There was one thing Lux was confused about her meeting with Ezreal. How was it that she had encountered nothing in over an hour, but the rather clumsy blonde had four aggressive training bots on his tail? She asked him about it, and he swore he didn't know.

They weren't particularly dangerous and had been dispatched of quite easily, but they could cause decent damage - as Ezreal had experienced first hand. Lux had seen these training bots in pictures Garen had sent her in the years prior, so she wasn't exactly caught off guard by them. If anything, she was surprised that it took so long in the trial for her to run into anything. Or anyone.

Lux and Ezreal had been wondering the halls for another few minutes together, with Lux scribbling down notes as they went. Ezreal nodded towards her notebook and asked, 'Whats that?'

'I'm drawing up a quick sketch of where we've been. I figure it'll help me find a clue as to how to beat this challenge.'

Ezreal snorted. 'Maps. Who needs 'em.' He fell into thought for a moment. 'Maybe Graves.'

'That's the professor that you met before, right? How did you meet him?'

'Uh, you know, a gathering. For school, and stuff.'

Lux didn't press the issue. Not that she minded, she would be equally tight-lipped about her own situation surrounding her admission.

'So, light powers,' Ezreal said, breaking another silence that had taken hold. 'That's pretty cool.'

She snapped her fingers, and a small spark of light danced at her fingertip. She let it flicker for a moment, before giggling as it went out. 'I had a good teacher. And I hope I can really push the limits of my powers.'

Ezreal grinned. 'Same here. I'm going to be the best, and nothings going to top me! -don't let that stop you from trying, though.'

'It's good to be optimistic. Your power is based around energy projectiles, right?'

'Mmmm, no?' He scratched his head, eyes lingering between her and the gauntlet on his left arm. 'I'm still trying to figure it out.'

Lux nodded with a smile. 'Well you came to the right place! That's what we're all here to do, isn't it?'

'Yeah, I'm really excited,' he said with a smile of his own. 'Even if the place is a little confusing.'

'We can figure it out together.'

Ezreal's eyes sparkled for a moment, and he nodded enthusiastically. He then pulled out a bottle of water, taking a long sip.

'So then, what is this test really about? We've been down here for the better portion of an hour by now, right?'

'My brother told me it's about problem solving, but I'm not sure.'

'Oh, you have a brother at school?' He returned the bottle to his bag.

'Yep! Third year. I think you two would really get along.'

Ezreal laughed nervously. 'I'm not so sure.'

'He's a sweetheart, he was texting me basically throughout his entire first year,' Lux thought back fondly. Garen put on a hard front, but Lux knew he had his soft spots. 'He's a big teddy bear.'

Ezreal nodded through another swig of water. 'So is Graves, but don't tell him I said that.'

'No promises.'

The two chatted for a few minutes longer, Ezreal dancing over any questions regarding his powers or his family, and Lux doing the same.

They came to a halt at the end of the hall, their path obstructed by a large, white door, welded shut with a glowing line of what appeared to be the metallic hue of the metal walls surrounding them. The door was rustic and wooden, like stripped birch. A symbol pulsated weakly in the centre of the two door planes. The stone was out of place against the rest of the hallway, the dull pale wash clashing with the glowing neon.

In front of the door was a boy with warm skin that contrasted with his white hair, sitting cross-legged on the floor and scribbling furiously into a notebook. He was so focused he didn't hear Lux and Ezreal's approach, and he was small enough that neither of the two noticed him until they were next to him. A quiet whirring came from the cylindrical sports bag hanging low off his shoulders.

Lux blinked at him a couple of times, and looked over the boy's shoulder at his notebook. He was drawing a – rather detailed – rendition of the door in front of them, the symbol on the panels being pencilled in. Ezreal hummed as he did the same.

'You're pretty good.'

The boy practically jumped away from the two with a yelp. His eyes fluttered between Ezreal and Lux a few times, before his body relaxed.

'And you two are?'

Lux smiled brightly, drawing herself up. 'I'm Luxanna, but Lux is fine. It's nice to meet you.'

Ezreal nodded. 'Ezreal,' he flashed a toothy grin. 'Ez is fine.'

'Right. Lux, Ezreal,' he sighed, putting his notebook away into the bag at his waist. 'You both Durandal students?'

