Chapter 32 – Much in Common

Blake wailed as she was tossed high into the air. It was like falling out of control, but in the opposite direction. The sea went farther and farther away from her, and she went straight through the clouds. Up there, her skin chilled with goosebumps, like ice in a freezer. It was slightly quieter though, quiet enough to hear someone else flying towards her.

'Woah! Waaah!' he screamed.

'Sun!' Blake cried out. She created a shadow of herself beneath her feet, kicked off of it and flew towards Sun. Blake opened her arms just as she collided with him and wrapped them around his waist.

'Oh, hi Blake! Great seeing you here of all places!'

'A pleasure as always!' she shouted, half-jokingly, half-dismissively.

'S-so uh, how do you suppose we'll get down from here?!'

'W-we'll fall! That's how!'

'Nice of you to put it so bluntly!'

Their speed began to decay… until they were at a standstill in mid-air and the wind was no longer blowing at that altitude.

Sun hugged Blake tightly. 'Seriously, whatever you do, don't look down…'

They hung there, motionless for almost five seconds. Blake could not resist though. She averted her eyes from Sun, to the earth below and gulped.

In an instance, the magic of gravity grabbed them by the ankles and tore them down, and screams poured from their mouths.

'Don't you know how cartoon logic works?!' Sun yelled. 'Gravity only exists if you know that you're not standing on anything!'

'Ugh! Shut up!' Blake snapped. 'That's not how it works at all!'

'Even so, it helps to not look down!'

They broke through the clouds again and, even with the wind and the air throwing itself into their eyes and from their height, they could now see what was in store for them below.

'Try and land in a body of water!' Blake suggested.

'You kidding me?! It's a giant stretch of land down there! There probably isn't any water deep enough! We're pancakes for sure!'

'Well then let's head for the sea!'
Blake pushed Sun away from her, and entered a diagonal nosedive, attempting to rear herself towards the edge of the giant island.

'Wait for me!' Sun did the same and caught up to her. 'Blake, the sea's all the way over there! There's no way we're gonna make it! Even if we did, we'd probably still end up in shallow water!'

'Stop talking and let's just try it! Follow my lead!'
She created another copy of herself beneath her, kicking herself in the direction of the land's edge.

Sun grabbed Blake's clone by its feet and swung himself back and forth twice before letting go and following Blake: just in time before it disappeared.
He used his arms to breaststroke his way to Blake's side.
'It's no use, we're not going to make it!'

Blake looked disheartenedly at the shore. Sun was right; it was still miles away, and the earth was rapidly catching up to them. She scoured the land below her, seeing if they could use anything to potentially save themselves.
'Yes!' 'I have an idea! Hold onto me!' she ordered.

'Sure, but what's your plan?!' Sun asked as he placed his arms tightly around her torso.

'The big trees over there!' She reached behind her Gambol Shroud, deployed it into its gun form and held it firmly in her hand.

'Oh, I get it! Nice!'

'Just a bit closer then!'

Blake glued her eyes to the closest tree at the edge of a densely green forest, waiting for just the right second. 'Now!' She pulled the trigger, and threw Gambol Shroud just above a thick branch, whilst holding onto its ribbon.
The gun and the end of the ribbon successfully wrapped around it, breaking their fall justbefore Blake and Sun hit the ground. They swung forward, their momentum carrying over from their descent to the ground.

Sun was about to cheer, but his eyes widened in alarm and screamed.

'What is it?!' Blake asked, looking at him for a moment too long.

'Watch out for that tre- OW!'

Splat.


Aching… stinging… a throbbing pain all over, and barely any awareness of what was happening. Blake made an almost inaudible moan. She felt herself gently moving, but not of her own volition. It felt odd, yet she did not open her eyes.

'Prut isinentya dafrol? (We do what in present?)

'Faash mikla va'h. Burso juvig tann va'h.' (They injured are. We with them here stay.)

'Hi ud ha mi juvig?' (Him or her me with?)

'Hi wushimonkzstra Vastaya juvig. Ma pisiclo taybervack. Hi li v'ah, ha la v'ah. Obvifk… (You the monkey Vastaya with. I cat take. He male is, she female is. Obviously…)

'Something indiscernible. What is that? Voices?' Blake's mind subliminally wondered.

'Faash shutal wapot. Pashi?' (They shoes wear. Why?)

