Lux trekked through the Petricite Forest a few times for missions before, but this go-around filled her with a chill that sank into her bone. During the day, the trees stood lifeless but the moment the light vanished, their gnarled branches and ominous echoes reminded her of the tales spun of the Shadow Isles.

She clutched her hand to her chest – how much she wanted to call upon her magic and keep the darkness at bay, even if it was for a little while.

"We stop here." The sudden command cause Lux to nearly crash into the other woman and throw herself off Starfire. She followed suit when the duelist slid off Lucette, struggling to coax her own horse to come along. To any normal person, their abrupt stop would have confused them but Lux knew exactly what made her horse so uneasy.

She felt her magic retreat, sinking back into the depths of her soul and leaving her barren, exposed.

"It's okay, sweetie," Lux whispered, patting Starfire's snout in attempts to soothe her distress. Lucette fared no better, going as far as to stamp her hooves impatiently as Fiora secured her to a smaller tree. "We must be close then."

Fiora nodded, holding her hand out expectantly to Lux. "Oui, we can't go any further with them. They will have to wait here." The blonde passed her reins over, a frown creasing her lips.

"And here I thought we could just burst through the front doors and gallivant through to Mina's rescue."

The duelist stared at her, so unimpressed by her lack of maturity in the moment Lux blushed at the awkward silence following. "Just trying to ease the tension is all. I know we have to leave them here, Fiora." She opted out of speaking for the rest of the time and instead trailed after Fiora, diving through the thick of the trees. It felt like they were taking an arbitrary path through the forest, but when the slope angled and her footing became unstable at a few points she realized the duelist was trying to pick a switchback path instead of barreling down like a snowball on the side of a mountain.

It didn't stop her from running the last few steps down when the ground leveled out. She skidded to a halt beside Fiora, ducking her head sheepishly at the incredulous expression she received.

"Sorry?" And that was another thing – Fiora normally maintained a neutral expression yet she put not an ounce of effort to hide anything from Lux.

The trees thinned out the further they went, and she felt her magic recede even further from her fingertips. By the time she felt like she had completely lost it, they cleared the forest line and came up to a wide expanse.

If the Great City of Demacia ever came to ruin, Lux imagined this was what it would boil down to. She hoped it wouldn't end the same way Zeffira did – with Kayle and Morgana raining fire upon them.

The current Capital dwarfed Zeffira in terms of structure impressionability. She grew used to towering, white statues and imposing behemoths serving as buildings. The gate they passed through dwarfed in comparison even back in its prime. Lux caught the ghosts of once-proud monuments and bustling squares as the moonlight bathed the rubble and aging ruins in a swathe of gentle light. It made the streets and pavement glow as if filled with the very light that left the blonde.

Despite being so devoid of magic inside, she could practically breathe it in from all of it surrounding them.

"Magical, isn't it?" They hadn't encountered anyone since arriving, so Fiora's voice nearly made her jump three feet. She watched her approach a small clump of green not far from where they were, nestled in a neat pocket within a wall and caressed the leaves. The quiet clinks of each leaf filled the air with a pleasant harmony. "You can feel it, an energy in the air."

"It's everywhere, yet it's nowhere." They were in the heart of the Petricite Forest, yet she couldn't understand how magic could flourish so vibrantly in the plants here. Everything up to this point had been a shade of brown or gray, overcome by petricite. Here, green pervaded nearly every space it could find roots in.

"The city is dead," the duelist stated simply, fiddling with a leaf she plucked away. "But life is not."

Petricite absorbs magic, don't forget that. Lux knew the mages here had some kind of contribution towards the local growth like rain to a dying meadow. But regular petricite absorbed magic and remained the same as it was, like the buildings around the and the ground under their feet. It didn't grow or create life.

She stared at Fiora who toyed with the leaf between her fingertips.

The tea leaves.

"The plants here don't just absorb magic, do they?"

"Oui."

