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Chapter 15
Blood and Water
The hour is as late as the moon is high. An unyielding breeze meanders through the covering forest, whispering through the stretching branches on all sides. Warm flames of a crackling fire flicker and whip as it illuminates a small clearing near a shelf of boulders. The adopted campsite passes as a zone of temporary respite during a series of daily skirmishes.
Watchful eyes monitor the area, enduring the first shift of standing guard in the wake of night. Empty surroundings, and a persistent silence, disturbed only by the rustling green canopy of leaves above, create a suitably stagnant environment for rest…and deep thought.
A cerulean gaze passes over the slumbering warrior; her head rests on the palm of her empty gauntlet, and her trusty blade lies adjacent, just inches away. Loose foliage skips across the grass, some of which tumbles into the burning flames, quickly dissolving into ashes and embers.
"I wonder what they would think if they could see me traveling with someone that brought so much ruin to our…mild-mannered half. What would they say…" his mind begins to travel. "I have not even yet begun to encounter the inevitable scornful rebuking of those directly affected by her campaign in Ionia. 'Blood is thicker than water…yet blood stains, and water washes away'. That's what Mother said once, anyway. Family ties are important, sure, but the roots of any tree grow in water. It took a while for me to understand, but her observation, and addition to the well-known phrase, was not to diminish family, but rather acknowledge where true growth comes from. We're all born with an inherent set of traits that tie us to our ancestry. There's simply no escaping that. Those would be the stains, not always welcome, but not always unwelcome, depending on one's own history. After all, given a variety of possible circumstances, not everyone has a family…"
"And then, there's the water…ties with people outside of the respective blood-binding family trees we are each a part of. These are the bonds she placed on an equal ground of importance with family. One must remember, of course, that families are created from extending outside of themselves. Like a tree can only grow with water in the mix of things, so, too, are outside bonds necessary for one to truly realize their own selves. The people we meet, and the impact they wind up having on us, end up becoming a deciding factor in the paths we take in life. Every day is another opportunity—another step closer to meeting someone unexpected that might change the entire course of our personal histories-in-the-making. Time, experiences, challenges, and the mere exposure to new thoughts and ideas all collaborate to become a defining part of our character. 'All things are a matter of perspective,' she used to say… Can't argue with that logic. The variable within the meaning behind that simple thought is as infinite as the possibilities of things that can be perceived."
"I once thought her intention in that lesson between blood and water was just some Ionian-based way of thinking. Something about telling me to reach out for friends in Noxus. Of all the obscurities surrounding her many teachings, that was one I found rather…incomprehensible. I understood that she craved Cerina and I to have more people surrounding us than just each other. However, such was the impossible dream barred by the very blood that tied us together. I started thinking that the 'water washes away' piece of the puzzle was the selfless wish of a mother, telling Cerina and I to run away and start anew. To erase our cursed mixed ties, cheating our way out of a prejudice-induced isolation, and just...live. Well, I suppose in the end, she got her wish…part of it. We did escape Noxus, but under the worst of circumstances. Even then, the very 'escape' of it was merely an illusion in the end. At that point, I lost both family and friends in just that one night. Everyone I had fought to protect…everything I had hoped to carve out a future for…gone."
Ephrial continues to watch over the Exile; the clockwork in his mind deciphering and discerning the rippling echoes of the past. "There's a point that, when pushed to a degree, things stop coming as a surprise. Nothing more to lose, and being left with questions while endlessly seeking answers. For me, it was finding that monster…that so-called 'chemist'…Warwick…" A deep breath, "…Of course, even after everything, I cannot…I will not end him out of revenge. The influence of my sister's unwavering devotion to our mother's ways won't allow me to. It's the only way she even remains in this world, alive in a sentimental way… One so very fragile to keep. However, the course of action itself will remain the same. We will meet in battle. Either he will die, or I will. Such is the duality of my nature…my path. Sure, it is by the sword that peace is destroyed…but it is also the sword that will rise to defend it. It is only the sword that possesses the strength to pursue and enact justice. Perhaps not for everything, as that would be taking things to an extreme, but definitely for when mere laws and corruptible courts just won't cut it."
Riven rolls over, as if in response to a rising gust blowing through.
"Then, somewhere beyond that aforementioned point, when you think you've seen it all, and everything appears to have a definite order, something surprises you… Someone, who after a sea of indiscriminate bloodshed was spilt by her own hand, turns it all around. It's never easy for one to admit their own faults, much less confront them head-on. A mind weighed by insurmountable guilt can drive a person beyond the edge of insanity. Yet, in front of me lies the truest example of 'only the strong survive'. Not for her physical ability to cleave someone in half with one swing of a blade bigger than her body. Not even for her genuine vision of the Noxian way. It's the fact that she doesn't cut corners. In order to truly atone for her misdeeds, she gave up everything on her own accord. She severed all of her ties to Noxus. Her friends, her family, her beloved nation, and way of life. Exiling herself willingly, parting ways with everything she fought for, or so believed she had fought for, had to have been the hardest thing for her to do. That's where her true strength lies… In her honesty; to herself, and her beliefs. A spirit can never truly be lost if it remains sincere."
