A gentle night's breeze brushed against me as I woke up once more in the mortal world of Runeterra. Standing up, I observed my surroundings. It appeared I was outside the village perimeters of Weh'le, near a small stream. Somehow, I still had the clothing I wore in the Spirit Realm, and they must have made really great costumes back in the Spirit Blossom festival.
"Ahri!" I yelled, wondering where she currently was, but nobody answered.
Deciding it was probably wisest to follow the stream, I planned out a path and followed the direction of the trickling water. Fireflies and lanterns lit the surrounding woods, and the trees glowed a deep shade of blue and purple in the night.
Soon, I started hearing voices. Crouching lower to the ground, I scouted carefully ahead while keeping myself hidden. The stream trickled into a large pond, and in the middle stood a figure with blue robes and a ginormous sword. My eyes sparked in recognition as I realized he was Yasuo.
A demon stood behind Yasuo, and wondered why Yasuo had his back towards it. That was before I followed Yasuo's eyes and examined what he was looking at. A lone figure stood in the middle of the pond, floating in thin air. A blazing crimson mask covered the top of his face, and his eyes blazed a shade of indigo blue. Two swords, one steel and one made from a similar material to that of mask, gleamed in his hands. He swished his swords in a familiar pattern, and I recognized Yone.
My eyes glanced towards the edges of the lake, and I recognized Ahri's unmistakable figure. Her nine tails swished urgently behind her, and her orb of deception hovered in the air. Three fox fires surrounded her, rotating threateningly. For the first time, an expression of perplexity was visible on her face as she wondered whether to throw her orb at the Azakana, or at the figure in the lake.
Yone dashed towards the Azakana, but Yasuo intercepted him and the two exchanged blows of steel. The slashes were quicker than the eyes could follow. Yasuo hurled a giant tornado at Yone, which he dissipated with his two swords before retaliating.
The Azakana on the far side of the lake shouted something which was too far from me for me to distinguish.
"Better die with honor than live without." Yone replied, before raising his two swords in his signature stance. A gasp audible from all the way across from the lake rang out as Yasuo recognized his dead brother.
Turning back towards the Azakana, a tornado gathered around Yasuo as he yelled, "I'm done running." Together, the two swordsmen rushed towards the Azakana, reducing it to pieces in a blur of crimson energy and steel. Finally, the Azakana lay on the floor, and Yone drove his sword straight into it's skull. The Azakana exploded in a flurry of red sparks.
"Have your revenge brother." Yasuo said, staring at Yone.
"You might deserve death." Yone replied. "But not by my hands."
A moment later, Yasuo broke down completely and rushed towards his brother.
"I'm sorry about abandoning my post Yone." Yasuo said, tears in his eyes. Yone nodded and replied something, though I wasn't listening.
Running past the lake, I ran over to Ahri who was frozen in a state of shock and bewilderment.
"Ahri!" I yelled, and Ahri unfrozen. She looked around, and the brightest smile sprouted from her face as she spotted me. She put out her spirit fires, and her orb of deception disappeared.
"Wentao!" She yelped, and tackled me in a hug. We embraced, and she kissed my forehead. "What happened in the Spirit Realm? I was so worried about you!"
"What?" I asked, perplexed. "How did you know?"
Ahri laughed. "I'm familiar with the legends of Ionia little one. But I will admit I was not expecting the Spirit Realm to beckon you. It's an extremely rare occurrence. I'm guessing you had something to do with this?"
Ahri gestured towards Yone and Yasuo, who were now chatting with one another. Finally, Yasuo embraced his brother in a hug. A smile tugged at Ahri's cheeks.
"Well, kind of." I began, and Ahri turned her attention back towards me. "I met the gatekeeper. She was you, but not you. It's complicated, in a good way."
"Well, I do have one method in which you can clarify everything." Ahri mused. "I'm not certain if you would be comfortable with it however."
"Humm?" I wondered, gazing into Ahri's golden eyes.
"Well, I could take a bit of your life essence and examine it." Ahri mused. "It's quite harmless, though I'd have access to your current thoughts and some of your memories."
I thought about this. "Alright Ahri. I trust you. What do I have to do?"
Instead of answering, Ahri bent down and grabbed me by my shoulders. She stared into my eyes with her own, and I was transfixed upon her pupil. I was suddenly aware of simply how beautiful Ahri was in the moonlight. She reached closer, and kissed me on the lips.
It was a curious feeling, as if all the blood in my body had rushed into my head. I wanted Ahri. At that moment, I would have done almost anything for her. I swayed, before Ahri pulled away and gently steadied me.
"What happened?" I muttered dizzily. "Can you kiss me again?"
"Hehe." Ahri giggled. She sat me down, and wrapped her tails around me. Suddenly, the world came back into focus and I blushed, realizing what had just happened. "It's alright Wentao. I used just a tiny bit of my charm magic on you. While you were charmed, I collected just a little bit of your soul. If we had held that kiss for even a second longer, I would have taken all of your life essence."
"Is that bad?" I asked, still feeling slightly woozy.