Lux understood immediately, her botany studies suddenly bridging the missing connections between the local flora and petricite. "Petricite isn't just a material that absorbs magic. It's a vector, and the plants here use it as nourishment. They don't absorb magic, they amplify it."

Fiora smirked and tossed the leaf in Lux's direction. "Very clever. Yes, some of the plants here are capable of amplifying magic to counteract petricite's natural absorption."

An evolutionary tactic, Lux mused. Wait-

She stopped halfway to catching up to Fiora. "Did you happen to find the tea strains here?"

It explains why Nera struggled to maintain those petricite flowers at the manor. It explained why the house didn't need petricite everywhere, if the flowers themselves absorbed their magic naturally. A source of constant magic siphoning and an ingenious way of utilizing something without forcing them to endure the pains of chemical intoxication by drinking it directly.

They've evolved, adapted to use petricite's byproducts and exploit their natural properties.

Fiora was beyond Demacia, beyond the archaic principles that governed and ruled them.

She embraced change and innovation, even to the point of making it a tool and extension of herself rather than a wall to hide behind.

Kind of like Sylas.

They were so similar in their lofty ideas and goals, but there was so much more potential in the duelist above bloodthirsty vengeance.

"Nera has a strain of amplifying leaves, doesn't she?"

The duelist remained silent. Lux didn't need an answer – her lack of response was enough.

"And if they came from here... and Sylas..."

Sylas had to be here then. He was crazy, mad even, but had two brain cells more than the average, "law-abiding" Demacian. "Is that why-"

"-I did not want the others to come? Yes." Sylas' ability to absorb magic on his own was deadly enough, but to have his hands on something that only further increased his potential?

They were far too deep in the lion's den to turn back now.


Staying in the shadows became harder and harder the further into the city they went. More and more people popped in around corners and a few managed to bump into them as they tried to take less conventional routes. Most the guards ignored their passing, none the wiser to assume they were a part of the Mage Rebellion but a few stopped them to ask where they were headed.

Fiora's stiffness and proud posture made keeping their tracks covered a little more difficult. She may have the expertise in maintaining a poker face, but being behind enemy lines swung a completely different sword.

"Don't mind her," Lux giggled, wrapping her hands around Fiora's upper arm and leaning into the duelist when the guard questioning them this time slowly inched his fingers for his sword. "She's just a little on edge. High Silvermere was a pretty tense fight. None of us were expecting to run into the Dauntless Vanguard and she was lucky enough to escape Garen Crownguard's sword."

He eased his hand off the hilt of his sword, face morphing into one of relief and awe. "Damn, that must have been something. I heard about that. Fucking smallest unit of four people holding off an entire battalion of mages. At least the Crownguards have some kind of spine to them."

Lux hid her wince at the rough language by burying her face in Fiora's shoulder. "Yeah, I'm lucky she made it out unscathed. He's pretty ruthless from what she told me. We're just trying to find a quiet place is all, y'know. So I can 'ease' some of her tension."

"Maybe you ladies got enough room for one more?" Lux fought the urge to gag at the thought of letting anyone lay a hand on Fiora, let alone a random stranger. She glared at him nonetheless and snaked her arm around the duelist's waist. "I'm just kidding. I'll probably lose my head with that piece of metal at your hip. Looks scary enough, I won't take that bet." He jerked a thumb behind him and tossed his head in that direction. "Plenty of places there if you need the privacy. Just be careful of how loud you are, folks are sleeping."

Crude, but she thanked him quietly and dragged the duelist off to get away from people in general. When they were a fair distance away from potential eavesdroppers, she dropped their hands and buried her face in her own. "Oh my god I can't believe I just did that."

"I wouldn't have minded." Blue eyes widened and stared at Fiora in shock, Lux's jaw going slightly slack. "What?"

"You said what?!"

