Jarvan the Fourth III

Originally built as a safe haven for refugees during the Rune Wars, Wrenwall was secured by a mountain range that acts as a natural wall. This security led to the growing city that sprung up around the castle itself. While it was close to the Gates of Mourning geographically, the terrain that has to be crossed to reach it makes it easy to defend from outside invasion.

"Dragon!"

"Man the walls! Archers, hold!"

The sound of rushing soldiers and panicked citizens filled our ears as we stood in front of the city gates. Despite the chaos and confusion, the sight of armored Demacian soldiers lined up behind me, their armor gleaming in the light of dawn, filled me with pride. Even Shyvana, in the armor she was provided with from the Wrenwall armory, looked every bit like a proud Demacian, violet skin aside.

"By the light..." The shocked voice of Lieutenant Jerik, one of the local officers at Wrenwall, came from beside me. I couldn't blame him. The horizon was filled by a massive shape, a mountain of rippling muscle and black scales. Dark wings blocked out the dawn's light, the winds it made as it swept past flattening the ground. Even from this distance, I could see the malevolent red eyes, gleaming with cruelty and malice.

"Yvva." Shyvana muttered in my ear. "Blood of my blood and fire of my fire. My mother, from whom my name was taken."

I stared at her for a moment, but chose to ignore the implications of her having a dragon mother and a human father for now. From the walls behind us, I heard the Bow-Captain's commands.

"Archers! Loose!"

The volley of arrows darkened the sky, tips of petricite and steel gleaming in the sun, a sharp contrast to the their target's pitch black scales.

It was futile. The arrows bounced off the beast's scales and I had the feeling that those that did manage to pierce the scale didn't manage to punch all the way through.

"Demacians, forward!" My rallying cry was echoed by the lines of men behind me and we marched on, intent on engaging the enemy from the ground with nothing but Demacian steel and sheer, dogged resolve at our backs. The thing didn't even notice us.

It soared above and the next thing I knew, I was being thrown about by the wind, rolling on the grass like some child's plaything. Just as I found my footing, I heard Shyvana's tortured wail.

"Nooooo!"

I heard the screams of pain and anguish. I heard the shocked gasps that came from the soldiers at my command as we stared at the nightmarish sight. The massive plumes of flame that emerged from the creature's maw, the vaunted walls of Wrenwall reduced to to molten stone and the hundreds of archers and soldiers atop screaming as their skin burned, their blood boiled and their bones melted.

I couldn't move. All I could do was stare from a distance as hundreds of loyal Demacians burned to death, burned by a monster that might as well be a force of nature. All the tales of Demacians beating the odds, of legendary clashes with Noxus, of throwing back the barbarians from the north, all of these were just ash in my mouth.

We were all so very small, in the end.

"No!"

I was broken out of my stupor when Shyvana, the compassionate woman who saved my life, tended to my wounds and kept me company as I recovered, roared. It was a bestial sound, filled with fire and fury. I stared as violet skiin made way for crimson scales and violet wings. I stared as the beautiful, violet skinned face transformed into a reptilian maw, so terrifyingly similar to the one that unleashed death to Wrenwall's defenders. I stared as flames erupted from her scales, as her wings spread and pushed her off the ground, as she literally flew into battle against a beast five times her size.

She was a monster, a creature born from the massive brute that engulfed the castle walls in flames. She was also my friend.

"A Demacian doesn't fight pointless battles." I said to no one in particular. An amused snort answered me.

"Pointless or not, I'll be the first Demacian in history to fight a dragon alongside another dragon if you don't hurry, my prince." I glanced at Lieutenant Jerik from the corner of my eye. He was limping, the winds that buffeted our army seemingly having thrown him into an uncomfortable landing. He handed me a spear, a common one used by Demacian shieldwalls and not something that's normally used by the higher ranked soldiers.

A battle against a monster had no need for battle lines and organized marching.

"Demacians, charge!"

Luxanna III

I was flying. Soaring in the skies like one of the Raptor-Knights astride their skyraptors. It would have been an exhilarating experience if not for the fact that I've never flown before, this was not a saddled skyraptor and there was a noticeable dearth of things to grab hold of on the back of a massive petricite statue.

"How are you not falling?" I screamed in Teacher's ear as I wrapped my arms around his neck. It was rough and scaly, an extremely strange feeling for someone used to having only humans to interact with.

"Magical Sparkly Crocodile Bullshit." He replied, the rumble in his throat almost throwing me off him.

"I see it! A foe worthy of my fists!" The booming voice of our friend, and current ride, echoed in the whipping winds. I pondered the strange knowledge that the legendary battle standard of Demacia was someone I considered a friend as I carefulyl clambered up on Teacher's back and peered over his reptilian head. I felt my eyes widen as I took in the scene that we were rapidly approaching.

"That's a dragon." I mumbled, still in shock at seeing the massive beast and the burning walls. The people fighting the dragon looked like ants compared to their enemy. The dragon roared, the horrifying sound reaching our ears despite our distance. A black whip-like tail struck at what appeared to be a smaller red dragon, sending it crashing somewhere in Wrenwall's inner city.

The black dragon turned to its charging attackers, its maw wide open, a crimson glow emanating from the back of its throat.

"Galio! We have to hurry!"

The winds smacked my face as we sped up, the sheer force almost knocking me off Teacher's back. We were moving so fast that I could barely see the red missile that smacked into the dragon's head, knocking its aim off. And then Galio was upon it.

The impact as Galio's fist smashed into the dragon sent even Teacher reeling. With dexterity belied by his muscular frame, Teacher clambered down Galio's back, with me still on his back. I felt the air around us heat up as the dragon unleashed a gout of flame at Galio.