'Uh, yeah? Why else would we be down here?' Ezreal said.

The boy frowned. 'Dunno.' He looked to Lux. 'I'm Ekko.'

'Well, Ekko, it's nice to meet you,' she nodded towards the door. 'Is the door locked?'

Ekko nodded, and turned his gaze towards the door with more energy. 'Yeah, but I think there's a mechanism to open it. See how the lines here flash?' He gestured at the pulsating logos. 'They're flashing the logos of the school.'

'Do you think there's a switch nearby?' Ezreal asked.

'Nah, that'd be too simple,' Ekko shook his head. He pointed his hand at the edges of the frame. 'Plus, the door isn't connected to the wall, not completely at least. I think the door is closed-circuit.'

'So you think the door has an internal power source?' Ezreal asked again. Ekko shrugged.

'It's possible, but then I can't find a console or anything.'

Ezreal grinned, mainly at Lux, and dramatically flexed his gauntlet-clad arm. 'Well, Ekko, it's stone. Something simple like this requires a simple solution.' He waltzed up towards the door past Ekko and Lux, and touched his hand over the glowing runic symbol. It purred to a purple hue at his touch, before fading back to it's previous neutral tone.

Ekko ran his hair through his messy white hair. 'Be my guest, ponytail.'

Lux kept quiet, but she couldn't help but feel this was probably not the solution.

The air around Ezreal seemingly froze, and static energy crept around his body. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath. Whether that was for dramatic effect or not, Lux could only guess, but the sudden burst of energy that erupted from his glove and into the wall was evident. The wood seemed to consume the energy, the subtle white hue burning to a radiating red glow as veins of purple energy appeared on the door.

The wall stayed that way for a few moments, and Ezreal grinned again, turned his head back to his audience of two.

'See, told yo-'

The wall suddenly discharged the power back into him, a loud zap holding his body in place for a split second before shooting him back with force. Right into Ekko, who didn't react in time. The two collapsed into a pile of cursing and pain. Lux couldn't help but laugh.

'Oww...' Ezreal groaned.

'Get. Off. Of. Me!' Ekko grunted, using all the power his smaller body could muster to fling the blonde off of him. 'What did you even do?!'

Ezreal groaned, rubbing the back of his head. 'I channelled some energy into the door. Thought it would give it the jolt to open.'

'You seem to have a knack for colliding with people, Ez,' Lux chided with a smile. She held a hand each out to the fallen boys. Ekko's eyes widened.

'You've done that before?'

'Only twice!'

Ekko groaned as he took Lux's hand back to his feet. The two boys dusted themselves off, and looked at the door.

'I think you had the right idea though,' Lux said, to which Ezreal seemed to perk up at.

'How do you figure?' Ekko asked.

'The magic in the wall responded to his touch. The energy within shined much brighter, at least for a moment. I think you just came on a little too strong.' She added with a wink.

He blushed. 'Noted.'

Ekko crossed his arms. 'Okay then. So we need to provide a smaller current of energy?'

Lux nodded. 'I think that's the idea.'

'Alright, but It'll have to be one of you two. Not my type of power. Preferably not Ponytail, either.'

'Oh? What's your power, then?' Ezreal asked.

'Not your business,' Ekko glared back.

'I'm sorry, okay?'

'Tell that to my cracked ass, man.'

'I'm sorry, Ekko's ass,' he bowed to Ekko slightly.

Lux turned to the door. She ignored the two bickering, and stared at the symbol, which had returned to a neutral light tone. Why had it rejected Ezreal? Yes, he probably put too much power into it, but was that it? Ezreal's powers caused the colour to change, and Lux figured maybe his power type had something to do with it.

She moved forward, reaching out her own hand to the door. Only one way to find out, she supposed. The wood looked smooth, but Lux's gloves chafed with some friction.

Her hand touched the symbol, a warm sensation spreading from her fingertips through to the rest of her body. The glow burned a bright cyan, and Lux took a sharp breath as the wall brightened. She felt her mind flood with thoughts, thoughts of her mother, her aunt, and of her admission. Shutting her eyes, she saw the deep scowl of Tianna, before flashing with an image of herself in a flowing white dress. The image smiled at something she couldn't see, before fading to red, and then black.

Luxanna.

