invisible weight holding them down, lids as sore as can be. "Have you no manners to leave the room of a patient before bickering?"
"Sorry we were just-"
"I would have loved to, but your friend here insisted on arguing here, for she simply did not stop her endless barrage of questions."
"Hey. You started it."
Kayle could probably literally hear the stranger roll their eyes as a scoff escaped into the air. The next moment, a gloved hand touched the Judicator's, and easily held the calloused hands between the fabrics, rubbing slowly and cautiously. The motion itself would have been welcoming if it weren't for the burn. She immediately withdrew her hand as protest against the action, only to settle upon the warm hands once more.
"Well, if you have any more needs to doubt the medical professionals and healers at the Institute of War again, you know where to find me, champion." The doctor spoke, pushing his glasses up briefly before exiting the room, leaving the two by themselves.
"Are you alright?"
"What a foolish question. Do I look alright?" An irritated tone towards the arrogant question, but she could not blame Quinn for her worries, for she can only imagine the face she was making right now.
"..Sorry. I'm just worried. We say stupid things when we're worried."
"The human race is strange."
"I guess we are."
There was a long pause of silence before the Demacian managed to speak again, "So.. Do you feel any better? Can you move?"
Kayle furrowed her eyebrows as a natural response, and the first thing she thought to check were her wings. Her pure, white-albeit charred-wings. The pain was uninmaginable, and groans of agony escaped her lips before her barely-feathered limbs were at rest again, avoiding movement.
"..How do they look?" She questioned, still not opening her eyes. The difficulty of it was rather surprising, but for now she'll have to rely on her companion's eyes.
"...Do you.. Want the honest answer? Or the.. The sugar-coated lie to make you feel better?"
"That's blatant."
"Well, you're the Judicator. I mean..."
"The truth, Quinn. Nothing more, nothing less. Describe them to me."
"Black. Bloody. It sizzles each day, and no one has figured out how to help you with it. The magic upon it still lingers, on both wings, as if the residual of magic is more powerful than the blast itself. Though, one wing is recovering slowly, the other has hardly made any progress over three weeks-"
"Three weeks?" Kayle's eyes immediately snapping open as best it could, but the sudden introduction of light seared her vision. The blurring did not help.
"Yes, you were out for three weeks."
"What of my duties? The investigation? Have I truly been asleep for so long? Ugh, time is such a fickle idea. Living by it is much too complicated." The Judicator whined, wanting to sit up further from her position but was pushed backwards with the shake of a head.
"No. Don't move-" Quinn gestured at the contraptions all around them.
It would seem all this time, Kayle's wings were held up by.. Whatever mechanical amalgamations these are. The bones of her wings rested upon several padded cradles, held up by steel strings of magical enchantment that lead towards the ceiling to support the large limbs. She finally took a good look at them, wincing in pain as she turned her head to look. The wing that she had blasted herself was recovering at an expected speed. The feathers have already begun to grow, and in due time, it would be done.
As for the other.
The Judicator sneered at the black magic, she could recognize it from anywhere.. But there was something off about it. It might be her senses going haywire, but she was sure this was Morgana's doing, and none other.
In a fit of rage and realization, she ripped herself away from the contraptions, destroying part of the ceiling, and removed herself from the bed, away from the strange devices that were attached to her. She dragged both of her wings behind her, one partially white, and the other one completely black, similar to that of Morgana's.
"KAYLE! WHERE ARE YOU GOING? YOU AREN'T EVEN HEALED!" Quinn spoke with a panicked voice, attempting to stop the seraphim from continuing, but even in such a weakened state, she still possessed strength that of a titan. With one shove, Kayle pushed the ranger aside and began storming out of the facility without much trouble. After all, who would ever stand in the Judicator's path, other than those who wished for death?
It took a while, especially without flight, but Morgana was found to be sitting next to a lake in the outskirts of the forest surrounding the Institute. It would seem that she was bathing and tending to herself, brushing her hair casually. Strangely, she was unaware of her sister's presence. Usually she was very good at telling when miss ragey-two-shoes would come over.. But not this time.
"MORGANA!" Kayle bellowed in ire, charging towards the fallen woman, armed with only a sword and spell. She could not put on her armor, so seeing her sister's face truly startled Morgana.
"Kayle?!" She screeched, getting up immediately from lakeside and backed away, true fear staining her eyes for a brief moment as she still gawked in surprise.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
"Dare what? Dare I do what to make you so-"
"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME YOU VILE PILE OF SHIT."
"Sister, I truly do not understand-" Morgana backed up, staring in horror.
"HOW DARE YOU NEARLY END MY LIFE. HOW DARE YOU TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. YOUR PUNSIHMENT IS NEAR, I CARE NOT THE CONTRACT THAT WAS MADE BY THE INSTITUTE ANY LONGER. YOU HAVE TRULY CROSSED A FORBIDDEN LINE." Her hand glowed with absolute brightness, eyes burned with stone-cold hatred.
