When he opened his blue eyes again the world wasn't the same anymore. All he could see was white.
He tried to raise his arm to gain the blurry figure's attention. It felt nearly impossible as he let his hand fall to his side with a soft thud. He looked at his left hand. No gauntlet. Panic started to resonate within him.
His breathing had gotten faster without his realizing. Transparent plastic tubes were connecting his pale skin to a plastic bag filled with nasty red blood.
Blood. EVerything came back to him in a flash. Lux. Katarina. Where are they? Are they okay?
A woman approached him holding a silver tray filled with pills and needles.
He opened up his mouth to speak but his voice wouldn't come out. Instead he let out nothing but a gut wrenching cough making his whole body tremble. His throat was dry as a desert.
"You're awake!", she exclaimed almost surprised. She was wearing an all white uniform including a mask.
Ezreal tried to jerk away from her as she came closer. Her features were still a blur in his eyes.
"Calm down. You're at school. You're safe here", the woman slid her mask to the side and offered him a kind smile.
Ezreal narrowed his eyes. Akali?, he thought but he didn't bother trying to speak again.
"It's just a part time thing", Akali winked when she saw the hint of recognition in the boy's eyes.
But despite her noble efforts, Ezreal couldn't shake off the tension that threatened to spill out of him at any moment.
"Slowly..", his Club mate advised him as she brought a glass of water to his chapped lips. The blonde boy drank it obediently then let out a sigh.
"Is everyone else okay? Is Lux..?", he asked. His voice sounded hoarse.
"I think it's best to talk about this with someone else", Akali replied quizically then left him alone in the infirmary.
He looked out the window then blinked a couple of times to clear out his vision. It was sunny outside. He had almost lost track of time when a familiar face came into the room and sat by his side.
"Kayn?", he asked unsure.
"What's up doofus?", the boy replied with a half smile.
It was him! It was really him! He saw his long, black hair braided into his signature hairstyle. And his hand.. It wasn't corrupted anymore. Kayn looked like the first time he saw him. Ezreal smiled brightly.
"You made it!", he said a bit too loud and then coughed loudly again.
"Yep. Seems like it", Kayn chuckled then looked out the window as if he was lost in his own thoughts.
Ezreal stretched his neck trying to peek behind his roommate.
"Is Zoe here too? Tell her to come in! I swear if this girl is shy around me again-"
"Zoe isn't here Ez", the boy with the raven hair cut him off before he could finish his sentence. He looked way too serious saying that.
"You don't mean.."
Kayn nodded and swallowed hard.
"No", Ezreal felt the corners of his lips turn up. He was smiling. He wanted to laugh so hard. "No", he said again then chuckled. "She can't be".
He was an idiot. He didn't know how to react because this simply wasn't true. He'd left her to deal with Rhaast but she was a goddess, right? She can't have.. He wanted to howl with laughter. But Kayn's solemn face didn't leave any room for misunderstandings.
"Zoe's dead and all you do is laugh?", Kayn clenched his teeth. Ezreal stared down his lap.
"I'm sorry.. I just.. can't believe it. I don't know how I'm supposed to react. How did she.."?
Kayn sighed exasperated.
"I shouldn't be too harsh on you. You barely made it out of there yourself", he stood up and paced around the bed running his fingers through his long hair.
Ezreal remained quiet, studying his old roommate's every move.
"She died to save me Ez.. She died for this", he lifted what used to be his corrupted arm.
Ezreal opened his mouth but Kayn interrupted him immediately.
"The others are okay. Don't worry about it. They recovered weeks ago".
Weeks?
"Wait.. How long have I been..?"
"Two months", Kayn said unphased.
"I've been in a coma for two months?!", Ezreal asked staring at his friend.
"When they brought you back you were dead Ezreal. This", Kayn pointed to his own neck, "is what saved you".
The boy looked down his own chest confused. And then he saw it. It was a small black rock that he always used to wear around his neck. A diopside.
"A gem! Tell me it's a gem"! Taric's voice broke through his faded memories. Ezreal gave the amulet to him. The Protector took it and paced towards the window. He held the stone with this thumb and index fingers. Ezreal was quick to follow.
