Goal.
"FREE US"
"DON'T LET THEM DEFEAT US"
"GIVE US POWER"
"GIVE US THEIR BLOOD"
She could feel her vision failing...
She could feel the pain in her head...
She could hear them...
"DON'T FORGET WHO YOU ARE"
"DON'T FORGET WHO WE ARE"
"DON'T FORGET YOUR PROMISE"
She made her way through the halls painfully slow...
She cursed her own stupidity...
What was she expecting?
No matter how far she went... No matter how fast she ran...
They always find her...
"OUR HOUR IS NEAR"
"LET THEM FEEL OUR FURY"
"LET THEM HEAR OUR CALL"
"LET THEM FREEZE IN THE TRUE ICE"
The champions around could feel there was something wrong with her... So they stepped aside... They knew her very well... Some of them could still feel the ice piercing their bodies and the cold numbing everything else... She ran past them without looking... She had to find an empty space... So she could fight her inner demons on her own... No one could help her, after all... She was grateful she found an empty room quickly... One of many the Champion used to laze around and relax... Too bad no one would be able to use it after she is done with it...
"WE CAN FEEL YOUR WEAKNESS"
"WE CAN SEE YOUR DOUBTS"
"YOUR LIFE IS OURS"
"NEVER FORGET US"
"NEVER BETRAY US"
"YOU ARE OURS"
"LISSANDRA"
"SHUT UP!" She yelled as she left her anger to explode within her.
Suddenly, a wave of cold ice covered the room, freezing everything in sight.
Lissandra gasped tiredly as she felt her mana reserves running low... She never had these problems before... But she had always lived in the palace of the Frostguard where they could watch and control her... She was now in the Institute of War... Away from her people... Away from the cold... Away from their influence... Away from the Watchers...
"ANSWER OUR CALL"
Or that's what she thought...
She could feel their presence nearby... She could feel the by her side... She turned around and she saw it...
It had the body of a Yeti and the horns of a Poro... But the creature was far from adorable... In his horrible visage, Lissandra could see madness and a twisted will... This thing was a watcher... She had seen more terrible forms of the beast... But this one was particularly terrifying for her... This was the Watcher that found her in depths of the mountain on that lonely night... Even after centuries, Lissandra was unable to forget that fateful day...
She had always hated her sisters...
She had always hated the way they lived their lives...
She had always hated the destiny...
Life was such an unfair mistress...
She knew it very well...
Before the land of Freljord became the ruthless and mercilessly inhospitable land it was today, it used to be a warm and kind kingdom filled with opportunities and freedom... You could still die from the cold... But there were more chances for you... In the heart of the Freljord, there was a city that stood tall and proud, led by two powerful women... Avarosa and Serylda... Both, grace with the favor and strength of the Freljord led the kingdom with wisdom... Avarosa was the most proficient archer in the land, there was nothing that could escape her eye... Serylda was the undefeatable warrior of the battlefield, strong and clever, no one could defeat her in a fair fight... Not even in an unfair...
The kingdom loved their leaders... But there was something that filled the country with excitement... Someone, indeed...
It was the third sister... Lissandra.
Serylda and Avarosa could be the most proficient women in all Freljord... Kind, wise, strong, brave... All the kingdom could see just how beautiful their leaders were... But Lissandra was on a completely different level... She was a goddess... She was gorgeous... Legends said her beauty could capture the hearts of men and women alike... She was the jewel of the Freljord... Many barbarians invaded the Freljord just to see the gorgeous woman... Many died trying to steal her away from her sisters.
Both Serylda and Avarosa were victims of her godlike beauty... They bowed they would protect their sisters at all costs... It seemed like they were the perfect family...
But they weren't...
Lissandra was, indeed, beautiful, gorgeous, captivating... But she had many fatal flaws... She was blind, she was attacked by an ursine in the past, she was lucky only her eyes were taken away... Her body was weak... Her legs couldn't hold her... She was bedridden most of the day and couldn't live a normal life without constant attention... The healers of the kingdom predicted she would never be normal... Her life would be a sad excuse...
Avarosa and Serylda couldn't be more than happy with the outcome...
They were victims of her charm... They wanted to have her sister for themselves... And now they could...
Lissandra was a doll for them.
A doll they could groom and spoil the way they wanted... A doll that couldn't fight back... A living doll...
A living doll...
