Notice: The contents of this chapter may be triggering to some viewers. Please, if you are sensitive to topics regarding suicide, exercise good judgement in reading this chapter. Suicide is not a joke and is not something to be taken lightly. Please, if you are uncomfortable with reading this chapter, simply do not read it. You have been warned.
Justicar
One Month Later...
"To think she would have taken this so hard..."
"With all due respect, Elder Kwan... This much was expected..." Karma relied with a sad shake of her head.
"But for her to withdraw from the league!" Elder Kwan exclaimed, "do you understand what this means?"
"Of course." Karma replied stiffly, "... Elder, how would you feel if your happiness was ripped away from your hands?"
Elder Kwan shook is head with sad resignation.
"I would feel... Empty..."
"And she undoubtedly feels the same way right now." Karma stated, "Her retreat to this secluded area is also likely a symptom of how she feels. She feels as if she needs to distance herself from the people who took her away..."
"But she-"
"Shhh!" Karma immediately interrupted the elder. "Not now. It's too early..."
Elder Kwan sighed and bit his tongue. It undoubtedly pained him to a great degree, seeing how much Irelia's loss hurt her. No... It did far more that just hurt her... It destroyed her...
As the two elders neared Irelia's ocean side retreat, a gentle sea-scented breeze wafted through the area; bathing the both of them in a salty ocean smell.
"It most certainly is beautiful here..." Elder Kwan stated, taking a dee, relaxing breath as the pair continued walking. "There is... A rather unsettling lack of other people here, though..."
"I do believe that was the purpose of this home." Karma replied, "She will likely not return to us for quite some time..."
At last, the two elders arrived at the front doors of Irelia's new home. When Karma raised a hand and knocked, however, it was not Irelia that answered the door. It was Riven...
"Ah! You made it." Riven spoke up in greeting, a strained and weak smile on her face.
Both elders gave the exile a small bow before following her into the house. They could tell from Riven's expression alone that the news was anything other than good.
None the less, Elder Kwan was unable to withhold his anxiousness. He simply cared far too much about the warrior's well being to simply go in silence.
"Miss Riven... How is she?" The elder inquired, his voice strained and worried.
Riven froze for a moment in her pacing walk. Finally, she looked up into the elder's eyes with a very distraught look to her eyes. She offered no words in response to the elder's question. Instead, she only replied with a grave shake of her head.
"... Is it that bad?" Elder Kwan whispered worriedly.
Riven sighed and finally completely turned to face the elder.
"I've never seen someone shatter like this before..." Riven answered, helplessness present in her voice, "She's... Broken... And not broken in half, broken into a million pieces like a glass vase. As her friend, I've seen her go through some very tough things, she's cried and had a few meltdowns here and there, but this... This is... I can't even put it into words..."
Turning back away, Riven continued to lead the two elders through the house. Ah they travelled deeper, they got a good look into the various rooms that decorated the oceanside estate. It was a beautiful estate, without a doubt. The rooms were furnished with simple yet elegant chairs, desks, and shelves. Almost everything in the house was well lit, having large windows through which the ocean could be seen.
And yet there was an eerie sort of emptiness that permeated the air of the entire estate. It felt as if something was lacking from it... Something that stemmed from the lack of use every room saw. Something that the layers of dust sitting upon the surface of every item in every room spoke much of.
Picking on the sense of lifelessness emanating from the entire house, Elder Kwan let out a heavy sigh before finally speaking up. "She doesn't even live... Does she?"
Riven turned her gaze to meet his eyes with her own despondent gaze. "She doesn't eat... She doesn't sleep... She doesn't even leave that room... Whenever her eyes recover some tears to cry, they fall immediately. She's lost weight, and she barely even speaks anymore..."
At last, the trio reached the secluded room that Irelia remained in; her life slowly wasting away as she drowned in the pain she was engulfed in. Before they entered, however, Riven turned and looked at both Elder Kwan and Karma in turn. Words were clearly on the tip of her tongue, but she simply couldn't force them out of her mouth. The pain she felt and the sensation of helplessness at being unable to help her friend overwhelmed her ability to voice her thoughts. At last, she managed a single word.
"... Please..." Riven begged pleadingly. She couldn't say more before simply just turning away and shaking her head.
When Riven finally opened the door into the tiny room that Irelia had secluded herself in, Karma and Elder Kwan found themselves gazing into a barely furnished room. Unlike the rest of the house, the room was barren and dark. There was a small window to light the room, but the shades were drawn across them. The furniture within the room was also oddly lacking; seemingly out of place as they didn't match anything else in the room or the house.