'Ma brun shi dow. Faash pag xrilla. Burso gvem faash wosepalvzentra, tass. (I not know. Them let rest. We when they wake up, talk.)

'Hun, mieli.' (Okay, my love.)

'Miella.' (My love.)

Blake groaned. It had been so quiet, but now her ears were ringing. Enough was now being registered. She opened her eyes and blinked the bleariness out of them. She was lying on her side, with her left hand tucked underneath the side of her head, and her left leg crossed over her other one. It wasn't a terribly comfortable position to be in, but she felt too stiff and too lethargic to move herself.
Blake looked to the floor to find herself lying on a mound of soft, red leaves, which brushed gently over her skin. She was in a circular clearing in the forest. The blue sky above her was dazzling.
Not too far in front of her, someone turned around. Her eyes widened momentarily, and she went towards Blake and sat down in front of her.

Blake had just enough vision to be able to make out her appearance. She had faintly dark, pink hair, which flowed on the left side of her head, and wore a matching pink dress. She also wore a purple hood over her head, with long protruding feathery ears poking through them, also the same colour as her hair. Her face was decorated with makeup on her lips and eyes, as well as a few scars just above her cheeks, and a nose ring in her right nostril. Her legs were wrapped in what looked like black bandages, and her feet were exactly that of a bird, with three rubbery digits. Last, but certainly not least, she had a giant wing of purple and pink feathers on her back, armbands with a few pink-purple feathers tucked in, and a large bird skull with a few orange feathers lay dormant on her right shoulder. It was certainly a bizarre choice of fashion, but Blake was particularly interested in this woman's long ears and bird feet. Just like a Faunus, she was entirely human, in addition to a few animalistic body parts.

'Hi hun v'ah? (You okay are?) she asked.

It seemed like just noise to Blake, but she could tell that this woman was speaking a different language to hers. Completely unsure how to respond, she simply went 'Huh?'

The woman blinked twice. 'Ma tassl hi hun v'ah? Hi ma bifleyah?' (I said you okay are? You me understand?)

'Oh no, I have no idea what she's just said! What do I do?!'

'Hi mus tass?' (You can talk?)

'I-I'm sorry. I don't understand what you're saying.' Blake said uncomfortably.

'Oh… you don't speak Baraashi, yet you know human language? Huh, that's odd…' the woman said perplexedly.

Blake breathed a sigh of relief. 'Yeah, sorry, I only speak… this.'

'I guess you probably aren't a Lhotan Vastaya. You're more of a cat than a bird. Oh well, there's no problem in that. It's just kinda weird, that's all.'

Blake reached for the top of her head. Only her cat ears and hair. 'What happened?' she asked.

'You took a pretty nasty fall. We were walking through the forest and saw you and your monkey friend swinging through the trees with your unusual weapon thing, and then you hit a tree and just fell – hit the ground hard. I left your thingy by your feet. I have no idea what it is, but it looks interesting.'

Blake was trying to figure out how this woman felt. She looked concerned, but her tone came across as somewhat apathetic. 'Wait, who's "we", and where's Sun?'

'Is that your friend's name: Sun?'

'Yeah.'

'They're over there. Rakan's tending to him.' the woman pointed over Blake's shoulder.

Blake rolled over with difficulty to see a man squatting next to Sun. Sun was still unconscious, and in the same position that Blake had been put into, on top of the same kind of leaves that she had been on. 'Sun! Is he alright?!'

'Don't sweat it, young lady. Your boyfriend's gonna be fine. I can tell he's a tough guy. Probably got some good moves too.'

Rakan was similar to the woman in some ways: a human-looking person, but long feathery ears, birdlike feet and long wing of orange and green tips on his back. His hair was almost white, but garnished with a few red plumes. His chest was bare, but he wore a short red cape on his back, and green shorts, held up by a red rope that weaved through two bird skulls. He also wore a pair of dark armoured pads around his legs. Also like the woman, he had armbands with a few feathers tucked in that matched the ones on his wing, and a small bird skull on his left shoulder, with some feathers that were the colour of the woman's.

'Oh, uh, we're not in a relationship.' Blake said quickly. 'He's more of a companion than anything else.'

Rakan snorted. 'Come off it. Even when you both hit the ground, this lovely man here had his hands still around you. Gotta say that it was really cute. You sure there's nothing going on between you two?'

