A Boy and His Fox: Redux Ch. 33

The air in the chamber had become deathly still. No one said a word, unable to tear their gaze away from the light that now swirled around Katarina Du Couteau. Even she, herself, was in shock at the revelation.

"You?!" The screech that ended the stillness came from Lux. "Ridiculous! Kal would never be so cruel…so heartless! There's absolutely no way your soul is the best match for him!"

"How very interesting," the High Councilor muttered to herself. "So it seems your training champion was destined to be your real champion."

Lux turned back to me. "Kal, say something!"

What could I possibly say? The Champion my soul most closely resembled…the person who is supposed to be able to understand me better than anyone else…was the woman who'd caused me the most pain and torment I'd ever felt. She killed my best friend, kidnapped my girlfriend. I clenched my fist, a shudder running through my very being.

"You're sure about this?" I asked the High Council, my voice barely a whisper. "There's no doubt?"

"There is no mistake."

Lux grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Don't worry, Kal. You can use me. Or Lucian! There's a lot of different Champions that would be willing to help us, I bet! Just because the League says so doesn't mean…"

I pulled my hand from her before I turned and walked up to Katarina. She just stood there, still in absolute shock like the rest of us. Once again, I struggled to find words. Instead, the hand I'd taken from Lux extended forward, palm upward. "Katarina…"

Her green eyes lifted to meet mine. "What?"

I didn't say anything, only glanced back down to my hand, offered to her. She followed my gaze, before taking half a step back. It was as if I jutted a hot poker in her direction. Now we were both shaking, unable to fathom what was happening, and yet, knowing that it must be so.

"Are you sure about this?" she whispered to me. "I've done things. Terrible things. You know this. And you…you're such a perfect do-gooder. To be bound to my soul, it can't be what you want. As an Ionian, you'd be admitting that your soul is like a Noxian's. Surely there's another champion that would be more to your liking."

"Is that really what you think of me?" I questioned. "That I haven't made mistakes, or haven't done terrible things?" My mind went back to Bandle City, the destruction and blood and bodies in my wake. How I'd unknowingly helped Jinx blow up half of piltover. Betraying Diana's trust. Cursing Miss Fortune. I watched as every other Summoner in my class burned to death, screaming for me to help them, and all I did was stand there and watch. But instead of telling her any of that, I simply added, "I'm not perfect."

"Closer than me."

What could I possibly say to her to make her understand? 'You didn't mean it?' Pretty sure that wasn't true. 'You thought you were doing the right thing at the time?'. Nothing I said could undo anything she had done, and none of it would have been genuine. Still, I had to try my best. "Do you want to be better?"

"It's not a matter of what I want." She gave a sigh. "Look, we've had this song and dance. You know why I'm here. All I care about is getting your girlfriend away from my boyfriend. That's it."

"Bullshit," I protested. "I don't buy that for a second. Hells, I didn't buy that when you first told me." Why didn't I? The question had plagued my mind for a while. She didn't have an incentive to lie to me, or to help me otherwise. So why did I feel like there had to be more to this.

"Summoning is built on trust, kid," she told me. It was the same advice she'd given me in the academy. "Can you really say that you trust me?"

"Do you trust me?" I emphasized.

"Kind of," she murmured. When she noticed my expression, she gave a low growl. "Don't get it twisted. I know what you're like. You're the Gods-damned hero. Always playing the part. I trust you to act like one. I sincerely doubt you have my best interest at heart. The only ones you care about are the goody-two shoes like you and your little entourage."

"And why should he care about you?" Lucian pointed out. His words weren't said out of anger, but of calm reasoning. "You're right. You've done a lot of bad things. Unless you show remorse for them, there's no reason to believe that you can or want to change. In which case, you're not a victim, you're an enemy."

"Why would I want to be a victim, anyway?!" she snapped back. "I'd rather be an enemy than some poor schmuck that can't even stand up for themselves! People like that are weak. They're pathetic. They're pitiful and pitiable and just the very embodiment of pity!"

"That's why we help them." My words seemed to catch her off-guard. "You don't want to be a victim, and I respect that. But not everyone is as strong as you. You once told me in Noxus, strength was all that mattered. How you're born doesn't matter and doesn't make you noble. Being strong is what increases your standing. Right?"

