There are few places imaginable that are as dark, cold, and cut off from the rest of the world; fewer still are inhabited by monsters the likes of which the world has never seen. It was in this desolate island chain where Yasuo and his friends were trapped. They had the boat so they could try to run, but there was no way that Yasuo would let that happen. He had come too far, fought too hard to leave now. He had sacrificed so much. His honor, his home, his innocence, and his brother all weighed heavily on his heart as he took his first steps onto the rocky shore of the island veiled in mist and darkness. Yasuo was front and center, leading the way onto the island, sword out and at the ready. Sarah was on his right, Janna on the left, and Blitzcrank behind the trio with Draven and Garen bringing up the rear side by side.

At the edge of the beach, far off in the distance, there was the beginning of what looked like a jungle, overgrown with vines and thick trees that made it impossible to view the depths. Down the beach towards the ocean, Yasuo spotted several smaller islands, most of them barren or abandoned looking due to dead or burned trees. This was by far the largest island and was more likely than any of the others to still be inhabited by something. Yasuo turned back to the jungle, taking a few more careful steps.

As the group neared the trees and vines, they began to distinguish three figures standing side by side. It was completely silent, but for the rocks beneath their feet as they drew near. The middle figure was familiar:, Yorick. His snide grin and hunch were unmistakable even through the fog and distance. The one on the left was taller, thinner. He wore dark red robes and held a staff. He was hooded but as Yasuo approached, he noted a skeletal appearance under the dark fabric. Lastly, the one on the right was easy to see even in the dreary darkness. He looked to a ghost with blue essence trailing off of him like smoke. He was tall and carried a long halberd with a wicked looking edge. Most noticeable, however, were his legs. He had four of them. His lower half looked like a ghostly horse while his top half was that of a monster.

Yasuo silently marched up until he and Yorick were thirty feet apart. Sarah and Garen lined up in front of the horse while Janna and Draven faced the skeletal figure. Blitzcrank backed everyone up, standing a few feet behind Yasuo, his motor humming softly. The wind whistled softly in Yasuo's ears as he stared down his opposition.

"Tell me what game you're playing. Why were you following me? I am sure I saw your lantern in Noxus, Piltover, and the Freljord."

Yorick sneered back, "Just watching how our prize was doing."

"What do you mean?" Yasuo growled, pointing his sword at the monsters. "Answer me now or you'll lose your chance to speak again."

"Ahahaha, I'd like to see you and your band of misfits attempt to defeat us. Do your worst."

Yasuo straightened up, pointing his blade up as if in a duel, the same stance Yone would have taken. "Then let's start."

Yasuo charged in towards Yorick, closing the gap quickly and bringing his blade down hard with the force of the wind. Abruptly his sword was stopped in its path by Yorick who was using an old iron shovel as his defense.

"Err! So you've got some fight to you!" Yasuo growled, pressing down harder on the shovel with his sword.

"Yes, I have plenty of fight… and plenty of friends." Suddenly, two ghouls sprouted out of the air near Yasuo, just like the one that had attacked him on the boat. Yasuo was forced to back off of Yorick and slash each of them, dissipating them.

Immediately after Yasuo engaged in his battle with Yorick, Miss Fortune was close behind, firing a volley of shots towards the horse-like monster. Garen charged in after, locking blades with it. Draven let out a huge laugh and threw one axe into the air, launching the other directly at the red robed skeleton before catching it again and following up with a second throw. Janna was busy dodging in and out of small bursts of energy that littered the ground around her feet as the skeletal monster pointed its staff at her. All the while, good old Blitzcrank covered Yasuo, taking out as many of the ghouls as he could with a series of grabs and electrical bursts. "Too bad!" Yorick interjected, "Looks like your assassin might escape while you're here with us!" Yasuo paused and looked at the group as he dispatched another summoned monster. Sarah nodded at him.

"Go Yasuo, you brought us for a reason, we've got this." The Ionian grinned and took a leap, stepping on Yorick's head as he launched himself up and into the jungle. As Yasuo dashed through the trees he could hear the sound of Sarah's guns, Blitz's gears and many blades clashing. He was alone now, but he wasn't as afraid as he probably should have been. With all of these people backing him up, how could he be scared? The wind was at his back and this was the time to strike.

After a short while of running, Yasuo heard something strange. It was a soft sobbing sound. Yasuo paused and listened intently. Yes, a young woman's voice. He followed the sound deeper into the eerie thick of vines and trees until he came upon a clearing. In the pale light he could make out a girl, hunched over, sword in hand. She had white hair and laying beside her was a broken sword with a Noxian inscription.

