A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long gap. I was busy with an exam. Its done and I have a little while before getting busy again. I'll to speed things up a bit.

Thank you Alsodef and VG for your help with reviewing and initial feedback.

I won't keep you any further from the suspense ;)

EDIT: I fixed some typos in the chapter now. Hopefully I got everything. =/

Towards the western coast, past the majestic countryside nourished by the Tensoku River lay the iconic Kunou valley. Bound by mountains and not too far from the oceans it was poised to enjoy the many luxuries of nature. Temperate weather, abundant farmland and plenty of water made it the ideal location for a settlement. But, for centuries, there lived naught but a small community of people in what they called the village of Kunou. One may be so inclined as to wonder why more people would not move to such a bountiful valley from other parts of the nation, but all such questions are put to rest at the mere utterance of the word 'Pallas.'

While most Ionians and hardly anyone outside of Ionia had any inkling about this thing known as Pallas, its history was a well-known and fiercely guarded secret among certain circles, the efforts of which culminated in the establishment of Kunou village almost a thousand years ago. Little was known of the circles, or of the members that held the secrets of Pallas except that their successors were the ones inhabiting Kunou village since the time of its inception; their purpose – to preserve the secrets of their ancestors and safeguard the temple on the adjoining hill.

Over the years, the purpose of the villagers had not changed by much in terms of what they did, but the reasons behind their actions grew less and less clear. Years turned to decades to centuries and all that remained in the minds of the inhabitants was their overwhelming sense of duty towards the shrine on the hill. What the shrine housed, however, was known only to the few that were allowed inside it – priests and the temple guardian – the last of which was Warden Varus, sole survivor of Kunou village after the Noxian invasion.

More than a decade after Ionia's most horrific struggle against the Noxian incursion, the valley of Kunou had grown ripe with plants and wildlife. Only the barest of hints of the prosperous and dedicated protectors of the village was left behind. The desolation, the stains of blood, the scraps of armor and weaponry from the last war fought in the valley were now home to creepers, moss and critters. Flowers bloomed where broken bones lay scattered while ashen remains enriched the earth. But the most beautiful sight of the valley was the grove in the northern edge of the long lost village - a garden of young trees spaced evenly, each bearing fruits and flowers growing atop mounds meant to mark the graves of every man, woman and child slain at the hand of the Noxian scourge that had ravaged the land so long ago.

Ever since that sordid campaign of death had passed through Kunou, Varus had made it a point to visit the graves of the fallen if only to keep fresh the grim memories of anguish and vengeance. At first, he visited the graves everyday while the faces of his wife and son were still firmly engraved in his mind. He felt the rage build within him. He seethed, his anger touching new heights, the love for his friends and family transformed into a virulent hatred he did not think himself capable of. But time dulls all things - the edge of a blade, the sharpness of sight, the warmth of love and especially the clarity of memory. Almost a decade after he had sworn revenge on the unmerciful Noxian filth that had cut down every Ionian in their path, Varus found himself standing before the graves of his near and dear ones, still nowhere close to fulfilling his promise of raining painful retribution upon the evildoers.

The Institute of War had seemed a promising lead in the beginning, even though Varus had always known that the League and its Summoners would not permit violence against other members. In his very first meeting with a Summoner he was told that his goals could not be furthered in the Institute or with the help of the League. At the time, however, he had declared to the pretentious Summoners that he would still find means to further his cause, his sole purpose, no matter the odds.

Standing before the tombs of his kin now he felt ashamed, recalling the first time he had admitted before anyone the reason why he had allowed Pallas to partake of his body.

"It is the only purpose I have left," he said to himself exactly as he had said it to the Summoner when he was initiated, as if in an attempt to relive the moment when he admitted to an outsider the burden he had taken upon himself. Compared to then, it seemed like his resolve had weakened now.

Slow progress, fading memories and the changing landscape of nations on Valoran had left Varus lost. Where once he was convinced that much of Ionia would feel the way he did about the actions of Noxus, ten years hence, it seemed that most everyone but him was prepared to move on from the past, from the hurt and the cloud of misery that it had brought on. But he dared not to attribute his countrymen's desire to move on to nobility of spirit. Instead, he chose to heap another sin onto the shoulders of Noxus – the sin of having persuaded all the other countries to join the Institute of war so as not to face the macabre consequences of their actions in Ionia.