"What's your point?"

"What if you're born weak?"

"Then you get stronger!"

"And how do you do that?"

She rolled her eyes and frustration. "What, you want me to teach you all about Noxian culture now? You train, obviously! You keep trying until you become stronger! Until you become better, until…" Her words trailed off as something dawned on her. "That's what you're trying to say, right? That being 'bad' is my weakness. I have to try to be 'good' until I'm better than I am. Is that what you're getting at?"

I tried to think how best to explain it to her. She was on the cusp of getting it, I was sure of it. The fact she apologized on the train showed me that she did have some good in her, somewhere. "You're getting there, but that's not exactly right. My point is, doesn't everyone deserve the chance to get stronger? They can't do that if they're dead. As for Magnus, is what he does truly strength? He controls people, like a puppet, from the background, but he doesn't lift a finger himself. Kind of goes against your beliefs, doesn't it?"

"Don't act like you're any different, Summoner."

"I am different," I argued. As I attached our souls, my hands ran along my arm, and she shuddered, feeling our connected nerves. "You made me different."

"I didn't do anything. All I did was try to put some mouthy brat in his place. You saw how that worked out."

I smiled at her, trying my best to let go of the harshness of the mara that still dwelled over me like a shadowy raincloud. That was it! The flames and the light. Katarina had given herself to her flames, and she'd lost sight of the light. "You need to find your light again," I told her.

"My what?"

"Your light. In our hearts we have flames and light. Our flames are our passion, our emotions, our power. It's tempting to surrender ourselves to those flames, but if we do that, we can lose sight of the light. Likewise, if we stray too far to the light, our flames will go out. That's no better. We have to tread carefully between the flames and the light. It's not easy. But I can see the light in you, Katarina. I want to help you find it."

She scanned my face, trying to read some deeper meaning. "What the fuck are you talking about?" she finally snapped. I was taken aback by the ferocity of her question. "I'm here trying to explain why it wouldn't work between us as Summoner and Champion and you're feeding me some weird Ionian nonsense about light and flames? Last I checked, flames give off light! So I have to pick between light and light? Oh wait, hold on, I got one. You've got to stride between the sun and moon if you truly want success. You try that one?"

Her annoyance with my attempts to make her understand tickled me. The concern I had evaporated into the air as I began laughing. "I think I read that in a fortune cookie once," I told her between chuckles. Like a virus, the humor spread to her as she too began to giggle.

"What just happened?" I heard Lux ask Lucian.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

I offered my hand to Katarina again. "My point is, Katarina, that it may not be easy to do. It may not make much sense now, but we have to try. Even if it's hard. I'm not perfect. You're not perfect. Maybe we aren't able to get stronger by ourselves, but one thing we know for certain is that if we work together, we'll be stronger than we were before. Is that Noxian enough for you?"

Grabbing my hand, she gripped it tightly with a smirk. "It's a start. Don't make me regret this." Before I could react, she grabbed my shirt with her other hand and pressed her lips firmly against mine in a raw kiss.

When we parted, I was stunned. "What was that for?" I asked in shock. "You don't have to do that to become my champion."

She grinned. "To piss off, Lux."

Sure enough, the blonde behind me was seething in anger, ready to pounce on Katarina with her full fury. Luckily, Lucian was holding her back, keeping her from truly doing any harm. "Okay, so we're off to a bad start," I admitted. "Just, try to cut her a break, huh? We need to work together."

Katarina held up her hands in surrender. "Nobody's perfect. Besides, with all the women throwing themselves at you, wouldn't make much sense if your Champion didn't throw her hat into the ring, even if it was in jest."

"Go to Hells."

"I'll see you there, kid." She flicked my nose playfully before giving a bow to the High Council and leaving the chamber. The rest of us trailed after her, with Lux being the very last to remain.


It was time now. The moon was shining brightly through the windows of Magnus' keep, guiding my footsteps as I carefully made my way through the halls. I knew Magnus would be furious with me for leaving my room, but I didn't feel as if I had much choice. Reflecting on…him…continued to cause me horrible pain and anxiety, to the point where I'd given up trying. It couldn't be healthy. Maybe he was responsible for my illness, too.

