Diana was grateful she wasn't Helena.
She was grateful, because it meant claustrophobia wasn't one of her fears.
She was grateful, because it meant she could be locked in a broom closet, like she was now, Leona in there with her, the cramped space making them stick to each other as if they were glued to the other's body.
Not like they wouldn't be as close if it weren't for the lack of room, anyway.
What she wasn't grateful for, though, was the lack of time.
"Leo-" She attempted, but she got cut off by the warrior's lips on her own, Diana's hands on Leona's waist, Leona's on Diana's back as she squeezed her close to herself, but not with much force, for she feared her armor may harm or bother her lover.
She felt Leona smile against her lips. "Sh."
"But, Leo-"
Another kiss silenced her. "I know, I know." Leona kissed her once more. "But I won't be seeing you in so many days…" She pressed her lips against Diana's, again. "I swear; I'll start suffering withdrawal."
Diana laughed against her lips, a mischievous smirk on her own as a hand slid downwards, past Leona's waist, expertly finding the chink in her Chosen's armor, located curiously close to her crotch, as she allowed her fingers to slide through it, drumming them against Leona's groin. "Withdrawal from what?"
Her smirk grew in size as she felt Leona's sharp intake of breath, the air she had inhaled hitching on her throat.
Diana moved her head towards Leona's neck, her smile disappearing for a split second as she pressed her tongue flat against Leona's pulse point and licked it up, the tip of her tongue reaching the end of Leona's jaw.
"Fuck you." Leona growled, her hands applying pressure to Diana's hips as she moved them and squeezed her lover.
Diana laughed, "Wow, rude." She said, looking into Leona's eyes.
She found lust in them, an eerie glow to the golden colors in them. "No, I meant fuck you." She repeated herself as she pressed her whole body against Diana's, her leg instinctively making it to its' rightful position; between the Solari's.
"No, we can't." Diana refused, closing her eyes so as to avoid the temptation that Leona presented. Upon feeling Leona's body press against hers more insistently, she quickly moved both of her hands towards Leona's chest, pushing her backwards a bit. "I'm serious, you devil." She added, smirking when she heard Leona groan.
"You're impossible." The Chosen said, a smile already creeping up her lips.
"Me?" She huffed a laugh. "You're the one leaving!"
"It's not like I want to!" Leona complained, making Diana regard her with a no nonsense look, so she nodded her head a bit. "Okay, perhaps I do want a bit, but still!"
"We'll have plenty of time for that later, when you come back." Diana offered, as if it could bring relief to Leona's cravings.
As if she wasn't leaving right after the warrior did.
"I will miss you terribly, anyway." Leona breathed out as she hugged Diana, burying her nose in the girl's hair. "I don't want to leave your side."
Diana's smile softened, her hands moving up to Leona's neck as she wrapped her arms around her. "I will miss you like crazy, too."
"I promise I'll think of you every day." Leona said as she placed each of her palms on Diana's cheeks, gazing into her azure eyes. "And I'll dream of you every night."
Diana laughed, blushing due to her words. "So romantic, you."
Leona smiled, "I love you." She said, gently pressing her lips against Diana's in a slow, soft kiss. "My sunshine," She whispered against Diana's mouth, her eyes closed as she allowed her forehead to rest against the Solari's.
Diana laughed again, "Sunshine? I think that would be you, not me."
Leona chuckled, "Okay, my moonlight." She said, a knowing smirk on her lips.
"You're ridiculous." Diana said, though she had to fight the smile on her lips as she hid her face on Leona's neck, the warrior's hands returning to the raven haired girl's back.
The warrior laughed a bit, the shaking of her chest making Diana's move, too. "I love you." She repeated after a moment, making Diana pull away so as to look at her in the eye.
She slowly leaned in, kissing her gently. "I love you, too. Promise you'll tell me everything about your trip once you're back?"
Leona smiled. "I promise, every detail included." She said, then her smile disappeared. "Are you sure you don't want to bid me farewell at the entrance?"
Diana shook her head. "I'm not going; it would be a torture for both of us. I'd rather say goodbye in here, where I can kiss you and touch you as I please, than in front of everyone, where I'll have to behave myself and watch you leave."
Leona sighed. "It'd be an extra minute being close to you, though."
"Leona, please, don't be so clingy." Diana teased, a smile on her lips as she heard Leona gasp.
"How dare you call me clingy? You're just as bad." She questioned, making Diana chuckle.
"I have no clue what you're talking about, love."
A smirk on the warrior's lips. "Sure."
They heard footsteps approaching, so both girls hushed each other like children, hugging so as to keep each other as still as possible as they heard the passersby.
"Like Hell I'm knocking on the Chosen's door. You're doing it!" They heard a male voice say.
A sigh. "She doesn't bite; you know?" It was Lycia's voice the one that sounded, then. Diana tried not to snort, for she knew that, in fact, Leona did bite. "Besides, you're just following Akins' orders, nothing else."
They heard them walk away, but waited until their footsteps were completely gone to talk.
"Guess it's time to go," Leona said, a sad tone to her voice. She looked at Diana's eyes, a sad frown on her face.
"I guess it's time." Diana echoed, a small, kind smile on her lips as she stroked Leona's cheek, the girl resting her head on her palm.
"Diana, may I kiss you one last time?" The warrior inquired, sounding as small as a child.
Diana's smile widened into a grin, the Solari finding her lover impossibly cute. "You'd break my heart if you didn't."
Leona chuckled, then cupped Diana's face with both of her hands as she leaned in and kissed her for the last time in a while, devouring the content sigh Diana dropped into the kiss.
Completely ignoring her lover's fate.
Leona walked to the main entrance to the temple, all by herself.
"Ah, there you are, My Chosen!" Akins said as a way of greeting her as he bowed his head a bit, Leona smiling and mimicking his actions. "Are you ready to go?" He questioned.
Leona nodded. "I believe I am." She said, letting her eyes scan her surroundings. She saw three carriages, her Sun Guard already climbing into one, almost half of the Elders already on another, Sekhet and Eos between the travelers, and the Ra-Horak preparing to board the last one, Khait giving his personal guard instructions, his soldiers nodding their heads as they heard him while they climbed in and sat down.
Leona arched an eyebrow. "I thought we'd meet the Ra-Horak in Demacia?" She inquired as she shot a questioning look at Akins.
