Chapter 27

He felt faint, woozy and unable to grasp reality. He drifted through the eternal cosmos. His eyes caught the endless glistering stars that dotted the vast, black cosmic blanket. It was a beautifully weaved tapestry of all existence. He could not feel his fingers, his nose picked up nothing, his worried naught. All was so peaceful to him, like he could just fall asleep but never awake. Then, suddenly, Artrix found himself in the halls of the Royal Palace in Heaven. He was the Prince of Heaven once again, hundreds of thousands of years ago, still as a child.

He walked down the hall, and looked up the magnificent paintings hung high on the walls, far from his reach. Up ahead at the end of the hall he heard his father conversing with his uncle on a balcony.

"Listen to me brother, if we spread out our armies we can end it all. We can bring Heaven to the mortals, we can save them! We must!" Othrius pleaded.

"I've had enough of this conversation. How many times must I say that the mortals will have their own will," the King said.

"Do not be foolish brother, mortals cannot handle themselves, what will could they have?"

"My will, it is my will for them to free. I-" the King stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the young Artrix standing down the hall. "I will not hear any more of this, return to your duties."

Othrius reluctantly bowed before encountering Artrix. He then transformed his begrudged mask into a playful smile.

"There's my little nephew! Good to see you, well then, I will be off. Come on, to your father," Othrius said while petting Artrix on the head. He then disappeared into the palace.

The King then gestured Artrix towards him onto the balcony. From there, the vast night skies of the cosmos unfolded unto Heaven. The starry night was mixed with dashes of a spiral galaxy here and there like a grand cosmic painting. Splashes of light purple, blue, yellow accompanied the unending stars.

As Artrix stepped onto the balcony, the King pointed into the universe.

"What do you see? My son," the King asked.

Artrix looked hard left and right. His young, untrained eyes could only spot the brilliant specks in the sky.

"A lot of stars father," he replied.

The King smiled warmly before lifting Artrix by his arms onto the balcony's thick guards where Artrix then sat.

"Look closer, one day, all of this will become under you. You will be entrusted to lead all of the mortals who dwell upon those stars to greatness. Some may look up to you, some may have forgotten you but remember, they have their own will just as you have your own. These mortals can live well on their own but sometimes they need guidance and that's where you come in. You must treat them all as lovingly as I treat you, as though they were your very children."

"But children are clumsy, they are messy too father."

The King let out a hearty laugh.

"Ah yes Artrix, children do make mistakes, many of them in fact. But those mistakes are what make them mortals. They are flawed yes but they try, they try their best to love and forgive. I expect that if they can do it, you can too no?"

Artrix obediently nodded before looking back at the stars again. Then, he pointed to one hidden so well in a spiralling galaxy. "What do you think is in that star father?"

"Oh I don't know, let me get a closer look," the King said as he leaned forth and squinted his eyes. From here, the star was only but an infinitesimal white dot.

"A small, young world resides within that star's system. There are little life on it, no civilization yet though I can sense it coming. One day, it will become a great world with diverse life and minds. Oh I can just tell. Maybe we should give it a name, hmmm, yes, I can sense runic energy from that planet. Maybe, Runeterra, yes, that sounds grand," the King said.

The little Artrix was fascinated at all these different stars and worlds. He wondered if one day he could travel to those worlds to see for himself what everything was like. He yearned to be able to see one of these great mortals his father had talked about, to see what they look like and to talk to one. He wanted to know if he could love a mortal as much as he loved Heaven.

"Father… What is a good King?" Artrix suddenly asked.

The King was surprised at the maturity of this question.

"Well Artrix, what do you think a good King is?"

Without pausing for a moment, he answered, "A good King is like you, father."

The King smiled and held Artrix's shoulders.

"A good King is a King that understands his subjects, a King that does not rule but reign, a King that leads and not force. A good King is many things Artrix, a bad King is one who only rules for himself. He rules because he has power, not because he must lead his people to greatness. It is very easy to become a bad King, just as hard as it is to become a good King. But Artrix, I know you will become a great King one day."

With that, Artrix beamed brightly.

"Well then, off you go, before you catch a cold in this chill. Come on, I believe your mother will be calling for dinner soon," the King said as he put Artrix back on the floor and sent him back inside.

