The Shadow Isles arc will feature a few gory details. warning is advised.
Also, disclaimer.
Leilah? Leilah, wake up. I feel Starshadow's head nudge me gently. I groan as my eyes flutter open. I blink and want to immediately snap them shut. I'm still on the isles. Why couldn't we have teleported ourselves out?
"I think Daamien hates me." I grumble as I push myself up. Physically, I'm perfect, but magically and spiritually, I feel drained.
No, he doesn't. You ok?
"I'm feeling a little tired."
Well, you didn't doze off for long. There's someone else here. Starshadow warns me. I rub the sleepiness from my eyes and stand up. I look around, trying to see what Starshadow sees. He slithers up my body, just as tired as I am, and curls into my scarf. Behind the barn.
"You want to doze off?" I offer.
I shouldn't. You may need me to watch your back.
"I'll be alright, Starshadow. Besides, we both can't be constantly exhausted in this place. You get some rest. I'll wake you up if there's trouble."
...You can't be logical like that!
"Rest, Starshadow." I command, pulling at his magic.
"Traitor." Starshadow mumbles before he drops off to sleep like a candle being blown out. He snores too. Little whispery ones. His little head nods a bit, his mouth opening and closing like he's eating. A shiver runs up my spine, telling me to run far and never look back.I smile uneasily and pat his head before forcing myself to go to the barn. I barely get close enough to it before I fall on against the rotting wood. It creaks ominously, like it wants to collapse. By some miracle, it doesn't. It just groans. I keep pushing myself forward, to find who made Starshadow uneasy.
I peek around the barn only for a bolt of blue light to zoom past my face. I yelp and duck behind the little cover I have. More blue bolts appear, piercing the frail wood easily. Somehow, none of them hit me. The adrenaline coursing through me makes me tuck and roll. Just in time, too. One of the lights would have shot through my head if I didn't. I gasp for breath and check to see if Starshadow was still sleeping. He must have been absolutely exhausted as he's still softly snoring. I glance back up to stare at our visitor. It's a female dressed in armor, but she's ghostly. Her purple plumed helmet stands tall and proud on her head. Her eyes glow a sinister blue. I blink, noticing her torso and back. The blue bolts she's been throwing at me, they're not bolts. They're spears, in her body? And it looks like she's throwing another one.
-bit of violence. Summary at the bottom.-
"You have earned your fate" She says so calmly, like she is satisfied that I will die. Her voice seems to be made of so many voices. Men, women, children. She throws her spear at my chest. I quickly conjure a shield with a borealis. It stops less than an inch away from my face. I gasp and let it drop. She pulls her hand back, the spear reappearing in her hand. I turn around and try to run. A spear rips through my thigh painfully. I scream and fall down. Black pain floods my vision. That seems to wake Starshadow up.
Leilah? You o- WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS? Starshadow reacts instinctively, taking my magic away to defend me. He hisses at her, but he can't grow large enough to really defend me. I try to keep moving, but the spear dug itself into the ground. I'm pinned. I turn around to see the spirit walk towards me, another spear called to her hand. Starshadow looks desperate, still not a good size to defend us, but he can't leave me. The ground under my pinned leg starts to grow a little flower, quickly evolving into a strawberry. I bite my lip and twist around my thigh. More blood spills from it. I grit my teeth and wipe some of my blood onto my hands. As she is about to throw her spear, I fling my hand. Droplets land on her armor and face.
She stops moving, the blue sheen on her face becoming more tangible. Her glowing eyes dim a bit, turning a brownish blue color. I even make out pupils in her eyes. She looks at me and drops the spear in her hand. She walks towards me, tall as possible. I try to yank myself away, but the spear in my leg won't let me move. She reaches down and… pulls it out. I struggle to hold in a scream, but I manage. Still, I almost black out from the pain a second time. She seems to take out some bandages and wrap them around my ankle.
"Miss, are you ok?" She asks. She checks everything else on me. I feel like I experienced whiplash from her sudden personality change. I glance at my companion, who's clearly infuriated that my blood decreases the Black Mist's hold on these Isles. Maokai is right. I'm needed here. But I won't sacrifice myself to save everyone. There has to be another way.
"Uh, yeah, uh." I stammer, realizing that I'm far too quiet.
"I am Kahlista of the Iron Order. What happened to you?" She sounds cognizant. I wave my hand in front of her face.
"I… I was attacked. You helped pull them off." I fib. I don't know how long Kahlista will be friendly. I have to keep her calm and in her presence until then.
