Disclaimer: League of Legends is property of its respective owners.

A/N: So I'm pretty happy to see people enjoying my depiction of Morgana. I will admit I'm not great at writing characters, and there's a ton of LoL fanfiction authors who have written angsty Morgana better than I ever could. So I decided to go with something a bit different. She's over a thousand years old and has had many, many lifetimes to mull over a ton of things. She definitely has her sore spots and vulnerabilities (as we'll explore later), but she has also taken to finding amusement where she can. And it just so happens one source of amusement is poking at Summoner Jin.

Chapter Ten: The Part the Books Skip

Institute of War teleport beacons were simultaneously one of the most sophisticated and one of the simplest magical devices I had ever seen. The blank stone cube fit comfortably in the palm of my hand, yet the magic within allowed teleport spells to home in with accuracy second only to much larger permanent fixtures. As they were designed to—among other things—allow peacekeeper squads to summon reinforcements in the heat of battle, setting one up was just as simple. I turned the beacon over in my hands until I found the side labeled "This Way Up" and set the thing down in the middle of the foyer. Morgana took several steps back, with Fiora hesitating for a moment before following suit, as I pressed down on the marked surface.

The familiar tingling of a detection ward washed over me as the beacon mapped out its surroundings. I reckoned the foyer could accommodate an entire platoon teleporting in at once, so I doubted the half-squad I planned to bring in would need much more than the carpeted area. My math was only a little off, the familiar breeze of an incoming teleport blowing past me as I took my second pace onto the marble.

One little known fact about Institute teleportation spells: the version familiar to most of Valoran was specially modified for the Fields of Justice. The column of light, the bright flash, and even the sound upon materialization were solely for the convenience of observers and to not broadcast the specifics of a rather important part of the peacekeeper corps' arsenal for all to see. Fiora double-took in surprise, her hand ghosting towards a sword that wasn't there, as a half-dozen Institute peacekeepers suddenly appeared seemingly out of thin air.

I could claim that watching the reactions of somebody seeing a proper Institute teleport spell for the first time wasn't a guilty pleasure of mine, but I'd just be lying to myself.

"Summoner Jin," a peacekeeper with Corporal's chevrons on stopped before me, hand proferred.

"Corporal Ybarra," I quickly glanced at the name on her cuirass as I accepted the handshake.

Unlike the honor guard that had escorted us to the ball, this half-squad had dressed expecting trouble. Chainmail tunics, open-faced helmets, plate metal cuirass with the Institute of War logo prominently displayed on the back piece, and sidearms holstered at their sides. The Corporal held a forensic kit in her other hand, and the peacekeepers behind her carried the other tools of the trade: foldable cardboard boxes, plastic bags and containers, cameras, and a collapsible push-cart.

"This way," Fiora recovered and spun around on her heel, throwing a glance back just long enough to make sure we were following her.


"Ng, Walter, Lusk, full sweep! I want everything in this room cataloged! Alagona, watch the door! Kalb, with me! We'll start with packing up a few of these shards and feathers to take back with us!"

They're quite good at this, Morgana somehow mentally whistled.

We headhunted most of them from Zaun, I dredged up half-remembered details from the personnel files I skimmed on the airship, Lusk was a Noxian constable who simply found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Ybarra was a sheriff for a small Demacian town until her son started showing signs of magical power…

I trailed off there, and the two of us shared a meaningful look. Nothing more needed to be said. An awkward silence descended between the two of us, and I found sudden interest in the peacekeepers combing over the crime scene. Three of them had crossed over to the far side of the room, slowly inching forward as they meticulously documented every weapon within the vast hall. The Corporal and her partner snapped photographs of the broken skylight from every conceivable angle, a stack of clear plastic bags and paper flags laying within arms' reach.

"Madam de Laurent," I cleared my throat to break the tension as I turned to face the Demacian noble while motioning at Morgana to follow me, "While the peacekeepers do their work, I would like your permission to investigate your family library. Especially any diaries or memoirs."

"Of course," Fiora's expression and body language gave a very different answer from her words.

"Please rest assured, Madam de Laurent," I extended my hands in a placating gesture, "Any information I or my champion may find will be treated with utmost discretion."

The duelist chewed her lower lip as she weighed my words. I took the fact that she didn't immediately order us to leave as a good sign and pressed further. I leaned in towards her and whispered lowly.

