"You feeling better, Leilah?" Starshadow asks me, nuzzling his golden face into mine. I find that I am awake inside my core, with Aurora and Daamien standing overhead. I'm flat on my back.
"You're an ass." I glare at Starshadow. "I'm pretty sure I've passed out from exhaustion, hunger, and lack of water."
"You're not wrong. Sorry. He said it was close…" Starshadow bows his head in a little shame. I shake my head and affectionately pat his. I still don't feel like getting up.
"I'm pretty sure you could sense my magic levels falling…" I point out.
"I… I had to consult with Aurora if you should know or not." Starshadow mumbles. I can tell he's uneasy as he's wrapping around his favorite Aspect. Aurora gently pets his head.
We both agreed that when the time comes for you to know, we will not hesitate to tell you. Aurora explains. Daamien shakes his head.
"I don't like it. Especially the implications. For that reason, Leilah… we're going to teach you everything we know."
"Uh… what?" I blink a little bit in confusion.
"Leilah… war is coming. And we have to make sure that… that you can continue, regardless of what can happen." Starshadow tries to explain. I frown before paling.
"I'm… not going to be able to save everyone, am I?" My heart sinks before I pull on my bravest face. "That's alright. I've already had people die in front of me without being able to stop it-"
That's not what we're talking about, Leilah. Aurora interrupts. She pulls out the photo that I have. Sometimes, you can lose people that you are fond of. Sometimes, you have to make the choice between saving a group or saving an individual. And…
"Our duty requires us to save the many… over the few." Daamien takes up the mantle. I finally sit up with wide eyes.
"You… you think that… that people I care about…" Tears are falling down my face.
"War takes everything from everyone… I… I couldn't save my son, remember?" Daamien pulls me into a hug, a few tears falling on my head. I bury my face into him.
"And while I will never be too far from you, do you remember Viego? I may be a celestial… but my life is dependent on yours. I have to save you over anyone else…" Starshadow brings up.
"But… Daamien just said that we have to save the many over the few…" I'm feeling a little lost.
"You… you still think you are a normal little girl? I hate to burst your bubble, Leilah, but you are a mage that can bring back someone from near death. You can disguise and protect people with a snap of your fingers… and you think your life isn't important? Leilah, without you, I don't exist. And where you can not be selfish, I have to be. I will protect you with everything that I have." Starshadow murmurs. He's still coiled around Aurora. He's… nervous that I would lash out at him.
That was the whole point of summoning him to you. He had no control over his life in the stars. He has control here, with protecting you. Aurora attempts to explain a little bit more. I already knew that, but it certainly helps to hear again. He's my bonded. My other half. And that's all that matters to me.
"He can't die!"
"If you are smart and not try to put your life in reckless danger, then I won't." Starshadow is rather snippy. I can't help but agree with that sentiment. Most of the time I don't think about what I'm getting into. I have to now, especially if it means keeping the people I care about safe from my actions.
"Alright." I accept. That seems to be the word that Starshadow needed to hear, because suddenly I'm surrounded by a glowing light with scales. I can't even hug him because he's pinning my arms down. I'll be honest, I'm a little surprised as I was just in Daamien's grip, but he needed it. He needed to know that I wouldn't push him too hard. And… just maybe… he needed to know that I love him.
"Alright… back to business. We've covered the physical injuries... The mental ones… Poisons… have we covered magical maladies?" Daamien makes the moment completely disappear with just a statement. It's very much welcomed.
"I hope you know that you are going remarkably fast for being a teacher." I point out.
"You have my magic with no control. There's really no need for practice, only knowledge." Daamien snorts. I guess he's right…
"Why wouldn't I be able to instinctively know then?" I ask.
"Some things cannot be handled instinctively. You should know that." Daamien scolds me. Memories of True Ice flood my mind. I nod sheepishly. "Still, even a little bit of knowledge is enough. I'm taking the time with you so you have some idea. Specifics, you'll have to learn through experience. We are obligated to not cause harm. Attempting to make even a mouse take the feeling is brought back to us tenfold."
