Durandal: Battle Academia

by yuzu verve

Lux, finally enrolled at the school of her dreams, navigates her school life through trials, battles, and romance. Alongside her friends - new and old - she'll face every challenge with a smile. Ezreal, meanwhile, struggles with his newfound powers and his need to be the best; all the while avoiding expulsion.

10. Field Studies: IV

Down, Graves went.

Down the long and dark tunnel, the only light the quiet glow along the sides of his weapon and the ominous purple pulse that lined the walls.

He cocked the gun. If the past few days had proven anything, it was that nothing he'd been told about the God-weapons had been true. Or at the least, not the whole truth.

Movement to his left. Unthinking, he flicked towards it, pulling Destiny's trigger. The lethal crack was accompanied by a flash – cascading embers in the stone tunnel, flaring a light onto his target. Purple, insect-like, clawed. It's face, if you could call it that, burned with deadly intentions. It screamed.

It was dark again. Graves heard two things; the death rattle of the creature, followed by the hollow clink of gunshell against rock. He kept his gun raised – his training had taught him the importance of remaining at the ready. He slowly crouched down over the body.

Eyes still keeping his aim, he scanned over the body. It was the same type of creature as the one in the White Room – minus the rot. He'd landed a full buckshot to it's chest, dark liquid leaking from smouldering pellet-holes. Good thing, too; those claws would slice him cleanly in two.

He stood again, resuming his pace. He couldn't see too far, but the echo of his footsteps ceased nearby. He was reaching an end.

Purple veins in the walls pulsed slowly.

He stopped. The hallway opened up suddenly into a square room. It wasn't big, and it was still dark. Checking his corners, Graves stepped into the room.

In the centre was a large stone structure, the shape vaguely oblique, reaching almost to the high ceiling. In the darkness, Graves couldn't make out anything else, but the purple lines snaked off the walls, seemingly random formations, all leading onto the floor and under the pillar.

The sides of his gun, modified years before with a small fragment of Durandal itself, flared a burning green. Graves didn't drop it – he was trained well enough to never do that – but his surprise was true. And before he could voice his questions, the green turned to a purple, identical to the veins of light.

The pillar seemed to glow, quietly, darkly.

'I don' like this,' he muttered to no one in particular.

He set Destiny against the pillar.

The pillar lit up, bathing the stone room in a deep blue glow, broken only by the still-purple lines along the stones. The pillar was stone too, but age-old and crumbling, blue light blaring out through the cracks and crevices along the structure. It's centre was an emblem, carved into the stone in the shape of a winged sword. It flared red.

Graves frowned and scanned the rest of the room. The ceiling was high, two or three meters, and was as smooth as marble. The walls gradually faded into decay as they fell to the ground, the 'veins' of light really just highlights in the cracks. And behind the pillar, looming over the small room, was a door.

The door was framed with white, arched stone, darkened and faded with time. Elaborate carvings snaked around the door, which was a plated black.

Graves pulled on the metal handles. It didn't budge. Scowl.

With a deepening feeling of unease, Graves secured his weapon – the room darkened immediately with a regretful groan – and retraced his steps.

The Cat needed to know about this.

Or he was owed an explanation.

But first, he could get a second opinion.

---

Considering it was around two, maybe two-thirty in the morning, Ezreal couldn't exactly blame the nurse's mood.

'What the hell happened to you all?' She asked. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and deep circles hid behind square glasses.

'We, uh,' Ekko began, sitting at a bench and rubbing his legs. 'Fell.' Sitting on a bench to the side was Ezreal, sporting a fresh set of bruises that he didn't realise he'd gotten.

'You fell.'

'Yeah.'

'All of you?'

Leaning against a wall, Qiyana snorted. Her uniform was torn, exposing a seared gash in her midriff.

'Yes.' Ezreal and Ekko said.

She nodded to the unconscious girl on the bed. 'And her? She fall too?'

'Yep.' Ezreal nodded.

With a shake of her head, she rummaged around a cabinet, producing a clear bottle of pills. She handed one to each of them.

'Aspirin, take one. I'm going to get some papers from the front desk that I'll need you all to fill out.' And she left.

No one said anything.

Ezreal shifted on his seat, shrugged, and swallowed the painkiller. It went down, and he grimaced.

'So, what do we do?' Ezreal said.

Ekko shrugged. 'Dunno, I'm just wondering how we're going to sneak back into the room without waking up Yasuo.'

'He'll be out like a brick,' Ezreal said. 'I wouldn't be too worried.'

'I guess,' he winced, rubbing at a nasty cut. He sighed. 'Well, what about you? You're being awfully quiet.'

Standing off to the side, Qiyana glanced up, but just as quickly turned away. 'I have private lodgings.'

'Course you do,' Ekko frowned. 'No one can put up with your shit.'

Qiyana shrugged. 'I asked, and they arranged it.'

'I wonder why.'

Ezreal's phone vibrated. Grateful for the excuse to exit the conversation, he quickly put it to his ear. 'Ezreal.'

There was a moment of awkward silence before Graves' drawl came through. 'Lymere?'

Ezreal felt his brows knit. 'Uh, hey professor. What's up?'

'Why're you still up, isn't there curfew?'

'You called me,' Ezreal said, frowning. 'Which is an event in of itself, mind you.'

'I'll make this quick,' he said. 'Down that tunnel in Durandal, theres'a door, won't budge. How'd you open the other doors – there has to be a pattern.'

Ezreal grimaced at a stab of pain at his head, but it quickly faded. He shook his head.

'I don't know.'

A muffled grunt came through the phone. 'Figures. Is there anythin else you can tell me?'

'I, uh -' It felt like there was something trying to push through his head, but coming up against a wall. A dull pain. 'Professor, it's late, I need to be up early. Can we talk about this some other time?'

'Lymere, listen here -'

'Okay, sorry, I'll call back.'

He clicked off the call with a sigh, and rubbed at his head. After a few moments more, the sensation fell away.

'I'm exhausted,' he muttered.

He zoned back into the conversation, Ekko's voice becoming clear again, though with some effort.

'- then stop complaining, Princess.'

Qiyana was just glaring, looking like she wanted to say something more. But instead she sighed, and leaned into a chair.

'What will you do about her then?' said Qiyana, nodding towards the bed.

'Uhhh,' Ekko threw his gaze over. 'I haven't thought about it.'

'Well, make up your mind quick,' Qiyana said. 'Because I assure you will not like it if the school is made aware.'

'They wouldn't punish us for not wanting to hand over a kid, right?' Ekko said.

'Is that a risk you will take?' said Qiyana.

Ezreal frowned. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was probably right. Or at least, the chance was high enough to give him pause. Ekko looked as if he followed a similar line of thought, groaning and running a hand through his very dishevelled hair.

'Do you have extra space in your room then, Qiyana?' Ezreal said.

Qiyana looked like she'd been slapped. 'You cannot be suggesting -'

'Good idea, Ponytail,' said Ekko. 'Deals with that issue nicely.'

'No, I do not agree -'

'Look,' Ezreal said, the exhaustion thick in his voice. 'You're part of this too, now, so you're helping. If you didn't want that, you shouldn't have butt in where we didn't ask.'

'How dare you speak to me so,' Qiyana hissed, kicking off the wall sluggishly. The edge of her mouth tightened as she did, a low hiss of pain as she stepped onto the wounded side. But she edged closer, eyes daggers.

Ezreal pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. 'Okay, sorry, maybe that was a little -'

The door slid open and the Nurse slipped through. She had a clipboard with her, and she yawned deeply. 'Okay, I'll need your room numbers and a few other details, then scram. It's late.'

She nodded to Ezreal. 'Room?'

'512.'

'I'm sharing with him.'

'Okay then,' She scribbled something down, then nodded to Qiyana. 'And you?'

Qiyana lifted her glare from Ezreal – slightly. '403.'

'And so is the other girl,' Ezreal said.

'You -!'

'Great,' the nurse said, nodding. She sat down at her desk, ignoring a wail of protest from Qiyana. She scribbled something more, then handed the three of them paper. 'Fill out these, and we're done. You three are fine, but I'd let her stay here for the night. Now, I'm going to sleep.'

---

Four hours, Ezreal concluded, was not enough sleep to function on.

Once more the battle club had gathered around the bar, and once more Ekko was laying face-flat on the table. Only this time, Ezreal joined him.

'What happened to you two?' Irelia asked.

They groaned in response.

'Did they die?' said Zoe.

'Let them be,' said Yasuo. 'They didn't come back to the room until like three.'

'What?' Irelia said, shocked. She rounded on them with fiery eyes. 'What were you doing out so late?'

'A girl?' Yasuo grinned.

'What? Lux?!' said Zoe, nearly yelling.

'No!' Ezreal said, covering his ears as he shot upright. 'There was no girl.'

Irelia raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? Do tell.'

Zoe looked like she was about to pop.

'Look, nothing happened, okay? We were just, uh, taking a stroll around the town.'

Irelia didn't look convinced.

As she opened her mouth to say more, they were interrupted by the arrival of another figure. Qiyana. Ignoring the confused stares coming from the rest of the Battle Club, she stopped in front of Ezreal's seat. She rolled her eyes at Ekko, who didn't move.

'Come.'

Ezreal frowned. 'It's so early.'

'And take that idiot with you,' she said, already turning to leave. 'You will want to come soon.'

With that, she left. Ezreal grumbled, nudging Ekko, then froze. He looked up, scanning the faces of his clubmates.

Yasuo was winking, Zoe was slackjawed, and Irelia was just confused. Ezreal could feel practically feel the oncoming onslaught of questions, so he put a little more force into his prodding of Ekko.

He awakened, slowly, and shot Ezreal eyes of daggers. 'What?'

'Qiyana, uh,' he fumbled, acutely aware of the eyes on him. 'Something about, the uh, thing.'