Her eyes opened, and so did the door. She stared, stunned for a moment, before shaking her head. Ezreal's voice snapped her back to reality.

'Whoa! Nice! What'd you do?'

'Better than you, that's what.'

'Can it, mohawk.'

Lux refocused her eyes, before smiling brightly at the two boys. 'Like I said, just had to be more careful.' She walked into the new room quickly, rubbing her eyes slightly. 'Come on, let's go then.'

She didn't take many more steps, however, as the room they found themselves in finally made itself known to the three.

The room was massive, spanning almost the length of the school's great hall, and nearly as tall. Columns of the same washed out wood as the previous door lined the hall at set intervals, standing harshly against the walls and ceiling, also of the same material. The floor was darker, gently touched by the passage of time, yet still very clearly the same. It was so stark in contrast to the rest of Durandal; It was so white, and so...pure? A dull dampness wrinkled Lux's nose, she could smell the years of mould layered between the planks. However, it was the centre of the room which captured Lux's attention.

It was a small pedestal, made of crumbling stone and adorned with vegetation of long abandon, providing the only break in colour throughout the whole room. The top of the stone emitted a beam of pure light, cutting the room in half from where Lux stood. It bathed the pale, musty room with an intense blanket of white. She felt it calling to her.

'..Wow,' Ekko said.

'Yeah,' Ezreal added. 'It's like this room has been here for decades.'

'Probably longer, actually,' Ekko said, nodding towards the signs of decay dangling off and growing out of one of the nearby columns.

Lux walked towards the centre pillar.

'I thought the God-Weapons had a forever-changing layout. That's what made it impossible to map, didn't it?' Ekko continued as he gazed around.

'Maybe it shifts itself around a few permanent areas. Y'know, to hide rare treasures and stuff,' Ezreal added.

'Rare treasures? Are you like what, 12?'

'Least I don't look 12.'

Lux wasn't paying the two of them any attention anymore. Her mind and eyes were focused solely on the waist-high shrine, her eyes bathing themselves in the rays of seemingly divine light, and what lay beyond it.

The whispering that she heard moments before crept back to her ears, incomprehensible noise swirling around her as she found herself standing before the stone. The light began to burn brighter, Lux in turn reached out a hand.

The moment she touched the light, the world around her was dark. As far as she could see, a black void was all that greeted her.

'You posses great resonance within you,'

Lux turned around, coming face to face with a younger version of herself. It stood a head or so shorter than her, her face featureless. Yet somehow, Lux did not feel afraid, nor even confused. It felt natural, in a very unnatural way.

'Do you seek my power?'

'Where... Where am I?'

'You are here.'

Lux stared for a moment, then spoke again.

'What is this place?'

'I do not understand your question. It is here.'

'Are you Durandal?'

'Durandal?' The mirror image raised an eyebrow. 'No, I am nothing of the sort. I am...' It squinted its features. 'Hmm. It does not matter. I ask you once more - do you seek power?'

Lux furrowed her brow. If she thought this was the way Durandal would be communicating with her, evidently she was wrong.

'If you are not Durandal, then who are you?'

'I am me,' the younger Lux frowned. 'And I am powerful. What more is there to know?'

Lux looked around into the black void, then back to the..ghost? 'Okay, then, again, what is this place?'

'Unimportant. Do you seek power?'

'I, um, yes?' Lux fumbled. The other Lux's stare pierced into her, filling Lux with an unexplained sense of dread.

A moment passed, and the gaze drew back slightly. The other Lux looked into Lux's eyes and said;

'No.'

'What?'

'You are unbalanced,' the Other said, turning its back to her. 'Unsure.'

'I don't understand, you just said I had great...resonance, was it?'

Nodding, the spirit stared away into the nothingness. 'And yet you do not seek greater heights. You are content to sit on your powers as they are, nurturing them enough to humour those around you. You use them as a simple distraction; an excuse to run away.'

Lux was stunned. And more than that, angry. She felt angrier than she had ever felt before. Of course that wasn't true. She began to approach the Other, before it waved a lazy hand.

Scenes suddenly began playing out around her. She was back in the manor, sitting in her study, droning over some papers. Lux was there, but she was both herself and outside herself. She watched as the Lux beyond her lowered her pen and stared up at a figure that entered the room. A tall, brooding, uncaring figure wearing her Aunt Tianna's face. The figure was frowning, words coming soundlessly from it's scowling lips.

