The author notes section:
2022-07-01: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
2022-07-06: Hey, a short update. I should be able to finish the piece by the end of the week.
2022-07-11: Hey, it is finally finished. I am sorry that it took that long.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2022-07-01]: A preview was released.
[2022-07-06]: The chapter was updated. Added around 500 words.
[2022-07-11]: The chapter was updated and its final version was released.
Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.
Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.
Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)
Bleach story. (Byakuya x Yoruichi / ?)
Naruto story. (Neji x Hinata / Neji x TenTen / Nagato x Konan)
Fairy Tail story. (most likely Erza x Mira)
References:
*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D
End of the author notes section.
The march continued on. After every couple of moments, the white-haired woman glanced over the Blighted Isle. It seemed so natural, yet at the same time forced. Akali felt as if she was being drawn by something, something horrific. And yet, just like a moth casually drawn to the flame, the elven woman obliged, getting closer and closer to the cursed isle.
As her exhales grew ever so shallow, it became painfully apparent that she would soon need to rest. But, of course, it was not an idea that the woman was willing to accept at any point. With her consciousness solely focused on her task, there was no time for rest until the feat was set and done. However, a question still lingered on whether she could do so before her body inevitably failed and collapsed.
Soon enough, she reached the coastline. In the ranger's mind, it should have been an easy task to find someone who would fare her toward the isle. However, her initial assumption appeared flawed; in reality, finding someone willing to do so had taken Akali more than an hour. Though in the end, she managed to convince a young fisherman. But unfortunately, it was not as cheap as she would have wanted. To be perfectly honest, it cost her every single gold coin she possessed.
The fisherman was a very slender fellow. However, under this apparent first impression, some details were hidden. It took Akali a couple of glances to notice defined lines of muscles moving under the man's sunburned skin. His relatively short, blonde hair, for the elf, seemed to be trimmed recently. The linen shirt the man wore must have been white originally, but time took its toll on the fabric, making it yellowish.
Moreover, it was patched numerous times on a few spots. Even though all of these details added up, creating a reliable story, Akali, deep inside her, felt that something was off. The man casually walking in front of her might not be who her first impression suggested. And thus, the young woman made a mental note to be wary around the supposed-to-be fisherman.
Soon enough, they reached a solid, wooden platform. Many smaller or slightly bigger boats were anchored to each of its sides. These could not have been fishermen's belonging. A single glance was enough to prove that her guts told her the truth once again. As quietly as the woman could, she grabbed her sword, quickly pointing it at the man.
"Not a step forward," Akali uttered coldly. "Who are you?" she slowly asked.
"I wouldn't be so reckless with that blade of yours," the supposed-to-be fisherman softly chuckled whilst turning around. "At least, if I were you, that's. But, regardless, who I'm isn't that important. Unfortunately, however, the same can't be said about you. So, do tell, who're you?"
"You are not alone, are you not? You have a backup," the ranger sighed heavily whilst lowering her sword. "If my ears do not mislead me, I would say there are five of you. You, standing next to me, and four additional people hiding in the bushes. Am I correct?" the white-haired woman added after a few short moments of listening to the nearby rustles.
"Not bad," the supposed-to-be fisherman said. "I must give you that; you're not bad at all. But, lads, you can come out of the shadows. She already knows you're hiding there," he uttered toward his companions.
In a frame shorter than a blink of an eye, 4 men exited the nearby bushes. The white-haired woman allowed herself to look at these militias for the next couple of moments. The more detail she spotted, the more apparent it became who they were. These 4 tall and athletic men were a part of the Lothern Sea Guard. They looked respectable with their recognisable silvery chainmail and partial, scaly armours. On the backs, short bows could be spotted whilst their hands were preoccupied with triangle shields and spears.
"You are the Lothern Sea Guards, are you not?" Akali asked. Even though it was, to some extent, a rhetorical question, she still opted to utter it.
"Yes, we're, indeed," the blonde-haired guardsmen responded. "And… you, by the looks of things, you're a Shadow Warrior?" he continued, taking a step forward. "You certainly act like one of these fellows, not to mention that your awareness is quite noticeable. So, do tell, who're you and what're doing here?" the man asked, lowering his voice slightly.
"I am a member of the order, yes," the ranger said.
"What're you doing here, then, Shadow Warrior?"
"I can not say much without going into details," Akali uttered quietly. "The most I can reveal is that I need to get to the isle."
"Then… you've been asked to patrol the Blighted Isle, is that correct?" the blonde man asked.
"Yes," the Shadow Warrior responded reservedly.
"I take that the Druchii are causing problems, again?"
"Eh… I… yes, that is precisely the case," Akali finally told the truth. After all, there was no real reason to keep it hidden anymore.
"I see; hm… as far as I know, there were no signs of the Druchii activities. At least, I haven't been informed about one," the Sea Guard member said. "But regardless, maybe it'll be for the good for you to take a look."
"It would be great," the white-haired woman uttered. "Can you lend me a hand? I mean… can you get me to the isle's shore? I should be capable of dealing with the rest on my own."
"Very well, follow me, then."