'Positive, there's nothing.' Blake insisted. She crawled over to Sun and put her right hand delicately on his forehead.

'Well you certainly look worried about him. C'mon, you don't need to hide anything from us. Xayah and I know what it's like in the "getting to know each other" phase. She didn't want to admit it at first, but she just couldn't resist my charms, and here we are now, literal lovebirds.' Rakan chuckled. 'Ain't that right, sweetheart?'

'Yep.' said Xayah. She walked over to Rakan and sat down next to him. 'He's still a bit annoying at times,' She stroked his left cheek. 'but I wouldn't have him any other way.'

'Yeah, and she's a bit too serious and doesn't always have room for fun,' he reciprocated the cheek stroking. 'yet she's still perfect for me.'

Rakan looked at Blake and winked with his right eye.

'Okay, yes. We are kind of… together. We went to a dance with each other recently, and we have hung out a fair bit, but I think he likes me more than I like him.'

'Ahh, you'll get there soon enough. I just know it.' Rakan said assuredly. 'He'd be a fool to let you go, and it'd be a damn shame if you turned him down.'

'Sure…' Blake uttered.

They waited patiently for Sun to finally come around. Xayah and Rakan moved back to give him and Blake some space.
He rolled onto his back, rubbed his eyes with his hands and looked up to see Blake smiling at him.
'Oh, hi Blake.'

'Thank goodness you're alright.'

'Aching quite a bit, but otherwise I'm good. Wait, I'm alive and you're alive too. That means we survived!' Sun said merrily.

'Yep, we did somehow.'

'It's because of you! That was some really good thinking you did back there.'

'Thanks.'

'I mean, you could've made sure that we didn't crash into that tree, but overall I'd give you an A+.'

'Hmm, you're welcome.'

Sun slowly eased himself upright into a sitting position, and noticed Xayah and Rakan sitting next to each other a few metres away. 'Who are those guys?' he asked.

'That's Xayah and Rakan. They saw us collide with the tree. They watched over us whilst we were unconscious.'

'Cool, that's nice of them. Thanks.'

'Don't mention it, my man.' said Rakan. 'T'was no trouble at all.'

Blake and Sun's stomachs rumbled.
'It's been a while since we've eaten, hasn't it?' said Blake.

'Yeah, it has. We only had a few nibbles this morning and we didn't have anything aboard the ship.'

'In that case, I got just the thing for you two.' said Rakan. 'Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.' He got up and began to run away from them towards the trees. As he went, Blake noticed that Rakan had a long tail of red plumage underneath his wing of feathers.

Xayah moved closer to sit down in front of Blake and Sun, and created circles in the grass with her right index finger. 'So, how long have you two known each other?'

'Less than a year.' Blake answered.

'Hmm, alright.'

'How about you? How long have you been together with Rakan?'

'Few years now. He used to be a performer that would dance at towns and villages in front of an audience. Both humans and Vastaya were mad for him. I was there once at one of his performances. Honestly, at the time I thought people was just overreacting to him. He wasn't bad by any means, but I couldn't quite understand why everyone was screaming and cheering for him. Maybe that's just the kind of person I am though. But Rakan told me that he spotted me amongst the crowd, and despite all the other women showing their passion for him, his eyes fell for the person only giving him a couple of glances. He approached me later and decided to accompany me on my travels.'

'Oh, so you're together?' said Sun. 'I don't know you too at all, but you seem really cute together.

'Xayah gave a faint smile. 'Thanks. I bet you two are really sweet as well.'

Blake wished greatly that Xayah did not push the idea of them being a couple forward, but there wasn't much reason to fight it and insist otherwise. Deep down, she knew that there was something, however small, that enjoyed Sun's company.

'Thanks to you too.' Sun replied cheerfully. 'She still plays hard-to-get, but she'll give in one day.'

Blake grunted and punched Sun lightly in the shoulder. 'Sun, please just be quiet.'

'Heh, see what I mean?' Sun laughed.

'It's okay, Blake. I know exactly how you feel.' said Xayah. 'Rakan was ruffling my feathers for quite a while when we started going out together, but like I said, I wouldn't change anything about him. I don't think he realised what he was getting himself into, by giving up his old career and dedicating himself to my cause, but he's shown no regrets so far.'

'Her cause?' Blake thought to herself. She opened to mouth to vocalise the question, but was interrupted by a weird sound.

