Chapter 6: The horrors of the memories, and the blinding light.

Cid had seen many people in the past, everyone came to speak up and look for help, but the night hunter was different…

They were the same, they were hunting for the other weakness as they looked at each other while scrutinizing for every small detail that could show anything, even the small twitch would be showing lots of information for the hunters. He was a hunter of the things that lurked in the mind, and she was a hunter of monsters who lurked in the night.

She was the first to break the silence on their duel. "You look tired" Her tone of voice was even as he chuckled, if he was tired it would be easier for her to deal with his unusual ability.

"I didn't expect to be at a party, I heard you didn't attend even though you had an invitation" He isn't one for gossip, but during his walk with Jarvan he could hear the gossip that supposedly the night hunter of Demacia had been invited to the party yet no one had seen her.

Vayne fist closed for a second at that, she wasn't expecting he knew that. Or anything of her for the matter…his mind reading skills were quite impossible to detect, she didn't felt any intrusion, and that, she had to admit, was scary

"I'm not really into parties…" Cid decided to interrupt her speech "Or into anything that isn't related to killing things it seems"

Her hand kept tensing, and for a moment he could feel that a silver bolt would end up in his head this time. As she took her crossbow, he didn't make any move or notion to indicate he was looking at her taking it from her back. She took the crossbow and place it behind her on the couch.

She thought he would surely react to the crossbow, but he made no motion nor anything at all, he seemed to be used at being threatened, then again, she had shot him a bolt in his leg… "Look, I think we could be more civil…Shauna Vayne, night hunter." She took her hand and placed it in front of him. He was wary of her hand, for all he knew she could crush his hand with hers in a second, using a crossbow so big surely required quite the strength.

"Cid, no last name, just Cid, therapist" he decided to shake her hand and once that was done they were back to square one. Silence. It wasn't bad for Cid, but he was curious why she even decided to visit his office.

"I heard you are a therapist from some people, also you seem to be known as quite the coward from retreating of the battlefield in a fight between Noxus and Demacia, also you seem to have no set routine aside of opening your office you tend to move all around the city and sometimes you receive packages from people around Runaterra" Cid chuckled "I also eat every day, what's your point?"

"How come you read minds, for starters… Who told you of my family? Why you know how I feel? I didn't sense your presence when you entered my mind…"

Cid laughed, he couldn't have avoided it, he felt tired and saw no sense on going around the bush or playing the act of the old wise mystic.

"I didn't read your mind, if anything I read your body language and your reactions"

Vayne eyes opened from behind her glasses as she heard his answer…he was just human?

"Yes, I'm just a human, same old human as you, and before you say it again, no I'm not reading your mind, is just a normal reaction anyone would have"

She was still surprised, he was dangerous, he had a skill she had never faced before…she needed the skill.

"Teach me how do it" Her voice was even if slightly showing interest.

"What?" He couldn't avoid thinking her request. She wanted to learn how to understand people? It took a life of effort and studying, for Cid it came with lots of practice at looking everyone, he had to deal with many different people and that had helped him master his craft, it was something he couldn't do even if he wanted.

"Sorry not sorry, can't teach you what you want Vayne"

Her hands tightened around her lap before she spoke

"I must learn your skill, it could show me what people are hiding…"

She didn't get it… reading people was not so easy, nor something good at times.

"Vayne…to read people you must be ready to be able to read yourself… you carry too many things with you…for starters, you refuse to admit you have a sadist streak on you"

Vayne tensed and before she could speak she found herself with a hand in her face as Cid had stop her from interrupting him.

"Not done yet, you have obvious signs of trauma, you keep them deep down but is not hard to know from what I saw yesterday and today… your family is a rather sore spot, and from what I saw yesterday they surely were killed by someone and"

Before he could continue he saw Vayne standing in righteous indignation

"Don't speak as if you know how it feels…. They were taken away from me!"

It was fun how even though she shouted she was still trying to keep her tone even to avoid showing her anger. Even in anger, she refused to admit she had emotions as any other human.

"No I don't know how it feels to have your family taken away from you, I do know how it feels to have a bunch of people taken away by death though…" Flashes of the battle crossed his head and went away as fast as they came. "Trauma is a horrible thing, it gets deep, it stays rooted and keeps growing with time, and when you think it has gone away it comes back…now answer this, can you tell me the name of your parents?"

Vayne suddenly found herself unable to say their names, she closed her eyes and tightened her hands in a grip, a memory flashed at her, the memory of her mother in the floor with blood all around…the confused face of his father at the last horrors he saw in his life…and her smile. That horrible smile of the demon.

