Chapter 35 – In the Grasp of Ignorance

The wind whipping against her face made Weiss' hairs stand on end as if she had been frozen solid. At first, she had been disoriented and even frightened, but now she had reacquired control of her own body. The earth beneath her was getting closer. This was just like initiation at Beacon, but on a much more extreme level. She focused on a point diagonally in front of her, and created a glyph. Her feet made contact and she hopped off of it to soften her momentum. She then conjured a black one, positioning it perfectly for her to land in the centre. Weiss slipped through it, and conjured five more directly beneath her. Each one slowed her fall down progressively, until she was able to land gently on the grass.

Weiss wiped sweat from her brow. It felt good to be on solid ground again. The biggest question though was what ground she was even on. Weiss swept the region she found herself in. Green grass in a rather flat plain, with only eight trees and three bushes in view, and to her right, in the far distance, were the beginnings of grey mountains. It could be considered a rather pretty, but overall dull landscape. This was irrelevant however. Weiss had no idea where she was, or what had happened to the rest of her group. She rubbed her forefinger across her arm as she tried to remember.
'So, we got up, and went to get one of Ironwood's ships. Then we took off and flew for about seven hours to Ionia. But before we could land, some "dragon" came down and destroyed the ship. I remember my head spinning and at some point recall being able to comprehend that I was in the air. And now, I'm here…'

Weiss took deep breaths. 'Okay Weiss, calm down. Panicking won't do anything good. I've just got to figure out what I should do now.'
The trouble was that nothing inclined her one way over the other. What she wanted most was to find someone that she knew. 'Hmm, maybe I should head for the mountains. If I scale them, I could get a better view of the area.'
Walking along the stretch to the mountains was not super comfortable, considering that heels and grass do not mix, but Weiss managed. Fighting in heels was perfectly normal to her, so what did a long stroll mean?

She reached the mountain, all while keeping hold of her composure. All she had to do now was ascend. Thankfully, it was not particularly steep. No glyphs were required here: only Myrtenaster to keep her steady. As she climbed, Weiss let her mind wander and thought back to Beacon Academy. She had only been there for roughly a year, but so much had transpired, and she had had plenty of opportunities to train her skills as a Huntress. Not only that, but it was the first time in her entire life where Weiss had been in a place that she felt like she could call "Home", and with people that she could call "Family". Of course, she meant not to undermine her relationship with her older sister and mother, but she did not particularly get along well with her younger brother and especially her father. Even though her relationship with her teammates had been rocky at first, Weiss had grown to both love and admire Ruby, Blake and Yang, and this was not even the full extent of her friendship. Team JNPR was a pleasure to be around, she had mingled with people in the years above, and even interacted with students from the other Kingdoms.

It made her feel melancholic therefore that her home was now no more. Knowing that her time at Beacon had been cut short brought a tear to her eye. She would never forget that fateful night: a perpetual blur of chaos and dishevelled conflict. The volume of screams from the citizens, and the overwhelming number of Grimm all roaring and screeching made her skin crawl. Yet all of this was nothing, absolutely nothing compared to the sudden appearance of Aatrox. His deafening voice still reverberated inside Weiss' head, and the mere thought of his imposing presence and pulsating sword made her quiver. Although Aatrox had not been the one to command the attack on Beacon, he had been the one to finish the job and bring global communication in Remnant to a screeching halt. What astonished her most of all was how a man was able to best him, whereas she, along with her peers, teachers, assistance from Ryze and the same man who defeated Aatrox once before, could not. It was scary to think that she was not only alone in an entirely different world, but in one that could house monsters like Aatrox and superhumans like Pantheon. Who was to say what other ridiculous things she would find in Runeterra?
In spite of all this though, she somewhat felt happier being out here all on her own, rather than being under her father's roof again. It was depressing to think of it in such a way, but even though Aatrox had destroyed her home, at least she was not back in her prison in Atlas.