Sometime later:
The distance between the unimpressive harbour she had been led to and the island's coast was not as significant as it initially seemed. In all honesty, it felt so laughably small, insignificant. But, as time became more fluid, every piece of the journey began to mix up. It got to a point where the white-haired woman could not differentiate these partial elements. In her mind, it only took them minutes to get to the shore. However, in reality, the entire journey lasted around an hour.
Akali enjoyed some moments wholeheartedly. The soft breeze blew toward them, bringing much-needed coolness and the sea's smell. Her nostrils were constantly filled with the smell of salty seawater. It was something that inherently reminded her about her home. But, she did not dare to delve deeper into the well of memories, for she knew a great pain lingered there. So instead, she tried to enjoy the wind blows as much as possible.
The current temperature was virtually perfect for the woman. It was pleasant, neither too hot nor cold, with manageable humidity. The winds played with her hair, putting it into soft motion.
Still, the fact that so far away from home, Akali met her kinsmen could be described as suspicious. All she wanted was to forget about her past, the failures, and the pain. But, it seemed that someone above would not allow it to happen. A part of her brain wanted to start a conversation with the Sea Guards whilst the other tried to remain silent. In the end, the other part won, leaving Akali with a constant battle deep within her.
When the boat finally embarked on the coastline, it was already noon. The woman raised up as sand began rustling under the ship's haul, readying herself to leave. But, before she left, she silently nodded toward the soldiers, thanking them for help. With that gesture dealt with, Akali immediately jumped over the side, landing on the slightly gravelled sand. Even though the sensation was nothing new to her, she allowed herself to smile. Then finally, she could rely on her own abilities and strengths.
Another moment was sparred to kneel down and pick up some loose material. The sand was a pleasant weight resting on her open palm. Oh, how she missed the touch of it. Akali would have given a lot to go back in time when her life had been easier. The white-haired woman missed the days when she could recklessly fool around the beaches, running cluelessly, enjoying life to its fullness. However, she knew it was not a time for a retrospective. She stood up immediately, fixing her gaze on the nearby forest. Then, exhaling deeply, she pushed forward, trying to leave the beach past her as soon as possible.
Throughout her slow but steady march over the strand, Akali needed to fight with her own memories. The memories that she did not want to go through otherwise, these pieces could easily flood her subconsciousness, rendering her useless for the given time. The woman could not find strength within these. Instead, solitude, sorrow, sadness, and pain were residing there.
Her march continued uninterrupted as the battle reigned in the back of her mind. Who was to say when the first tear had been drawn? Akali was not definitely that person. Nevertheless, the white-haired woman tried her hardest to focus on the task. To some extent, it gave her a purpose, a goal to strive toward.
At some point, she threw away the pile of sand she still held in her clenched fist. But, once she did so, she also quickened up her pace, as if believing that she needed to do more. A few moments passed before she began running. As her tears rolled freely, she ran pretty much mindlessly. It seemed that the wall she had built around her mind collapsed. And… with it gone, the sorrow flooded her momentarily. Then, at some point, she began crying. The woman knew it was a pathetic display of emotions, but she could not hold these anymore.
One could have expected such an outcome. After all, it would have not been the first time it happened. It was like that when she tried to hold her emotions on a leash for far too long. Apparently, she was unable to forget about her past. Even though she knew that all too well, she could not help but try and fail every single time. So, she embraced her weaknesses, running freely, straight ahead.
A couple of hours later:
She could have sworn that she had heard something or, more specifically, someone. The white-haired ranger was more than certain that she had. But, just for the sake of proving that, she stopped. Then, she virtually froze for the next couple of minutes, listening carefully to her surroundings. In truth, for most of that time, she did not hear anything distinctive, anything particularly out of place. However, when she was about to abandon her current occupation, a piercing scream reached her ears. The sound was carried from afar, but it did sound like someone was in great pain. Considering that the wood was in a vast majority filled with silence, it was an easy feat to point out the direction the sound wave had come from. As quietly as she could, Akali began her prowl in that direction. Even though it was apparent that someone was hurt, there was no telling whether it was a friend or foe. So, the woman opted to play it safe and slow. After all, she had been sent here to investigate Druchii. Who was to say whether they tried to lure her into a trap or not?
Thankfully, one of many benefits of the Shadow Warriors' training was the ability to move virtually soundlessly. And… as you might expect, it turned out to be a handy perk in the given situation. Nevertheless, moving through a thick forest is never an as easy feat to accomplish as one might think. If you added the necessity of keeping a low profile, delivering the desired outcome would become far more challenging. In Akali's opinion, she had done a relatively good job in moving as quickly and soundlessly as possible. However, as it usually happens, one can vastly overestimate its own skills. So, caution and vigilance were required for her to succeed.
With every single step she took, the sound faded away instead of amplifying. The ranger knew she was following the correct trail, but the time seemed to be running out. In her mind, a discussion regarding what she should do started. Was it a proper solution to increase her pace, inevitably causing her low profile to practically disappear, or should she continue with her current cadence? Soon enough, the white-haired woman was provided with an answer as the cries wholly faded away. Then, the silence regained its reign over the forest.
With seemingly no other valid options, Akali decided that she needed to locate the original source quickly. Furthermore, she did believe that she was close to it. So, with some faith filling her mind, she pushed herself forward, running freely.
