Start of the final arc of the story :) Have fun.
A gloomy wasteland, a dark glow. A fortress of living shadows blinking in and out of the plane of existence. My mind swirled with the images that I later recognized to be visions of the Spirit Realm. The shadows of the tower reached out towards me, nearly manifesting into something physical before solidifying into shadow once more.
Inside the murky darkness of the fortress, a massive humanoid figure glowed with an eerie green light. Eldritch verdant flames flickered atop his metal armor, which seemed to make up the entirety of his body except two hollow eyes made from living green fire. A massive mace stood out in his left hand, and the shadows around the weapon seemed to beckon towards it.
I remembered Yone's description of the war lord who had died atop a mountain of corpses. This was Mordekaiser. Mordekaiser's gaze shifted towards me, and felt a burning sensation in my mind as all went dark once again. In a fit of cold sweat, my eyes fluttered open, this time in the real world of Runeterra.
Sitting up, I let my eyes adjust to the dim, crimson glow of the darkness. I appeared to be sitting inside a dark corridor, made almost entirely from a brownish steel substance. The dim red light emitted by a few steel lamps that hung on the wall were the only source of light in the room, with no windows to the outside. Glancing behind me, I noticed the rest of my group slumped on the floor, still out cold. Irelia, Master Yi, and Yasuo lay in different corners of the room whereas Sett was sprawled face first on the ground in the middle. His injury from Darius seemed to have miraculously healed. Ahri lay near the spot where I had gotten up from, though her steady breathing and a few twitches from her tails were the only signs that she was alive.
"Ah. It would seem you are awake." A cold yet non hostile, masculine voice spoke from my right just as I was about to kneel down and check on Ahri.
Turning my head, I looked in the direction of the dark corridor, and noticed a raven perched on the wall. The bird stared straight at me with piercing eyes, which glowed a shade of gold despite it being clearly black. Momentarily, the pair of black eyes split into 6 individual eyes before merging back to its original, happening so fast that I thought the dim light must have played a trick on my eyes. Convinced momentarily that it was the raven who had spoken, I approached the animal and made an attempt to pet it with my left hand. Though to my utter shock, the bird instantaneously melted into the shadows.
A figure stepped out from the shadow behind one of the columns supporting the corridor. He had on a large overcoat that barely covered a huge metal chest guard, and attached to his hood were metallic stripes held in the shape of raven feathers. His white yet tanned face wore a serious expression that suggested he may have never laughed, and he had pale long white hair that dropped below his neck. Yet the most striking part of his feature was a glowing red hand that sprawled from the left sleeve of his coat. It wobbled slightly as he walked, as if it was made of strong, reddish jelly. Wisps of bright red smoke dispersed from his left hand, now illuminating the corner where he stood. He must have had the hand hidden beforehand so that I could not spot his presence within the shadows.
"Who are you?" I inquired, slightly on guard even though I realized the character was not hostile. If he had been, he could have easily murdered me in my sleep. After continuously staring at me for another few seconds, the figure offered me his regular right hand for a handshake.
"Jericho Swain, but just call me Swain." The man said at last. I took Swain's hand, which had a firm and powerful grasp. Or it may have been that I was just too weak. Swain never took his eyes off me, giving me an unsettling look as if he wasn't quite sure what to do with me. At last, he whispered a few words under his breath and my group started to stir behind me.
"Ahri! Are you okay?" I asked as I rushed over to Ahri, and offered her my hand. Ahri took my hand, pulling herself to her feet and offering me her thanks before scanning the room. Once she noticed Swain, she instantly summoned her Orb of Deception.
"Wentao, get behind me! Now!" Ahri growled, tails protectively wrapping around me and placing me down behind her. Yet, it was Irelia who was the most hostile towards the Noxian.
"You!" Irelia snarled, waving her hands to summon her blades. Yet, her blades were nowhere to be seen as she spun around in surprise, leaving Irelia with no choice but to glare daggers at Swain while showing her teeth. "You should be dead! What have you done with my blades! Those were the shattered pieces of my family emblem!"
"All in due time." Swain stated calmly. He stared passively towards Irelia, betraying no emotions except for a hint of recognition. I wondered what it was between them, as they clearly had a history.
"That's the least of our worries." Ahri hissed. She threaded back and forth awkwardly, putting herself between Swain and our group. Yasuo and Master Yi had also drawn their swords, while Sett awkwardly stood around in the back. I had never seen her act so nervous before. She nodded towards Swain's glowing crimson hand, before continuing. "That's a primal demon. He's no longer a Noxian, just a host."
Swain laughed, a chilling noise that echoed through the metal hallways. He gazed towards the each of us individually with his piercing gaze, before dropping his stiff posture.
"My name is Swain. At ease. I am not your enemy." Swain explained, before revealing a large white wooden chest in the corner of the dark room. He lifted off the lid, which I deduced to be of heavy petricite, to reveal six silvery pieces of sharp metal. Upon sensing the presence of their master nearby, the blades floated into the air and returned to Irelia's side. Irelia relaxed slightly, while Yasuo and Master Yi lowered their swords.
"Explain yourself then, demon." Ahri commanded in a harsh tone, her gold eyes staring straight into Swain's. Even though I was familiar with charm magic at this point, I still wanted to sit down, and tell Ahri all my thoughts about life.
Swain stared at Ahri transfixed momentarily in confusion, his eyes glowing a dark shade of pink before he shook his head. The pink shimmer cleared from his eyes, and he laughed.
"Impressive, though your magic tricks won't work on me." Swain noted, before pointing to his ghostly hand. "Nonetheless, you'll know all you require in due time. Come."