"...These looks like Iron Order spears… They should never attack a civilian." She grumbles. I take the chance to smear more of my blood on her face. She flails as I make contact. Her features become a little bit more human, more alive than before, but there's still that faint sheen of death around her.
"Kahlista?" I ask quietly. She looks at me, her eyes clear.
"Is there anything you need, miss?" She sounds so human now. There's almost no distortion.
"Uh, yes actually. Where are we?" I ask shyly, curious to see what she thinks is happening right now.
"We're on the Blessed Isles. My uncle will heal my Aunt. The queen, she's so sick." Khalista tells me. I blink, noticing that she didn't look around her to see this hell.
"What's the Blessed Isles going to do?" I probe.
"The waters are said to heal life itself. I hope the king gets her there in time." He tries to help me. One of her spears pokes me in my stomach. I grimace at the new blood on me. She glances down and frowns. "What is- No."
"Khalista?" I ask. She's frantic, terrified. It seems like she's finally broken free of her delusions. I'm worried that she'll attack us. Starshadow slithers between us.
"Ledros. Uncle Viego. Aunt Isolde. They're all dead, aren't they?" Khalista sounds so broken and sad. She starts to sob. I carefully maneuver myself to comfort her. A tall warrior of old times is leaning into a teenage frame of a young girl for comfort her. If my parents could see me now.
"I'm afraid I don't know who they are." I whisper. I don't know how to help her.
"What happened here?" She finally gets over her tears and looks around. I sigh.
"I was hoping you'd tell me."
"I don't know. What I remember, I went to Helia and learned how to save the queen, but the queen died before I could bring her back. Hecarim, the temporary leader of the Iron Order, convinced me to lead us to Helia. He brought up how badly my uncle was taking it. That I should help. So I brought them to Helia. Helia denied his plea, and he ordered me to kill everyone in his path. Even if he was grieving, children do not deserve to be killed. I refused. Then I was… I was stabbed over and over again by Hecarim. My uncle didn't even care." Khalista actually starts to cry. I rub her shoulder.
"What happened after that?"
"I woke up to this. What happened?" Khalista sounds confused. Her voice starts to distort again. She shakes her head. "Everything is getting blurry." She whispers. My eyes widen and I quickly look for more of my blood to smear. I didn't think that my magic was only temporary, so my injuries have already healed. I'm a little bit more tired than before. I glance at her and press my hands against her head. "What are you doing?"
"Do you remember your life as a spirit?"
"Yes."
"What caused you to attack her?" Starshadow asks desperately.
"You called her a traitor and confirmed the pledge. Though, you are not dead." Khalista points at him. I think about what he said and almost want to slap him.
"Starshadow, you called me a traitor for making you sleep and nodded your head." I grit out. "That must have started the pledge."
"She's not a traitor! Can I deny the pledge?" Starshadow pleads.
"... I don't know. Most of the ones I kill for are dead." Khalista sounds just as curious. Her eyes are losing their pupils.
"I reject the pledge! I don't want it anymore?" Starshadow tries everything he can think of to reject the pledge. Nothing decreases the anxiety in my core. I cut my hand on the spear in her stomach and smear my hand on her arm. The glow lessens, and she looks like she can see properly. Starshadow hisses furiously.
"What is your blood?" Khalista asks.
"No idea, but my blood restores you. You looked like you were going to go crazy. I needed to ask you a few things about this place." I say urgently.
"I'm not sure what else I can help you with." Khalista sounds a little bit unsure. Her feet turn blue.
"I need to know what the worst things on these Isles are."
"Be wary of three. The Chain Warden, the Horseman, and the Ruined King. All will attempt to kill or collect you. You might get some help from Ledros, the Shepherd of Souls, and the Treant."
"We've already met Maokai, but we got knocked off earlier. What about the Shepherd?"
"Unknown. All I know is that we cannot touch him. I also didn't exactly care much." Khalista shrugs her shoulders. The glow returns a little bit quicker than before. Her eyes start to cloud. She looks down at her hands and watches them become transparent. She looks up at me healing hand. She looks like she wants more of my blood, maybe enough to restore her. Starshadow remains calm, though, letting me know what kind of person she was. She'd never hurt an innocent. She shakes her head before looking into my eyes, hope shining brightly. "Will you help stop this?"
"I'll try my best, Khalista. I'll help you find the peace you deserve." I promise quietly. She smiles.
"Thank you. Pledge rejected." She claims. I don't know exactly what happened, but my core responds to that. No longer do I feel like I'm hunted. She looks at me, wary. "Did it work?"
"Yeah. I'm not going to be hunted anymore. Thank you." I murmur.