Lissandra tried to fight as much as she could... But it was hopeless... She was powerless and weak... She needed her sisters to live... Avarosa and Serylda had forbidden anyone else but themselves near Lissandra... She was a slave...
The years passed and Lissandra could see how much her sisters had changed... She could feel a sudden change in their behavior... They wanted more than just a simple doll... They wanted an ideal... Something the people of Freljord could follow and believe in darker times... They did what was necessary...
Lissandra cried that night... She fought bravely... But she was so weak... She couldn't protect herself... By the break of dawn... She wanted to die.
And they came.
They appeared in her dreams... They whispered words of comfort... They gave her power... Power to never be a doll... To stand for herself... To be someone...
The Frostguard was born.
They crafted a magical armor that allowed her to walk... They gave her a helmet that allowed her to see... They cured her sick blood...
For the first time in her life... Lissandra walked in the Freljord.
The marvels of the mystic land brought tears to her concealed eyes... The land was so unique she completely forgot about the sins of her sisters... She wanted to show them how strong she was now... She believed her sisters would welcome the Watchers with open arms since they cured her...
She was wrong.
Serylda could only watch in horror as her beautiful sister was turned into a monster of ice... She refused to believe the thing in front of her was her sister... Serylda was a coward... She ran away with her people to never be seen again...
The Winter Claw was born.
Avarosa was more aggressive... She demanded the complete annihilation of the twisted ice beings... She believed her sweet sister would return to her side... After everything she had done to her... She was a fool... War engulfed the nation and Lissandra ran away with her people...
The Avarosan were born.
Bitter feelings filled the young and tortured heart of Lissandra... Rage fueled her magic... The ice covered the Freljord... The war began... And the true ice ended the life of the Three sisters...
But that's another story for a different time...
The Watchers bathed Lissandra with more than simple power... They gave her knowledge... The gave her status... The gave her hope...
She was the Seeker.
Lissandra was aware that the Watchers were more than frozen monsters... She could feel it in her heart... Ancient magic and heritage surrounded her saviors... She often dreamt with a city of golden light...
Yes...
She knew the Watchers were more... But she never knew what exactly... There was one clue... The title she bore...
Seeker.
The word repeated itself in the history of the Watchers...
Seeker...
Lissandra could see it in buildings and structures created by the Watchers...
Seeker.
They were looking for him...
Seeker.
But he never came...
Seeker.
When the Watchers were thrown into the Howling Abyss, Lissandra promised she would look for 'the Seeker'... A creature with a purple eye and three limbs... She looked for centuries... But she never found him...
The voices inside of her head grew impatient and violent... Soon, she wasn't able to stand their fury... They were no longer the wise creatures that saved her... They were crazed monsters with one single desire.
The Seeker.
"FIND THE SEEKER" The Watcher yelled with fury.
Lissandra could feel the power of the ancient creature flooding her mind... She had to be quick or her body will be theirs to do as they please... And she promised she would never be a doll...
Never again.
She chanted the spell she developed herself... A self-Destruct sequence that would shatter her armor and leave her with her weak body... It wasn't a good spell... But Lissandra had to use in the past when the headache became unbearable.
She knew she was making a huge mistake, here in the Institute of War where she had more enemies than allies, she knew some of them would downright kill her if they found her in her vulnerable state... But she had no choice... The pain was too strong.
The Watcher roared in fury as it recognized the spell... It lunged towards her with its grotesque form... But it was too late... The spell worked... She saw a bright blue glow from her body and for a brief moment, she saw how her armor exploded in a wave of blue and cold fire, freezing the room before she fell to the ground and darkness sheltered her in her gentle embrace.
...
...
...
It was cold.
Lissandra had grown accustomed to the gentle coldness of her armor, she was used to the cold... But this was the cold she hated the most.
Her skin was bare to the world, her flesh, her weaknesses, her insecurities, her pain, her hatred, her sadness, her dreams, her hopes, her mission, her duty, her past, her present, her future...
Her humanity.
Lissandra could feel the fright grow inside her chest, she knew she had made a mistake, but she couldn't accelerate the process, experience had taught her to let her inner demons disappear before she locked herself in her armor of true ice again, she didn't know how much time she needed... She could guess more or less... But while she waited, she was vulnerable, anyone could kill her, even those weak summoners... How much she hated this side of hers.
Well... At least the explosion of ice sealed the room completely, true ice couldn't be broken easily, not even the Burning Vengeance escaped her prison, and if he couldn't then nobody co...