Rakan returned from the trees, juggling four pieces of pinkish fruits and singing what sounded like gibberish. 'Here, catch!'
He threw one piece of fruit upwards and swung his wing at it. The fruit flew towards Blake; she opened her hands and caught it just in time.
Rakan then did the same to Sun, who caught his with much more ease.

Blake and Sun both examined their fruits whilst Xayah and Rakan instantly munched their way through theirs.
It was a particularly large and seemed like a cross between an apple and a peach.

'You two never eaten one of those before?' Xayah asked, noticing that they were observing the fruit rather than eating it.

'Nope.' said Sun. Both he and Blake shook their heads.

'Wow, you've seriously been missing out then.' said Rakan as he sat back down next to Xayah. 'Ionian Shon-Xan fruits of life – the best thing you've ever eaten, well besides chocolate, which is admittedly one of the most stellar things about human food.'

'Ionian!' They had made it to their destination, but where was everyone else? 'They can wait though. Let's eat this fruit first.' Blake took a small bite out of the fruit, savouring the taste by moving her tongue across the piece in her mouth. It was incredibly juicy and tasted like a mixture of different berries imbued with the sweetness of a sugarcane. Mouth-watering did not adequately describe how delicious it was.

'Mmm, this is really good.' Sun commented.

'It truly is.' Blake agreed.

'Glad you like it. If you didn't, there's definitely something wrong with your taste buds.' said Rakan.

'Are these things hard to come by, or are they quite common?' Sun asked.

'They grow everywhere, even in other regions in Ionia. Even if you've never had the luxury of eating one before, surely you've at least seen the fruit trees it grows on?'

'We haven't, sorry to say…' Blake replied. Both she and Sun could sense that they would soon have some explaining to do.

'Really?' Rakan exclaimed in disbelief. 'Where have you two been living all your life?'

'…umm.'

'Also noticed that you're both wearing shoes. Xayah thinks I'm crazy for wanting shoes; red ones that is. Had no idea that shoes were fashionable with some Vastaya.'

'They're not.' said Xayah with suspicion crawling into her tone.

'Please forgive me, but may I ask what is a Vastaya?' Blake asked.

Xayah clicked her tongue. 'Are you playing dumb with me?'

'No, really, I'm not. Do you know what a Vastaya is, Sun?'

'Can't say I do.' Sun replied.

Xayah and Rakan exchanged puzzled looks with each other.

'Both of you are Vastaya, aren't you?' Rakan asked. 'You got cat ears, and you've got a monkey tail.' He pointed at Blake's head and Rakan's bottom. 'There's no way you're humans; that's for sure.'

'Yeah, we're not humans.' Blake confirmed. 'But Sun and I aren't Vastaya either.'

'If you're neither human or Vastaya, what are you then?' Xayah asked interrogatively.

'We're Faunus.' Blake answered anxiously.

'Explain to me what Faunus is.' Xayah ordered.

'…basically humans but with some body parts resembling animals.'

'That's exactly what a Vastaya is.' Xayah went on. 'Where do you come from? You're wearing human clothes and you don't speak Baraashi. Is "Faunus" another given name to Vastaya?'

It was Blake and Sun's turn to exchange glances.

'Who's gonna do the explaining? You or me?' Sun asked Blake.

'I'll do it…' said Blake. She readjusted her attention straight at Xayah and Rakan. 'I'm going to be as truthful as I can about this.' she took a deep breath. 'We're from another world.'

Xayah frowned and within a split-second stood up, with three glowing, razor-sharp feathers in her left hand.

Blake and Sun both scrambled back, eying the cold look on Xayah's face.

'Easy, easy there, Xayah.' said Rakan. He stood up and pushed Xayah's hand down to her side. 'Let's listen to what they have to say first.'

'They're aliens. They can't be trusted.' Xayah said venomously. Her eyes were locked firmly on Blake and her neck.

Blake and Sun tensed their muscles. They still ached from the tree, but if they needed to spring into action, they would be ready.

'If they were a threat, they probably would've done something by now. 'C'mon, sit down and let Blake finish.'

'Fine.' Xayah let the blades retract into her sleeves.

'Don't mind her. Xayah can be really paranoid at times.' Rakan said apologetically.

'I'm not paranoid, just cautious.' Xayah said indignantly.

They both sat back down, and Rakan beckoned Blake and Sun to come forward.