Ekko stared back, not following. 'The thing?'

'The thing, man, come on.'

The cogs behind Ekko's eyes turned. Very, very, slowly.

Then his eyes lit up. 'Oh shit, okay.'

Nodding hurriedly, Ezreal rose with a calm smile. He hoped it was, at the least, and turned to the other club members. 'We'll, uh, be back in a bit.'

Ignoring whatever questions of protest they threw at them, Ezreal rushed towards the infirmary, Ekko in languid tow.

As soon as he arrived, Ezreal understood the problem.

Qiyana was the only one there.

'Where'd she go?' Ezreal said, panicked.

'I do not know!' Qiyana said. 'I came to you as soon as I found out.'

'Oh shit, she's gone.' Ekko said, finally catching up. 'That's not good, right?'

'No,' Ezreal said, already moving to leave. 'But I think we know where she'd go.'

'There is very little chance of her returning there, do you not think? Plus, she is still injured.'

'We don't know that she wouldn't,' Ezreal said. He lead the two quickly out of the Inn, and into the morning air. It was raining, but he didn't really care. 'She has nowhere else to go.'

'Let her be then,' said Qiyana. 'We do not need any more complications.'

'As much as I don't wanna move,' said Ekko through a particularly aggressive yawn. 'I'm with Ponytail on this one. Let's just hurry it up.'

'You're free to stay behind,' Ezreal added. They turned onto the main road.

'At this point,' Qiyana grumbled, limping slightly. 'It would be pointless to not join you.'

They rushed past the morning's ocean of people, and sounds fell away as they pushed through the greens of the forest. Quickly they came to the outcrop, the girl was there, huddled against herself next to the fire.

As soon as she saw them, she shot up, haunches and tail raised.

'It's okay, we're not here to hurt you!' Ezreal said, hands stretched out in what he perceived as a non-threatening gesture.

The girl took it as threatening, shrinking into herself in a defensive stance. 'Go away!'

'We – I'm really sorry about last night,' he said, lowering his arms but still holding her gaze. 'We really don't wanna hurt you.'

She glared. 'Neeko no trust you.'

'Are you Neeko?' Ekko said, gently. Or as gently as his voice could manage.

Neeko nodded, slowly.

'Okay, I'm Ekko,' he nodded towards Ezreal. 'That's Po - uh, Ezreal.'

Ezreal shot him a narrowed glare. 'Dude.'

Ekko shrugged.

Ezreal snorted, but quickly turned back to Neeko, trying to smile disarmingly. 'Either way, please. We just want to help.'

'You were quite good at helping last night,' Qiyana whispered, probably not loudly enough to meant to be heard.

Ignoring her, Ezreal continued. 'I'm sorry. Really. Let us help you.'

Neeko hesitated. 'You really no want hurt Neeko?'

Ekko and Ezreal shook their heads, and Qiyana rolled her eyes – then winced.

'We'll even get you some food,' Ezreal said. 'Qiyana here'll give you some of hers.'

That got a reaction. 'What?'

'Neeko don't need -'

Her stomach grumbled.

The two parties stared for a moment, then Neeko shied away, a slight flush creeping onto her already multicoloured skin. Ezreal smiled, feeling some tension deflate.

'Come on, let's get you something to eat.'

---

Lux stepped into the Greenfang Theatre with an appropriate degree of awe.

High-ceilinged and modern, the entire hall seemed to flow out from the stage at the centre of the room. Homely browns against modern whites lined the walls, complimented by dark panelling on the roof and quiet splashes of purple in the curtains that edged the stage, currently drawn up.

From where Lux entered, there were two columns of seats on either side, a wide walkway slicing between them. Directly above her was a balcony, portuding slightly forward and hanging over the rows, where she presumed more seating could be found. To her side, Alune let out a squeal.

'This place is very nice,' she said, eyes excitedly jumping around the massive hall.

Lux was inclined to agree. She allowed herself a few more moments to look – noting the various stagehands rushing along the stge, setting up for what looked to be a rehearsal – before she forced herself to check the sheet of paper she'd been given.

'Alrighty, so we're looking for a lady named Isa,' Lux said to Alune, who was still wide-eyed. 'It doesn't specify what they want us to do.'

'Okay.'

They found Isa, a peppy girl with cropped hair and a blinding smile, just in front of the stage. She was giving directions to a smaller boy, maybe thirteen or fourteen years old, who nodded with great enthusiasm before darting off. He was quickly replaced by another boy, and the cycle repeated.

Lux felt that the timing was awkward, and couldn't properly step in without interrupting an onslaught of instructions Isa was giving out. Luckily for her, Alune was not aware of this convention, and simply stepped up with a wave.

'Hello, we are from Durandal,' she said, smiling. 'We were told you have something that needs us to be doing?'

Isa blinked, then nodded with a smile. She said something to one more boy, who responded with a quick nod before running off, and turned to Alune. 'You must be the help Taij ordered. A couple of our lightcrew are about to go on break, so you're just in time. Head up to the balcony and they'll tell you the rest.'

They did as told, taking a surprisingly – or not so, considering the rest of the theatre – fancy set of spiralling stairs towards the backstage balcony. Once there, a lone man, gaunt of face and lean of limb, greeted them with a deep yawn. He informed them that their job was to follow directions for a rehearsal.

It seemed simple enough. The rehearsal began, and Lux grinned at the excited way Alune watched the actors perform. This was a technical test, apparently, and as such the gaunt-faced man was constantly adjusting the knobs and dials that lined the flat desk along the balcony. He sometimes went silent for minutes at a stretch, intently focused and seemingly forgetting that Lux and Alune were there. Despite her lack of knowledge on theatre, she was taken aback. These guys were the real deal.

About halfway through the rehearsal, the larger man that had tagged along with the students to Labrys appeared. Taij, Lux remembered his name being. He nodded with a smile to the other man, who grimaced back – before ultimately sighing and taking a seat on a bench behind him. Within seconds, he was snoring loudly. Taij took the man's spot, carefully adjusting the dials with a great deal less intensity, but the same degree of care.

'Some show, huh?' Taij said, taking a moment of pause in the proceedings to glance at Lux and Alune.

Alune nodded fervently. 'Yes, it is very good! I have not seen this version of the story before.'

'Oh?' Taij said, taking a step back and smiling at the girls. 'We usually don't do this version either, but since we're in Demacia, we figured it would be a good enough reason.'

'I didn't know the story had multiple versions,' said Lux. 'I knew there were a few different editions out in print, but...'

Taij chuckled. 'Yeah, there's a whole lotta confusion. Everywhere we go, it's a new story, though the core of it's the same. We decided to do something a little different.' His eyes drifted back to the stage, and Lux's followed. They were talking, three actors in total and a few black-clad stagehands. One of the actors, clad in a red shirt, was shaking his head apologetically, whereas the other two were laughing and waving their hands. 'This is a good opportunity for us, we're usually based solely in Ionia, but we got a deal for a Valoran tour. I'll never understand how he did it.'

'I thought you were an actor,' Lux said. That was the vibe he gave off, anyway. Alune nodded to her side, stars in her eyes.

'Yes, I think so too,' she said.

Taij grinned. 'Well, you'd be right. You see the guy in red? He's standing in for me for this run-through. He's new and talented, but I'll be actually playing the role come curtains.'

Lux raised an eyebrow. 'Uh, why?'

'For one, it's good to let him practice in case something happens to me,' Taij said, jovially. 'For another, I'm on break. We've been at it all weekend, and I'm pretty beat.'

'But you are here, working with the light?' Alune said.

He winked. 'Not that beat, I should suppose.'

A yell came from below, and Taij waved a hand in acknowledgement. He stood, gesturing to the rest of the controls. 'Come, it's resuming.'

Lux and Alune listened to Taij's instructions. A while later, Alune leaned in close to Lux with a grin. Lux had come to understand - she did not like that grin.

'He looks like Professor Sylas, do you think?' she whispered.

Eyes rolling, Lux worked the lights.

Eventually, Taij spoke up again. 'Either of you interested in drama?'

'I think so, yes,' Alune said.

Taij smiled, and nodded towards the stage. The three main actors were spaced out, the man in red sitting against a prop rock, and the other two bickering behind it. Though they had mics in, Lux still found it hard to make out what they were saying.

'This is the penultimate scene, where the wolf and the lamb decide they need to work together. Honestly, the guys we have for the roles are so good – it's a little embarrassing acting alongside them. I feel like they'd expose me for how bad I am.' He laughed. Lux had to admit – begrudgingly, to an extent – that he was quite handsome. In the dim light of the theatre, his green eyes almost sparkled.

She squinted towards the stage. She could see the exaggerated movements of the man on the left, garbed in gray with a pair of goofy wolf-ears stuck to a headband. The other, the lamb, was a woman dressed in a white shirt. They were arguing, and the man in red was apparently oblivious.

'What are they arguing about?' Lux asked.

'Well,' Taij said, adjusting a knob slightly. 'The story goes like this; the wolf accuses the lamb of a crime, trying to get her to take her own life. The lamb refutes, and they argue, but around them sin is ever-present.'

Lux nodded, she'd heard the story before. 'And then, the Lamb turns it around, right?'

'In the traditional version, sure,' Taij said. He nodded to Alune. 'Lunari, I presume?'

Alune nodded with a smile.

'Right, in that version – and correct me if I'm wrong – they end up going their separate ways, and become individual watchers of death. In the Ionian version, for example, they also separate, but they have to compete for the souls of the dead. And it's as you said in the Demacian one.'

Alune was nodding, eyes glued to the stage. Lux smiled at her. She didn't exactly feel the same level of enthusiasm, but excitement was contagious.

'In our version,' Taij continued. 'We wanted to blend a few of these ideas together. Give our first Valoran-bound tour a little spice, you know.'

Below, the red man stood, and laughed. He produced a list, and began checking off items.