The man turned to look at the Ra-Horak soldiers, then he looked at her again, "Oh, yes, well, Commander Khait decided we should all travel together instead." Akins' smile widened a bit, "He said he trusted this way would be safer for all of us."
Leona frowned. "Safer?"
And thus Akins' smile faded away. "Word about our possible alliance with Demacia reached Noxus. The Commander believes they might try to ambush us on our way to the city."
Leona grimaced. "Better safe than sorry, then."
"Indeed." Akins said, his smirk back on his face. "Anyhow, the Ra-Horak are to go all in one carriage, the other Elders and I will be in a second one and you'll be traveling with your Sun Guard, if you agree."
"I'm surprised you don't mind them coming," Leona said, arching an eyebrow. "After all, they haven't finished their training yet."
"Well, they're almost done with it, though." Akins retorted. "Besides, going on a real, security mission, ensuring your safety, may be just the right kind of practice for them."
Leona caught Khait's eye, so she smirked as she patted Akins' back. "That is true." She said, then moved towards her former Commander.
"Well, well, well..." Khait said out loud, a smile on his lips. "If it isn't the Chosen of the Sun herself."
Leona chuckled as she reached him. "If it isn't the Commander of the Ra-Horak himself."
"Come here," Khait let out as he suddenly hugged her, laughing a bit. He pulled away, "I missed your annoying face."
"I missed your stinky breath, too." Leona said, earning a sudden shove from her former teacher. "Hey!"
"Call me stinky one more time and I'll punch you." The Commander warned.
"Stinky." Leona breathed out and Khait immediately threw a punch at her face, which she barely dodged, despite having expected it. "To be honest, I had a small hope that you wouldn't do it."
"You know me, Leona. I'm surprised you kind of expected another reaction." He said smugly, making his former student chuckle as she shook her head. He noticed someone's absence, then. "Isn't Diana coming to bid you farewell?" He asked her in the Old Rakkor, hoping no Solari would comprehend his words.
The Ra-Horak's expression fell a bit when he saw her shake her head no. "Nope." She said, looking a bit sad, too.
"Why not?"
"She said it would be torture for both of us." Leona explained, then added, "She wishes you a nice trip, though."
Khait sighed, "She has a point."
"Enough chatter," Leona said, clapping her hands together, "I think it's time for us to part." She decided, knowing full well everyone would believe her eagerness to leave would be due to her desire to finally visit Demacia and forge a new, strong alliance.
A bitter smirk formed on her lips as she thought how that would mean everyone was blind and wrong, for the truth was that she only wanted to leave as soon as possible so as not to give herself the time and space to run away from her duties with a certain miscreant like her.
Wouldn't be a bad idea, actually.
That bitter smirk turned into a grin.
Finally, we agree in something.
"You're right." Khait said, then turned to board his carriage. "Let's go!" He hollered, the Ra-Horak responding with loud cheers.
Leona smiled as she mimicked him, getting on her own transport.
As they readied, the trip slowly began, the wheels taking them away from the Temple.
The departure making a vigilant Helena turn and go towards the eastern entrance to the Temple, which was currently empty, save for one scholar who was supposed to be waiting for her best friend there.
As she reached the meeting point, she saw Diana there, Leona's former Ra-Horak armor on.
She turned upon hearing her friend approach. "They're gone." She stated, for she would not be seeing her friend if it weren't like that.
Helena nodded her head. "They're gone." She repeated, making it official. "Here," she said, as she gave Diana a bag she had been carrying with her. "I filled this with essentials; food, water, a map of Mount Targon and some bandages that I really hope you don't end up needing."
Diana frowned, but took the bag nonetheless, getting her arms through its' straps so that it would rest on her back. "Thanks. I still don't know how you managed to scheme all of this."
"Stealing Leona's armor was easy, considering she was busy locked in some broom closet a while ago…" Helena said, giving Diana a knowing look as the Solari blushed.
"That doesn't explain how you got into her bedroom."
"Please," Helena responded, as if actually offended by Diana's words. "She's the Chosen of the Sun; everyone respect's her so much, she doesn't even need to lock her door, no one's getting into her room without her permission, anyways. She's aware of that."
Diana's brows shot up as she blinked in surprise, realizing her friend was right. "True."
"And your travel goodies were stolen from different places, just to make sure no one would really notice they're gone." Helena added, a smug smirk on her lips as she recalled how she had stolen food and water from the kitchen, the map from the library, the bag from Armin's former bedroom.
Diana chuckled. "You're too clever for your own good."
"I hope I'm never exactly too clever." Helena commented, then made a surprised face as she remembered something. "Oh! Here, before I forget," She said, "Wait a second," She ordered Diana as she moved towards the left side of the door.
Helena touched many of the wall's bricks, as if testing them, until she felt one that yielded to her touch. She smirked. "This one," She said, as she pulled it away from the wall, making Diana gape at her, shocked at her friend's actions; she had never known that brick was loose. "It's always been the weak one." Helena added, as if that explained anything.
Slowly, Helena retrieved a sword which, after the short girl finished pulling it out of the wall, Diana noticed was her very own khopesh.
"Hey!" Diana begun, surprised, "Where did you get that from?"
Helena moved towards her friend, offering her the curved blade. "You have a bad habit of not locking your door, either."
Diana took the blade, strapping it to her back with the leather sheath Khait had put together for her. "You were using my room to study our book!" She tried to excuse herself.
"Still, that's no excuse to make your privacy so public." Helena said with a smart-ass tone.
"Whatever." Diana said with a shrug of her shoulders.
But then the light-hearted air was gone, for the seriousness of what was about to take place had finally settled over them.
Helena broke the silence. "So, you must go now."
"Yes."
The short girl couldn't fight it as she grabbed her friend by her shoulders. "Diana," She said, making the girl look at her. "I want you to pay attention to what I'm about to say, okay?" She inquired, an arched eyebrow as she spoke.
Diana nodded her head, incapable of saying anything or even using her voice.
Helena's expression became deadly serious, a stone-cold frown on her face, a mask that Diana had never seen her wear before. "If anything happens that makes you want to turn around and return, please, do so. Your life is more valuable than any stupid moon temple and far richer than any kind of useless, unknown knowledge. I don't want you to compromise your life to this investigation; if something, or someone, threatens you out there, I want you to turn around and return. You got that?"