Gingerly they shuffled themselves back to Xayah and Rakan.

'Sorry…' Xayah muttered. 'A lot has happened in my life, so I'm always on the alert.'

'It's fine. I'm kind of like that too.' Blake responded.

'I see. Well, forget that ever happened.' said Xayah. 'You were saying that you and Sun are from another world.'

'Yes. An entirely different planet for that matter. You may find it hard to believe, but our planets have been merged together.'

'You're right, I do find it hard.'

'Please, Xayah, we have no reason to be lying to you.' Blake pleaded.

'Even if you didn't, how do two planets get stuck to each other?'

'Did you feel any earthquakes about a week ago? Or have you noticed that each day and night is longer than before? Or even that there are now two moons in the sky a night – one of which being shattered?'

'Hmm…' Xayah murmured and fiddled with her ears.

'She's got a good point. All of that has happened.' Rakan pointed out.

'Alright, Blake. You got me there. I'll take your word for now. Then tell me how and why you came here?'

Blake organised her explanation in her head before speaking. 'After our planets merged together, a few people from Runeterra came to our planet, Remnant, and we met with them. You said that this place is Ionia, By any chance then, have you ever met a man called Shen?'

"Shen…" Xayah rolled the name over in her head.

'Isn't that the guy who was once friends with that lousy shadow ninja?' Rakan speculated.

'Oh yeah… Zed. Pfft, disgusting man. Hope he dies to one of his own blades.'

'Wait a minute, did you say "Zed"?' Sun asked. 'Last night, when we were all sitting together and Shen was telling us about himself, he said that some guy called Zed killed his dad?'

'Yeah, he did.' Blake confirmed.

'Hmm, looks like we're getting somewhere.' said Xayah. 'Okay Blake, tell me more then. I can't really think why he would go all the way over to your planet, but if you know who he is and also know of Zed, then you're easing my suspicions. What happened after you met up with Shen?'

'We also met two other guys from Runeterra. Ryze and Atreus. Do you know who they are?'

'Can't say I do. How about you, Rakan?'

'No clue whatsoever. The world's a big place after all.'

'Never mind, it doesn't matter.' Blake continued. 'When we realised our planets had been merged, we decided that it would be good to learn about each other's worlds. So this morning, Shen, Ryze and the rest of our friends set off on an airship to Runeterra.

'What's an airship?' Rakan asked. 'Some fancy ship made out of air?'

'Oh, um, no it's a ship that flies in the air.' Blake explained.

'Ships sail on water, I'm pretty sure.'

'In Remnant, there are ships which actually fly.'

'Damn, that's some impressive magic. I'm impressed.' Rakan nodded.

'Not really, it's technology.'

'Huh, seriously? That's lame.'

'You said that you came along with friends, Shen and that other guy.' Xayah interjected. 'What happened to them and your ship? And for that matter, how come you two were falling from the sky?'

'I'm not really sure. Ionia was our destination, actually. But just before we got here, a… dragon came out of the sky and destroyed our ship. We got blown up into the air and then we fell. I only managed to save me and Sun by grappling around a tree with my weapon.'

'Dragons? I've never seen a dragon before in Ionia.' Xayah commented.

'We honestly don't know what it was, but I think Ryze mentioned its name. I can't recall what it was though. Can you, Sun?'

'Nope, and we couldn't really see it from the angle we were at. All I remember is that it was pretty terrifying. Uh, not that I was scared scared, but the fact that we almost fell to our deaths afterwards definitely makes it more of a big deal.'

'That, and we don't know where anyone else is.' Blake added. 'Like you said, we only lived because I used those trees to our advantage. But what about the others? They may not have survived. I just can't… bare the idea of losing everyone because of all of this.'
Blake fought hard to keep emotions in check. The thought of her team being disfigured bodies on the ground made her shake, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks.

Sun put his arm over her shoulders. 'It's okay Blake, I'm sure they're fine.' he said softly. 'Knowing all of them, they're probably fine. Weiss has her awesome glyphs; Yang has her gauntlets, Ruby's got her scythe. They're all Huntsmen and Huntresses, aren't they?'

'If we're being brutally honest, do you think Jaune would've known how to survive a fall from the sky?'

'Umm, maybe?' Sun replied hesitantly.

