"Starshadow, wake up." I plead to the black rope of snake sleeping on my pillow.. After a month of being in the company of Shen, Kusho, and Govos, I've finally felt healthy again. Starshadow's still asleep, recovering from his use of magic to bring me back. Each day he doesn't wake up makes me feel more and more uneasy.
"He will wake up. He won't let you be left alone if he can avoid it." Govos comments on my agitated state. He leans against the doorway to my room, watching over me as Kusho instructed him. Apparently there's a lead on the Golden Demon case they've been working on while caring for me. Govos's been struggling watching all the deaths, so he was allowed to stay back and watch over me.
"How can you know? Starshadow's been the only thing that's stayed by my side for the past nine months. He can't go!" I rant before I freeze. I've been gone from Targon for nine months. I've barely even thought of my family during that time. Geras. Lye. They must be worried and missing me so much.
"You are feeling lost and scared. I know that feeling." Govos stands up and walks up to me. "I have spent the last three years hunting down the Golden Demon. You can't possibly imagine how gruesome the deaths are. At one point, my Master has reached out to others, but both Shen and I agreed that since this is our task, we must finish it. Still, it makes me incredibly uneasy to seel. I feel sickened everytime we have to investigate a new murder." Govos's face is haunted by what he's seen. I feel guilty. I've been complaining about how much my life has sucked for only nine months. The man in front of me was hurt for three years.
"I'm sorry." I whisper. "I… I don't know what to say." I start to cry.
"Don't cry. It's… It's refreshing to see someone feel so open. I don't even remember what it was like to be so free." Govos takes a seat on the bed.
"What?"
"Shen, he's all dark and broody now, but he was one of the most friendly people around. He'd tell jokes, laugh, get into all kinds of craziness back home." Govos gives a soft chuckle. "One time, he used his secret step. He, he" Govos bursts into laughter. "He pantsed every single teacher in the temple. And no one could figure out who did it. Shen asked me to pants him as he came back, so he would look innocent. He also pantsed me, so everyone thought that Shen and I were innocent and everyone was on guard for a month. Every day afterwards, we'd laugh when someone would check to make sure their pants stayed on." Govos reminisces with a smile.
"You and Shen sound very close." I comment as I take a seat next to him.
"He's like my brother. His father is my Master. We are very close." Govos explains.
"It sounds nice." We both let the silence stay in the room.
"So, what's happening in your dreams? I mean, you recovered from your cold recently, but everyone knows that you aren't sleeping well." Govos brings up. I flinch.
"I… I don't want to talk about that." I shy away. Govos accepts that I'm not ready to talk yet.
"What about what made you so interesting to Shen?" Govos asks.
"I don't know why I'm so special to Shen. I'm just a girl that climbed Mount Targon and got corrupted by something afterwards." I say nonchalantly.
"What?" Govos sounds breathless.
"I climbed-"
"No wonder why you are so interesting to Shen! You have two different magics in you? That's… That's amazing." Govos praises.
"I'm not anything special, Govos. I cast illusions. I can make someone believe that they sense something else. I don't even know what the corrupted magic can do. I do almost nothing important." I protest.
"Even the smallest thing can change the course of the world. I was taught that so long ago." Govos retorts. I remain silent. Govos sighs. "We know nothing about you. We don't even know your name."
"It's Leilah." Starshadow croaks. I snap my head around to see him lift his head weakly.
"Starshadow!" I yelp happily and race over to him. I pick him up gingerly and hug him. He nuzzles me back.
"Sorry I've been out for so long. Forcing a teleport, never done that. No wonder why you hate waiting for your magic to no longer make you sick." Starshadow teases me. I give a watery laugh.
"I'm just glad you're ok." I cry. Govos coughs and I jump. I keep a hand protectively in front of Starshadow as I turn towards Govos.
"Your name is Leilah? And your name is Starshadow?" He asks us. We nod. "We entered a village where a boy was asking for someone named Leilah and her companion Star something around two weeks ago. Had we known your name was Leilah, we could have let you rest there." Govos mentions. I almost drop my hand from around Starshadow.
"Did you get their name?" I ask. Govos shakes his head.
"Sorry, it was a quick stop to see if anyone had heard of the Golden Demon. No one had heard of him, so we know he's not there. They also hadn't heard of any terrible deaths, so we know he's not going north." Govos reports. He seems to sink into himself again, drowning from his recent life.
"Do you want to know more about me?" I try to distract him. He looks up.
"I think it would be greatly appreciated." He replies. I smile and use some light magic, just to exercise it and enjoy telling a story again. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to tell a story.
Govos raises his eyebrows, but says nothing. I tell him my tale. All the way from the beginning, with Targon, being corrupted, and even my short time in the sword monastery. He identifies Yasuo as the boy who was asking around. I smile as I remember my journey and Yone. I stop my smile and my tale right before we teleport into Bilgewater. I'm exhausted from using magic and the emotions that I felt while I was talking and I don't want to think about Bilgewater. Not right now. Govos listens to it all like the perfect audience.