"Save us all." She whispers before the magic of my blood wears off. She stands up, a spirit consumes by obsession.
"We are vengeance." She proclaims, her voice distorted beyond her own. She walks away, not even noticing that I'm here. I sigh and slump against the barn. Starshadow seems repentant.
"New rule. We don't tease each other on the Shadow Isles that could possibly call the other traitor." I groan out. Starshadow nods his head frantically.
I have no idea why that summoned her.
"I, at this point, don't exactly care. I'm more curious about what else has happened here. She didn't know much about the fall of the Shadow Isles either. Makes you wonder, who does know?"
Maybe it's that I'm a celestial and that promoted her pledge to accept? Starshadow mutters under his breath. No, that can't be. I wasn't using magic. You pulled- Oh, my Aurora.
"Starshadow?"
You pulled my magic to make me sleep. You, for all intents and purposes, attempted to kill me. With our magic being illusion based, it's possible that I LOOKED like I was dying and that triggered the pledge.
"You snored in your sleep. I really don't know how that could possibly look like you were dying."
It's a stretch, ok?
"It's very clearly a stretch, though it's our only explanation. We got a place to go now. Finding Ledros or the Shepherd." I lie down on my back, completely exhausted.
You need to rest though.
"What about you?"
One of us needs to sleep. You hold all our magic. You need to recharge, ok?
"Strawberries…" I murmur, getting a little sleepy. Starshadow notices the plant still blooming and fruits on it's twigs. He manages to snag a few before it wilts and floats away as ash.
Here. He hands me all six. I gobble them up. It's not enough to fill an empty stomach and core, but I should be able to get enough magic after a little rest so we can keep exploring this place.
"Alright. Wake me up when you summon another person to kill me, ok?" I close my eyes to Starshadow's loud protests.
The next time I wake up, It's just as dark and cloudy as ever. I don't feel super drained, just tired. My stomach rumbles. That's when I realize why I woke up. My stomach needs food. I sigh and sit up. I definitely feel much better after my nap.
Sleep well? Starshadow's groggy voice echoes in my head. I nod and look over at him. I panic a bit. He's tiny, smaller than my palm. I carefully cradle him in my hands.
"Starshadow?" I almost whimper.
I'm giving you my magic. We shouldn't be here for much longer. It's draining us. Starshadow cautions. He sounds absolutely exhausted. I take off my scarf and tie it like a sash with a little bit of leeway. I carefully deposit my best friend into it. He sighs and snuggles into the scarf. I'm going to rest. We aren't going to get much magic here. Be careful.
"Stay alive, Starshadow." I whisper before standing up. I crack my neck and shoulders. It's been a while since I've slept on ground that hard. Well, if I ever did. I sigh and start to scrounge for anything not dead to nibble on. I need food. Badly. My stomach practically aches. I close my eyes and concentrate. The ache goes away, but I know that I'm just stalling. The increase in magic use also shortens the amount of magic I can use. I look around for anything edible.
Even if this place is the Shadow Isles, the bark on the trees could be edible. I scrunch up my face as I use magic to help me get to a nearby tree. I'm about to strip it of its bark when I hear someone approach. I whip around. Standing before me is Maokai, offering a little fruit. I happily take it and gobble down the offering. It just tastes like water, but it feels like the best thing I ever ate. My stomach no longer rumbles angrily.
"Thank you." I whisper.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Maokai creaks. I shake my head.
"I got knocked out by a rock." I explain. Maokai nods.
"NOT ALL ARE TREANT." Maokai pats my head before creating another fruit. I eat this one at a slower pace.
"Thank you for the fruit." I whisper. The giant Treant hobbles next to me. I almost feel like I'm bouncing as he walks, his roots are so heavy against the ground.
"YOUR MAGIC WAS FADING. YOU NEEDED MAGIC TO BE GIVEN TO YOU. I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR MILLENIA. I COULD SPARE SOME FOR YOU." Maokai offers me another fruit. I happily take it. Even at only three fruits, I feel much better. I glance at my snake. He's not a small snake anymore. He's almost spilling from my makeshift sling. I stroke his head gently before paying attention to Maokai again.
"Where are we going?" I ask, noticing we were walking in one direction. He lumbers on.
"TO THE SOURCE." Maokai offers his giant arm. I hop on. He places me on his branches carefully. I glance at his branches warily.
"You're not going to take my blood, are you?" I call out to him.
"NO. YOU ARE TOO PRECIOUS TO HURT." He rumbles.
"You didn't have a problem taking my blood before."
"I SENSED THE MAGIC, BUT I NEEDED TO BE SURE."