As I rounded the corner, I found that there was a massive cage, almost like one you'd see at a zoo. Inside of them were at least a dozen champions of the League, just…standing there. Their eyes tracked me as I slowly crept towards them in horror. One of them I recognized almost instantly, her frosty gaze as stinging as her ice arrows. "Ashe?" I questioned.

No response. Just watching.

I began to move around the cage, making a note of everyone inside. "Ashe, Janna, Nunu, Poppy, Rammus, Sivir, Taric, Tryndamere, Renekton, Lee Sin, Vayne, Graves…" As I went over each of their names, a shiver ran down my spine. What were they all doing here? Why were they just standing like statues?

I looked around for a key that I could use to open the lock, but I couldn't find anything. I contemplated just trying to melt the lock, but I feared that it would become too obvious if I left any permanent damage. Besides, would they even follow me out of here? Maybe they were sick like me, and were locked up for their own good.

Ultimately, I decided the best option was to leave them here for the time being. "I'm sorry. I'll be back, I promise," I whispered to them, before continuing to make my escape. As I reached the front of the tower, I opened the door, only for a blaring alarm to echo in my mind. Oh no!

I took off like a shot, fleeing from the tower through the streets of Piltover. This late at night, the market was eerily silent, but I needed help. Who could I turn to? What friends did I have here?

The Sheriff! She'd be able to help, definitely! I turned down an alleyway, avoiding the twists and turns. "Where are you going, Ahri?" Magnus' voice echoed in my head. "Why are you trying to hide from me?"

"I'm not!" I argued. "I just need some space, that's all!"

"I don't believe you," his words were cold and indignant. "If you come back now, I promise not to be angry. I'll even forgive this little tryst of yours."

"There's no tryst!" I cried back in exasperation. "But I can't stay locked in that awful tower! I need to get out, to get some fresh air!"

"Then you leave me no choice. What's a man to do when a fox escapes, then to release the hound?"

A bone chilling howl echoed through the night, causing me to cry out in a panic. Already, I could sense Warwick's bloodlust pursuing me through the city's streets. I began to weave this way and that, trying to get away from him, but with every second I could feel him closing in.

With one last sharp turn, I came to a sliding halt, finding myself at a dead end. When I turned back, there was Warwick, drool sliding from his mouth as the feral look in his eyes told me this could be the end. "Bad girl," he growled. "Don't you know that pets are supposed to obey their masters?"

I stumbled back from him, pressing against what I thought was a wall, only to fall through the strange tarp into a collection of mattresses. "Foxy?" a voice called to me in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

I jerked my head back to see Jinx standing over me with a confused look. "Is Straight Lace here with you?"

"St-straight Lace?" I repeated.

Before she could answer further, the tarp was torn aside into shreds, revealing the menacing figure of Warwick. Jinx's eyes narrowed at him. "Oh. I see." Before I could say anything she stepped between us and leveled her machine gun at him. "Back off, Wolfman. Foxy's with me."

He growled at her. "She isn't yours, Jinx. She is the Master's property. Unless you want him to punish you, you'll hand her over to me, nice and easy."

"Gods, you used to be cool, man," she complained. "Seriously. Mr. Big Scary Wolf, and now you're little more than a pet on a leash. Not cool, bro. Not cool. So here's my counter offer. You turn around with your tail between your legs, or else!" The cheerfulness with which she made her threat was concerning, but I wasn't willing to argue.

"And if I say no?" he demanded.

"Well, then my new friend will give you what's coming to you?"

"New friend?"

That was all he was able to get out as a fearsome blow to the side of his head sent him reeling. Turning back towards the man who'd stepped from the shadows, he let out a loud snarl before lashing out with his claws. Whoever he was fighting flowed through his attacks like water. It was as if he were swinging at thin air.

Just as Warwick opened his mouth to try to sink his fangs into the figure, he gave him a ferocious uppercut that snapped his jaw shut. When he did, a small bit of Warwick's tongue was nipped off in his fangs, causing it to bleed profusely. "You, you bathtard," Warwick growled. "My tongue! That hurt!"

"Then I suggest you get that looked at," the figure told him. "Besides, the Sheriff's department will be here any minute. Perhaps you'd like to tell your story to them instead. I'm sure they'll be very interested to hear why you were stalking someone down the street."