Then, the scenery shattered and faded away into a cloud of mist, blocking Artrix's views. He found himself once again drifting through the cosmos. His sense began slowly returning to him. He could feel his fingers now and he struggled to make a fist. He put out his hand a saw it before his consciousness slipped away again.

He was suddenly in an archery range with bow and arrows in hand. He was efficiently hitting all of the targets with striking accuracy. He dashed about the course, sliding and jumping over obstacles while firing his bow at the same time. Beads of sweat covered his face and body as the teenage Artrix trained. When he ran the course, he was breathing and thirsty. He called for one of the maids over to him as they brought him a tower and a bottle of water.

Then, at the entrance to the range the maids bowed as Artrix's uncle stepped in.

"What do we have here? Training?" Othrius said as he approached Artrix.

Artrix wiped off his face of the sweat and hung the towel over his neck as he guzzled down the water. Then, he politely bowed at his uncle.

"A surprise to see you here uncle. I thought you hated these places, was it not you who said the heavy stench of sweat was an absolute sin?" Artrix said, half-jokingly.

"That may be true, but I came here to see my beloved nephew. It's good to see that you are working so hard to please your father," Othrius said.

Artrix shook his head. "I'm doing this for my own good."

"Your own good? What, becoming drenched in sweat so that you can swing a blade?

"That's… not true. I need to be efficient and primed both physically and mentally when the time for me to rule is come. I need to be ready uncle."

Othrius lightly laughed. "That sounds like something your father would say."

Artrix without replying laid down his bottle and tossed aside his tower before readjusting his bow for the next course.

"You know Artrix, something baffles me. Why do you try so hard so achieve something so simple?" Othrius asked.

"I do not understand you, uncle."

Othrius pointed to one of the targets down the range. "You need to strike that, am I correct? Why use a bow and arrow when you have been blessed with godly power? There is no need to break a sweat over something so trivial, am I right?"

"Well…." Artrix said before giving it some thought. It seemed to make sense but he looked back at his bow, somehow feeling that it was in the right despite being the fact that he could destroy that target by a mere snap of his finger if he wanted.

"Come on Artrix, this is an out-dated way of thinking. It is the days of the old when you had to do everything yourself. The First King isn't even anymore, and your father is the last of the first generation. This is a new era with you, you can bring sweeping changes if you put the heart into it," Othrius said. Then, he raised his hands and snapped his fingers and the archery target instantly caught ablaze in an engulfing inferno. "Look at that, Artrix, how simple it was. When you rule, you do not want to be some puppet or a King of the old now do you? You want to be a great King, then show to your father what you really can do. No need to hide your powers away. Do not listen to him, impress him, show him your kingly materials. Make him proud of you, make me proud of you. Usher a new and great era unto Heaven."

"I…" Artrix began but could find no words.

"Just think about it, okay? If you ever want to talk, come to me. I will welcome you. Now, in the meantime, I must get back to my duties before your father scolds me again," Othrius said before he exited the range, leaving Artrix to ponder.

Once again, the memory shattered away into a puff of dust. This time however, there would be no serene cosmic stars to comfort him. Artrix found himself in an oppressive darkness. He stood confused in pitch blackness but he could see himself. He wandered around the void for hours but was fruitless in his endeavours. He could not remember anything. He did not know where he was yet he felt thus urgency as though he needed to do something. It was as though something important awaited him.

Then, a sudden barrage of voices screamed in the void, causing him to cover his ears. But it was no use as he found out that the voices were ringing inside his head. He fell to his kneel, still desperately trying to block out the screams but it was futile. Then, when he looked up he saw the League's Champions before him. All of them were screaming at him in a symphony of cacophonous, incoherent sounds.

"No, please, stop…" Artrix weakly begged but the screams continued. Then, just as he could bear no more he found that the voices had ceased, along with the Champions.

He was alone once again in the darkness. He was about to give up when a soft familiar voice called out to him. It was comforting. He had instantly recognized it. It was Riven's. It called to Artrix, drawing him in her direction. It was still pitch-black but he could feel her presence. He stumbled forward, searching for her.

"Riven, Riven! Where are you!" Artrix cried out. He could hear his own voice echoing through the darkness and back. When the senses in his legs returned, he came into a full sprint. He ran blindly, guided only by his desire to see Riven again.