"Hey, there was that old man I couldn't heal, all the way back with the Kinkou Order. I couldn't save him. Why didn't my insides become my outsides?" I recall. That should have definitely been past the point of if I touch or hurt someone, I feel their pain. I definitely should have been dying… Daamien chuckles at my question.
"Our vow is… interesting. My guess? This was before you were magically capable. We are bound to do right by all, that includes yourself. Perhaps… if you are unable to heal everything without causing your own death, you will not take the pain?" Daamien seems to struggle with the concept. I don't blame him. It's a little tricky to figure out our magic. It was probably because of how weak I was back then. I'm not like that anymore…
"Have you ever had a case where you could not heal a person and did not suffer the consequences? Especially since you were handing off patients to other healers?" I have to ask. It's something that's been bothering me for a while.
"Part of our magic is assisting those in need. We personally do not need to oversee them… Perhaps that is why our magic didn't affect you. Another medical staff was there and assessed the damage… Either way, I am glad that you are alive. Now… Stop distracting me. I swear, you are as bad as Starshadow." Daamien grumbles good naturedly at me. I giggle.
"As bad as me? How can I be bad? I am a celestial!" Starshadow jokingly slips into the conversation. All three of us groan at his attempt. I actually wave my hand and a golden rope appears over his mouth.
"Thank you. Now, magical maladies. These things are magic in nature. Very similar to magical poisons, but far, far worse. Unlike poison, we can not heal them. They can only be treated for their symptoms. Back in my day, we were trying to figure out how to stop it, but the maladies, they fused into the very DNA of a person. An attempt to cleanse that person would require a massive amount of power, one that no person has. Not even you. You'd need the absolute power of a celestial dragon completely focused on providing you the exact thing you need. Then there's also the issue of not knowing the person's original DNA sequence. You'd either have to guess what makes them them or you risk turning them into… something else." Daamien shivers, as if remembering a particularly worrying moment. I wince in sympathy. That doesn't exactly sound fun. "Only when you have both, could it be possible to cleanse a person."
"..." Starshadow attempts to say something. I snort, remembering that he's gagged. A wave of my hand and he's no longer restrained by my magic. "That was so rude! Anyway, I am technically the son of a celestial dragon. Is it possible that I could supply her the magic she'd need?"
"No, as your magic isn't your own. It's based on Leilah's core. Thankfully, it seems that our blessing allows us to hand off our patients to others without being affected. And sometimes, a magical malady isn't even causing pain. It's more of a hindrance to the patient, so you have to figure out if the malady must be treated." Daamien sighs. "Take me for example. What I am infected with is actually a malady. You and Starshadow both share my curse. The eye must be cracked, Starshadow must be black and red. I'm certain you understand exactly what I'm talking about, Leilah." Daamien alludes to the time when I tried to change my eye. I blink.
"So, we're infected with a malady? Do we need to be cured?" I am a little bit confused as to how I should be reacting.
"This is one of those cases that we do not need to do anything. Technically, Aurora and I both changing you is a malady. Starshadow bonding to you could be a magical malady to your soul. None of us would maliciously hurt you, but removing our magic, our power from you… would be more painful than anything. You would feel worse than dying. You could even die."
"I… can't be the same person I was. Ever... can I?" I sigh.
The only way you would is if you could purge your soul of our magic and Starshadow in one go. Once more, it's not possible unless you knew their genes before and you had a massive power source. Do you… ever want to be the same person you were? Aurora asks, a little confused.
"No, I came to terms with it in Navori. I will never see my parent's eyes on me." I shake my head. Even then, I know I'm not the same person I was. I'm older. Not just older, I'm… different. I feel like my magic makes me reckless, when I finally got used to it. Navori… I will never go into the jaws of danger ever again. At least not without Starshadow. I can definitely survive it, but not without horrors… If I ever get used to death, I'll ask Starshadow to find another person. The Aspect of Hope should be hopeful, not defeated.
"No thinking like that, Leilah. You are only human. It's alright when you can't handle everything. The point of being the Aspect of Hope is that you aren't perfect, but that you keep going. I'm pretty sure we can all agree here, that you are more than capable of continuing to take that extra step forward." Starshadow smacks my head gently. I swat his tail away.