Diana nodded vigorously, surprised at the authoritative tone.
Helena nodded just once. "Good. Second; If you don't find the temple, if it doesn't appear to you and you get tired of searching, I want you to do exactly the same; turn around and return. Okay?"
Diana's head moved in the same motion once more.
"Perfect. Now, last but definitely not least," Helena said and that mask faded away, as her eyes became full of an emotion, one Diana couldn't put her finger on, as the brunette's voice quivered with it, too. "There's a chance that you may find it, that your life is destined to become something else, something bigger than all of us put together. If that's the case, then I don't know what course of action you should follow; that's something you and only you will know right then and there, but there is something that I do know and this is it, so pay attention."
A shaky breath escaped the clever girl as she collected her thoughts and found her voice. "I do know that I love you, my Diana, and that I've loved you from the very first moment we became friends. This is a fact that no destiny nor fate can ever change; not mine and definitely not yours."
Diana slowed down her breathing, trying not to tremble at the sight of her friend, her dearest friend, letting tears fall from her eyes from an emotion she still couldn't describe, her voice shaking with the force of an earthquake. "And because I love you like I do, with all your good and all your evil, because we all have a bit of it in us, I want you to know that I will always be loyal to you. To you, Diana, my best friend, and no one else, and nothing else. Nothing can ever change that; you'll always be welcome in my heart, no matter how much we fall apart, how distanced or separated we get, how different we become from one another, in the end."
Helena's hands moved from Diana's shoulders to her cheeks as she cupped her face, intent on making the girl focus only on her voice, on her words. "No gods nor devils can ever make me turn my back on you. Not the Sun, not the Moon, not anyone in between, above or below." Helena said, the sound leaving her mouth reminding Diana of thunder, its' sheer strength making her bones tremble, her mind blank as she couldn't process anything else but the fact that Helena, a fervent Solari, was actually being blasphemous.
Nevermind the fact that she had always been, as she had always turned a blind eye on Diana's not-so-secret fascination.
Diana stuttered as she tried to speak. "Lena, what, what are you-"
"What I'm trying to say, Di," Helena interrupted her, letting go of the girl with one hand as she brushed her tears away. "Is that I'm afraid things may change forever. I always knew you weren't like me, but if my suspicions are correct, then…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Never like you?"
Helena made a face as she snorted. "Come on, you know it's true. You never really were a Solari, Diana."
The girl's heart became gripped by fear and sadness, "What do you mean?"
"It makes sense to me to say it, now; you were never a Solari, for you were always an Empyrean." Helena said, no malice nor judgement in her tone, a sympathetic look on her face.
Diana let out a sigh of relief, a breath she didn't know she had been holding, as she gave in to her emotions and simply hugged her friend, crushing her against her own body.
A single tear escaped her eye as she laughed, "I'm so glad I can call you my friend."
Helena reciprocated the hug, chuckling as she added, "Your best friend."
"The best I'll ever have."
Helena pulled away, "The best anyone can ever have." She said smugly, making Diana chuckle.
As silence took over, Diana realized she had to leave. "Guess it's time for me to go, now, isn't it?"
Helena nodded. "It is."
"I'll remember your orders and your words, Lena." A smile crept up her lips. "Every last one of them."
Helena got on the tip of her toes and kissed Diana's brow, "Don't you ever dare forget."
Diana smiled. "Don't you ever dare forget that what comes around, goes around, either." She said with a small wink, as a way of letting her know that the same rules, the same loyalty, applied for her, making Helena smile.
Before she could keep pushing her departure away, Diana turned and left, one step at a time, as Helena watched her from the entrance, a smirk on her lips.
And fear in her arteries.
She walked for hours on end, but she didn't feel tired at all. Perhaps it was the adrenaline the thing that kept her going, the fuel to her journey.
And where did the adrenaline come from?
Was it from the fear that had drove her to leave? Or the heat of doing something forbidden?
Was it due to Helena's words?
Or what had been implied, the truths that laid underneath the surface?
Millions of questions ran through Diana's mind, each of similar yet different natures, none answered, all making her insane.
It all was translated into noise inside her head, but a special, certain kind of it; as that specific sound that you don't notice it's there until it's gone, only she knew it was present, but not because she heard it, but because she felt it.
These unanswered queries swirled in a whirlwind inside her head, filling it up until no space was left behind. The only logical way to free her mind from its' prison would be to dissipate the question marks, give them the response they begged for, but since she didn't have any answer in her possession, she tried not to think about it, not to worry about it, not to try and respond to something she couldn't.
Or didn't want to…?
It was a complicated thing; to try and tell whether she couldn't answer due to a lack of knowledge or an overloading of fear.
So she ignored it completely, trying to be the one thing she had never been in her life;
Blind.
She had to stop, she needed to rest.
It had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the fact that night was above her, the Moon shining bright, thus making her want to stop and stare at that night's sky, filled with bright, celestial beings, the Moon, the stars, the vast darkness, the beings, creatures, forces, powers that had always called her name in her dreams.
Really, nothing to do with it.
So, since she needed to sit down for a bit, she did so, for she had finally reached a small cave…
…but she didn't want to suffocate in it due to the smoke of the fire she had lit for her small camp, so she settled down just outside of it.
Nevermind that her eyes weren't on her fire, but on the stars above her head.
Her eyes focused on the Moon and a sigh escaped her lips. Diana wasn't certain she'd find the Sun's Temple, but like Hell she wasn't going to, at least, try.
A cold breeze made her hair sway in the wind, her eyes closing so that she could relish in the feeling of it against her face. It was a wind of change; it took away her fear, filled her with courage. With something even better.
Determination.
So she reopened her eyes, still locked on the Moon and a smirk made the side of her mouth twitch upwards.
I'm finding you.
No matter what it means in terms of my fate.
In terms of my faith.
"You know," Diana said out loud to no one in particular. "I didn't want it to happen, but it did; I finally lost count of how many days have passed." She chuckled at her own silliness. "I wanted to keep track, but I ended up losing it, somewhere after day three." She commented, for a second not knowing whether she was talking about losing track of time or losing something else, like her sanity.
Her feet moved forwards, nonetheless, as she slowly climbed the mighty mountain. "I start to miss her; you know?" She asked to no one, or perhaps she did ask that question to someone… or something. "And I know I'm not talking about Leona." She confessed, then frowned, "I mean, yeah, of course I miss Leona, I love her, but…" She sighed. "But I've never been so far away from Helena. She's always been by my side, so it feels weird not to have her."
