Soraka POV
As I hung against the wall by my wrists being coiled from Zyra's vines, my eyes could only see red as I glared to the Huntress across the room from me in the similar predicament. There was so much anger I had felt, so much betrayal and disgust. I could feel my fists turning white from their clenched hold and my body shake with rage. The many hits she landed on my face still sore from impact, but numbed from the adrenaline and livid anger I held. I have never felt such powerful negativity for one person in my life, and each second of silent glaring only fuels my need to hurt her. To maim her. To rip her head off her shoulders and claw in her skin while she screams-
"WELL?!" Zyra called, pulling me from my violent daze. I blinked twice before looking to her, somewhat surprised she was here. "Explain! Someone!"
"That blue skinned bitch tried to kill me…nngh!...so she could have Rengar to herself!" Nidalee called out, attempting to break her binds on her arms. "She's been trying to steal him from me since we met! All because she is envious that I am loved and she isn't!"
My eyes furrowed, irritation welling back within my composure. "This coming from the slut who sent the institute into disarray so she could sleep with him? You've got the nerve to victimize yourself, when you set into motion a dangerous result everyone hates!" I retorted.
"This wouldn't happen if you had left him alone and let me have him!" she shouted back.
"I'm glad I got involved because now I know who you really are! You're more dangerous than the people you gave the keys to destruction to!"
"It's your fault for trying to claim what I own! You had no right to what I sought, yet you threw yourself into it as if you had claim before I did!"
"What if I held right to it before you did?! You only wanted him because you wanted to mate years ago!"
"Okay. I have heard enough." Zyra interjected before gesturing for her plants to approach her. We both swung to the center of the room where she stood, within close enough proximity to one another. Before we could begin to argue again, however, Zyra grasped our necks strongly with another set of vines. I cried out in pain as I felt the blood leak from my neck, feeling thorns erupt to pierce my skin. Hearing Nidalee scream in pain, I could only surmise the same occurred to her.
"Now listen closely, you sex drunk fuckheads." Zyra growled, her eyes glowing yellow and pupils turning to slits. "I didn't come here to play therapist to your stupidity, nor did I come to solve your marital disputes. I came to speak with the Pridestalker on something important, but you forced my hand with your idiocy. Frankly, I wouldn't be here to care if I wasn't sent by Kolminye herself. But seeing the normally two closest friends at each other's throats and ready to kill, I stepped in. it doesn't matter whether the big cat has one or two people to fuck, nor does it matter if Nidalee was the cause to the epidemic. You're here now. Deal with it or leave."
I looked to the mage wide eyed. Unsure exactly how to process the harsh scolding she was giving us. I furrowed my brow, however, when I recalled something specific to her words. "Wait…you say Nidalee being the cause of the epidemic like its no big deal."
"Because I had already known she was." Zyra answered immediately. Both of us widened our eyes to the mage. "It wasn't hard for me to put two and two together. A parasite that I knew of from my original domain got into the league, to which only three people of the league originate from. And considering I could care less about you all and Rengar would rather gut his trophies than marry them, I came to the conclusion that you had somehow brought it. Didn't know how, but you did and now we have to deal with it. Now I am going to drop you two, and if you so much as glare daggers at one another, I will rip you in two with my thorns."
We sat there contemplating what she revealed, before looking to one another for a brief second. In that moment I only felt pity for her, unknowing of its origins, but aware of its existence. I couldn't describe her expression, so I chose to look away and ignore it for now. After a brief delay, Zyra's thorns released themselves from our necks, before her vines that held our wrists and bodies released us as well. Upon dropping to the floor, I immediately raised my hand to heal the cuts and wounds on my body.
"Also, I didn't find it nice how you treated the Pridestalker like a new toy." Zyra called. We both looked up to her with confused expressions, slightly offended by her claim. "And I am not wrong."
"Explain how you're correct in telling us that our feelings are falsely directed." Nidalee scoffed.
"I didn't say that. I said you're treating him like a new toy you both want." Zyra retorted coldly. "Think about it for a second. You're fighting because you want dominance in his affection, willing to kill one another to be the only one in his eyes. Like two kids wanting a new toy for their two hours of play time."
I widened my eyes, guilt boiling up as I put the pieces together and created the exact truth she mentioned. Zyra seen my expression and frowned. "You see my point?"
"Yes…oh my stars, I never wanted that…" I replied softly.
"And you wouldn't have done it had you paid attention to your body and not your emotions in your judgment. But because you did, now your parasite is volatile." Zyra revealed. I looked to her in shock, mimicking Nidalee's before she looked over to me.
"It…it is?"
"No shit. I am like seventy five percent plant. I can literally smell another plant's poison and condition from a few meters away. By the way, your Luna Sarrancenia needs water in about an hour." Zyra added. I was surprised, considering my room was on the other side of the residency area we all stayed at. "but that's beside the point. When we all gathered that one day, only me and Akali were actually ready. Elise was too early, you were too early, and Nidalee was too late."
"But that makes sense…" I spoke. "The sudden outburst of anger and violence, over stimulation to emotions, and the excess thirst for Rengar's seed…it's all because I was unstable…oh gods, and I could snap at any second!" I panicked, throwing my hands to my hair.
"Calm yourself, Star. You have enough of the male virus in you to neutralize the effects for another few days. I can see that clear as day." Zyra reassured.