When Vayne opened her eyes, she found a tear making its way along her cheek… she didn't remember crying in long time… she was interrupted from her thoughts by Cid.

"That…is trauma Vayne, you remembered the most horrible moment you had, and see what it made of you? Do you honestly believe you can try to read others when your head is such a mess still?"

Cid looked at her with sadness… she was broken deep inside. Under the whole night hunter facade of invincibility and the fear she brought to her enemies lied a broken individual whose lost family haunted her, she was haunted by an invisible enemy that had made a home in her mind, one that disturbed her of even trying to show emotion…

"Can you make it disappear…can you make this disappear?" She asked, a bit of hope escaping on her words. But he wouldn't lie. "No, I can't make it disappear, and no one will truly be able to make it disappear…except you, but that would take time and effort, you would need to try to speak up the horrible past you lived…try to confront the horrors that live in your memories."

He couldn't see her eyes behind the tinted glasses she wore, but he was sure she closed her eyes as her hands tightened their grip in themselves and she stood up in determination. "I admit, your craft and your skill are stronger than I expected… then let's make a deal…I will pay for your services as long as you help me with this…problem."

He was surprised she hadn't throw a silver bolt at him after making her relive trauma, but he guessed it was more a matter of pride than anything still he smiled. "Forget the payment, just come visit when you got time and feel like speaking up…we will solve this…but you need to understand something Vayne. No matter how many you kill, it won't bring them back, and you won't really find peace"

Vayne looked him straight to the eyes as she spoke "No, but I will still have my vengeance in the end" She bowed in his direction as she left disappearing from his sight.

In the looming shadows one could see the night hunter, her cross bow ready and walking with the invincible feeling she projected, no one could hit the shadows, and as she disappeared in the shadows of the night on Demacia, she couldn't avoid thinking that a city full of light projected many more shadows than the people knew, there were monsters in Demacia, plain on sight but hidden on the night.

And in the light, were laid incredible individuals whose skills separated them form the norm, Jarvan the IV, Luxanna, Garen, Fiora and, Shyvana… Galio…

She might not be one to hunt in teams, she preferred to be alone, but a memory came to her, memories of a younger Shauna Vayne, one who didn't know anything…one who looked for a teacher...one who found it…

Memories for another time…there were enough horrors in the night to go adding her own right now.

"Another time I guess…" Vayne let herself go into the dark hoping to hunt whatever lied in it tonight.

As the night hunter thought of the hunt, a therapist was thinking he should have charged her double instead of saying he would work for free, gold was getting tight… a whatever, he would be able to manage it, he always managed it in the end…

As the sun came by ending the nights and making the nocturnal shadows disappear and the things under them hide away, the light shined through the streets and more importantly, through the window of a man who was still in a suit laying on his bed.

"Stupid suit…too tired…" he started to remove the suit, he doubted he could give it back to Sona, the whole thing had drool in the neck area as he had been drooling in the night. Well he would pay it back to Sona, surely, she didn't get the suit as a gift…right?

As he prepared for the day he could hear the noises of the people outside, they were making a huge fuss, but what about? He decided to open his window and see what was the commotion about. He immediately set his window shut at seeing the waving girl in front of his home. Maybe he didn't go out she would just go, away right? Right?

"Hey! Is quite bad to ignore people you know!" shouted a bright voice outside in the streets.

Luxanna Crownguard was waiting outside of his door in her usual attire. She had gotten interested in his ability to read people minds, she doubted it was the way Jarvan described him as a sort of magician, no, it was purely skill and practice what had allowed him to be able to read people as he did last night.

She smiled as she remembered, he had totally noticed how she knew of his leg. She thought she had been subtle with the handshake as to distract him of how she looked at his leg, people often misunderstood her attitude with naivety. Oh no, she was far different from that, she was the best at studying others while making it look like she was simply speaking.

Honestly, she thought she was the best, no one ever had a clue of the smarts she kept hidden, the facade of innocence was the best as to fool everyone, no one noticed how much she was learning of them, and so they often let their guard down with her. But something had happened yesterday.

He had noticed.

He took notice she was trying to learn everything she could of him, open him like a book and read all the information, but he had done the same, what's more, he had been faster than her. He totally noticed what she was doing and in response kept his guard up while faking he didn't notice, no one in their small group noticed their small battle of wits, but if they had been able to do it, all would agree she had lost.

She wasn't a sore loser, far from it, she accepted defeat with grace and elegance as she had been taught to do so…but she would lie if she said that she wasn't competitive. She wanted to know more of this worthy foe that had appeared. Someone in Demacia who was better in the game of minds.