"Get out of my head." My annoyance is only feigned. He knows that I am pretending as I'm smiling still. Starshadow gives me a gummy one in return.
"Never. By the way, Kassadin, his wife, and his daughter are all taking care of us. Want me to talk with them?" Starshadow asks. I nod. He just blinks out of my mental realm easily. I turn my attention back to the two beings that are being far too kind with my life.
"Magical maladies… You may come across people that will ask you to cure them… but sometimes, that's what they were born with." Daamien is hinting at something...
"Demacia…" I mumble, not needing that much prompting.
"Promise me that you will never 'cure' a mage there. Magical beings are very often born with their gifts. You are no exception, having your own dormant core before we awakened it… in a way." Daamien places a hand under my chin and lifts it up.
"Of course not. Trust me, Rakan and Xayah drilled that into my skull." I admit sheepishly.
And what about if someone tells you not to do something? Aurora crosses her arms. I flinch a little bit.
"I mean… Yeah… maybe… but that isn't going to stop me. Imagine if I wasn't there. There would have been no way for Yone and Yasuo to get out of that situation! I'd rather be there! I thought we already talked about this! I'm not going to just let people who are afraid remain afraid!" I snap a little bit.
That's not what we want to talk about. Just.. we want you to be more careful. I'm not sure how much more abuse you can take. You need to take care of yourself too. Aurora points out. I sigh.
"I know… I can already see how I'm changing. When someone attacking us doesn't terrify me. And just how casual I handle things now… It terrifies others when they think I'm a teenager." I hug myself. "I'm surprised that Yone has been so calm with how different I am."
Leilah… Sweetheart, he understands that you are so very different from him. He gets that you struggle with your own things, and he wants to be the person that can help you handle it. He's really trying to be someone that you spend the rest of his life with. Aurora seems to be smirking. Daamien wraps his arms around her, much like a couple.
"How do you know?" I tilt my head to the side.
"... Did you not catch that he almost called you love?" Daamien blinks as if he's finally realizing just how bad I am with interactions concerning me. I widen my eyes in mild panic.
"He almost called me that?"
"We didn't realise that you were that oblivious!" Daamien chortles. Aurora is supporting them to stay upright, but she's not exactly the strongest. It's taking all her strength to keep him up, and even that is being tested because she's laughing too. I pout at them before sighing.
"Can I go back to the real world yet?"
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. You should probably wake up, as Starshadow can't exactly talk with the Shurimans." Daamien reminds me. I pout a little bit.
"Why don't you come back out? I know that you aren't exactly fond of the world, but there are still people who miss you. They want you back." I plead a little bit. Daamien shakes his head.
"This is not my era, Leilah. Nor is it Aurora's world. We don't belong here."
"Then… why haven't you left yet? You're free from the ring. And Aurora, why not go back to the stars if you don't believe you have a place? I'm sure Starshadow and I can just teleport up there since it's his home and-"
Leilah… We don't want to go back. Aurora covers my mouth with her hand. She reaches around and starts to pet my head.
"We're home here… Child of ours."
Leilah! I need a translator! Starshadow roughly nudges my face. I blink open exhausted eyes to see a little girl sitting still, a little bit sad. A quick look lets me know that I'm in a sandy hovel… though it's kind of similar to Ionia's medical rooms. Even more interesting is that there's a weird thing. A girl with pale blond hair reaches out and pokes it. Even more interesting is that when she pokes it, something weird appears. It's a bit unfortunate that I wasn't taught how to read Shuriman, but I'm guessing that everything is ok and getting better. The colors on the things seem to be bright and healthy.
There's a bit of an ache in my left arm. I slowly turn my head over to see a line of fluid connected to me. It's in my arm now. I blink a few times just to check that it's actually there. It's definitely there… and it's starting to feel worse. My magic seems to not be pleased with the intrusion. I struggle to reach over and pull out the offending silver thing. The girl notices and grabs me before I can pull it out.
"What are you doing! You'll die without it!" The girl yelps. I blink in surprise at the ancient tongue.
"I'm fine now. I promise. I just need a little food and water. I'll be alright otherwise." I try to convince her, even if I am struggling to even sit up.
