Isen couldn't help but laugh a little at what Darius had just told him. "Really? Like, you're being one hundred percent serious? That's what you want me to do?" Darius nodded his head, ever so slightly. "Let me get this right. There's this person out there who, not only wants to, but is fully capable of standing against the entirety of the Noxian Empire. And you're asking me, a Demacian kid you just met, to track her down for you?" Isen scoffed. "For the love of—didn't you say you were Commander General? Don't you have soldiers to do this kind of stuff for you?"
"In fact, I do. Would you like to meet the ones who've already tried this? The morgue is only a short walk away." There wasn't even a trace of sarcasm in his voice. Everything that Darius was saying, he meant it.
"If your numerous trained soldiers aren't able to do this, what makes you think that I can? It's not like I'm some soldier trained by Demacian elites, or anything like that. I'm literally just a kid with magic flowing through me."
"Yes, and that's precisely why I think you'll do better. Not your experience, your magic. I watched you're fight in the ring. You're clearly lacking even the most basic combat experience, but your potential… It's entirely untapped, and its limits are unknown to anyone. You have the tools in your arsenal to outwit her and create an advantageous situation for yourself, or even escape before it's too late. That's something that none of my soldiers could even dream of doing." Despite how ridiculous the prospect of Isen having a better change than any of Darius' men sounded, he couldn't deny the fact that what Darius was saying made total sense. His magic… He was able to use it in a creative way that Vessid couldn't predict. He used the element of surprise, and with it, was able to claim victory over an opponent that was clearly stronger than him. The difference is… Vessid was an idiot without much of a brain for strategy. But, someone who wants to stand against the entire state of Noxus… Surely she couldn't be nearly as simple-minded as that.
"...Tell me about her. This… criminal. Where did she come from? What are her powers?"
"I don't have the full scope of her powers, all I've been able to see is the destruction she leaves in her wake. As for where she came from…" Isen could hear a bit of frustration in his voice at the tail end of that. Darius turned his head away and walked toward a window, looking out at the streets of the city. All of the people running around, completely oblivious to something that's brewing right under their noses—and eating at Noxus from the inside. "Within this empire, there is a… thorn in our side. An evil that's festered for centuries. She was made by them… The Black Rose."
"The… Black Rose?" Something about saying that… it made Isen's blood run cold.
"A secret organization… hiding within the very walls of Noxus. They're our enemies, but weeding them out has proven to be… difficult." Darius turned back to Isen, and saw the look of concern on his face. "...They're not your concern. The only thing you need to worry about is the monster that they created. I'll give you one warning… Do not engage her. She'll tear you apart if she feels like it. All you need to do is confirm her location, then report back to me. I'll send a team to escort you back to Demacia after, and then I'll deal with the girl myself."
"...Fine. Fine, I'll do it. If… If that'll get me back home, then fine. Whatever it takes." Darius had a smirk on his face. Exactly what he wanted to hear. "Where can I find her? Do you have any hints on her location?"
"Obviously we don't have a specific location, but we have a general idea of where she is. We've sent search parties all over Noxian territory, and there's one place that search parties have never been able to come back from." Darius pulled out a map of Noxus and pressed it down onto the table, circling one spot in particular. Isen walked over and stood next to him, getting a look. He had circled around the northern outskirts of the region, with large mountains creating a border between Noxus and the Freljord. "There are signs of destruction throughout the plains of this entire area. If there were an actual monster capable of feats like that, we'd know about it. But since we don't, that leaves only one option."
"The girl… Right." Isen picked the map up and studied it for a moment. The border between Noxus and the Freljord wasn't exactly close, but it was certainly closer than Demacia was. As Isen kept looking at the map, Darius began walking away.
"Keep the map. I'll inform all the guards of what you're doing. When you come back, tell them you're here to see me, and they'll bring you. Tell me where she is, and then you'll be on your way."
"You're forgetting a pretty important step here… You never told me what she looks like. How am I supposed to know if I've found her or not?"
"Oh, you'll know. Just follow the destruction. She won't be far behind." Saying that, Darius left the room, leaving Isen alone to process everything that just happened. Technically, he didn't have to do this. He could just… ignore the request, and try making the trek to Demacia on his own. But something about that sounded even more unrealistic than tracking down a criminal who hates Noxus—after all, it wasn't like there wouldn't be obstacles on the path back to Demacia too. He sighed deeply, before pocketing the map and making his way out of the arena.
While he was leaving the arena and began roaming the streets, he took in just what Noxian city-life was like. It was… so much different from Demacia. On one hand, he felt restricted. It felt like everyone wanted a chance to prove themselves, and from his experience, that meant a chance to get into a fight and come out victorious. The respect that came with that… From what he had seen so far, that's what people wanted more than anything.