"Well, let's just say you would have met the gatekeeper perhaps a bit sooner than you would have liked."
"Ah." I said, slightly uncomfortable.
"Awww." Ahri cooed. "Don't worry about it. I won't hurt you. It's going to be alright."
"So do you know what happened to me now?" I asked Ahri as we stood up and returned to the lake side.
"Well," Ahri said. "You met the gatekeeper."
"But was she you?" I wondered.
Ahri giggled. "Well, not entirely. I am flattered, however, that she took my form."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"The gatekeeper appears differently to each spirit, both in animal form and human form." Ahri explained. "But it will always represent the person closest to your heart. It's why the myths never align on what animal form the spirit of salvation takes."
I blushed. Ahri put her left arm around me and kissed my forehead gently. Back in the lake, the brothers had finished conversing and were walking towards us. Yasuo nodded at me, not surprised to see me. Yone came forward and shook my hand.
"Your name is Wentao." He said. I nodded.
Yone expressed his gratitude about how grateful he was, and I just stood there with a slack on my face. The red mask on his face glowed with power. Ahri laughed. Yone introduced himself to Ahri, before the wind blew in our direction and he was reduced to a swirl of petals.
Ahri, Yasuo and I journeyed back to the village of Weh'le. Ahri checked the location of the moon in the Ionian night sky, and announced it was around eight in the evening.
"Well, the Spirit Blossom is far from over." Yasuo said. "Where to now?"
We wandered the streets without a true destination, enjoying the sights of the festival. We watched puppet shows telling the tales of spirits, both that of kanmei and akana. Fireworks blazed in the air while we enjoyed cultural Ionian drinks, and I felt as if I truly had a family once again.
But our joy was short-lived. As we wandered near the front gates of Weh'le, a figure of a man stumbled into the village. Bypassers stopped and stared.
The man had a curious green colored helmet, with seven eyepieces protruding from the front. Yasuo shook his head in bewilderment while Ahri gasped in recognition. Like Ahri, I also recognized the man. A single green blade hung on his back so that even through his wounds, I could recognize the broken frame of Master Yi.
The swordsman's form crumpled and hit the floor as the surrounding Ionians rushed towards him. Ahri knelt down and surveyed the man with troubled eyes.
"Yi! What has happened?" She said, her voice full of concern.
"He is weak. Very weak." A new feminine voice breathed. "Yet his spirit remains strong."
I looked up, and saw an unfamiliar woman. The woman seemed to be only slightly older than me, perhaps in her early twenties. She was very beautiful, had dark, tanned skin, green and white robes, and a strange golden crown atop her head that was embedded with a single green gem. She had short black hair, and the air surrounding her seemed to glow with a turquoise light. The women knelt down besides Ahri, and started chanting lines of dialogue I couldn't understand. As she did, wisps of turquoise seemed to drift from her towards the swordsmen. It looked alot like the life essence Ahri had extracted from the boys days ago, though this woman seemed to be channeling it into the swordsman.
Ahri noticed my confused look, and came over.
"She's Karma." Ahri whispered, though most of her attention still remained on the swordsman. "She has powerful spiritual healing magic."
"She looks really young, yet she doesn't seem to be a vastayan." I noticed. "How is she so powerful?"
"Awww. You are quite an observant fox aren't you." Ahri patted me on my head and locked her golden eyes with mine. "Her real name is Darha. Karma is an ancient spirit of Ionia that guides it's people spiritually. Each generation, Karma will choose to inhabit a new human body. Miss Darha is the current Karma. Karma has extreme spiritual powers, much more powerful than my own, to be used for good or ill. However, she never acts with violence if she could help it. She usually stays at the Lasting Alter, but must have come to Weh'le for the Spirit Blossom festival."
"Wait a second." I said. "I've heard of her from somewhere. Isn't she Karma the Enlightened One?"
Ahri glanced at me with surprise, before studying my face carefully. "Yes! In fact, that is her title."
"The gatekeeper." I rasped. "She told me to speak with Karma the Enlightened One to discover my path in Runeterra."
Ahri nodded, her golden eyes flashed. "Well, that certainly would make sense. Come with me. We must follow her. After Karma has healed Yi, I'll get her to talk with you."
The crowd had dispersed, and Master Yi was taken to the building where Karma was staying. Ahri and I trailed Karma to her inn, which wasn't too far from where we were staying. Yasuo had left to find Yone. Karma had taken off the swordsman's shirt after hauling him onto a table, revealing multiple burn marks and bruises. Yi's left arm was an entirely different story, however, as the entire skin there seemed to have burnt off. Nasty lime green substances lingered upon it.
Karma sat on Yi's side, and chanted an ancient incantation. The burn marks started to close, and the bruises faded. Karma carefully took a sample of the green substance before whispering a word, making the rest of the substance disappear from Yi's arm.
With a sigh, Karma turned towards Ahri and me.
"His spirit speaks to me." She whispered. "The entirety of Wuju, his hometown, has been destroyed. It would appear as if he was the last survivor."
"Is he going to be alright?" I asked.