"Fair enough. Why are you taking care of me?"
"YOU CAN CURE THE MIST." Maokai tells me. I blink.
"...What?"
"YOU ARE NOT STRONG ENOUGH. NOT YET. BUT YOUR BLOOD HOLDS THE MAGIC THAT COUNTERS THE MIST."
"How can you tell?"
"LIFE DOES NOT GROW HERE. WHEN YOU TOUCHED MY BRANCH, THE MAGIC FLASHED SOME OF THE DARKNESS AWAY." Maokai tells me.
"...That doesn't make sense."
"TOO MANY MAGICS IN YOU FOR THAT TO BE A COINCIDENCE. LIGHT AND HEALING. THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF THE MIST."
"Ok, but why am I not growing plants wherever I go then?" I ask. I change where Starshadow rests. I gently pull him from my sash to my lap, retying my scarf around my neck. Starshadow shifts a bit, but remains asleep.
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU. YOU'RE NOT STRONG ENOUGH. NOT YET." Maokai offers another fruit. I take it and twist it in my hands. I don't know how to feel about all this. If what Maokai is saying is true, whatever happened to the Shadow Isles could be restored. The Harrowing, whatever that is, could be stopped.
"How do I get stronger?" I ask. Maokai sighs.
"TIME. YOU WON'T HEAL THIS PLACE IN A DAY. YOU NEED TIME TO GET THE LEVEL OF MAGIC NEEDED TO BLESS THESE ISLES." Maokai sounds so sad. I touch his branches gently.
"I'm sorry I can't help you sooner."
"I'VE WAITED A LONG TIME WITH NO HOPE, LITTLE ONE. NOW THAT I KNOW A CURE IS COMING, I CAN WAIT A LITTLE BIT LONGER." Maokai shrugs his shoulders. I struggle to hold on. I have no desire to fall off, even if I could use my magic to catch myself.
"Are you sure?"
"CERTAIN."
"Well, what am I going to do until my magic kicks in and I get out of here?" I groan.
"PERHAPS YOU COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BLESSED ISLES. IF WE KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT, PERHAPS WE CAN REVERSE IT." Maokai sounds a little hopeful.
"Ok, but who would know what happened? I just talked with Kahlista, apparently a King's niece, and she knew nothing."
"IF THE KING'S OWN TRUSTED DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, WHO DOES?" Maokai sounds just sad as I do.
"Kahlista told me to find people. You were one of them. A shepherd and a guy named Ledros were the other two. She also told me to be careful of the chain warden, the horseman, and the Ruined King. Any idea who they are?" I try to help a bit.
"WE DO NOT OFTEN SPEAK NAMES. SOME NAMES HAVE POWER HERE." The treant snorts.
"Really? What, if I say, 'Maokai', you'd know?"
"YES. IT WAS HOW I FOUND YOU AGAIN." Maokai almost sounds like he's deadpanning.
"...Oh."
"ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?"
"Where are we going?"
"TO THE SOURCE."
"What's the Source?"
"THE SOURCE OF THE WATER OF LIFE. PERHAPS WE CAN TELL SOMETHING FROM IT." Maokai rumbles. I nod and just relax into his branches. I look up at the sky. It's still dark, no stars in the sky, only the moon. I frown, thinking. I've been here long enough to sleep. I've also been here long enough for my stomach to ache. Shouldn't day have come around by now?
"Maokai?" I call out. His branches creak loudly. "When was the last time there was sun?"
"CENTURIES." Maokai sounds a little sad.
"What about stars?"
"CENTURIES." Maokai repeats. I feel sad for him. From what I remember from my life before I became an Aspect, plants need light to grow.
"You haven't had lights here for centuries?" I start to cry.
"I DO NOT REMEMBER WHAT THE STARS OR SUN LOOKS LIKE." Maokai confesses. I wipe my eyes and throw my hand up to the sky. It's probably not the best idea, but I want to do something for him. A bright borealis appears before us. Maokai stops moving for a moment. Bright yellows, greens, and blues bath the Shadow Isles in light. I flick my fingers and stars glitter in the sky. The branches around me sway contently.
"...THANK YOU."
"You're welcome, Maokai." I whisper before relaxing against his branches. The illusion in the stars comfort me greatly as they are the stars of Targon.
Maokai keeps up his pace, though he stops at a tall ridge every now and then to look at the sky. I feel my magic core slowly get more and more tired, but if it makes him smile, I'll use all of it. A few hours pass by in silence. Well, relative silence. Starshadow mutters in his sleep, talking about steam buns and yummy roasts. I laugh each time he whines that it's too spicy in his mouth. Apparently, my companion hates the thought of his mouth burning and it haunts him to think that he would eat something spicy. Good to know.