With a gesture of his right arm, he signaled for us to follow before unleashing a torrent of crimson magic with his left hand. The streaks of power rushed towards the end of the dark corridor, stopping as if hitting a dead end mid air. Then, cracks began to shimmer in the air as if Swain was breaking the surface of an invisible mirror, and the scenery shifted to reveal a well lit staircase leading upwards. Swain ascended the stairs, followed closely by Ahri while the rest of us followed. Ahri turned to stare at me, gleaming from my eyes all that I had known about Swain as of far before nodding her head towards the Noxian as if signaling to be careful. Her ears stood straight up, keeping a careful lookout for any suspicious sounds from above.
"What happened to the crowd?" Yasuo inquired from the back. "Are you of the Trifarian?"
"The Trifarian assumes you to be dead." Swain tossed carelessly. "An associate of mine has created a powerful illusion to hide your continued existence. The entirety of Noxus thinks you all to be dead."
The walls of the staircase flickered, to reveal the landscape of the outside world from where we had fended off the Noxians only a few moments ago. A mighty crater, perhaps the remnants of an explosion, now lay in the area where we had occupied. The crater would periodically glow with a purple light, signifying that it was no more than a mere illusion, though no doubt the regular Noxians would not be able to tell.
"Oh my." Ahri commented, momentarily lowering her guard as she observed the scene before her. "That is quite advanced magic."
"Illusions, I admit, are not my specialty." Swain replied, before lifting his hands off the railing of the staircase to reveal a circle embedded with two purple crescent moons, one around the other, surrounding three flower petals of the same color. "Though it is impossible for one to excel at everything. This is why the most capable Noxians have banded together to create an organization to lead Noxus towards a greater future. I present to you, the Black Rose."
I gasped, as I recognized the name from the story Ahri told me about Mordekaiser.
"So the legends were true." Ahri whispered gently, before waving for her orb to disappear. "Yet you side with a demon."
"Yes." Swain confirmed. He lifted his demonic hand, staring at it proudly before continuing up the stairwell. "I discovered Raum, who offered me its allegiance, while exploring the twisted halls of the Immortal Bastion. Many dark secrets still hide within its fortress walls since the days of Mordekaiser. Deep inside in a location known by few, even lies the broken armor of Mordekaiser himself. I was able to bend Raum to my side, and it became my arm to replace the one Irelia severed during our last encounter at the placidium."
Irelia shuddered nervously, as if thinking the man she once maimed sought vengeance. Swain chuckled.
"I don't hold a grudge, Blade Dancer." Swain continued, as he arrived at the top of the stairwell. He opened the door, which led into a dimly lit ball room with dozens of figures scattered throughout. At the far end of the room, stood a magnificent black painting portraying the symbol of the black rose. "As a matter of fact, I thank you, for you have bestowed me at last with the ability to rebuild Noxus to its former glory."
We followed Swain into the room, and I clutched Ahri's hands nervously. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle, as if I was being watched from the shadows. I stood on guard, ready to cast "barrier" at the slightest sound of disturbance for I felt as if any minute, a figure would descend to place a knife into my back. Ahri wrapped her tails around me reassuringly, and I hugged tightly onto them for warmth.
"Ah yes!" Swain said, and gestured towards three figures in the corner. A man who seemed well trained in the arts of war stood in the center of the group, his face barely visible in the dim light. He seemed to be in his late fifties, and I managed to make out a thin scar that ran down his left cheek. A long sword hung on his back, and he nodded towards us. Beside him, stood a much younger man and woman. The man was slightly older than me, and he wore a dark blue hood that was sprinkled with long feather-like objects. The objects reflected the pale light of the lamps above us, and I realized they were knives. The woman was just about my height, with dazzling red hair and revealing clothing. A pair of daggers stuck out from her belt, and I held no doubt she could use them quite efficiently if she wished to. She glared at my group acidly. Swain reached forward to shake the elderly man's hand. "May I introduce you to House Du Couteau. Famed assassins of Noxus of course. Greetings Marcus, Talon, Katarina. How have things been? Where is your youngest?"
"Good day Swain. I am well. Cassiopeia is overseeing the House Du Couteau in our absence." The tall man, who I marked to be Marcus Du Couteau replied. He then returned to conversing with Talon and Katarina while pouring over some type of tattered map.
"Ah! And there's Draven." Swain pointed towards a tall muscular man wearing a fur coat with pointed hair. Two massive axes with circular handles hang on his back, and he waved towards us. I actually knew who Draven was, as he was quite an iconic champion in League of Legends, and had also read enough of his backstory to know he was an arena master with an extremely self centered personality. Sett walked over to Draven with a bright smile before the two started to converse about different types of arena spectacles.
"I'm not seeing anyone with illusionary skills." Ahri pointed out, as Swain seemed to have come to the end of his introductions. "The Black Rose in the myths were infamous for their sorcery. Where are the mages?"
"Quite observant, aren't you." Swain nodded, before leading us through another hidden doorway. A few cloaked figures rushed past us, and I deduced they must have been sorcerers. "Of course, we have many powerful sorcerers among our ranks. There's Vladimir of course, oh yes you wouldn't want to mess with him. A thousand or two years older than even you, Ahri, and a master of hemomancy magic, too. They say he was trained by the Darkins in the ways of blood himself. One of the original founders of the Black Rose. He's quite quiet these days, however, even for his standards. But you are about to meet the true leader of the Black Rose, the Pale Lady, the Deceiver, she who managed to outwit Mordekaiser. No one knows her real name, of course, but feel free to call her LeBlanc."