Weiss reached the top. The wind was a bit stronger up there, and she had to hold her ponytail to stop it from being blown into her face. She gazed at the land. In front of her, she saw that there were even more mountains, although these ones were much higher than the one that she stood on. She could not see anything other than the grassy plains behind her and to her right, but on her left, something caught her eye. It was hard to make out, but it looked like a large, city encapsulated in pristine, white walls.

'Hmm… maybe I should head there.' Weiss pondered. 'Maybe I could find food, water and a place to stay or someone to help me. But… what the people there aren't very nice?'
It was certainly a possibility, but it was more likely to that she would find something useful there than in the barren grasslands. 'Well, it's worth a try. Hopefully I won't look too out of place.'

She made her decision, but before she could begin climbing back down the mountain, she noticed something coming into focus. It had come from the direction of the white-walled city and was moving extremely quickly across the ground towards the mountain. Weiss bent her knees and put her hand around Myrtenaster. She took another look at whatever it was that was approaching. Before she knew it, it began rapidly going up the mountain. Weiss leaped out of the way just in time, landing sharply on her back. She winced and then felt something drop gently onto her face. She grabbed it with her left hand. 'A large blue feather?'

Whatever had just rushed past her began to descend downwards. It was a large, blue bird, carrying a fully-grown woman with its talons. The woman was mildly pretty. She was protected with dark armour, a golden helmet and shoulder pads, and a short blue cape on her back. In her left hand, she held an oddly shaped crossbow that was crafted to resemble a bird in flight. Both the woman and the bird eyed Weiss with a mixture of curiosity, caution and concern.

'Are you alright?' the woman asked as her feet made contact with the mountain.

'You startled me, but I'm fine otherwise.' Weiss replied.

'Sorry about that, but what on earth are you doing out here on your own?'

There was a tone in the woman's voice, which suggested that she thought Weiss was girl who was unable to defend herself. It made Weiss want to snap at her, but she restrained the impulse. After all, if they could communicate with each other, she could prove to be a big help. 'I… I'm lost.' Weiss said simply. It was the truth.

The woman looked at Myrtenaster with intrigue. 'Are you a Laurent?' she asked.

'No?' Weiss returned, unsure of what she meant.

'What house do you belong to then? Surely a girl like yourself has no business here in the outskirts.'

'Oh gosh, what do I say to her?' 'Uhh… I'm not from here. I was doing some travelling and I climbed this mountain so that I could get a better view of the area.'

'And where do you come from?' the woman persisted.

'Ah, crap. I'm sure that some of those guys yesterday mentioned names of places, but I don't remember any besides Ionia. Maybe I should make up a name, or just say Atlas. Hopefully she's not too knowledgeable about Runeterra.' Weiss tossed the idea around her head, but she couldn't be silent for too long, so she settled on: 'Atlas.'

'Cannot say I've heard of it.'

'Look, that doesn't matter. I got separated from my group, but right now I just need a place to rest. Do you come from there?' Weiss asked, pointing to the white-walled city.

'Yes. I, along with Valor here,' She pointed to the bird that was carrying her. 'are Demacia's elite ranger-knights. Please forgive me if I sound rude, but it's our duty to ensure that no dangers encroach on our Kingdom's borders. Looking at you so far, you seem to be fairly innocent, barring that rapier of yours. I suppose if you're travelling across Runeterra though, it's good to have a weapon of some sort. In my opinion though, you should rely more on others. When did you lose contact with your group?'

'Some time ago. I was hoping that they'd be in your city over there. Are people just allowed to walk in as they please?'

'Demacia's borders are heavily guarded at all times, and we're on particularly high vigilance currently, because some of our highest-ranking soldiers recently went on an expedition overseas, as well as a recent earthquake, but if you prove to be no threat, they should let you in without too many questions.'

'An earthquake?! So this place had felt the effects of the two worlds coming together as well…' 'That's good to know. I guess I'll be on my way then.'

'If you're planning on entering Demacia, I think it'd be best if I escort you.'

'Thanks, but I can handle myself. Plus, I don't want to occupy you for any longer, since you were probably going somewhere.'