"Assassin…"

The girl's crying suddenly stopped and she turned. Her face was tear stained and her eyes were red but still, as she stood she looked strong, even resolute. "Hunter."

Yasuo took a few more steps towards her. "I've come a long way to find you."

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Yes, I know and I know you've killed a great many people to get here."

Yasuo nodded, avoiding the urge to just kill her right there. No, he had come so far for this. He would speak to this monster first. He would ensure that she knew why she was going to die. She would know that her assassination of the elder was going to be in vain. Yasuo had eleven souls, two more and he would resurrect his elder. Justice would be served and Yasuo could finally go home. He missed the smell of Ionia. "Yes, I have killed many, all culminating in your demise. What is your name?"

"Riven," she answered, gently letting her sword swing back and forth in her grasp. She wasn't threatening, mostly just bleak. "What is your name?"

"Yasuo. I am the man who's life you destroyed."

Riven pointed at Yasuo and shook her head. "No, no. I never intended that to happen!"

"No, you only intended to murder an innocent, defenseless man in cold blood?"

Riven looked at the ground. "I am sorry. I will never stop being sorry for what I've done. That's why I've come all this way! I've been trying to escape all of that!"

Yasuo laughed, "You coward! Couldn't hack it in Noxus so you run away? You can't run from your past, Riven. I've tried."

She looked back up and made eye contact with the Ionian. She looked sincere, which struck Yasuo as strange. "I'm sure you have and all because of me. I- I know it doesn't matter to you now, after all you've lost, but I'm sorry. I am so truly sorry for all I've done."

Yasuo almost struggled to respond. He was not expecting this. This was the cold-hearted assassin he had been hunting? This was the monster? This apologetic girl who couldn't have been much more than twenty years old? "Listen… You understand what I have to do. This is my redemption in the eyes of my people."

"But I ran!" She interrupted, "You don't have to kill me, I won't do anything! I'm here, I'm in this horrible place all to escape!"

Yasuo sighed. "I'm not a monster. I am an Ionian hero! And you? You are a murderer. This has to happen. Everyone, everyone faces a reckoning Riven. I am yours."

"I see," Riven shook her head. "Fine, I will fight but I will not kill you. I've done enough to you. Whatever you do to me, I'm sure I deserve it." Riven raised her sword.

Yasuo did the same, pointing his Ionian blade at her. "Let us begin." The first strike was made by Yasuo, slashing horizontally at the Noxian. She easily parried his slash and swung low at one of Yasuo's legs. He stepped back and avoided the blow.

"Not even going to give it your best, I see!" Yasuo called to her, striking again. She deflected once more.

"Like I said, I'm not going to kill you! I was the pride of Noxus, do not think I couldn't."

"Yeah? Well, I am the last wind master of Ionia. I think I can compete." Quickly, Yasuo stepped back and jabbed forward, a gust of wind flying towards his opponent, razor sharp and easily capable of cutting her deeply. Riven raised her sword and held it sideways like a shield, the wind glancing harmlessly off. Yasuo slashed again, letting a second burst of wind fly. Riven did not have a good response for this. It was too fast to dodge and too big to block. In desperation, Riven slashed back with a gust of her own. Her wind abilities were shoddy at best and only served to lessen the blow before it surely made impact. She was successful in dulling the attack but was knocked off her feet and onto her back. Yasuo smirked and stepped up, pointing his blade down at her. "Looks like this is it. But before you die, might I ask a question? Who taught you that- the wind attack?"

Riven groaned and laid her sword aside, resigning to her fate. "Noxus."

"Ah, of course. A place with no wind masters just happened to have a girl who could do that?"

"I suppose so."
Yasuo chuckled as he knelt down beside her. "Now, with this soul, I will be but one away from bringing back my elder."

Riven looked confused as she laid there, unable to stop Yasuo from laying his hand over her heart and drawing out the twelfth green orb. "What? What are you talking about?"

Yasuo growled in pain as his hand started glowing. The pain seared through him. It was almost unbearable. "Souls," he grunted through gritted teeth, "If I take little pieces of light from the strongest people I can find, I can restore life to the man you killed. Poetic, isn't it? The man you killed, brought back by a piece of your broken spirit."

Riven's temper flared and she kicked Yasuo away while he was distracted by his agony, crawling back and getting to her feet, eyeing her sword which was lying between them now. "My spirit is not broken! I am not lost! For the first time that I can remember, I am doing the right thing! I am not serving Noxus, I am serving good!"

Yasuo smirked, shaking his arms, letting the pain fade. However, the glow and the anger that came with it did not disappear as easily. "And yet you come to this place, the heart of darkness."

