Kassadin stood atop a sand dune overlooking a great portion of the Shurima desert. He had been searching the desert for a great deal of time but it looked as if he could not locate where Sona was kept. The deserts of Shurima were vast and littered with ruins of a once great civilization. Pillars of broken stone and patches of crumbled palaces and temples lay about, dotting the vast sands. The cool night breeze of the cold Shurima night buffeted Kassadin, his robe fluttering and billowing with the wind.
"Where ARE you Sona?" he thought to himself, his yellow glowing eyes narrowed, piercing the great horizon of the desert.
The Void Walker had gone to every possible hideout where he thought Malzahar was but to no avail. Temple and palace ruins were all there were in Shurima and he could not think of any other possible place where Malzahar hid unless there was an underground cellar or dungeon lurking around. Kassadin would scour every inch of the desert just to find Sona, however time was not on his side. He knew that something was at play that involved Sona. The more time he took, the more of a leverage Malzahar gained against him.
"If only Sona gave me some sort of clue to her whereabouts," he whispered to himself despite knowing full well she was unconscious during her capture. After a short while, Kassadin decides to move on with his search and began walking down the dune. He began with the closest ruins and inspected each pillar, each wall, or pedestal he could find in the hope of finding some sort of hidden switch. Looking for footprints was a futile attempt in the desert as the frequent sandstorms always covered up any prints left behind.
Kassadin had not gone far from his search when he suddenly heard the faint tinkle of a familiar melody. He focused his senses and tried to listen to the sound carefully. He heard nothing. He placed a palm over his forehead as he shook his head.
"I must be getting delusions."
Deep inside, Kassadin knew he was tired from searching for Sona but rest was not an option for him, but maybe a breather wouldn't hurt. Just as he was about to settle down on the sands to rest, he suddenly heard it again but this time a little bit louder. Kassadin completely stood at attention and listened more intently.
"This is no delusion. I am sure this is Sona's Aria," he exclaimed.
The sound was faint but it lingered. Kassadin wasn't sure whether it was Sona or the etwahl calling out but without any leads to Malzahar's location, the aria was his only hope finding Sona. Kassadin had no choice but to follow it, hoping the sound got louder as he got closer to Malzahar's lair. Without rest, he proceeded to go on his way.
"Wait for me Sona. I'm coming."
Sona was in the darkness once again, alone. Like in the previous instance, everything around her was pitch black, with the only thing she could see was herself, glowing with a faint light. She recalled everything that Malzahar said about her power to open the portal and despaired. She knelt down and truly cried, tears streaming down her face. At that point, she had wished Kassadin would not find her in order to save Runeterra. In the middle of her sobbing, the familiar voice of her mother whispered at her side.
"My child, why do you despair?" the voice asked.
"You know full well why," Sona replied, wiping off the tears from her face.
The voice was silent for a short while as if thinking of a proper response.
"You've lost faith in yourself," the voice finally asked.
"I haven't!" Sona retorted.
"What Malzahar had said has taken an effect on you. You think all hope is lost."
"But what can I do? He said I was the key."
"You are. But you can resist. You have to prove to Malzahar that you aren't a tool of doom but an instrument of peace and harmony."
"I don't know if I can do it. I'm scared with what might happen – especially with Kassadin."
Sona clutched her sides and began to feel a lump form in her throat again. She had never loved anyone like Kassadin and she was sure she won't meet anyone like him again. She didn't want to be the cuase of Runeterra's demise but she didn't want to lose Kassadin either.
"Kassadin has been through a lot of things and he knows full well the hazards of his duty. He would much like you to steel yourself for the upcoming challenge and overcome it," the voice assured.
"I just don't want Kassadin to suffer for me. If only I had the power to – "
"You DO have the power Sona. Your gift is one of a kind, one that heals and brings happiness. As long as you believe in yourself, Malzahar can't use you for his plans."
Sona ceased her crying and wiped away the excess tears. She was still unsure about her capabilities but as long as she resists Malzahar's powers, she can give Kassadin the time to find and save her.
"Kassadin would want you to be strong. Be strong for him and all of Runeterra," the voice continued
"I will," Sona said with a now steeled determination.
"Splendid. Do your best now, all of Runeterra depends on it," said the voice but as she did so, a ray of light appeared in the distance. Slowly the light grew bigger and brighter.
"I believe this is where I depart. I don't know if we'll meet again but until then, goodbye my child," the voice continued as it seemed to fade away.
"Wait! No! Please! Don't leave me again!" Sona shouted.
"I never left you Sona. I've always been by your side, watching over you as your grew up to be a beautiful woman. Farewell," the voice said as it faded off into silence.
"No! Come back!" said Sona as the light finally engulfed her.
She opened her eyes once more and was back in the dim, craggy lair of Malzahar. She was lying on the cold, hard, stone floor face down and as she started to stand up, she felt chains bound to her waist. She patted off the dirt that smeared her fair-toned face and surveyed her surroundings. Looking at the chains first, she saw that it was connected to the a large stone spire, one on each side of the platform she was standing on.
Behind her was the cavern wall and on either side of her was a large empty space. In front of her was her etwahl, also chained but to the ground. She approached it and placed her hand on the now-floating instrument. The etwahl was chained in such a way that Sona could not turn the instrument to cut the chains. Not that she could fight her way out anyway. In front of her was the same cavernous space similar to her either side except for a curious looking structure. It was some sort of shrine consisting of an elevated platform with three talon-like spires encircling the platform. The curved end of the spires all converged in the center, seemingly pointing downward. Three flights of short stairs lead up to the platform.
"Why am I here?" she thought when she suddenly heard unlocking noises.
Not so far from either cavern sides, a door had opened letting in the more concentrated light from the brighter torches. Numerous hooded figures then seemed to pour into the cavernous space around Sona, their heads bowed and their hands clasped together in ritualistic chanting.
The hall could easily fit around three hundred people but the acolytes gathered around Sona were no more than two hundred.
"This is all of Malzahar's cult?" Sona pondered.
Just then Malzahar entered from on of the doors and strode towards Sona's direction. Discontent and hate easily filled Sona's mind and, having her etwahl in her possession, decided to strike out at him. Sona faced Malzahar and glared at him before raising her hand to play her deadliest notes.
"Strike me down would you?" Malzahar suddenly blurted out.
Sona stopped short from unleashing a barrage of cutting stacattos at Malzahar.
"I'm sure you know about Syndra's current predicament but if you seriously want to kill me, go ahead and try. Let out all that pent up rage."
Sona hesitated for a while and knew of course about Syndra. It was still unclear whether or not he was bluffing but she had to do something. She then looked at the shrine in front of her and had an idea. Facing the shrine instead, she placed her hands on the etwahl and began to unleash a flurry of wind-cutting notes, each and every single one hitting the stone surface of the shrine in a plume of dust. Sona let loose all of her anger towards Malzahar into the shrine and soon enough, the shrine was covered in a cloud of dust. Finally, giving it her all, Sona unleashed a huge shockwave of dissonant notes which hit the shrine hard in an explosion of dust and debris.
Sona silently panted from the effort but seeing the shrine in front of her crumble in a huge cloud of dust made her smirk. What Malzahar said however, baffled her.