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? Starshadow shrieks in my head. I wince at the loudness. The girl takes it as a sign that I'm hurt and tries to get me to lay back down. I can feel myself getting stronger each second.
She thinks I'll die without this silly needle in my arm. I snort at that. Starshadow doesn't speak for a moment, which surprises me. In fact, he's not even moving. He worries me for a little bit, until I can see the ridges on his hood start to crack. That's my signal that it's not Starshadow next to me, but Daamien.
"I do hope that we will not be making a habit of this. How Aurora managed to remain inside for as long as she has is beyond me. I've come out three times, and each time I specifically asked you not to force me to come out. Now, will you listen to your medical superiors and not remove something that could be beneficial to you?" Daamien hisses in annoyance. The little girl's eyes widen and she immediately sinks into a position, with her hands above her head in some sort of prayer. Daamien doesn't even take notice of the girl. He's focused on me. "You may be a very good healer, but you are certainly not the doctor in this case."
"Lord Daamien?" The child asks sweetly. Daamien turns around. The little girl squeaks.
"Would you happen to know who the doctor in this town is?" Daamien asks, easily coiling on my chest. He's heavy enough that I can't push him off. I still try to reach my right arm over him to pull out the needle, but his tail stops me.
"My papa is trying to keep Uncle Kassadin alive-"
"Get him here and check on the girl. If he wants Kassadin to be alive, it would be more beneficial to get her help than it would be to monitor him. Quickly, child." Daamien urges.
"Yes, my lord!" The girl squeaks, getting up and racing out of the room.
"If Kassadin is in as bad shape as I am, are you sure that he should check on me?" I wheeze, trying to breath around Daamien's weight. Something about him feels heavier than Starshadow.
"If Kassadin is in at least as bad shape as you, then it would certainly be in his best interest to get you healed up." Daamien shakes his head, shaking off something.
"But… I'm the one that had magic-"
"That helped him ignore his basic needs so you could get back. We don't know his exact condition, but from traveling across the desert like that… from what I remember, it takes at least a month to get across the desert by foot. I'm not sure how fast it is with camel since… I never rode one, but that's mostly because before I became an Ascended the Emperor wouldn't let me go anywhere, then I would just teleport everywhere I needed to be. Anyway, I doubt the creatures have evolved so much that he could cross the desert in a few days. He also only had one camel. Even if he only packed snacks, while only one camel would be fastest across the desert, there's just no way that he would have enough food to last all the way through."
"What about water… Daamien, you're really heavy!" I whine a little bit. Daamien finally notices my struggle to breath and lightens himself a little bit. I take a deep breath in relief.
"Sorry. Deserts have little spots of oasis. Every few days there's a place to get water, but they aren't guaranteed to have food. Water is doable, but for how long this man has been missing food… that is my biggest concern."
"He didn't seem like he was struggling when he came to help us." I point out. With each minute passing, I feel better and better.
"He could have just eaten a snack before we arrived. That would have given him enough strength to try to stay alert for the Xer'Sai. He didn't grab anything else from his camel… That is interesting, that a box was more important than survival…"
"Lord Daamien?" Someone else knocks on the door. Daamien turns his head towards the door, where an older man in a hood and tunic stands there. I can't make out his face. Daamien raises his head high.
"How is Kassadin?"
"Kassadin… he is in critical condition. The moment you dropped, so did he. Our initial check of him showed that he is suffering from lack of water and nutrients, as well as… windburn?" The doctor checks his board.
"Ah… yes… I'll have a word with the cause of it…" Daamien sounds a little bashful. The doctor in question tilts his head in confusion. Daamien clears his throat and attempts to be regal again. "How has his treatment been going?"
"It's… slow, Lord Daamien. Everyone in the village knows of Kassadin's desire to spend his daughter's birthday with her, but… It's her birthday today, and we can't risk waking him up. He needs all the rest he can get." The doctor puts down his board with a sigh. I narrow my eyes.
Hey, Daamien? That sigh… I don't think someone distant would be sighing like that. I try to help him.
"Tell me, are you and Kassadin close?" Daamien hears me. The doctor nods slowly.
"He's my sister's husband." The doctor answers.