Warwick let out another growl before glaring at Jinx and I. "Thith ithin't over," he snarled. "The Mathter will get you back. In fact, I bet you'll come crawling back into hith armth. Enjoy your freedom while it latht."

With that, Warwick took off back towards the tower's entrance, leaving me sitting in awe at what had just happened. "The Sheriff's department is really coming?" I asked. "Shouldn't you two be running?"

Jinx and the man gave a slight laugh. He pulled back his hood, revealing dark black hair and a black mask. "That was something of a lie," he admitted. "They have their hands full right now, but I'm technically part of the Sheriff's department, so really they're already here."

"Speaking of which, where is Straight Lace?" Jinx asked. "If Warwick is here, I imagine he's got his own hands full. We should probably help him."

"Who's Straight Lace?" I questioned.

Jinx seemed confused. "You know, your summoner?"

"Magnus?"

"Gods, no! I'm talking about Kal." When Jinx said the name, there was a splitting pain through my head that was coupled with the same crippling nausea I'd been feeling over the course of the last month.

As I fell to my hands and knees, hurling up the contents of my stomach into the alley way, Jinx and Thane were beside me, gently rubbing my back. "Please don't say that name," I pleaded."

"Oh shit, Jinx. She's really sick. We need to get her to a hospital ASAP."

"N-no," I coughed. "No hospitals. They can't help."

"Well we have to take you somewhere," Jinx pointed out. "Otherwise, it won't be long before Magnus shows up here. And frankly, one person stumbling into my house is bad enough, I'd rather he not know where I'm crashing."

"Take me to…Kiba Elunal."

"The guy Caitlyn went on a date with?" Thane questioned in surprise. "He's just a reporter. What in the world could he possibly do?"

Jinx considered it for a moment, before sighing. "Honestly, it's not a bad idea. If she needs to lay low, best to do it with a civilian. It's off the radar enough that Magnus can't exactly come knocking door to door, can he?"

"I'll get his address from Caitlyn."

"I'll move my house."

"I'll…" I tried to chime in before Jinx held up her hand to stop me.

"You just relax, Foxy. You seem to have had a rough go at it recently. It won't take long. Just follow me."

As she began to drag the mattress behind her to another alleyway, I frowned. "Maybe you should come with me to Kiba's house. I'm sure he's got room for the both of us."

"Couch surfing?" she considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah. I was born on the streets, I'll die on the streets." She gave a maniacal giggle. "Besides, can't very well pelt rats with bullets in his house, can I?"

This was going to be a long night, I decided.


Now that I was officially part of Team Kal, we still had a problem in regards to our plan. We needed to decide what to do about Magnus. While I'd already suggested we just get in there and kill him, Kal had a point that we'd have to handle it in a more official capacity. I hated relying on the League of Legends. They'd proven quite a few times to not be able to handle their own business. If they could, they wouldn't use Champions like me.

Lux continued to try to argue that I wasn't good enough to be Kal's Champion. I didn't really pay attention to her exact words. Honestly, I still wasn't sure I didn't disagree, but here we were.

How long has it been since I left Magnus? Two months? Sounded about right. But the longer I was away from him, the more I realized the mistake I made. He took advantage of me when I was upset and angry and hurt. He made me believe he loved me, and worse, I'd tricked myself into thinking I'd love him, too.

"Any ideas, Kat?"

I blinked when I heard my name, snapping out of my own thoughts. "Hmm?"

"Pay attention," Lux snapped. "Don't you get that this is important!"

"Cool it, Lux. It's understandable that she may have a lot on her mind. We're all exhausted. Give her a moment." Turning his attention to me, he nodded his head. "We were discussing options for handling Magnus. We know that declaring a conflict would be a start. It'd at least get us Ahri back, but that's really not enough. We'd still have to handle the possibility that he's able to control her like everyone else."

I nodded in agreement. "As much as I'm sorry to say, she's already under his control. There aren't many limitations to it, either. Champions he summons are a little sluggish, but he has global control, and can control multiple at once. They can't even really resist his influence."

"How is that possible?" Kal asked. "I mean, how is it that they don't get the shakes?"

I bit my lip, trying to think how best to explain. "Well, the sphere is only part of it. It doesn't just Summon them. It brainwashes them, too. They can't resist his influence, because they don't want to resist."