'Here's the turning point. The man, who'd for the most part been doing small crimes up until this point, decides that he can perform the ultimate trick of all; cheating death. After all, why not? He hasn't been punished yet.'

The man put the list away, and walked off stage. Wolf and Lamb took centre-stage, and their bickering quieted.

'Now, the two come to a decision. Do they let the man get away with it because of their feud, or do they work together?'

The two scowled, turning their noses up and stalking off stage.

Taij fiddled with a button, and the lights on the stage darkened. Yelling came, and sounds of hurrying about. They were changing the set, Lux presumed.

'In our telling of this story, there is no sinful man,' Alune said.

Taij nodded, waiting a few moments before flicking the lights back on. 'That's something our resident dramatic genius came up with. He said it'd be a great way to really get the audience into the conflict.'

On stage, the three actors came back. Red walked on with swagger, the rock replaced with a tree. Under one arm he carried a cardboard cut-out, and in the other he held rope, and Lux felt a knot form in her stomach. She turned to Taij.

'That's a little extreme, isn't it?'

'We know what we're doing, don't worry,' he said with a knowing smile. 'It's the climax now. The man's plan is to hang a lookalike, clad in his clothing, to trick death.'

Red set up the cut-out and the rope. Lux knew the props were stand-ins, but she could feel the gravity. Alune sucked in a breath. Red looked both ways, sniggered, and dashed offstage.

He was replaced by Wolf and Lamb, who appeared from opposing ends of the stage. Wolf slashed the rope, and the figure crumpled to the floor, and began to circle the heap. Just as Wolf was about to pounce, Lamb stepped in, halting Wolf. The two stared – deadlocked.

'Lamb makes her decision here,' Taij said. 'And begs the Wolf to follow. Despite their differing views -'

Wolf and Lamb shook hands, and walked off stage, together. Taij dimmed the scene again, but lit it again after only a few moments. The props hadn't changed. Red stepped towards the tree, smiling smugly at the mauled heap. He laughed, victorious.

'And now,'

Wolf and Lamb stepped onstage from the same side, and confronted the man. He still couldn't see them, so he began to walk away.

Lamb intercepted him, standing in front of his path. Red bumped into her, blinked, then let out a shocked yelp. Lamb offered a hand to the man.

'One final chance,' Alune whispered.

Red batted Lamb's hand away, and stepped away. Lamb nodded, and wolf jumped at him, knocking him to the floor. Pinned, Red struggled, but was helpless.

Over him, Lamb stepped. She pointed her arms at him – evidently, a weapon was supposed to be present – and whispered something more. One final message of repentance. Red spat at her feet. Lamb fired.

'And that's curtains,' Taij smiled, victoriously hitting the control for the purple sheets to fall over the stage. There was a round of applause from below, and Taij stepped back.

Lux let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. That had gotten intense – and she physically felt the tension fold out of her body. Alune clapped.

'What'd you think?' Taij grinned.

'Honestly,' Lux said, relaxing. 'That was very different from what I expected.'

'I liked it very much.'

'We do try,' Taij smiled. He ran a hand through his hair, and nodded towards the snoring man. 'Okay, that's my break. I hope you guys are excited for thursday – it's a different beast with the costumes.'

Lux stared after him as he disappeared down the stairs. After he had fully vanished, Alune started to stare at her with narrowed eyes and sniggering giggles.

'...What?' Lux said, eventually.

'You are thinking he is handsome, yes?'

Lux rolled her eyes. Alune was grasping at straws.

---

'So,' Ekko said, watching Neeko wolf down another chunk of what used to be bread. 'What do we do now?'

It was the evening, and the group – Ezreal, Ekko, Qiyana, and Neeko – were gathered in Qiyana's luxurious room. It wasn't particularly large, but Ezreal was shocked by how much more regal the place felt. A single bed lined against a mirrored wall, facing a wall-mounted TV that stretched a good ways across. To the side was a massive glass window, linen curtains pulled back to reveal a wonderful view of the contoured lines of the city.

Qiyana herself sat atop her bed, with Ezreal and Ekko cross-legged on the textured carpet. Neeko had taken up residence on a stool close to the window. Ezreal shrugged.

'Didn't think that far.'

Truthfully, it was pretty much all he'd thought about all day. Him and Ekko had run themselves ragged trying to do as much as they could, hesitantly leaving Neeko in Qiyana's care, who had taken the day off. To both of their surprise, Qiyana hadn't kicked her out yet. Less to their surprise, Qiyana had apparently not said a single word to her charge all day.

'I say we just leave her here for a while,' Ekko said. 'We'll think of something.'

'Am I not allowed a say in this, again?' Qiyana said, her voice equal parts annoyed and resigned.

'Do you have a better idea?' Ezreal said. Qiyana sighed.

'I suppose not.'

'Great,' Ezreal said. He snuck a glance up at Qiyana, who was very clearly leaning to one side. 'Do you need us to get you anything?'

With a pointed effort not to grimace, Qiyana turned her head up. 'I am not a child.'

Ekko rolled his eyes, and Ezreal gave a tiny shake of his head. 'Whatever you say.'

From the side came sounds of a very satisfied Neeko finishing off her food. She looked, for the first time, relaxed, which in turn let the tension fade from Ezreal's body.

'Calmed down?' he said.

Neeko nodded.

'When was the last time you ate?'

'Properly ate,' Ekko added.

Neeko frowned, scrunching her face together in thought. A moment passed before she spoke; 'One week?'

Ezreal gaped. A week without food?

'It is unsurprising, she did not steal much from the cargo.' Qiyana said.

'Damn, we'll get you some more food,' Ekko said. Qiyana rolled her eyes, but Ezreal nodded.

'Yeah, you're safe now.'

Neeko looked bewildered, but faded into a warm smile. She was practically beaming. 'Neeko thank you. Thank you, thank you.'

Ezreal smiled. 'Don't mention it.'

'Seriously, don't,' Ekko added. 'We'll probably get in trouble.'

'Oh, you will get in trouble? What about me? I am hosting this thief in my chambers!'

'And we love you for it,' Ezreal said. Ekko snorted, but quickly nodded at a glare from Ezreal. 'And she's not a thief, she was just desperate.'

Qiyana grumbled something, obviously not meant to be heard, but Ezreal – for whatever reason – could hear it perfectly. 'You did not seem to think that yesterday.'

Stifling a grimace, he turned away from her. She may have been right, but that wasn't important. He smiled at Neeko.

'We have to ask, what happened to you?'

'Where are you from?' Ekko said.

At that, Neeko's eyes clouded. She averted her gaze, downcast. Ezreal held up a hand, about to apologise, but Neeko beat him to it.

'Neeko is...alone.'

'We figured,' Ekko said. Ezreal elbowed him, and he shrugged a what back.

'Neeko don't want to talk about it. Neeko here now, far from home. Safe.'

'Where's your family?' Ezreal asked, hopefully gently.

She shrunk even further.

He frowned. 'Where was your home?'

Neeko narrowed her eyes, but slowly spoke. 'Ixtal.'

Ekko barked out a short laugh, and Ezreal's eyes flew to Qiyana. Her face showed a degree of shock, and for once, she looked...human? It was hard to say.

'You are Ixtalli?' She asked, voice more than a little surprised. 'You do not,' she hesitated. 'Appear so.'

'Neeko run,' she said, curling up slightly. Her tail wrapped around herself, covering her. 'Alone.'

'Damn, I figured you guys treated your people like shit, but,' Ekko said, glancing up at Qiyana.

'I have never seen her kind in my life,' Qiyana said, not looking at Ekko. 'Truly, I am just as surprised as you.'

'This works out perfectly then,' Ezreal said. 'She's your, uh, what's the term -?'

'Citizen?' Ekko suggested.

'No no, the other one.'

'Ward?'

'There's a proper word for it, I swear.'

'Subject, you insolent idiots,' Qiyana said, exasperated. 'And she is not. In Ixtalli culture, we rule with strength.' She gave Neeko another look over. 'I am sure I do not know her kind.'

'Think about it like this, Princess,' Ekko said, slowly and phonetically – as if he were speaking to a child. 'You're letting one of your subjects stay with you, so treat them as you would if you were queen -'

'Empress.'

'Sure, whatever, empress then,' he continued. 'Think of it as taking care of a subject. You know, making sure everyone in the kingdom is set up and all.'

'I don't think that's how a kingdom works,' Ezreal said.

Ekko shrugged. 'Eh.'

Qiyana looked surprisingly thoughtful. Looking at her face, it was hard to bite back a laugh. If they knew this was the way to get her to behave, Ezreal would've claimed he was from Ixtal ages ago.

'Very well,' Qiyana said. 'You are now under my rule, girl. I expect to be followed as if we were in the halls of Ixaocan.'

Neeko tilted her head. 'Ixaocan?'

Ekko sniggered. 'This'll be fun.'

Ezreal smiled, but it faded quickly, remembering the remaining four days of tasks ahead. And he had to call the Professor back, but that could probably wait. Graves' temper wouldn't matter if he was kicked out before he could face it's wrath, after all.

'Okay,' he said with a sigh, standing himself. 'I think that's a good place for us to call it. I need to get some sleep.'

Ekko didn't wait long to follow. They stood, offered goodbyes to Neeko and Qiyana – receiving mixed replies – and left. They wandered the halls back to their room.

---

The next few days proceeded about as well as Ezreal could have expected. He spent the majority of his time running around with Ekko, ticking off menial tasks as they went. And despite Ekko's almost prophetic knowledge of what to do and where to be – it was like the guy could see the future – they still couldn't ever do enough.

On wednesday morning, he had to begin to face the reality of the situation; that he was royally screwed, and there was practically nothing he could do about it.