...
...
...
Someone got in.
She heard the sound of the door being obliterated and she could feel small parts of the true ice falling in her form, she couldn't how... But she was sure it was a champion... Now, the question is...
What champion?
Lissandra thought about the possibilities... What kind of champion was strong enough to destroy her barriers of true ice?
Not many... It required brutish strength... Stronger than that pig woman... Magic beyond the high summoners... That Xerath could be the one... But she would have died if he had used his powers... There was that brat from Ionia... But she would have heard her voice booming from afar... Then who?
Silence.
The champion should have already noticed her naked form... She couldn't help but shiver in fear... She knew there were plenty of male champions powerful enough to break her frozen fortress... None of them were good men... She could almost see some of them drooling over her naked form... Lissandra knew the kind of effect her body had on men... If it came to that... If she had to go through that... She hoped the bastard would enjoy her cold body... Because once he had finished with her... She will hunt her down... And not even the Master Summoner would stop her wrath.
She waited, patiently and scared... And she felt it... It wasn't a hand... It felt warm to the touch... Smooth... So the champion wasn't a human... That was certainly better... Instead of being raped... She was going to be eaten... Not what she wanted, but it was better than the idea of sex with a disgusting human... So she waited for her end... Unless the creature was into that kind of thing... Well... Now that was something she didn't want to think about...
"Are you feeling unwell?" Came a deep voice she didn't recognize.
Strange.
She was blind so she had confidence in her ears, she could recognize any voice... This voice... Was not human... But she hadn't heard it before... Who was watching over her body?
"Are you dead?" The same voice asked concerned "Please, tell me you are not dead... I have enough problems with that crazy girl... I don't want any more troubles."
Well...
Now she was sure the champion wasn't a human, maybe it was that new champion everyone was gossiping about, she never actually cared about other champions, all of them were enemies, even that stupid and ugly troll was waiting for the right moment to strike her down, she was alone... She sighed and allowed herself to feel more miserable.
"Ah! You are alive!" Came the relieved voice of the creature "I am glad you are not dead... But I have to ask... Are you feeling unwell?"
Of course she was unwell, she was naked, sprawled in the middle of a frozen room, not able to get up... This creature had to be completely oblivious if it couldn't see how bad she was feeling... That or it was stupid but Lissandra knew very well that some creatures didn't really know much about the world... Like Zac sleeping in a water tank because it was 'cozy'.
"Can I help you in any way?" The creature insisted.
"I am doing just fine, creature." Lissandra finally answered, "There is nothing you can do to aid me, this is something I usually do when my powers are out of control, just allow me to rest."
"I see..." She heard the creature say relieved "I am glad you are okay."
Lissandra was feeling concerned, the secret of her magic was something she wouldn't speak of freely, normally, she would kill anyone who knew her weakness... But she was speaking about her nature with this unknown entity without a single care... Maybe she was sick or the headache had damaged her sanity... She would have to deal with the creature once her powers were back.
She yelped when she felt the same limbs rubbing her form... The creature was tracing her arms and legs, three of them were touching her... She steeled herself.
"I haven't seen something like you before" She heard the creature speak "I can detect some strange energy coursing through your veins... Cold temperature... Impossible for a normal human being... Interesting"
Interesting.
She had heard many different words... Monstrous, abnormal, impious, horrific, terrifying, inhuman, cruel, incorrect, mistaken, failure, strange, odd...
But interesting?
There was not a single hint of disgust in its voice... He was... Curious?
"I am an Iceborn" She answered, "I was given great power by our leaders, the Watchers." This information wasn't exactly a secret, but she still felt surprised how easily she spoke to it.
"I see... I haven't heard of such species before..."
"I wouldn't be surprised, the rest of Valoran view us as wicked monsters."
"I can relate to that."
Sympathy.
Lissandra forgot how that felt, in her cold kingdom she was a queen, her subjects view her as something they idolized... Something far away from them...
Lissandra was alone.
"I require your assistance" Her words sounded foreign to her "As you can see, I am unable to move my body until my powers are back, could you please move my body to a more comfortable location? Like a couch or a chair?"
"There is a small sofa... But I am afraid it is frozen, I am quite sure you will not find it pleasant..."
"I'll be just fine, the cold never bothered me anyway."
"As you wish."