Varus clenched his fists and his jaws, feeling the familiar rush of hate that Noxus brought on in him. His eyes were still fixed on the graves in front, but all he could see was the last vision of Kunou village smoldering with naught but the sound of flames eating through bodies and buildings alike.

"They will pay," he said, "They must." Thinking of nothing else then, he turned to leave for his abode – the shrine that he protected at the cost of everything else in his life – when he came face to face with a fellow league-member.

"Eye of Twilight," Varus voiced, with none of the astonishment he felt reflecting in his tone.

"Warden," reciprocated Shen.

Both men stood a while facing each other wordlessly. Varus waited for Shen to explain why he was there, but Shen simply stared back from behind his mask, his eyes seen only as white masses devoid of pupils, much like Varus' own eyes.

Seeing no more reason in waiting around aimlessly Varus proceeded to leave for the temple when, as he crossed Shen, he heard the words, "We must talk."

Intrigued, Varus turned his head to look at his interlocutor who, instead, was looking ahead.

"What about?" Varus inquired.

"About a hole," said Shen, "…in the sky."

It came as no surprise that Shen would be aware of the strange phenomenon Varus had witnessed a few days back despite how secluded Kunou had come to be, owing to the nature of the Kinkou Order. What did come as a surprise, however, was that Shen had somehow guessed of Varus' rendezvous with the anomaly.

"What hole?" Varus said, trying to find out what the other knew about the encounter.

Shen, still looking in front, replied, "The one that appeared over the forest on the hill about a fortnight ago."

Varus was not done feigning ignorance of that life-threatening run-in with the hole and the creature that skulked around it. "What makes you think I know anything about it?" he asked.

What Varus heard next resembled a snort followed by Shen finally turning to face him.

"I don't think you know, I know that you know something about it," Shen asserted.

Varus looked at the Eye of Twilight carefully. To be visited by the leader of the Kinkou in person was considered by most to be a great honor. Varus, on the other hand, thought only that the cause for Shen's visit must be a serious matter.

"What do you wish to know?" Varus queried much more intrigued than before.

"Everything," Shen declared immediately.

If only momentarily, Varus' mind drifted back to the unsettling events of that night and all the uneasiness it caused him. Particularly, he could not help but think back to Pallas.

Ever since that night, Pallas had felt different to him although only subtly. Mindboggling as it was to him, Varus could not help but be curious given the peculiar images Pallas had shown during the incident in the forest. Varus could feel lingering dread, but at the same time, there had grown in him a strong need to know what Pallas meant with its ominous visual phrases; a need that encouraged him to dig through a small cache of books and scrolls hidden in Pallas' temple – the last bits of Kunou's history to survive the Noxian invasion. Uncertain about how much of what he had learned could, or even should, be shared with anyone unfamiliar with Pallas, Varus pondered the details of all that he could tell Shen while not being dishonest. He would still have to be careful.

"There isn't much to tell," Varus said, "There was a hole in the sky and some manner of creature protecting it, perhaps, I can't be certain."

"And?" Shen asked eagerly.

Varus shook his head in response. "I had to kill the creature when it attacked me and then the hole was gone."

"That's it?" Shen sounded nonplussed.

"Yes," Varus replied, conveniently omitting Pallas' terrifying blurb and the odd feeling of familiarity the hole had brought on in him.

The mention of that ominous night and the memory of Pallas it caused to linger for longer than needed made Varus feel discomfort for what was about to come. Looking at Shen was beginning to wear on him even though he had lied effortlessly. He turned away slowly, hoping Shen would be none the wiser. Catching a glimpse of the sky reminded him that sunset was not far. It was almost time for him to return to the shrine. Varus thought it just about the right time to head back in order for him to make it to the top before dark. It also seemed to be the perfect opportunity to get away from that little untruth.