With those words, the weight of hopelessness sank down on all of our shoulders. Off to the side, Annie was sleeping on a cot. We were up way past her bedtime after all. Kal's eyes drifted to her before coming to a realization. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Annie isn't controlled by Magnus anymore. When she lost her sphere, she snapped out of it immediately. If we can break his ties to all of the spheres, all at once, he'd have no more champions."

"Not exactly. He's got a few like me who followed him without a sphere of influence. Warwick and Thresh, for example. Or…me…" I trailed off, only to jump when his hand gently rested on my shoulder. I gave a start, wheeling to face him, only to see a look of concern on his face.

"You're not there, anymore," he pointed out. "But we can unpack all of that later. Why do Thresh and Warwick follow him, anyway?"

I considered it for a moment. "Warwick is probably only in it because he's a coward. He's like a rat on a sinking ship. Once he realizes that he's on the losing side, he'll bail, I'm sure of it. Thresh on the other hand…"

"He's pure evil," Lucian growled. "All he cares about is pain and suffering. If he's allied with Magnus, it's superficial. He probably only does it because he knows that as long as Magnus is around, bodies will pile up. If he does stick around…" He slammed his gun onto the table to drive his point home. "I'll handle it. We have a score to settle, and I'll make sure his time comes to an end, with or without the League's blessing."

"I think we need to talk logistics," Lux pointed out. "Breaking his connection with every sphere at once is good and all, but how are we going to do that?"

We all grew quiet. For once the girl was right. There wasn't any way to actually do what we were looking for. All the postulating in the world wouldn't possibly get us any closer if it wasn't possible.

"I think I can help with that," a cold, distorted voice said behind us. I jumped, not expecting anyone behind me.

In an instant, I was up, knives in hand, to see a man in purple and blue robes floating just behind me. In his eyes was nothing but glowing darkness. It was a mind jarring sight, trying to explain, but that is the only way I could think to describe it.

Sensing our hostility, he gave a dry laugh. "Peace, Summoner. My name is Malzahar, a prophet of sorts. The spirits have guided me to you in your time of need."

To say we were all skeptical was an understatement, but even Kal recognized we didn't have many options. "You have a way to rid Magnus of his influence."

"I have a way to rid Magnus of all of his magic," his echoing voice corrected. Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a golden ring and tossed it onto the table before us. It bounced and rolled, before falling flat just in front of Kal. "This ring is one of a pair. In ancient times, such a thing was used in magical duels. When exposed to an overloaded Nexus, it drains the connected summoner's of their magic. Forever."

"That's all well and good," I pointed out. "But how exactly are we going to put the ring on Magnus' finger? Somehow, I doubt he'll allow that."

Malzahar gave another dry cackle. "He need not wear it. Even just putting it on one of his champions would be enough. Besides, even if that weren't the case, your cup doesn't exactly runneth over with options, does it?"

Kal frowned, picking up the small ring and examining it. "I assume then, that I have to have the missing half as well? Which means, it's a gamble. If I win, he loses his powers. But if he wins, I lose mine."

"You are wise, Summoner."

Lux put her hand on his. "No! Kal, that's way too risky!"

"For once, I agree," I chimed in. "If you lose your powers to Magnus, he'll be unstoppable. No one else will be there to stand against him. You can't possibly take that risk! There's no way you're going to beat him."

Malzahar seemed to waver in the air, before speaking up. "I will leave you to make that decision. If you do wish to seek the other half, it's quite simple. In the ancient ruined city of Icathia, there is a man named Kassadin who holds the ring. He is a dangerous man. Kill him and the ring will be yours. Simple enough."

"And you're just doing this out of the goodness of your heart?" I demanded. "Sorry if I don't believe that."

Malzahar shook his head. "Kassadin has been a thorn in my side for quite some time. He has caused me great loss and suffering, much as your Magnus has done. Ending him will be enough of a reward within itself. But that is up to you. Keep that ring. As a show of good faith."

Darkness wrapped around the floating figure before he vanished from view, leaving all of us in our own silence. Turning to regard my new Summoner, he held the ring up, examining it. "Well?" I asked him. "What do you think?"

Kal wrapped his fingers around the ring, holding it tightly in his hand. "I think we've no choice, but to travel back to Shurima. We need to go to Icathia."

To be continued…