'There's just too much,' he said, defeatedly slumped over the usual spot in the bar, at the usual time for morning briefings. Ekko was slumped over too, as usual, and everyone else regarded him with mixed expressions of pity and intrigue. Zoe seemed to be taking it the hardest, while Irelia appeared to have just accepted the outcome. She placed a cup in front of him with a terse smile.

'Well, at least we tried. Take pride in that.'

Ezreal knew she was trying to cheer him up, but man was it not working.

Still, he nodded and took the drink.

How was he going to explain this to the kids back at the home? They'd been so excited – as had he – that Ezreal was finally being given an opportunity. The opportunity of a lifetime, even.

And he'd wasted it.

With an overly dramatic sigh, he groaned. 'I'm sorry, guys.'

From the bar, Yasuo shook his head. 'Nah, it's cool. We did what we could, you're just an idiot.'

'I still think you're cool, Ez,' Zoe said.

'Thanks.'

Sylas entered the room with a grunt. 'Morning, all. Penultimate day of tasks, let's get to it.'

Everyone mumbled assent, and Sylas nodded.

'Right, I'll leave the new tasks here. As usual, if you do anything outside of the listings, call either myself or Professor Braum, but please keep it professional. Looking at you, Zoe.'

Zoe sniggered.

'Regardless,' Sylas continued, flipping through a page. 'I have a few other pieces of news before we're off, so listen up. Firstly, remember that tomorrow evening we're being treated to a trip to the Zhyun's play, so be back here by around seven.

'Next, I have heard from our caretakers that there is news of a rogue Wyvern nearby. Nothing to be too worried about, of course, but for safety's sake we're going to stay away from the Mountainpass. Any questions?'

Everyone shook their heads.

'Good. Dismissed.'

Sending last, sympathetic smiles over to Ezreal, the Battle Club filed out of the bar, leaving Ezreal and Ekko alone, the only sounds those of the quiet workings of the bartender wiping glasses.

'Well,' Ezreal eventually said. 'Should we get to it?'

Ekko sighed, straightening and stretching. 'We could just take the day off. We've as good as lost.'

'And do what? Play Tellstones again?'

'Neeko's surprisingly good at it, so we could.'

Ezreal shook his head and took a file from the pile. 'If I'm gone anyway, I might as well do some good on my way out.'

Ekko snorted. 'Yeah, lotsa good helping an old lady move her fridge a couple of inches'll do.'

'Every little bit helps, I guess.'

Clearly in disagreement, Ekko shrugged and took a folder anyway. He flipped through a couple before speaking again. 'Here's one from the fancy district. We haven't been there yet, so it could be a nice change.'

'Artisan Lane? Sure, let's see it.'

It seemed simple, a sign needed repairing. So they decided to go, but Ekko cleared his throat as they moved to leave.

'We, uh, should bring Neeko some breakfast.'

Ezreal tilted his head. 'Isn't that Qiyana's job?'

'And you trust her to do it?'

'Well...' He looked at Ekkos face, and sighed. He didn't want to force his friend to waste his time too much today, so he just nodded. 'I guess, sure. Let's just make it quick.'

They got some bread from the counter and made their way up the stairs. Over the past few days, the boys had taken a liking to Neeko. She was weird, yeah, but in a playful way. Once the girl had settled into the idea that they weren't going to take her to the police, she'd loosened up significantly – playing along with them and making jokes with her limited abilities in Demacian.

Qiyana, however, was largely the same. She was taking her role as Neeko's superior seriously, but Ezreal wagered that she would have done that regardless. In his eyes, she just seemed the kind of person to assert herself over others. Or as Ekko would say, she was a bitch.

Ezreal knocked on Qiyana's door. 'We brought food.'

Following a scuttling sound, the door swung open to reveal – Ezreal?

He blinked, staring at himself. The other Ezreal was smiling, eyes twinkling. Did his hair really look like that?

'Ezreal is strongest!' said the Other Ezreal. 'Ezreal save everyone!'

Ekko snorted, and walked in. 'She's got you pegged, dude.'

Right, it was just Neeko. Ezreal smiled and followed inside. 'You'd think I'd remember it's you after a week of that.'

Neeko giggled, phasing back into her own body. 'You bring food?'

'Yep,' Ekko said, setting it down on the bedside table. He looked around and hummed. 'Where's the Queen Bee? Or Empress, whatever.'

'Qiyana is going with school, or she say,' Neeko said, rushing past them and making a beeline for the food. She peeled back the bag and grinned. Then she began wolfing it down, but quickly phased her face into Qiyana's. 'Neeko don't follow me, she say.' Her face phased back. 'So Neeko stay.'

'Unlucky,' Ekko said, plopping himself onto the bed. 'That mean her side healed already?'

'Qiyana say that I am fine.'

Ezreal looked over Neeko. Since they'd started giving her actual food, the hollow-ness of her body had began to fill out. Not by much, a week wasn't that long, but it was a stark change that really just highlighted just how bad a shape she'd been in. Ezreal bit back a grimace, pushing aside feelings of guilt. He checked the time, and had an idea.

'Say, Neeko, change back into Qiyana real quick, would you?'

Neeko perked up between bites of her food. 'Hm? Neeko can.'

And so she did. Ezreal grinned.

'Wanna come around town with us today?'

'Errr,' Ekko said. 'Qiyana'll kill us.'

'Just say it was my idea,' Ezreal shrugged. 'Not like she can be mad at me when I get sent home, anyway.'

Ekko chuckled. 'Ain't that the truth.'

'Want to come with then?' Ezreal said.

Neeko nodded furiously, mouth still full. She swallowed her bite of food dramatically, then smiled – getting into character. 'Qiyana will come together with you.'

Ekko's eyes twinkled. 'Say; I'm a bitch.'

Neeko smiled widely – a weird expression on Qiyana. 'Qiyana is beach!'

Ezreal laughed. 'Close enough. Come on, let's go.'

---

Artisan Lane was a bustling section of Needlebrook, with wonderfully ornate detailing along it's paved roads – coloured in all shades of the rainbow – and architecture that stood out as boldly modern amidst the traditional housing of the rest of town.

The store the file specified was in the middle of the street, and there were people coming in and out of it. Clearly, it was popular. Ezreal judged that from the various types of goods that lined the windows, along with another rainbow-coloured parasol that shielded the entrance from the morning sun that it was a type of convenience store, but there was no sign. Well, that was why they were there, after all.

They entered, and Ezreal whistled. Despite the tiny space, the inside of the store was wonderfully quaint – homely panelling and warm lighting that contrasted sharply with the clean whites of the exterior. The room was packed, however, so he couldn't properly see the goods of the store, but he could hear a young woman's voice coming from the other side.

'Thank you, come again!'

'Over there,' he said to Ekko and Neeko, and walked towards it.

The cashier was a young woman – though still probably a few years Ezreal's senior – with short auburn hair and a broad smile that was perfect for customer service. After sending off a few sets of customers, she switched position with a shorter and younger boy with thick black hair and even thicker glasses – who shot Ezreal and Ekko a glare – and pulled them to the side.

'You guys here to fix the sign?' She asked, and Ezreal nodded.

'Yep, just tell us what to do.'

'Great!' she said, smiling. 'Okay, come out back with me and I'll show you.'

They did, following her into a back room where a wooden sign was lain strewn over a table. The sign read Zeffira Supplies, printed in blocky letters in rustic font. The girl gestured along it.

'It basically just fell off the other day, during the storm. I would've already had it put back up, but Pa's away on business and Alain out there isn't exactly the, er, muscle type.' She giggled. 'So I'd 'preciate it if you could put it back up for us.'

'Can do,' Ezreal said, smiling.

So they got to work, Ezreal doing most of the lifting, as Ekko was not - as the cashier had so eloquently put it - the muscle type either. Neeko helped Ezreal as well, and a good half hour later they were basically done.

'Whew,' Ezreal said, wiping sweat off his brow. 'Tougher than it looks.'

'Uh huh, yeah,' Ekko said, not a bead of sweat on his skin.

'Neeko like this.'

Ezreal rolled his eyes. As he did, he noticed a flash of white a few paces down the road, clad in the familiar Durandal uniform and handing out papers with a smile. He nodded towards her.

'Isn't that the girl that Lux hangs out with?' Ekko said.

Ezreal nodded. 'Alune, I think her name was? Not sure.'

'If you took your eyes off Lux for a moment, you'd probably know,' Ekko sniggered. 'Can't even remember your girlfriend's best friend's name.'

'She's not my girlfriend,' Ezreal grumbled, walking past Ekko and towards Alune. 'And I do remember stuff about her.'

'Sure,' Ekko said, following and gesturing Neeko to mirror. 'Do you even know anything about Lux, aside from her powers and her looks?'

Ezreal scoffed. 'What? Course I do. Don't be an ass.'

He thought about them.

…

Errr...

'Oh, hello, you are Lux's friends, yes?' Alune said, waving as the three approached. She smiled at Ezreal and Ekko, but winced back at Neeko – who was still wearing Qiyana. 'Oh. Um, hello. You are, um, fine?'

Ezreal smiled, shooting a pointed look at Ekko. 'Morning, Alune. We're just out here doing a task. What about you?'

He didn't even ask where Lux was. He smirked.

Alune smiled, dragging her golden eyes off of Neeko. She tucked a lock of platinum-white hair behind her ear, and shifted the papers in her arms. 'Yes, I am doing promotion work for that store over there.' She gestured with her nose. 'Lux has other task with the President, I think they are at Labrys.'

'Cool, cool,' Ezreal said, looking around. 'You, uh, enjoying the Practical so far?' He glanced at Ekko, who was watching with a single raised eyebrow and a half-smirk.

'Oh, yes!' Alune said, shifting her papers again. She glanced nervously at Ezreal, eyes darting between the papers and him. 'It has been, how you say – very enlightening.'