Fiora rolled her eyes and advanced on Lux. The blonde found herself backed up against a wall and whimpered when the duelist planted her hands on either side of her head. She froze when Fiora leaned in close and the brush of soft lips against the shell of her ears sent shivers racing down her spine.

"I said, mon cher, I wouldn't have minded, if it's you."

Fuck. Shit. Oh god. Lux's brain short-circuited when those hands moved and trailed down her arms in such a feather light touch, her body shuddered involuntarily. Lips pressed to her jaw in firm kisses and the blonde threw her arms around Fiora's shoulders.

She was being especially brave right now, not that Lux complained. "Fi-"

"Hush," the duelist urged, sealing Lux's lips before she could utter her name. The kiss, while so very pleasant, shut her up long enough for her to catch the sounds of metal armor clanking against each other. Plates? Most of the people here wear cloth or leather.

Fiora pulled away, much to Lux's dismay. "That was a bit too close."

Her heart sunk a bit at that – had it just been a ploy to cover them? "Um..."

"Come here," the duelist cooed softly, an arm wrapped around Lux's shoulder to draw her into her warmth. Lips pressed to her forehead in a comforting gesture. "We might as well keep up the image you've set for us. Clever, since we don't need to pretend."

We don't need to prete- oh. Lux went fifty shades of red at that.

It hadn't been just for show.

"So I'm allowed to hold your hand then?"

Fiora didn't reply, but slipped her hand into Lux's without further prompting.

She wants this as much as I do... And Lux leaned into the duelist as they stepped back out into the open.


After hours of searching and playing coy with each other to keep the locals from getting too close to them, they turned up empty handed. Nobody seemed to know who 'Wisteria' was, only the fact they received medical supplies distributed by a few of Sylas's hand-picked coordinators. While it promised that their target was in the area, it left Lux so disheartened with the lack of results to show for she nearly ran into a wall blindly, saved by Fiora who took notice of her distraction.

The duelist pulled them into an alleyway and away from prying eyes. She held Lux close and brushed her hair back from her face. "Mon cher? What is troubling you? Talk to me."

Her gentle voice and touch roused her from her thoughts.

"Fiora, what if Sylas is keeping Mina under lock and key? What if she's not actually here?"

The possibility did cross her mind a few times throughout the night, but she had factored that into this rescue plan and the subsequent one, if they ran out of cards to play. "Do not let doubt plague you. She is here."

Frustration filled her eyes and Fiora tutted quietly. "Enough of that nonsense, mon cher. Think. I am here, don't let his mind games get to you."

If Sylas kept Mina here, where would he have her under close supervision? They lost track of the men that passed them earlier, and she wished they had sooner caught onto their tail. Likely they were a part of Sylas' entourage or at least protecting someone important since no one else they came across sported metal armor. But the matter of the question still remained – where?

"Is it possible he's keeping her near him?"

"Oui, it is something to think about." Fiora fiddled with the pommel of her rapier idly, her lower lip pulled between her teeth.

Lux noticed this immediately and shook her head. "No, you can't-"

"-I am."

The blonde curled her fingers tightly around Fiora's collar. "You are not going to challenge him. You don't know what he's capable of!"

The young Laurent scowled and gently pushed Lux away, but it wasn't enough to shake her off completely. "Nor does he. Listen to me-"

When Fiora grasped Lux by the shoulders, she leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. The blonde quieted as she tried to calm her racing heart, but it procured the effect she needed for a brief moment. "We are out of time. We don't have any other options."

Lux frowned. "This is no time to play 'hero,' Fiora. This isn't Dothan."

Fiora hugged her tightly, noting the iron grip the blonde had her shirt in. "I am not choosing to do this blindly. A woman was taken from her family. A child lost her mother. My friend was kidnapped. He slanders the Laurent house by proving we are weak and incapable of protecting our own kind." She straightened out her back and took a deep breath.

There were few things her mother instilled in her she took heart to.

"Stay in the shadows, mon cher, and when the opportunity is right, find her."