Next, Lux was walking through the garden, Garen and the crown prince Jarvan paces ahead of her. She felt a vague sense of resentment as she looked at the picturesque rendition of the prince, but she couldn't remember why.

And then Lux stood in the cathedral, the altar, staring beyond into the fully packed seats. She could not make out any of the faces, almost like all of the features of those gathered were being seen in the corner of her vision. But then her eyes locked with her Aunt Tianna at the back of the room, a broad grin clearly visible to her from where she stood. Lux furrowed her brows, but the image suddenly faded.

She was standing once more in the void, the darkness swallowing up any light, yet she saw the face of herself standing across her as clear as day. She fixed her gaze with tired eyes, and waved her hand once more.

'So then, goodbye.'

And suddenly, she was back, her hand retracting from the pillar of light in the white room.

She inhaled sharply as her senses returned to her.

A wave of frustration fell over her, which was interrupted by a worried yelp from behind her.

'Uh, guys? We may have a problem.' Ekko's voice was thick with fear. Lux turned and the anger she was feeling was replaced with one of fear. Ezreal and Ekko were standing close to her, facing towards a purple insect-like creature that had somehow found it's way into the enclosed space.

The creature was skinny, but the body was a full head taller than Ezreal, and had long, angular winged arms that ended in claws. Lux swallowed.

The beast let out a scream, and dove forward towards the boys. Ekko quickly pulled a string on his bag, winced slightly, then kicked Ezreal out of the way.

Lux, who was a few paces behind them, dropped into a combat stance.

The creature slashed the now empty air of where Ekko and Ezreal were just standing. Ekko narrowly avoided the slice, and brought his baton, pulsating a neon blue, up into a sloppy swing at the exposed claw. The baton connected, and the tip of the claw broke with a snap. Using the momentum from the initial swing, Ekko brought the weapon back down onto the now retreating arm, resulting in a crunch.

The bug creature screamed, and reeled back a few meters, shocked. Ezreal fired off a blast towards the creature's feet, missing it by an inch. He nodded to Ekko.

'Thanks for that,' he said.

Ekko nodded, panting heavily. 'Don't thank me yet.'

Lux joined the two, fingertips sparking. Her eyes widened as she got a closer look at Ekko. Under his eye was a deep cut, and his uniform was ripped on his shoulder, leaving a much less serious graze exposed.

'Light, Ekko, are you alright? I didn't even see it hit you.' She reached out a hand to soothe his cheek, but he flinched away.

'Not now,' he grimaced, dropping low, eyes never leaving the bug. A moment passed, and he yelled; 'Left!'

Ezreal and Lux turned, and the bug had leaped up again, the uninjured talons of the monster's other arm coming down at high speed. From the left. Lux brought a hand above her, ready to unleash a quick blast of light, before she felt Ezreal tackle her out of the way. A clean cut sliced through the air where she was.

Ekko wasted no time, stepping to the side, and prepared another blow of his bat. The creature predicted the dodge, however, and quickly brought the backside of it's talon in a blunt swipe at the small boy. Ekko's eyes widened before he was knocked back into one of the pillars. The pillar collapsed with a crash, with Ekko landing behind the now destroyed pile of timber. The white wood pulsated dimly.

Lux stood, Ezreal already running at the bug's turned back. He let out a yell as he closed in, and kicked the creature's back with the momentum of his movement. Staggered momentarily, the bug's attention turned off Ekko and back towards Ezreal, who immediately appeared beside Lux in a flash of movement. Lux blinked, she thought his powers were simply energy blasts. He grinned at her.

In response, Lux pressed a small wave of light out of her outstretched hand, colliding with the bug. A high pitched wail came out of the creature, and Lux shuddered.

She gestured to Ekko, and Ezreal nodded, both taking the moment of confusion from Lux's attack to run over to Ekko. He groaned, and sat himself up. Aside from a few bruises, he looked not much worse than before. Much.

'It didn't do that before,' he grumbled as he got back to his feet.

'Can you stand?' Ezreal asked, a tinge of concern hidden in his voice. Ekko blinked, just noticing the two standing, combat ready, next to him. He shook his head.

