Chapter Two: New Home

After the light had faded Axel was sitting in the middle of a warzone. He could see axes, swords, daggers, and magic being thrown around between the two terrifying armies. Confused and now scared Axel had absolutely no idea what was going on.

He looked around frantically trying to make sense of what was going on. Before he could do that however he knew he had to escape the bloody battle that was happening before his eyes.

After he managed to escape the fray, Axel started to look around for signs of where he might be. Looking around frantically as fear consumed him he noticed two very distinct things in the middle of the fighting. He squint his eyes to focus more on them before he let out a shuddered gasp.

Clasping his mouth to prevent himself from screaming he recognized the two crests of the most terrifying military presences in the game he so loved. "T-that's Noxus and Demacia's crests" he murmured to himself. Before he could continue talking to himself he felt a terrifying gaze creep up behind him.

A sharp blade was pressed against his neck and let out a small whimper. "Please don't tell me you're the new champion" Katarina sneered. Shocked, Axel turned around and stared at the redhead that had a blade pressed to his neck. "What the hell? Katarina?!" he exclaimed with wide eyes.

The red-headed assassin gave him a confused look and brought the blade closer to his neck. "So it seems that the new champion knows about me eh?" she barked at him. A shudder of fear came across the teen as he was now frozen at the fact that one of the characters in the game he so loved was now about to end his life.

Before he could utter out a sentence a large sword fell from the sky and Katarina threw Axel across the battlefield to avoid being pierced.

Ok this has to be a dream, he thought to himself. But again his hopes of this being a nightmare were dashed as the Demacian Commander charged forward to engage his female opponent. Katarina gave a fierce growl before pouncing on Garen who bellowed out his battle cry of "Demacia!" before clashing blades with the assassin.

Axel was about to relax before another blood curdling war cry was heard from the crowd. "BLOOD FOR NOXUS!" This petrified Axel even more as he saw the now visible figure who screamed the cry. The figure wrenched out his axe from a corpse and its edge was dripping a crimson liquid. It then turned towards the cowering boy and gripped the handle of its axe tightly. The massive warrior drenched in blood started to approach him with his axe hung low.

"Oh fuck me not Darius!" Axel cried out loud. Darius seemed to hear him and a scowl etched itself across his face. Before too long the Hand of Noxus started to rush towards Axel before another cry for Demacia was sounded.

A flurry of gold jumped in front of the teen before a craggy erection of rock surrounded it and Darius; trapping both inside of it. Axel's heart had leapt out of his chest when the thunderous fighting around him got even louder. He clasped his ears with his hands and held his knees to his chest in an attempt for him to keep the sound of war out of his ears.

For what seemed like a second he thought the fighting was done. A brief sense of tranquility came over his face before he looked up. His eyes widened again as he saw a dark red dragon holding him by its claws.

What seemed to be the thousandth time he screamed again, Axel tried to wriggle himself out of the dragon's grasp. All this did was make the dragon momentarily release him before holding him firmly in its talons. Before he could say anything else the adrenaline coursing through his blood ceased and the now exhausted teen fainted.

As Axel dreamed he recalled moments of the past couple of days: The discovery of his best friend kissing his girlfriend, the then later fight with his girlfriend, and his sudden appearance onto a battlefield he thought only existed in his dreams and games. As swiftly as these dreams

Light had begun to pour through the cracks of the curtains and Axel soon began to stir. Once he had awoken he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Looking around still bleary eyed he couldn't recognize the room he was in. After another stretch and yawn it finally clicked into place: He wasn't at home, or even his world. Axel was now residing in the world named Runeterra.

A knock at the door made him jump before a soft voice called from the other side. "Hey you in there! You up yet?" Confused he looked around and found that he was in a plain white shirt and in white black sweatpants. "Uh yeah!" he replied. "Just give me a second!"

The teen then looked at the mirror positioned next to him to see if his appearance was decent enough. "You can come in now" he announced to whoever was at the door. The doorknob creaked and swung open revealing a short, blonde, and very energetic girl. A sigh of relief came out of his mouth and leaned back on the bed.

"Thank god you aren't one of those Noxians; I'd most likely jump out that window over there" Axel joked. Lux had given him a serious look at first as if he was serious but it soon melted into her trademark radiant smile. "I'm glad too" she replied. "If the Noxians got a hold of you, we'd have another enemy to go up against."

"Pardon?"

"You don't know?" the blonde asked. "Aren't you supposed to be the new champion that comes from another world?"

This had him form a confused look across his face. "C-champion? Me a champion? I'm lost here Lux."