It was due to the fact that the furniture in the room wasn't hers... It was Syndra's... In fact everything in the room belonged to the mage. Not a single piece of furniture was Irelia's other than her blade which lay in the corner of the room and Irelia herself. In fact, Irelia herself was almost unrecognizable in her destroyed state. While her hair and face were clean, undoubtedly due to the efforts of both Riven and Lux who continued to look after her, her entire form was gaunt and unhealthily thin. Saying "weight loss" was an understatement. It was more along the lines of starvation. Her physical appearance, however, took a back seat to one last thing. Her eyes.
The warrior's eyes no longer held the shine they once had. They didn't sparkle with the thriving life or stubborn will that Irelia was so well known for. Her eyes glassy and dull, the flare of life reflected in her eyes had dimmed to the darkness of night. There was nothing left. Her will had been broken.
"... Irelia..." Another voice whispered, coming from the person that was sitting directly beside the warrior.
"Karma and Elder Kwan are here to see you..." Lux whispered, clearly hoping that the presence of the two elders would draw some sort of response from the warrior.
It didn't even draw a blink or a glance.
"C'mon Irelia, at least say hi to them..." Lux begged.
"..."
"Irelia-"
"It's fine, Lux..." Karma finally interrupted, gazing at Irelia with an understanding and warm, albeit sad, smile.
Lux finally sighed and rose to her feet. Giving Irelia a soft, comforting hug, she shuffled over to the doorway and joined Riven before leaving the elders alone with the warrior.
Karma and Elder Kwan both settled down in chairs beside Irelia before allowing an serene sort of silence to settle between them. Unlike the two elders, however, Irelia remained as still as a lifeless corpse as her eyes remained riveted on a blank spot of the floor.
"... Irelia..." Elder Kwan finally whispered, breaking the silence. He leaned closer to the warrior in attempt to draw her attention.
Irelia blinked in response, but didn't move her gaze.
"... Isn''t it time to... move on...?" Elder Kwan whispered softly, almost tentatively.
If Irelia wasn't already still enough, she completely froze. Even her breathing stopped for a few moments before she let out a slow breath.
"... No." She finally answered after a good several seconds of silence. "It isn't time to move on. It will never be time to move on."
"Irelia, your people are begging for you to return to them..." Elder Kwan continued, "They want their beloved captain back. They want their hero back."
At that, Irelia finally turned her lifeless gaze to Elder Kwan. The look of her haunted eyes seemed to instantly strike a sense of fear into the aging man.
"I. Don't. Care." Irelia whispered, her voice soft and weak, yet somehow reminiscent of the stubbornness she was known for. "Do you think I withdrew from the league for no reason? I cannot protect them anymore. Not after what I have seen..."
"Irelia, you are their hero! You are the savior of Ionia for yet another time!" Elder Kwan pushed.
"Hero? You're calling me a hero?!" Irelia fired back incredulously, "I DIDN'T KILL HER! I WASN'T THE ONE THAT STOPPED HER! SHE NEVER INTENDED TO DESTROY THE PLACIDIUM. IT WAS ALL AN ACT!"
Both Elder Kwan and Karma seemed oddly undisturbed by this fact. Evidence that they already knew that this was the case. Ordinarily, Irelia would have picked up on this subtle hint. However, her current state rendered her analytical abilities to that of dirt...
"This isn't what she would have wanted! She sacrificed so much to give you your people!" Elder Kwan beseeched. His words promptly awarded him a cough from Karma, clearly warning him that he was straying far to close to disclosing the real motives behind their actions.
"I don't care!" Irelia repeated a second time, continuing to not notice the holes in the elder's arguments. "I don't want them! I wanted her! All I ever wanted was her!
"She did it so you could be happy!" The elder continued to push, "Come back to us, Irelia... Please..."
"... I'm not going back." Irelia whispered, "... For over a decade of unwavering service, I have served this country. Over a decade... And yet even after all of that, I ask for a single thing... And they refuse to listen... I cannot protect them... Not after all the hypocrisy I have seen and tasted. Ionia isn't my home anymore... They took away the one home I had..."
"But-"
"No!" Irelia immediately cut off the elder before he could even say another word, "I said no, and I mean it! I'm not going back. Not after everyone turned on me and refused to believe what I had to say... Not even you believed in me! You could have stopped her! You... You..."