'He's definitely improved since he began to Beacon, but on the day of our initiation, we were launched from these launch pads into the Emerald Forest and we're supposed to use our "own landing strategy", as Professor Ozpin put it. Apparently Jaune was helpless. He only made it with no broken bones because Pyrrha managed to pin him to a tree by his hoodie with her spear.'

'Really? Well I see what you mean. I'm also very worried about Neptune. If he fell into the sea… you know.'

'You see what I mean? We might be the only ones alive, with no way of getting back home…'

'Hey, cheer up Blake.' said Rakan. He shuffled closer to Blake until he was sitting right in front of her. 'Like Sun said, don't assume that they're gone. Think with positivity and confidence; that's the only way to live. If they're alive and well, we'll find them, together. That's a promise from me to you. Okay?'

Blake wiped away the tears from her face. 'Okay. Thank you, Rakan.' she said and gave a faint but earnest smile.

'Great! I can already see it: the unstoppable team of two romantic Vastayan couples! Xayah and Rakan, Blake and Sun! Nothing shall come between us!'

'Okay.' Blake said, unsure of how to respond to Rakan's sudden ebullience.

'Sounds good. I can get behind that.' said Sun with more enthusiasm.

'What a guy! You see, ladies? This is what I'm talking about. You make friends by being friendly. Simple, isn't it?'

'Sure…' Xayah muttered.

'By the way Sun, I've been dying to say this ever since I first laid my eyes on you. You have some amazing abs! I am genuinely impressed.'

Wow, cheers Rakan!' said Sun. 'Yours aren't bad either.'

'My man! It's official: you're the best guy I've ever met. Come here, give me one!' Rakan stood up and gestured with his hands at his chest.

Sun knew exactly what this meant. He got to his feet too, and without saying a word to each other, they bumped their chests together. They laughed, put their arms around each other's shoulders, with Rakan on the left, and Sun on the right and began walking slowly forward together, away from Xayah and Blake.

'I reckon you and I are gonna get along just fine, if not much better!' said Rakan cheerfully.

'I couldn't agree more! Sun concurred.

Xayah watched them and rolled her eyes. 'Ugh, men…'

'Tell me about it.' Blake agreed.

'So, what do we do now?' said Rakan. He and Sun turned back round and went back to the girls. 'Shall we go off and find our new friend's friends? There's no better time than this present daylight.'

'Rakan, these two hit a tree, remember? They should be resting for now.'

'Hm. Blake, Sun, what do you feel like doing right now?'

'I up for doing some searching.' said Sun.

'Me too. We can't afford to sit around, thinking only about ourselves.' Blake nodded.

'That settles it then. C'mon Xayah, let's start our search. It'll also be a good opportunity to show these two Ionia's beauty in all its majesty.'

'Alright, alright. Just don't go too hard on them.'

'They'll be fine. They're tough cookies.'

Xayah and Blake got up – picking up Gambol Shroud as well – and went to stand by Rakan and Sun.

'Which way do we go then?' Rakan brought forth.

'Umm, how about that way?' Xayah pointed to their right.

'Towards the sea?'

'Presumably Blake and Sun came here from across the ocean. It'd be best to start close by.'

'Yeah, sure. That sounds like a plan. Glad I thought of it.'

'Hey, before we go, I just want to say thanks.' Blake said heartfeltly. 'I don't know what we would be doing without you two helping us.'

'Yep, what she said.' Sun agreed.

'No problem. Us Vastaya have got to stick together after all… or whatever you said you were. Faunus?' said Rakan.

'That's the one. Blake confirmed.

They took one last look at the forest clearing before they set off and strolled through the trees. Despite the trees and branches preventing any sunlight from hitting the ground, beautiful green grass and little flowers grew from the soil. Blake and Sun stared in awe at their surroundings, like a child seeing a majestic creature for the first time. Amidst the concern for their friends, Blake and Sun found room for joyous fascination.

'I can tell you're in love.' Rakan said suddenly.

'What do you mean?' Blake asked.

'With the trees that is. Wait until see the rest of Ionia. You're in for a treat – that's for sure.'


Within only a few minutes they exited the forest, unveiling part of Ionia's landscape in all of its gorgeous splendour. Even more perfectly green grass, with streaks of rose red. The rocks were alive with flowers growing on them, sets of tall trees that were woven by magic into various different shapes. The sky was perfectly blue, with only a few wispy clouds and the sun's light illuminated everything around them into an even more vivid display.