Fiora stepped into the wide courtyard, practically announcing her approach and the few night owls hanging around too notice. Careful, measured footsteps echoed in the empty space until she reached the center. She ignored the murmurs as a small crowd formed.

A singular, red eye regarded the guards posted at one of the more-intact buildings with disdain. They were definitely the same men she heard earlier. A giant, winged statue loomed behind them and cast a shadow over them when the moon reappeared from behind dark clouds. The crumbled wings reminded her too much of what it represented-

-Demacia could, and did fall at one point from its own civil wars.

She gripped the hilt of her rapier tightly.

Never again. Not on my watch.

"I am Fiora Laurent, Matron of House Laurent," she called out sharply, voice cutting so clearly everyone silenced at the first word. "It has come to my attention that the good name of House Laurent has been called into question. Someone here has sent a message throughout the kingdom that they can take anything and anyone they want from us, without repercussion."

A hush din started up among the gathered and she waited patiently for them to form their speculations.

'Who did what?'

'Didn't she kill one of the Mageseekers? I thought she was on our side.'

'Why would she come alone?'

Fiora closed her eyes and steadied her nerves.

Honor, valor-

"-pride," she whispered to herself. When her eyes opened back up, they were steeled, resolute.

"I call upon Sylas of Dregbourne, to answer for his crime against House Laurent."


It felt like hours passed, yet in reality only two minutes ticked by before a few people emerged from the building behind the guards. Fiora's muscles stiffened when the healer emerged after them, and then a man with a collar around his neck and chains dangling from the white shackles around his wrist.

Sylas.

They parted when he stepped forward and Fiora fought to scrunch her nose at the stench that crept closer to her. He was unkempt – face unshaven and cotton breeches stained beyond recognition. Stray hairs stuck out at various angles and dirt and sweat covered his tanned skin.

When was the last time he bathed properly? Was this a part of the image?

"So, we are finally graced by Your Highness' presence," he began, mocking a deep bow towards Fiora. "Frankly, you are not what I expected. Stories told me of a slender, young lass dancing around with a shiny little sword and wooing men before cutting their hearts out." He straightened back out and circled her, like a predator would with his meal.

She tracked his movements and faced him, keeping him in her sights at all times.

"Yet, here stands before me a real lady. Dressed to impress, armored appropriately as a proper duelist should, and ready to kill."

A glint appeared between them faster than the eye could see and stopped Sylas dead in his tracks when he sauntered a little too close to her.

There was no need for her to keep up an image now – she would not permit him to taint her with his filth. She pressed the tip of her rapier a little deeper into the skin around his throat and forced him to take a few steps back. "I know what you're playing at, fool."

He grinned. "So the pretty little thing has a bite and a brain."

No attempt at trying to get under her skin would work with her. She refused to play his little mind games. "It has come to my attention you have someone of value to me."

His smile vanished and he crossed his arms over his bare chest. "And if I do? What will you do about it? Challenge me a duel to the death?"

Fiora didn't gratify him with a response.

"I know how you work as well, Miss Laurent." He cracked his neck a couple of times and a smug grin crossed his features. "I know what happened that day, when you killed Kasim. But you won't go as far as to challenge someone unarmed in combat."

Because we both know his strength is in magic.

"And I know you wouldn't put your pride on the line to kill an unarmed man."

Fiora nodded once and she pulled her rapier back, balancing the blade in her hand. "No, I would not kill an unarmed man. But my challenges are always fair, for both parties."

Sylas raised an eyebrow. "You think this is fair?"

"Your strength lies in magic, does it not?" She eyed him critically when he frowned in confusion. "Specifically stealing magic."

He scoffed and shook his head. "Did Little Light tell you that? Or did you figure that out for yourself."

"Both," she replied simply and leveled her rapier at him once more. "It is why this is a fair duel."

Sylas' frown deepened, especially so when he squinted in her direction. "You possess no magic."

