"Kash shai yaaaaa dyne?" I stumble through. Mother laughs a little bit as she gently runs a hand through my brown hair.
"Kas sai a dyn, my little one. Whom does the desert know? That is how traditional Shurimans will greet you."
"Why do I need to know this?" I pout a little bit. This is boring, though it's important to Mother. I'll do it for her. Besides, she promised me a few Shuriman stories if I learned how to speak her language. For the stories…
"Because, stories, cultures, and traditions are a part of every person. Without them, we do not know ourselves. And language is how we learn those cultures." Mother explains gently. I sigh and nod, trying again.
"Kas shai ya dyn."
"That's better. Kas." Mother wants me to copy her.
"Kas"
"Sai."
"Sai."
"A"
"A"
"Dyn."
"Dyn."
"Kas sai a dyn."
"Kassadin." I blurt in frustration. She laughs and holds me close.
"I'll tell you who the desert knows me as if you can ask it right." Mother tickles my side. I giggle at the attention.
"Kas sai a dyn!" I squeal. Mother kisses my head proudly and pulls away.
"I am the bird that flew. The deserts know me as Avah."
"But Father calls you Apolline." I point out, a little confused.
"That is because here, the celestial bodies are important to everyone. You know your father's name is Oberon. He was given that name for the stars above."
"What's my name in Shuriman?" I wiggle a little bit excitedly.
"It's Leilah." Mother starts to braid my hair.
"That's my name." I pout at that.
"Your name is one thing that I refused to let you have a celestial name. Father and I already agreed, since you would be raised as a Targon child, you would be given a Shuriman name. That way, you would never forget your heritage." Mother taps my nose. I huff.
"What about my Targonian name?"
"You know that you aren't given that until you are of age, eighteen. Don't worry, dear. I'm certain that you'll love it. Father has picked it out ever since you were born." Mother's method of calming me down is awful… but I'm not going to get anything out of her… besides, I kinda like learning another culture and language...
"...How do I answer? Since the desert never heard my name?"
"The deserts do not know me, but the stars call me Leilah." I answer the man. He seems a little surprised at my response.
"A shuriman name for one of Targon, not to mention you know our greetings quite well." The man bows his head a little bit. "The desert has long since forgotten my real name. Instead, the desert knows me as Kassadin."
"Like the slur?" I am mildly surprised at what his name was.
Hello? What are you two saying? TELL ME! Starshadow hisses in my head. I wince at how loud he's being. Kassadin takes notice of my wince and searches for the source.
"Are you alright? The sands hide many dangers."
"Yes, I am alright. I have… a sort of passenger on me right now. He didn't like that he didn't understand our tongue." I reach into my scarf to pull out my bonded. He glares little beady red eyes at me for daring to disturb him. Kassadin peers closely at the little snake. Starshadow bares his little fangs at the man.
"Speak Demacian or Ixtalli! I'll even take Targonian!" Starshadow demands. Kassadin's eyes are wide.
"It... can't be… My lord healer?" He almost falls on his knees when he tries to bow. Starshadow pops open his hood.
Finally, someone recognizes my brilliance! It's about time that someone does! Starshadow enjoys himself, swaying a little bit back and forth.
"Lord healer… You mean Daamien?"
"That is the mark of the healer. The snake. He also has the colors of the fallen! Are you… Daamien, my lord?" Kassidin sounds so hopeful.
"Uh… no, this is Starshadow. He's my other half." I feel bad, letting his hopes down, but he definitely deserved to know that he's bowing down to the most egotistical creature I have ever had the misfortune of knowing… and that's including Rakan. Kassadin seems rather defeated as he stands up.
"That's a shame-"
"Leilah! Why isn't he bowing to me? What did you say?" Starshadow interrupts. Kassadin is confused. He takes notice of my eyes finally and points at me.
"You… you bear the mark of a darkin! Healer Daamien? But… you introduced yourself as Leilah... " The man is definitely struggling with everythingStarshadow seems ready to protest, though I hold a hand over his mouth. Kassadin massages his temple. "Just, yes or no. Are you Daamien?"
"It's hard to explain… No, I am not Daamien, but his soul and magic reside in me." I state clearly. The poor man seems like his world has turned upside down.