'I insist that I do, because the walk from here to Demacia is longer than it looks, and you won't know your way around the city.'

Weiss sighed. 'Alright, I get your point, and I do need all the help I can get.'

'That settles it then. You need to get on Valor.'

The bird jumped off the woman's shoulders and landed on the floor.

'Wait, you actually want me to ride on this thing's back?' Weiss questioned.

'Don't underestimate his strength. Valor can pick up a deceivingly large amount, can't you Valor?'

Valor made a short screeching noise.

Weiss nodded. It seemed ridiculous, but there wasn't much point in arguing. Why say no to a free ride? She eased herself onto Valor. Once she was on, Valor immediately flapped his wings and hovered high enough so that the woman could get beneath them. Valor picked her up and they immediately went flying down the mountain, towards Demacia.

Weiss wasn't sure where she should hold on to. Would Valor mind if she put her arms around his neck? Fortunately, the flight to the walls was made very short by Valor's speed. It had been an intense ride for Weiss, but only for a fleeting moment. Once they had landed and Weiss got off Valor's back, he flew up and left them, going out of sight over the Kingdom's walls. As he went, the woman saluted.

Up-close, the walls were an absolute beauty to behold. Both the height and the white made Weiss' eyes water. To the far right, just outside of the walls, Weiss noticed a statue in the corner of her eye. To say that it was huge was as large of an understatement as the size of the statue itself: it was enormous! Even Aatrox looked tiny by comparison. The statue was shaped like a gargoyle and it had the same colour and finesse as the walls of the city, except for the wings and a few other areas across its body which were made out of gold. Whoever had helped contribute to sculpt this deserved just as grand of a medal. Although the figure being depicted was rather goofy looking, the finished product was nothing short of a work of art. Weiss wanted to stop and look at it in more detail, but she found herself being led to the gates with two armoured men stationed outside.

'Ah, Quinn. Back so soon? You had only just left.' the soldier on the left inquired.

'Yeah. Even you two can't finish a scouting mission that quickly.' the right soldier remarked jokingly.

'I wish. But that will have to wait. I met this young girl on my way out of the Kingdom, just a few minutes ago. She's a traveller and needs a place to stay.' Quinn explained.

The two guards looked at each other as if they were communicating telepathically, before returning their attention to Weiss.

'State your name please.' the left soldier ordered.

Hesitantly, she said 'Weiss.'

'And your family name?'

'Schnee.'

'"Schnee". Pretty name. Alright, you may enter.' The two guards pushed the large gates inwards and gestured for them to go in.

'Thank you. Let's go then.' said Quinn.


Upon taking her first step inside, Weiss was instantly mesmerised by the sight. Virtually every building, all of different sizes, was made of the same, beautiful white stone. Each ones' architecture was an absolute masterpiece, with decals of swords and shields, people whom Weiss did not know, and other creatures that Weiss did not recognise.
Even on the edge of the city, it was bustling people who were walking about, going in and out of buildings. Weiss noticed that the majority of the people she saw were wearing rather noble-looking attire.

'Everything seems awfully aristocratic.' Weiss thought. 'Where are we heading to exactly?'

'Depends what you're in need of. Are you particularly hungry, thirsty, or do you just need a place to rest?' Quinn questioned.

'I would like to get something to eat, because I'm quite hungry. It's just that… I don't have any money to pay for things.'

'Are you serious? Surely you would be carrying some on your person?'

'Well, my group had all the money and supplies.' Weiss said impromptu. 'What do I do then?'

'You'd be hard pressed to find people giving away stuff for free here in the city centre, but we might as well have a look around and show you some of the landmarks.'

'That would be nice, yes. Are there any more statues like the one outside?'

'What, you mean Galio?'

'The giant one that looked like a gargoyle.'

'There are other statues on Demacia, mostly of former Demacian Kings or notable soldiers, but Galio is one of a kind. Did you like him?'

'Yes, he's wonderful. I wouldn't mind having another look at him at some point.'