"Perhaps, it is in that very observation that Mother's lesson can be accurately perceived… I, myself, have chosen to sever any possible bonds to Ionia, whether I have any distant family located there or not. It's the one place that might have been welcoming to us, had things been slightly different. Cerina and I didn't have the means to take a voyage that far, with a lack of a suitable vessel and enough supplies to last such a risky trip. Even if we had, the invasion surely destroyed any chance of a peaceful life there…"
He shakes his head slightly, brushing off pointless 'what-if's of the past. "I digress; I, too, made a choice to turn my back on any form of 'comfort' there was to be had, if such a thing could ever exist after everything. All for the sake of the greater good. Therein lies what I believe to be the true hidden message…'yet blood stains, and water washes away'. To put aside petty differences and create a change that truly matters. To break the notion that confines us to our 'comfort zones', and attempt to understand the ways of the people around us. Everyone has their own story. We don't have to assimilate ourselves, or give up what we believe in, but we can at least form some sort of bridge out of common interests. That, if anything, is the key to the decision that brought shock to both nations. My mother, a peaceful priestess of Ionia, chose to marry my father, a feared and revered general of Noxus. As if to spite the dissenters from both sides, she even took things a step further, choosing to live in the very city-state that lives by conduct contrary to her own morals and nature. She had a bigger picture in mind. One that involved Noxus and Ionia coexisting in peace, benefiting each other in a mutual understanding. A daring dream that ended up costing her life."
"Though she was hated by most, if not all, Noxians, they still respected her. There was strength to be found in her peace. A conviction that matched that of a highly decorated Noxian general. I suppose that's what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. It begins to oppose and rewrite the very rules of reality, defying the norm, and establishing new grounds and new paths. That's exactly what happened—both nations had their very realities shaken, and it opened the way for other Noxian-Ionian couples to form, settling in both nations. It was an inconceivable notion that almost showed promise. Yet…in the end, Noxus purged their bloodlines, and invaded Ionia to exterminate the possibility of anything like that ever happening again, disguising their intentions with lies of 'helping a primitive people evolve and survive in the modern world'. No one really fell for the lie, but so long as they stuck to it, the political powers behind the influential decisions concerning the Institute, and its participants, had to abide by contracted procedure. It was a mockery of everything Mother endured. Everything she believed in."
"And that's where she comes in… Riven, the possessor of a quality thought to be extinct in Noxus: Honor. She's definitely made her share of mistakes, and then some. However, instead of craving power and bloodshed, all she desires is redemption for her sins. That's far, far more than what can be said about any other Noxian I've met, or even merely heard about. Her choice in how she goes about it is true to her belief in the Noxian way. No shortcuts, no excuses. She wants to right her wrongs with her own strength. That's true honor…and of course, there can be no honor without honesty."
"That is why I choose to fight with Riven. Why I choose to look past all that blood; the warring blood that murdered my family…and the peaceful blood that stains her hands. To forge a bond between nations with a bright future, and wash away the ugly past like water. That is what I believe the meaning behind Mother's cryptic lesson to be…and Riven is the reason I believe in it. I know not all Noxians are the same, but thoughts mean nothing without the conviction and action taken behind it. It took a wayward soldier to rebel against her entire nation to finally make me realize the true potential of the ideal my mother and sister both shared…"
Riven begins tossing and turning. The night air is chilly with the persistent breeze winding through their camp. A cold night tends to be attributed to causing dreams to turn sour.
Ephrial rises to his feet, and silently walks over while unfastening the tattered cape that trails behind him. He stops to gently rest the battle-scarred memento over the sleeping soldier. It's not as whole as a fresh blanket, but it holds its warming purpose nonetheless. Its true value, however, is as a treasure. Cerina had fashioned Ephrial's cape just before he set off on his mission for her. A token of being with him "in spirit," and the last memory they had together before parting for the first…and last time.
The Exile's tossing subsides a little, but does not cease altogether. The scars of her past run too deep, and nightmares continue to plague the night. Ephrial is all-too familiar with the concept, having his own relentless recollections play vividly in his mind just the same. Waking up is not even relief enough. Every night is a trial, but still, sleep is sleep…no matter how restless it is.
Instead of waking Riven up for her turn as the night watch, the mercenary-knight unsheathes his blade, and plants it down into the waning campfire. She has enough to deal with without a cold, sleepless night to make things worse. Blazing steel takes over as the source of the site's light and warmth, the flames unwavering in the face of a strong wind. He walks over to the side and sits down, leaning against a tree as he resumes his dutiful surveillance.
"Her journey for redemption, maintaining the honor of holding true to the Noxian way, would have her continue on by herself. Why she has allowed me to accompany her, only she can say. What she said to me before still rings true… I don't understand what this truly means to her, or what is haunting her dreams even at this very moment… However, I do understand the simple fact that it is important to her. That's all I really need to know for now. Maybe it's just the mercenary in me, but I'll make sure she sees her mission through. The bloodshed will stop…and the past washed away."
"Violence to end violence."