"Is that so? What your eyes tell you?" Fiora's taunted provoked the reaction she wanted in him. Just a little more, and Lux can be free to sneak Mina out of here. All she had to do was bide her time.

"You bitch, you know my magic doesn't work here."

He doesn't know about the petricite flora? Perhaps she gave him a little too much credit.

"Is that so? Then we can settle this outside of the forest."

"And walk into a potential trap?" He sneered at her. "I am no fool, I would not expose myself while you sit here, in the middle of all of us. One versus too many." The people surrounding her bristled with his words, spurred by the thought of taking down the head of one of the biggest families in Demacia.

She had to play her cards now, or else things would get ugly very quickly.

"Perhaps, numbers may seem in your advantage. However all of you are mages, no?" She swung her rapier in two perfect arcs around herself and began pacing in a slow circle, pointing the end of it at each person that took a step towards her. "I have no qualms with the mages. They are not of my concern and I have no intentions of harming the innocent. I have never taken innocent lives. But if you give me a reason to, then I will strike you down without mercy."

She rounded back on Sylas, red eyes glowering in the moonlight. "Numbers mean nothing to me. You challenge Demacia's most elite duelist, foolishly so to think you will walk away victorious."

The threat laced in her voice forced them away.

He was livid at this point and she wondered if he would lunge at her. "How dare you-"

"You are the only one who has committed the crime here."

"I've committed no crimes, I am simply trying to make fair of a system that seeks to oppress us."

She tutted and rolled her eyes. "I did not come here on the folly of Demacia's ridiculous governance. The crime I refer to is 'kidnapping.' This has nothing to do with the system you seek to tear down – this has everything to do with the suffering you left behind. You claim you lead mages to a greater and brighter future, yet you hurt the very people you stand by."

Sylas narrowed his eyes when whispers began to pass through the people surrounding them. "I've hurt no one but those who have wronged me."

"You kidnapped a woman and abandoned her child."

"I did not kidnap anyone, she came of her own volition."

"You threatened her. You threatened her partner, and left her defenseless. You left a woman who has suffered through torture at the hands of mages without someone to protect her." She twisted the last part a bit, but Sylas didn't need to know that. It was still the truth – Delilah went through too much to protect Kepi and now their lives was left hanging in the balance.

Hanging on her succeeding.

She only had two cards left to play now. And carefully.

"Demacia would have ridiculed her for loving a woman. They would have condemned her for both magic and used that as a reason to execute her partner. Can you stand there and continue to walk with that burden on your shoulder?"

"Sacrifices must be made-"

"-at what cost?" she interjected. "Mages, non-mages, it doesn't matter to you, does it? Even those who have suffered unfairly will fall at your hand, as long as you fulfill your goals. Equality achieved by spilling blood has no place in this world, and no place in Demacia. Do you truly love your kingdom and the mages you lead? Or are you simply fulfilling a vengeance for your imprisonment?"

Sylas fumed quietly.

"But I speak of philosophies. I came for a single matter. I shall make this simple - I will forgive your slander to my name and this moral transgression, if you agree to the terms I set. Bloodshed is unnecessary and we can resolve this peacefully."

Silence passed between them until he dropped his arms and suspicion crossed his face. "How can I trust you?"

Fiora rolled the dice hard on this one, and prayed her gamble was worth tossing her last card into the ring.

"I have always, always, offered an alternative that allows one to walk away with their lives. None have taken it, and none have walked away from me. You claimed you heard what happened to Kasim; then you would have known I gave him a chance."

Sylas snarled, but it didn't faze Fiora. He tried demonizing her, but she had him at a check now. "What are you playing at now, Laurent?"

"No games. I will let you walk, if you return the healer to me and leave us unaccompanied."

It was the first time she offered a non-violent trade.

And she couldn't quite believe her ears when he lifted a hand and gestured towards Mina.