Irelia broke off, tears drowning her eyes out again as she was reminded of her partner's absence.
"Why didn't you stop her!" Irelia demanded, her voice cracking and shaking with the intensity of her emotions, "You could have saved her! She could be alive right now if you had just... JUST GET OUT, I NEVER WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU AGAIN!"
Elder Kwan opened his mouth to argue back, but a restraining hand from the enlightened one stopped him. He glanced back at Karma to find her gazing back with a very meaningful gaze. The elder had little choices other than to listen to Karma's silent advice. Backing away, he allowed Karma to break her silence and speak to the grieving warrior.
"I truly am sorry... Irelia..." Karma whispered, placing a hand on the warrior's shoulder and giving it a soft, comforting squeeze.
Without a word more, the enlightened one rose to her feet and moved towards the door. She made a subtle gesture for Elder Kwan to follow suit. He obeyed albeit begrudgingly so... Seconds later, the door to Irelia's reclusive room clicked shut behind both elders, leaving the deadened warrior alone with the sovereign's belongings. Only after a few steps, Elder Kwan again broke the silence.
"Enlightened one, why can we not-"
"It is too early..." Karma interrupted, raising her hand as a silencing gesture.
Elder Kwan let out a despondent sigh, clearly expressing his own pain at seeing the warrior suffer in such a horrible way. He was clearly having his own difficulties seeing the beloved captain of the guard loose herself in her agony.
"To the very least, we can-"
"No..." Karma interrupted firmly, "We cannot give her anything. Not even a whisper of this. If she catches even the slightest of winds, even he slightest glimmer... She will go and search to the end of time to discover it. She must know nothing..."
"Then why have we even come here!? Is there nothing we can do to ease her pains?" Elder Kwan pressured, clearly wanting to relieve the warrior's agony.
"To let her know that we are here for her." Karma replied simplistically. "... Though I suppose now that she sees us at fault for her supposed death, our presence means very little... This plan... There wasn't any changing it after she took the first steps. I would have done it differently, but there was no time to change it."
"But surely there is-"
Before he could say further, the elder silenced himself as the door to Irelia's room creaked open. With a wipe of her tear streaked face, Irelia emerged, looking extremely tired and very drained. She acted as if the elders were invisible to her as she mutely shuffled past them and dragged herself up a flight of stairs, undoubtedly moving towards the second story balcony where she could watch the sun set across the ocean. Once she was out of ear shot, Elder Kwan let out another pained sigh.
"You see? Look at her... Is there truly nothing we can do?" He pushed one final time.
Rather than Karma answering him, his reply came in the form of Riven's hand descending upon his shoulder in a comforting gesture before the exile moved off on her own; following Irelia's footsteps. It was a wordless gesture, but one that spoke an answer all by itself. There truly was nothing to be done... only time and waiting...
Irelia habitually moved to the balcony railing as she stepped out into the open air. She rested her arms on the railing as she stared out blankly across the ocean. In her mind, the elder's words rang in her head "perhaps it is time to move on..." Wordlessly, she grit her teeth and one of her hands curled into a fist. It was never time to move on. Not after she had found the love of her life. It was something that could never be replaced... A feeling that, now, would never be felt by her again. Bitter tears found their way back to the warrior's eyes, cascading down her face as she relived the vivid images of Syndra's last moments. The mouthing of the words I love you...
When she awoke in the Placidium, hours after the fall of the castle, she was hailed as a hero. The people were all celebrating in the streets as their beloved captain saved the day and brought down one of Ionia's greatest foes. But it was all a lie. A lie that sickened Irelia to her very core. The sovereign hadn't chosen her people or the Placidium or anyone else for that matter. She had chosen Irelia... To give her back the life that she felt she had wronged. But realistically, the sovereign had only wronged the warrior once... and that was by leaving the warrior...
The warrior was so lost in her pain and grief that she hardly noticed as Riven stepped out onto the balcony and joined her beside the railing. Around the two women, the sunset waned to a bright, but rapidly fading orange. It wasn't until the exile wrapped an arm around the warrior that she even noticed that there was another person beside her. Still, the warrior didn't react particularly much from the contact. She remained still and almost lifeless in her grasp. Yet, when Riven opened her mouth to speak, it was Irelia that spoke up first.
"... I'm done..." Irelia whispered in a chilling tone.