"I didn't choose this! Yorick suggested it. It just sounded like the best idea! I would be away, unable to hurt anyone else!"

Yasuo paused, "Yorick? Yorick suggested this?" Riven nodded, "That son of a bitch set this up. He's been following me for weeks, maybe longer! He brought me here too."

"Wait," Riven thought out loud, "Why would he bring us both here? Why is he doing this?"

Suddenly the words, the lesson that Jax had taught him in the Freljord, the warring factions not noticing Lissandra's scheme, it all made sense. "Because, there is something bigger at play, hiding in the darkness." Yasuo looked around the clearing intently. Something had to be wrong. He held a hand up, signaling that he was no longer threatening Riven, continuing to scan the area. "I'm not going to kill you- yet. I want to know what is going on and you may be the only person who can help me."

"Help you? Help you wha-" Suddenly, a chain flew out of the darkness, wrapping around Riven's arms and dragging her back into the grasp of a terrifying figure. It was like a dark grey metal beast that glowed bright green. The essence of his power burned on him like flame as he strode into the clearing. He was tall and wore a dark torn up trench coat over his unwavering green inferno. In one hand was one end to the chain that was currently binding Riven and in his other was a glowing green lantern. Riven struggled against her confines but it was no use. The new creature ended that struggle promptly with a strong hit over the head. Riven fell to the dirt, unconscious instantly. The monster tugged the chain off of her and started looping it up again. Yasuo backed up defensively, raising his sword.

"Who the hell are you?"

The green glowing beast let out a mad cackle as he continued to walk towards Yasuo. "I suppose you deserve to know the name of the one who orchestrated your destiny. I am Thresh, lord of the damned, tormentor of souls."

"Thresh? What are you doing here? What is this?" Yasuo kept up his guard, not even blinking.

"Your speculations were correct, child. This was all my grand plan. You are my great courier."

"Courier? Speak quickly before I end you."

Thresh laughed again, "Nothing but a soul stealer can kill me and as you have completed your task, I suppose I will rescind that blessing from you." Thresh raised a claw- like hand to Yasuo and suddenly, Yasuo felt a certain power draining away. He did not feel physically weak, he did not feel less strong even but something was off. It was like a power he had previously known was now… unobtainable. "There," Thresh continued, "You can no longer gather souls for me. But then, I no longer need you to. All I need to do is harvest you now."

"Harvest me?"

"Yes, imagine yourself as a mule. You gathered the souls from thirteen of the most powerful beings in the world and brought it all to me, to strengthen me."

"Twelve," Yasuo corrected.

"Oh," Thresh mocked, "You are forgetting yourself!"

Yasuo took the new information in stride, trying to sound strong even as fear panged in his heart. "And how do you think you will harvest me?"

Thresh's green aura flared up and Yasuo noted that it was the same shade as his arms. "I will cut each soul out of your pathetic fleshbag body and use each one to become stronger. You see, normal souls can only take me so far." Thresh held up his lantern and showed Yasuo all of the glowing souls inside. "But these, these are the greatest power on the planet. With all of this power, there is nobody who can stop me!"

Legitimately curious, Yasuo asked, "Stop you from what?"

"For ensuring my reign is eternal and my brethren of the Shadow Isles may remain in power forever!"

Now it was hitting him, Yasuo realized now that everything he had fought for, all that he had struggled to achieve, it was all lies. Everyone since Nautilus had fought until incapacitated or dead for this, for Thresh. "There was never going to be a resurrection, was there?"

Thresh whirled his chain around in the air, showing off the sharp scythe-like tip that glowed brightly in the dim light. "No, of course not. You were my pawn. Souls cannot resurrect, they can just project ideas, images, traits from their owners."

"So the dream I had where the elder showed me what to do?"

"Yorick," Thresh cackled, "He has a way with reanimating the dead but not even he can truly bring life back. He was able to create a puppet in your mind to guide you on your path."

Yasuo stabbed his sword into the ground and cursed. "Fine, you want your souls?"

"Oh, my child, they are already mine!"

The Ionian was at the peak of his adrenaline; he was angry and more motivated than ever to kill. "Don't start something that I'll finish. You know I've never lost a fair fight!"

"Who says this fight will be fair?" Suddenly, Thresh launched his chain at Yasuo who quickly grabbed his sword from the ground and swung up, deflecting away the scythe.

"You'll have to do better than that. You know, the way I see it, you're weak! You needed me to gather the souls but you never considered that you'd have to beat me to get them!"

