A/N: Did you manage to crack the code? Those who have, try not to ruin the fun for others, okay? It's a fairly simple code, because I hand-encrypted all these messages in under forty-five minutes while under the influence of fluoxetine, which I really am not too hot about.
I'm uploading this in honor of SKT's performance at IEM today; they've been doing better than I expected. It's great to see Blank performing better, and to see Duke gelling better with the rest of SKT. They're not the winner of Worlds anymore, and they need to do much better to have any hope of taking down the ROX Tigers.
Now, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited or followed, you're really giving me a lot of support and encouraging me to work harder!
Haruka
Riven's POV
Chaos, that seems to be the default setting of the world. The instant an opportunity presents itself, everything disintegrates, the semblance of order fading like dewdrops in the morning, until blood is spilled and shrieks of agony rip at both sides. Civilization is such a terrible thing, all it does is wage war after war, until there is no one left to fight.
The rapid worsening of the yordle resistance has thrown a wrench into the Institute's daily workings, with all League-related activities suspended until further notice. Most champions have returned to the homes that still welcome them, armed to the teeth and ready to fight, while I remain unwanted in the shadowed halls. Even if Noxus were still to welcome me, I have little reason to return there regardless; there is no danger to my corrupt, power-hungry homeland, not from the yordles.
For some reason, the Lady of Luminosity decided to stay behind as well, instead of return to the troubled Demacia. The light in her eyes tells me that she does not believe this will last; she trusts in the strength of her brother and her army to solve this increasingly problematic issue.
Now that we are mostly alone, her advances seem to have risen a notch, or maybe two hundred; at any given opportunity she tackles me with a hug, her hands nearly always finding some way to linger on my body, her cheek pressing against my own as she excitedly shows me something. It is disturbing, receiving touches without the intention to harm, but they are easy enough to ignore.
The book that holds the key to my redemption is so much more important.
He is watching, he always has been, but now he is angry. He actually is starting to see me as a threat… and that does not bode well for my survival. Before I die, I need to find a way to spread this message; we cannot afford to let him have his way.
He has strength beyond our imagination, and unbidden, he crawls through our minds – no, he does not crawl; he rampages through claiming its space as his own. But there are limits to his power, since he is restrained and weakened, if you prevent his initial entry, he will not be able to harm you. Once he enters, however, he can always return, he is a voice in your head you will scream upon hearing, and should you attempt to resist, you will become a frothing zombie desiring blood. If you give in, you will be a semi-intelligent puppet, still out for blood, just less… rabid.
He cannot enter a mind without a ritual now, unless it is an empty, weak mind, but the ritual is fairly easy to perform. All he requires is darkness, and one of his servants, a few whispered words and the deed is done. That is why I have been shying from the dark, sleeping in the light, that is why I have spent several months amongst the Solari. If you are in the same dire state, go to them, the Solari are welcoming to all who love the sun.
I need to find out more about him, and the powers he possesses.
The next few pages contain little stories of victims she has been watching, or victims detailed in ancient scripture showing similar symptoms. Whoever this "he" is, he is extremely powerful, capable of swaying the minds of living beings to his will, breaking them down should they try to resist.
Before our history even began, beings like him roamed this world, too strong to ever be touched. No one but they know how they were cast aside and sealed in the ensuing Rune Wars, all we know is that this displeases them, and this one, at the very least, wants to find a way to gain his strength back.
As I have written earlier, I highly suspect that he has infiltrated Noxian ranks in the recent years, they have always been a bloodthirsty people but this is new. There is talk of war, it frightens me, I think I am too late to prevent this round of bloodletting.
Noxus, this creature is in Noxus? The war she mentioned could be any one, in recent years Noxus has fought both Demacia and Ionia, while historically, it has challenged civilizations that ended up falling, crumbling like a house of cards beneath the white-hot flame of Noxian determination.
If it is the Ionian War… that means some evil being was behind it the whole time, and this creature was the reason why thousands suffered for little reason. The settlement of the refugees could have been done amicably, could have been done elsewhere, on neutral territory, yet Noxus had insisted upon the island of Shon-Xan, insisted upon spreading through Galrin and Navori. If this being is the reason why I had to fight on that despicable battlefield, why Alexandros lost his life at the early age of fourteen, why the Ionians struggle even now with the scars of hatred…
If this is true, I will do anything in my power to identify, locate and defeat this being, to send it away to a place where it can no longer meddle with our affairs, freeing Noxus from its evil. Is that what she meant by "a way to be good again", I wonder? Banishing the cause of all this suffering…
However, am I capable of doing such a thing, weak and human as I am? The author of the book makes him sound like a deadly god, a being more terrifying than the champions of the Shadow Isles or the Void, an unearthly creature with powers that could put even Vilemaw to shame.
He has the ability to summon minions at a whim, anywhere he desires, unless the pure spirituality of the place overpowers him. Even in the light, even on the steep slopes of Targon, his minions can appear, defying the sacred mountain. The Solari's temples are no longer a safe place for me to hide, and there is only one place I can go to now.