Unintentionally misunderstanding the warrior's words as meaning she was done with the sunset, Riven offered Irelia a small, sad smile.
"C'mon..." Riven replied back softly, offering a hand to guide Irelia back into the house. What Irelia did in response, however, rooted the exile in her spot. Rather than take Riven's proffered hand, the warrior instead turned her hands back to the railing, gripping it with the clear intention of vaulting the railing.
There was only one thing on the other side... a one hundred foot drop down into several ocean sharpened rocks... Irelia wasn't done with the view... She was done with her life. She didn't want to continue any longer.
"IRELIA NO!" Riven shouted, immediately rushing to the warrior's side and clamping her arms around the warrior, restraining her from moving forward any more.
"... Let go, Riven... I don't want to do this anymore... I just want to be by her side again..." Irelia stated, not really struggling to break free, but putting clear pressure on the exile to release her.
Riven's heart hammered in her chest as her thoughts flew at a thousand miles an hour. Running out of options and with Irelia continuing inexorably towards the edge of death, Riven was forced to play all of her cards.
"The box!" She shouted, her voice resounding down to the house below. "LUX GET THE BOX!"
From within the house, Lux, Karma, and Elder Kwan all shot each other alarmed looks as they fully understood the meaning of the single box Syndra left the warrior in her will. Still, they hesitated.
"LUX WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? SHE'S TRYING TO COMMIT SUICIDE!" Riven's voice echoed down from the roof.
Without a moment more of hesitation, Lux shot to her feet and sprinted back into the room that Irelia spent all of her time in. Seconds later she re-emerged, bearing a sealed wooden box in her hands. The mage didn't even wait for the elders to fall in line behind her before she barreled up the stairs, tripping, stumbling, and smashing into walls as she went.
At last, Lux, Elder Kwan, and Karma surged out onto the roof. They found Riven pinning Irelia to the floor with her body weight while Irelia struggled to break free.
"Here!" Riven panted, out of breath from restraining the warrior, "Quick! Give it here!"
Lux immediately hurried over and set the box on the ground beside the exile. Without even waiting half a second further, Riven reached a single hand out to her blade, drew the shattered sword, and brought it crashing down on the box. The wooden chest didn't even stand a chance. Shattering into a thousand pieces, the wood caved in as its entire structure gave way.
Of course, seeing one of her last memories of Syndra destroyed was the worst of things for the mentally unstable Irelia to see.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Irelia shrieked and sobbed at the same time.
In a sudden surge of emotional strength, Irelia completely threw Riven off of her before mounting her and sieging her with sloppy punches.
The exile promptly responded by dropped her sword off to the side and bringing both of her arms up to her face, protecting her head and body from the raining blows as best as she could.
"Irelia- Irelia -wait! You're... Missing the... Point!" Riven grunted as she absorbed blow after blow from the warrior.
Needless to say, Irelia continued throwing punches, her ears deaf to any sort of reason as further pain, loss, and anger overwhelmed all reason within her.
Clearly unable to communicate with the incensed warrior, Riven resorted to receiving help from Lux. "Lux! Take it out! Hurry!"
The mage immediately rummaged through the wreckage of the box before pulling out a small sealed object. A round and spherical object, housing the dimmest of violet glows...
"HOW DARE YOU!" Irelia continued to shout, oblivious to the mage's actions, "THAT WAS ALL I HAD LEFT FROM HER... ALL I HAD...!"
At last, Irelia's sieging punches stopped and she rolled off of the exile, curling her knees to her chest, she let out an inhuman wail of wretchedness; letting the world hear of the agony she felt. Tears streamed down her face as the pain of her loss washed over her once more. Her chest and heart aching from the pure agony of loss.
"Irelia-" Lux started before being cut off by the exile.
"Wait." Riven stated abruptly, palming the sealed sphere in one of her hands.
"It was... All I had..." Irelia whimpered in an uncharacteristically weak voice. "WHY!? Why did you... leave me..." Her broken sobbing continued for a few minutes before Riven made her move.
Finally stepping forward, the exile moved closer towards Irelia's curled up form. Using a hand to help Irelia back into a sitting position, she guided one of the warrior's arms out until her palm was facing upwards in the air.
"... No... Irelia... You're wrong..." The exile stated, finally taking the sphere in her other hand and placing it in Irelia's palm. She clearly expected the warrior to understand the meaning of the gesture...