Thresh snarled a response as he swung again at Yasuo, "All I have to do is hit you, slice you open. I have to kill a man who is incapable of killing me!" It was true, while Yasuo talked a big game, he was still completely at a loss as to how to defeat Thresh. Knocking the chain to the ground with his sword, Yasuo dashed up to Thresh and rammed his blade through his chest. The sword slid effortlessly through the green wisp of Thresh's body and consequently, didn't appear to hurt him in the slightest. Thresh took the opportunity to grab onto Yasuo by the cloak and pull his chain back, letting it slash through Yasuo's back as it returned to his grasp. As it did, a green orb was pulled from the Ionian's wound and slid fluidly into Thresh's blade as if it were being sucked in. "Ah yes! The armor of the sea titan, Nautilus will come in handy!" Thresh tossed Yasuo away and marveled at his hands as metal started to encase them. Thresh's skeletal body was getting thicker, stronger.

Yasuo tried to shrug off the pain and get back into the fight. He stood and pointed his sword at Thresh again. Suddenly, the wind picked up making the monster's chains rattle against the ground. Yasuo focused, trying to sweep Thresh away. However, with the new armoring, Thresh was heavy and it was difficult to move him at all. With plenty of effort, Yasuo was able to start pushing Thresh back towards a tree, hoping to pin him down. But it was no use, as the metal completed the process of enveloping Thresh's frame, he became immovable just as Nautilus had been. His green essence also grew larger and brighter. As the wind ceased to bother him, Thresh took another swing at Yasuo, cutting his leg this time. The Ionian recoiled away, reformulating a plan of attack. But again, a green orb was torn from Yasuo's wounded flesh and made it's way into the tip of Thresh's blade.

"Draaaven," Thresh called out excitedly. "The confidence and tenacity of a champion! Plus, reflexes never hurt either!" Immediately, he lashed out with the chain again, catching Yasuo by the ankle. The Ionian was only barely able to escape before the chain was drawn back to Thresh. Yasuo was on his stomach on the ground still when the next whip of the scythe came at him. He rolled to dodge it. Thresh laughed, clearly enjoying the game just as Draven would have. Yasuo dodged several more shots but eventually, one hit its mark on Yasuo's foot as he leapt away. The gash cut in deep, making him topple to the ground, gripping the bleeding injury tightly. "The strength of the Ionian hunter, Enso!"

"You bastard," Yasuo hissed, staggering back to his feet. "I will make you pay."

"How will you," Thresh asked, "You can hardly move!"

Shakily, Yasuo raised his sword to point at Thresh. "My brother died for this and I suffered for this. I won't just let you win!"

"I don't need you to let me! I will just take what is mine!" Thresh flung the chain at Yasuo again, catching his torso and making him buckle over. Another hit to the back and Yasuo hit the dirt, hardly able to get up, let alone continue fighting. He had been stabbed now five times and two more souls were on the way to Thresh.

"The regeneration of Doctor Mundo and the agility of Miyabita!"

Again the sharp blade his Yasuo's back.

"Ferocity of Jinx!" As Thresh absorbed that soul, his entire green aura turned a fluorescent pink for a moment and it was as if he was moving twice as fast as before. Again, he whipped the broken Ionian.

"Manipulation of Lissandra!"

"Battle prowess of Darius!"

"Agility and skill of Katarina!"

"Lucian's soul will now join his wife's!"

Yasuo writhed in agony as blow after blow landed on his back and one by one, the souls were sucked into the blade. He was totally at a loss to stop them. He summoned all of his remaining strength to create a barrier of wind but the scythe passed through it easily. It was as of his power was draining with the souls.

"Ah, and here we are… Your brother. Do you think he forgives you for what you've done?" Thresh toyed with Yasuo for a moment before he absorbed the soul, letting it float tauntingly before his face. Yasuo reached out with his hand, desperately trying to reach the last ruminant of his brother's consciousness only to get knocked away by the chain. Yasuo laid in a crumpled heap as the twelfth his landed. "The resolve of Riven," Thresh said, sounding as if he genuinely respected this soul. He looked at the unconscious girl a few feet away and shook his head. "Such a pity, she could have been great by my side. Unfortunately, she is quite resistant to the temptations of darkness I have been feeding her for the last several days." Thresh turned back to Yasuo, "Now, your soul. I need your wind power and more importantly your perseverance. Of course, that doesn't do you much good now does it?" Thresh raised his arm up and the chain soared through the air but to the surprise of both Thresh and Yasuo, it never made contact. I was entangled in mid air around a lamp post in the hands of a purple robed, masked fighter.

"J-Jax!" Yasuo stammered.

"Surprise," Jax smirked, "I'm back."