Lissandra now could feel an ominous presence just above her, she could smell the creature... But it was strange...
Denizens of the Shadow Isles had this particular aroma of old, Yordles smelled like most animals with fur did, Voidlings smelled like corpses and other disgusting things, Shuriman ascendants smelled like the dessert... But this creature... He smelled like the Watchers... He smelled like fresh snow in the Freljord... It made her remember the things she lost.
She felt warm tendrils surround her body and moments later she was being held in a gentle embrace, the body of the creature tickled her as she felt small electrical discharges, she did her best to remain stoic but soft giggles betrayed her, she was glad when the creature sat her on the cold couch, it wasn't comfortable, but it was more dignified than lying on the ground like a doll... And besides, this way she could conceal her nether region, she knew the creature didn't mind whether she was clothed or not, but she found she was quite embarrassed by the display, she was a lady after all.
"Thank you very much" She said crossing her legs and arms "Now, while we wait for my powers, let us talk."
"Talk?" The creature asked confused.
"Yes, but first, I am called Lissandra, the Ice Witch and the Queen of Freljord."
"Greetings, Ice Witch, I am Vel'Koz, the Eye of the Void, it is a pleasure to meet you."
A voidling?!
That was impossible!
Voidlings were senseless monsters! She knew that much! This creature could not possibly be a Voidborn! He didn't smell like one of them! Something was wrong here... But for now, she would play along... She will get her answers once her powers were back.
"A voidling, huh? You are far too civilized to be one."
"I am deeply sorry if my collages caused you any sort of trouble."
"Well... We kill each other on the fields of justice on a daily basis... Every champion knows the capabilities of the voidborns, even with the many restrictions and seals, the summoners fear the voidlings will free themselves from the Institute and destroy Runeterra."
"Then the humans are wiser than I first thought."
Lissandra chuckled to herself, she had learned that lesson the hard way.
"You said you met a certain crazy girl before, who was it?" There were plenty of unusual females among the ranks of the League of Legends... Lissandra herself was one of them.
"She... She is crazy..." Said the creature with fear "Her... Her crazed visage... Her laughter... She was... She was insane..." Lissandra could already guess who was the monster Vel'Koz had encountered before.
"So... I take you met the Loose cannon." Lissandra could feel the creature shivering in fear "How did you run into her?"
"She was giving me a tour around the Institute of War... Then, we met a pink-haired man... And..." The creature couldn't finish.
'A pink-haired man'? There was no such thing as a pink-haired man among the champions... Unless...
Ah! Yes, Lissandra knew about a certain Enforcer who looked and acted like a man... Everyone in the Institute was aware of the dangerous 'relationship' Vi and Jinx had, if they ever met the best bystanders could do was turn around and ignore them... But for them to frighten a creature of the Void... How was that even possible? Normally, they would just insult each other... Unless... The Loose Cannon attacked the Enforcer in some way, triggering the dangerous Pinkette and causing a disaster... Lissandra was surprised she didn't hear a single thing... Her condition was worse than she first thought.
"How did you escape?"
"I didn't... The Loose Cannon used her weapons and I... Flew through the sky."
"Oh..." Well, Jinx's expertise were explosions... Not as good as Ziggs... But she certainly packed a lot of power in her rocket launcher "And then you escaped and decided to hide in this room, right?"
"Before that, I ran into a female with a peculiar hat" 'Probably the Sheriff' Lissandra thought. "She asked me where the fight was taking place, then she told me this was the best place to hide since nobody used this room."
Well, Lissandra did... Although she didn't mind sharing the room with Vel'Koz, the creature was quite pleasant to hang out with... Lissandra didn't know why, but she was okay with not knowing.
A sudden surge of energy... She could feel the cold taking over her body... Her powers were back.
"Do not fear, Eye of the Void" Was all she said before and ice tomb surrounded her body,
She could feel her armor covering her body, the power of the true ice soaring through her veins, the blood of the Icerborn calling for her, the mission of the Watchers giving her a goal... She was Lissandra, the Ice Witch and the true queen of Freljord, she could feel the gentle weight of her helmet on her head, she waited until the magic was done and opened her 'eyes'.
The room was frozen.
The elegant floor and ceiling covered in true ice, the bookshelves, the furniture, even the fire in the fireplace was engulfed in the true ice, the room will never be used again, nothing would melt the true ice... This room was part of her kingdom now, if they wanted to take it back... They could try...