Of course, in her broken state, the warrior completely missed it. Instead, she took one glance at the dimly glowing sphere, and lost whatever vestiges of control she still had. Once again, the tears surged out of her already desert dry eyes. Numbly, she hugged the small sphere to her chest. Her head bowing downwards, Irelia's mouth gaped open in a silent wail of agony. The lack of sound only seemed to make her pain and agony appear stronger than ever before.
At last, as the warrior cradled the sphere in her arms, the dim glow of purple finally faded. The remaining life that fueled it's demonic glow slowly dissipating into the sky...
Mutely, Irelia watched as the sphere lost its color; fading along with the light of the setting sun. When at last, nothing but a colorless sphere that was barely visible by the slight bending of light around it's edges remained, Irelia drew in a shaky breath. The tears hadn't stopped flowing from her eyes in the time she had held the sphere to its now fading existence.
"No... Come back... Please..." Irelia begged, wishing with all her soul that some form of life would return to the sphere. Lifting a hand up to her streaming eyes, Irelia managed to sob in a broken voice, "I'm... Not ready... Not yet... No.. Not ever... Please... please..."
...
Still, the sphere remained dead and dull. Rising to her feet, Irelia drew several shaky breaths before finally caving into the one thing other than pain that she felt. Anger.
"RAAAH!" She screamed, turning and hurling the lifeless sphere as hard as she could over the balcony railing. The object disappeared into the distance; its clear form vanishing into the background.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED?!" Irelia finally screamed, turning her blood shot eyes to burn holes into Riven's face, "IS IT? TO SEE HOW MUCH YOU COULD BREAK ME? I'M ALREADY BROKEN! THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO BREAK!"
Riven flinched beneath the hatred Irelia lashed her with. The warrior's agony making her furious, lashing out at anyone and anything she could. Alas, she didn't reply with words. Instead, she lifted a single finger and pointed at Irelia.
"WHAT? WHAT?! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT? GET OUT, GET THE FUCK OUT AND DON'T EVER COME BACK!" Irelia howled lividly. Nobody had ever seen her this emotionally out of control before. Her anger was practically oozing out of her form as she lashed out at anything in sight.
"I SAID GET-"
"Irelia..." Karma finally spoke up, interrupting the warrior's angry tirade before making a small gesture behind the warrior.
"WHAT!?" Irelia exploded back almost immediately, "Oho ha ha. Turn around? Yeah turn around to see what? The same fucking ocean that I've seen for the past month? I'M DONE! DON'T YOU GET IT?! JUST LET ME-"
Before she could say more, Riven finally moved forward. Covering the distance between them in a few strides and forcibly grabbing Irelia, the exile whipped her around a full one hundred eighty degrees, forcing the warrior to stare at the object that had returned to her. Sure enough, floating in the air a meter away from Irelia's body, was the clear sphere she had just thrown away.
For a few moments, Irelia stared at the object. Her mind completely blank as to what she was seeing, the warrior instinctively reached a hand out to the sphere. It seemed to take an eternity as her trembling hand rose from her side, reached into the air, hesitated... and finally moved forward.
It was hardly a touch at first, her fingertips barely grazing the smooth surface of the sphere... And yet the response, was explosive.
The moment Irelia's fingertips grazed the sphere, the slightest bits of color returned to the very core of the sphere. It was small, violet flame the slowly flickered to life in the center. Still, Irelia stared, blinking as the gears in her head slowly began to turn. Yet, instinct compelled her onwards. Moving forward, she reached her entire hand out to the ball of magic, putting her hand into full contact with the sphere.
Instantly, the violet flame froze... And then vanished completely. Similarly, Irelia froze as she watched the trace of life vanish... and then finally roar back to full power. In a disturbingly familiar hollow clang, the clear sphere completely shattered, releasing a shockwave of raw magic before recollecting itself into its natural form. The blast sent Irelia flying off her feet and sprawling onto the floor. When she finally recovered, her eyes settled on a glowing core of raw power. One that she had seen hundreds of times before... A dark sphere... Only this time, there was one difference. The sphere irradiated a resplendent golden glow.
Off to the side, Lux excitedly rubbed her hands together and ran in place; her legs hammering up and down on the balcony floor like a jackhammer as she barely withheld her own excitement. Thankfully, a restraining hand from Karma prevented her from surging forward and smothering Irelia while she slowly gained a grasp on what the sphere meant.
Yet, it seemed as if the sphere had an answer of its own. Bobbling in the air slightly, the sphere whirled in a small circle as if gaining its bearings and then immediately winged off towards the west.