'I'm fine, caught me off-guard. Doesn't matter, we need to get in close, hit it's underbelly. Armour looks the weakest there.'

'Do you think this is part of the trial?' Lux said, glancing at the pillar of light to their side.

'Who cares?' Ekko hissed, wincing in pain as he raised his shoulder. 'That thing will kill us.'

'So we kill it first,' Ezreal said. 'Easy.'

'Any ideas then, ponytail?'

Both Lux and Ezreal opened their mouths, and Ekko scoffed. Lux and Ezreal exchanged a quick smirk.

'If I can get in close, I can do what I did to the door,' Ezreal said.

'I can blind it.'

Ekko grunted, then nodded. 'Fine. Then, I'll get it to look.'

The recovered bug's head swivelled, a blaze of anger in it's beady black eyes. It stalked towards the three, slower than either of it's previous advances. Lux suspected it was wary for any more light blasts. She'd have to get closer, and would likely only have one shot to catch it off guard.

Ekko moved first, yelling insults and making noise as he approached. Ezreal and Lux followed cautiously.

The bug snarled, turning it's gaze towards Ekko. Good, that was the first step. Lux positioned herself behind Ekko, inhaling deeply as she focused on creating a ball of energy in the palm of her hands.

The bug lunged forward, and Ekko narrowly dodged with a step to the side. As Ekko moved aside, Lux exhaled as she let the flash erupt from her hand. It produced the desired result, the burst of light flashing even brighter, bouncing off the bright walls and floor, and the monster wailed angrily. Lux shivered, but grinned.

Taking his cue, Ezreal blinked in front of her, breathing in as he placed his gauntleted hand on the underbelly of the beast. Time seemed to pause for a moment, before a blast of powerful energy exploded from the touch. The beast was knocked back, leaving Ezreal standing alone. He was panting, and slumped to one knee. The skin showing from under his gauntlet shimmered a darker shade momentarily, before fading back to it's original pale.

'Did we get it..?' Ezreal said through bated breaths.

'I hope so,' Ekko said, hands also on his knees.

Lux was about to add something, when she saw movement in the corner of her eye. 'Look out!'

Ezreal and Ekko looked sluggishly, tired from the fight already. The bug was closing in with fast, angry steps. The beast's underbelly armour had been shattered, and exposed skin and wet, purple blood were visible. The creature screamed, it's cone-shaped head contorting into a terrifying snarl.

Lux had no time to think, and jumped in front of the two boys, hands in a defensive position. She willed the light inside her to take form, and a wall of light formed in front of her arms, covering her upper body and face.

She felt the impact of the collision immediately, the shield shattering and knocking her backwards. Lux skidded on the ground, feeling a searing pain in her arm as she slowed at the pillar of light in the centre of the room. She groaned, her vision hazy.

The next few moments passed in what looked like slow motion to Lux; the bug monster towering over Ekko and Ezreal, a lot of yelling, Ezreal grabbing the smaller boy by the collar before blinking away. She could see their mouths moving, but she couldn't hear anything. She shook her head, standing up. It was only as the creature continued it's assault towards Ezreal that her brain formed a single coherent sentence:

They're going to die.

She froze. What could she do? This was far beyond anything a simple 'school trial' was supposed to offer, and while she wanted so dearly to scream and yell at the infuriating unfairness, the rational part of her brain pushed the urge to the side. She needed to do something, anything. She needed the power to save her new friends.

She had to try it. She turned to face the pillar of light, still shining as brightly as when they came into the room. The Other Lux had claimed she was strong. Lux grimaced, and turned to take one more look at her companions, who were still avoiding – barely – blows that would certainly end them.

Bracing herself, Lux forced herself into the light again, and once more she found herself in the black void. She looked around angrily, a singular mission on her mind.

'Ah, you again.'

Lux spun around to face the voice, who now was a spitting image of herself, minus the new cuts and bruises she had obtained moments before. The Other tilted it's head, lips pursing in a humming sound.

'You seem different. More...poised? It this the term?'

'Give me your power,' Lux said simply, struggling to keep the desperation out of her voice.

'No. I said before, you are not worthy.'

'And I'm saying, give it to me anyway.'

'You are not worthy.'

'I am. And if I'm not, I'll become worthy.' She hoped she sounded more confident than she was.

Other stared at her, eyes narrowing. 'You are desperate.'