Weiss and Quinn continued walking about, going towards different shops to see if anyone could spare some free food, but their search was fruitless. Weiss would have asked to borrow some money from Quinn, but considering that they had only just met this did not feel right. Weiss also made the observation that there were no beggars anywhere to be seen, unlike Mantle. Still though, Weiss continued to be awestruck by Demacia's structures. Many parts of Atlas were comparable to this, but what appeared to be an absence of any sophisticated technology made Demacia even more impressive.

Eventually, they arrived at the Grand Plaza. It was a large space with a finely, chiselled statue in the centre, of four different men standing with their backs against a staff with a big blue crystal at the top. A long stretch of blue had been painted from the statue to the end of the plaza, signifying some sort of walkway. The whole perimeter of the plaza was comprised of thin pillars, with a long roof of the white stone on top. It was all perfect for a painter or a photograph.

'Wow!' Weiss thought. She walked with her eyes darting from one part of the plaza to the other, whilst paying no real attention to everyone who was around her. She was already moving away from Quinn.

'Hey, Weiss, stay with me!' Quinn called out.

Weiss continued to roam the plaza, her head still in this magical dream. She was almost skipping at that point. She kept going in a straight line, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

'Weiss, watch yourself!' Quinn cried.

Weiss was abruptly snatched back to her senses. She went straight into a woman's back, causing her to drop a pot of flowers that she was holding. It made a loud smashing sound and cracked into fourteen different pieces. The soil splashed over the ground and the little red flowers went limp. The woman turned around and glared as Weiss. 'What do think you're doing?! Watch where you're going!' she said angrily.

'S-sorry. I didn't mean to make you drop it.' Weiss said quickly.

'I paid good money for this, and now it is ruined!' She carried a thick accent that Weiss found slightly difficult to understand.

Weiss backed away, holding her hands out defensively. The last thing she wanted right now was to cause a scene. The woman was sprucely dressed, with long, black tights, a sleeveless, white top over a vest of light armour, and a long red and white cape dangling behind her back from her left shoulder. Her hair was short was dark, but the front had been died pink. She was quite majestic, save for her belligerent demeanour and the rapier, which she carried in a sheath by her left hip.

She strode forward, then grabbed Weiss' hair and pulled down on it. 'You had better go back home and get your mommy to give me a repayment!'

The tug made Weiss' blood boil. 'Hey! Don't touch my hair like that!' She swatted the woman's hand away and shoved her hard on her shoulders. She stumbled back and stepped on the stems of the flowers with her right foot and squashed it.

Fumingly, she unsheathed her rapier and pointed the tip straight at Weiss' nose. 'Ugh, you insolent, little girl! I'll have your head for this!'

Everyone in the plaza stopped what they were doing and began focusing on the tension being built up between Weiss and the rapier-wielding woman.

Quinn rushed to Weiss' side. 'Easy there, Fiora! She didn't mean to do anything!'

'Keep out of this, Quinn!' the woman barked. 'This brat made me drop my expensive pot, and then had the audacity to shove me hard so that I stepped on the flower and killed it!'

'It was an accident, and you pulled on my hair!' Weiss snapped back. 'You have no right to touch me like that!'

'Silence, you pest!' Fiora shouted. 'Do not waste your breath; use that dinky little sword of yours to fight me in a duel, so that I may shut you up for good!'

'Don't be ridiculous, Fiora!' said Quinn. 'There's no need for this. We can go and get you another one, can't we Weiss?' But to her surprise, Weiss had pulled out her own rapier and was pointing it directly at Fiora's own. 'No Weiss, don't do this! You don't know what you're up against!' Quinn pleaded.

'Hmph, neither does she.'

Weiss and Fiora glared at each other. Quinn backed away anxiously and joined the big circle of people that gathered around them. There was no stopping them.

'Prepare to die…' said Fiora sinisterly.

'Wait, what?! We're fighting to the death?! All because of a pot of flowers?!' Weiss' nerves began to stir. She was more than a formidable huntress, but Quinn was right: Weiss herself had no idea what Fiora was capable of. Runeterra was a home to individuals like Pantheon. Was Fiora in any way similar to Atreus? Regardless though, Weiss was not going to yield. Her indignation at Fiora's attitude prohibited this.