However, on the other hand, Noxus also provided Isen with a sense of freedom. No doubt from being able to freely use his magic. Magic was always so fun to him… Whenever he was alone, he'd silently do magic tricks to himself in his room, where the Mageseekers wouldn't find him. Over the years, he got more and more adept at it. He knew he could do more with it. He always wanted to do more with it. But in Demacia… That wasn't possible for him. But here… It was the exact opposite. The pursuit of strength would be respected among everyone he'd ever encounter in Noxus. He could freely practice and get better every single day without ever having to worry about abruptly stopping due to an official being anywhere near his general area of residence. That sense of freedom… It partly made him not want to return to Demacia—and if he did, perhaps he wouldn't stay there for long. At least… That's what he thought. In the end, it came down to his father. Isen was only 16 years old after all, it wasn't like he could just pack his things and move out on his own. This was probably the longest amount of time he had ever spent away from family, realistically speaking. If not for that… He probably wouldn't even think of going back to Demacia. He'd heavily consider staying in Noxus.
As he continued to contemplate where he'd go after reuniting with his father, he began getting a better understanding of the city, and more importantly, the sense of unity that everyone had with each other. And eventually, it began to remind him of something: the Freljord. Seeing this many people standing together as one reminded him of the days where he lived in the snow-filled fields, among an entire village of people who treated him like one of their own. Not only him, but his parents too. It was one massive family. In a way, Noxus was similar, but it was founded off of something else. Companionship in the Freljord mostly came from where you were from, what gods you revered, and which war-band you sided with. Noxus didn't care about those things at all. Origins, beliefs, wealth… All of them paled in comparison to the respect you received for being strong. With that respect came unity, and… Isen missed that. That sense of companionship that ran rampant in the Freljord, that he was suddenly removed from.
Subconsciously, without ever realizing it… Noxus began to look more like a future home for him than Demacia ever could.
Meanwhile, while Isen was on his way out of Noxus, Darius was making his way further in, to the very center of the Noxian capital. The heart of the empire… where its ruler spent his time, plotting his next moves. Jericho Swain… the Grand General. The one who came up with the plans to expand the Noxian empire further and further… the only person that Darius felt the need to answer to.
"I trust you've sent the boy on his way, Darius?" Swai said, not yet turning his head to face him.
"Yes. He's currently on his way to… help clean up the mess."
"You've seen him fight. Do tell, is there a shred of hope for him? Or will he crumble like the rest?"
"Comparing him to the rest of the soldiers who have gone after her would be a disservice to what he's capable of. He has motivation that goes far beyond just proving his worth to Noxus. And on top of that, he's a mage. From Demacia, at that."
"A Demacian mage… an interesting concept, though saying that he's the only one would be foolish. We know that even the most vocal Demacians carry magic with them into battle… even if they themselves do not realize this fact. At least this one isn't afraid to hide it." Swain sighed, before whispering something under his breath. He was chanting something. Then he held out his hand, and a raven appeared, flying out of the room. "I suppose I'll set up the countermeasures myself. In case of any… mishaps."
"Couldn't you have done that before dozens of my men were slaughtered?"
"I could, but what good would that have done? The weak were weeded out from the strong. Nothing of value was lost within your lowest-ranking men."
"They're still my men, Jericho. I almost find it insulting that you're more interested in him than the people of your nation."
"What can I say? I find his situation to be rather… Fascinating. This will teach me more about not only him, but help finalize the whereabouts of the girl. In case he decides for some reason not to cooperate."
"I can't imagine why he'd refuse to cooperate with us. He has nothing to lose from the journey, so long as he's able to survive it."
"We'll see about that." Swain closed his eyes. He didn't really know anything about Isen, apart from what Darius told him—he didn't even actually know his name. Though, he was certainly interested in what his origin was. A mage from Demacia was still a fascinating prospect, even if they were more in abundance than one might think. Swain knew better, but he could always learn more… and he had a feeling that Isen was the key to that. At least, that was his hope. Whether or not that was just wishful thinking on his part had yet to be seen, but he couldn't help raising his expectations for the boy at least a little.
Sorry this one took a bit longer to come out. Struggled to find motivation among a lot of other things that were taking up my time, but I'm glad I finally got this one out there.
"Isen is either really fucking stupid or just incredibly naive if he doesn't know what happened when his dad skadooch'd him to Noxus."
I wouldn't say stupid... okay, maybe he's a little stupid. He's moreso just a bit too overwhelmed by everything else going on to think about what actually happened to him... Though, let's just say that he gets a rude awakening to what may or may not have happened to his father sooner rather than later.