"I'm asking you to trust me, but not without offering something in return. Madam de Laurent, we are potentially dealing with a being that I would have thought a myth mere weeks ago. If they are involved...well, right now we have no idea what their motives could be, much less what they want with House Laurent in particular. Worst comes to worst, the Institute can protect you."

"Very well," Fiora stiffly nodded, "Any information that is in my power to provide, you may have. This way, please."


Do…, Morgana hesitated for a moment, Do you really think Kayle is behind the caravan attacks?

I mulled over the question in a hidden corner of my mind, paying only just enough attention to my surroundings to ensure I didn't get lost in the manor's twisting corridors.

Right now, I carefully answered after several moments' thought, I can't say either way. What you showed me during the First Summoning...that was probably the best look anyone has had at Kayle's magic in...probably close to a thousand years…

I needed to steer the conversation back to safer waters, and quickly.

We don't have anything beyond ancient accounts to compare it to, I paused to gather my thoughts, Ancient accounts that, I must add, I was sure were mythical until just a few weeks ago. There hasn't been so much as a claimed sighting of Kayle in centuries, and now she suddenly decides to start looting Demacian caravans? It's far more likely that somebody high up's been skimming a bit off the top and the raids are just to cover for any discrepancies in the books. Hire or otherwise convince a mage to use some high-level cutting magic, scatter some feathers around, and any casual investigation spends all it's time chasing shadows.

A chill went up my spine, and I turned around to see Morgana's eyes narrow dangerously. I gulped and knew instantly I had messed up.

Don't patronize me, she mentally snarled, There's a dozen other crises demanding the Institute's attention, and your outposts in Shurima have been begging for reinforcements for months! And you think I'd really believe the senior Summoners would dedicate five Summoners and three peacekeeper squads to track down a corrupt noble?

I quickly realized none of the potential responses I was tossing around my head would salvage the situation and simply elected to remain silent.


Four Hours Later

No matter where and when they were, nobles seemed to universally enjoy two pastimes: talking about how prestigious and important their houses were, and talking about why their houses were so prestigious and important. House Laurent, while certainly more modest that most, proved no exception. An entire wing of the library was dedicated to the house's history: a massive tapestry bearing the name of every legitimate descendant of House Laurent, all the way back to presumably the founding generation, hung on the back wall. The tapestry was surrounded by shelf upon shelf of diaries and memoirs and piles upon piles of letters. Every document had been meticulously preserved and regularly cleaned, though I sensed we were the first to actually read them in a very long time.

As befitting the reputation of House Laurent, the previous generations had written extensively on campaigns led and battles won. It would be far too convenient if the accounts talked at length about any trophies claimed, but we could cross-reference the information with the peacekeepers' investigation to at least piece together a partial picture of what should be stored in the hall. It would be a monumental task—far too large for two people to accomplish—and it was to no small amount of relief that Fiora eventually acquiesced to a full peacekeeper squad setting up a duty rotation to snoop through her family records.


"I'm sorry," I found sudden interest in an ancient campaign journal as Morgana looked up from the letters lined up on the table before her.

"I never saw Kayle again after that day…" her voice faltered for a moment, "I've lived a very long time...I always knew there would be a day we would finally settle things...I guess I'd convinced myself if I hid away, I could keep avoiding it…"

I opened my mouth to say something, and then thought better of it.


A/N: I guess let's start my musings with a quick lore tidbit about this AU. While there are some Summoners who hold rank within the Institute's peacekeeper corps, Johann is not one of them. Thus, outside of the circumstances laid out in their investigation orders, neither Johann nor Corporal Ybarra have any formal authority over one another (and even then, it's more a case of one's authority ending where the other's begins). Hence, a handshake rather than a salute or standing at attention.

Now, Shurima. Morgana's assessment doesn't even begin to cover the hideously-unstable situation there. The Institute stations a lion's share of their peacekeepers and Champions, including Task Force New Horizon, at a series of outposts in the Shuriman desert. Their official purpose is to combat the endless Void incursions in the region and unofficially to prevent a potentially-cataclysmic war between Shurima and Noxus. Azir claims all of the Shuriman Empire's ancient borders as his domain, while the Institute tacitly recognizes Noxus' claims along the northern coast and the independence of numerous nomadic tribes in the area. In retaliation, Azir has placed severe sanctions on the Institute of War and constantly sends his legions to harass their fortifications. The Institute is ultimately stretched far too thin to prevent any serious attempts by Azir to re-annex the disputed territories without resorting to direct intervention by the Summoners, with only the mutual threat of Void incursions maintaining the fragile status quo.