Without warning, Fiora lunged forward, thrusting her rapier at Weiss' heart. Weiss sidestepped. She could tell where Fiora had been aiming: she was genuinely going for the kill. Fiora quickly pulled her rapier back and impelled it again at Weiss. With perfect timing, Weiss swung Myrtenaster up and parried Fiora's attack. Fiora grunted, which could be heard over the clash of their blades, because the crowd had gone silent.

'What is wrong with these people?! Is this normal entertainment for them?' Weiss wondered. She took a few steps back, clenching Myrtenaster tightly. She did not want to kill Fiora: only teach her a lesson, but if she forced her hand, then Weiss would not hold back.

Fiora jumped forward again. This time, she aimed for Weiss' stomach. Weiss swung Myrtenaster, deflecting the blade with ease. She then retaliated and hit Fiora right where she had been aiming.

Fiora staggered back and made a brief shout of pain. She clutched the spot where she had been hit. Weiss had poked a hole in her top, and even pierced the armour beneath. A spot of blood was on her hand. 'Huh, not bad, little girl, but let's see how long you can keep this up. En garde!' She threw herself at Weiss and attacked her with a hail of jabs.

Weiss managed to block the first four, but had been caught off guard by Fiora's ferocity. The remaining six all hit their mark, but Weiss thankfully had an added form of defence, which Fiora did not know about and had no equivalent.
Fiora drew back her rapier, puzzled. Weiss' body flickered with white light for only a second, however it was long enough for everyone to see it.

'What?' Fiora thought. 'What was that around her?'

Weiss let a smirk form across her face. With the few precious seconds of not being engaged in combat, she took the information she had gained about Fiora's fighting style so far to determine how she should play the remainder of the battle. 'She's slightly taller than me, so I should use that to my advantage. I have more areas I can hit. She has less. She's also very aggressive – probably not so good when on the defensive. If I wait for her to attack, I'll make sure that she doesn't hit me again.'

'Fiora once more dashed at Weiss and thrust her rapier forward. Weiss blocked, however Fiora this time was unphased. Instead of stabbing, she began to swing it. Weiss followed the blade's every movement with her own, but with difficulty. Fiora was swinging ludicrously fast. In the blink of an eye, she suddenly stepped to Weiss' right and continued her attack. Weiss reacted and swung Myrtenaster back. Fiora was now constantly darting around Weiss. She was so fast that it seemed like she was attacking her from all sides at once. Weiss jumped back, but Fiora followed, sticking to Weiss like an angry bee. They exchanged blows, rushing back and forth, left and right, all across the circle at blinding speed. Fiora was fast, much faster than Wiess had expected. She was definitely on par with the agility of professional Huntsmen and Huntresses. She would even give Winter a run for her money.

The problem was that Fiora was the one dictating the fight. Weiss was just about keeping up, but extended combat with a weapon like Myrtenaster, which was better for quick skirmishes, was not her speciality. Although not tired, her precision was faltering. Fiora was alternating between jabs and swings, forcing Weiss to concentrate extra hard on her positioning. She was relentless, not giving Weiss any opportunities to attack.

Fiora herself was rather impressed with Weiss. She had not fought anyone this tenacious and skilled since a masked man wielding a lamppost had come to Demacia. She didn't know what was more impressive: fighting with a lamppost or fighting with heels. 'Heels probably.' However, it presented the perfect weakness.

It was against customs, but Weiss was clearly not going to back down. Swiftly, Fiora kicked her right leg. Weiss gasped and flailed her arms to stop herself from falling over, but now she was completely exposed. Fiora swung her rapier up at Weiss' sword hand. Myrtenaster flew out of her grip and landed several metres behind. She then swung down. The tip of the blade ripped through the skin on Weiss' face, just below her right eye, missing it by barely a centimetre. Then, with full force, she thrust the rapier and hit Weiss squarely in the chest. She was sent backwards and landed painfully on her back, sliding across the ground for a few metres.