"You!" Thresh cried out, "Yorick mentioned that he noticed one in the Freljord who seemed to recognize him! Who are you?!"

The purple hooded figure spun his lamppost, letting the chain fall limply to the ground. "The name's Jax. I take it you're Thresh."

"H-how did you know that?"

"Ah," Jax nodded, "Great story. You see, I've been around the block a few times and I know a Shadow Isles monster when I see one. When I heard about some Ionian master of wind hunting a Noxian, I had a look just to see the fight! I wanted to see two strong warriors go toe to toe but when I saw this boy, when I first studied him, I noticed something." Jax looked down at Yasuo who was trying to push himself to his feet with little success. His back was drenched in blood and there were gashes missing from his flesh. "This kid had souls inside of him! My first thought was, 'Hmm… What monster do I know that likes souls?' My first thought was you. So I did some digging and sure enough, when the kid and I were in the Freljord we saw Yorick! Now, I didn't want to bother him with all of your trickery at the time. It wouldn't have helped to add that pressure just then so I sent him into the cave with Lissandra to learn his lesson. But what I didn't predict was him coming out so rev'd up on soul power. I asked him to see if he would tell me what was going on, but he ran off before I could finish explaining the situation and the meaning of his lesson."

Thresh flared up and yelled angrily, "What is the point of all of this?"

"The point, Thresh, is that this kid has some tenacity to him. Like you said, he's got the will to win. At first, even I wanted to kill him to avoid getting those souls to you but once I met him, saw him struggling out there in the cold all to bring justice to himself and his elder, I couldn't kill him. It was no coincidence that I met both Riven and Yasuo! My plan was to go to the Freljord and convince Riven to off Yasuo before he became too strong for her. Clearly I failed to do that so my plan changed. So, I'm here. And now, if you'll excuse us a moment, I'd like to talk to the boy!" Jax took a flying leap at Thresh, slamming his face with the butt of his lamp and making a horrible clanging sound. Thresh roared in pain and stumbled back, his green essence fluctuating all over the place. It was as if hundreds of little souls were bursting from him. Jax turned and quickly dropped to Yasuo's side, setting down his lamp next to him. "Boy, he won't be down for long and we need to get you the hell out of here. You can't win this fight."

"A-and you can?" Yasuo knew that Jax was the best fighter he'd ever seen but this seemed like a long shot even for him.

"No, I can't. Nobody can now. All we can do is escape before he kills us. The only thing that can kill Thresh is a soul stealer and just by looking at you I can see that you no longer are one." Thresh groaned in agony as all of the little orbs slowly began to converge on him again, making him glow brighter and regain his strength. "We've got ten minutes or so by my estimate before he's back in fighting condition. We need to move, now. We need you and all of your friends off of this damned island before that happens."

Yasuo shook his head as he struggled to stand and dropped to his knees in front of Jax. "No! My brother's soul. I can't let it-"

"It doesn't matter if you're dead!'

"It does to me!" Yasuo shouted. Jax grabbed Yasuo by the arm and started to hoist him up to drag him out of the fight since he clearly wasn't leaving on his own, but as he did, Yasuo gasped. "Jax look out!" Jax turned, letting Yasuo's arm fall from his shoulder and reached for his lamppost but it was too late. Thresh's hook found its mark around Jax's neck and he was quickly ensnared and pulled in. When Jax was right up next to Thresh, the green monster reached out with one hand and grabbed the blade on the chain, plunging it into Jax's neck. There was no noise in the clearing as Jax stood for a moment, the chains being pulled away from him. He just stood there even as all of the chains returned to their owner's grasp. Then, after a few seconds, he fell back. The purple clad fighter laid spread eagle next to the wanderer. Yasuo let out a cry of despair and crawled on his stomach over to Jax, gripping his hand and panicking. "Jax! Get up! Jax no! Not you!"

Jax did not respond as he lay there in the dirt. Thresh let out a roar of laughter and whirled his chain around. "The regeneration of Doctor Mundo… Ten minutes for me to recover? Not today!" Ever so slowly, the steady blue light behind Jax's mask began to fade away, leaving only a lifeless metal face. Yasuo looked up as Thresh closed in again. There was no way out now. Who could save him? Sarah? Blitz? Janna? Garen? Draven? No, this time Yasuo was completely alone and for the first time, he wished that it didn't have to be this way.

Thresh grabbed Yasuo by his collar and lifted him high in the air so that he hung limply, his toes not even touching the ground. "I'd have taken his soul too but I only have room for one more and I have my eyes set on another!" Thresh uncoiled his chain once more and held his scythe close to Yasuo's chest. He raised it up.