'What gave it away,' she almost spat.

'You are angry. I do not understand why,' Other turned and gazed lazily out into the black surrounding them. 'Humans are so strange. You cannot comprehend the simple truths.'

'..Please,' Lux whispered, almost inaudibly.

Gazing back upon Lux, Other stared for moments. An eternity seemed to pass, before Other's empty eyes softened.

'Tell me why I should help you.'

Lux took a deep breath, and looked the Other in their unsettling eyes. 'My friends will die without your help.'

'And you will not?'

'No, I will, too.'

Other hummed. 'You do not value your own life. Foolish'.

'Please. They will die without your help. It's not even the first proper day of class.'

Other seemed to either not appreciate nor understand the attempt at humour, and frowned. It closed it's eyes in thought for a moment, before sighing.

The void around her warped again, and she was experiencing the memories again. The palace, the gardens, the altar. The prince. Her Aunt. She felt her anger. Her resentment. Acceptance.

Then, a new scene came. Late at night, Lux lying awake late at night, but the room around her was swallowed by a single bead of light at her fingertip. Lux remembered the happiness, her joy.

And then, the gardens again, and now a shaggy young but mature man patting her on the back. He smiled proudly down at her. Her heart raced. Sweat rolled down her forehead, shirt clinging to her back. She could feel the pride, and exhaustion. Then back to black, the void.

'Very well. I will help you.'

Before Lux could respond, the void around her collapsed into itself, and suddenly Lux found herself back in the stone room, a sudden weight in her hands.

The staff shone softly with a gentle glow. For a moment, she felt serene; the world seemed to melt into the staff, before her feelings and awareness crashed back into her with an almost physical force.

And suddenly, the staff was filling her, and her it. Power radiated through her body, and the spark Lux felt when she reached out to touch her powers filled her in an almost lustful wave. She felt as though she was burning up, and it felt so good.

She raised her hands, the staff an extension of her body, and pointed it directly at the creature. She vaguely heard herself calling out to the two boys in front, and the fleeting sight of both of the looks of surprise, before diving to the floor. She barely registered anything except the power as she screamed.

The air in front of her exploded, a pure line of glowing energy from her to the creature, striking it true in the chest. The whole room lit up in a flash of thundering power. A boom resounded a moment after the flash, and just as quickly, the light faded.

For a moment, Lux could do nothing but stand there, vaguely aware of the creature falling in a limp pile where it stood, seeing her companion's looks of pure awe in her peripheral, but it didn't matter. She collapsed to her knees. She felt drained as she never had before. Had it always been this hard to breathe?

'That was - holy shit.'

Lux pivoted her head just enough to glance up at Ezreal, who was standing over her with the face of pure awe that you would only ever see on a child. Ekko, one arm draped over Ezreal's shoulder and the other clutching his side, grinned.

She managed a slight smile through her pants, and dropped her gaze to the staff, still clutched tightly in her hands on the floor. She stared at it for a long moment, a chill running through her body as she remembered the joy that had ran through her moments before. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts out.

'I'm okay,' she said carefully, nodding her head at the body of the creature. 'Is it dead?'

'If that didn't kill it, nothing will.' Ekko said, wryly. 'But yes, probably.'

She sighed in relief. She began to rise to her feet, but a sudden light-headedness forced her back to her knees. Ezreal moved quick, dropping Ekko with a yelp to catch her. She heard a 'Not cool, dude', but otherwise Ekko just grunted and moved towards her.

'Are you alright?'

She nodded. 'Just a little tired, I guess.'

'Here,' Ezreal had produced a flask of water from somewhere in his bag. Lux thanked him and took it. Had water always tasted this good?

'Prick,' Ekko grumbled as he staggered to their side. He sent a sidelong look towards the corpse. He grimaced at the smell, and Lux noticed the slightly burnt tinge the flatly damp air had taken. There was a small, smouldering black mark on the otherwise white wall. Then, it sizzled, and was gone. 'What was that thing?'

'It looked like a giant beetle,' Ezreal said.

'Did the instructors put it in here?' Ekko asked.

Lux shook her head as she lowered the flask from her lips. 'My brother never mentioned anything like this. Believe me, he would have.'

He frowned. 'From the Outlands maybe?'