Her soft voice kept calling and gradually became louder and louder. Soon, in front of him, he saw Riven walking away from him. He called out to her but she did not respond as their distance widened. She kept on walking forward without even acknowledging Artrix. As he attempted to chase after her, he found that catching seemed impossible. With each step he took, she only became further as though the darkness was drawing her away from him.

"Riven! I'm here!" Artrix called out again. This time, Riven responded but with a very faint sound. His own heartbeat could've drowned out her calls but he heard it clear, he heard his name.

"Artrix… You can do it… Come to me," her faint voice sounded.

Artrix sprinted as fast as he could. He reached for her, feeling his hand getting closer and closer. Then, just as he was about to touch her, he suddenly fell down through an opening on the dark ground. It had caught him by surprise but he was able to hang onto the ledge but the strength in his fingers slipped away. He tried to pull himself back up but it was no use like there was some strange gravity dragging him down. He felt weak, his arms were aching yet he desired to see Riven's face again.

Then, from over the ledge, a shadowy Riven appeared. Her face was concealed by the darkness but he could make it out to be her. Unexpectedly, she reached down her him. Their fingers were just inches apart as Artrix desperately attempted to climb.

"You can do it… Try harder…" Riven's ghostly voice echoed.

Artrix strained himself with all his effort. He could feel his feet hanging over the eternal abyss below him. The dark well hungered for his soul as it tried to drag him down every second yet Artrix fought against. He fought with all his will and continued up, motivated by her.

"Almost…" Artrix's fingers were nearly there, so close. He would not give up now, not after all he's been through. Then, with one mighty heave he casted the darkness below him away and grabbed onto Riven's arms. He could feel her pulling him up with a mighty strength before he climbed out. He could see Riven's face now as the darkness around them slowly slithered away, revealing a bright whiteness. Artrix's pupils quickly shrunk as the light entered his eyes but it was comforting.

Riven's delicate face shone brightly. Her eyes glittered like gems, and nose and mouth in a perfect symmetry. Her scars were still here, but they were beautiful. Artrix walked towards her, still confused.

"Riven, where are we?" he asked.

"Not a place you need to be right now," she answered.

"Then, where am I needed?"

"Where I am."

"But you are here, with me," Artrix said before looking around him. The light surrounding them was bright, warm and enticing. It was exotic yet peaceful; it was a place he could spend an eternity in.

"This is not where I am. This is an illusion. You must shatter it and return to where you belong," Riven said.

"But that would mean leaving you. I can't do that," Artrix then suddenly remembered his death, it was a vivid, blurry memory but he could remember the pain on Riven's face as he left her. "I abandoned you once, I cannot do it again. I must stay with you where we can be together. I will not hurt you again."

Riven shook her head, her emotionless face confronting Artrix's. "If you do not leave, then that will cost me even more pain. This is just a fantasy, you must take responsibility. Have you forgotten your father's words?"

"My… father…" Artrix reflected upon his own thoughts before it slowly returned to him, "My father… was ashamed of me. I was exiled. Yes, I was. I'm just a failure to him, I do deserve his words."

"That isn't true. If you think that then you will truly shame him. Take responsibility, be who you really are. It's enough, no more fantasies and illusions."

"Then what should I do?"

"Break out of here. Return to your responsibilities," Riven said. She then held out her hand to him, revealing a delicate little Orchid resting on her palms. Artrix gently took the flower and smelled the sweetness of the flower. It felt like a rock in his hand, despite being little more than leafs and petals.

"Who are you?" Riven asked.

Artrix was at first baffled by this question. "Have you forgotten me, I am Artrix."

"Who are you?" she asked again.

He then contemplated upon the question before finding the answer from the truths of his heart. He remembers now, he remembers who he really was.

"I am Artrix, Prince of Heaven and the true heir to the Throne. I am a god. My sacred duty is to watch over the mortals. I must protect them, not rule over them. I am who I am. I'm also a Champion of the League. I am also a mortal. And I am the man who loves Riven. That is who I am. A Prince, a god, a Champion, a mortal, and a fool," Artrix answered.

Riven smiled and then closed Artrix's palms. The Orchid felt lighter now, weighing as a flower should yet it was still the same flower. She then leaned forward and brought her lips close to Artrix but not yet quite touching.