The moment the blade made impact on Yasuo, an immense pain swept through his body. It was like needles plunging deep inside of his wound from every angle imaginable. Like the stinging was a poison sweeping from the wound through his veins and traveling throughout his body. But this was no poison. Yasuo looked down at the scythe buried deep in his chest and saw a green orb forming. This was the thirteenth soul, Yasuo's own. Ever so slowly, the little wisp of green floated up, hovering between the faces of Yasuo and Thresh.

"Do not fret, child. This is what you were always meant to do. Your purpose was always to give me eternal power. Perhaps in death you shall join me!"

Thresh left the scythe buried in Yasuo's body as he reached out for the soul with his hands this time. His clutches wrapped around the little orb as if it were something deeply cherished. Yasuo looked back down at the scythe. Blood gushed like a river and there was a noticeable puddle below his feet now from the combination of his back and chest wounds. Yasuo lifted a shaky hand to the handle of the scythe.

Thresh continued to look lovingly at the soul and used his hands to enlarge it. It grew to about four times its original size but was significantly less dense in color. It was as if he was spacing it out so that he could savor it!

With a desperate yank, Yasuo pulled the scythe from his chest and as Thresh looked up at what he was doing, drove it into the chest of the soulstealer. Thresh looked into Yasuo's eyes, a look of utter rage on his face as the Ionian's soul burst away from Thresh's hands and soared high into the air. It was as if Thresh was losing control over it. It whirled in the air before flying down at an incredible speed, embedding itself back in Yasuo's chest. Thresh growled as more green orbs burst from his form, floating away. The scythe glowed a bright green and Thresh started to look strange. The souls flooded towards the scythe like water going down a drain. It was absorbing them all and bursting others free. All of a sudden, Thresh's lantern was glowing brighter than ever.

"Only a soulstealer… only a soulstealer can kill you, right?" Yasuo stammered, a slight grin on his lips. "I wonder if your scythe can even steal you! I mean, you're made of souls, r-right?"

Thresh let out a final cry as the last of the green energy flooded into the scythe and then into the lantern. The metallic skeleton, the trench coat, and the chain all dropped to the ground. Yasuo held a hand over his face as the lantern shattered against the floor of the clearing with a loud crack. A burst of green light shot out in every direction as thousands of little green orbs danced through the dim light. Many of them flew off in different directions but one stayed. It floated in a wide circle around the clearing and started descending. Loop after loop it got lower and lower. "Riven's soul," Yasuo murmured. He watched closely as it got closer and close to the unconscious girl but to his surprise, it never reached her. Instead, the soul collided whither her broken sword, which glowed a bright green for a moment and then faded. "What the…" Yasuo made his way over to the sword, crawling inch by inch. He reached out for it.

"That's mine," Riven said. Yasuo looked up and saw her. She was on her feet but holding her head with one hand. She reached down and picked up the sword, twirling it in her hand.

"Your soul. It went into the sword," Yasuo stammered.

"Yes, and I'm not completely sure why. I knew there was a reason I never got rid of it!"

"I'm confused," the Ionian commented, trying to carefully move into a sitting position.

"Don't be, it's not important to you anyway. You were planning on killing me, right?"

Yasuo said nothing. "Or did you change your mind?" Riven asked.

Yasuo thought for a moment before saying anything. "You killed my elder, ruined my life, and lead my along a path that ended in my brother's death. But… but…" He sighed, "You are not evil. Look, I don't know why you did what you did in Ionia and I expect you to tell me what happened but- ugh I can't kill you. After all I've been through, I'm the real monster. I came so far, fought so hard for something that I wasn't even sure if I believed in. Especially towards the end, I doubted that whole soul thing but I did it anyway. I have no moral high ground. I have no right to kill you."

Riven knelt next to Yasuo and placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently. "I am so, so sorry Yasuo. I never meant for all of this to happen. Believe me, I hate myself for it."

"Everything that happened in Ionia was you, but everything since… That was Thresh, not you."

"Thresh?"

Yasuo smirked, "Right, you got knocked out in one hit. I forgot."

Riven chuckled and opened her bag, pulling out some bandages. "I'm going to patch you up. Tell me about what happened."

As Riven bandaged Yasuo's wounds, he explained all that had happened, the souls, the dream, the elder, and the monster right from the beginning. She cringed at some of the details and looked like she was going to cry when he told her about Yone and Jax. In fact, when they finally left the clearing together, Riven carried Jax out as Yasuo limped by their side.

"Yasuo, are you ready for what happens now?"

"What happens now?" Yasuo asked, confused.