Weiss' aura was almost gone. Her ears were ringing loudly enough that she could not hear the gasps of shock from the crowd. She felt the cut along her cheekbone, followed by the puncture wound in her chest. Blood was tricking out of both.

'Submit, you have already lost!' said Fiora gloatingly.

Weiss looked over her left right shoulder and saw Myrtenaster lying on the ground. It was just within her reach. She rolled it over to her with her fingers and used it to help her stand up.

'A fighter, to ze bitter end? Too bad that your determination will not help you, you silly little girl.'

'Shut up!' Weiss exploded. She cycled through the chambers in Myrtenaster, selecting the blue Dust. Weiss had intended to win the duel on her own steam with nothing other than Myrtenaster and skill. Fiora was too tough though. 'Time to use the big guns.'

Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground. Ice Dust shot across the floor towards Fiora and caught her feet.

'W-what is this?!' she yelled as her feet and legs froze. The ice crawled up her body until only her head was free.

Weiss followed up by summoning nine separate white glyphs around the circle. With Fiora frozen helplessly in the centre, Weiss held out Myrtenaster and commanded the glyphs to shoot large shards of ice Dust. After eighteen consecutive hits, Weiss lunged forward and hit Fiora on her abdomen. She was sent flying into the crowd, where a few Demacians caught her just before she hit the ground.

Weiss stood up straight, all the while panting heavily. Although she was scathed and had to resort to using everything she had at her disposal, she had won. Weiss half-expected the crowd to be cheering or applauding, but it was quite the opposite. Instead, everyone was whispering to each other, though not very quietly.

'What just happened? How did she do that?'
'Who is that girl, and where did she come from?'
'She defeated the Grand Duellist, Fiora?!'
'Wait a minute, was that magic?'
'Is she a… mage?'

The whispers rose to a conversational volume.

Weiss yelped as she felt an excruciatingly sharp pain enter left leg, just below the knee. She fell to her hands and knees, looked down and saw a short arrow halfway through her leg. She then peered in the direction in which it had been shot from and saw Quinn with her crossbow in hand. Quinn had a mixture of sadness and anger on her face. 'Quinn! What was that for?! Why did you-'

'She's a mage!' A nearby man bellowed. The crowd erupted with tumultuous shouting and vitriolic comments aimed at Weiss.

'What's going on?! Are they mad at me for winning?' Poor Weiss had no idea what to do. She desperately wanted to turn invisible and run away.

'Alright, alright, make way! Professional mageseekers coming through!'.

A group of four people pushed through the crowd and entered the circle. All of them were wearing a uniform of white and blue, and half of a broken mask on their faces. Everyone lowered the voices upon their arrival. A stern looking, middle-aged man with fair hair was leading. The three men behind him appeared to be younger. Their version of sternness seemed more forced, giving the impression that they were new to whatever role of authority that they were playing. The young man bringing up the rear even looked timid.

'Now, what's all this commotion about?' the leading mageseeker asked.

'That girl's a mage! She defeated Miss Laurent with some sort of ice magic shooting out of these circles!' a woman in the crowd stated loudly.

'Is that so? Where is Miss Laurent?'

'She's over here! We're attending to her!' someone from the crowd shouted.

The group examined Weiss carefully. She looked up at them with confusion and apprehension. 'Are they the police?'

'So, you're a mage, are you?' the leading mageseeker asked austerely.

'N-no. What are you talking about?' Weiss replied.

'Do not play stupid with me, girl. This assembly bears eyewitness to you performing ice magic. There's no point in denying it.'

'Pardon me, Mr Crownguard, but should we not have an envoy check to see if she actually is a mage?' the young man at the back interjected.

'That will not be necessary. We have enough testimonies, so no further proof is needed. Cadstone, Bakker, cuff her.'

Cadstone brought out a pair of handcuffs made of the same white stone material as the entire city, linked together by a thick metal chain, whilst Bakker wrestled Weiss' arms behind her back.