Diana smiled. "Funny, I thought losing Leona would be devastating, but I think I can handle the distance. Like, somehow, I know she'll end up gravitating back to me, just like I will go back to her, as if we were tied together, already." She said, unaware of the truth behind her words.
"Helena, though…" She looked up at the sky, the evening Sun close to the horizon, so the colors in front of her eyes were of an orange hue. "I've never experienced life without Helena by my side… Leona, she was an aggregate that happened later on, so I knew life before her and I could handle something like it, were the circumstances to arise, but… but I can't recall life without Helena."
She frowned as she inspected her hands, bringing them up in the air, between the sky and her face, so as to put them in her line of sight, instead of looking downwards at them. It said so much about her. "It feels like a phantom limb; something's not right, something's missing and when I go and look for it is when I realize what it is."
Her hands fell to her sides, but her eyes remained high. "I still think about her words; about what they may mean." Her brow furrowed. "Could she be suggesting some… bigger task destined to be mine? Some greater destiny, a big role to take, an important character to play?"
She spotted the Moon in the sky, already taking over as the Sun left for the night and called it a day. "Could she be talking about me and you? About us?" She inquired, realizing just then that she had been talking to her dark mistress all along.
She laughed, covering her eyes with a hand. "Oh, I think I may be at my wit's end." The smile remained on her lips. "Still, I'm not giving up; I'm a patient woman." She added, looking at the Moon. "I'm finding you, sooner or later."
She didn't expect that eerie feeling; the one you get when the being that you're looking at smiles back at you.
A shiver ran down her spine as she felt the mysterious deity staring back at her, a cold air creeping up her bones as she felt watched.
No, not only watched.
Followed.
She kept pushing forwards, though.
I'm finding you, one way or another.
Even if it means you find me, first.
She poked the branches she had used for her fire with another one, watching it as it caught the flames, studying how they danced as they slowly consumed her stick.
She had become too tired to keep going, so she settled down in the middle of her own road, snorting as she saw she had, by accident, decided to rest just as the night took over.
Really, this time, it was true; it had been an accident.
At some point in her journey, one that was probably a week long by now, Diana questioned the existence of the Sun's Temple. As quickly as that thought attacked her, though, she brushed it off, because she refused to fail. If not for her, for Helena.
She would keep on looking for the mysterious temple.
And she would find it. No doubt about that.
Still, she felt afraid; a knot formed in her throat every time she considered the chance that perhaps the temple was gone, destroyed, vanished from this life in an act of hate.
For it was the Sun's Temple, but it revered the Moon.
Well, not the Moon, but her Chosen.
A temple built out of love; of an adoration and worship so strong, the need for a material demonstration of it was felt.
Diana bit her lip as she studied the flames. Solari and Lunari had once been one; one joined by something as strong and pure as love. Now, they were two; two divided by something as powerful as love, but impure like nothing else.
Hate.
She frowned at the fire. How did that happen? Why did it happen? Surely, for something like this to take place... She seriously doubted the celestials had anything to do with it because, if they did hate each other, then how was it possible that Leona loved her? Leona, the Sun's Avatar, loving the girl with her mind on the Moon.
There was no way her Goddess had a hand on it.
Well, Goddesses. To Hell with the Solari, Helena was right; she was an Empyrean, not a false worshipper like those who just followed the Sun.
She wasn't blind like them, for her eyes were open. They had always been open.
She'd rather die than turn her back on her beliefs. That much she knew to be true in her heart.
So she looked up at the Moon, then slowly closed her eyes as she shifted, kneeling on the ground, her hand dropping the stick on the flames as she extended her arms away from her body.
And then, she whispered it. "All this time, ever since beginning to breathe, I've never asked anything of you," She said, the hushed sound dancing with the cracking of her fire.
"Tonight, as you shine so bright, as you honor me with your presence in all of its' glory, I beg of you one thing." She said, feeling the wind pick up a bit, opening her eyes to gaze at the full Moon.
And, like the prayer it was, she finally said it, finally asked her Goddess for an answer.
"Show me a sign, mark the path that I must follow, and I swear on my life that I'll follow it until the end, come what may, no matter the cost."
The wind began its' howling, the fire in front of her shaking with its' force. Diana's eyes moved towards it, focusing on it intensely, her brow furrowed as she shifted from her knees to the ball of her feet, her arms helping her keep balance in such a crouched position, ready to stand up and move if needed.
As the wind kept whistling, speeding up, its' strength making the fire grow and grow. Diana quickly stood up and moved backwards, pushed by the flames as she stared at them in awe, but ready for anything, as she still had her khopesh strapped to her back.
She was even tempted to unsheathe it, poise it against the flames as if it were a monster that came straight from the Void.
But, as she was about to reach for her blade, the fire suddenly gave up, turning off, disappearing as if a bucket of water had just rained down on it.
Diana relaxed a bit, dropping her defensive stance slightly, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
But then she heard it.
Or, better said, she didn't.
The unnatural quiet, the dead silence that could mean danger, out in the open.
Diana unsheathed her sword, completely ignoring her bag as it rested on the ground, remnants of some of her game, hunting she had done with her stealth and her skills, laying alongside it.
She began slowly pivoting on her own feet, trying to locate a threat.
Dread filled her as she realized she felt what she usually did when having those dreams which were flooded with creatures, entities, presences.
When she was flooded by images of that silver haired woman.
She became focused like a Huntress, a predator. "Show yourself." Diana breathed out, feeling invaded by that eerie presence, realizing that, perhaps, she was actually the prey.
Diana heard an otherworldly voice, a familiar voice, a tender laugh.
Only she didn't hear it with her ears.
She heard it in her mind.
Diana tried not to think of it.
Then she felt, more than heard, the rustling of leaves, the breaking of branches that had little to nothing to do with the wind.
She quickly turned in the direction of the sound.
She gasped, her breath hitching as she caught a glimpse of silver hair, the glowing sight disappearing behind a curtain of darkness, obstacles like trees impairing her vision.
"Hey!" Diana called, but the woman didn't come back, so she rushed towards her, sheathing her blade on her back.