"Hmm.. I would have preferred you took it out on me. I was preparing something dramatic for that shrine but thanks anyway Maven," he said.
The smile on Sona's face quickly faded and turned into a look of confusion. "Thank me? For what? I just destroyed your shrine, whatever it was supposed to do," she wondered.
It wasn't soon after when she realized what Malzahar had meant. As the dust cleared around the supposed destroyed shrine, what Sona saw terrified her. The spire's once stone surface had crumbled, leaving behind a jagged, jet-black obsidian talon.
"Wh-what? The stone surface was just for appearance?" Sona thought, startled.
"Ah, now you realize. You see, this is an old relic of Shurima. It took me a while to uncover it. The stone covering was to hide it from lesser mages who sought its power but I knew what it was. I believe it was called a Void Spindle. It was used by the old magus of Shurima to open portals to the Void and summon creatures for training purposes I reckon," explained Malzahar.
Sona looked at the shrine again, most of the dust having been cleared and the rock now crumbled beside it. Sona had only managed to destroy the stone covering of one spire but the jet-black talon seemed imposing and ominous that it struck Sona with fear.
"I was going to leave the stone covering on for a dramatic effect but I guess the two remaining talons could manage that," the Prophet said, letting out a maniacal chuckle.
Sona felt powerless. She didn't know what to do now that she was unable to destroy the Spindle. She knew that Kassadin's arrival would signal something catastrophic. She couldn't attempt to kill Malzahar out of fear for Syndra's life. And what of the cultists? What were their roles? Clearly she knew that she was all that was needed to open a portal. There would be no sense in gathering them here if they served no purpose. Perhaps they were vessels of sorts? She didn't want to kill anyone but she had no choice in this circumstance.
Sona then rang out a series of stacattos towards the unknowing cultists. It only looked as if Sona was playing an angry tune on her etwahl but one by one, the cultists fell clutching their chests. Some were more unfortunate than others, having been decapitated or struck at the heart. Some of the cultists screamed, unable to believe that Sona was capable of killing.
"Aaah! Run!" one screamed.
"The Maven's gone insane!" the other shouted.
"Mistress Sona! No! Spare us!" more of them pleaded.
Sona had killed no more than twenty when the mad tune was abruptly silenced. The cultists who had turned tail and fled were stopped at their tracks. Confused, the cultists turned their heads to look.
The etwahl was now floating quietly at the edge of the raised platform, with Sona dangling in the air by her arms, seemingly held together by purple shackles.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Behave yourself Sona. I need my cultists. Plus, I don't want you to stain your hand with the blood of the tainted," said Malzhar.
Sona still continued to glare at Malzhar but the way she was being held pained her shoulders and wrists and it showed on her face. She glanced below her and saw Malzahar's voidlings skittering around her. She winced and silently grunted at the pain of her bond, and looking at Malzahar he seemed to be enjoying it.
"Worry not Maven. You will be relieved when the time comes. I'll even get a stool for you to stand on since you're in such pain."
Malzahar then ordered one of the largest voidlings to stand below Sona, just enough for her to firmly stand. Sona felt relieved and took a deep breath.
"Better?" Malzahar chuckled. "Good, because I think our guest is about to arrive."
For some reason, Sona felt eerily uneasy.
Kassadin had been following the song for a while now and he felt he was getting closer. Soon enough it brought him to a large plain with hardly any ruins at all.
"Strange. The song seems to be getting louder in this direction but there doesn't seem to be anything here," he whispers
Despite having no guarantee that he would certainly find the hideout in the direction he was heading, his instincts told him to trust the song and follow it to the end. Kassadin continued to walk towards the sound and he hasn't even gone a few meters when he abruptly stopped and turned his head.
"Void Walker," a voice said behind him.
"Zed," Kassadin said menacingly as he turned around to face him. Zed stood there in front of Kassadin with his weapons sheathed but still taking a stance. "You dare insult me with an unsheathed blade?"
"I did not come here to fight," Zed pleaded.
"Fool! You and I are enemies and I have nothing else to do with you! Now draw your blade and face me like a warrior would!" Kassadin screamed angrily.
"No. I will not. And it would be wise if you consider my proposition."
"Silence!" shouted Kassadin as he charged towards Zed, his blade raised in the air to strike. Zed took a stance and evaded the Void Walker's attack without drawing his own weapons. Just as he did however, Kassadin disappeared in a purple haze and reappeared almost instantly behind him. Zed managed to escape in the nick of time by dashing towards a shadow clone he clutch summoned before the attack hit him.
Kassadin did not give his enemy time to breathe as he was upon the ninja again, swinging his blade here and there in a flurry of strikes that Zed evaded with strained difficulty.
"He looks to be faster than the last time we faced him. His rage has clouded his judgement but I sense that he is tired as well," thought Zed.
At that instant, Kassadin had managed to grab him and hold him in place. A ball of energy instantly materialized on Kassadin's free hand and within the same second, had thrust it onto Zed's chest. The force of the blow forced the air out of Zed's lungs as he was propelled from Kassadin by the shockwave, landing in a plume of sand some distance away.
Zed coughed heavily as he tried to get up. He propped himself up on one knee and looked ahead to see if Kassadin was still there. Just as he did, a sharp pain arose at his back. Instinctively, he dashed away to a shadow clone and without thinking, had unsheathed his blades and took a stance.
"Kassadin, please! You must listen to me!" Zed pleaded again.
"Why should I listen to an accomplice such as you? You had helped Malzahar kidnap Sona and now you ask me to listen to you?!"
"I can help you save Sona!"
Kassadin seemed to have been momentarily stunned by Zed's proposition. The mere mention of Sona's name had quieted the rage of the Void Walker, if only for moment.
"Why would I believe you? A change of heart does not happen so quickly," asked Kassadin.
"Because I know how it feels to have the life of your beloved be threatened. Malzahar has Syndra and is forcing my cooperation. Even now, as I ask for your help, I risk her life."
"And you realize this only now?! Malzahar has always been a threat to the existence of Runeterra and yet you help him! Syndra has been brought to this because of your folly! Her life hangs by a thread because of you!"
By then, the pain of Zed's back wound had been drowned by his emotions. He knew of Malzahar's reputation yet he still accepted the deal on the condition that Syndra was not to be harmed. He should have known better than to trust the Prophet.
"I didn't know what to do then. I feared for Syndra's life and had no choice but to help Malzahar. I have been looking for a chance to save her but he has hidden her well."
Zed stood up and hung his arms at his sides. He faced Kassadin with a stern expression and said, "This is my only chance to save her – and Sona as well if you choose to help me. Strike me down if you will but before you kill me, I only wish to reveal to you the location of Malzahar's lair."
"How do I know you're not simply leading me further away from Malzahar's lair?" Kassadin asked, doubt apparent in his tone.
"Know this Void Walker, Malzahar needs your presence to completely open the gate. Saving Sona will only further Malzahar's plans. I sense Shen and the others are on their way and is locking onto your position. This is the only chance we can save both Sona and Syndra, and at the same time stop the Void portal from opening."