Eventually, Maokai takes us to a basin. It's overflowing with black water, Black mist shimmering above it. It's almost terrifying to be there. My borealis fades away. Maokai groans. I create one of my little butterflies and let it fly into the mist. I feel it get consumed within seconds of entering. I nudge my companion awake.
"Starshadow, time to wake up."
Five more centuries, Leilah. I just got to sleep. Starshadow whines. I giggle a little bit.
"No, Starshadow. Time to wake up." I coax. He lifts his head finally. "Someone's not a morning person."
It's not morning here. Starshadow grumbles.
"YOU HAVE SLEPT FOR HOURS, SNAKE." Maokai informs my companion. Starshadow holds still, like he's blinking, before looking up.
"Leilah was out for a while herself. Day should have come around by now." Starshadow remarks.
"I thought so too. There hasn't been a day here, let alone stars. Only the moon."
"The moon? Why is only the moon visible?" Starshadow sounds incredibly curious.
"... I NEVER THOUGHT THAT STRANGE. WHY ONLY THE MOON IS VISIBLE?" Maokai comments. I tilt my head as well.
"Maokai, do you remember what the world was like before everything was ruined?" I ask.
"BEAUTIFUL. ALWAYS GLOWING WITH LIFE."
"And now everything is dead..." I shiver. There's a small glint of something in the mist. It looks like I could touch it. Starshadow notices where my focus is and somehow manages to gray himself.
No. No, you do not touch that.
"Maokai, have you seen that before?" I ask, pointing at the light. Maokai looks where I do.
"WHAT LIGHT DO YOU SPEAK OF?" He asks. I point to him, but he does not seem to see it. I creep forward.
Leilah, no touching.
"But Maokai doesn't see it. Why doesn't he?"
Probably nothing good.
"I want to know, Starshadow." I get close enough to the mist that I can feel it prick at my skin. The light glows a little brighter. I pull a bit of my magic and make the mist retreat from my light. Starshadow jumps onto my leg and slithers to my neck before I'm swallowed. My feet get damp and sticky when I walk into the liquid. It feels like it's trying to pull me in. I scrunch up my nose and use my shadow steps while maintaining my glow. With myself taken care of, I get close to the light. It's a glowing marking. It's white and a little bit scratched. Other markings glow as well. I can barely make them out through the mist.
They're runes, Leilah.
"Runes for what?"
Well, it's not like I read runes, but if this is what Maokai thinks it is, then this is where we purify the Black Mist.
"He said we were too weak to heal it."
We don't need to heal it, just think about what we can use to restore it. Look for markings that are missing or changed. Runes are definitely powerful and something to be extremely careful of. Starshadow instructs. I nod, understanding his intent and flick my hands to conjure a guiding light. I start to sweat a bit. Creating a borealis, the first thing I ever did with my magic, is a lot easier than looking for something specific.
My light guides me to the right of the markings. I run a little bit, wanting to see what runes were damaged. I run for a few minutes before I notice the runes don't glow white anymore. In fact, there's a giant hole where the edge of the basin should be. I crouch down a bit, seeing if I could find water. The only thing I feel is mist.
"This might have explained what happened to the Shadow Isles. The Runes for the Water of Life, they're incomplete." Starshadow comments.
"Did an explosion happen?" I ask. I keep walking forward. I jerk backwards when I almost walk into a rock. Part of it glows like the runes did. I make a mental note of what it looks like before continuing to walk. Minutes pass before I emerge into a cave. I look behind me. Rocks float above, opening up the ceiling to the sky. I search for more rocks with a glow to them. Sure enough, there are tiny specks of light that glow that white color. I stagger to a wall, feeling absolutely exhausted.
"I can't… keep doing this." I whisper.
Leilah, who's that? Starshadow looks to my left. I look over and almost scream.
A pale man with a crown of blue crystals stands before us. He's pale, glowing the same blue of the Shadow Isles. The difference between the spectres I've seen and this one is that he is solid. I felt like I could touch him without my hand going through. He wears black skin-tight pants and an open jacket. He pulls out a long sword from the mist and points it at me. His eyes widen and he drops his sword.
"Isolde? Have you returned to me?"
I... I have to finish this arc. I can't just end it like this. This is torture to leave for another three days. So, Two chapters today! Yes, I'm spoiling you guys. Do I care? Not really.
The part that's highlighted, that's Leilah using her discovery that her blood restores the person from the Black Mist, though it's not for long.