Ezreal nodded with a smile, feeling a little awkward. He casually glanced, again, at Ekko, who now made a tiny zip gesture over his lips – which were still curved in that smirk. Ezreal glared at him.

As he did so, he noticed another familiar face, one that one coming towards them fast, and she did not look happy. Qiyana was glaring past him at Neeko, and Ezreal heard a quiet yelp from behind him. Ekko muttered an 'oh shit', and moved away.

'You, um,' Alune continued, pushing another lock behind her ear. Or maybe it was the same one. 'You are going to the theatre tomorrow, yes? Um, if you would like...'

'Hm?' Ezreal said, snapping back to the conversation. Qiyana was closing in now – Ezreal saw that while she limped slightly, she was still quick - and he didn't want to explain their little ploy to Alune. He smiled down at her apologetically. 'Oh, yeah, definitely. Hey, sorry though, I think we've gotta run – lots of things to do today, you know.'

Before Alune could respond, Ezreal quickly darted after Ekko, pulling Neeko in tow. They stopped a little ways down in an alley that was mostly empty. It was quiet.

'What. Are. You. Doing.'

It was no longer quiet.

Qiyana stalked towards them, fury in her eyes as she jumped between the three of them. Ezreal and Ekko's eyes looked away – at anything else – but Neeko threw her hands up with a smile.

'Qiyana is beach!'

She glared, seething. 'I should have you strung for this!'

'Hey, lighten up,' Ekko said, holding back a laugh. 'We just wanted to get her out of the hotel for a bit. What are you, her mother?'

'You left me in charge of her! And now you wish to chastise me?! Incredible.'

Ezreal shuffled on his feet. She was right, to an extent, but he didn't feel like they'd done anything wrong. 'We can't keep her cooped up there forever, though, and we're leaving in a couple of days anyway.'

Qiyana sighed, giving Neeko a look-over. She nodded approvingly. 'At least you have captured my beauty.'

'Whoa, so you can make jokes,' Ekko said, blinking.

'Joke?'

'Ah, of course.'

Ezreal sighed. 'Sorry, okay? I don't think it's a big deal.'

'Whatever. You will be gone from the school by the week's end, regardless. I suppose I can indulge you.'

Ezreal frowned. 'Ouch.'

Qiyana smirked, and Ekko pointed. 'Dude, see?!'

At that moment, a rumbling sound, piercing but low, washed overhead. It was distant, but it stopped all movement.

Ezreal breathed in. 'What was that?'

'Earthquake?' Neeko said.

'Dregs said something about a dragon, right,' Ekko said, slowly. 'You don't think -'

'Wyvern,' Ezreal corrected.

'Same thing.'

'Well, not really, you see -' Ezreal said.

'It was close,' Qiyana said, eyes now narrowed. 'Untamed beasts this close to a town? Never in Ixtal would this be allowed, we would have it hunted within the hour.'

'Wait,' Ezreal said, feeling a dread bubbling. 'How close?'

Qiyana shrugged. 'Why do you care? Not close enough, probably – perhaps as close as the God-weapon, but even then -'

Ezreal burst into a sprint. Alune had mentioned that Lux was there -

He didn't check to see whether he was being followed by his friends, one thing on his mind.

He rushed towards the sound, making record time as he ran uphill towards the red arch that lead into the Mountainpass. Already, people were shuffling away from it, some cautious and others outright scared.

Another screech, this time louder, closer, and much more piercing.

No time to think, he began down the coiling path that would eventually lead him to the weapon. As he did, more and more people passed him by, some running and others walking very briskly past. No sign of Lux yet.

Then he turned a corner, and a large wave of people collided with him.

Shifting out of the way, he looked around and over the horde, scanning -

He found her. Lux, along with the sorcery President, were ushering people away from the final stretch to the God-weapon, faces as calm as they probably could be. He shifted besides them.

'Are you guys okay?' he asked, eyes shooting around.

'Ez?' Lux blinked, surprised. 'Why are you here?'

Ezreal hadn't thought of an excuse. 'I, uh -'

'Ponytail!' Came a huffing voice. 'Wait up, you damn rodent!'

'You are surprisingly fast,' Qiyana's voice came.

The two of them stopped beside him, Ekko panting heavily and Qiyana doing her best to not clutch at her side. Ezreal could see the pain written on her face.

'Qiyana, are you sure you're okay?'

She glared at him.

Around them, people's screams were deafening.

'That aside, why are you all here?' Lux said again, still ushering people towards the exit.

'I would like to know that, too,' said the sorcery President. She stood taller than the rest of them, and her presence was commanding. Ezreal gulped.

'We, uh -'

'We have sent word to the others, and we are here to help,' Qiyana said. Ezreal glanced at her.

'We sent Neeko to let the Prez know,' Ekko said quietly to Ezreal, who nodded.

Lux pursed her lips. 'Okay, you can help us with the evacuation.'

'We've got it sorted here,' the sorcery President said. 'Go help the people up ahead.'

Ezreal nodded, and they dashed past them.

They turned the corner to the weapon, and came face to face with terror.

People were running away from the Axe, uniformed men who Ezreal assumed were police trying to usher those who were plain-clothed away in a semblance of ordered retreat. It wasn't going very well. Ezreal's eyes were glued, however, to the mass of darkened fury above.

The creature was perched along the rim of Labrys, snout curled back in a screeching snarl. The sound, shrill and piercing, echoed throughout the valley, forcing Ezreal to retreat into himself – clutching his ears desperately.

He fought his instinct to run and got a look at the monster; scaled and long, obsidian plate dotted with molten patches of red that ran along the Wyvern's side. It's snout was thick – razor teeth gleaming dangerously in the soft blanket of the morning light – and closed itself, screech still ringing throughout the mountainrange.

They had to fight that? Ezreal shot quick glances to his sides, Qiyana staring up with an expression that betrayed nothing. Ekko gulped, smiling weakly at Ezreal.

'We have to fight that?' He said, supposedly – Ezreal's ears were still ringing. But the lips were enough. Ezreal gulped down his fear, and nodded. He took a deep breath, and ran into the clearing. He heard a vague curse to his side, and the scuttling of his friends behind him. At least he wasn't alone.

Evacuating people streamed against him, but he pushed forward. If the monster wasn't stopped here, it would likely kill them all anyway. He'd read about wyverns at his middle school – hunched over in the library, the only power he had his mind, and studying relentlessly the only training he could do. Wyverns were the little cousins of the traditional Dragon, but much more common. Their scales were thinner, and they operated at lower altitudes than their counterparts. They also hunted smaller prey, and could be tamed to an extent. Some regiments in the Demacian Military had specialised rider units, for example.

Coming to a stop and staring up at this one though, Ezreal found the thought inconceivable. It screeched again.

Ezreal covered his ears once more, crouching down. It was overwhelming.

As the noise stopped, he looked up. He was still a good ways away from the weapon, but most everyone had evacuated by now. The only few people still around were clad in blue uniforms. Ezreal recognised the white bob of the officer who had escorted them to Labrys the past weekend. It seemed like an age ago.

She spotted the three, running towards them with a face of focus. She was yelling something, but the ringing in Ezreal's ears had returned fresh, fading slowly.

As she got closer, he could make out her voice, barely.

'Get out of here!' She was saying, eyes and face calm, not matching her tone. She was standing straight, posture ready. She was not scared.

Ezreal shook his head. 'If we don't stop it here, it will kill everyone down the path. There's not enough time.'

She pursed her lips, eyes flitting between Ezreal's group and the wyvern.

'We can help,' Ekko said, stopping beside Ezreal. 'We're Durandal students.'

'We have already sent a messenger to inform the relevant authorities,' Qiyana said, much calmer than the other two.

After a moment of hesitation, the woman nodded. 'Fine. Stay out of danger, help me stall. Stay close.'

Biting back pure fear, Ezreal nodded.

The Officer led them closer, stopping maybe fifty meters or so short of the weapon. The wyvern hadn't moved, but it was looking around, hungry.

It's eyes snapped towards the thin crevice that lead back to the town.

'Tch,' the Officer said. Without a glance back to Ezreal. She dashed forward, yelling something towards the creature.

She was trying to distract the thing, Ezreal realised. He nodded quickly to Ekko, and followed. He didn't turn to check if Qiyana was with them, but it didn't matter.

He skidded to a stop, angling his gauntlet up. He felt the familiar rush of power gathering around him, inside him – and released. The Mystic shot flew true, striking the beast in the side.

It wasn't meant to hurt, but just to get it's attention. The wyvern's eyes narrowed, flying towards Ezreal.

'Uhh -'

He hadn't thought this far.

The wyvern launched itself, wings spread as if to blanket the valley in shadow, then dived. Qiyana clicked her tongue, and dove to the side.

Ezreal had no time to think. Ekko was close, he grabbed the smaller boy's collar. He shifted, taking Ekko with him, stopping just far enough away that they weren't crushed by the crashing of the monster behind them.

The sound of the ground cracking boomed where they'd just stood – smoke rising in thick plumes - and Ekko grunted quick thanks.

'I wouldn't be able to rewind that,' he muttered.

Debris fell around them, Ezreal covered his face. As it faded, The wyvern's eyes – molten red – glowered towards him. More red bubbled behind the fading smoke, just below the piercing glare, growing in intensity.

A bolt of fire exploded through the smoke, hurling itself directly at Ezreal.

Let me

Time began to slow -

'Sorya!' Yasuo yelled, landing in front with a twirl of his blade, dragging it across the rocky ground and flicking it back, shaping the smoke into a wall of air. It formed itself just in time, the ball of flame colliding and expanding around the wall before fizzling into embers.

Time began anew.

Yasuo winked at Ezreal. 'Sorry we're late.'

'What kept you?' Ekko coughed, waving away smoke.

Irelia and Zoe appeared behind Yasuo. Irelia's blades were hovering around her, ready, and Zoe's face was scrunched into a serious grin. Irelia called to Ezreal.