Kassadin hesitated for a bit from the distrust he placed upon Zed. He could never forgive him for helping out Malzahar in the first place but he was running out of time. Even now, as Zed had mentioned, Shen and the others were probably close behind – clearly in efforts to stop him from doing anything alone. He subdued his anger for the meantime and accepted Zed's offer to lead him to Malzahar's lair.
"Very well, Zed. I will forgive you this time but if I catch wind of any treacherous motives, I will strike you down," said Kassadin.
Zed sighed and sheathed his blades. He winced at the pain that emanated from his back wound and hoped that it was not too serious.
"Thank you. I won't forget this. Also, you're on the right track but the lair is still some ways away from here."
Kassadin remained silent but was willing to listen to whatever Zed had to say.
"We can leg it from here but we need to conserve our energy. I can open a gate to the lair but only one can enter."
Kassadin's eyebrows arched, apparently peeved from having to enter a portal alone without guarantee that it will lead to Malzahar's lair. Zed had sensed the Void Walker's thoughts about his plan but he assured him nonetheless.
"I do not ask you to trust me Kassadin but I swear, only one may enter. I guarantee that it leads to Malzahar's lair and it should get you there undetected. I only have one favor to ask."
"Hm? I don't remember owing you any favors." Kassadin glared.
"Please, I only ask this one thing," said the ninja as he fished around in his pockets and took out some sort of charm, handing it to Kassadin.
"What is this?" the latter asked.
"This is a Link Talisman. If attached to an object or person, it would teleport the said object or person to me, regardless of where I am."
"And you want me to use this to save Syndra I presume?"
Zed was silent for a while before nodding his head.
"I do not know where she is held but I am confident that she is somewhere in the lair. It would be likely that she is at the bottom-most levels as Malzahar had restricted entry by putting up forcefields."
"Very well. I shall find Syndra and it would be up to you to teleport her away from there. Whether you succeed or fail in that endeavor, it is not in my hands."
"You have my thanks Kassadin. Now, to get you to the lair."
Zed took a stance once more and made different hand signs in sequence while chanting in an unknown language. Soon enough, a dark, opaque portal materialized in front of him. Kassadin took a good look at the portal before motioning to step into the portal.
Sona's arms were getting tired from having been hung at that position for some time now. Fortunately though, her captor had offered her comfort by placing a voidling beneath her to stand on. She had attempted to wrench free from the shackles but to no avail as these were no ordinary holding devices. The hall was silent save for the discreet chanting of the cultists around the Void Spindle. Malzahar was also silent in meditation among his followers and probably followed the same chanting as them. All of a sudden however, Malzahar stood up and laughed a most sinister laugh. He then averted his gaze towards Sona with a devious look on his face.
"Your dear Kassadin is here," he said menacingly.
Sona could only give Malzahar a threatening look as the uncertainty of what events may follow scared her. Though she knew futile, she attempted to break free from her shackles. Malzahar paid no heed and faced the openings of the cavernous hall. Like a dramatic opening to a play, torches at the periphery of the hall lit up, illuminating the dark space.
"Now brother! Come and embrace your true calling as the King!" Malzahar shouted.
At first, nothing. And then in the next instant, one side of the cavern exploded in a plume of dust and rubble, almost threatening to bring the whole place down.
"This will be the last time we face each other Malzahar. Your transgressions have gone on long enough," a voice echoed throughout the cavern.
The cultists were made aware of what was happening from Malzahar's call but were now shaking in terror from the downed wall and the echoing voice. As the dust cleared around the huge hole in the wall, Sona's face immediately turned to joy from what she had seen. Kassadin. She wasn't the only one who was happy to see him however, as Malzahar chuckled with glee as he took the dagger off of his belt and took a stance.
"This is barely the end my brother. I would think this is actually the beginning," Malzahar taunted.
The dust had barely cleared yet when it had gone up again in a torrent of wind as Kassadin disappeared from where he was standing. Almost instantly, he appeared again in front of Malzahar, his blade poised to strike. It would already have been over if Kassadin was facing a common soldier, but Malzahar was his nemesis and as such fought like one. Malzahar had blocked Kassadin's attack but the force of the blow had sent the former flying through the air and into the opposing cavern wall.
Sona had wanted to call out to Kassadin but hesitated when she saw that his eyes were glowing full violet and filled with anger and hate.
Like soldiers coming to the aid of their commander, the voidlings once skittering around Sona had abandoned their post and went straight to Malzahar, leaving Sona hanging once again by her wrists. The Maven had winced in pain and Kassadin seemed to sense it, his glowing eyes averting to the ailing maiden. Suddenly, the shackles dissipated as if the Void Walker's gaze had ordered them off. Sona dropped from the height and onto the floor. Then Kassadin turned his attention to his enemy.
"You came sooner than expected Kassadin. I'm not quite ready yet you see. I'm wondering how you could have arrived so soon… and undetected," said Malzahar.
Kassadin gave no answer but approached his nemesis with murderous intent. Malzahar was not one bit fazed and fought on, conjuring blades of Void energy around Kassadin. These were no sooner dispersed however and Kassadin's march was unimpeded. This time, the Walker responded with his own attacks, unleashing spheres of energy unto his enemy. Malzahar countered by orderig his voidlings to take the brunt of the attacks, while he conjured more blades in an attempt to at least scathe his aggressor.
This all happened in short seconds within itself with Sona and the cultists seemingly stunned to lend any sort of assistance. Not that it was necessary as it was a fight between the two and should be fought as such.
"No really, tell me how you got here so discreetly Kassadin," Malzahar blurted out in between their assaults. "Perhaps you were aided by Zed?"
"If it makes you shut up and fight properly, then yes, Zed pointed the way. And don't bother dropping Syndra down the hole, she has been saved," responded Kassadin.
"What made you think that I would actually drop Syndra down there?" Malzahar laughed. "That was just a bluff to keep Zed from misbehaving. I have nothing to gain by dropping her into the Void. Sona on the other hand – "
In the next instant, Kassadin had disappeared once more and reappeared in front of Malzahar, again his blade poised to strike. The latter simply dodged to the left of Kassadin but just as quickly as he dodged did his assailant deliver a swift backhand, driving the Prophet towards the Spindle.
"This is getting more fun brother. I've not had this much fun since the last time we faced each other properly. Remember Reiora?" Malzahar once again taunted.
This time, Kassadin had screamed in rage, seemingly having had enough of his nemesis' taunts. He charged towards Malzahar with such a force that it broke the floor beneath him. Again, Kassadin's blow was blocked, much to the onlooker's surprise. Malzahar's physique did not suggest that he was a strong melee combatant but he could match Kassadin's prowess and strength.
As the two fought, the Spindle's spires which remained entombed in rock had begun to crack open, with violet light emanating from the cracks. The one free spire also began glow soft violet. Sona was the first to notice this while she was witnessing the fierce fight between the two. Though she still did not understand why they needed Kassadin to open the Spindle, the glow was ominous and did not look good.
"Kassadin! The Spindle!" Sona screamed into his mind.
For a moment, the Void Walker's attention averted to the glowing spires of the Spindle and cursed as he did so. He parried Malzahar's blade aside and clutched his collar, lifting him up. Afterwards, Kassadin threw the Prophet a distance away and then turned to Sona. Noticing that she was on a high platform, he blinked onto it and stood her up. He was about to take her off the platform when she suddenly protested.