"SISTER! YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND! I-" She finally catches sight of the tattered wings, and her eyes widened.
"You ABOMINATION. I should have ended your life sooner. I had the ability, but I had sentiment. A cruel mistake that I will NEVER repeat again." Kayle swung her sword without mercy and began sending bolts of pure magical energy to destroy her sister. Thankfully, without her wings, Kayle has lost a large part of her combative abilities, making her slightly less deadly. Not only that, she did not don her armor.
This would be the perfect chance to end her in such a weakened state, yet Morgana is drowning in more fear than ever, seeing her sister this livid and explosive.
"Sister, you don't understand, I haven't done anything."
"Do not lie to me, swine."
"I truly do not understand. Calm yourself and please listen!"
"I have done that one too many times, look what happened."
"Sister, please-" Morgana's eyes flickered back and forth from paying attention to Kayle's brutal attacks and the darkened wing.
"ENOUGH-"
"SISTER, PLEASE LOOK AT YOUR WINGS. They are but a copy of my magic! You know better than I that I would NEVER miss the chance to completely burn your wings, not leave it at a weakened state." The fallen woman reasoned, dodging yet another deadly blast.
"I have examined them, it IS your magic!"
"It is not! Look at it closer!"
"How do I know you haven't changed your spells? Altered them to be a trick?!"
"I understand your bias, but examine it closer! You are the Judicator, you need to go through all proof before you may judge! That spell, that wound, that is not my doing, sister."
It was then that Kayle stopped, furrowing her eyebrows before turning just slight enough to look. It was true, in her code of conduct, she must. It was then that she gave her sister a harsh glare-a warning-before actually investigating.
The likeness was too astonishingly similar, but upon closer examination, Morgana spoke truth. This magic, albeit very akin, it has a different resonance to it. The spell's lingering speech and patterns spoke a very different story than the straight-forward vengeance that was usually pelted at her from her sister.
Kayle then looked up from her wings in realization. For once, she told the truth, and a slight bit of guilt washed over her expression before it hardened into a frown and furrowed brows.
"..If not you, then who, Morgana?"
"..You ask as if I keep the affairs of the Institute in check. Most leave me alone, I have not been approached by anyone."
"I still have reason to suspect you for everything. Quinn's near-assassination, my own wounds, and several other criminal activities."
"I understand, and I do not blame you for it. Though I still have hatred for you, you know I don't scheme, sister. I will take you with power and force, not cunning."
Kayle huffed, looking at her wings once more before lowering her sword and dissipating her spells. "Very well. I will keep an eye on you." She sneered, taking her leave. It was almost pitiful to watch the Judicator fly, only to realize that after the jump, no air was going to catch her wounded wings.
It was then that the Judicator would feel a hand grasp at her own, pulling her in a different direction. "You look pitiful. I'll lead you at least until close enough."
"Don't-"
"Would you prefer to be lost then?"
Silence.
"That's what I thought. Don't worry, I'm just going to hurt your pride a little. It'll be... A secret between us girls. Just like old times." Morgana offered a gentle smile, but hid it immediately before dragging her rather unwilling sister along.
The Institute of War: A hub of socialization, communication, and competition. Political figures, legends, monsters; all gathered here in the heart of Valoran. Yet, at night, when the stars hung at its highest as a background drape against the shimmering moon, it is the most quiet. Kayle was grateful for the near-silence. Other than a few chatters and mutterings, echoes of footsteps down the halls, there was nothing. Or, perhaps, she was simply lucky that no champions or summoners chose to be around this section of the Institute at this point, but she digresses. Leaning elegantly against the railings of the porch, Kayle looked up at the beautiful imagery, finding self-reflection in this very moment.
She had much to think about. The unsolved case that continued to batter against the walls of the Institute, slowly seeping darkness inwards. The Judicator can only imagine how many more seeds of evil has been planted and yet to be unleashed by the culprit. All of it will be sowed if she didn't find out who is behind it, or what they were planning.
Her mind lingered in worry for a while before they slowly migrated over to a few other topics, and eventually landed on her feelings. Being on Runeterra has certainly taught her many things: Whether it is the stupidity of human beings, their arrogance, or their true qualities and innovative minds. In a way, they are rather superior beings. They have imagination, culture beyond their wildest dreams, land as vast as can be with mysteries every step of the way. Colors beyond belief.
It lead her to wonder about her own people, who are frozen back in her homeland. She certainly had not expected that bargain to be the 'peace' that she had hoped for, or at least a pause in war. They literally paused it so she had time to hunt down Morgana. Yet, here she was, being side-tracked by the wonders of Runeterra, as well as the contract she must fulfill.
Then she thought of Quinn. A truly strange experience. Back in her Golden City, there were only duties to be done. If you excelled at something, you became the apprentice to eventually replaced the master so that they may rest in paradise and finally choose to be reborn in a new light. Yet here, death was not necessarily a choice, but an event. Here, they cherish every breath, every second they have, and make decisions on the fly without checking them over and over.