"Good catch, Leilah." Daamien states in Demacian. I blink as I finally realize something.
How do you know Demacian?
Possession. I got to view all your memories. I learned your language from that… How are you good at observing others and figuring them out, but when it comes to yourself, you are clueless?
Look, I really don't care about what people think of me, so I don't care about that stuff all that much. I'm more concerned about cheering others up. I'll admit, I'm a little snappy.
Touche.
"Lord Daamien… if you could heal my brother-in-law, I would be in your debt." The doctor almost seems to plead. The little girl from earlier peaks into the room. Her eyes seem impossibly wide when she realizes that Daamien, the great healer of Shurima, is in the room.
"L-l-lord Daamien is here, Papa?" The child gasps. The doctor jerks a little bit in surprise. Daamien looks over in her direction. He nods once. "That's Lord Daamien? But he couldn't speak Shuriman before…"
"I prefer to be isolated while my host is in control. He does not have any sort of understanding of the language of the sun. Check on Leilah, doctor." Daamien almost seems to bark. The doctor is once again startled into action. He quickly taps on that odd device again, checking on my health.
"She's… remarkable! She was completely dehydrated, on top of lacking food and magic, but she's almost completely recovered. How-" The doctor doesn't seem to quite understand what I am truly capable of.
"Quick, then. She can wake Kassadin in time for his daughter's birthday." Daamien barks.
"But, she should still remain in bed and not use her magic. It's dangerous for someone who was-"
"Do not question me, Doctor. I am fully aware of exactly what Leilah is capable of. Rest assured, she will bring your brother-in-law back, but only if you get to him in time." The darkin snaps. The doctor nods and rushes to my left side. He pulls out the metal thing as quickly and gently as he can. I shiver at the feeling of something sliding out of my skin, but at least my magic heals it over pretty quickly.
Once the needle is out, the man rounds the other side to help me. I have to admit, I'm a little shaky as I get to my feet, but at least I can. The first few steps, I almost fall over. Daamien uses Starshadow's head to prop me up. He's big enough that he can keep his head at helpful height. With each passing step, I feel stronger. We're not even out of the door when I feel comfortable enough to walk on my own. The doctor clearly wants to ask questions, but I don't give him the chance. The doctor, while stumbling over his words to ask how I am capable of such healing, guides me to Kassadin.
Inside the room, there's a mask, with a device pushing air into him. He too has a needle in his arm. He looks so pale and thin. I couldn't see his condition from his clothes. Now that I can… I am amazed at how he even thought to help me. He… he didn't offer any food… which meant he didn't have any to spare… This man was kind enough to get off his camel to help…
"Lord Daamien… As you can see… Kassadin will probably not awaken today…" The doctor sounds upset. There's a soft sniffling sound that I didn't catch before.
In the corner sits a young woman and her daughter. The girl looks exactly like in the portrait Kassadin showed me before. Only, she's not smiling. She's crying. Sometimes she tries to get up to go to her Father, other times she cuddles into her mother. The girl that was there when I woke up is trying to comfort the dark-haired child, but the girl can't stop watching her Father hopefully. I step towards the patient currently sleeping on the bed. I'm about to lay my hands on him when the woman makes a noise.
"What are you doing with my husband?" Her voice… She's scared for her husband. I look up to see the two girls looking at me. One with tears, the other a little curious. Well, both are curious in only a way a child can be. The mother pulls both of them into her embrace.
"I'm going to wake him up." I inform her. The daughter perks up curiously while the mother stands up and glares.
"You'll kill him!"
"Sister, she'll save him. Trust her." The doctor tries to calm her down. The woman is not appeased whatsoever. She knocks the man's arm away.
"Leave my husband alone! Haven't you done enough?"
"Sister…" The doctor seems feeble in the face of her protective fury. I shrink back myself. This is a mother's rage. This is definitely not something I would ever try to fight against. Apparently, neither do the kids.
Out of nowhere, the thing connected to Kassadin starts to beep loudly. It's an alarm. Doctor man and the woman race to his side. The blond haired one tries to usher the darker haired one out, though the daughter fights her.
"Father!" She lets out a terrified cry. Both the doctor and mother look at each other. She sighs before gesturing to me to come forward.