She tried to follow the swift, silver haired woman, but the mysterious girl was faster, so she always ended up behind, barely catching a glimpse of silver and black.
She kept pushing, kept running, kept following her, though. "Wait!"
She heard that laughter again. "Waited enough." The familiar voice said, so far from her, though she heard it as if they were face to face.
"Lies!" Diana cried out, desperately trying to keep up.
That gentle laugh again, as if the other woman wasn't running as fast, as if she could breathe easily, with no trouble. "Run like the wind, Diana."
So run she did.
She willed her legs to pick up the pace, to speed up as much as possible, her running turning into a relentless sprinting, her breathing becoming erratic as it came out in ragged puffs.
A snickering laughter resounded in her head. "I'm so sorry." That voice apologized.
Diana frowned, unsure of what was happening as she sped up head first, aimed at a big bush.
What for?, She thought.
Then she pushed through the bush like an arrow.
Only to realize she had just run through the cliff's edge.
As she began to fall, her body collided against the ground, slowly rolling downwards over the slope.
She grunted and groaned as she curled inwards, balling up, trying to protect her head from the speedy fall, prioritizing it over her bruised body.
The fall lasted way too many seconds for her liking, but it soon halted, as she finally reached a ledge.
When she finally landed, she tried to sit for a second, moaning in pain as she rubbed her neck, then her back, her arms, rolling her shoulders and cracking her spine, releasing the tension.
She halted every movement, even her breathing, as she finally looked up, though.
A pristine building towered over her; a silver, marble temple. On top of its' entrance, at the center, a symbol; a Sun with a crescent Moon in it.
The Empyrean symbol.
Diana gaped at it as she stood up, ignoring the pain on her body, the cries of her ligaments, tendons and joints as she got on her feet, the growling of her muscles as she forced them to work.
Slowly, she made her way to the door, the silver haired girl completely forgotten.
She reached the entrance, two pillars to each side. Diana's hand automatically moved towards one of them, gently touching the smooth surface. She rested her weight on it and closed her eyes, letting the skin of her face make contact with it.
"I found it," she whispered, recalling the picture of The Eternal Cycle and realizing it was identical to the building in front of her. A smile formed on her lips. "I found it." She repeated, unable to believe it.
Laughter escaped her throat as she got excited. She looked at the door and decided she had waited enough, just like the voice in her head had said.
So she breathed in and out, in and out, trying to calm her raging heart down.
And, with a long inhale of bravery, she held her head high as she moved to the door and slowly pushed it open.
With a creak of disuse, the door cried out as Diana opened it, her eyes scanning the room in front of her.
It seemed to shine with the moonlight; a marble room, every color in it silvery or of similar hues, an altar at the center of it, right in front of a big mural.
Diana approached the mural and inspected it; It displayed a painting of two women facing each other, their foreheads pressed together, their hands in between them as they held the Empyrean Symbol.
The girl to the left had short, auburn, unruly hair that reminded Diana of a lion's mane, of fire, of heat and adrenaline. Her eyes were closed and her expression looked serene. She was wearing an armor of some kind; golden pieces of armor over a dark red, strange kind of linen that hugged her seemingly strong, hard body. A big, golden, double-edged battle-axe rested behind her, to the left limit of the painting.
Diana stared in awe, letting her mind race through the several, different pieces of information she had recollected while reading, for the girl reminded her of something…
Her brows shot up as she remembered that girl's name.
It's Edlyn, the previous Chosen of the Sun.
She allowed her hand to touch the painting, her eyes glued to Edlyn's calm demeanor, but only for a second, as her sight then swayed to her right, to the woman right in front of the Sun's Avatar.
A woman of the same height, with a silver armor, that same, strange linen hugging her slim figure, only it was black instead of red. Shoulder length, wavy, silver hair on her head, an expression just as gentle as Edlyn's, a silver khopesh resting right behind her. She looked like quietness; a calm river underneath the gleam of the silver moonlight.
Diana dropped to her knees as she allowed her mind to connect the dots, her breath catching in her throat.
"If you were Edlyn," She breathed out, as she scanned the Chosen of the Sun's face. "Then you must have been…" She trailed off, as she looked at the one opposite to the Sun's Avatar.
The Chosen of the Moon.
She's real.
It's all real.
Diana shook her head slowly, then bursted out laughing with joy.
"It's all true!" She said, laughing gleefully, her head falling backwards as she stared up at the ceiling. "The Empyreans existed!"
As her mind slowly worked out what that meant, she got up on her feet and moved towards the Chosen of the Moon's side of the mural. "Then you were her lover…" She said, as she glanced at Edlyn, sideways. "The Sun and the Moon were lovers…" She said with a focused frown, then laughed again. "The Solari and the Lunari were one!" She hollered, a humongous grin on her lips.
She rested her forehead on the wall. "I wish I knew your name… I wish I knew who you were…" She looked up at the Moon's Avatar's face, her voice soft and tender. "Who were you? How was it like, your life?" She closed her eyes and allowed her brow to touch the wall, again. "What was your name?" She asked, the sound of her voice being a quiet plea.
Silence greeted her.
Only it didn't last much.
Her name was Skadi.
Diana quickly turned around, her hand already finding her blade and unsheathing it as she quickly stood in a defensive stance, fear making her react.
The familiar, otherworldly voice laughed. I'm in your head, Diana.
Diana frowned, slowly letting her guard down. "My… my head…?"
Yes.
Diana sheathed her blade once more as the cogs inside her brain began to turn, working faster every second.
Who am I, Diana?
Diana suddenly dropped to her knees once more, this time bowing her head until her brow touched the ground. "By the Sun!" She exclaimed, shocked as she realized who she could hear. "You're, you're-"
Laughter resounded inside her head; a sound of joy.
"I can't believe this, I'm not worthy of it, I just-"
Diana!
Her rambling halted.
On your feet.
Diana immediately stood up.
Breathe.
Diana obeyed.
No. Slowly. Breathe slowly.
Diana slowed down her breathing, deepening it, too. She began to laugh, shaking her head.
"I can't believe this… This, this can't be real."
But it is.
Diana began to look around as her shaky limbs carried her around the room. "But it is." She repeated, marveling at the mural, at the altar, the walls, the pillars, the Goddess.
I've been watching over you, Diana.