Here, they were spontaneous. And so was her love for Quinn. A hundred years ago, if you had asked Kayle if she would ever sacrifice her wings or duty for a woman, she might have smite you immediately without hesitation. Now? Look at her. So involved in the emotions around her, and the elements that lingered, she had become someone much different than what a Judicator was meant to be.
From cold and calculating to a woman who experienced emotions, love, and several other fleeting things that was never in her consideration before. It was certainly.. Interesting, to say the least.
Though, her self-contemplation was cut short as she heard footsteps from behind, and immediately turned in a defensive manner. "Who goes there?"
"Just me." Quinn chuckled, waving briefly with Valor sitting on her shoulder, leaning against her face in a exhausted manner.
"..Ah, I thought you were summoned."
"I was."
"How did it go?"
"Well."
"...In favor of you?"
"Mmmm... I guess you could say that. Valor here did most of the work, didn't you?" She chuckled, ruffling the feathers as the bird garnered some extra strength to puff out his chest in pride.
"Then I rejoice." Kayle stated flatly.
"Rejoicing doesn't sound like that, silly. It's more like.." Quinn gesticulated with exaggeration, "REJOICE!"
The Judicator chuckled softly, shifting her wings a little and rolled her eyes.
"I thought you would be resting to recover."
"It will take more time and effort than resting would give me. I must purify myself of this magic."
"I was really worried when you ran off, you know. You made a huge mess of the room, and what's worse, I couldn't even find you, no matter where I searched. But then again, the forest around the Institute is rather huge so.." Quinns shrugged.
"I was simply around. I.. Apologize for making you worry."
"Oh, it's.. It's fine. I just wish you would have told me where you were heading."
"To my sister." Kayle answered in earnest, turning back around to lean against the railings again, "I suspected her of doing this. I sought retribution from her, but she was not guilty as charged by me. A painful mistake, truly."
"Oh. How do you know it's not her?"
"The magic is different. It's.. Hard to tell. It certainly fooled me until I was brought to reason. Ironically, by my sister of all people."
Quinn snickered.
"Don't do that."
"Sorry. It's just... You're kind of cute when you're guilty-looking or something."
"I'm not cute."
"Right."
Another bit of silence as Kayle simply watched the starry skies. It was hard to garner her previous train of thoughts back into her head. The presence of the Demacian truly made it difficult as her thoughts consistently rolled over into thinking of love. She needed to piece all the puzzles together, there was no time for fooling around.. And yet.
"So do you think we'll catch the bad guys soon?"
"I'm sorry?"
"The bad guys. The ones that try to kill me? And you? Then both of us?" She gestured.
"...That was my mistake. I knew I shouldn't have taken you up there. It makes me vulnerable, and I should have seen anything coming."
"Cheer up, everyone makes mistakes." Quinn coos playfully.
"No. I don't make mistakes. I can't make mistakes, Quinn. My duty is to bring justice towards those that deserve it. This justice is taking too long to serve, and it is best served hot instead of on a cold, dead trail." Kayle growled.
"Okay, so, lets start talking about the mystery. Who would want to kill us both, or you-mostly you-so much that they would spend the time mimicking Morgana's spells to make it seem like it's her fault?" She quirked an eyebrow.
".. I haven't a clue."
"Who's even close enough to Morgana? She's unaffiliated with anyone and seems to keep to herself a lot more than anything. She has her own agenda, I don't see her working with anyone."
"And that there is the question: Who dares to try for the Judcator's life? Who does not fear retribution? Who has so much power to fool me into thinking it was truly my sister's magic?"
"I dunno." Quinn shrugged, eliciting a playful and annoyed nudge from the seraphim.
"You're no help sometimes." Kayle scoffed.
"Well... Pizza?" Quinn pulled out a box from behind, opening it to reveal two slices of lukewarm pepperoni pizza.
"...You are truly, truly a fool. As tantalizing as the offer is, junk food is out of my boundaries." She laughed, petting Quinn on the head.
"Gotta stop being so stressed out, love. Beating your brain up with a mystery without enough clues is always needless. We'll find out who it is."
"I will find out who it is, Quinn, and I promise to serve the little whelp the harshest, fiery judgment I could muster. They deserve it."
"Ok, but while you're at it, can you warm up my pizza?" Quinn jested, holding out a slice.
"You idiot." Kayle kicked at the ranger's legs playfully and resumed looking at the skies, "Take your junk food elsewhere, or feed it to your bird. I have better things to do."
Quinn giggled and leaned against the Judicator with a smile, munching on her food.
"Cheer up, we'll find 'em."
Kayle hummed passively. T's truly a shroud that she cannot see through, but the pieces of evidence are surely going to come together soon. Hopefully. Before anything else happens.
"But warm pizza-"
Smack.
"Ow! I was just kidding!-"