"But my etwahl!" Sona said, motioning to her instrument.
Kassadin cut the chains holding the magical instrument down and grabbed both it and Sona before jumping down from the platform.
"Now go!" Kassadin orders.
Before the Maven could act upon the orders, a chain kusarigama flew straight for her but Kassadin had managed to catch it before it had the chance to entangle its target.
"Tch. Thresh. Go now! I cannot fight both Malzahar and Thresh while protecting you. You must get away now!" Kassadin pressed.
Sona nodded and obediently went on her way, with etwahl in tow.
"Awww, I'm letting her get away. Cultists! After the Maven!" ordered Thresh.
A good number of cultists who were still sane enough not to become a part of the clash between Malzahar and Kassadin had already fled, but the ones who were already completely enamored by the Void had given chase to the escaping Maven. Kassadin on the other hand had not intended to let them capture her again and unleashed one Null Sphere after another with his free hand while clutching the chain kusarigama with the other. One cultist after another fell to the spheres, their bodies borne with huge holes where body parts once were but many more were giving chase.
Sona was fleeing as fast as she could with etwahl in tow towards the cavern exit. As she glanced behind her, she saw the number of cultists chasing her – despite Kassadin's intervention – and their determination to catch her. She was only a few more feet away from the exit when she suddenly turned to face her pursuers.
She unleashed a staccato of dissonant chords aimed at the cultists, which cut them apart one by one. Heads, arms, legs and whole torsos were flying backwards from the force of the invisible chords against the forward momentum of the cultists. Sona had killed more than a dozen of the cultists but they kept coming, more densely than before. Seeing as killing them one by one did not faze the others, she focused all of her energies into playing a Crescendo, which travelled in a wave and cut down multiple cultists at once, while staggering the others in a deaf state.
Finally, able to escape without much trouble, she turned heel once more towards the exit.
With the number of cultists on Sona's tail, Kassadin was also about to give chase but Thresh had other plans.
"Going somewhere?" says Thresh.
Thresh then unleashed another chain kusarigama from his other hand. Kassadin had caught it again with his other free hand but this was his intention from the start. Pulling at the chains, he propelled himself towards Kassadin and thrust his knee squarely to the latter's chest. The force of the blow prompted Kassadin to let go of the chains, which resulted to him being flown to the far side of the cavern wall in a plume of dust. Thresh was surprised that he landed that blow but felt grant satisfaction from it. Perhaps Kassadin was distracted with Sona's escape? It didn't matter.
Thresh's satisfaction was short lived however as he saw the silhouette of the Walker already standing within the dust; eyes and nether blade glowing a fierce violet. The Warden had only a moment to feel a pang of fear when Kassadin was already in front of him, blade high above his head. Thresh had only managed to block the blow with his chains, the nether blade only a few scant millimeters from his face. With a burst of strength, Thresh pushed the blade away and leapt back from Kassadin.
Thresh then used the distance to use his kusarigamas as whip-like implements and began assaulting Kassadin with it. Using one chain was seemingly not enough to take down the Void Walker and as such, Thresh then used two.
Thresh was a worthy adversary, able to fight in both long range and short range engagements. However, Kassadin's strength was too much for Thresh in melee engagements and tried to maintain the fight at a considerable distance. Though disadvantaged, Kassadin had his own way of fighting at long range. Just when Thresh distanced himself from the melee, Kassadin would unleash null spheres towards Thresh which the latter would evade with difficulty. Thresh would then use his lantern at the last moment to block off spheres he could not dodge.
Soon enough Thresh was at the defensive, with Kassadin's speed and power overwhelming him. The engagement was soon turned into a melee, with Thresh using his kusarigamas as scythes now. He was straining to keep up with Kassadin's speed when he suddenly struck below, with Thresh only barely blocking it with the chain links. The Warden then wrapped the nether blade in the chain and took the scythe at the end of it to strike out at Kassadin.
The Void Walker was faster however and delivered a powerful straight punch aimed at Thresh's face. The force of the blow staggered the latter, which prompted him to release the chains entangling Kassadin's nether blade. As soon as the nether blade was free, Kassadin wasted no time and delivered an overhead slash which Thresh had barely dodged, cutting a piece of his chestplate.
Taking the opportunity of the missed attack, Thresh threw his kusarigama at Kassadin and jumped back at the same time. Kassadin chose to dodge the weapon though which lead to Thresh having distanced himself once more.
"For a moment, I thought I was a goner there," exclaimed Thresh nervously.
"In a moment, you will be," said Kassadin in an emotionless tone.
Just as he uttered those words, he had already blinked in front of Thresh and thrust his blade towards Thresh's chest. Again, the Warden had only managed to catch the blade with his chains, the end point of the nether blade just nearly penetrating his armor. Thresh strained against the blade as at the position he is in, it was more difficult to parry away the blade. Slowly, the nether blade inched closer and closer to his chestplate and his strain began to show on his face.
"You know Void Walker. It would have been great if I had a short glimpse of Sona's soul. I bet it would look pretty on my lamp," Thresh finally taunted, in his desperation and realization.
This only angered Kassadin further, which drove him to force the blade deep into Thresh's chest, the other end of the blade protruding through the Warden's back. Thresh staggered back as he clutched Kassadin's hand.
"Her soul is none of your concern. As for yours however, it would look prettier on your lamp," says Kassadin. In a final swift motion, he drove the nether blade upwards cutting Thresh up to his shoulders.
The lantern that he held in his belt began to float low in the air and glowed fiercely. Thresh wailed in agony as his form was slowly sucked up by the lantern. As much as he resisted, there was no escaping his fate as he joined the souls of those he reaped before. Soon afterwards, the lantern went dull once more and dropped heavily onto the ground.
"Pity about Thresh. No matter, he will return to the material world after some time. Such are the beings from the Shadow Isles," Malzahar exclaimed.
Kassadin's attention then immediately went to his nemesis. Far towards the cavern exit, Malzahar stood clutching Sona by her two wrists at her back, dagger pointed at her throat.
"I can't say the same about Sona though. I wonder what would happen if her throat was to be slit right now?" says Malzahar as he nicked a small wound on Sona's neck. She winced from the sharp and sudden pain as blood trickled down her neck.
As much as Kassadin anticipated Sona's capture, what Malzahar had done had angered him even more. He was about to charge towards Malzahar but was halted the moment the blade was pressed against Sona's neck.
"Tut tut Kassadin. One wrong move and I might slip. You know how careless I can get with this dagger," Malzahar taunted.
Although he knew that he needed Sona to open a portal using the Spindle, killing Sona would be enough for Malzahar to score one against him. Kassadin hesitated a bit and then finally, stood down.
"Kassadin?" Sona whispered. "But the portal?"
"I'm sorry," Kassadin responded as he turned his head away.
"You must stop Malzahar!-"
"I can't let you die!" he interrupted. "I'd trade the world for you if I must and Malzahar has his bargaining chip."
The silence between the two was too much for Malzahar when he finally piped in.