"Really? How?" Zyra deadpanned before pointing down to my legs. Following her finger, I saw a substantial amount of dried seed staining my skin. "Oh…"
"That on its own would put anyone afflicted to ease for a few days, if not literally kill the parasite." She stated. "and now to you, Miss trouble." She directed to Nidalee. Nidalee merely scoffed before crossing her arms.
"What, you think I care anymore? You want me to admit that I introduced the parasite to Elise, not aware that she would pass the information to Leblanc and Ahri? You want me to beg for forgiveness because I wanted a way to get what I loved?" she spat, glaring at both of us. "I don't care. Not anymore. Because of them, Soraka fell for Rengar, and I got competition. And now because of that, I lost the one thing I had been looking for from him for years. True affection. And now he hates me."
"I don't." a baritone voice called from the hallway. The three of us turned to see the Pridestalker himself standing at the frame of his door, leaning on the wall. "But I am still angry at you two."
"Rengar…" I breathed.
"About time you decided to come out here. I know those ears can hear a branch chip from a mile away, hard not to hear these two fight over you." Zyra stated.
"And I was halfway tempted to break it up myself, but I didn't act as I figured it wouldn't get out of hand. I guess I was wrong." Rengar replied, before looking to the two of us with a disappointed expression. "About a lot of things recently."
"Rengar, please. Let me explain-"
"There is nothing either of you have to say to appeal to me. You betrayed my trust for your own gain, and more importantly sought to harm one another to win an argument. I don't want to hear your excuses." He scolded harshly, shutting Nidalee from her words immediately. My head fell in shame, the guilt filling me until water nearly broke the corners of my eyes. "…But I want you to listen."
To that I looked up to him, seeing his previously hardened glare soften. "I never had the intent to any of what has happened. I felt out of condition due to my instincts, and I have you two for assisting me with getting me onto my feet once more. I agreed to your cooperative interest because I felt that to be the payment for what you provided me. But now I see I have only given you two more trouble than I thought. It was shocking to hear you fight, and more so to hear it come close to bloodshed." He paced over to the two of us, where I could plainly feel his analytical stare on me, like a bug crawling slowly across my skin. "Give me you pendant, Soraka. And Nidalee, yours as well."
I looked up to him in confusion, but obliged nonetheless to his demand. Reaching around my neck, I undid the clasp on my pendant, removing it from my neck and placing it to his outstretched hand. Nidalee did so as well, placing her bonetooth necklace within his palm.
"I don't care whether I was a potential mate that you had grown more attached to over time, enough to endanger hundreds of thousands of people to have," Rengar stated, almost as a scold. I saw Nidalee cringe as he mentioned her folly, and in a way felt triumph to her guilt. "Nor do I care if you'd kill to have me, and target the woman currently bearing my offspring because your attraction stems from a knight in shining armor ideology." At that, my inner triumph fell, guilt immediately filling the slot it held.
"Nidalee's pregnant?" Zyra called from the side.
"All that I care about is making sure you two are content. And while that wasn't the original goal, it is now. These will be the symbols to my newest trophies, and NEITHER hold a greater value than the other." He finished, tying the accessories to his Kurai blade. I had no words, barely able to fathom a coherent thought as my eyes welled the tears I had before my body moved on its own, arms coiled on his waist.
"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" I cried, burying my face into his body. I felt his hand rub my back soothingly, but the guilt overwhelmed my comfort, and I continued to sob still as I pressed into his chest.
"Lesson taught is lesson learned. I just hope that these actions don't elicit far worse consequence than the situation that we are already presented with." Rengar assured.
"Actually…" Zyra spoke up. "Seems your wish was too late." We all looked to the plant mage in confusion, and I could instantly feel the dread rising within the room as I recalled her presence to speak with Rengar.
"Because I need another problem to deal with…what is the issue now?" Rengar groaned.
"It's not what, its who. Kolminye had me send this request as it has gotten critical, considering your position." Zyra explained. "One easily recognizable marksman and her roughhousing sister have had an argument…while volatile."
My mind immediately sorted through the various marksmen and relationships that were known within the league. Kayle and Morgana? No…Morgana was handled and Kayle hasn't said word of her situation getting unstable…Garen and Lux? Wait, Garen isn't a marksman and Lux isn't one to rough house…oh my god.
"Jinx and Vi." I mumbled, paling as I realized how much more dangerous those two could be with the parasite.
"Indeed. And they have already put three summoners in the hospital, along with destroying four summoning chambers. The more frightening part of it all, however, is not their instability level, but the time of which it went volatile." Zyra explained.
"What do you mean?" Nidalee inquired.
"In most cases, the parasite gets progressively worse so long as its volatile. Emotions become more prominent, and the part of the human brain that dictates logic and reasoning dulls itself until its host is satisfied. It isn't until the mind is numb of thought that they reach what I like to coin 'red stage'."
"You do realize that is exactly what everyone is going to call it now right?" Rengar deadpanned.
"Then give credit where credit is due. I called it, I get royalties."
"This 'red stage'. Have they reached it yet?" I asked, attempting to divert the conversation back to seriousness.
"It takes about two weeks of exposure to the parasite, and another three weeks before it gets to red stage. But I sensed something horrific when I watched them wreak havoc from their argument."
"And that was?"
"They were little under three weeks into their normal instability, which means they have less than a few hours before they are at a stage I don't think Rengar alone can aid with."
"Let me get this straight. You were sent to tell me that two highly dangerous siblings were hours from becoming literal bombs?" Rengar asked.
"No. I was sent to request your capabilities in finding them before worse comes to worse, because they stole a set of rune teleport stones and left the institute."