"Go, now, you understand now," she said.

Then, the world around him began to tremble and crack. Fissures and quakes started to deconstruct this fantastical world as he felt something pull on him. Up ahead, a brilliant ray bathed him in a holy light. He could feel its embracing warmth bringing him back to life. He felt divine once again.

On the sands, Artrix's body was sprawled over a pool of blood, alone in the vast desert. In the far distance, the ruins of the Institute had become a battleground for three days. The Angels were desperately trying to destroy the remaining resistance of Men but they faced the difficulties of stubbornness. The men used every last bit of anything they could find to resist the Angels. Not only here but all over Valoran was being invaded. The war had spread in just three days from the centre all the way to the Freljord but the main effort was still in the deserts.

The distant rumbling of explosions and artillery broke the silence. A few miles from where Artrix laid dead, a large hill had been summoned up by Othrius as he sat upon a Throne he had created. It was to be the first Throne over Man. There, as he sat, he noticed an air of power returning. He could not believe his eyes when a divine pillar of light struck where Artrix was. He remembers this power, this power that he had feared for so long. He shot up from his Throne, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Impossible!" he cried, "You are already dead!"

Yet the power surged through the air. Everyone within a hundred thousand mile radius could see it. From the rubbles of the Institute to the city of Demacia, they could see this awesome brilliance. An aura of justice saturated the atmosphere, completely contrasting and drowning out Othrius'. From the ruins, the battered Champions and soldiers looked up in surprise and hope. Riven saw too and became overwhelmed with relief and joy. It was Artrix, she could feel it. All his scent, he presence and his aura filled her.

From the centre of the light emerged a figure not seen in 10,000 years. Artrix, donned in his pure armor had a warm yet powerful glow to him. He stepped out of the pillar of light as it faded away into the sky. He had not felt this power in a long time as he brought up his hand and made a fist from it. His pearlescent cape fluttered in the desert winds, the golden embroidery of his armor gleaming under the sun.

His once godly and handsome features had returned to him. His face became void of any imperfections a mortal may have. His wounds and scars have all but disappeared as though they were never there. His slick black hair was neatly combed back and shone like a gem. Yet his eyes were still different. No longer were they searching for power nor did they see only destruction and subjugation. He had then casted his eyes over his shoulders at where Othrius' hill was.

"No… No… NO! NO, THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE! HOW HAVE YOU COME BACK?! You are just a disgraced exile, you cannot do this. You try to trick me? Well then I will-"before Othrius could finish, Artrix suddenly appeared before him, causing him to nearly fall back.

"We will not fight here," Artrix simply said before launching his fist upwards and connecting it with Othrius' jaws. His body shot through the air and beyond Runeterra to a place far away. Artrix had too followed and flew through the air with godly speed. When he leapt, the Throne and the hill of sand had shattered and melted away back onto the earth.

The two of them flew through Runeterra, through the galaxy and to an inhabited section of the cosmos billions of light years away. There in the darkness were only a few, small spiralling galaxies, long past their spans. This was a place where two gods could fight without collateral damage.

Othrius had managed to halt his flight before coming to a stop. Artrix appeared before him in all his might and divinity.

"Uncle, it's over. Give up now before you go any further in this madness. With me here, Heaven will no longer recognize you as King. That will be rightfully returned to my father," Artrix said.

"No, no, no," Othrius sneered, "this is just the beginning. You are still no more than a worthless exile."

"Uncle, please, I beg you, do not make me have to do this."

"YOU WILL DO NOTHING TO ME! I haven't lost, far from it! I will kill you, again if I need. How dare you try to stop me, everything I have ever done ever thought of, was for Heaven. Your father didn't understand me, but I thought you would have," Othrius said as though he was about to cry, then, his expression snapped into that of a madman. "I thought you could've been a great King but no, oh no oh no, that isn't the case now isn't it. My efforts were casted aside like some mortal. That is not good, it won't do me any good. Yes, yes, yes, I know now. I know what you are all about Artrix, you have been trying to plot against me ever since you were born! You cannot dethrone me! I have been King and I always will be!"

Artrix looked on as though he pitied him. "You are mad, you never were King. Insanity has got the better of you."

Othrius became speechless, his red veiny eyes widened. All over his body his blood vessels were beating a disgusting purple from the Void's power.