"Now, you must excuse me. I have to return to the temple," Varus said trying to cut short any further questions Shen might prolong the conversation with

"Tell me about this creature you've mentioned," said Shen to add to Varus' growing discomfort. The words almost echoed in his ears. He was being gently coerced into thinking about his lie, but more importantly about that night. He closed his eyes in vain to keep the images of that hideous thing from flashing in his mind.

There had started to form from memory outlines of that creature, its massive form towering over him while he lay on the ground on the verge of being assimilated. The fear from that night, too, was rekindled in him and he could not help but be sucked in further.

"Warden?" called Shen confused at Varus' odd reaction.

Varus had received a momentary distraction – a thing he thought sufficient to break free of the eerie spell he felt like he was under. He looked at Shen once again, reaffirming the reality of having survived through that ordeal. Taking solace in the immutability of fact, he dared to delve back into past events.

"It was huge and unlike anything I had ever seen. But it forced my hand," he said, leaving all the details about its strange appendages and transparent flesh from the other man.

Shen seemed to believe the lie and Varus would have been relieved to know that the ugliness of that night would finally be allowed to settle back into the depths of his memory were it not for the strange tingling in his skin.

A chill ran down his spine almost instantly and Varus found himself beginning to feel the same symptoms as that night. Slowly but surely, Pallas had surfaced from its slumber whispering lightly as it rose to the foreground, it words forming hazy pictures that converged over a few seconds, followed by a growing pain in his limbs.

Circumstances had grown undesirable for Varus rather quickly. Sunset had almost approached with Varus making no progress towards the shrine and Shen no closer to leaving. As Pallas' whispers turned into a clear voice, so too increased the pain in his arms and legs. Images of Pallas' twisted speech crystalized in his mind, depicting him as at the head of a small group of people each of whom were bound to him by means of a tendril of corruption. 'Power' came the understanding of that display, accompanied with a nudging to look in Shen's direction.

The urging was so subtle that he could scarce tell it apart from his own thoughts. It was amazing how Pallas had taken control of so much of his mind. The worst part was that Varus could not defend against what was, for all practical purposes, a part of him. Yet he tried in what little capacity he could to be careful before acting on Pallas' suggestions no matter how innocent they appeared. Deciding to avoid Shen' gaze unless absolutely necessary Varus turned towards the hill trying once again to end the conversation.

But Shen was not prepared to excuse him just yet. "Would it be possible to see its corpse then? Can you take me to the place?" he asked earnestly.

Varus was unwilling to remain there any longer and his disinclination only increased when he felt Pallas trying harder to get him to face the other man. The ache in his limbs had also been on the rise and once again he felt his skin tingle. The first signs of worry had emerged in the form of a single drop of sweat sliding slowly behind his ear. Sneaking a peek at his hands showed him the gentle swirling of that viscous black coat of corruption sticking to his skin.

Instantly, the subtle breeze of fear he had been feeling had turned into a howling gale as he stood inwardly calling on the clever owl to guide him safely back to the temple before things could get any worse. He wished to leave before anymore incidents from that night should repeat themselves.

"Well?" came Shen's voice once again, grabbing Varus' attention from out of his fear filled fantasy.

"No you can't," Varus blurted out in haste turning, in that instant, to face Shen a few moments only too late to realize his folly. The tingling of his skin was becoming more pronounced and Varus could not help but clutch his arms. Afraid to let matters get out of control, Varus decided to leave no matter what Shen would think. It was better to be suspected of something than to have Pallas act like it had when faced with that creature.

No doubt Shen was able to see all the strange behavior from Varus. Somewhat concerned, he asked, "Are you all right?"

Varus was both annoyed and surprised at the question, but he could not afford to linger any more. "I'm afraid I must leave for the temple immediately," he said curtly.

Unable to find the courage to speak more of that creature, lest that memory should refuse to leave him at peace Varus began to walk towards the hill. The pain in his arms and legs continued and Varus picked up the pace, but he was partially relieved to know that he would be able to deal with Pallas away from observant eyes. He did not even wish to know if Shen was still around. It was far more important to reach the temple so that he could handle any problems on his own, he reasoned.

A/N:

Bane340 - Thank you for the kind words. :) I hope the story lives up to your expectations. Thanks for reading.

Do feel free to comment and critique, guys. Thanks for your time.