"Save him." She demands. I nod and finally press my hands against his wrist.
The moment my hands touch the man's arm, the entire room glows softly. I gently pull my magic into him. It's still a little faster than I would have liked, but I am proud to say that I can control myself. The magic courses into his body. I can practically feel it wail from the suffering the man has been through. It cries at the starved muscles, weeping healing magic into them. His angry skin is soothed down. The loud noise from before dies down suddenly. I pay it no mind as I examine the man. Other than what the doctor said, he's in perfect shape, if a little bit skinny and weak.
Do not attempt to do too much, young Leilah. Daamien cautions me in my mind. I look up to see him sitting on a bit of shadow on top of the man.
I can heal him. Completely.
Perhaps, but humanity… they are a sturdier species than you are currently giving them credit. Heal him enough that he can wake up, but do not heal his weakness.
But our curse...
The blessing will not affect you. It's one thing to heal a dying man. It's another for one in recovery. Daamien nudges my hands away. I trust him enough that once I'm sure that he's recovered enough to wake up, I pull my hands away. The room stops glowing as well. I shake my head to wipe away the mild dizziness I have, but I'm still on my feet. Daamien hops onto my arm as I back away. The doctor checks Kassadin's health on that weird little device. Kassadin's wife holds his hand, a few tears in her eyes.
The family is a little bit tense. I hear a small scuffle at the door. The little girls are fighting at the door. Well, the blonde haired one is trying to get the darker haired one away. Kassadin's daughter finally manages to get out of her cousin's grip and dashes forward. Her uncle catches the girl.
"What's wrong with Father? Father?" The little girl keeps crying.
Like a miracle, there's a soft groan on the bed. Everyone stops moving. Kassadin's wife trembles as she gently touches Kassadin's shoulder. I guess he just opened his eyes as his wife lets out a gasp of happiness. His other hand starts to reach up.
"Where… Love?" Kassadin's voice is very rough and muffled. The dark haired child starts to tear up. Doctor lets her go. She scrambles up to his head.
"Father?" The girl whispers. He reaches up to his face and pulls off the mask.
"Hello, my little one." Kassadin greets the girl. Kassadin's wife covers her mouth with tears spilling out of her eyes. "What… did I miss-"
"Today's my birthday, Father. You didn't miss it." The girl cries. She rests her head on her father's shoulder, crying happy tears. Kassadin forces himself to sit up, with a lot of help from his wife and brother-in-law. His daughter just clings to him tightly and doesn't exactly help. Once Kassadin is sitting upright, he finally wraps his arms around his little girl.
"That's good. Love, do you have the box?" Kassadin rasps. His wife hands him the box that he's been trying to protect this entire time. He takes it and offers it to his little girl. "Happy Birthday, Kaisa."
Kaisa takes the box with a soft sniffle. She opens it and pulls out a seemingly ordinary knife. I can't see her face, but it's clear that she's beaming from her Father being home.
"Thank you for the knife, Father. But you being home and awake… That's the better gift." Kaisa buries her face into him. His wife hugs him as well. I take the moment to slip out and let the family reconnect.
"Lord Daamien…" The doctor follows us out. Daamien raises Starshadow's head in curiosity. "Thank you, for saving my sister's brother."
"Do not thank me. It was my daughter's skill." Daamien wraps his tail around me in a hug before he goes back into our core. Starshadow smoothly replaces the darkin. Ugh.. .I hate it when he does that. What did I miss?
He… called me his daughter.
AWWWWW! Daamien called Leilah his daughter! Isn't that sweet? And how many of you caught that Yone almost called Leilah Love? How many of you desperately wanted him to ignore decorum and say it? Cause I have to say, I wish he would, but it doesn't match his personality all that much to me. Don't worry, I'm not planning on making you guys suffer them not being together... Too much. (You can tell who I main just by all this writing.)
This week's champion of blessing is...CHO'GATH! OH BOY!... I got it! May you guys have a hunger to beat your challenges ahead, as you are all so extraordinary to be on this Earth. (Also, if Leilah Starshadow EVER becomes a champ, I will have the biggest Pikachu face ever.)