Taliyah VI
"Thank you, Tali!"
"You're welcome!"
I waved back at the men who were spending the day rebuilding some of the destroyed homes. Some of them were too far gone and had to be reduced to rubble to open up space for new buildings. They seemed to appreciate my help in shaping the stones so I spent a lot of time helping out.
"Hey Tali! We got fresh fruits from a dormun caravan! You want some?" Ezra, one of the builders, offered, holding up a basket of mangoes.
"Thanks~"
The survivors of what was now known as the Battle of Kalamanda became a tight knit group, the memory of driving away the Wicked Witch of the West with words taught by Lord Senpai providing a sense of community within the people.
It was actually quite funny, seeing Sivir's face when the people found out that she was not only Lord Senpai's apprentice but also the heir to the Emperor's bloodline.
"Hey, Tali, isn't that Samir?" Ezra pointed out. I turned to see Samir, the youngest of our little family if you exclude Lady Ahri's unborn child, staring out the city gates where far into the distance, the peak of Mount Targon was barely visible in the clear sky.
"Hey there, grumpy. What's with the frown?" I approached him and the boy jumped in surprise at my voice. "You're not thinking of running away to climb a mountain, are you?" I joked. I frowned when he remained silent.
"Tali, was it my fault that Lady Ahir was in danger?" I pursed my lips. Samir was being praised by the people of Kalamanda as the brave kid who shot a crossbow bolt right into Xerath's ugly face, but it was easy to forget that that was the reason why Xerath even noticed their presence in the first place.
"Hey, it wasn't your fault. I'm pretty sure I've had tried to throw stuff at his face too if I heard him insult Lord Senpai." I still wasn't sure if Xerath was a man or a woman, since, you know, Wicked Witch and all, but people generally refer to him as him. Samir snorted, no doubt thinking that the things I would have thrown was less of a crossbow bolt and more of a boulder.
"Besides, he was the one who went all 'grrr, I'm evul, I kill you~' on the entire city so it's all his fault." I finished, confident in my logic. Lord Senpai taught this stoneweaver well.
"I wanted to fight him, but I wasn't strong enough and I just endangered the others." He mumbled. "Lord Renekton would have defeated him easily." he concluded, with all the confidence of a young teenaged boy.
"Hey, maybe someday, you'll also get the power of the gods and punch Xerath in the face." I quipped, giving him a grin. Samir returned the grin hesitantly.
"Yeah! I'm gonna be real strong and protect Lady Ahri next time Xerath attacks her!" I ruffled his head.
"That's the spirit, kid." Samir's grin faded and he turned back to the massive mountain in the distance.
"Hey, Tali, you remember when Lord Renekton told us about the Protector?" I jogged my memory. Lord Senpai told so many stories that it was hard to keep them straight.
"The fabulous man who climbed Mount Targon and gained the power of shiny rocks?"
Lord Senpai's words were actually 'he's like Tali, but shinier and more fabulous' but I didn't want to remind people of that.
"Yeah." We sat there for a while, staring into the distance and absentmindedly returning the greetings that the people gave us when they walked past.
"I'm gonna be strong, Tali. Then, It'd be my turn to protect all of you."
It wasn't a bad idea. Maybe after helping the people of Kalamanda rebuild, I could go on the journey to become the Avatar? Maybe follow Lord Senpai to the northern continent?
I nodded to myself. I'll have to talk to Sivir and the others, and I'll probably have to ask one of the growing number of traders for passage on a boat, but that seems like a better plan than wandering the world aimlessly.
That was the last time we saw Samir for a long while.
The others panicked and search parties were sent but while I was extremely worried as well, I couldn't help but think.
Go where the wind takes you, Samir.
Arc I: The Empire Strikes Back END
The anger grows. Ahri. Sivir. Taliyah. Familiar names, familiar thoughts. The anger fades. Silence. Silence is alone. Alone is dark. Alone is cold. Alone is Xerath. The anger grows.
Nasus. Azir. Familiar names, familiar thoughts. The anger fades.
Silence. Silence is alone. Footsteps. There was a girl. Like my sister. Renekton doesn't have a sister. The anger grows. I had a sister. Familiar faces, familiar thoughts. The anger fades.
The girl smelled of shame and guilt and fear. The anger grows.
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the Dark Side. Star Wars. Familiar words, familiar thoughts. The anger fades.
"A shadow fades before the light, a shadow fades before the light, a shadow fades before the light..."
Familiar words, familiar thoughts. The anger is gone. Clarity.
"A shadow thrives beside the light."
A girl meets a god.
Arc II: Conceal, Don't Feel