"So… the healer survived?" That seems to be all that matters to him, and to be honest, it's probably enough.
"Yes. Daamien survived. He's a part of me." I state clearly. Kassadin's entire body sags.
"I don't believe it… Daamien… The greatest healer that ever lived… he's right in front of me… in a way… Wait until I tell my daughter about this. She'll be ecstatic!" Kassadin shakes my hand so quickly my entire body is shaking.
"You have a family?" I ask as friendly as I can, gently taking my hand back. Kassadin is happy to pull out a small portrait. It's not a photo, as I can see brush marks. His wife looks as kind as my own mother. His daughter, while a small child, looks so very similar to her father. "They're lovely."
"Kaisa is my pride and joy. Everything I do now, when I go into ruins, is to make sure that she has a happy life." Kassadin smiles at the picture happily before tucking it away safely. He starts to walk up the sand dunes, only for him to slip back down. I help him back on his feet. He looks back up with a worried face. I notice that he has a camel at the top. "Though, I'm worried I'm going to miss her birthday. I have never missed one."
"How long will it be until it's her birthday?" I wave my hand, creating shadow steps for us to walk on. Kassadin seems a little wary as he walks up. When the steps hold much better than the sand, he races up. He hops onto his camel right as I'm reaching the top.
"It's in three days. The only way I would have been able to get to her in time was if I cut through the desert. So far, so good. I've been traveling for almost five weeks anyway. I should be arriving late tomorrow." Kassadin's certainly excited. He offers a hand for me to hop on. It's… skeletal. I'm a little concerned when he last ate, but he seems happy enough. I take it, getting pulled onto a camel. I have to say, it's a little weird to be on an animal after all the walking I've done, but it's not unwelcome. I do have to figure out how to ride it though. I've never done this before...
Translation, please! Starshadow hisses again in my mind. Apparently, his silence was meant as a punishment. Unfortunately, having spent six months without him, he kind of needs to speak up or I forget about him. I give him the translation. To my surprise, he pales considerably. Is he… going through the Sai desert?
"Through Sai?" I ask in Shuriman. Sai is shuriman for desert, so Starshadow's just asking for desert desert. Kassadin gives a happy nod. That's when Starshadow leaps off my neck, darting in front of the camel. It growls, rearing up when it spots a black snake. Kassadin manages to stay on. I do not. I fall onto the sand with an oomph. My butt is a little sore from the impact. I rub it a little bit as I stand up.
"WHAT THE SHADOW ISLES ARE YOU THINKING? GOING THROUGH THE SAI DESERT? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?" Starshadow roars out. Kassadin stiffens at the sound of my very agitated bonded.
"Uh, can you give an explanation as to why you are so mad?" I try to understand my snake.
"ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY KIDDING ME? No… No, you aren't that serious… wait… where are we?" Starshadow works himself into a panic. A legit panic, as I can see his breathing get a little hard for him.
"Where are we?" I ask for my snake.
"Oh, almost to the bottom border of the Xer'Sai. My town is just a little farther." The man is still a little bit confused, keeping to his native tongue. He's still calm though. When I translate for Starshadow… my bonded is decidedly not.
"YOU ARE A FUCKING IDIOT! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET THEIR ATTENTION? WHY DO YOU EVEN THINK SHURIMA HAD ASCENDED?" Starshadow is definitely in a fit. One of the worst I've ever seen, and I've seen a few fits. He's… twitching harshly that I'm worried that he's going to get hurt. "WHAT'S WORSE IS THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN EASY TASK! GET YOU HOME TO YOUR FAMILY BEFORE YOUR LITTLE GIRL'S BIRTHDAY AND YOU CHOOSE TO GO THROUGH SAI DESERT AS A METHOD! HOW MUCH OF AN IDIOT CAN YOU BE?"
"I think your bonded is a little agitated. It's really not that bad. The last known sighting of the Xer'sai was in the eastern quadrant." Kassadin attempts to calm Starshadow's fears a little bit, though I feel the same way my bonded does…
"Are you SERIOUS? It isn't just one creature!" Starshadow slithers back to my side. He's grown, big enough to circle me several times. In fact, I think he's almost half the size of what he was on Mount Targon. I'm pleased to see how powerful I've become as I'm only just starting to sweat with my stomach cramping. "The Xer'Sai, according to Daamien, are a hive! All across the Sai desert! Whoever was spotted in the east side might be under us right now!"