"His condition is stable, and my spell will run its course. However, it will require at least a few hours." Karma announced, then turned towards me. Ahri had explained to her my predicament ahead of time.
"Alright." She said with a sturdy voice. "Let's see what I can do for you."
She waved her hands, and the turquoise light surrounding her bent in my direction, as if spirits were examining my soul. The light would then exit my body in a slightly more greenish color, and return to Karma. All the while, beads of sweat stuck to her head as she strained herself in focus. Finally, after around half a minute, Karma exhaled and sat back.
"Your spirit is split." Karma announced. "Half of your spirit is of Runeterra while half of it is alien to me. I will assume that portion of your soul is what remains of your home world."
"What should he do?" Ahri inquired. "I've never dealt with these types of matters before hand."
Karma surveyed Ahri, and her expression softened. I realized that if Karma really was a spirit of Ionia, then the vastayan may have been considered her children.
"Of course, huntress." Karma said. "But I am afraid I can not directly help him. He came to Ionia for a reason. I can reveal to him his purpose, but I can not interfere."
"What is my purpose though?" I muttered. "To be honest, from my point of view, it was an accident that I ended up in Runeterra at all."
Karma turned her gaze towards me, and for a moment, I saw an unsettling shadow of her ancient power held within her eyes. She has been alive since the dawn of Ionia, the creation of magic. Like Ahri, she had witnessed countless generations born, age and die, except for her it had been on a whole larger level.
"Your purpose here is to solve your inner conflict." Karma explained. "Your split spirit is only a symbol of your inner self. Your earthly spirit fights your runeterra spirit, and your soul stands undecided between which side it should take. Simply put, you wish to return home, yet at the same time you wish not to. Unless you were to end this conflict, you will not be able to find peace."
I tried to reply, yet I was speechless. Slowly, I realized Karma was right. As much as I missed my home, I did not want to go back. The world there was getting more and more complicated, and I wasn't sure just how much more of it I could take.
"But there is a solution." Karma injected, and I jerked my head up. "There is currently a larger conflict. I am speaking of the war with Noxus. Whether you shall help, is your choice. Yet I know that if you were to see this war to it's end, you will truly be able to solve your inner conflict and find balance."
"Wait." Ahri interrupted, and I turned to look at her. Ahri's eyes were narrowed with concern. "Darling, are you certain you wish to do this? To say this will be extremely dangerous will be an understatement."
Glancing uneasily at Karma, I turned back to Ahri and said. "Ahri, after all you've done for me, I really do wish to help Ionia. I might not be much, nothing compared to you or Yasuo, but welp. Every bit counts. I've read some of the stories. If Noxus isn't stopped, the balance will shatter and there might not be an Ionia left."
I tried to put on my best act to look brave, but since I was standing next to probably two of the best mind readers in the entirety of Runeterra, I very much doubted that it mattered. My hands shook behind my back and my voice clenched with each word. I was terrified of the prospect of going to war with Noxus. Just the day before, I could barely stand the stench of blood when Ahri had shown me how to prepare the deer she had hunted. But the gatekeeper back in the Spirit Realm had told me Karma would reveal to me my purpose. Who knows. Perhaps I'll even make it out alive.
Ahri studied me carefully, before finally putting her hand down.
"Alright then." She said, "Thank you for your advice, Enlightened One. I guess now it's time for us to leave."
"Very well." Karma nodded, "May the spirits guide you."
With that, Ahri and I walked out the doors of Karma's room, and prepared to make our return to Paskoma's tea house. An odyssey awaits.
Paskoma welcomed us back into her tea shop. Ahri and I climbed up the stairs, and walked down the hallway towards our room, chatting all the while.
"I can't believe how much happened today." I told Ahri, feeling quite overwhelmed.
"It really is quite a lot to take in." Ahri smiled as we arrived at our room. We walked in, and locked the door behind us. "Only this morning, you were complaining about eating your vegetables!"
I blushed. Ahri laughed gently and pulled me closer to her. We sat near the window, observing the Ionian night sky as the Spirit Blossom festival slowly came to an end. Children went back to their homes, and people were packing up their stands. The stars sparkled brightly as Ahri's tails wrapped themselves gently around me, keeping me warm. I grabbed one of them, and hugged it as if it was a stuffed animal.
"They say each star was forged by a ginormous dragon." Ahri whispered, as she stroked my hair. She looked at me, and her golden eyes gleamed in the darkness, quite like a star of its own. Just as beautiful, just as bright.
"Did the dragon create Runeterra too?" I asked, squeezing Ahri's tail.
"Nope." She answered. "Although the dragon created many stars, many worlds, Runeterra was a world he came across that was not of his making."
I yawned, and Ahri led me to the bed. Making a soft cushion for me with her tails, she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me closer to her.
"I'm scared, Ahri." I whispered, glancing up. I did not want to think about the Noxians, and what is to come.
Though it was quite dark, I could still trace the outlines of Ahri's sweet smile.
"It's going to be alright little fox." Ahri said gently. "Sleep tight Wentao."
My body relaxed, and I drifted into the calming darkness of sleep.