When he leaned it towards the sun, a four pointed star shined on it.
"It is said that these stones have a powerful protective spirit inside them. And the star is their reflection. Black stars are stones that reflect the hidden part of ourselves, and bring out our brightest light, even in the worst moments", Taric set the amulet back on Ezreal's palm. "You should keep it".
"Soraka, your doctor, says the vastaya call it a guardian angel. I don't know much about it.. I'm just.. I'm really glad that you're alive".
Ezreal could see Kayn's yellow eyes welling up.
"Kayn.. I'm happy that you're back", he could feel his own eyes stinging him at the moment.
"Yeah", the other boy chuckled. "But at what cost".. He sat back down on the chair next to his bed then buried his face into his palms.
"What's done is done. You can't change the past. You will be fine", Ezreal hoped that his words would somehow comfort his friend but it seemed like it had the opposite effect on him.
"Fine?!", he retorted in fury. "What if Luxanna was dead because of you? Would you be fine then?", he said then curled like a ball on the small chair.
Ezreal gulped.
"That much huh..?", he whispered under his breath but Kayn had heard him loud and clear.
"Yeah.. That much. And the worst thing is that I never even had the chance to tell her that", he sighed. "How am I supposed to live with this? This burden"..
Ezreal looked out the window once again immersed in his thoughts.
"Zoe loved you man. And she was a fuckin' Aspect. I know for sure that she knew exactly what she was doing. It was her decision and no one else's. I won't question her", he paused because he felt that his voice was going to crack any moment now. "If she thought that you were worth giving up her life to save, I will believe that with everything I've got. So make the best of it".
Ekko and Jayce had both come to visit him a few times. From them he found out that Katarina was awaiting trial. But she would be pardoned by the King of Demacia for sure. It was already settled. After all, her actions were justified and she was still a minor. The trial was merely a way to appease the public.
Kayn was visiting him on an every day basis. The only thing that irked him was the fact that Lux hadn't come to see him at all.
That was until an unexpected visitor had showed up.
"I see you haven't kicked the bucket just yet", Garen smirked with an arrogant look on his face.
"Now that's not the proper way to talk to your future brother in law", Ezreal raised an eyebrow.
"Don't even think about it", Lux's brother scoffed.
"Admit it. You have to have a little bit of love in there for me. Otherwise you wouldn't visit. Unless.. you brought Lux to see me right?", Ezreal smiled brightly expecting the girl to chime in through the door at any moment.
"Luxanna isn't here. Nor is she going to be coming anywhere near you any time soon".
Ezreal blinked. Confused.
"That's what I came here to tell you", he carried on in a monotone voice. As if he was reciting words he had to memorize.
"What do you mean? Is she okay"?
"I'd say that she's finally come to her senses actually. I had told you that this was always the way your little 'love story' would end".
He expected Garen to give him a taunting smirk but instead the older boy looked expressionless as he was saying this. He gulped hard.
"It seems like I've missed a lot more episodes than I thought, huh?", he sighed then stared into nothingness. "What changed?", he asked but he really didn't expect an answer from him.
"Noxus. They attacked us. While you were on that ridiculous suicide mission with Katarina and Jayce", Garen finally sat down on the chair next to him then rubbed his forehead.
"Care to elaborate?", Ezreal's voice was dripping with sarcasm. He was starting to get seriously irritated by everyone withholding things from him. He needed to know. Everything.
"Well.. Remember those stolen weapons from the library the night of the Winter Ball"?
Ezreal saw a demon somewhere in his memories. Her name was Evelynn.
He nodded glaring Garen directly in the eyes.
"Noxus attacked us with these. They used magic. They infiltrated the Demacian palace". The disappointment was tangible in his tone.
"But the God-Weapons don't work like that! They have to choose you to be their wielder!", he spat out with wide eyes. "Right"?
Garen let out a small chuckle. "Unless you have someone who can read the language of the dead and you also happen to have the Morellonomicon"..
So that's where Vladimir came in..