"How would we be able to determine if they're here or not?" There's a soft tremor to my voice now.
"I will. Daamien and Aurora showed me what they looked like." Starshadow hisses. Another pull from my core, enough to send me on my knees, and there's a bright light in the distance.
"What is that?" Kassadin asks, taking notice of my magic.
Hey, Leilah, how do you say run in Shuriman? Starshadow asks so casually. I tell him. "RUN, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
Kassadin slaps the reigns of his camel down. It runs away. At the same time, Starshadow's nose prods me onto his back. With how tired I am from Starshadow using my magic, it takes me a moment to get onto his back. He, surprisingly, takes the time to make sure that my arms and legs are draped on either side so I don't fall off. Once I'm settled, he takes off. For a celestial that complained that I'm too slow sometimes, he's not going that fast. He's keeping pace with the camel. Apparently, the giant snake slithering alongside it is enough to make it go a little bit faster, though Starshadow is able to keep pace easily.
"What's happening?" Kassadin starts to panic as well. He's reaching into a small pouch next to him, grabbing a small box. I look over my shoulder. Starshadow's tail is making me a little bit dizzy, but the sands are getting brighter. They're getting closer. Starshadow takes notice and lets out an angry hiss.
"This is why we don't go through the Sai Desert! Alright, you, hop on! Feel free to enjoy the one in a million chance that you get to ride a celestial!" Starshadow barks out. Naturally, Kassadin doesn't understand. He just pushes the camel to go faster.
"Kassadin!" I yell. His head snaps to mine. "Grab what you need and hop on!"
He looks behind us, taking notice of the rapidly brightening sands. With that, he clutches his box tightly before standing on his camel. After a precarious moment, he leaps towards us. Starshadow, with fangs tucked away, catches the man with his mouth. The camel finally bolts away. I'm almost blacking out as Starshadow pulls a little more magic to slide onto some shadows. I can feel us going upward, climbing onto air. It's only seconds before Starshadow stops moving. He curls himself up and lets up on my magic. I can breath and push myself up now. I'm still sitting on his back. Kassadin is scrambling to hold onto Starshadow's mouth, terrified of being so high up. My bonded maneuvers the man's legs so that they are sitting right behind me.
Oh, sure, grab a pretty box, but forget any food or water or things that we actually need. Starshadow grumbles in my head. I'm about to open my mouth when I take notice of what was chasing us. A blue and purple fin. It's almost swimming through the sands as easily as one goes through water…
I gulp when I see even more fins, smaller than the first, follow after it. The camel desperately tries to outrun it. I think it gets away for a moment as the fins dive under the sands. Then this giant creature, one with a massive maw and claws, tackles the camel into the dunes, never to be seen again.
"What… was that?" I gasp out. Properly afraid now. That creature could eat a camel like Starshadow can swallow a steamed bun.
"Xer'sai. That large one might even have been their queen, Rek'Sai." Kassadin sounds as quiet as I do. I pale when I remember one of my Mother's stories. A large blue and purple fin in the sands… this is what hunted down my grandfather and my mother's people… This is why I don't know my Mother's family... Or I don't know this country as my second home...
I clench my hands into fists. The creature is old enough to have been given ancient Shuriman names. How many have fallen to that creature? How many escaped so that it could be named? 'Sand Mother'. I have to figure out a way to send that creature back where it came from, to ensure that it will never harm another.
"I... suppose that I should have thought twice about crossing the desert like that. I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't realize that it would be there. All I wanted to do was get home to my family." Kassadin is definitely shaky from that encounter. I know the feeling of nearly dodging death. I can relate to it. He sits down on Starshadow and starts to cry. His box is in his arms. I feel for him. With that, I slide into a seat next to him.
"You must really love your daughter that much if you were willing to risk death." I rub his back. He hiccups and nods.
"I have been treasure hunting all my life, but I have never found a greater treasure… than my family. The greatest is seeing my daughter smile." He looks at the box fondly. "This… this is for her birthday… I guess I won't be seeing her for her birthday. That's… disappointing. I've never missed a birthday of hers before..."