"Land!" I cried in relief as Teacher set me down, his attention still focused on the two dueling giants. I could see Galio grapple the beast, steering it away from the ruined walls, and away from us, even as flames continued to spill out of the monster's mouth and onto Galio's face.

"Lady Crownguard?"

The sound of horse hooves caught my attention.

"Lord Buvelle?"

The kind, old lord sat astride his horse, his face gazing up at the battling titans with awe.

"I feel as though I'm living one of the old tales." He commented as the rest of his riding party caught up to him. I'd agree with him but after going through Teacher's training and having already been used to Galio moving around, this was just the 'expected levels of escalation' that Teacher spoke of.

Speaking of Teacher...

"Step away from Lady Crownguard, foul beast!" It looks like Lord Buvelle's soldiers have finally spotted him. Teacher ignored him and turned to Lord Buvelle. I could see the soldier trembling, though I wasn't sure if it was in fear or anger. Poor man, I know how you feel. Teacher is rather frustrating most of the time.

"Well met, Lord Buvelle." Teacher rumbled out and I gaped at him.

"You know how to be polite?" I blurted out. He ignored me, as usual. Lord Buvelle stared at Teacher's face before nodding sharply.

"Well met. Now, can someone explain why there appears to be a massive dragon fighting a smaller dragon and the Colossus over there?"

He sounded so lost that I had to stifle the urge to giggle. Welcome to my world, Lord Buvelle. Teacher turned towards the fight and I followed his gaze.

We watched as Galio wrestled the dragon away from the fleeing soldiers. We watched as the smaller, crimson dragon clambered up the larger one, breathing flames into black scales along the way. We watched as... is that the prince? rode the crimson dragon, a guardsman's spear in hand.

"This is the first episode of Magical Girl Brilliant Lux and that is the Monster of the Week."

What?

I felt Lord Buvelle's heavy gaze land on me.

"Magical Girl?" He asked. I could see the soldiers eyeing me warily, could see the eyes of the armored Radiant beside him widen, could see the way his squire, a young girl who appeared to be a year or so older than I am, fidget nervously.

I swallowed and turned back to where the dragon had its back to us, its claws clamped on Galio's shoulders and it's visage staring down at the Colossus. I could only see the back of its head but it was obvious that it was planning on bathing Galio with dragonfire. I closed my eyes.

Galio was strong, and tough. He would be fine. There was no need to reveal my affliction to all these people. A shadow fades before the light. A shadow fades before the light.

A shadow thrives beside the light.

My eyes opened and I could see the soldiers around us reel back. I could see Lord Buvelle's eyes widen in astonishment as the familiar light gathered in front of me.

Let it go, let it go...

"Here I stand-" The light coalesced into an orb of pulsating energy, "In the light of day!"

There was a brilliant flash and a beam of light speared through the air, crossed the distance within a second and punched a hole in the dragon's back. I heard the muttering around me, the terrified whispers, the awed murmurs. I ignored them all, focusing on one comment.

"You didn't declare a flashy spell name. Seven out of ten."

Galio I

It has been a long time since I tasted magic. All this time, my mind stirred while my body remained frozen. All that mind knew was purpose. It was my purpose to defend Demacia, to smash the vile mages that would threaten its walls, to destroy the beasts that its enemies would throw at it.

Whenever I wake, it was always in the middle of a fight, the magic of opposing archmages fueling my movements. I would smash them while they were wondering where their magic went then I would go back to being frozen, to be brought by the triumphant Demacians back to my plinth.

All this time, I fought for my purpose. To protect Demacia, not just from mages but from anything that would threaten it.

It was an abstract purpose. I knew of Demacia, but I have never been a part of it. I have never spoken to a Demacian. I have only been in the Grand City in the time before I gained the ability to think. I have never flown over its territories, never met with the royal leaders, never studied how its armies and tactics work.

I have only been asleep or in battle.

These last few weeks have shown me what life was truly like. It wasn't merely waking up to fight and feeling pride in my purpose. It was speaking to small girl person and large crocodile person and feeling happy. It was listening to small girl person when she cried about having magic and feeling sad. It was small girl person waxing me under large crocodile person's command and feeling relaxed. It was helping large crocodile person teach small girl person and feeling pride, not in my purpose but in the accomplishment of a friend.

As my foe's claws scrabbled over my stone shoulders, as it's eyes stared down at me with malevolence, as it's maw opened to unleash its wrath on me, I felt not just the thrill of facing a worthy opponent but also the fear that my friends would be hurt if I lose.

And that's when I heard them.

"-in the light of day!"

Small girl person. Luxanna. Elsa. I felt her familiar warm magic approaching and barked out a laugh. My foe's glowing red eyes widened when a gaping hole opened in its torso. The ensuing roar of pain and rage rattled the surroundings but I ignored it, focusing instead on small girl person's magic. It pierced through my foe and splashed harmlessly into my chest, filling me with warmth and power. I could hear large crocodile person roaring from the distance, drowning out my opponent's pained noises.

"Galio!"

Galio. The Colossus, the Battle Standard of Demacia. I, who once only fought for my abstract purpose, who had no desire to live for myself, to interact with the mortals outside of fighting Demacia's enemies.

"I told you, clench your buttcheeks and shout!"

"DEMACIA-

I am Galio. I have friends and emotions. I am not just a symbol of Demacia. I am a Demacian. My fist plowed into my foe's face.

"-SMAAAAASH!"

Luxanna Bonus Scene

It was a poignant moment, I realized, as we stared at the viscera covered Galio. The Colossus, a mage from the Crownguard family, the prince and his dragon friend, an old, respected lord, a Radiant of the Illuminators and whatever Teacher was, all coming together to defeat a massive dragon that threatened Demacia.

Whatever we say here will be recorded in the annals of history.

"I am not cleaning that statue!"