"Well, I'm sure you're having a sweet silent conversation but I have plans to further. Now, if you please brother, step onto the platform at the center of the Spindle. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Sona would you?"
Kassadin again hesitated but obeyed. He walked towards the Spindle – with the two remaining spires fully exposed and now glowing in an ominous violet. As he did so, Malzahar took Sona to the platform where she was held before. With an unseen prompt, the platform lowered, allowing the Prophet and Sona to step onto it. The platform rose again with the two on board and Malzahar once again bound Sona's hands while he chained the etwahl into position. The remaining cultists then positioned themselves around the Spindle, clasping their hands once more in indistinct chanting.
"Shall we begin the invasion? But don't worry Kassadin, you're the rightful King of the new world if this invasion is successful and, as promised, Sona will be your Queen," Malzahar says.
"You don't know what you're messing with here Malzahar. The invasion will not reform Runeterra but will tear it asunder!" Kassadin reasoned.
"Kassadin please. I'm a Prophet for a reason. Don't you think I've already seen the coming of a new age with you at its helm and Sona at your side? I on the other hand will continue my work elsewhere as soon as Runeterra has been conquered."
At that moment, the Spindle then groaned to life, with purple electricity gathering at the three points of the spires. "Let's begin!" says Malzahar. The spires then shot Kassadin with its electric surges, surrounding him with the energy. At first, Kassadin had resisted but then succumbed to the power being thrust onto him, dropping down to his knees as he screamed in pain.
Sona struggled against her shackles and wanted to utter vexing words towards Malzahar, but she could not do so as always.
"Kassadin!" she screamed onto his mind.
He could not respond as the electrical surges continued to barrage his body. He continued to scream in pain, alternating between resisting and succumbing. Sona's eyes filled with tears seeing her beloved suffer like this at the hands of his nemesis. Her sorrow quickly turned to spite however as she heard Malzahar laugh like a madman.
"Yes! Just a little more and the Spindle will have attuned itself to your energies. This will allow us to open the correct portal," Malzahar exclaimed. And then turning to Sona, "Now is the time to play Maven. Are you ready for your defining moment?"
At only the motion of his hands, Malzahar had placed Sona behind the etwahl and placed her shackled hands on the strings. Again, the Prophet spoke, "You might be asking, 'What tune should I play? I haven't played any harmonies of opening a void portal before!' You don't have to my dear. The Spindle will play it for you."
Before Sona had realized what Malzahar meant, the Spindle shot out a fourth surge towards her. An invading energy pulsed throughout her body, overloading her senses and making her silently cry out in pain. Though Malzahar could only see Sona contorting in agony, Kassadin could hear everything.
"Kassadin, it hurts!" Sona reached out. "Help me!"
This time, Kassadin had struggled to ignore his pain and turned his full attention to Sona. Catching a glimpse atop the platform, he saw Sona strain against the force of the Spindle.
"MALZAHAR!" screamed Kassadin, straining against the force of the Spindle and slowly tried to rise to his feet.
"It is too late brother! Soon, Sona will be forced to play the key tune that will open the portal and Void borns will pour forth by the thousands!" jeered Malzahar. "And now, the tune!"
Sona was prompted by the force to play a tune she has not played before but she resisted with all her might. She had another thing in mind despite being invaded by the violent energies.
"It's no use resisting Sona! Succumb to the energies and bring forth the new age!" shouted Malzahar.
Sona would not do so. Not before she played one more tune to destroy the Spindle. Although it pained her more to resist, she felt for her etwahl and in one swift motion, played the most destructive tune she knew: The Deus Dissonance. Her fingers played the tune at such a speed that the air delivering the notes became so compressed; onlookers could only hear one single multi-pitched note. At that single moment, the tune hit the Spindle with such force that the violent energies were interrupted and were contained once more into the spires. To Malzahar's surprise and horror, a few cracks appeared on the still-glowing spires.
With the energies no longer having a hold on Sona's body, she collapsed on the floor and silently panted. The first thing she thought about was Kassadin, looking down from the platform to see if he was all right. Kassadin had still knelt in the center of the Spindle, smoke emanating from his body.
Malzahar had staggered back a bit and so did a few cultists. "I-impossible. The Spindle…" he muttered.
Threateningly, Kassadin had stood up once more albeit with difficulty.
"I'm as surprised as you are Malzahar. But I guess, your plans won't be coming to fruition after all," he says. Then, drawing his nether blade, he points to Malzahar and exclaims, "This cavern will be your resting place, Prophet!"
"Not in this life Void Walker! You can't exist without me!" retorted Malzahar as he drew the dagger from his belt and took a stance.
Kassadin then darted towards Malzahar atop the platform and swept his blade to the side, aiming for the Prophet's chest. The latter managed to block the brunt of the attack, but with the blade only few inches from his ribs, he called for his Voidlings to aid him. Immediately, the creatures swarmed Kassadin, clawing at his form with their limbs. Rather annoyed by this, he stepped back a little and unleashed a torrent of void energy at the creatures. The smaller ones seemingly dissolved from the energy while the bigger ones were crippled and incapacitated.
Taking the opening his voidlings have created, Malzahar conjured a burning pool beneath Kassadin and at the same time materialized blades of energy to cut him apart. The latter blinked a short distance back down from the platform to evade his nemesis' attacks. Then, as though he himself was hit by the attacks, Kassadin knelt down on one knee and cursed. Sona, watching the whole thing, thought only one thing: He was exhausted beyond imagination.
Malzahar, realizing the situation Kassadin was in, took the opportunity to taunt him.
"I admire your resolution to stop me and save Sona, brother, but you may have overestimated the limits of your body. Even heroes need to rest," says Malzahar as he chuckled.
"You have no idea as to what lengths I put myself to stop you and your efforts. Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I enjoy having these powers bestowed upon me? Do you think it doesn't scar me to think I won't be seeing my wife and daughter again!?" Kassadin retorted. Then, seemingly ignoring his tired body, he charged once more at Malzahar with more ferocity than before. His attacks were predictable and lacked speed but were enough to keep the Prophet on the defensive.
As Sona watched Kassadin's struggles, she was roused by her lover's resolve that she also struggled to get up and lend assistance. Propping herself up against the etwahl, she mustered the strength to stand and played her Arias. Tired as she was, her Aria still held potency and roused Kassadin's spirit. Malzahar, seeing that maybe he truly was beaten this time, was about to make a hasty retreat when the Spindle groaned loudly again. Then without warning, a bolt of energy made its way once more to Sona. The bolt's intense power wracked Sona's body and once more she contorted in pain. Worse, the energy was compelling her to play the tune which would open the portal.
"Sona!" Kassadin shouted.
Sona could not hear anything as the pain drowned out her senses. She felt the energies forcing her to play the tune but she resisted still. But the assault from before had already weakened her and it wasn't long before her control of her hands were wretched from her and began playing a tune. Then seemingly having given up, Sona drifted to unconsciousness.
A deafening and indescribable tune rang out from Sona's etwahl and sounded as if it was directed towards the Spindle. The tune was progressing and to the Void borns and the manic cultists, it was music. Kassadin however, could only hear screeching and bellowing, unlike anything he has heard from the etwahl before. Soon enough, a ball of dark energy materialized at the intersecting points of the three spires. As the tune continuously played, the ball grew in size. Pretty soon, the ball had grown to the size of a house.
Malzahar was enamored from the sight of such a sizeable portal from opening that he forgot all about Kassadin. Though the Void Walker could take the opportunity to kill his nemesis then and there, his primary concern was Sona, who was playing the tune but was seemingly unconscious. Blinking onto the platform, he forced Sona's hands away from the etwahl and laid her on his arms. Though he had stopped Sona from playing the etwahl, the portal still continued to operate, seemingly having become self-sustainable.
"Sona?" he whispered to her mind. "Sona! Wake up!"
She would not wake up but she looked alive at the very least. Taking her form in his arms, he then blinked some distance away from the Spindle and laid her against the wall. Having assured himself that Sona was safe for the time being, his attention then turned to the now-opened portal. As he did so, he noticed the cultist's bodies contorting in all sorts of angles and directions. No more than ten had been crushed by an unknown force when the first of the Void borns emerged from the portal. This one looked just like a Voidling but way bigger and had more limbs. Its head had only popped out of the portal when it screeched with such a pitch that the cavern rumbled and shook. Finally, it had gone out completely and it first turned its attention to Kassadin.
"Tch. The invasion promises to bring me a land where I am King and the first thing they do is attack their King. Convincing," Kassadin cursed.
The Void born screeched once more before lumbering towards the Void Walker. Kassadin drew his nether blade and took the initiative. Thankfully, the creature's large size meant it could only move and attack so fast. Kassadin first took out a few of its legs, which he did easily before making a move for its head. Chopping off the head of the beast was more difficult the armor there was tougher. The huge Voidling thrashed and whipped in every direction in an attempt to throw Kassadin off but to no avail. After some time, the beast's neck was finally cut and its head dropped from its body.
"You would kill the beast which would conquer all of Runeterra for you? Some King you are," said Malzahar.
"Don't flatter me Prophet. These are nothing more than agents of destruction. There won't be a heirarchy once they are done with Runeterra and you only mean to escape while chaos ensues!" shouted Kassadin. "Mark my words Malzahar, you will be stopped here."
"You're welcome to try, brother."
Unbeknownst to Kassadin, the jet-black portal had already taken more than a dozen of the cultists as sacrifice and two more giant Voidlings emerged from the portal. A third emerged shortly after and resembled a bulkier Cho'Gath. It wouldn't have been surprising to Kassadin if it was indeed like Cho'Gath in actuality.
Just when he thought that he was in dire straits, a ray of light appeared behind him. Materializing into the space were four silhouettes. Kassadin recognized the forms and took a breath of relief. However, it was short lived as the Voidlings were already upon him.
The ray of light faded and the silhouettes fully materialized into Shen, Akali, Kennen, and Master Yi.
"Well done Shen. But it looks as if we're a bit too late," said Master Yi. "Now Akali, Kennen, and I will assist Kassadin in keeping the creatures at bay. You must secure Sona and ensure she is safe."
Shen knelt down on one knee, tired from the effort he put into transporting all four of them to Kassadin's location. Akali, Kennen, and Master Yi were already making their way towards the huge creatures to assist the Void Walker. Shen on the other hand had a look around to see where Sona was and saw her on the far side of the cavern. He then made his way towards her and checked on her condition.
A battle had ensued in the cavern between the Void borns emerging from the portal and the group consisting of Master Yi, Akali, Kennen, and Kassadin. Although the Void borns were as large as a house, they were surprisingly easy to put down by simply severing their heads from their bodies, afterwhich their forms would dissipate into thin air. However, as easy as they were to defeat, more and more of the creatures were coming out of the portal and would threaten to overwhelm the four champions.
Malzahar had only been admiring his work from the back, laughing maniacally. "Yes, yes! Go forth my kin! Once we overcome these champions, nothing will stop our march to conquer Runeterra!" he exclaims. "Now, brother. Won't you join your fellow Void beings in the conquest?"
"Curse you Malzahar! You know not what you are doing!" says Kassadin, in the midst of fighting the creatures.
Malzahar only laughed again, blinded by his own success against his rival. However, it seemed to only fuel his hubris much more. "Come, Kassadin! Leave them and join the crusade! And once we are done with Runeterra, we can crown you King and Sona as Queen."
At that moment, Malzahar had now joined the fray with dagger at hand and charges at Kassadin. Almost as if it was destined to be their fight, the creatures fighting against Kassadin had taken their attention off of him, leaving the two to their heated clash. Malzahar's attacks were nothing remarkable, simple slashes and stabs of the dagger in seemingly random directions however, Kassadin has grown increasingly fatigued and strained to keep his opponent at bay.
"You're a fool Malzahar! You contradict yourself with claims of my ascension as King by attacking me. A fool to the end!" exclaimed Kassadin. Parrying one of the strikes to the side, he responded with a blow of his own, blasting Malzahar to the air with a well-timed null sphere. The attack was weak however and was not enough to incapacitate the Prophet.
Landing onto the ground some distance away, Malzahar regained his footing and was upon the Void Walker once more. The attacks were predictable for the most part but retaliating was an entirely different matter. Kassadin's tired body could not keep up with his reflexes and his decisions as well. Still, he exerted enough effort to keep Malzahar at bay.
"If I want to finish this, I must do so swiftly. I must find an opening and utilize it. One blow is enough," Kassadin thought.
He attempted for an offensive to create the opening but it was not as easy as he thought and he paid for it, with Malzahar successfully stabbing his left arm. He grunted in pain but he would not let the opportunity go to waste, grabbing hold of the Prophet by his collar and bashing his head onto his opponent. Malzahar recoiled from the headbutt but Kassadin was not done yet as he brought the Prophet closer again for another and then for a third time. Kassadin would have done so for a fourth time but Malzahar used the opening to attack, stabbing the Void Walker nigh near the center of the stomach area. Kassadin reeled from the pain and then finally delivered the final headbutt which would render Malzahar nearly unconscious. Kassadin sought to deliver the final blow but the urgency in Master Yi's command prompted him to do so later.
"Kassadin! The creatures are becoming more and more difficult to handle! We're going to be overrun at this rate, do something about the Spindle now!" Master Yi shouted before blocking a claw from one of the Void borns.
Immediately, Kassadin turned his attention to the Spindle, killing two creatures along the way with the utmost difficulty.
"It seems she's doing fine. No abnormalities whatsoever."
Sona heard a voice near her as she drifted into consciousness. She had not recognized the voice and she slowly opened her eyes to see who it was. Shen.
"If only I wasn't as tired as I am, I would be able to help," says Shen. He had noticed Sona open her eyes and turned his attention towards her then. "Ah, Sona. Are you feeling alright?" he asked. Sona slowly sat up but Shen objected, "You shouldn't force yourself Sona. You might – "
Sona shook her head and held a hand up to indicate that she was perfectly fine. More importantly, she wanted to know where Kassadin was and wondered if he was doing alright. Much to Shen's protests, she carefully stood on her feet and scanned the area which had turned into a battlefield. Akali, Kennen, and Master Yi were doing a fine job in keeping the monsters at bay to the point that none of the creatures have reached Shen or Sona. She could not see where Kassadin was but she was sure that he was probably fighting Malzahar at that point. She wanted to go and find him but this time, Shen was adamant; he would not let Sona go to the middle of the fight.
It was at that moment that Master Yi had shouted something to someone in the distance. Akali nor Kennen had responded to the Master's orders and could only deduct that it was Kassadin who received the orders. Immediately, she scanned the battle for signs of her beloved.
Kassadin finally reached the Spindle, the core of the alleged invasion. Though the creatures pouring forth were still the big Voidlings and the bulkier Cho' Gaths, they were coming in by multitudes. It would seem that the portal was also self-sustaining, no longer needing the cultists as a resource. Not wanting to fight any more of the creatures in his state, he blinked out of their sight and hid behind one of the spires. He had winced in pain once more as his left hand has been disabled and blood was slowly flowing from his stomach wound. The question which lay in his mind however was how to destroy the Spindle. No doubt not even Sona's strongest chord was not enough to destroy it. Still, it managed to crack the structure and maybe it was the key to a chance at destroying the Spindle. He looked up at the spire to see if this was the one with the cracks. Thankfully, it was the one with the cracks and seeing a chance to stop the invasion, he blinked upwards once more – and probably the last time he will be able to. Unsure of what will happen if he stuck his blade into the cracks, he hoped for the best and raised his arm to stab the spire.
Sona could finally see Kassadin at the top of the spire. At first she was mortified at the injuries he had sustained but she was confident in his abilities. He was about to stick his nether blade into one of the cracks on the spire when she saw Malzahar climbing atop the spire as well, with dagger at hand and a crazed expression in his face. The intention was clear and Sona was to give Kassadin a warning – something she should not have done at that point.
"KASSADIN!" Sona warned.
In his tired state, Kassadin could not help but take notice of Sona's voice in his head and turned immediately to the source of the voice. Having a higher vantage point, he could easily see her but when he did, he was surprised to see her with a dire look on her face, eyes wide open and mouth seemingly screaming at him. Then, Kassadin could feel a pang of pain emanating from his right breast and looking down, he could see the point of a familiar dagger. Looking behind, he could see Malzahar with a crazed expression on his face, blood streaming down his temple from the multiple headbutts he had inflicted on him.
"Not this time Kassadin. Today, victory is mine! I WIN!" Malzahar uttered, clearly having completely lost his mind.
Sona saw the whole thing and instinctively, she started running towards the direction of the Spindle. With a huge battle between her and Kassadin, Shen took action and swiftly restrained Sona. The Maven's eyes were already swelling with tears and she was breathing heavily, unable to believe what had happened to Kassadin. She struggled vainly against Shen's restrictions and could only scream at Kassadin through her mind.
Kassadin, atop the spire turned his head in Sona's direction where she clearly was hysterical at the sight of him being stabbed. Malzahar behind him would not stop laughing and won't let go of the dagger as well.
"Here I am, at the point of stopping Malzahar's plans in its tracks. Instead, I perish at the hands of my most hated rival," he thought. Seemingly, he had begun to feel limp as the wounds and the fatigue had taken its toll. But with one final resolve and a burst of strength, he raised his blade once more into the air and shouted, "I might die today, but I will not fail!"
Kassadin brought his nether blade down at the crack and twisted it, prying the spire apart. Again and again, he stabbed and twisted the spire until his knuckles bled profusely from the sharp edges of the obsidian rock. Seeing as how his rival had not intended to stop even with a dagger in his chest, Malzahar had motioned to take the dagger out to stab Kassadin again when the spire they were standing on suddenly emanated with an intense light and shuddered violently, before exploding in the next instant.
The explosion had thrown Kassadin and Malzahar away from the Spindle, propelling them some distance from the event which was to transpire next. As soon as the spire had exploded, the two remaining spires also emanated with a bright light which fluctuated. The portal then became unstable, growing and shrinking in size in quick successions. The Void borns then seemingly disengaged from the champions they were battling with and immediately scampered back to the portal. The creatures seemed to be in a hurry, shoving the others in their way, trying to fit two or three of themselves into the portal. At that point, the portal was already clogged and the ones behind resorted to violence, tearing and ripping apart the ones clogging the portal to pieces, before attempting to escape through it themselves.
The rest of the champions could only watch the spectacle as it both confused and baffled them.
Kassadin stood up weakly and coughed up blood. He felt some sort of liquid drenching part of his face, which had already sealed up one of his eyes. Upon touching the liquid, he saw that it was blood as well. He did not feel distress however, as he thought to himself that this was the first time such damage was inflicted upon him outside of the League matches. Looking around, he saw Malzahar struggling to get up and noticed that he was badly injured as well. The Prophet had motioned to escape from his predicament but Kassadin was determined to end this. He stood up and went towards the Prophet. He then clutched his collar and raised him from the ground. Malzahar offered no resistance as he was heavily tired as well.
"You may have foiled my grand plan Kassadin, but I will be back. You always let me go in the end," Malzahar said.
"That may have been the case in our previous engagements. You could even say that I was bored to my wits if not for your constant scheming," replied Kassadin.
Malzahar managed to smirk which disappeared the instance he saw Kassadin taking out the dagger from his back.
"You may have killed my family before," said Kassadin, gripping the hilt of the dagger hard. "But this time, you will not take that away from me!"
Kassadin, in one swift motion, stabbed Malzahar squarely in the chest. He took out the dagger and once more stabbed his rival again, and again, and again. Soon enough, Malzahar coughed up a large amount of blood which he deliberately splattered at Kassadin. Not letting go of the Prophet, he then went toward the fluctuating portal and having come near enough, he had one last word with his rival.
"Rejoice Malzahar, for I am about to deliver you to your beloved Void," proclaimed Kassadin.
Coughing up blood again, Malzahar wheezed his final words as well, "And I shall embrace it fully. If I see your daughter, I'll send her up here." He then let out one final maniacal laugh before Kassadin threw him into the portal. The Prophet's now limp body fell and disappeared completely into the Void. It was not long after Kassadin had thrown Malzahar into the portal when it seemingly reached a singularity, shrinking down into a single point and then exploding violently. The cavern shook and groaned distinctively and threatened to cave in but miraculously, the cave held itself. A wave of purple energy radiated forth from the point of singularity which dissolved the Void borns where they stood and knocking down the champions some distance away from the portal. Afterwards, the singularity acted like a vacuum and sucked in the purple energy once more before completely dissipating.
Smoke filled the cavern and for a while, the only sounds which were heard were the crumbling of the remaining spires. Seemingly, the force of the explosion and the shockwave had not put out the torches lining the cavern and were illuminating the area in an eerie atmosphere which was complimented by the smoke.
The champions were knocked out for a moment before they began standing up once more. Out of the five, Sona was the first on her feet and immediately began looking for her beloved.
"Kassadin!" she called out. "Kassadin, where are you?" she said repeatedly.
Ignoring the smoke and the rubble, she went here and there in search of Kassadin. Finally, near the now-crumbled Spindle, she could see Kassadin's silhouette in the smoke, standing and clutching a dagger in his hand.
"Finally. It's over," Kassadin said to himself. He looked at the dagger once more and thought about Syrienne and Reiora. "I have kept my promise. Valoran is safe," he continued. "I can finally…" Kassadin said, letting go of the dagger and then surrendering to the fatigue, dropped to his knees and laid down face first onto the ground. "…rest," he finally ended, closing his eyes.
Sona rushed to Kassadin's side the moment she saw him drop to the ground. She rolled him to his back and laid his head on her lap. It was not a time of rejoicing however, as she saw that Kassadin was wrought with grave injuries; his disabled left arm, a gaping stomach wound, a bleeding head, various bruises and cuts, and finally his chest trauma. Seeing him in such as state drove her to the brink of anguish and she could only murmur his name, tears flowing from her eyes.
"Kassadin… Wake up. Kassadin," Sona murmured. She slowly removed his helmet and put her face up to his. "Please, wake up," she said. Sona hovered her hands over his injuries, desperately thinking about how to treat them. "Kassadin..."
This time, she embraced Kassadin's battered body and wept profusely. She sobbed silently, tears freely flowing from her face to Kassadin's. Master Yi and the others at this time had gathered around the couple and could only silently watch as Sona poured out her sorrow. Unsuspectedly, a rugged hand took hold of Sona's face and caressed it. Sona was taken aback and opened her eyes.
"A face as pretty as yours… shouldn't be covered in tears," Kassadin said.
His words offered little comfort but at the very least it stopped Sona from crying. "Stupid… I'm crying because of you," Sona scolded, cracking a faint smile.
"I'm sorry about that. I guess… I overexerted myself this time," Kassadin struggled. He coughed, blood spattering from the edges of his mask. Sona tried to remove his mask but Kassadin refused. "I don't want you to see my face all bloodied. It would pain me to know that it would be the last thing you remember about me…" he said.
"Don't say such things!" she retorted. Again, looking at his wounds, it was clear to her that it was grave and had little chance of recovery if not treated quickly. Without saying a word, she turned her attention towards Akali, as if asking her if she could treat Kassadin's wounds until they reached a medical facility. Akali was quick to sense Sona's urgency but as she had already assessed Kassadin's condition, it was difficult to ascertain his survival. As such, she did not offer words which would bolster Sona's hope for Kassadin's recovery.
"I'm sorry Sona. I can certainly treat such wounds if we were in a well-equipped facility but we're in the middle of the Shurima desert. Getting to a medical facility will take hours at best if we manage to get transportation," explained Akali. "I can probably stop the bleeding but that would be the best I can do for such wounds."
Sona then turned to Shen after completely ignoring Akali's unsatisfactory explanation.
"I can't teleport from one location to another in such quick successions, not to mention carrying someone with me. I can probably get to a nearby village if there was one but I cannot go very far. I risk stranding Kassadin somewhere even more dangerous. Forgive me," explained Shen.
Master Yi then interrupted and called for Shen to take action. "Shen, I know you're tired but please. Try to at least get to an Institute outpost. We could get help from the summoners," he said. Shen nodded his head in agreement and split from the group to clamber back up to the surface.
Kassadin's eyes were fluttering now and Sona had to shake him up again to stop him. "Stay with me! Please, don't do this. You just can't!" she exclaimed.
"Just let me be Sona. Let me rest," Kassadin protested.
Sona was in dire straits now and was desperate in saving Kassadin. She then called her etwahl to her side. From underneath the rubble, the instrument shot out and quickly went to Sona's side. She was about to play her Arias but then Kassadin stopped her.
"You know that doesn't work… outside of League matches," said Kassadin in between labored breaths.
Sona was in tears once more, "I can't live without you Kassadin. I beg you, don't die."
"I'm sorry… I tried my best, but things didn't go about as planned."
"Don't. Don't give up on me!"
"I never gave up on you. I would never. But as you can see… it's difficult this time around."
Akali, out of pity, had knelt down to Kassadin's side and took out bandages to stop the bleeding on critical areas. Though she knew it useless, it was the only way she knew to console Sona's anguish.
"Kassadin, please," Sona pleaded further.
Kassadin shook his head and cracked a big smile, which showed despite the mask hiding it. "I love you Sona."
Sona's tears were flowing now and her face twisted in anguish. "I love you too, Kassadin. I love you so much."
The two shared a moment of togetherness for the final time, Sona lovingly pressing her face against his while she clasped his right hand tightly.
"You know... before I met you, at the end of my mission, I thought I would die alone. Alone in a dark place like this, surrounded with nothing but destruction," Kassadin struggled.
"Huh?" wondered Sona.
"I guess I was wrong to think that. I'm quite happy to die beside a gentle soul such as yours."
Sona did not answer.
"Hey, can you play that piece you played at the beach?" Kassadin requested.
Sona could only nod her head in agreement as she began to play the song which Kassadin had requested. The tune was soothing as Sona played her etwahl expertly, even with just one hand. With this, Kassadin was breathing easily now and had a calm expression in his face.
"Thank you," he thought to himself. After a short while, Kassadin drifted away and his eyes slowly closed. His grip on Sona's hands weakened and disappeared altogether. Sona once again was in a fit of hysteria at the thought of losing Kassadin.
"Kassadin?" Sona inquired. She tried to wake him but he would not do so. "Hey, you're kidding right? You're just messing with me." Sona shook his body in her attempts to wake the warrior but Kassadin's eyes remained closed, his long awaited peace having finally arrived.
"No. Kassadin, no…" Sona was crying again, silently sobbing and clutching Kassadin's body tighter. "No, Kassadin, please wake up. Don't leave me," she uttered to herself. She was now cradling Kassadin's body, his blood getting to her clothes, her face, and her hair. Master Yi could not bear to see her like this and went closer to pry her off Kassadin.
"Come now Sona. There's nothing else we can do," consoled Master Yi.
Sona resisted but it was weak, like she had given up. From the pain of losing Kassadin, she wept again, her cries silent and internal. Her screams were only heard by her but Master Yi and the others could hear her anguish. She clung to Master Yi like a daughter to a father, and she clung hard. She dropped to her knees, dug her face to Master Yi's chest and cried.
"With this, the balance has been restored," said Akali.
"Yes. The Void threatens us no more. Kassadin was a brave warrior and he died valiantly. I am honored to have fought beside him like this," said Kennen.
Kassadin lay there, the center of all of Sona's sorrow but his face showed peace, seemingly from having fulfilled his purpose. For the time that he knew Sona, he had only known happiness like he'd never known in his time as the Void Walker. In the end, Kassadin died fulfilled and with only one regret: that he had to leave Sona alone. If anything, it was the only thing that troubled him at his final moment. Unbeknownst to him, he had left Sona with a gift from that night at the beach.
A few months later, Valoran learned of Kassadin's brave efforts in stopping a Void invasion that would have destroyed the whole of Runeterra. Everyone knew of the dangers the outside realm brought upon the continent and for a week, they celebrated his honorable deeds with a celebration and multiple tributes from the provinces. Sona still grieved but also took the opportunity to honor him by holding concerts. All throughout Valoran, Kassadin was celebrated as a hero, as he truly deserved.