"It seems to me you've been through quite a bit. Going up the mountain, getting the Aspect, touching the ring, learning in the school, all of that, and you still think you're ordinary?" Govos comments.
"I mean, I am compared to others. I'm just a girl who was chosen and got lucky enough for someone to pay attention to me." I pant.
"You're partnered with a star! How does that make you ordinary?" He asks.
"She chooses to believe she is ordinary, Govos. You should respect that." Kusho enters the room with Shen behind him. Govos stands and bows to Kusho. Kusho waves Govos's respect. "Come now, Govos. You are like a son to me and we are all tense. There's no need to bow to me." I stand up and mimic Govos' posture.
"Thank you for keeping me safe, Master Kusho. Starshadow too. I don't know where we would have been if you didn't save us." I say gratefully. Kusho waves his hand again.
"You needed assistance, child. From what Shen has seen, you died. And Starshadow brought you back. Anyone would have helped you in that instance." Kusho tries to comfort me by placing a hand on my shoulder. I hear the man's jeers and cheers when they were cutting out my eyes. I flinch, pulling my hands to my face. "Child?"
"I'm in Ionia. I'm not in Bilgewater." I whisper. Everyone tenses. I start to shake. I hold myself as I sink to the ground. The ground starts to morph into my cage floor. "No, stop, please. Don't hurt me." I start to whisper and cry. Govos rests his hand on my shoulder. I scream and flinch away. It's not Govos next to me, it's the man that tormented me.
Leilah? I see Starshadow's figure in a bag, held in front and being beaten. I hyperventilate.
"I'm sorry, Starshadow. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cry. Everything just starts to compound. I haven't escaped Bilgewater. I'm still trapped. They are cutting out my eyes. I can't see. I can't stop screaming and apologizing.
"Leilah!" Starshadow calls out. I can't stop screaming and begging for them to stop hurting him.
"Please! Stop hurting him! Please!" It bubbles out of my mouth. Something touches my shoulder. I scream and fight it. The hand removes itself quickly. That confuses me. No one in that place ever let go of me.
"Leilah? Can you hear me?" Someone whispers. Someone I haven't heard before. I shake and curl up into a smaller ball. "Leilah, you're in Ionia. You're not in Bilgewater." I catch a face near mine. It's not a face from Bilgewater.
"Ku...sho?" I whimper. He reaches his hand out to mine again. I struggle not to flinch when he touches me.
"It's me. It's Kusho. Can you hear me?" Bilgewater starts to fade away. I gasp for air as I look around to the men all looking at me in concern. I bury my face into my arms.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No wonder why you didn't want to talk about Bilgewater." Govos comments. Shen taps his shoulder. "What? Leilah's just like us now." I shiver.
"Leilah is nothing like us." Shen defends me.
"No. He's not wrong. Everyone here is haunted by something." I murmur. Starshadow wiggles himself into my space.
You did the best you could in that situation.
"I let you get taken." I protest.
No, we were both struggling to deal with after the teleporting effects. None of this was in your control. You couldn't have stopped me from getting taken. Starshadow nuzzles me.
"I want to go home."
I know. I wish you would be safe, but you're going to see things like that more often. You're going to be in those situations, and sometimes it'll be worse. You have to be strong, Leilah.
"Say a joke." I ask out of the blue.
What?
"Just tell me a joke. I can't… Make it go away." I plead. Starshadow bites his lips.
Yone's pecs were mighty fine to feel, weren't they? Starshadow teases me. I glow brightly.
"Why would you bring that up, of all things?"
I'm sure you liked being in his arms too.
"Starshadow…"
And, you never got to kiss him. What would he taste like? Especially after-
"You made your point!" I squeal.
And oh, I've heard stories from your Mother about how your Father wooed her, I can imagine- I throw the snake away before he finishes.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Starshadow!" I scream. I'm glowing quite brightly. After a moment, I notice that Kusho, Shen, and Govos are all blocking their vision. I cough and try my best to not glow so strongly. "Um, I'm sorry." I apologize.
"You are back in the real world. That is all that matters." Kusho states. I take a shaky breath.
"What will you do with me now? Now that Starshadow is awake and I've recovered, where do we go?" I ask.
"You could come with us." Shen suggests. Both Kusho and Govos look at him confused. "She's struggling to stay grounded. So are we. It would help her greatly if she is surrounded by others who have seen as much pain as she has." Kusho and Govos look at each other. I bite my lip. Starshadow perches himself onto my head.
"Would it not be better for her to go with the boy from the village?" Govos asks.
"I'm not ready to go back yet. I promised that I would go back when enough time has passed. It hasn't yet." I state firmly. Kusho takes a moment to himself before he sighs and nods.
"If you are going to be with Leilah, you are going to have to promise that you must to your best to protect her." Starshadow demands. All the men look intrigued.
"Why should she be our priority? The Golden Demon is our target." Shen asks.
"She is the Aspect of the Borealis. She carries the power of hope. She also carries another soul, one that gifts her new and untold powers. She is Hope personified." Starshadow declares.