"Let her go."

One of the men among the guards stepped forward, anger shaking his voice. "Sylas, this is madness. Why would you let her go?"

"Quiet," he barked. "Let. Her. Go. Only a dumb ass would be asinine enough to challenge her after that and expect to walk away alive. They were right about you, you are deadly." Fiora placed a comforting hand on Mina's shoulder when the healer rushed to her side hurriedly, free from their grip. She grit her teeth and her jaw locked when he smirked in her direction. "Besides, that makes me the first and only man to have ever walked away alive from her. And we don't need her anymore."

She didn't want to admit it, but he had a point. He was smart enough to avoid direct confrontation, at least for now. She won this time, and hoped he would make good on his word to leave them alone. She honored her word – hopefully he followed through with his end of the bargain.

Lux's words echoed in her mind. 'He always plans for long term.'

Something told her they weren't completely out of the clear.

"Tell me, how is our Little Light?" Fiora froze in place as he brought up the subject of the light mage. "I've been curious about how she's faring, after I struck her brother with her own magic."

The duelist felt her hatred grow tenfold on the spot, just by that alone. To use her own magic against family-

"Well, nothing keeps her down for long. I'll just have to see for myself how she's doing on her wedding day."

Wedding-!?

"She did tell you about that, right?" Fiora did her best to ignore his words, leaving the courtyard as quickly as she could.

"I'm rather disappointed. Between you and the Prince, you'd have been a better pick."


They were quiet, when they regrouped outside of Zeffira. Aside from a brief introduction between Lux and Mina, they remained quiet the entire trek back to their horses.

Lux heard everything – including Sylas' revelation of her betrothal to Jarvan. Facing Fiora now hurt her heart too much, especially given their brief, intimate exchanges over the last few months.

Fiora had too much going on to the point for once in her life she welcomed the distraction of their surroundings, cutting her brain off from overthinking things and focusing on any potential ambushes. They weren't out of the forests, and therefore she couldn't let her guard down.

Mina on the other hand recognized the palpable tension between the two. She cleared her throat loudly enough to catch their attentions and gestured towards the horses. "While I am eternally indebted to the both of you, we are still here and too close to Zeffira for comforts. I would feel better having my magic back in my own skin."

Lux nodded and grabbed her reins from Fiora, who handed them to her wordlessly. Probably better to have Mina ride with her for now. "Agreed. Give me your hand." The healer accepted the offered hand and slid in the saddle behind Lux, waiting for the blonde to get situated before securing herself around the smaller woman.

They rode out quickly and the farther behind they put the forest, the more at ease they felt. Lux couldn't help but let her fingers form a ball of light and let it dance around in front of them, lighting their path. She could hear the healer take a sharp breath in surprise. "I was not aware you possessed magic, Lady Crownguard."

Lux smiled wistfully, watching the magic dissipate and disappear in the night. "I learned to control it from Sylas."

"I would not have left so willingly – they did need someone to tend to the injured. But those casualties were a result of his carelessness and not because of war," she muttered under her breath, enough to keep the duelist ahead of them from hearing. "They are being led by a false prophet, guided by emotions and desperation of freedom from persecution."

Lux hummed quietly. "We know. It's why we've been trying to do things the right way, the safe way."

"We..." Mina murmured quietly, looking to Lux and then ahead at Fiora. "The both of you are brave to come out and face him like so."

"We wouldn't have, if not for your daughter insisting we do so."

"Kebi? Ma petite fleur?" The switch in language surprised Lux – she spoke the same dialect as Fiora? "She risked coming home, for me?"

"She's waiting at home for you. Fiora told me she wouldn't leave until you came back."

"Mon dieu," Mina whispered, her voice cracking with emotion and she buried her face in Lux's shoulder. "You all... I cannot thank you enough."

Fiora stopped suddenly, prompting Lux to stop her horse. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to poke over the horizon and they hadn't made it back to Cloudwoods yet.