'Are you two okay?'

'Hi Ezreal!'

Ezreal nodded. 'Heya Zoe. Took you long enough.'

'We came running as soon as the mean girl told us,' Zoe said, happily. She looked to the rising mounds of smoke with a twinkle. 'Ooooh! That's pretty cool. Do you think it's a full-grown one?'

'Not important right now, squirt,' Yasuo said. He lowered his sword in front of him, angling it defensively. 'Find out after we kill it.'

'Fiiiiine.'

The monster rose into the air. The smoke bellowed, flying out in every direction before fading. It's neck burned red, heating up.

'Another one's coming!' Yasuo said, preparing his blade once again.

The blast was smaller this time, aimed from above in the middle of the clustered students. Yasuo flicked his sword against the current, creating a barrier in the fire's path. Once more, the flames cascaded off the barrier – creating an umbrella of heat that quickly fizzled to tiny streaks of smoke.

As it faded, the Wyvern dived.

'Scatter!' Yasuo yelled, and everyone dove to the side.

Crashing into the ground again, the rocky earth flew apart into chunks of debris.

'Irelia!' Yasuo yelled.

'Following!' Irelia called back, surging atop a piece of flying debris, then onto another. 'Zoe, distract it!'

With a wide grin, Zoe dove into a portal – appearing atop a piece of flying rock, blowing a raspberry, then kicking a bolt of energy into the creature's face. It reeled, dropping altitude just enough to let Irelia make the final surge onto it's back.

With a yell, Irelia swiped her blades along the base of it's neck. It screeched, high pitched and louder than before – everyone grounded had to cover their ears – before wildly flailing, attempting to knock Irelia off. She staggered, but kept her footing for a moment longer.

Yasuo jumped off a larger rock that had already landed, and catapulted himself as high as he could, rays of wind propelling him higher than any normal leap. With a swift strike, Yasuo swung his blade at the beast's underbelly, causing it to cry out again.

Landing to the side from their dives, Ezreal and Ekko stared, slack-jawed, at the crisp movements between the seniors. Ezreal scrambled to his feet, calling on the power inside. He pointed his gauntlet at the screeching creature, and fired.

It struck it in the eye, head reeling back and body spasming – causing Irelia to yell out in shock as she was tossed off the wyvern's back.

'Oh shit,' Ezreal said.

Zoe reappeared from a portal, and let out an Oooh. 'Nice hit, Ez!'

'You idiot!' Ekko said, rushing forward. He reached into a pocket and tossed out a disk into the rapidly falling rocks. The disk streamed, then slowed – shining a bright blue.

Time slowed again – Ezreal blinked. This was different.

Around the disk, the debris slowed their fall – not quite stopping, but falling very, very slowly. The blue glow burned bright, flashes of electricity dotting between the rocks and back to the disk.

Ekko swung his bat at a low-hanging stone, the impact creating a loud thonk, but the stone didn't move. It shifted it's direction slightly, but inside the zone it still moved slowly.

'Irelia!' He called. Irelia twisted in the air, locking eyes with Ekko.

The disk suddenly sparked, a final flash of white before absorbing the blue - consuming the light back into itself and shooting backwards into Ekko's outstretched hand. The zone glitched – as if the world's screen was tearing – and the rocks plummeted to the ground with a crash.

Except for the one stone Ekko had struck, which launched itself into the air towards Irelia. She understood, quickly surging towards the stone, then to the ground. She nodded to Ekko with a small grin.

'Neat trick.'

'Whoooooooooooaaa!' Zoe yelled, as Yasuo landed to the side. 'That was cool!'

Ekko grinned, and pocketed the disk with a flourish. 'Nothin' to it.'

'Don't get cocky yet,' Yasuo said, once more turning his blade towards the wyvern, who was gaining altitude. 'This is the dangerous part.'

Ezreal shot a nod at Ekko. 'Thanks.'

'At least you can aim,' he smirked back.

With the smoke finally cleared, and the valley not obstructed by flying objects, Ezreal saw that Qiyana and the officer were finally able to move towards them. Finally, he thought, but in actuality it'd only been a few seconds since they'd been separated. Qiyana nodded to them, lips set in a thin line. Ezreal noticed she'd started limping again.

'You okay?'

She shot him a glare, and he shrugged.

Yasuo scowled at the other newcomer, but gave her a curt nod. 'Riven.'

She returned it. 'Yasuo.'

The wyvern stopped it's climb – spreading out it's wings and blocking out the light from the sun. Everyone turned their gaze towards it, sliding into combat stances.

With another screech, the wyvern dived.

'Again!' Yasuo called, leaping out of the way.

Everyone followed – except Qiyana, who moved to jump, but winced as she set her weight on her side. The beast was closing.

She looked around, slight panic in her usually calm eyes.

Ezreal shifted away, eyes rounding back to where Qiyana now stood alone. She was clutching her side, Ezreal sucked in a breath. He'd been right – she hadn't fully healed.

The creature was almost on top of her now, talons outstretched. She lifted her ring blade, firming her stance.

Feeling a rush, Ezreal shifted forward, grabbing Qiyana by the scruff of her uniform. To his adrenaline-fuelled senses, she didn't react – a very slow turn of her head as he pulled back, flinging her out of the way.

The next thing Ezreal felt was a searing pain on his side, the wyvern crashing into the ground and pinning him to the floor. Stones shattered, smoke bellowed, and Ezreal gasped, the wind knocked out of him, and the weight of a beast atop him.

He coughed, his head feeling light. Where was he?

The creature, pinning him with a clawed grip to the ground, leaned in close, and roared.

Ah.

He was screwed.

Up close, Ezreal could see it's teeth – razor sharp and a nasty yellow. It's throat, scaly and gray, began to glow red.

'Oh shit,' he coughed.

He felt himself be lifted, gasping out in pain at something at his side, before he was pinned against a smooth, metal surface. Labrys.

He clawed at the talons desperately, trying to get it off, weaken it, anything – wishing that the Voice would show up now. If there was ever a time, this was it.

'Now would be great, Voice!'

The wyvern reeled it's head back, flames spewing out from the edges of it's mouth.

Desperate, Ezreal aimed his gauntlet – where, it didn't matter, just at it – and pulled any and all the power he could muster. He found the well within him, familiar and deep, but there was another, a murky well of an unknown. He didn't care, he tapped into that too. His gauntlet roared to life, spinning and burning a violent shade of purple that he'd never seen before.

Was he screaming? He couldn't tell. More.

The wyvern's head flicked downwards.

A yell came from his side – though he barely registered it – followed by a powerful wall of air crashing into the side of the wyvern's head. It knocked it just hard enough, the wave of flame missing Ezreal's body by barely an arm's length, onto the shining silver of the God-weapon.

Ezreal yelled, releasing the energy from his gauntlet and unleashing a massive wave of purple, cleaving cleanly through the armoured plate of the wyvern's neck. His gauntlet exploded, literally, shattering as it released the torrent of power. The energy passed through, appearing on the other side and soaring high into the sky, but it left no mark.

But the creature screamed, jerking and flailing violently - screeching one, final time -

It collapsed with a resounding thud, the grip around Ezreal going slack.

There was silence for a moment.

'That. Was. GREAT!' Zoe yelled, bouncing next to Ezreal. 'What was that last attack? Does it have a name?!'

'I -' Ezreal began to say, but coughed, suddenly feeling a wave of nausea. 'Uh, not yet.'

'The super-mega-death-laser!'

Before Ezreal could reply, his vision throbbed, pulsing red and causing a sharp pain at his head. He grabbed at it, the Voice returning in a cluster of whispers, indistinguishable from one another -

The metal surface behind Ezreal fell away, and he collapsed with a yelp, landing on a metallic surface with a clang. His mind cleared, pain vanishing and voices unifying into a single strand.

Open

'Oh, now you show up,' Ezreal grumbled, pushing himself off the ground.

'You...'

Ezreal looked up, the sun outside streaming into the metallic alcove he found himself in. The officer, Riven, stood stunned, eyes narrowed at Ezreal. 'You opened the Weapon?'

'Uhhh,' Ezreal said, looking around at the gray walls – shimmering veins of purple creeping from the bottom. 'I did?'

'Ezreal! You absolute, idiotic, complete, uh - monkey!' Irelia's voice, angry and loud. Ezreal grimaced, turning to face the oncoming senior. She rushed past Zoe and Riven, blades retracted as she dropped to a knee, feeling around Ezreal's side. He winced in pain, and she glared at him. 'You could have gotten yourself killed! Are you incapable of thinking before you act?'

He managed a weak grin. 'We're good, though.'

'Damn, Ponytail, that was pretty ballsy,' Ekko said. He had a few more scratches than the rest of them, but he grinned. 'How'd you even manage that?'

On his hand, Ezreal's gauntlet – or what was left of it – clacked against the metallic floor, and Ezreal grimaced. Hopefully, Jayce wouldn't be too upset.

Irelia eased off of Ezreal, and he scurried to a stand – before his head was rocked with a wave of nausea, and he crouched to his knees. He stood again, slowly.

Ezreal looked around, landing on Yasuo. He smiled weakly. 'Thanks for the save there, Prez.'

'Wasn't me, Monkey,' Yasuo said, purposefully avoiding Riven's gaze. He nodded to Qiyana. 'Thank the sorcery girl.'

Ezreal blinked, then furrowed his brows at Qiyana. She was looking away, eyes closed and stance shuffling. After a moment, she opened them – barely – and huffed.

'We are even.'

Ezreal and Ekko shared a confused glance, then burst out in laughter. Ezreal stopped after a moment – laughing hurt – but they threw arms around Qiyana's shoulders, who jumped in surprise.

'Wh-what?

'Maybe,' Ekko said, wiping away a tear. 'Maybe you aren't so bad.'