For a second, Irelia stared as the glowing orb of light moved rapidly away... And then she sprang into action. Her mind completely consumed with a desperate sort of hope, she scrambled to the side of the balcony and leapt off without a moment of hesitation. From beneath her, inside of her home, a loud crashing sound was heard as her sword surged out of a window and caught her as she fell to the ground. Not even when she was ten feet off the ground, Irelia leapt off of her blades, tucked into a roll, and sprinted after the fleeting light of the sphere.
For the first time in an entire month, Irelia's eyes flashed with a glimmer of hope. Her heart pounded with a desperate longing to discover the truth; to know that her newfound hope was not groundless. And so she ran... Faster and with more zeal than she had ever done before; pushing her malnourished and gaunt form to the limits of its decayed abilities. The distance she traveled was well over five miles. And yet, she covered it in less than half an hour.
When at last the sphere came to a halt, Irelia almost flung herself on top of it. She lay there for a few moments, pinning the sphere to the floor with her bodyweight and doing nothing else other than panting like an exhausted dog. After a few minutes of silence, permeated by nothing else other than the sound of her breathing, Irelia's vision cleared and she managed to drag herself into a sitting position. Blinking, she forced her eyes to focus on the one structure standing before her. At first, the warrior didn't recognize the strange looking structure. However, as her eyes finally regained their focus she found herself staring at a very old looking temple.
Dragging herself to her feet, Irelia numbly shuffled forwards. Her steps were slow, almost hesitant, as if she herself was afraid of discovering the truth. Still, she forged onwards into the dim, torch-lit halls of the seemingly abandoned temple. At last, the gloomy hallway gave way to a large antechamber. Unlike the entrance, the room held clear signs of life. It was furnished and there wasn't even a speck of dust on the surface of anything. The sight of such a thing only increased Irelia's agitation. Her heart now pounding in her chest, she hurried forward, hoping with all her might that she might find her salvation in the next room.
As her footsteps made echoing sounds across the floor of the antechamber, a surprising figure emerged from one of the side rooms. His ears alerted by the sound of footsteps, he had come immediately to discover who it was.
"... Irelia..." Lee Sin's voice called out into the antechamber.
Irelia jumped at the sound of another person's voice, but her nerves were quickly calmed at the sight of the blind monk. She opened her mouth to speak, but the monk was quick to interrupt her.
"... You are here..." Lee Sin stated somewhat cryptically, "... Which means..."
The monk tilted his head towards Irelia, seeming as if he was gazing directly at her and the object in her hands.
Irelia, meanwhile, opened and closed her mouth wordlessly like a fish out of water.
"... I see..." Lee Sin finally finished, his unreadable features suddenly giving way to a smile. "Go on... With quiet steps... But... Go on..."
Swallowing, Irelia shoved her apprehension back down her throat and turned to the door before her. She shut her eyes and wrapped a hand around the door's handle with a grip so tight that her knuckles turned white. At last, she took a breath... and pushed...
The antechamber doors immediately gave way to a large central chamber. The walls were modestly decorated with what appeared to be an ancient Ionian art depicting a spiritual path to enlightenment. Among the artwork rested several statues frozen in various acts, along with very simplistic long wooden chairs.
And yet Irelia didn't notice a single one of these things. Instead, her eyes lay riveted on the lone figure resting in a chair at the far back of the chamber. Irelia could hardly recognize her. Her form was clad in a mixture of deep red, adorned with gold. Atop her head rested a matching golden mantle, one that mirrored the appearance of the ancient mantles of decorum. Her very appearance seemed to give off a small aura of serene light as she slept away; her head resting in the palm of her hand...
After staring for a few minutes, Irelia numbly took a step forward. Then another... and another. Soon, her halting progress broke into a full walk... a run... a sprint... The warrior might not have recognized her appearance. But what she did recognize was her touch. Without slowing down in the slightest degree, Irelia barreled straight into the sleeping sovereign, sending the both of them crashing to the floor in what was quite possibly the most rude awakening she could have ever given.
As she was sent to the floor, Syndra wrenched her eyes open. Dazed and shocked by the sudden sensation of falling and then smothered by something, she blinked unsteadily at the person pinning her to the floor... And then the cry met her ears. At first, she didn't understand what it was or who it was that had awakened her. However, once she felt a familiar grip close around her shoulders and a pair of lips press onto her own, her eyes widened in absolute shock.