"Madame?" The duelist glanced back towards them. Lux averted her eyes before they could meet. "Est ce que ça va?"

"Oui," she replied, soft and so hushed they had to strain their ears to catch her reply. Lux could hear the strain in her voice. "We need to hurry. We are almost out of time."

No one said anything more when Fiora led them into a full gallop.


The morning sun barely cleared the horizon when they finally made it back to the sleepy town. A few of the residents returned, though many were too tired to recognize Fiora when they passed through the gates. It didn't help they were still disguised, but she welcomed the lack of recognition.

Without skipping a beat, Delilah and Kepi appeared at the front door the moment they dismounted. The mother practically threw herself around Mina's neck, burying her face in the healer's neck. "Dios mio, I was so worried."

Mina held the shaking woman securely, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken but I'm alright."

Kepi came up beside Fiora, acutely aware of the fact the duelist wasn't looking at any of them, but Lux. She studied the two for a few seconds before finally tugging on her sleeve to grab her attention. "Miss Fiora?"

"Mm...?"

"Do you love her?"

Red eyes snapped to the teen at her side, thrown off by the question. Kepi remained undeterred by her hard glare and repeated herself as if she hadn't heard her the first time. "Do you love her?"

Love was such a finicky and fragile thing.

A terrible concept, really.

Fiora returned her gaze to the blonde with lips pulled into a thin line. "It's... complicated."

Kepi rolled her eyes. "That's a dumb answer. I know you're smarter than that. Do you love her?"

At this point, she didn't really know.

"It's not a hard question-"

"Of course it is," she retorted, but the hoarseness in her voice barely reflected her sentiment in that. "How do you know what love is like?"

Kepi canted her head and waved her hand to the older women. "I see it in your eyes, Miss Fiora. You look at her the same way my Ma looks at mamá. So my question is, actually, really simple. Do you love her?"

The teen didn't give Fiora another chance to answer the question before she left to join her parents' side. They parted to hug her with equal parts fervor and equal parts relief.

It struck a strange chord in Fiora's heart, tugging at strings she left long in the dust.

Could they really...?

"Well, since you made good on your promise Miss Fiora, I can head back to Piltover now." Kepi turned to the duelist, still locked in her parents' arms and a grin on her face. She acted as if what transpired between them never happened, and it was hard for the duelist to remain so deep in her thoughts. "But I might have to bug you for one more favor – and this one might be a little more serious."

Fiora sighed, mostly from exhaustion but they made it this far, right? "What is it?"

"I know that Ma isn't the only one out there. There's another one in the city, right?"

She knows about-

And there was that little grin at the corner of the teen's lips, as if she remembered something funny. "I told you, I have friends in high places. I don't trust Mad Max, so could you make sure Ma and mamá are safe?"

She asked Fiora to take her parents into Demacia and have them stay with Sona. The prospect, as much as she wanted to entertain it, was out of her jurisdiction. She'd end up drawing unwanted attention.

Lux stepped in this time. "I can take care of that through the Illuminators. You all have done enough, let me offer my assistance."

Kepi grinned and stuck her tongue out at Fiora. "I knew it. Blonde girlie is nice. You better take care of her Miss Fiora."

Fiora and Lux stole a quick glance at each other.

She must hate me now-

Can I trust her again?

They had a lot to discuss.


A/T: A hefty chapter, and the one I struggled getting to this point because of multiple reasons. 1) I loathe angst. I want nothing more than to toss these two in tons of blankets for plenty of cuddles. But that will come later. 2) The pace of this chapter actually sets the pace for the subsequent ones. And by the looks of it we are far from being in the clear from here on out. 3) We're super close to the turning point and it's briefly mentioned in this chapter. Let's see if you guys can catch it. ;)

Typing the actual chapter wasn't so bad. Getting to it from when I started this months ago, however, was the difficult part.

Let me know what you think!