"Uh, more like I house his best friend. Humans can find hope on their own. Everyone in Runeterra can." I murmur shyly.
"Perhaps they can, but it never hurts to hear someone else help." Kusho argues before he kneels in front of me.
"I promise to protect Leilah to the best of my ability. Until I can not move or breath." Kusho vows. I see a glow appear in his heart. He seems lighter after the vow takes. "I will not let you down."
"You really didn't have to do that, Master Kusho." I protest. I try to pull him to his feet.
"As long as I live, I vow to protect Leilah, the future of Runeterra." There's a very sharp glow that even I have to cover my eyes. When I look back, Shen and Govos both look stunned. Kusho looks much more relaxed.
"Father?" Shen asks.
"We will succeed, Son. We will get the Golden Demon, and we will succeed in our mission. Protect what means the most to you." Kusho instructs the boys. Shen and Govos both bow their heads.
What was that? I think to Starshadow.
I'll ask Aurora. Maybe it's a part of her magic?
"Master." Both state in unison.
"Now, we have to plan how to deal with the Golden Demon." Kusho walks away, Shen and Govos following closely.
"Wait!" I yelp and scramble to my feet. Kusho halts. "I want to help." Kusho turns his head towards me. "He's hurting people. I have to help. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't do anything." I whisper. Kusho nods.
"Come then." I bounce up to his side. "We've discovered that the Golden Demon has a rather dark way of killing his victims. He leaves them in grotesques poses and leaves them in public places. I would not show you his works as I know that it would greatly leave scars on you." He walks to a room where there's a map of Ionia. I see red flags tagged in locations all around Jhyun.
"Are those where he's struck?" I ask, pointing to the flags.
"Yes. Now, we don't know where he's going to strike next, or who. We are at a bit of an impasse." Shen points out. I bite my lips.
"You mention that he puts his people in public places and they are left in poses?" I ask. Govos nods. "What if they are poses, but not grotesque? What if they're-"
"Art." Govos finishes, slapping his face. "It's art for this psycho. And he wants everyone to see it."
"If this is art that he wants, he wants everyone to see that art." Shen picks up.
"So, he needs a public place with quite a bit of people in it. And nothing has satisfied him as each body we have examined is more and more distasteful, he wants the most beautiful death." Kusho and I watch as the boys pick up each other's thoughts and bounce between each other. It's clear to see they are close as they could follow each other's thoughts.
"So, what could provide the best scene where lots of people would be?" Shen asks.
"We don't have a timeline either as to when he will strike." Govos rubs his head.
"Um, excuse me?" I interrupt. Both of them look at me. "I'm new to Ionia, so I don't know much, but what would people gather for?"
"Well, there's the spirit festival in a year. That would certainly bring him out." Shen adds.
"Do you know where?" I ask hopefully.
"It's a festival all over the country. Though I heard there would be a huge festival in the Jyon Pass. " Govos adds. I sigh.
"How likely would it be that he waits until the festival to strike?" I ask
"Not likely at all. He usually causes a murder every month or so." Shen comments.
"Then we can't wait until the festival to catch him." I sigh
"Perhaps we can narrow down the location based on where he's been." Govos adds in. We all look to the map and think.
"Has he ever struck in the same place twice?" I ask.
"A couple of times. We just can't narrow it down yet." Govos sighs. I hang my head, feeling their exhaustion. I bite my lip and try using a bit of magic, casting a little bit of sparkling lights. I bite my lip as I use a little more magic to provide some warmth. I collapse from the attempt, but I notice that all the men seem to relax a moment before they notice me fall.
"Leilah!" Shen catches me before I hit the ground.
"I'm ok. Just used some magic to make you guys feel better." I gasp. Starshadow slithers onto my shoulder.
"Why?" Starshadow demands.
"Wanted to help." I whisper.
"We've been living this life for three years, Lady Leilah. We are fine." Kusho tries to convince me.
"Don't call me a lady. And it doesn't matter how long you've dealt with this, everyone can use a pick me up." I state. "Pantheon needed it, and he's a hero."
"Who's Pantheon?" Govos asks.
"He's a Targon Hero, who fought against those that would kill all of Runeterra. He bested an enemy that the gods couldn't, but he walks a lonely path. I met him, listened to him, and helped him feel better. He's much older than me, but he could still have used the cheer." I explain. Everyone is silent.
"Thank you, Leilah. That was very kind of you. Are you sure that you want to help? It will scar you for life." Shen whispers.
"I'm already scarred." I mutter darkly before forcing myself to stand and walk out. I feel a shiver run down my spine when I remember Bilgewater.
Will I be able to get over that?
Ho boy, this arc is going to be a charged one. She's on the hunt for a serial killer while also fighting her newfound PTSD. Will she be able to recover or will she be crushed from watching what happened. Who knows?
I'm taking the chance of returning this to a T. I am mentioning a warning for the more graphic things in here each time it comes up. Thank you for reading and be extraordinary!