"So this is your true form... It is amazing, indeed."
Lissandra felt an unusual warmth crawling on her cheeks, everyone considered her armored body an abomination... She wasn't used to those words... Kind words... Interesting words... The presence of the Voidborn was unpleasant, monsters do get along with other monsters, she supposed.
"I am grateful for your compliments" Lissandra began turning around "But I do believe you might be..."
Her vision was blurred...
"SEEKER!"
"GIVE US THE SEEKER!"
"SEEKER!"
The headache was unbearable...
"HE IS HERE!"
"HE IS FINALLY HERE!"
"FREE US!"
The voices resonated in her head as she tried to suppress the pain...
"OUR TIME IS NEAR!"
"HE IS THE KEY!"
"THE OUTSIDER WALKS AMONG US!"
"THE GREAT ARCHITECT MUST BE STOPPED!"
"THE FATHER OF TIME CHOSE HIS DESTINY!"
"THE TITAN WILL RISE AGAIN!"
"SHE CAN'T ESCAPE HER GUILT!"
"HE WILL BETRAY THEM AGAIN!"
She could see images of the past...
"GET HIM!"
"Are you okay?" Came his gentle voice as he patted her helmet.
Suddenly, the voices and the pain were gone, the visions and the fear disappeared... And she was once again in the room with him... With the Seeker.
She had seen his image in one of the temples near the Howling Abyss... It was the same form... The same color... But Lissandra couldn't shake the feeling that he should be bathed in a golden light instead of the corrupted purple of the Void... He was looking at her concerned... She felt her heart skip a beat... She knew this to be true... She finally found him...
She found her goal.
"I am completely fine, Vel'Koz" She assured him with a warm smile "I was just a bit dizzy, you don't have to worry"
"I see... I am glad you are okay, Ice Witch."
"Lissandra"
"Pardon me?"
"You can call me Lissandra."
"I... I guess... I guess I could..." Vel'Koz said clearly taken aback by her statement, Lissandra couldn't help but find him cute.
"You WILL call me Lissandra." This time, she left no room to argue.
"I... I will do as you say... Lissandra."
Lissandra smiled... She knew this feeling very well... The creature in front of her had recognized her as his queen... And he didn't even realize it... It was exhilarant... But not yet... No... Lissandra had many more plans... She never liked the easy win... She liked to see her prey struggle, she liked to see them try to run away from her grasp... She will toy with the Eye of the Void... She will see him shy in front of her... And one day... She will see him Beg for her... For his queen...
Lissandra was a dominatrix after all.
"I think you should leave" She said with a teasing grin "I can hear the Loose Cannon coming this way"
"R-Really?!" It was obviously a lie... But he believed it "Are you sure?!"
"You can trust me"
"I will..." Her body throbbed in excitement, she wanted to corrupt the naive and noble creature... But not yet "Thank you for your warning... Lissandra" He said before he rushed through the door.
Lissandra remained in the room for a few more moments, she knew she had a devious smile on her face... The smile of a witch, but she couldn't help it... She had found something to do... Whether she actually felt attraction for the monster or it was the influence of the Watchers, she didn't care... She was going to play this game... And win.
"FREE US!"
Speaking of games...
The figure of the Watcher appeared in front of him, she could tell the monster was furious... They never liked it when she escaped from them...
"YOU WILL FREE US!"
"No, I won't"
"YOU WILL..." The monster stopped.
"I am done being your puppet, I am done hearing your pitiful and angered screams, I am done."
"YOU... YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!" The creature lunged towards her... But it couldn't touch her... It was an illusion after all.
"It is quite sad, you are just a shadow of what the Watchers used to be... Regardless, I will do my part and succeed where you failed... The Eye of the Void will be mine... But never yours."
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS... WE MADE YOU!"
"And I will always be grateful for that... But you are dead and I am alive... So I bid you farewell, my past." Lissandra finished as she exited the room.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US, WE MADE YOU, WE ARE YOUR MASTERS! LISSA..." The rest was omitted when Lissandra closed the door, muffled roars from inside, roars nobody could hear.
Lissandra breathed with delight, she could feel the weight in her shoulders leaving, the invigorating strength grew inside her as she hummed and old song Avarosa used to sing for her... The queen was glad, the queen was happy, the queen was excited, the queen was ready.
There was finally something worth for her.
And he would not escape from her.