The blonde looked at him with a puzzling gaze and sat down next to Axel. He could smell her cherry perfume on her figure and a small blush started to occupy his cheeks. She gave a small giggle and covered her mouth in a cute way when she noticed the black haired teen blush.

"It seems that you don't know why you're here, so I'll inform you," she started. "We- well everyone in Valoran saw a shimmering light in the sky one night. Everyone was confused and immediately sought out the High Summoners to see what it was." The teen nodded and waited for her to continue.

Lux started to look around as if someone was spying on them but she started to continue her explanation. "Anyway, we asked the High Summoners what was going on and they told us that a new champion from a different world was approaching; and they weren't aligned with the Void."

After the explanation the two sat there in silence. The blonde sat there too, twirling her golden locks nervously between her fingers. She was about to perk up before the door to the room was slammed open.

They both jumped as the rumble of the door shook the bed they were sitting on. "I see he has awakened!" bellowed a loud voice. Axel's heart crept up into his throat as he feared where the voice originated from. A large hand soon found itself on his shoulder and was accompanied by a grin. "I see my sister has already visited you. I assume you told him everything?" the figure turned to Lux.

It was Garen who was still dressed in his usual attire. A feeling of relief washed over Axel's mind and he no longer had panic running through his chest. "I was about to get to the main point Garen," she replied. Looking back at the black haired teen that had the look of confusion over his she flashed him a quick smile in an attempt to calm his nerves. "What my brother is referring to is that I was sent to try and recruit you," she said with a devilish grin on her face. "Join Demacia? Wait why do you want me to join you guys? I don't even know how I am a champion and, hell I don't even know what kind of champion I am!" he exclaimed. The siblings looked at each other and their own look of confusion spread across their faces.

"Then why did you appear?"

"I don't know okay. All I remember is running to school, seeing a flashing blue light, running into it then… well the rest you two know."

Axel clutched his head trying to recall what else happened but to no avail. Then fear began to consume his thoughts. What if I can't go home? What if I'm stuck here for the rest of my life? Lux and her brother saw that he began to tremble with fear and started to attempt to calm his nerves. Still shaking with fear he couldn't get the thought of never going home and setting things right with people out of his head.

"Hey… Hey! What's wrong!" faded in a voice. Axel's sudden state of shock was broken by the panic filled words. He looked over hoping it was Alice but to his disappointment it was Lux who was gripping tightly onto his shoulders. He was then greeted by another hand on his shoulder but it felt heavier than Garen's. Again he was greeted with a smile but this one was more rugged, and very prince like."Jarvan…" whispered Axel. The Prince seemed to hear him and his smile seemed to enlarge itself. "I see even the newcomer knows of my name," he says in a smooth, yet gruff voice. "Yes there's a thing I'd like to ask this one, if he was up for it," a new voice says behind the Prince.

Peering behind the golden clad warrior stood another woman. Although dressed in a combination of scaled and leather armor, the woman's fiery red hair which flowed down into a large ponytail that almost reached her feet and eyes that matched the same intensity of her hair were her most distinct features. Given how he could tell that she was probably impatient given by her constant rapping of her boots, Axel gave a quick nod for her to ask her question.

Jarvan huffed and waved his hand. "Very well then," Shyvana nodded, how is it that you know who we are, yet you are a newcomer to our world?" The statement sunk into Axel's chest quickly. He knew that he couldn't just tell them that they were characters from a popular game he had played in his world but… perhaps it would work. He took a quick breath in to ease his nerves and prepared for what he was about to say. "Well it's a long story to be honest- Well maybe not that long."

The occupants of the room shifted their gaze to him and began talking. "You see, where I come from: Valoran, Demacia, Noxus, the League? It's all just a big… sort of strategy game that millions of people play on a daily basis. Magic, the Void, giant men wielding massive axes and swords, women that shoot laser beams out of their baton or turn into dragons don't exist. All of this is merely fantasy."

At first Axel thought that he wasn't convincing enough due to the silence that ensued but was soon broken by Jarvan. "So the League, the factions that exist in Valoran and Runeterra are just… mere fairy tales? A means to entertain millions of people that think this is all make believe?" The way Jarvan said millions seemed to make his face flash in anger. Axel gave a small nod as a response.

"Damn it! We were so fucking close!" roared Darius. He had slammed down his mug of alcohol and barked for another one. Hiding in the shadows behind him, Talon was propped against the wall staring intensely at his wristblade. As the bartender gave Darius another mug, a flash of red found itself sitting next to the drunken and enraged General. "Oh calm down Darius. It wasn't like we were expecting that dragon woman to appear on the battlefield," Katarina hissed. She ordered a shot of Noxian whiskey and the bartender slid her down a shotglass filed with a dark brown liquid.