'Hey! Get your hands off me!' Weiss yelled.

'Quiet, mage!' Bakker snapped and slapped her hard across the face. Cadstone put the cuffs around her wrists behind her back, and they made her stand up. She shrieked at the pain from the arrow in her leg. The rear mageseeker crouched down and gently removed it.

The leading mageseeker picked up Myrtenaster and inspected it briefly. 'Let's get moving, mage. You're in a lot of trouble.' he ordered coldly.

Weiss began to limp, with Cadstone and Bakker both holding on to her. She looked in Quinn's direction again.

Quinn shook her head at her and mouthed 'I'm sorry...'


Weiss was practically staggering after only a few minutes of being dragged along. Soon, they arrived on an open courtyard, outside a palace. Once again, Demacia's architecture did not fail to strike fascination into Weiss, even in her predicament.

Two guards with white and gold-ridged armour let them enter. The inside of the palace was a splendour too magnificent for words: a wide hallway of white stone, with paintings of various Demacian landscapes in golden frames. Immediately on the left was a large statue of a bearded man with a crown, regal clothes, and a sword raised in his right hand. The name carved in the base of the statue was "King Jarvan I". It was a shame that they could not stop and look around. Weiss was led up a flight of stairs, and along a corridor until they arrived outside a polished door, which was labelled as "Throne Room". A man with a long black ponytail and an even longer spear in his hands was standing guard.

'Good afternoon, Mr Crownguard.' the soldier greeted.

'A good afternoon to you too, Xin Zhao.' Crownguard replied. 'I have business with His Majesty. Is he currently busy?'

'Not in any way. Please do enter.' Xin Zhao knocked on the door twice before opening it.

Crownguard walked inside, with Cadstone, Bakker, Weiss and the rear mage following. The throne room was not particularly big and had the dimensions of a cube. One large window on the right gave a view of the courtyard, with a desk and chair underneath it. At the back of the room, was a large throne, with who was presumably the King of Demacia sitting on top. It was definitely accurate to say that he was old. He wore a white robe, with a blue cape draped down to his knees. To his left stood a fairly young man, brown-haired man wearing decorated brown chest armour and spikey golden pauldrons.

Everyone, bar Weiss, bowed to the King. 'Greetings, Your Majesty.' said Crownguard.

'Hello, Mr Crownguard.' the King returned. 'Is something of good fortune or concern?'

'Much concern, to my dismay.' Crownguard replied. 'We have brought this girl here, because she was seen performing ice magic in the plaza, against Miss Laurent in a duel, and I thought it best that you decide what her fate should be.'

'"Ice magic?" the King repeated. 'What was the outcome of the duel?'

'Although she is alive, it appears that this girl bested Miss Laurent. However, I suspect that it was only the use of magic which scraped her the victory. This is the weapon that she was wielding.' Crownguard explained, and presented Myrtenaster for the King to see.

'Hmm… I see. Does she have anything to say for herself?' All eyed turned to Weiss.

She collected her thoughts, carefully planning what she wanted to say. 'Hello Your, um… Majesty. There's been a huge misunderstanding. I accidently walked into that woman and caused her to drop a flowerpot. She then went crazy and said that she would kill me, so I had to defend myself.'

'Public duels aren't advised, but also aren't strictly prohibited either.' said the King. 'The issue at hand is your use of elemental magic. All forms of magic are strictly prohibited in Demacia's borders. Furthermore, you practised offensive magic against a civilian. This is punishable by a life sentence or even death.'

Weiss gasped. 'Wait, you can't do that!'

Crownguard hit Weiss on the back of her head. 'You speak when you are spoken to!'

The King cleared his throat. 'Do you have any statements of defense?'

'Yes, actually.' said Weiss. 'What I did back there was not magic.'

'Don't lie!' Crownguard said exasperatedly. 'The law-abiding citizens of Demacia do not spread mistruths!'

The King raised his hand. 'Mr Crownguard, please. Let her finish and then we will make our verdict.'