"I'm going to tell the Ionians the truth, I'm going to show that you're innocent. Maybe then they'll forgive you, you can go home!" Riven smiled.

"They'll kill you. You know that, right?"

She sighed and looked at her feet, "Yes, I know. But I deserve it."
"We both do." Yasuo and Riven walked for another minute before he spoke up again, "No, don't do that. Even if you do, it wouldn't change anything. I can't go home, not after this. I mean, I've been working for a soul eating monster for months and I didn't even know it. I killed three more Ionians. They might forgive my crimes but I don't have that luxury. I can't forgive them. I won't forgive myself for this."

Riven looked concerned, "So what will you do?"

"I will follow this path until the end. I'll keep wandering. And I will remain unforgiven for the rest of my days."

Before long, Riven and Yasuo could hear the bangs and clashes of metal that meant the fight against Yorick and the other two monsters was still going. "My friends! They need help!" Yasuo gasped and hurried up, hobbling and almost falling.

"No, let me. You're hurt." Riven slowed and set Jax down against a tree. "I'll go help. Will you be okay?"

Yasuo slumped down next to his dead friend. "Yeah, fine."

Riven gave a nod and dashed off towards the beach. Yasuo was alone. He let out a groaned and slid off the log onto the ground. As his body hit the dirt, he went limp. He didn't want to move and everything in his body ached. His muscles, his bones, and his heart were in pieces. A tear fell from his eyes, dripping off his nose and onto the dirt before he rolled onto his stomach and let out a hurt sob. He cried, pounded his fist into the ground, and wished it would all just end. He lay like that for a long time until finally, Riven, Sarah, Janna, and Blitz emerged from the trees. "Oh my gosh!" Janna cried out, rushing to Yasuo's side and feeling his pulse. "Are you okay Yasuo? I'm going to help you, okay?" Sarah stood just a few feet away, looking down at Yasuo, concerned but noticing Janna rushing to help, she crossed her arms and looked away.

Yasuo grunted in approval and Janna stood up. "Everyone get back a little bit. This is going to be strange." She raised her staff high in the air and a burst of wind flew out, making Sarah stumble back a few feet. Then, a soft breeze washed over the group and everyone looked at their bodies. Sarah and Riven both noted the small cuts and bruises all over their bodies healing rapidly. Riven's head even stopped hurting. Blitzcrank marveled as his dented arm and chest plates started pushing back into their normal position. Most importantly, Yasuo felt the gaping holes in his back and chest starting to close. It didn't even hurt like it probably should have. It just felt like stretching.

When it was done, Yasuo remained on the ground. Although his wounds were healed, his body still ached, he was still in pain, and he was still covered in blood. "Yasuo, I will transport you to the boat. We will leave this island." Yasuo nodded slowly as Blitz moved to hoist Yasuo up and carry him towards the beach. Once again, Riven pulled Jax up onto her shoulder and carried him.

The procession back to where Draven and Garen were waiting was slow and much like that of a funeral. There was no talking, just a cloud a grief that hovered over everyone. As they passed where the battle on the beach had taken place, Yasuo noted many dead ghouls and specifically, the bodies of the red skeletal figure and the horse monster. Yorick was nowhere to be found. The downed forms of the other two monsters however looked strange even for those in battle. They had large chunks of broken metal sticking out of their bodies in multiple places.

After getting everyone settled on the rickety old boat, Riven ran back onto the beach and wrenched the metal shards from the bodies, putting them in her bag. Yasuo wondered as he watched, "What are those metal things?" Nobody answered, just stared at her as she did her work and returned to the boat.

Even the ride back to Demacia was quiet. The only sound was Draven talking about his amazing fighting and the little green orb that had hit him during the battle. He said it reenergized him and returned some of his strength. Yasuo commented that he was running out of steam and Draven corrected him, explaining that his energy and stamina were without limits. Sarah laughed softly in the corner of the boat but didn't respond.

Before long, Garen pulled the boat up to the port of Demacia and not long after that Jarvan and his men were descending on them all, pulling them from the boat and taking them off to medics and rest areas for the military. Blitzcrank and Janna were the only two who were not taken away and they followed the man who carried Yasuo up to Jarvan's tower, back to a familiar bed where he had been laying just a few days ago. Yasuo fell asleep almost immediately after being laid down, his body a tired wreck.

The guardian and the golem stayed by Yasuo's side as he rested. In fact, he rested quite a bit. It was nearly three days before Yasuo opened his eyes.

Janna immediately stood from her chair next to the bed and leaned over. "Are you okay, Yasuo?"