Darius merely grunted and sipped on his drink. The redhead merely shook her head and devoured her shot of relief. They both ordered another drink and the bartender merely nodded and gave them another round of drinks. Suddenly the room was filled with the cheering of someone's name. "Oh god no. Bartender! I'm gonna need a stronger drink!" Katarina yelled from over the crowd. Darius's head seemed to sink more into the counter, clenching his mug's handle tightly.

A large wallop found its way onto the General's back which caused him to jump a bit. "Hey there brother. How did that snatch-n-grab mission go? Draven was a little sad that he couldn't go, but he knew his force would do the job." The General simply sighed and topped off his drink. "Draven we didn't capture the new champion," he grumbled. Draven's usual never-ending smile faded from view. "You mean... you Failed? Draven always thought that his bloodthirsty brother would never lose to anyone; especially the Demacian troops."

That had been the last straw. Rising quickly from his seat he grabbed the collar oh his younger brother's flashy attire. "The Hand of Noxus does not fail. Nor will he ever," growls Darius. The onlookers shift their gaze onto the brothers as the bar fell into a silence. The two brothers stared intensely into each other's eyes before the eldest dropped the younger one. With a small snarl Draven left the bar leaving his brother and the assassin to drink alone. As soon as he left the crowd picked back up the chatter and business went back to normal.

"Fuckin' idot…" Darius whispered. He slumped back onto his barstool and found that his drinking companion was passed out on the bar. An exasperated sigh came out of the General's face and he slouched onto the counter. "Another drink I'm guessing?" the bartender suggested. His response was a small grunt and went to get another mug for the livid Noxian. Darius had never felt such rage before, especially towards his younger brother. Draven could be a handful at times though. Sliding over the mug with a solemn nod, Darius nodded back in thanks and drank the contents hastily. He couldn't let weakness cloud his judgment.

After he had finished the last of his drink, Darius hefted Katarina over his shoulder and started to drunkenly trot down the roads of Noxus. The next morning for both the assassin and General were a living hell. Their night of binge drinking greeted each of them with throbbing headaches and an acidic burning sensation in their throats. A collective groan filled the room as the two hungover Noxians walked into it. "I may have drunk too much last night," groaned Katarina. "I second that," Darius said between gritted teeth. Their grumblings were soon broken by the clacking of wood on stone.

Both of them shot up to a sloppy salute as the figure made its way into the room. It simply waved its hand and the two went back to sitting down. "I see you are coping well at this loss," Swain's raspy voice said. Darius began to shrink into his seat when hearing those words. They stung him harder than Skarner's tail or Teemo's poison darts. He knew he failed but he tried to keep his strong and unwavering composure. "Apologies sir," murmured the General. Shaking his head Swain simply sighed and joined his companions. Katarina scooted away from him, not wanting to smell the molting feathers of his pet raven Beatrice. The Master Tactician simply ignored her and started feeding his pet raven crumbs of bread.

This is... pretty awkward, Katarina thought to herself. Swain turned his head and surveyed his subordinates. The tension surrounding them could set of a bomb if treated any more. Finally, the Tactician arose from his seat and cleared his throat. "Yesterday's attempt at securing a new champion for Noxus was a failure, but it doesn't mean that we should give up. For all we know they could still have not allied themselves with Demacia yet," he said to them. A shudder went down the assassin's spine as if expecting her superior's superior to lash out on them. "Speaking of," he turned to Katarina, "What did this newcomer look like?"

"He looked pretty wimpy to me. His clothing didn't seem out of the ordinary from Valoran's norm," she replied to him.

"And Darius? Your input?"

"The same as her, I don't see how that puny little thing was supposed to be rumored the most powerful champion to exist," Darius grunted with displeasure.

The Tactician stroked his chin gently in deep thought. "Well looks can be deceiving remember? You never know, he might be what everyone has been talking about." Looking at each other, the Hand of Noxus and the Sinister Blade exchanged a silent agreement. "Sir if I may," started the General. Looking at him with his beady eyes Swain nodded at him. Standing straight to attention the General faced his superior, "With your permission I'd like to lead a secret mission to reclaim the new champion." Katarina found herself leaning against the wall awaiting for a response. He put his hand up to his face once more to evaluate the situation.

"How many shall you be taking on this mission?" he questioned. "I will be taking myself, Katarina and Talon with me sir," quickly replied Darius. Another approving nod came from Swain as his raven-like eyes seemed to pierce his soul. "Very well, but do know if you are caught, there will be no rescuing for you." The General saluted his superior once more, this time with more grace and perfection. The redheaded assassin simply nodded before disappearing to find her half-brother Talon.