'This deep into the city? No way. It had to be guarding something,' Ezreal said slowly, eyes falling on the staff on the floor. 'This room here looks like it hasn't seen people in years. Smells like it too. I think it had to have been stuck in here beforehand.'

Lux frowned, and stared at the burnt pile. A few moments passed her by, before she took another long sip from Ezreal's flask. Whatever the thing was, she was too tired to care right now.

'And uh, good one, Lux. Thanks for the save,' Ezreal gave a nervous smile. Ekko nodded with a sigh.

'I'd be skewered on it's damned claws if you hadn't done your...' he gestured with his free arm vaguely. 'You know. Anyway, thanks. And we should, uh, be looking to get out of here. We still have to finish this damned test.'

As if Durandal itself had heard him, a loud grinding of stones behind Lux told her the exit had made itself known. Grunting, she forced herself to her feet.

'Shall we go then?'

The path from the chamber led them through a winding corridor for what felt like ever, a winding path that brought them down before pathing upwards again. Ezreal kept his pace gentle, Lux was clearly struggling to keep up. He didn't know what she had done, exactly, only that she had used a lot of power, and if her power was anything like his, he understood why she was probably ready to fall asleep standing.

Ekko had recovered enough to not need to lean on Ezreal's side anymore, for which he was grateful. The kid's height, or lack thereof, made it a little taxing to try and offer him a shoulder. Especially since that's where Ekko ended. Even with the mohawk.

The three moved in mostly silence, and Ezreal let himself drift into his own thoughts. The creature was definitely not from the Outlands, as Ekko suggested, but then if it was something set here by the teachers, why was it able to take on three of them and very nearly kill them? As much as Graves seemed to hate his job, it seemed a little extreme to kill students before the first day of school.

Which lead him to assume that it had to be something that the weapon itself had kept inside, locked up and waiting to pounce. Guarding something. He glanced at the staff in Lux's hand. He hoped it was safe.

'I think we're here,' Ekko's voice brought him back to the moment.

Ezreal looked in front of him, a small door stopped the hallway dead in its tracks. But despite being small, enough to fit perhaps one person through at a time, it was ornate. Too ornate to be anything but important.

Sharing a nervous look with his companions, Ezreal shrugged and reached for the handle. Just before he could touch it, the door opened towards him with a soft click.

Blinking, he stepped back as the door opened fully, revealing a much larger room. It looked much like the first chamber when they first entered the weapon, metallic and sleek. Along the walls were banners, banners in the various colours of the school, and then more banners in the colours of the clubs. The ceiling was domed, lights lining the ridges that met at the peak.

Inside were many others, students he presumed, all of whom wore slightly roughed up uniforms, although none were as tattered as his own. He smiled. Finally.

Wordlessly, he strode through the door, holding it open behind him just long enough for Ekko to follow behind him. As he entered, he felt as if his body was suddenly lighter, as if something was suddenly lifted from his body. He paid it little mind, and scanned the room.

In the room were about fifty or so students, he guessed. Out of them, he saw that their own uniforms were not anywhere nearly as ruined as his. It gave him an odd sense of smugness. He had gone through something more dangerous. Then the feeling dissipated, remembering how if not for Lux, he'd probably be dead.

No, not probably. Definitely.

Ekko and Lux stood at his side now, the same kind of thoughts probably swirling through them. They both had faces of mild confusion, and Lux narrowed her eyes slightly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but right as she was about to say something there was a loud closing of doors. The door behind them, ornate and simple, slammed shut, as did another, much larger archway a bit to it's side. Ezreal hadn't noticed, but the rooms walls were lined with similar doors, and only the slamming of each door in turn caused him to see them. There were so many paths, the inside of this place was a maze.

The doors continued to close, and once done the room dimmed. There was no more noise, but the silence in the room was deafening. Everyone was anxious for what came next. Another fight?

The room dimmed to total darkness, a light humming coming from somewhere below them. Ezreal found himself, exhausted as he was, dropping into a combat ready stance. He held it for what seemed like an eternity, before a tiny, red dot of light started to manifest just before him.

He stared, unaware of anything around him. His eyes were entirely on the now growing...ball? Of light, red, becoming more and more vivid as it expanded. When it reached the size of his fist, it stopped growing, and the he widened his eyes. Not a ball, an insignia.