'We'll be even when you go to the damned nurse. And sick move, actually,' Ezreal added. 'Do you have a name for it?'

Qiyana, apparently very out of her comfort zone, fumbled at her words. 'It was a supreme display of talent -'

The two boys started laughing again.

Soon, more policemen began to appear, along with Sylas, who took details of what happened from Irelia. Towards the end, his eyes flicked over to Ezreal, who was standing off to the side with Zoe, Ekko and Qiyana, but they quickly returned to Irelia. He eventually gave her a short nod, then quickly left.

As everyone was gearing up to leave, Sylas reappeared, grinning broadly.

'Battle Club – and especially Lymere,' he said, loud enough to gather their attention. 'I have some good news.'

---

That evening, the students had gathered for dinner, and Lux noted that the Battle Club wasn't at their table.

After Ez had appeared, Ahri and her had escorted the last stragglers of people out of the pass and into relative safety. She anxiously waited for Ez and the others – though she was very confused as to why Qiyana was with them – but they didn't appear, and she'd gotten very worried.

Then she'd heard about the events at Labrys, and how the Battle Club had brought down the beast. She'd been dumbfounded, and even moreso at the news that Ez had managed to open up the previously closed weapon.

Lux shuffled in her seat. Alune was next to her, and she was talking excitedly, though Lux wasn't paying much attention;

' - One big wave of power, that is what he used to kill it -'

'Mhm,' Lux said, absently staring at the archway to the restaurant. Where were they? Were they severely injured? Was Sylas okay? Was Ez?

And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Battle Club walked through the arch. Irelia was first, followed by Zoe, who both wore great smiles – though Irelia's was far more proper, Zoe looked like a gremlin – then Ekko, Sylas, and Braum. So far, none looked any worse for wear. She physically relaxed upon seeing Sylas, and his grin made her stomach flutter. He caught her gaze, and winked, which didn't help.

But where was Ez?

Yasuo was next, swaggering in with a great degree of sway. He stopped, stood straight, and bowed elaborately, ushering in Ez. As Ez entered, the Battle Club whooped, and clapped – Zoe even did the whistling thing with her fingers.

Ez himself, aside from a hand to his side and a few bruises on his face, was whole. He chuckled nervously at the fanfare, avoiding the confused looks that came from the sorcery side of the table, and limped over to his seat. He, too, caught Lux's eyes, and managed a weak smile.

Lux finally turned back to Alune, who was also staring at the Battle Club. Her eyes were twinkling, for some reason.

'I guess I was worried over nothing,' Lux said.

The Battle Club side of the table cheered.

Alune smiled. 'Amazing.'

Lux looked towards the cheers with a smile and a nod. 'Yeah, I suppose they are.' She stood, gesturing towards them. 'Wanna go join them?'

'What?' Alune breathed in sharply, then shook her head. 'I, uh, do not want to disturb their celebrations -'

Lux laughed, tapping Alune's shoulder playfully. 'No, you're coming with.'

Smirking at Alune's protests, they joined the Battle Club, who were cheering again. Ez was sitting at the head of the table, chuckling nervously and blushing, while Yasuo and Ekko were playfully prodding at him.

'To Ezreal! The greatest idiot this club has ever seen!' Yasuo called, holding up a small glass of sickeningly clear liquid.

'Hear, hear!' Ekko replied, and held up his own, though his glass was filled with some type of juice.

'Guys, it's not that big a deal,' Ez said, blushing deeper.

Irelia shook her head, smiling widely and pouring a glass of juice for herself and Zoe – who was bouncing madly. 'No, this is actually incredible. This is the first time in two years the club has won anything! And the first time Zoe and I were here to see it.'

'Hear, hear!' Zoe rang out, causing Ekko to echo with his own.

Sylas, who was standing a little off to the side, noticed Lux and waved. 'Luxanna, welcome. You'll be pleased to hear that due to the actions of Lymere here, as well as the contributions of the others here, that we have secured enough points to top the Practical rankings.'

'And no one even died this time!' Yasuo laughed, downing another glass – a laughing Braum immediately shadowing and pouring them another.

'Ponytail sure made that one close, though,' Ekko laughed.

'Stop, guys, it's not that special -'

'You killed a dragon, Ezzie! That's like, super-uber cool!'

'Well, technically it was a Wyvern, and there's a pretty big difference -'

'Oh, shut up, Ponytail.'

Lux smiled, thoughts racing through her head. He actually did it? Actually?

Tianna would keep her word – if there was one thing she would do, it was follow through on a deal she made. That meant that Lux would be free. Right?

She staggered on her feet a little at the thought, Ez nearly jumping out of his chair. She waved him down with a smile. He said something, but her head felt light, and her vision a little blurry.

'Sorry, I'm going to step outside for a little,' she said quickly, mainly to Alune, but didn't wait for a reply. She calmly left the room, and after short deliberation – her room would be private, but people would know she would be there – she decided to head outside into the evening's cool air.

And god did it feel good. The night sky was clear, stars shimmering and casting their glow onto the still-busy paths of Needlebrook. She wandered, stopping eventually at a spot that overlooked the incline of the town and beyond.

She breathed in. She breathed out. She smiled.

Ez had no idea what he'd done for her. And though she felt a little angry – it wasn't her that eventually managed to free herself from her aunt – she didn't let those thoughts cloud her otherwise euphoric mind. She could deal with thoughts like that another time.

Around her the world continued to chug along – people passed her, talking and laughing, and she just stood there, content. Lux had no idea how long had passed.

Eventually, she was broken out of her pleasant stupor by a familiar voice;

'Luxanna, you're missing the celebrations.'

She smiled, and turned to Sylas. He was smiling too, scruffy faced and long hair flowing to his shoulders in gentle waves. In the moonlight, his blue eyes glowed like the ocean. Normally, this would have been enough to set the butterflies out in her stomach, but she was riding a high. She gestured to a spot besides her.

'I'll go back in a moment,' she said, unmoving.

Sylas raised an eyebrow, then joined her. 'It's quite impressive. I had thought Lymere was, for all intents and purposes, expelled. Tianna does not take these things lightly. You should make sure to congratulate him later.'

'Aunt Tia won't be happy.'

Sylas grinned. 'I know, I'm quite looking forward to it.'

Lux laughed. Not a forced laugh, as though she found anything he said humorous, but a genuine one. 'No, really, this is going to seriously tick her off.'

He snorted. 'I'm quite convinced that the act of losing in itself is a foreign concept to her. This will be a pleasant wake-up call.'

Lux's smile faded for a second, and her eyes darted towards Sylas. She hesitated – but something urged her on. If she didn't push now, when would she?

'Sylas,' she began, voice soft. 'How much do you know about my situation?'

'Regarding what, your enrolment?' He said, voice calm, though Lux thought she could hear a tiny speck of nervousness.

'Yeah,' she said. She considered her next words carefully. 'We can start from there.'

Sylas was silent for a moment. 'Not much, I'm afraid. Your letter wasn't especially specific.'

She nodded.

'Alright, well, from your initial correspondence, you mentioned your lack of freedom, and vaguely pointed in a direction that you didn't want your life to be taking, and then of course, the request for my help.'

Lux swallowed. 'Aunt Tia had my entire life planned out.'

'You mentioned, yes.'

'And I was so scared – I wanted out, I didn't know where to turn, you were the first one to come to mind -'

'Luxanna,' Sylas said, soft – but with a noticeable hint of apprehension. 'It's alright now, you can relax -'

'Aunt Tia had me engaged,' she said, words now rushing out of her. 'She wanted to further the family's political positions,'

'Luxanna -'

'My parents approved, I didn't want to, I needed to get away, my powers and your training were the only light I could think of, the school, and you -'

'Luxanna.'

She stopped, suddenly frozen, and took in a sharp breath. Too much. She turned towards Sylas, the starlight still casting a glow in his ocean eyes, but it was dim. He was frowning, concerned. Neither of them moved, until Sylas scratched at his stubble with a soft sigh.

'I didn't know, and I'm sorry. Tianna should be ashamed of herself.'

She relaxed and nodded. 'It's just...I...'

'I'm amazed you kept that to yourself for this long,' he said, leaning back against the railing. 'You know you can talk to me if you need to. And I'm sure your friends would be happy to listen.'

She nodded.

'As I said to you on the first day you arrived, you've come to the right place. You can be anything here, Tianna be damned.'

Feeling a rush of warmth, Lux looked up at him. Her eyes darted towards his lips, and she inched closer -

Sylas coughed, eyes widening with shock that vanished as quickly as it came. 'Right, well, good chat. It's time for us to get back to the others, wouldn't you agree?'

Not waiting for her reply, he smoothly guided them back to the hotel.

---

Side story – Zoe

The party was pretty cool!

Ezzie was being bashful, and it was pretty cute. The way his lips wobbled when you complimented him, or the way his sky blue eyes lit up when you made a joke, it made Zoe smile herself.

And she liked smiling, it was fun. She also liked bugging Re-re, but she was off with Prez and Tails, and they were drinking those short glasses of stuff. Zoe'd asked if she could have one – Prez and Tails were acting like they rocked – but Irelly had told her she wasn't allowed. To which Zoe'd done the mature thing; sticking her tongue at her.

Whatever, Zoe was happy to hang out with the others anyway. She stuck herself between Ezzie and Shortstuff – Ekko had called her that once, so it was only fair to return the favour – and another person, the girl from a few days ago. She looked kinda mean, but whatever. New friends were always a plus in her book.

'Heya, I'm Zoe! What's your name?'

The mean girl just stared down at her, face twisted in...mm, disgust? It was a funny look. She didn't reply, so Ezzie spoke up instead;

'This is Qiyana.'

'She's a bit of a prude,' Ekko added.

'I am not!'

Qiyana – Qiyan? No, that was lame.

Yana? Nah, that sucked too.