"The Vanguard fought bravely.. For Demacia".
"..But? I'm pretty sure there's a 'but' somewhere in there", Ezreal gritted his teeth.
"The King is dead".
He could see Garen's bottom lip quiver for a brief moment.
And he didn't know what to say. For the first time in a while he was left speechless. No snarky remarks. No nothing.
"The Demacians are strong", he said as if he was trying to convince himself as well. "The Usurper was captured in the end. He's in prison where he belongs. To rot forever", Garen clenched both of his fists but didn't turn to face him. He sighed then went on. "Ezreal", he said. The blonde boy was taken aback. This was one of the rare times he actually called him by his name. "Thank you. I don't want to owe anything to you. That's what I came here to say. Even if I hate your immature mannerisms and your stupid hair you saved my little sister yet again. ", he laughed a bit. "But now that you know how high the stakes are.. you must stay away from her. For good", Garen seemed sincere as he looked deep into Ezreal's sapphire eyes.
He looked sideways trying to think. He ran his hands through his golden locks then rubbed his eyes.
"Lux is marrying Jarvan? For real?", he asked. His lips were parted.
The boy gestured positively.
"I have to see her! I need to see her Garen! You don't understand!", he threw the bedsheet away and tried to hop off the bed.
But Garen moved quickly and stopped him before his feet had even touched the floor.
"I DO understand", he said under his breath then looked around to check if anyone was listening in. "Demacia needs a king right now. Do you really think Jarvan is ready for this? He just turned eighteen for Gods' shake! He will NEED a queen beside him. And Luxanna KNOWS this. She's doing it for the people of our country. It's her decision".
Ezreal sat back down on the bed then crossed his arms.
"Don't you care about her happiness? And you dare to call yourself her family?", he squinted his eyes monitoring Garen's reactions.
But the other didn't take the bait.
"This is for the greater good. This is way bigger than you, you petty thief. Why don't you stop thinking about yourself and think of someone else for a change?", he furrowed his eyebrows in anger.
He turned his back to leave when Ezreal broke the silence.
"I AM thinking of someone else. I'm thinking of her. That's all I've been thinking about ever since the day I met her. This isn't about me". Garen had frozen on his tracks. Ezreal huffed out a breath. "I just want her to be happy. Don't you get it? You may not like me and I may not have a title but I see her smile when she's with me. And she looks happy. So I'm not going to give up. You'd better do yourself a favor and deal with it". He felt as if sparks would come out of his eyes. He spoke with such determination that he wasn't sure that this was his own voice that he was listening to.
Garen slowly turned back around then gave him a warm smile.
"I know you care. And sometimes I wish things were different but... you don't stand a chance anyway. They have already been officially engaged", he said then walked out the door leaving an Ezreal sitting on a bed with his mouth agape and tears welling up in his blue eyes.
The days had gotten longer and meaningless after his meeting with Garen. He always looked gloomy when he was alone but not infront of others. And certainly not in front of the person he needed to be there for the most.
The last time he saw his former roommate he had a large backpack over his shoulder.
"Where are you off to?", he asked jokingly as soon as he noticed it. Kayn simply smiled. These days he seemed much more calm than the first time he'd seen him after his coma.
"I'm going to find her".
"Who?", he furrowed his eyebrows baffled.
"The new Aspect of Twilight", he replied. "I don't know exactly how these things work. Zoe might have been reincarnated for all we know. She's a goddess after all", he chuckled then stared out the window. The stars were shining bright in the night sky.
"Is it too corny if I say 'follow your heart'?", Ezreal asked then Kayn immediately smacked him in the head with a pillow. "Hey! I'm trying to recover here!", he laughed.
He was getting better day by day. He still needed some physiotherapy but all in all his health was improving fast.
"Be careful out there okay?", he said as Kayn opened the door and shot him a last glance.
"I will", he said. "Luxanna hasn't come to visit you yet, has she"?
"No..", his voice sounded like a whisper.
"Ez. Follow your heart man", Kayn laughed as Ezreal was throwing a pillow on the closing door.