A softly glowing, red Durandal insignia was pulsating before him, seemingly the only light in the entire room, and for him alone. That didn't matter, he had all but forgotten there was anyone in the room.

As abruptly as it appeared, the light vanished, the glow seemingly engulfing him whole. He felt a slight rush, blinked, and was back in the room with students to all his side. Lux and Ekko stood at his side, bewildered but excited looks on their faces.

He exhaled, not even realising he had been holding his breath, and heard others doing the same. He locked eyes with Ekko for a moment, his annoying face questioning his.

'Red', they both said at the same time. They both grinned, then looked away after catching themselves. He turned to Lux, his best attempt at a charming grin and a flourish of his gauntleted arm. 'Guess that means we passed the trial.'

'Hm?' Lux blinked as if snapping out of a trance, and looked around to orientate herself. 'Yes, I suppose it does. I saw a...greenish light.' She shuddered slightly, eyes darting down to the staff. Ezreal opened his mouth to say something, but Lux's smile returned to her eyes. 'That means I'm in the Sorcery Club, if I recall right.'

'Oh, so red means I'm in the...what?' Ekko frowned. 'Wait. That means I'm stuck with you.'

'You're stuck with Me?' Ezreal began, but was cut off by a pulsating static that quickly formed into a large holographic screen of a cat in the center of the room. He recognised the Principal, Yuumi, and quickly turned his attention to her, with the slightest glare he could manage at Ekko. The smaller boy returned it.

'Congratulations, students. If you are standing here, it means you have passed the Trial, and have been accepted by the God-weapon as one of it's own,' She paused, and a quiet murmur of excitement passed throughout the room. Tired excitement. 'The Trial has indicated which of you posses the natural disposition to walk our halls. I would like to formally extend my welcome once more, this time to full students of the prestigious Durandal God-weapon Academy.
'Furthermore, the Trial will have indicated to each of you where you shall belong within our school. Blue, for Luminary. Green, for Sorcery. Purple, for Assassin, and red, for Battle.' She paused a moment to allow the information to sink in. Ezreal glanced at Ekko. Battle? What did that even mean. The boy's furrowed brows indicated he had little idea either.

'You will learn what each entails soon enough. For now, you must be proud of what you have accomplished. You have the rest of the evening free, and we will see you on the morrow.' With the final words, the image fizzled out, and after a moment the wall behind where the image stood opened in glorious light, and Ezreal smiled. He was here. He proved everyone wrong. His mind fluttered to the one portrait he had brought with him, snugly packed in his suitcase.

He'd find them yet.

extra

Ezreal parted ways with Ekko and Lux shortly after, Ekko heading off with a grunt about sleep, and Lux with a frown, and phone in her hands. He wanted to talk to her, but he was also very, very tired. It felt as though his soul had been drained.

So instead, he turned away from them and headed to the dorms. He wanted to sleep.

At the dorms, Ezreal made his way to the main desk. He had been there earlier in the day to drop off his other bags, and as such only had to perform a few more menial checks before he could head on up. He checked in quickly, and after a the formalities were exchanged with the clerk, a graying and round man with a look of perpetual distrust in his eyes, he headed up the stairs to the room number indicated on his new keychain – 408.

On the fourth floor, the wide oak staircase opened up into a long wooden hallway, subtle carpet extending to his left and right. A small metal plate on the walls indicated that rooms 401-5 were to his left, and 6-9 were in the opposite. He turned right and was soon face to face with a light mahogany door, a metal handle and keyhole off to the side. Next to the door was another metal plate, displaying the number 407.

Ezreal smiled. He was excited. For one, to meet his new roommate, a person who he would spend the next three years with. What kind of person was he? Would they get along? Course they would.

He also wanted to sleep.

A muffled shuffle inside the room brought Ezreal back to reality, and he shook his head slightly. No use thinking about what ifs now. He brought the keys into the keyhole.

With more force that he thought would be necessary, he turned the handle and pushed the door open.

'What is good, my new roomie! I'm Ezreal, and we'll be -'

He stopped mid-sentence, and froze. Staring at him, sitting lax and with an expression of pure horror on one of the two thin beds - each separated by two waist-high cupboards that stood back to back and partitioned the room– was a shorter boy he recognised.

'You gotta be kidding me.' Ekko said.