'It's amazing…' Blake sniffed. 'Are there other places in Runeterra like this?'

'Not really. Ionia's unique in that sense.' said Xayah. 'Magic and the spirits are intertwined with nature in Ionia, creating these otherwise unimaginable landscapes. It's a shame though that parts of it have been desecrated by humans over the years.'

'Really? How so?'

'I guess I should probably tell you more about myself. The way I see it, this is our land: the Vastaya's. We were here first and flourished in its magic. But then the humans came and declared it their own. They soiled the land and disrupted the harmony, and their first encounter with the Vastaya began with blind prejudice. I saw how they were treating our people and our land, and I refused to just let it happen. At first I tried to reason with them, but when they first saw me, they immediately turned to thuggery, out of fear and ignorance. They tried to steal my feathers and called in their authoritative figures to have me arrested. Idiots. They got on the wrong side of me, so I stabbed them all with the very things they wanted to take. After I returned to my home, I saw that it had been cursed by shadow magic and my tribe were gone. I was forced to destroy the temple to dispel the magic, but my tribe were still missing, so I left and travelled all across Ionia, destroying human strongholds and instilling feathers into those who blocked my path. They call me unnecessarily violent, but I do it to free our kind from their defilement on Ionia.'

Blake and Sun listened intently. Xayah's story was strongly resonating with them.

'Not all humans are bad; I've seen some good ones, but my tolerance of them was tested when this land was invaded by the Noxians. Noxus is a foul nation driven by imperialism and conquest, and they had the audacity to try and take Ionia for themselves. The only saving grace is how the Ionians, humans at that, fought hard to drive out the Noxians. I'll admit that I have respect for the girl who valiantly led Ionia to victory. And then, of course, I met the love of my life, at the show in the town of Vlonqo. Like I said earlier, I was dismissive at first, but he followed me and saved me from an ambush by a bunch of mercenaries.'

'Wait, when did you tell them about that?' Rakan asked curiously.

'When you went to get those fruits, I told Blake and Sun about how we met.'

'Oh, right. Carry on then.'

'And then he kind of just stuck to me. I didn't want his help, but he insisted that he just wanted some action, and he proved to be very useful in any infiltrations and battles we did. I grew to like him over time, and that's how we're where we are now.'

'You forgot to mention one thing.' said Rakan.

'What is it?'

'The fact that you and I have never been happier.'

Xayah put her hand into Rakan's and they rubbed their heads against each other. 'What about you two then? Got any interesting stories to share about yourselves?' Xayah questioned.

'I'm just a guy, honestly.' said Sun. 'Blake's the one with a richer childhood, right?'

In front of anyone else, Blake would have been disinclined to share her past. She had felt this way even with her own teammates. But learning about Xayah and the Vastaya unlocked a sense of fellowship she had only ever felt with Sun when they had their first cup of tea together in Vale. 'I guess so. In Remnant, humans and Faunus have existed alongside one another for about as long as history recalls. But humans have always treated our species as lesser beings – as nothing more than dirt and slaves at worst. Not too long ago, the Faunus started a revolution in retaliation to the humans' attempts at isolating us to a small continent. In the aftermath of the war, the Faunus were allowed to live alongside humans in the other Kingdoms, but we were still being treated as nothing more than animals. Longstanding cultural ignorance. As a result, the Faunus formed an organisation, known as the "White Fang", which I was pretty much born into. It was meant to unify humans and Faunus together through reasoning, peaceful protests and persistent demands for equality, and I was there from childhood, alongside all the other Faunus. But it all proved to be fruitless. In spite of everything we did, the humans wouldn't let go of their prejudices.'

Now, Xayah and Rakan were listening keenly, bewildered that these species from another planet were undergoing a similar, perhaps even worse, situation.

'Just over five years ago, the White Fang's leader stepped down, and a new one took his place, with a far more radical way of thinking. She viewed the peaceful ideologies of the White Fang to be weak and ineffective. Within only a few weeks of her induction, the White Fang turned to acts of violence: ones that went far beyond what was necessary, but it was working. For the first time ever, humans were regarding Faunus as equals, but out of fear, not respect. It was a difficult decision to make, for many reasons, but I left because I wanted to disassociate myself with an organisation that became a shadow of what it once strived to be. And in the years following, I dedicated my life to become a Huntress and attended an academy designed to train people to fight, slay monsters and defend those around them. Sun is also a Huntsmen, just like me. We met when his academy came to visit mine. And that's about it. Do you have anything else to add, Sun?'