Blitzcrank, who was already standing on the other side leaned over, hitting his metal head against Janna and pushing her away. "Have you retained any of your sustained damages?"

Yasuo smirked and pushed himself up. He felt a lot better, still a little weak but mostly improved. "I'm fine. Where are the others?"

"Well," Janna started. "Sarah is still around but Draven demanded release yesterday and that other girl… Riven. She just disappeared after we got back from the islands. Nobody really knows where she went."

"Oh…" Yasuo's voice trailed off. The girl who he had gone through everything to find was once again out of his reach. And this time, the trail was cold. He slammed his elbow against the wall in frustration and was immediately swept over by Janna trying to calm him down.

Over the next day, Yasuo said his goodbyes to Garen and Jarvan, telling them that he appreciated their help but he was leaving Demacia. He didn't know where he was going. Then he bid his farewells to Janna who responded only with a smile and "I'm just glad you finally asked for help."

Then Blitzcrank, the most loyal friend Yasuo had ever had. "Perhaps we could go on another adventure sometime. Or you could visit me in Piltover." Yasuo smiled.

"Of course Buddy, I'll come visit all the time!"

Lastly, Yasuo went to visit the first friend he had made on his journey, Sarah. She was just being released from her medical treatment. Although Janna had successfully closed her wounds, Yasuo heard a doctor discussing some shrapnel that was still embedded deep in her body that they were forced to surgically remove. When Yasuo reached the room in which she was being kept after the operation, she was already leaving. Her short shirt showed of the row of stitches in her abdominals and she was chugging from a bottle of rum. Other than that, she seemed alright. Yasuo smiled and hugged her before she even noticed he was there but as soon as she noticed him, she hugged back.

"Thanks Sarah," he whispered in her ear.

The pirate whispered back, "Any time, Air-head. But you know this means you owe me one, right?"

"What?" Yasuo joked, "You told me back in Bilgewater that if I found a contract for you, you'd take it. If anything, I did you a favor!"

"Not with how much I'm being paid! I deserve triple for having to fight those creeps."

"Hey Sarah," Yasuo asked tentatively, stepping back. "What happened to Yorick?"

"Coward ran off. I was making mince meat of his little monster friends but he kept on making more. Soon as that little Riven girl showed up, he was gone. His pals weren't so lucky."

"What do you mean? What happened to them?"

Sarah shrugged, "Well you saw their bodies. That Riven girl flung a broken sword at them. She just swung it and it shattered. All the pieces- yeah, that's a bad way to go."

"I see…" Yasuo said pensively.

"What's up?"

"Her sword. When I killed the big bad monster in the jungle, Thresh, he burst and a bunch of souls shot out of him. Hers was one, Draven's was another. But Draven's whenwent back into his body, right?" Sarah nodded, "Riven's went into her sword and then her sword glowed."

Sarah's eyes opened wide. "Her sword was glowing when she attacked! The same color as your hands!"

"That's so strange," Yasuo commented, "I'll have to figure that out sometime."

"Well, you have lots of time now, what are you going to do now that I hear your soul slash assassin quest is no more?" Yasuo shrugged. "Well I have an idea," Sarah said with a grin.

"What is it?"

"You could come with me and work on my ship for a while. Think of it, the two of us plundering the high seas and going on contracts together. We'd be unstoppable!" Sarah had an excited look in her eyes, as she hopefully looked at Yasuo.

He shook his head. "No Sarah, I can't. I'm sorry. It's time I make amends for all of my mistakes. I'll be damned if I'm going to die hurting more people than I've helped. I'm an Ionian guard after all. I was supposed to protect the innocent."

Sarah shrugged, "If you say so. But if you ever change my mind, you know where to find me."

"The sleaziest bar in Bilgewater."

She winked, "Of course."

"But in reality Sarah, I have no idea what I'm going to do. All I know is that I don't deserve to go home and I need to keep moving. I think I'll probably just wander around and help where I can from now on."

"Oh, fun. I know my very own vigilante.

Yasuo smirked, "Yeah, that's me. The vigilante who hits every bar on the way to justice!"

She laughed and gave Yasuo another hug and he held her back for a few seconds. It was nice to have someone to be close to, if only for a little while. Even as Sarah boarded her ship and set off again for parts unknown, Yasuo had a feeling they'd be seeing each other again.

Yasuo, on the other hand, took slow and steady steps out of Demacia and down the road. He had no idea what direction he was going in but right now;, that didn't matter. The path was long but this time he set out not a lone warrior, but as a man with his whole life ahead of him. He smiled to himself, gently swinging back and forth Yone's sword in the warm breeze. He would follow this road until the very end.