'So, as I was saying, what everyone saw back there wasn't actually magic. I use this material called "Dust", which contains properties of elements. I have it contained inside my sword.'

'Apparently you conjured circles to shoot the ice as well. Care to explain that?' Crownguard pushed interrogatively.

'That's part of something called a "Semblance". You wouldn't understand since I'm not from here, but Semblances are like an individual person's superpower.'

'What you're saying is nothing short of magic.' the young man next to the King said.

'Exactly, she is a mage.' Crownguard agreed. 'She should be locked up immediately.'

The King stroked his chin. 'What is your name?' he asked.

'Weiss Schnee.'

'Well, Weiss, I'm sorry to say that if you're a mage in Demacian borders, you must be imprisoned. I've made my decision. Take her away to the dungeons and keep her weapon in the Arcane Registry.'

'Of course, Your Majesty. Thank you for your time.' Crownguard bowed. 'Time to go to where you belong, mage.'

Cadstone and Bakker picked Weiss off the ground and shoved her in the back and out the door.


The trek to the dungeons was even more tiresome for Weiss and her leg than it had been from the plaza to the palace. The rear mageseeker meanwhile had been ordered by Mr Crownguard to deliver Myrtenaster to the Arcane Registry and explain what it was.

Weiss began to feel sick when she was led down the stairs. All of the beauty of Demacia's architecture had been replaced by a ghastly atmosphere, which wasn't inviting in the slightest. The walls were grey and only illuminated partially by a few torches in brackets. Three wardens met with Weiss and the mageseekers. The senior one was quite old: bald with white moustache and goatee. He also wore a full suit of silver armour. The other two were much younger and wore identical suits of silver armour to their superior, but had the addition of helmets and blue capes.

'Mr Crownguard.' The senior warden saluted him. 'Who is this?'

'This is Weiss Schnee. She is a mage that was seen using ice magic offensively in public. A cell is required for her before we inflict more justice upon her.'

'Understood.' the senior warden nodded. 'Follow me, then.' The dungeon was linear in structure: with one flight of stairs leading to a corridor of cells and so on. As they walked by, Weiss saw how awful some of the prisoners looked. Some of them threw nasty remarks at them as they went by, whilst others were too depressed, weak or malnourished to do anything. They stopped at the second cell in the fourth corridor. The Warden fumbled with a keychain until he found the correct key and unlocked the cell door. Cadstone and Bakker removed the cuffs from Weiss.

'In.' the senior warden ordered.

It was against Weiss' nature to let herself be pushed around like this, but she was in no fit state to resist, so compliance was the only option. She stepped inside and the door was locked. The mageseekers promptly left, leaving the wardens with Weiss.

One of the two younger wardens retrieved a flask and a sachet from the bag he carried, giving the sachet to his colleague. He stuck his hand through the bars and held the flask out to Weiss. 'Drink it.' he instructed.

Weiss gingerly took the flask from him and unscrewed the lid. The liquid was murky and unclean. 'What is this?' Weiss asked.

'Just drink it: all of it.' the senior warden ordered.

Weiss took a small sip. It was very gritty and had the flavour of what Weiss imagined mud to be like. 'Eww, yuck.'

'Drink. It. All. If not, we'll force it down your throat. Your choice.' threatened the warden who had handed her the flask.

She did not trust them in the slightest. It was only her thirst that compelled her to obey. Submissively, Weiss held her nose and drank it until there was not even a single drop left. She gave the flask back to the warden, who checked to see if Weiss had indeed consumed it all.

The other warden then passed the sachet through the bars and gave it to Weiss. 'That's your first meal.' he explained. 'Try and make it last until we come and see you again in a few days time.' Upon finishing his sentence, they immediately turned away from the cell and left.

Weiss sat down against the wall, next to the bars, trying her hardest not to cry. Only by sitting there did she have enough light to be able to see what she was doing. Weiss squeezed the sachet with her fingers. 'I do not like the feel of that…' Slowly, she untied it and peered inside at the contents, and gagged.