Then, his expression changed to that of a caring uncle talking to a child. "Oh Artrix, what are you doing here? Didn't your father tell you that you would catch a cold? Come on, go back inside to your mother. I will give you some sweets if you listen."

Artrix remained silent as he watched a man who was once great deteriorate into a pathetic shadow of his former self.

"Listen up now, uncle Othrius always loves his sweet nephew, you do know that don't you. Yes yes yes, that is why you should behave yourself and listen to your elders," Othrius continued.

"I did listen to you once, never again," Artrix muttered.

Without warning, Othrius returned to reality. "Look at you, so mighty standing before me. I will take that away from you. This time, after I kill you I will destroy every single molecule in your body until you are nothing but a faint memory. I will not make another mistake!"

He then charged at Artrix with a fist of dark energy. The Prince made no attempt to dodge and simply stopped it midair, much to Othrius' shock. He then grasped his arm and threw him into a nearby sun, causing it to collapse into a massive supernova. The explosion consumed all the empty planets around it, releasing a blinding light. Othrius emerged from it, slightly burnt and teeming with rage.

"How dare you humiliate your King like this?!" he bellowed. Then, he held one hand over the crest over his chest and summoned more power. A swirling darkness emanated from his body as he assaulted Artrix again. He charged at Artrix with the power to destroy an entire galaxy and was certain that Artrix would be decimated but was once again foiled when he was completely halted.

"Stop it now, you can see that you are no match for me," Artrix said before launching a light kick to him which caused him to fly through and shatter several planets in a line. Othrius managed to stop himself but coughed out a splatter of black blood which drifted away into space.

"No… this is not possible, I'm a perfect being merged from two powers. How is he doing this? Ah, it must be a trick, yes it must be. Oh no, I will not fall for it. No, I will give him a taste of real power," Othrius muttered to himself. He then summoned forth even more power. The very crushing aura of it annihilated several suns and planets around him. Then, he casted forth a bolt of dark lightning at Artrix who countered it with his own, light version. As the two energies collided, a massive explosion ringed out and vaporized hundreds of galaxies around them, leaving only the emptiness of space. Now, a single river of lightning smashed against each other in a final duel.

Othrius struggled as he forced more and more power from his body. "Yes! Yes! Feel the lightning, you must be surrendering now Artrix!"

Yet Artrix seemed unfazed, he simply stepped forward as Othrius fell back. Othrius called for more and more as his body began to tremble.

"Stop, uncle! Your body cannot handle it anymore!" Artrix cried out but it was pointless.

"Ha! You think a few words can save you? I have got you now! Prepare to be destroyed!"

As he continued, cracks began to open around his body as uncontrollably energies leaked from him. Then, he became unable to contain it any further as he was knocked onto his knees and cried out in agony.

"What… what is this? What is happening to me?" Othrius asked as his body became more and more unstable.

"You used too much power," Artrix said.

Then, suddenly from behind Othrius a dark portal ripped open. Within was a portal to the Void that had appeared to return all of this leaked energy into its domain. Othrius, on his knees, suddenly returned to his sane self. He looked up at Artrix with a horrified expression.

"Artrix… Help me!" he cried before he got sucked into the portal. Artrix dashed after him and peered over into the portal and saw inside a hellish maelstrom of darkness, evil and malevolent consuming energies. He spotted his uncle hanging by one hand over the ledge as the Void continued to draw him in.

"Uncle, grab my hand!" Artrix hollered as he extended his hand down. They were close to Othrius', who was desperately trying to grab onto it but he could not. Then, he slipped and fell several feet down before finding another ledge to hang onto. He looked down over his shoulders and saw his fate before looking back up at his nephew.

"Grab onto it!" Artrix cried, trying his best to reach down without being pulled in himself.

After a moment of contemplating as his grip began to slip, he looked up at Artrix with a defeated expression.

"No… You were right Artrix, you were right all along," he said solemnly before letting go off the ledge and plunging into the storm.

"No!" Artrix shouted but it was too late. As soon as Othrius' body entered the storm, a massive explosion expanded out from it, engulfing all of Othrius in its flames. The force knocked Artrix away from the portal as it then closed itself, satisfied with regaining its lost power.

With that, it was all over. Artrix found himself now alone in the darkness of the cosmos.