Finally, Irelia broke the kiss, shoving her face into the sovereign's shoulder as fresh tears streamed out of her eyes.
"Y-Y-You're... A-A-Alive..." Irelia managed to sob before breaking down even further, her tears a mixture of anguish and yet ecstatic joy.
"I-Irelia?!" Syndra finally managed to sputter with equal surprise, "But... How did you... How did-"
"You're alive! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Irelia interrupted the mage, repeating the same phrase multiple times as if she couldn't believe her own eyes.
"But... Irelia, what are you- Umphhhh!"
Abruptly, Syndra's speech cut out as a fist found its way into her gut, knocking the wind out of her. The blows, however, didn't just stop there. Instead, they came raining down like an unstoppable barrage.
"AH! OW! IRE-LIA!-OW ST-STOP! OUCH! THAT! PLAYTHING STOPPIT!" Syndra yelped helplessly, bringing her arms up to her face and attempting to shield herself from Irelia's fists as best as she could.
"I- punch- THOUGHT -punch- You -punch- WERE -punch- DEAD!" Irelia screamed with absolute rage, each of her words punctuated by a fresh punch.
"W-Wait! Let me- Explain!" Syndra cried out desperately while Irelia continued to hammer away.
"Don't. You. Ever. Do. That. Again!" Irelia howled, continuing to siege the mage.
"Play- OW!- Thing!" Syndra yelped, trying to get the blows to stop.
Off to the side, five pairs of feet finally arrived at the temple. Each one of their respective faces gawking at the sight of Irelia pummeling Syndra into the floor.
"Uhhm... Should we... like... help?" Lux finally inquired after seeing Syndra take a fist straight to the face.
Karma cringed at the sight of such a blow, but she mustered up the will to deny such an intervention.
"I think she will be- Ah! There we are."
Just as Karma finished speaking, Irelia ceased her hammering and wrenched both of Syndra's arms away from her face, finally leaning down and planting a long, solid kiss on the mage's lips. She stayed in that position for almost an entire minute, a hurricane of emotions completely overwhelming her mind as she, herself, finally realized that her lover was very much alive.
When she finally sat up from her position on top of Syndra, Irelia brought a hand up to her face, wiping away the tears that continued to flow.
"B-But... I... I saw it... I saw you..." Irelia stammered, unable to finish her own sentence. Before the mage could stop her, Irelia scooted down such that she was sitting on the sovereign's legs before reaching over to the bottom of Syndra's shirt and lifting upwards.
"B-BWHA- 'RELIA!" Syndra yelped, her face turning red as Irelia forcefully exposed her stomach. She flailed helplessly as Irelia ran her hand across her chest.
Of course, exposing the mage wasn't Irelia's intention. She was actually looking for scars or some other sort of lingering damage from the wounds Syndra inflicted upon herself the last time Irelia saw her... And yet, there were none... Syndra's skin across her stomach and chest were smooth and flawless as they had always been. There was no hint of damage, not even a scratch.
After staring for a few moments, the strength behind Irelia's grasp finally faded. Syndra immediately brought her arms smashing down on her shirt, shoving the garment back into place.
"What was that for!" Syndra demanded indignantly, her face flushed an embarrassed hue of crimson.
"B-But..." Irelia whispered, trying to figure out how it was that Syndra didn't have any scars. "You... Stabbed..."
"That was an illusion!" Syndra snapped, still squirming beneath Irelia's bodyweight.
"But you can't... make..." Irelia finally stopped and froze. "No..." She finally whispered.
Quickly returning her thoughts to the day that she thought Syndra had died, Irelia ran through the painful memories, this time paying attention to details that she couldn't before.
"No..." She repeated a second time, everything suddenly coming together because of the one word illusion. It was too convenient... Now that she forced herself to relive the events of that fateful day, Irelia's mind finally realized one glaringly obvious clue as to what it was that had actually happened.
Riven... The one that had pulled Irelia from the castle just before it had collapsed... She seemingly appeared out of nowhere just as Syndra struck herself down. No... Not only that. As her mind raced at a thousand miles per hour, a stunned look fell upon the warrior's face. No... Riven had been on the castle all along... And she wasn't the only other person that had hidden away aboard the castle. No, there was another person. A person who was infamous for light manipulation and illusions. At last, Irelia turned in her position to gaze straight back into the eyes of the one person who was infamous for her illusions.