Ionia.
I must head to Ionia as swiftly as possible, before his minions catch up with me.
Flipping the yellowed pages, I continue studying the author's journey toward Ionia, taking note of her repeated warnings.
He is always watching through the eyes of eagles. Never speak of this out loud; you do not know if he already has an eye there. If he finds you telling… only the strongest magic can keep him away.
Trust no one; you do not know who is working under him. His minions are everywhere, mindless puppets in lively shells, and if this book gets into their hands, society as we know it is doomed.
If we can stop him, we might be able to stop any more pointless wars from happening. We will be able to do more than the Institute of War could have ever dreamed, to finally cease the suffering and bloodshed of innocents. If anything happens to me, please, whoever who gets this, fight him. Fight him for me, for us, for the world.
It will not be safe to leave any of my books where people know they are, and I definitely cannot keep them close to each other. To lose them all is to lose the hope of the world.
Regardless, there is a way to find them, reader, if you truly wish to aid me in my quest. In the light that pierces through the darkness, you shall find your clue.
Shivering involuntarily, I silently wonder what I am up against. A beast that threatens society, that threatens the world, how powerful does it have to be? How much magic must one have to freely control the minds of others, especially in this time and age, with the Institute's watchful eyes on all forms of sorcery?
"Watching through the eyes of eagles"… Does this creature have something to do with one of the Institute's newer champions, the Emperor of the Sands? He surely is ancient enough, having come from a time where Shurima was a powerful empire instead of a desert wasteland, and he is… a bird of some sort, I would assume. And if he does indeed command the eyes of all eagles, does that mean General Swain's bird, as well as the animal half of Demacia's Wings, work for him as well?
Is he merely confined to the eyes of living eagles, or are images and statues of them also out of bounds? Just in case, I shall avoid anything with birds on it while I have the book in my hands, it is better to be safe than sorry. Or dead.
Stifling a yawn, I ignore my body's exhaustion, plunging deeper into the old, musty-smelling pages, now describing, with the aid of hand drawn images, the legion of ghouls available to this creature. Mostly deformed beasts, they look like something that clawed its way out of the Void, horrible monsters with long fangs or wickedly curved claws.
I call these ones the Yameki, Ancient Ionian for Dark Ones. Unlike the others, who seem bioluminescent, these ones thrive in pitch darkness. In the light, they are weak, blind, they rely on their hearing to move, their eyes screwed tightly shut – it seems that they are extremely photosensitive. In the dark, however, they are the whistling in the wind, faster than an arrow, and they rarely ever miss a strike. They are extremely dangerous, if they immobilize you in the dark; it is easy for one of his less beastly minions to say the incantation to get him into your mind. Against them, the best thing to do is attach yourself to the most reliable light source around and decapitate them while they are weakened. The easiest way to do so is to position your blade between the third and fourth ridge on their neck, it is a weak spot that will allow you to easily cleave through their flesh.
Staring back at me is an image of a long, four-legged creature that looks rather like the Void Burrower, their facial features mostly indistinguishable on their armored heads, save for a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth. It is impossible to tell their size relative to a human being from those sketches, but if they are similar to the Void Burrower, they will be capable of quite a lot of damage.
The Yameki are one of the few with physical bodies, the rest are, like he himself, more spirit than anything else. However, with a runic blade, they can still be cut, though they are capable of speeds much higher than the minions trapped with heavy physical forms.
Primal fear swells deep within me at the thought of ever facing such beasts, but I easily quell it. This is the way to be good again, this is the way to stop pointless warfare, this is the way to be forgiven. No matter how hard the road may be, I will walk it, the strength of my spirit has returned and I am no longer lost. The past weighs me down, dragging at my ankles, but I will endure a thousand-fold before I would let something like the Ionian War happen again.
A purpose, now that I have one, the pathetic weakness of my past few weeks drains away, leaving me with the same cold, pained determination I had the day I shattered my sword. The road can try its best to throw everything at me; I will not give in, not until the hope of success diminishes to a complete zero.
A way to be good again, I have finally found it, and I will be damned if I let it escape my grasp because of some silly fear.
Lux's POV
Despite my attempts to interact, Riven continues burying herself in that old-smelling book she's been carrying around all day, and in the end, I give up and decide to just watch her expression slowly, minutely change with each page. There seems to be worry in her eyes, and a little bit of fear, and I watch quietly as it grows.
There are no signs on the book's plain binding to hint to me of its contents, and I can only stare curiously as the emotions swim in her eyes, eyes now alight with determination, with rekindled hope. It comforts me, the knowledge that her hope has returned, but I wonder what the cause of it is, and how long it can last.
Hopefully, it will last forever, but there is only so long a person can hope for something before it falls away into the chasm of unachieved dreams, leaving behind an agonizing emptiness. I know that pain, believe me.