Something about that confession made her heart tremble. "I'm starting to believe you have for quite a long time, yes." She said, letting her hand touch the wall as she walked, sliding it over the smooth surface. "Your presence… this… this thing," She frowned as she tried to concentrate on that emotion, on that feeling. Her eyes wondered towards Skadi, on the wall. "Was she the one haunting my dreams? The one who brought me here?"
She's the ghost who brought you here, yes, but she's not the same one who you saw in your dreams.
Diana's frown deepened.
The one in your dreams was my forthcoming Chosen of the Moon.
Her eyes opened wide, "And I'll meet her, I'll take it? Is that why I found your temple, my Goddess? To become your messenger, your Chosen's guide?"
Silence.
Still, Diana didn't back down, for she knew her Goddess was there, with her, listening, hoping she'd ask the right question, the one which she needed to answer.
And she finally did.
"Which bigger fate, which bigger purpose in life made me worthy of having found this temple, of having found you?"
You still haven't figured it out, have you?
Diana's concern was evident on her face. "Is it so obvious? Am I that blind?"
Her Goddess chuckled in her mind, feeling the sound like a gentle pat on the back.
Blind is the one thing you never were, Diana, even though the answer is right there, in front of you.
Perhaps it was the wording, or the fact that she was currently staring at Skadi's calm demeanor, but something clicked inside her head, "I'm to bring our religion back, to help it reforge itself once more, make it live anew."
Yes.
"…And how am I going to do that?" Diana wondered, letting her hands rest on the altar as she focused on them, trying to think of an answer.
A part of her suspected it, though. The thing was, she was a bit afraid of admitting it and taking up such responsibility.
Why would the Moon, no other but the Moon herself, be gracing her with her presence if she wasn't…
She closed her eyes and realized what she had to do. "I have to go back, inform Helena and the others about this."
This?
"You –the Sun and you, –the Empyrean…" She began to shake her head as she got ready to go, "I must tell them, I must open their eyes to the truth!" Her voice turned louder as she accepted her mission and, with a triumphant smile, for she was finally right, for she was finally victorious, for she was finally the devoted one, not the miscreant, she made it to the door and escaped the veiled sanctuary, letting it hide under the moonlight as she ran like the devil towards the temple, feeling the gentle push of her deity, willing her forwards, guiding her home.
The trip to Demacia had been fairly quick. Honestly, Leona hadn't expected it to be so… rushed.
They arrived just before the week finished and wouldn't stay much; as soon as the deal was made, the Rakkor would get on the road again.
They were walking down the halls of the Citadel of Dawn, making their way to the meeting room inside King Jarvan the Third's palace, Garen Crownguard and Prince Jarvan the Fourth himself guiding them there.
The Exemplar of Demacia and the Might of Demacia had recounted the Noxian attack on Ionia, explaining to the Elders and the Ra-Horak everything about it, including every detail about the gruesome terror.
Leona didn't pay attention, but not only because she already knew the story and was certain they were only trying to make them all feel pity and rage, enough of both to close the contract.
It was also due to a feeling of impatience that had been with her ever since leaving the Temple.
Well, not exactly since leaving. She recalled she had begun feeling like that some minutes after leaving.
A feeling of adrenaline and ecstasy, an excited emotion, impatient and stubborn, had suddenly invaded her while traveling and it didn't give up, didn't fade away. The persistent sensation had been haunting her ever since its' sudden apparition and she couldn't shake it off, nor pinpoint why she felt like that.
She had blamed it on being excited for that trip and the forging of a new alliance, but she knew it wasn't like that. Deep inside, the warrior knew the feeling had nothing to do with it.
It was something far more important, far bigger than the Rakkor, Demacia, herself and anything else combined.
She didn't know what it was, but she knew it marked a before and after.
Now… where did it mark that difference? In what?
In her? In life? In reality itself?
She wasn't sure. All she knew was that it affected her, somehow.
That, and that it was a game changer; something wasn't the same, anymore.
And that shift was meant to become deeper and deeper, with time.
Leona had tried asking the deity in her head about it, but the Sun said nothing.
She seemed nervous, though. Leona could feel it; could feel the anxiety in her; an anxiety that clouded her mind and gripped her heart, but did not belong to her.
She was at her tether's end. She knew these Demacians had nothing to do with it, but she couldn't do anything to keep it in, to keep that annoyance in check.
So she looked at Garen as he spoke, a venomous feeling crawling up her spine.
"...We tried to have a word with Captain Lito, but-"
"What's her name?" Leona interrupted him, succeeding at silencing him for a second.
Garen blinked, surprised at the sudden interference. "Excuse me?"
"All I've heard is Captain Lito or Master Lito's daughter," Leona rolled her eyes. "It's like she doesn't have a name, she's not a person of her own; she's someone's daughter or captain." She glared a bit at Garen. "So I'll ask again; What's her name?"
Garen's jaw muscles twitched. "Her name is Irelia."
Leona nodded, looking forward again. "Irelia Lito..."
"Yes, she-"
"How did she manage to repel the Noxian attack?" Leona asked, interrupting him again. "I've heard she fought against The Hand of Noxus herself and managed to kick her out of the city, but I never learned how."
Garen was visibly annoyed by Leona's anything-but-subtle behavior, but it was Jarvan's turn to speak. "She almost didn't make it."
Leona frowned. "What happened?"
"The Hand of Noxus-"
"Name?"
"Riven."
"Oh, good. Go on."
Jarvan tried again, though he wasn't as bothered by it as Garen. "Riven entered the Placidium, the greatest Ionian Palace, looking for soldiers who were still in one piece; for some reason, she was avoiding the fallen and sticking to those who could actually fight back."
"She was looking for a challenge," Leona mused, making Jarvan agree with her.
"And the challenge wasn't on the fields anymore, for the Ionian army was already defeated. So, while her soldiers killed off any survivors, she walked into the palace, hoping to find a worthy opponent."
Leona frowned as she thought about his words.
Jarvan went on. "There, Riven found Irelia."
"And she was the worthy opponent, I'll take it?"
Jarvan smiled at Leona. "Actually, no."
The Ra-Horak raised a brow. All of the Ra-Horak raised a brow.
"Then?" Khait inquired, asking what everyone was thinking.
"Riven humiliated Irelia. She left her at the brink of death, but someone who was there brought her back. A woman, but not exactly so." He looked at Leona with something strong shining in his eyes; it looked like curiosity. "A former celestial."