What's he saying? Starshadow whines in my head. I roll my eyes. Here, Kassadin is being open and sad, and Starshadow's number one priority is himself. Still, I give him the summary. So… he left all the food and water on the four-legged mammal that smells… because he didn't want to let go of his daughter's birthday present? I know that we're only a day out, but sheesh. He's sacrificing survival for a trivial gift? Fine. At least the rest of the journey will be easy.
Really? I don't know about you, but I don't see another creature that we can ride, and I can't run with Kassadin all the way there.
I'm here, aren't I? Starshadow points out. I blink in shock.
Are you… offering to be ridden?
Meh. It's an honor. He should feel grateful. Starshadow opens up his hood in an attempt to be impressive. I narrow my eyes.
You are being awfully kind. Especially when you are annoyed. I can't help but point out.
Hey, I had ten years. Besides, it's my job to protect you, and that's a little hard to do when the Xer'sai are under us and you wouldn't abandon someone to the fate of being eaten. I also don't think we should be out here in the sun.
Mother did always say that we can't be in sun too long or we will suffer.
This is the least I can do. Starshadow tries to point out. I pull out my photo and brandish it. Starshadow's head follows it.
It's something about this photo. You're being kind because you know something. Spill it.
Leilah, I'm serious, you don't want to know about-
"Uh, Leilah?" Kassadin interrupts our conversation.
"Yes?" I answer him. We aren't done. And I don't want to be kept in the dark.
...You won't like it. At all.
"It seems like the Xer'sai have left. You can put me on the ground now." Kassadin certainly isn't looking good. In fact, he's shaking quite a bit. I wince at that. He must be struggling with everything that's come to happen… and he's also thin… I'm worried about him.
"Sorry."
What's he saying?
He thinks the Xer'sai have left.
The Xer'sai won't give up that easily. Daamien says that it's probably better we just travel through the sky. Starshadow points out. He's acting very suspiciously helpful right now.
What the hell are you hiding?
Leilah, I honestly don't know what that picture means, but I do know that it's something significant.
"Starshadow believes that the Xer'sai won't leave so easily. Look." I wave my hand, casting magic to show me where those sand dwellers are. Sure enough, quite a few of them are circling under us. Kassadin bites his lip.
"What do you think we should do?"
"Well, Starshadow isn't just a good conversationalist…" I suggest. His face pales as he looks up at my bonded again. He waves his tail innocently.
"You want me… to ride this death creature?" Kassadin whimpers.
"He's not a death creature. If you notice, you weren't harmed at all when he caught you." I pat my bonded's back, sneaking in a few scratches of my own. Starshadow attempts to purr.
Oh yeah… right there…
Tell me why you were alarmed at the picture.
Not now… Feels good...
"B-b-but he… he grabbed me with his mouth! Do you know how terrifying that is?" Kassadin protests wildly.
"Can't be as terrifying as having your body parts being harvested for potions without anything to numb the pain." I shrug. The man's eyes roll up into his head and he falls onto Starshadow's back in a dead faint. Do you think I overdid it?
Just a bit.
Well, ain't that interesting! We get to know Leilah's real parents' names. Bet you weren't expecting that! Oberon and Apolline are their names... But now you have to wonder what Leilah's Targon name is... And Kassadin's love for his family is adorable. Who wouldn't love to see that? And... what about that photo (Thank god I can use that here! Leilah wouldn't know the term, so I've been careful not to say it in the stories) has Starshadow so different? What could it mean? I would post what Starshadow knows, but it spoils a bit too much, and I don't spoil you guys that much. Feel free to leave a review with your thoughts! And there's also the Relationships of Runeterra that I started up! Leave a review there over what relationship between READER (you) and any champion of any skin of your choosing, with specified situation. I.e. Lunar God Nasus moving islands for the reader or the loss of Camille's legs for the first time. If you want anything more specific, write more. If you want to base on a song, tell me the song and I can write it.
Anyway, this week's champion is... CAMILLE, the steel shadow! May you all have the same determination to pursue your dreams that gave Camille her reputation, and I hope you guys are definitely having an extraordinary day!