Qi? QiQi?

Zoe's eyes lit up. 'Oooh! QiQi!'

QiQi's disgusted face turned to one of shock, and she recoiled. 'Excuse me?'

Zoe nodded. 'I've decided. You're QiQi from now on!'

'What – you insufferable -'

'QiQi!' Ekko started laughing. 'Oh my god, that's awful!'

Ezzie snorted too, smirking. 'Good moves out there today, QiQi.'

Zoe was proud, Ezzie and Ekko seemed to like the name. She beamed at QiQi. 'You're so pretty, too! How do you get your hair like that? Is it natural? Ooh, wait! Do you dye it? Mine's natural, actually -'

QiQi sighed, and Zoe continued, happily talking to her new friend as Ezzie and Ekko joined in with the occasional laughter.

---

Side story - Yasuo

The midnight breeze gently whipped through Yasuo's hair, rushing along the river and out into the ocean beyond. Around him, the winds fluttered, lightly caressing his leaning figure before quickly moving on. Without him.

Yasuo played. The sound of his flute breaking the otherwise silent crashing of water against stone. He played a ballad – one of the two he knew. Not usually his type of music, sure, but the mood struck him. A couple of shots would do that to you, he supposed. Well - he said a couple, but truthfully, he'd lost count.

He flubbed a note, and he stopped with a grunt. Around him the wind kept going, flowing with an almost tangible determination. Yasuo rolled his neck, and reached for a flask he'd brought. He allowed himself a long drink.

'Drinking alone?' A voice called. Hard, questioning, and slightly apprehensive. Riven.

Yasuo let the flask separate from his lips, which curled into a grin. He shrugged, raising the metal up in greeting. 'That's how you greet an old friend?'

A sigh, then Riven was close, leaning against the bridge's railings. She was still a few paces away, and Yasuo appreciated the distance. He set the flask down, and gave his old 'friend' a scan from the corner of his eye. She was still tall, face still stuck perpetually in a small scowl, and still had her hair up in a lazy bun. Wait, not really – her hair was significantly shorter.

'New hair,' he said.

'Regulations,' came the reply. She reached into a pocket – she was wearing a uniform, dark navy and black, baggy but form-fitting – and brought out a metal cannister of her own. Quickly and skilfully, she unscrewed the top and took a long swig.

They fell back into a silence. Yasuo didn't mind. He had nothing to say, really. He brought the drink back to his lips.

'Not going to play? You stopped at the good part.'

He frowned, glancing at her. Riven wasn't looking at him, her gaze set lazily down the river. She'd always been good at that, the whole I don't care vibe. He turned back, drink.

'Not really in the mood.'

'You always messed up on that note.'

Wow. Okay.

He sighed, once more setting the flask down. This time, he turned to her, letting his weight lean onto the railing. The wind around him flared – beating harder for a moment – then stilled. His lips spread into his grin.

'Guess I never properly got it. It's a weird song.'

Her eyes flitted at him, then back towards whatever else. 'Guess so.'

Yasuo's eye twitched. Fine. If that's how she wanted to play it. 'Buy me a drink, and I'll give it another go.'

'You're still in high school.'

He laughed. 'You're barely two years older than me, Riv, you don't sound convincing. Plus, I remember back in club, you and your flask go back further than me and mine.'

A brief twitch at the corner of her mouth, then Riven shook her head. 'Things change, Yasuo.'

Did they?

'I suppose they do.'

'Mm,' she said, setting her own drink down. She closed her eyes, breathing in. Her hair – shorter, yes, but still lazily done – struggled to remain tied up against the night's rush. A few moments later, she slowly opened her eyes again, gray, and stared out into the starless sky. 'About the wyvern. Nice work.'

He grunted. He flashed her the grin. 'Easy.'

'You guys've got some interesting members this year, looks like.'

'They're alright,' he said. He had no idea where she was going with this. Drink. 'Blonde kid's a bit of a handful.'

Riven eyed him. 'You got somewhere to be?'

'At this rate?' he said through swigs. 'Hopefully.'

Riven sighed, standing upright. She locked Yasuo with a glare, pretence gone from her face. Yasuo felt a little proud – she'd always been hard to crack, and he felt like he'd won.

'Yasuo, it's almost been two whole years. You have to let it go – it's not healthy.'

Ah. Of course.

He sighed, he should've seen this coming the second he saw her at the inn.

For once, he wished he was talking to Ahri instead. At least she let it be. Gave him space, y'know.

So, he simply smiled. 'I am the paragon of health.'

Riven's brow tightened. 'Yone wouldn't think so.'

They froze.

Yasuo just stared, smile gone. Riven held it, though her eyes hid worry behind the mask of disconcern. She knew she'd stepped over the line, but he also knew she was stubborn.

He shrugged. 'Well, he's not here. For better or worse.'

'Look,' she said, lips tensing. Yasuo could see the cogs work behind her eyes – struggling what to say, how to get her point across. She'd never been good at that. 'I know we haven't exactly kept in touch, but -'

'Wonder whose fault that one is.'

'Okay, yes, but -'

'Say, Riv,' Yasuo interrupted. He put his flute away, along with the flask, and brought out the other item he always carried – encased in ornate casing, flowing winds along the side. 'Fight me.'

'Yasuo -'

'It'll be quick.'

'No, listen -'

'You were never one for talking, anyway,' he said, sliding the fabric off the sheathed blade. He glanced at her. 'You should work on that.'

She stared, lips pursed. Then, she sighed. The action was slight, coming from her, but Yasuo could feel the hesitation. Regardless, she nodded. 'Fine. After I win, you're going to listen to me.'

'Sure, sure.'

Riven shook her head, and unholstered a short, black hilt at her side. In a swift motion, she extended it, revealing a half-sword, blade black with green veins. It was broken, cracked about halfway up where a normal blade would be. Yasuo tilted his head.

'You still haven't gotten it fixed?'

'A broken blade,' she replied, smiling softly. 'Is more than enough for you.'

'And you tell me to get over it.'

'Shut it.'

Yasuo almost smiled. 'Here good?'

'Just stand ready.'

He did.

'On the count of ten.'

Riven stood across from him, the moon shining gently on her blade. The river rushed around them, as did the wind – it gathered, hushed but powerful. Yasuo breathed in.

Always by his side.

Five seconds.

He readied his stance. He would use the second form, finish this in one strike. Gale. Yone had taught him the technique.

Three.

Wind gathered around him, his calm versus the anger of the current. Still.

One.

He rushed. Riven mirrored.

Taking a gamble, Yasuo stopped, letting his breath flood his body. One with the wind. One with him.

Riven slashed at him, carrying herself forward with the momentum. Yasuo yelled, pirouetting. He dodged cleanly, then rushed.

Gale. He swept through her, discharging the winds within in an explosive burst. They rushed from his blade, swirling in an updraft powerful enough to launch Riven airborne.

Wasting no breath, Yasuo launched himself after her, riding the wave. Riven braced, holding her blade in a defensive stance. It didn't matter.

Yasuo let out a final, resounding yell, and reversed the current of air. They shot downwards, crashing into the bridge.

Then it was quiet once more.

Yasuo breathed, sheathing his blade with soft flourish. He stared out into the night, again feeling the air around him. He let his awareness dampen, but it only slowed to a slighter presence. Always by his side.

Below him, Riven grunted. 'Damn.'

Yasuo offered her a hand. 'You didn't have to hold back.'

She took the hand with a wry smile. 'I wasn't.'

'Damn,' Yasuo said, a tiny smirk edging his lips. 'They'll let anyone into the RMP these days, huh.'

'Piss off.'

She flicked her blade, shrinking back into a slim cylinder, and holstered it. Her uniform was slightly ruffled, but she had no visible cuts or bruises. Despite what she said, Yasuo wasn't fully convinced she'd been trying to actually win. Either way, whatever. Maybe she'd leave him alone now.

'Yasuo.' She said, retrieving her flask. 'Seriously.'

He waved a hand. 'Whatever. I'm strong now. That's all that matters.'

'Is it?'

They held each other's gaze for a moment. Yasuo could see the worry in her eyes, hidden beneath the ice. Her lips were tight, and he found his eyes flicking towards them -

He shrugged. 'Go away, Riv. Neither of us need this.'

Another moment passed. Then, Riven sighed, leaning close by Yasuo. Actually close this time, too. He frowned, but Riven was unperturbed.

'I'm sorry I wasn't there for you before.'

He frowned. He began to speak;

'I -'

But thought better of it, and just let himself exhale. He shook his head, and stared out.

'You've grown, and I'm sure he'd be proud of you.'

Something snapped. 'If I'd have grown sooner, he could actually be here to be proud.'

Quiet again. The wind whipped against his hair, a little aggressively.

'He made his choice,' Riven said, slowly. 'He chose you.'

'Profound,' he said, and he could hear the annoyance that crept into his voice. 'But technically worthless. You'd be a terrible therapist.'

'Ahh, whatever,' she said, grunting in frustration. 'Drink yourself to death for all I care, then.'

He actually smiled at that. That was the Riven he knew. 'Thanks for the company.'

'Whatever,' she said, taking a swig of her drink, before closing the lid and gathering her stuff. She shot him a final glance. 'That's what I get for trying to help, I guess.'

As she left, Yasuo's eyes felt drawn to her retreating figure. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was something else. He called out.

'You going to the show tomorrow?'

A grunt came as a reply.

He smiled. That was Riven for yes.

He reclined, reaching for his flask. He brought it to his lips.

And for some reason, he hesitated. He held it there, contemplating -

With a great big sigh, he let it fall, exchanging it for his flute.

The moon shining it's single blanket of light and the wind coiling around him, Yasuo played.

….

'Oh, fuck off -'

He flubbed the note again.

---

I lied, one more after this hehe
then I swear this arc's over

it's kinda hard to write a zoe pov