'Not really. I think you've covered it all.'

'Blake, what can I say? It's amazing to think that you and your kind are going through a similar ordeal as ours, and I'm proud that you took an active part in it, but was it the right thing to do, to turn your back on it because of the organisation's violent methods, especially when it was making progress?' said Xayah. 'Sometimes violence is necessary to achieve your goals.'

'It was excessive, Xayah. I can guarantee you that if you saw for yourself what the White Fang were doing, you would understand why I left. It was my decision to make, but don't think that I've given up entirely. I am still fighting to uphold the rights of the Faunus, and to preserve peace wherever I can.'

Xayah nodded. 'Yeah, I understand, and I'll respect your choice. Just remember that, regardless of how you go about it, never stop fighting for what you believe in.'

Blake nodded back. 'Absolutely.'

'This is wonderful! We have so much in common!' Rakan exclaimed cheerfully. 'It's like we were destined to meet each other!'

'It honestly does.' Sun concurred. 'I'm still worried about the rest of our friends, but I don't think we could've found anyone better to run into.'

'My, my Sun. I say goddamn! You see Blake, you are so lucky to have him!'

'I think the same could be said about you.' Sun returned. 'Xayah's incredibly lucky, if not luckier.'

'This man. This man of culture and class!' Rakan put his arm over Sun's shoulders again. 'I just knew we would become good friends!'


The sound of waves lapsing on the rocks soon encroached on their ears. They approached the sandy shore and looked out towards the sea. On either side of them, there were two smaller islands a few miles off the coast. Even at that distance, they could make out some of the nature residing on its own landscapes, a beautiful view, but also a moment of perturbed realisation.

'You know, it's just dawned on me how much area we might have to search.' Rakan said.

'You were the one who made that promise.' Xayah reminded him.

'Of course. I have no intention of breaking it, but we have a lot of ground to cover, just saying.' Rakan squeezed Xayah's hand. 'Maybe we should split up and search in different places.' he proposed.

'No.' Xayah said adamantly. 'If we do, we'll just complicate things if we want to get back together.'

'Alright, we'll stick together. Where do we go from here then?'

'We'll be systematic. Let's go to Ralin Island.' said Xayah, pointing to the island on their left.

'How are we getting over there?' Blake asked. 'Swimming?'

'Heck no. I ain't ruining my cloak.' Rakan answered. 'Look, there's a boat over there!' Rakan indicated with his left forefinger at a small rowing boat sitting on their sand, about a hundred metres away from them to their left. Rakan dashed towards it, stopping before it and examined the white woodwork. It had four sets of thwarts to sit on, a finely crafted bow and a perfect line of symmetry down the middle. 'This should do.' he said once the other three had caught up. 'It's got two oars, no holes as far as I can see, and there appears to be no spirit in the wood. Gonna assume that whoever made this got permission from the tree.'

'Is it okay to just take it?' Blake questioned.

'I don't see anyone watching over it, and even if someone was, are you gonna let a lack of consent to use a boat stop you from finding your friends?'

'When you put it that way, I guess not.'

'That's what I like to hear.' Rakan beamed. 'Now, let's move it closer to the water.'

The four of them grabbed the sides of the boat and carried it so that half of the boat was in the water and the other half was still on the sand.

'Because I'm a gentleman, I'll row.' Rakan offered ingratiatingly. 'But Sun, I need you to push the boat for me.'

'You got it, boss.'

Rakan sat in the middle and put the oars through the outriggers, facing towards the shore. Blake and Xayah sat together directly behind him, leaving room for Sun at the back of the boat.

'Okay Sun, push on three.' Rakan ordered. 'One. Two. Three!'

Sun kicked his legs against the sand and pushed with his arms until the boat was completely afloat on the water. He then jumped and swung his legs over the stern and sat down in front of Rakan. They winked at each other.

Rakan entered an even rowing stroke, as though he had done it many times before. 'Off we go! Just make sure that I steer towards the island.'

'Got it.' said Xayah.

The smell of a magically imbued sea found their noses. Thankfully the island was not too far away, but the sea's surprisingly pleasant aroma and their own company would make the journey enjoyable. Hopefully it would not be long before Blake and Sun were reunited with at least one or two of their friends.