"Former?" Leona asked, finally intrigued as she ignored the uncomfortable expressions of the Elders.
"Yes; She's called Soraka, though people know her as the Starchild." Jarvan commented, "She gave up her celestial immortality just so she could come to our world and help people; make mankind better."
Leona snorted. "Guess she's having a hard time doing the latter." She mumbled, making the Ra-Horak laugh while the Sun Guard and the Elders looked as uncomfortable as ever.
The Demacians, on the other hand, reacted in opposite ways; Garen looked horrified by her comment, just as horrified as he was with the mere idea of a celestial, while Jarvan tried to fight through his laughter, refusing to laugh out loud.
"What's important here is that, just like your Goddess, this woman is a celestial." Jarvan finally said, making Leona look at him.
The Solari frowned, unsure of how to react to such new information. "Yeah, it's… interesting." She said, as she felt her chest filling up, like the Sun inside of her wanted her to remember such crucial fact.
Guess it'll have a role to play in the future.
Better remember her, then. The Starchild.
"So, Soraka saved Irelia's life from vanishing…" Leona said, hoping Jarvan would take the hint and continue the tale.
He looked at her and blinked once. "Oh, right!" He said, then he continued, "As the Starchild anchored her soul to our realm, Irelia raised, her father's sword with her, and battled Riven, the blade dancing in the air with her rhythm. In the end, Riven was defeated, so she had to retreat back into the Ionian fields…"
"…Where the biochemical terrors got her, along with her battalion and the remaining Ionian survivors." Leona finished for him.
"Exactly."
"So, while Irelia couldn't save her whole country, she managed to save those beyond the Placidium." Leona said, making sense of the story.
"And that's why she was appointed the Captain of the Guard, the Blade Dancer." Jarvan explained, then looked ahead as he realized they had reached the meeting room. "We're here," He said, allowing them all in before walking in himself.
"Honestly," Leona begun, somewhat ignoring King Jarvan's presence, along with a personal guard of his, Xin Zhao, if she could recall his name properly, and Garen's sister, Luxanna Crowngard. "I don't know why you don't ally with Ionia. Irelia sounds more than eager for a fight, especially if it means revenge."
"Irelia refuses to aid our cause." Garen responded, "Just like half of Ionia refuses to fight due to their pacific culture and traditions, Irelia refuses to ally with us, for she believes we're an unnecessary hindrance."
Leona raised a brow. "Why would she believe that?"
"She sees our distrust for magic as rudimentary." Garen explained.
"I believe she finds us primitive in every way possible, actually." Jarvan IV added, making the Solari look at each other, trying to contain their snickering.
Leona had an arrogant look on her face. "And I can see her point, if I'm honest."
Garen was the one who looked the more insulted. "Excuse me?"
Leona started pacing in front of him. "Crownguard, ever since we arrived, I've noticed the fear in your eyes." She stated, making both Jarvans look at her with intrigue, Lux gasping as she watched the scene displayed in front of her.
The Rakkor remained neutral.
"I don't feel-"
"Don't lie." Leona commanded, her voice as authoritative as Khait's could be, the sound making the bulky man quiet.
Leona stole a glance at Luxanna and noticed the girl was beaming. Trying her best to conceal it, but falling short.
Interesting.
"As I was saying," She said, picking up the subject once more. "You're afraid, Crownguard. You're afraid of that which you do not understand." She looked at King Jarvan. "I'm Leona, a former Ra-Horak who was chosen by the Sun herself to become her Avatar in this realm of existence. Such responsibility has lead me to take my rightful position as the one, true leader of the Solari and, therefore, of the Rakkor as a people. Now, not only did my Goddess bestow such duty upon my shoulders, she also gave me something to serve her better." Her eyes swayed towards Lux. She looked a bit uneasy, probably due to already knowing where Leona's speech was aiming to.
"She also gave me power." Leona finally said as her eyes focused hard on Lux's. "Not exactly magic, but abilities of a similar nature."
She turned around and faced Garen once more. "Now, it is known that these abilities were not born from me, so they are not mine; they are borrowed tools; a gift from my Goddess, which you may consider a curse. They are her abilities, but I'm allowed to use them." An evil smirk grew on her face as she decided to torture the man a bit by adding, "And abuse them, too."
"Now," Leona went on, looking like a smart ass to almost every Demacian in the room, but nobody had the actual guts to tell her, so they remained silent and watched her go off. "I'm not saying this all to scare any of the people present in this room. By all means, you should all know I'm anything but scary." Leona said, a lopsided smile on her lips. "I'm saying this to let you all know that I could be considered part of what you despise; I'm one of them." She emphasized those words. "Perhaps the nature of my power is not exactly the same, but it could be catalogued as magic, too."
She looked at Garen. "So I understand Irelia Lito's point of view regarding your ideals and beliefs. You, Demacians, refuse to see that, perhaps, it's not magic the problem, but the fact that some people who wield it are evil, just like there are others who follow the Light. Irelia's sword technique, if it's anything like her father's, probably fuels itself with magic, so it is reasonable for her to distrust you." She had a smug smile on her mouth. "After all, you exterminate magicians, just like Noxus exterminates its' enemies."
"Don't you dare compare us to Noxus!" Garen basically shouted, making everyone in the room gasp at his sudden burst.
The Rakkor seemed ready to interfere, for he was disrespecting their leader, but it was actually Prince Jarvan who intervened. "Garen, enough!"
"How can you allow her to insult us like this?!"
"She hasn't insulted us; she's said the truth!" Jarvan spat back to a furious Garen.
"The truth?" Garen asked, incredulous. "She compared us to those barbarians, as if her useless tribe-"
He grew silent when he felt his armor heat up. Garen looked at Leona, slowly.
And found molten gold inside her eyes, a glare on her face.
"I would watch my words if I were you." Leona said calmly, as she slowly circled him. "Because, just like I said, my power is not exactly magic." She eyed his armor. "You wear a magic-resistant armor, Might of Demacia." She smirked. "Mine is not exactly magic, so it's useless against me."
Garen was sweating, feeling as if he were in an oven. "I, I-"
"And you allow a lot of sunlight in, with those glass ceilings of yours." Leona looked up at it, then closed her eyes as she relished in the warmth. "And the white walls don't help; they make light bounce everywhere, so it's even stronger in here." She looked at Garen, a defiant smile on her lips. "I'm stronger here." She raised a brow. "It's just so easy to make it all bounce towards you, trapping you inside my heat."