Xin Zhao would often be open with her, but that was due to his lack of necessity to hide something, the seneschal of Demacia didn't need to hide anything, he had the skills to back him up at any time that things might turn more battle oriented. Fiora was the same, everyone she knew used their strengths more than their minds to deal with any situation, she lacked a rival and now she had find one that not only proved to be challenging, but had already beaten her once, and she would be a fool if she didn't try to ask for a rematch.

As she was in her thoughts, Cid was having similar thoughts, but not of a rival, but rather a foe that had come for vengeance.

If he had learned anything of Luxanna…well Lux as she preferred to be called, in their small exchange was that the woman was competitive, she didn't like to lose, and was often proving she shouldn't be underestimated, her body language all showed her confidence in her ability. Confidence that had been shaken when he showed his ability in a game she thought she was the best and only competitor.

Now she had learned that there was a bigger fish in the pond, one older, who lacked a fin, and what he lacked in the physical side made up more than enough with his mind. And she was surely coming for a rematch…people like her always wanted a rematch, and sadly the same people wouldn't take no for an answer.

Once he finished dressing in his casual clothes he stood out from his home and saw the "bubbly" girl waiting for him, for his neighbors and people around surely was an event for Luxanna Crownguard to be on that area of Demacia.

"Let's go, shall we? My office is not that far." As he motioned for him to follow he saw with the last side of his eye how the girl smile suddenly got brighter.

It was too early in his opinion to be dealing with someone like Lux who seemed to be a blinding light as she shined all around, people would all start chatting between themselves why a Crownguard was there, or why was she at the side of a man considered to be a weird and mysterious guy who received all sorts of people at various times.

He didn't really say his place was for therapy, he wanted people to feel comfortable so it was a must to never reveal his place was for therapy. As he opened the door he motioned for Lux to enter. He was sure lots of people would later ask what motive could possibly push Lux to go to such a part of Demacia and to such an unknown place.

Lux didn't waste a moment before letting herself sit on the couch. She looked at his direction while he sat at his desk before speaking up. "So… do I need to say it or have you already read my mind?" She giggled as Cid sighed.

"Sadly enough, I already know, so how do you want to solve this?" At his answer, Lux smiled before winking at him.

"Smart guy, aren't you? Is good to see you seem to understand the feminine mind" She giggled as he only sighed hoping that no one came to visit while Lux was in the office. "Well since you seem to get it, I want a rematch. Simple as that, just you and me, a battle of wits, what do you say?"

She smiled, she just knew what he would answer, his pride in his craft wouldn't allow him to say no after all who would let himself be attacked like she had done it, oh yes, she could just hear it, the words were rolling his mouth just now and she relaxed while hearing the obvious answer…

"No, sorry but I'm busy"

Ah yes, typical male pride, he needed to prove how superior he was and…did he just reject her challenge?

"I'm sorry, care to repeat it again?" Her eyes were opened more on actual curiosity rather than indignation, after all, he did have the right to refuse a challenge, though it was rather cowardly to quit while he was ahead. At least that what she was thinking.

"I'm sorry Lux, but I'm busy so I will have to say no to your challenge"

Silence fell on the office as Cid started to get some papers out of his desk and seemed to be reading them in thought as Luxanna Crownguard mouth was hanging open. Silence wasn't awkward, especially considering Cid was totally ignoring her presence.

Lux mind was in a mayhem, what had just happened? He had denied the challenge, quite fast too, he had just tossed her aside, no one could ignore Lux, she wasn't something like a puppet that could be tossed from side to side. But he had just done that. He simply said no and now acted as if she didn't exist.

She had found out where he lived, and she had planned to come early in the morning too as to bother him, she had heard rumors from others of how the soldier that retreated often liked privacy and was one to wake up late. She had found out information fast, her job allowed her such information.

But no information she could have obtained had prepared her for this… He simply said no, no matter if she had bothered him in the morning, he just acted like if the day was the same, even if some hours early for him it seemed as she saw him opening his mouth to yawn. She tried to think what to do… she had made many scenarios

One in which he would tell her to go away and she would say no, one in which she would refuse and still follow him. No scenario was made around the idea of entering the office and just staying in silence after him refusing the challenge, in every scenario he was going to accept.

She really wasn't ready for the outcome she found herself in…

Cut! This one was funny, I don't know how many of you read the lore of the champions but they are really cool, Im enjoying the things the guys in Riot do, they are really neat, well hope you enjoy this chapter! See ya next time in chapter 7

Chapter 7: Light illusions and Runic fire.