Lux's face said it all. From the look of startled, yet slightly guilty fear on her face, Irelia knew immediately. It was her Everything that had occurred during her brief struggle with Syndra was but an elaborate ploy to trick her into thinking the mage had died.
"... I'm... GOING TO KILL YOU!" Irelia abruptly exploded, shooting to her feet and making a lunge at Lux, only to find herself floating helplessly in the air; suspended helplessly in the grip of Syndra's magic.
"Uggmph!" Irelia grunted, struggling to free herself. "Put me down, Syndra! Put me down!"
"Irelia..." Karma finally spoke up in a soothing tone. "This was all part of the sovereign's plan... "
"Plan!? What kind of plan is that!?" Irelia demanded, still struggling to break free. "What kind of plan involves making me think that the one person that I would pick over THE ENTIRE WORLD is dead?!"
"... I just wanted you to have your country back..." Syndra muttered back with a hint of jealousy behind her voice. "... I just wanted you to be happy..."
"Even after I SAID I only wanted you!?" Irelia demanded furiously. "How many times did I say that you were the only thing that mattered?!"
"We went along with this plan so that both could be true." Karma pointedly interrupted. She sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hand, "Of course now that you know she is alive prematurely, this is likely not going to work..."
"But-"
"The plan..." Karma continued, cutting off Irelia before she could push forth further questions, "Was to allow the situation to simmer down... To allow normal life in Ionia to resume... To allow you to reacquaint yourself with the people who love you and need you. Then after things had calmed down, we would have begun revealing information to prove Syndra's innocence before finally revealing she was alive. We couldn't let you know simply because your nature isn't one to stand idly by. You would have gone out of your way to hasten the process. And in doing that, it would have only brought further suspicion upon you."
Irelia took a few moments to absorb the information before speaking up. "But if I had known I would have-"
"No Irelia... You wouldn't have. It would have driven you crazy knowing that she was out there, but out of your reach." Karma stated firmly. "You are a patient person, Irelia. But when it is your family that comes into question, that patience vanishes instantly. You are a protective person, Irelia... Protective and loyal to a fault. And that is exactly why we needed you to remain ignorant."
"But... Then..." Irelia struggled, "It will still work, won't it?" She finally managed, her voice strained with hope.
Karma sighed and lifted a hand to massage her temples.
"That... depends..." She finally replied, cryptic as ever, "Will you be able to restrain yourself from trying to see her? Will you be able to pretend as if you yourself are ignorant of her existence?"
She paused for a few moments before continuing.
"You'll have to excuse the directness of my saying this, but I have my doubts..." Karma finally finished.
"But then what... How can we salvage this?" Irelia pressed almost desperately, clearly refusing to let go of any glimmer of hope she could find.
"I suppose even with you knowing, we have but little choices other than-"
"No." Syndra cut the enlightened one off, causing every set of eyes, including Lee Sin's blind ones to turn to her.
Syndra blinked at them and shrugged completely indifferently. "What? I said no." She repeated, "I have a better idea."
She stopped speaking as if her new idea was going to speak itself.
"Well?" Lux finally piped up, unable to withhold her curiosity.
Sitting up, Syndra floated Irelia back down to the floor, simultaneously clutching her stomach which was still aching from the punches the warrior had put into her. None the less, she turned and fixed her lover with the warmest of all smiles and held out her hands.
"Arrest me."
Author's Notes:
Hello again dear readers, thank you for putting up with the long amount of time between this chapter and the previous one. I have no excuses for this delay other than wanting to keep the quality of the writing and the emotions up to par, if not better than the rest of the story. Even with this, I have chosen to split this epilogue into multiple parts. As it stands, this chapter is already far too long, sitting at seven thousand words. Yet, I have only managed to cover about half of the straws that I need to tie back together. The finishing part of this story will be concluded in the next chapter. I simply refuse to post a fifteen thousand word chapter. That would simply be bad practice.
As further explanation as to how the scene in which Syndra supposedly killed herself, I hope that my explanation was adequate. The biggest clues that I handed out in the previous chapters was 1) Riven's sudden appearance, and 2) Irelia's immobility as she tried to stand up after Syndra had knocked her to the floor. This was intended to be a reference to Lux's light-binding which was restraining Irelia's movements. Hopefully this explanation isn't a very far stretch and is believable.
As always, thank you all for your support for this story and I hope to see you in the final conclusion and the fluffy chapters to come. Please do leave and comments and critiques along with anything I may have missed in a review or private message. Thanks!