Garen fell to his knees, the heat being unbearable.
Leona walked towards him, stopping a few feet in front of the fallen man. Her glowing eyes slowly gave up, going back to normal, as she slowly released him from her hot trap. "I never meant to come here and disrespect anyone, nor harm anyone, either." She said while Garen began breathing again. "I came here to discuss a possible alliance and I still want to." She confessed as she offered him a hand.
The fallen man looked at it. He looked ready to refuse it, but then he stole a glance at his Prince and, with a sigh of defeat, accepted Leona's help and got back on his feet.
Leona smiled warmly at him. "Don't take it as an insult when I say that you can be as ruthless as Noxians; every country, every society, has its' problems, its' flaws and evils; You despise those who are different to you; Noxus knows no mercy; Ionia currently lacks balance…"
"And what about you?" Garen asked, not exactly rejecting her words as the truth.
Leona shrugged. "We are just like you, Garen, but our hatred goes towards other things." Leona admitted, making one or two of the Elders shift on their feet. "We'll never be perfect, but we can always try and be better." She said, offering him a dashing smile. "As long as we learn to accept we're not the same."
Garen didn't agree with her words and that much she knew by his expression. Still, the man was polite enough to at least lie. "You're right."
Leona looked at the rest of the people in the room, Luxanna's anxious expression making her feel intrigued, though she remained quiet about it. "So, let's make a deal, shall we?"
King Jarvan's slow, ecstatic smile answered her question.
"Are we ready to go?" Khait asked Elder Akins as they were already boarding the carriages.
The deal had been smooth; Demacia and the Rakkor were officially allies, now, making Noxus a common enemy. No war was being planned, yet, but, if Noxus were to do anything rash, the Rakkor were to respond side by side with Demacia.
Now, they had to the week-long trip back home ahead of them.
"Yes, we're ready!" Akins said to Khait, eager to leave and go back to the calm, Solari Temple.
"Good." Khait breathed out, leaving the Elders to finish boarding as he rallied his Ra-Horak inside his own carriage. He approached Leona as she was doing the same with her Sun Guard, patting her on the back as a greeting. "You did well in there, kid." A smug smile on his lips as he added, "I liked how you humiliated that big meathead."
Leona laughed as she took off the headpiece of her armor, smoothing out her hair. "What can I say? I felt like playing dirty."
Both Leona and Khait laughed at her words, but then they were interrupted by someone else. "Chosen of the Sun?" A female voice asked.
Both turned and saw Lux there, looking at them with an analyzing gaze.
Khait bowed his head a bit, "Careful, you, or I'll tell Diana." He mumbled before leaving, making Leona roll her eyes at the stupid suggestion.
"Luxanna Crownguard, am I right?" She asked the blonde, who nodded. "It's an honor to meet you."
Lux bowed her head, deeply. "The honor is mine, Chosen."
"Actually," Leona said, scratching the back of her neck. "Just call me Leona, please. I don't like formalities."
Lux smiled. "Then I am Lux, not Luxanna."
Leona chuckled, nodding her head. "I can go with that."
"I just wanted to apologize in name of my brother." Lux confessed, her sight casted on the ground. "He can be a real…"
"Pain in the ass." Leona blurted out, making Lux look at her. She blushed, realizing she had just insulted the girl's brother. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"You did mean to and it's more than okay; that's the description that best suits him." Lux said with a no-nonsense tone, silencing Leona immediately.
"Oh," She breathed out. "I thought you'd be bothered by my behavior with your brother."
Lux shook her head no. "I was annoyed by his behavior with you." She looked at Leona with guilt in her eyes. "I really hope you don't believe all of us to be like that."
"Like I said," She placed her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "There's good people and bad people everywhere. Your brother isn't exactly bad, but I can already tell I like you more."
Lux chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that." She eyed the readying carriages. "Well, I won't keep you here any longer." She smiled brightly at Leona. "Safe travels, Leona. I hope to see you soon."
Leona smiled back. "Thank you, Lux." She turned, ready to board her carriage when a slightly crazy idea hit her. "Oh, by the way," She said, looking at Lux over her shoulder. "If there's some kind of secret around here that no one should know about," She said, her eyes aglow as she soaked energy from the Sun, using it only to emphasize her point and give Lux a bigger hint about what she was talking about, "It is my duty to tell you that it is safe with me."
You're safe with me.
Lux seemed to have gotten the idea, for she blushed, that anxious expression back on her face. "It's easy to tell those who are like you apart from those who aren't, isn't it?" She muttered, knowing Leona could hear her.
Leona winked. "Light always finds light, especially in the darkness."
Lux chuckled. "Thank you, Leona. I won't forget about this."
With a wave of her hand, the former Ra-Horak boarded her carriage, allowing them all to begin their trip home.
Lux stood there, watching them leave until they were no longer visible, glad about the fact that Garen was so insulted by Leona, Prince Jarvan asked her to see them off, for it meant she got a word with the Chosen of the Sun herself, no censorship needed.
So she smiled brightly as she stood there, basking in the light of the warrior who just left.
A warrior of light, just like her.
Why was she so anxious? So desperate to be home?
In just one more day, they'd arrive at the Temple. The trip had been uneventful but, with every passing second, her desire to be back was bigger and bigger.
Images of Diana attacked her mind constantly and she had to battle the smirk that tried to sneak into her face, for she'd have no way of explaining it to her Sun Guard.
Still, she allowed herself to daydream.
Well, nightdream, for it's currently dark, right?
She fought the snort that tried to escape her at her own, stupid, mental joke.
She allowed herself to look at the night, at the Moon, while everyone in her carriage slept.
As she stared at the lady of the night up in the sky, she closed her eyes and pictured her lover, believing her desperation was due to a desire to be back in her arms.
And, for a moment, those dreams calmed her stormy soul, the chaos of the deity inside of her.
But then, she realized she could hear a thumping sound, like boots. Hooves, too.
Marching.
She opened her eyes, suddenly alert.
And saw a Noxian raiding party approaching them, a smiling, heavily armored, black haired man with a deadly looking axe on one hand leading them towards her.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
...That was long, wasn't it?
Thoughts? Leave 'em by the review section c: