Chapter 2 – Darkness

"Riven."

Riven opened her eyes. She was lying down on something soft, and there was a middle-aged man's face hovering over hers. He had a thin moustache, with slightly greying, receding hair. She sat up abruptly, prompting the man to take a step back in surprise.

"You're awake. That's good." He smiled calmly.

Riven didn't respond, she was too busy trying to figure out where she was. She was sitting on a bed in a well-lit, pale green room. There were some medical supplies and tools on a bench nearby. She must've been taken to the League's medical wing.

She lay back down and closed her eyes, sighing deeply.

"What happened?" She asked the man.

"Straight to the point, I see." The man replied heartily, "It seems that your 'first death' had quite the effect on you."

Riven kept her eyes closed, and sighed again. She couldn't recall anything after the forced chase after Morgana. She was disappointed in herself. She liked to imagine she was fearless, and enjoyed it when other people thought so, but deep down she had the same basic fears as anyone else.

"We've done some routine tests on you to check your mental and physical health, but didn't find anything detrimental. " The doctor (Riven presumed) continued. "You're free to leave whenever you'd like - however, I highly suggest you see one of our psychiatrists just in case."

That was all Riven needed to hear. She shuffled to the edge of the bed and stood up noticing she'd been changed into a light blue hospital gown.

"Where's my stuff?" She asked, grimacing at the clothes.

"Your belongings were taken to your room," The doctor replied. He had a look that seemed to question if she was actually listening. She nodded and left, and he didn't try to stop her..

Two steps into the hallway, Riven realized she'd missed something. Backing up to peer back into the ward, she asked "Where's my room?"


Riven followed an aide through the League's purple-hued corridors. They passed by a few people, mostly other aides, and thankfully no other champions. Riven was grateful for at least that. She felt ridiculous in these clothes. On the battlefield, it was a mistake to wear anything that might give away a weakness, such as a bandage over a previous wound. Off the battlefield, it was just embarrassing to blatantly let everyone know you'd been hospitalized.

Finally, she was brought to an area that branched off into five separate hallways. The aide continued through to the one in the middle without a word. Riven wondered if it was customary for them to not talk to champions, and simply followed. Truthfully, she was glad. Since she'd arrived, Riven had been bombarded by people talking to her, whether she wanted it or not. And it was mostly the latter, especially when it came to that Demacian girl.

Though she was still a little irritated by her, she wondered what had happened to her. And the match, for that matter. Had they continued without her? She felt a tinge of guilt. She had never been the weakest link in anything, and she didn't plan on it starting now.

The aide stopped at a door and beckoned to it. "This will be your assigned residence here at the League, Miss Riven. Please treat it as your own, and use it at your will." He announced, as if he had rehearsed the line for ages before this moment.

'So they do talk,' Riven thought to herself with a small smirk. The aide opened the door for her, and gestured for her to enter. Riven suddenly felt a little wary. This institute still felt foreign, and for them to simply give her residence, well, it just seemed a little too good to be true. But as she entered, she realized it might not be so hard to get accustomed to it.

They had decorated the room to resemble a typical Noxian dwelling. It was nostalgic, and fantastic, and it made Riven feel at home immediately. The main room was split into a kitchen and a living room, and separated only by a counter, which gave it a much more open feel. In the far corner was a moderate-sized bathroom, and in the other corner was the bedroom.

A shower. And a bed. Riven couldn't remember the last time she'd had either one to herself. She peered into the doorway of the bedroom, and spotted her travel outfit, cleaned (or as clean as it could get) and folded atop clean sheets. She smiled to see her sword was already hanging in its own spot on the wall. Someone had created a surprisingly accurate glowing green outline on the wall to show the sword's full form beneath it.

… Her completed sword. Riven's smile faded. She had seen it. It was back in its old form when the summoner had taken control of her. But how had he done it?

"Ahem," The aide cleared his throat, "Please let us know if you require our assistance. A general guidebook to the League has been left on your desk in your bedroom."

Riven nodded. The aide bowed deeply.

"Welcome to the League of Legends, Riven, the Exile."

Riven felt a rock in her gut as she watched him leave, closing the door behind him. It had been a long time since she'd heard herself called that. The title only served to remind her of the past she was robbed of. She could have been a Noxian elite. One of the best.

"But…" She sighed, "It wouldn't have meant anything after all… A tool is still a tool, no matter how high the quality…"

The Noxian military had become more ruthless and dirty than ever. And if anyone was to blame, it was that bastard and his damned chemical weapons. In Riven's mind, anyone who served in the military underneath that man couldn't possibly be a Noxian. Survival of the fittest. Ha! More like death to everyone but him.

She remembered that fleeting thought that had crossed her mind back then.

The Ionians had won this fight.

They had won. But they were dead now. Riven had only survived because she was prepared. She had been focused. She knew how to escape and reach her goal, while the others suffered around her. Did that make her more suitable for living? Did that make her a true Noxian?

Riven put a hand to her head. 'What do I love about Noxus, after all of this?' She asked herself for the thousandth time. She could never come up with a straight answer. She always felt at home in Noxus. She loved the feeling of just being there, the uniqueness of it all, and her part in it. But at the same time, she'd seen its dark side, even been its pawn, and she didn't like it at all. There was so much conflict in her feelings that she couldn't find what she wanted out of it.

She shook her head. She knew better than to try to think along this path. It didn't lead anywhere. She looked around the room, her new home. It had everything she needed, except the answers she was looking for in the first place. Finally, her gaze reached the bathroom again. She threw off the embarrassing hospital clothes and went to have a long, hot shower.


Riven exited the bathroom, leaving her shoulder-length hair loose for once. She didn't feel like pinning up the back as she usually did. As she entered her bedroom and picked up her old clothes, she realized how tattered and worn they really were. Riven walked over to the closet hopefully, but it was empty of any secondary outfits. Disheartened, she returned back to the spot in front of her travel outfit.

There was a knock on the front door.

Riven poked her head out of the bedroom and glared at it, annoyed. She'd only been alone for an hour, and already someone was disturbing her. She quickly put on her outfit, leaving what remained of her Noxian armour on the bed. The knock sounded again, and she hurried over. She opened it slightly to find a robed man standing there. He smiled gently.

"Good afternoon, Riven. You may not know me, but I was one of the summoners overlooking your judgment. My name is Calteer. I've come to apologize for what happened to you yesterday."

Riven nodded slowly, confused. She tried to remember if she'd been wronged yesterday for something a summoner would need to apologize for.

"What exactly are you talking about?" She asked, not finding any.

The summoner looked taken aback, "Why, about the match, of course."

Suddenly, it hit Riven. Had she really been out for a whole day? Her stomach answered the question with a loud growl.

The summoner smiled, "Perhaps you'd like to talk over some lunch?"

Riven blushed slightly, and slipped on her boots.


Down in the mess hall, the summoner continued while Riven wolfed down some more of the delicious food.

"As I mentioned earlier, the League would like to extend its apologies for yesterday's incident."

Riven half-listened. She wasn't really sure what he was talking about, and she was distracted by the presence of Kayle, who was sitting nearby. Her angelic wings were tucked in to save space, but to Riven they still seemed spectacular. She never saw this sort of thing in Noxus, where xenophobes seemed to be widespread.

"You see, there was a bit of a scheduling error," the summoner continued, "And as a result, you were summoned before being given a chance to settle into the League."

This caught Riven's attention. The entire thing was a mistake?

"And Falnic?" She asked darkly.

"Falnic?" The summoner replied, clearly confused.

"The one who summoned me."

The summoner shook his head slowly. "There is no summoner here named Falnic. According to our records, the one who summoned you was Takura, who has unsurprisingly gone into hiding. I assure you though; he will be reprimanded when he returns. We take these issues very seriously."

Riven frowned. Had she simply misheard the summoner? Her mind wasn't exactly in the right place at the time.

"And what of the match?" She asked, curious.

"We stopped the match shortly after your incident occurred. Being a practice match, nobody had realized you weren't meant to be there, and when we unsummoned you, you were unconscious."

Riven looked down at her food to hide her blush.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," the summoner said, noticing Riven's look, "Many people have trouble growing accustomed to fighting in the League."

Riven clenched her fists.

"You aren't the first one to faint on your first death." He added with a chuckle.

Riven stood up abruptly, causing her chair to squeak loudly on the stone floor. The summoner's eyes widened in surprise. Without a word, Riven turned to walk away, only to nearly collide with a large, intimidating-looking young man. She stumbled backwards to let him pass, and noticed the person behind him.

"Lux," Riven said aloud, glad to finally see a familiar face.

Lux gave her a cool stare as the man in front of her glanced over. Without a word, the two continued on. But Riven noticed Lux's face soften as she passed by. Was it sadness, or disappointment? Riven couldn't tell, and frankly, she didn't care at this point. She left the mess hall, alone and irritated.

Riven stormed back through the halls, angry at everything. The summoners. The League. Herself. Her sad hopes that somehow coming here would fix things. That it would somehow give her the answers.

She shoved her apartment's door open and slammed it shut behind her. She flung herself on the couch, burying her face in a cushion.

'So much for not letting emotions get out of control, huh?' She thought miserably. She went over in her head why she was so angry, and couldn't come up with a specific reason. Sure, the summoner was completely out of line. But she was more mad at herself for failing on such a level. Her first match had been a disaster, and she felt weak just thinking about the fear she had felt.

She felt like she was falling apart. Nobody understood her, not even here at the place where all the unique individuals seemed to gather and flourish. She didn't want to be here anymore. It wasn't helping at all. It was a mistake.

Tomorrow, she'd tell them she was leaving the League…

There was another knock on her door. Riven clenched the cushion tightly in irritation. She wasn't in the mood to see that summoner again. After debating on whether to answer it, she finally reasoned that it might be a good time to tell him of her intentions.

She walked over to the door, trying to calm herself. But when she opened the door, there was no one on the other side. Riven stepped out to look down the hallway, and felt something crumple under her foot. Stepping back again, she found a piece of paper. She picked it up and brought it back into her room.

The paper was folded neatly, and the writing on it was very elegant. Riven had thought it to be a letter of challenge at first, since she'd received them in the past, but this seemed much too detail-oriented for something like that. She opened it up to read it.

'Meet me in the north courtyard at midnight. Alone.'

Was it a challenge after all? She glanced at the clock to check the time, and did a double-take. It was already quarter after eleven. Had she fallen asleep without realizing it? She looked at the mirror near the doorway. A disheveled, confused-looking girl looked back. Her hair was a mess. She sighed. She had time to fix it, but she didn't really want to. Still, her dislike of embarrassment drove her to the bathroom again to wash it down.

Riven arrived at the courtyard at precisely midnight. Her hair was tied up properly this time, and her sword stayed ready at her side. The courtyard was a small area with a few benches and plenty of trees and flowering bushes, well-lit by glowing yellow orbs that floated freely above the trees. The ever-changing shadows as the orbs moved about made the place feel alive.

Riven looked around for the person she was supposed to meet. She spotted a man sitting on one of the benches, but it was otherwise deserted. Riven walked towards the bench and, upon closer inspection, realized that it was the doctor who she had talked to earlier. As she approached, he looked up and smiled.

"Riven," he greeted her, "I'm glad to see you. Have you managed to settle in a bit?"

Riven frowned. She wasn't sure whether to answer honestly to the man. But she didn't get the chance, as the man caught her look and continued.

"You look like you're a little troubled. Have a seat. Tell me about it." He suggested as he motioned to the spot beside him.

Riven sighed and sat down on the bench. But she stayed silent. The doctor waited patiently. The orbs of light continued on, basking them in periods of light and shadows, their quiet hum the only sound in the area. Finally, Riven broke the silence.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow." She said quietly.

The man nodded slowly, "I think I understand."

Riven shook her head, "You don't. Trust me. No one ever does."

But he just smiled in response. "You're a complicated girl, Riven. I suppose we all are."

"You're a complicated girl?" Riven asked sarcastically with a smirk.

The man laughed. "That's not exactly what I meant. But I'm glad I got you to smile. It's the first time since you got here, no?"

Riven looked at the man oddly, recognizing the implication immediately. "And how exactly do you know that?"

The man grinned mischievously and pointed to his head. "Your mind is surprisingly open, considering your closed personality."

Riven stood up, irritated again. "You summoners have no class! What makes you think you can just enter people's minds whenever you feel like it?"

The man stood up as well, "It was part of the contract you accepted by joining the League, Riven."

He took a step closer, and Riven tightened her grip on her sword.

"Riven, I don't mean you any harm. I'm simply interested in you – And I don't mean in that way." He added, as Riven scowled.

He turned his head, as if he saw something. "And it looks like I'm not the only one…" He trailed off, his gaze focused on something else. He took a step back and looked at Riven again. "Riven. This is where you're meant to be. The League will need you soon. And this is the one place where you'll find someone who is capable of understanding you."

A shadow passed over them both, and when it had gone, the summoner had too. Riven didn't bother to look for him. She didn't want to.

Good luck. Don't miss this opportunity, Riven. The man's voice rang in her head.

She shook her head angrily in an attempt to get rid of him.

"Ugh. What a creep." She muttered aloud.

"Who is?" Came a girl's voice from beside her.

Riven jumped away in fright. She aimed at the source, her sword ready to strike. But she soon realized it wasn't a threat as Lux stood there, looking completely innocent and curious.

"Lux!" Riven yelled in frustration.

"Shh!" Lux shushed her as she stepped forward to cover Riven's mouth. She looked around quickly, as if she was afraid someone had heard.

"I'm not supposed to be here. But I wanted to see you." She said as she focused back on Riven. She leaned a little closer. "Mmm, you smell nice. Did you shower just for me?" She asked with a suggestive grin.

Riven reached up and removed Lux's hand from her mouth. "Why would I-" She started, but she realized she was just replaying yesterday's conversation, and Lux smiled devilishly in response. Riven sighed. "Why did you want to see me, Lux?"

Lux finally leaned back and stepped lightly around in no particular direction. "You know… Just to talk, really." She said, avoiding eye contact. Riven watched as Lux reached up towards the light orbs floating above them. Like a dog returning to its owner, one of the balls immediately came floating down to her, basking her in a bright glow. "I thought you might be a little… depressed…" She continued as she gently tossed the light orb back and forth, "… Since I went through the same thing in my first match…" She released the ball back to the air, and it floated up to the others, continuing on its own way.

She looked back to Riven earnestly, "That's why I called you out here."

It took a moment for Riven to clue in, as she had been distracted by Lux's light show. It was Lux who had written that letter? She looked around the courtyard self-consciously. Then that man…

Lux gave Riven a curious look, and Riven caved in a little. She gestured to the bench behind her.

The girls sat in silence a while. Lux had leaned back and was playing with the lights above them. Riven observed as she formed them into shapes and patterns, letting them loose to flow freely every now and then. It was mesmerizing.

"You know," Lux said quietly, "I never really got used to being here at the League."

Riven looked over at her. Lux was still gazing up at the lights, though she'd stopped moving them around.

"I've never actually told anyone this, but I've never gotten used to any of it," she carried on, "One day, my life just changed around me, and I was miserable for the longest time. I still don't think I'm completely over it."

She looked back at Riven, her head resting on the back of the bench, and a sad smile on her face.

Riven felt something stir in her, "Why are you telling me this?"

Lux shrugged, "I'm not sure. I guess I just feel like I can talk to you?"

Riven frowned. That didn't make much sense at all. But Lux simply looked at her expectantly. Riven knew what she wanted, and sighed.

"I don't even know why I came here…" Riven started, leaning forwards, "… I thought I had a purpose, but… I just don't know anymore. I had some foolish hopes. I thought I was coming here for a reason…" she trailed off.

"But you're just as lost as ever." Lux finished for her.

Riven looked back in surprise. Lux was smiling sincerely. The light passing by illuminated her in the night, and caused her eyes to sparkle brilliantly.

"Yeah…" Was all Riven could manage to say.

Lux shifted a little closer, causing Riven some stress. She was well within Riven's personal space, and it made her a little uncomfortable. She really wasn't used to being this close to people, but Lux didn't seem to care. She put her hand on Riven's shoulder and gently guided Riven to face her.

"Lux?" Riven asked uncomfortably. She was nervous now. Lux was too close.

"I think…" Lux said softly, smiling, "We should do something about these clothes."

Thump. Riven's eyes widened. Her thoughts were racing. Just what the heck did she mean by that? Was she really suggesting…? No. She couldn't be. That was ridiculous.

"I mean, they're pretty shabby," Lux continued, examining them further.

Riven's mind paused. What was she saying now? This wasn't making sense.

"I've got it! We can go shopping tomorrow to find you some new clothes!" She exclaimed excitedly.

The relief that washed over Riven with that last sentence was entirely welcome, though the ideas that were going through her head previously still had her worried. As much as the drastic misunderstanding had been cleared up, she couldn't think straight being this close to Lux.

"Riven?" The girl called her lightly.

"Mm..." Riven muttered. She spun away quickly and stood up, shaking her head. Turning around again, she tried to respond properly, but she couldn't. Her mind felt muddy, and Lux only looked back at her, obviously confused. Finally, Riven gave up and simply waved before leaving in a hurry. She needed to get away. It was far too overwhelming to be there any longer.

She reached her door and stopped, resting her head against it.

'Just what is up with me?'