At two in the afternoon, I decide to go and bring us something to eat; I highly doubt Riven will notice my absence, wrapped up in that book as she is. I hate feeling so useless, just sitting around staring at the way the light hits Riven's face, so I might as well do something. Hopefully, Nasus will not mind us eating in the library; he is the Institute's self-appointed librarian and is very protective of the books here.
The dining hall is almost eerily empty, the only champion sitting at the buffet table is Kayle, the Judicator, who raises a hand in greeting to me as I pass by. Her younger sister, Morgana, enters the dining hall shortly after I have, only to stiffen and turn to leave without a word. Kayle does not even bother to acknowledge that her sister had shown herself, glaring daggers at her plate, and I quickly fill two before scampering back to the library; I do not want to get swept up in the sisterly affairs of angels. Especially not angels who loathe each other and would stop at nothing to get the other's head on a silver platter.
"Hey, Riven, I've brought food," I call out when I arrive; ignoring the dirty look Nasus throws my way. To my surprise, she mumbles a thanks and takes the plate from me, doing more eating than rearranging this time round. Something really has changed…
"You've found a new reason to live, haven't you?" I murmur, half to myself, and Riven tears her gaze from the book long enough to gaze at me in confusion. "I can see it in your eyes."
Riven smiles, almost sheepishly, and nods in confirmation, her mouth too full to make a polite response. Cheerfully, I assure her that I will stay by her side and do whatever I can to help, if I must, causing a different smile to bloom across her sallow cheeks.
It is a strange smile, there is a dark edge to it, but I cannot put my finger on what it is exactly. Unreadable, it is unreadable, just like the tone of her voice as she mumbles yet another thank you.
Suddenly, her shoulders slump over, and she looks up at me with startled, sleepy eyes, a prickle of betrayal running through them. "Did you…" she yawns, her eyelids drooping, "put something… in this?"
Oh… Does she really believe that I would drug her? I'm a little hurt, but, considering the relationship between Demacia and Noxus, I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else. After all, if I suddenly felt sleepy after a Noxian brought me food, a working Noxian still enlisted in the army, I would definitely have a billion alarm bells going off in my brain.
"Nope, but it seems I should have. Soraka's medications must have just worn off; she did say you'd feel a crash afterwards." I did not expect the effects of the drugs to be so powerful, but I guess Soraka's remedies have to be really strong to achieve those kinds of results… "I can get her here if you want."
"No…" her voice trails off into yet another yawn, and before I can suggest helping her back to her bedroom, Riven completely collapses on me; her head bumping against my shoulder and warm breath tickling my neck. I flinch, suppressing a yelp of surprise, trying to suppress the pounding of my heart.
Pull yourself together, Crownguard, she needs help. Sleeping in this position is going to be hell on her neck. Funneling my thoughts to platonic directions, I wrap one arm around her too-thin waist, shivering slightly as I feel the distinct shape of her ribs against my skin.
Picking up her painfully light form, I tuck the book into the crook of my arm before leaving, reassuring Nasus that I will clean up our plates after I have taken Riven to her room and no, we did not spill anything on any of his precious history books.
Jeez, the guy-dog-thing can be such a hardass sometimes.
No POV, Somewhere in the Targon region
"You said she would be no threat!"
Hidden in an ancient Lunari hideout in the side of the mountain are two figures, lit by the same eerie green light from before. One is standing, obviously armed, while the other remains seated in an almost arrogantly calm manner, despite the fact that there is no visible weapon on its person.
"She has the second book, how long before she finds the rest?!"
"Relax, brother. Is that not what we are here for, to destroy them? That she has a clue to their whereabouts aids our cause."
"How are you so sure?"
"Our Lord never fails, brother. Fear not, the moment we know where the other books are… we will surely get to them before she does."
"Well…"
"She has a physical body, many of us do not. Why do you fear a mere human soldier so?"
"We have waited so long… I cannot tolerate any threats, my brother. As long as she breathes, there is a chance that she reaches them and takes them to safety before we can do a thing."
"The Lord has already eradicated the most troublesome one, why fear?"
"That he waited to eradicate her caused this problem today!"
"Are you accusing our Lord, are you doubting his decisions?"
"O-of course not, brother! Our Lord knows all, but we, as his human pawns, can make mistakes. Are you sure we are not underestimating her?"
"It is a game, brother, where would the fun be if we show our hand too early?"
"I do not wish to be the cause of our Lord's loss, my brother."
"You will not be. Rest assured, brother, all is well. The Exile is playing a game she has yet to understand."
"Very well, I will defer to your judgment."
The light intensifies for a painful moment, then fades away altogether, leaving the seated figure alone in the shadows of the Lunari. He scoffs under his breath, marveling at the stupidity and audacity of the fool he must call brother.
"Who are you to think you can judge me?"
When this game is over, he will surely punish the delusional worm – force him to acknowledge his smallness in the world. In time, he will suffer for the words that he dared speak.
"Who are you to raise your blade against me?!"
Severely.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Do leave a review behind if you have anything at all to say. They motivate me to keep working!
Haruka