Epilogue

Artrix slowly drifted back onto Runeterra, his radiant and divine body outshining the natural light of the Sun. He descended through the light cloud layers like the Sun's rays after a day's rain. The surrounding grey clouds were lit up a brilliant orange, breathing new life to the ruined landscape. The deserts below slow withered away back to its original form but the scars of war still ran deep. There was no greenery anywhere to be seen but the mountainous heaps of dead sand were drifting away now an unwoven blanket yet the desert still remained as a cruel remainder of what Valoran had to fight through.

At the sight of Artrix returning victorious, all the fighting immediately ceased. The many battered men, Champions and Angels looked up with a hopeful expression while basking in the warm light. From the rubbles and ruins, the soldiers got out from their many hidden positions with their weapons down at their side. Their dirty, bloody faces glistened in the Sun. They were tired and weary but happy. It was all over, finally. At the cost of millions of lives, thousands of homes and the destruction of an entire landscape and ecosystem, the Battle of Valoran has been won.

Artrix gently landed upon the soft ground in the middle of the ruins of the Institution as a slight breeze whizzed past, carrying a cloud of sand. There, all the Angels around him stared in awe before kneeling down.

"The Prince of Heaven, has returned!" an Angel cried out. The entire ranks of Angels kneeled in respect and pride, seeing their Lord back from exile.

Before Artrix, many ragged soldiers and Champions emerged from the rubbles. In front stood Riven, her armor and face marred by battle yet still determined and gleamed with hope. For a moment, she could not belief her eyes as a stream of tears slowly ran down her cheeks. She didn't even bother to hold back and for once, she allowed herself to cry deeply a river of freed emotions. Without saying a word, she rushed to Artrix who then received her with open arms. They hugged tightly as Riven basked herself into Artrix's divine glow. She wept onto Artrix's chest as she pressed herself onto him. Her tears were mixed with sadness and joy.

Artrix wrapped his arms around her, giving her comforting warmth. He pressed his head gently against Riven's and felt the rough brush of white hair against his face but he enjoyed it. Her scent, despite being masked by the smell of blood and battle, was still there. It was Riven alright, this crying girl was the girl he loved, Artrix thought. There was no doubt about it.

Riven looked up and tried to talk but no words came out of her throats as they were clogged with emotions.

"I'm here now, I've come back to where I belong," Artrix softly said.

"I… I thought you were dead…" Riven said, wiping the tears off her face.

Artrix smiled. "I made you a promise did I not? That neither of us would die, and that we would be victorious. I would never break that promise for I belong in here." Artrix said as he pointed to her heart.

"You…" Riven then realized that she was being watched by everyone and suddenly blushed as she gently pushed herself away from Artrix. "Don't you ever do that ever again, making me worry."

"I won't."

Without any further words, as though the world had willed it, they brought their lips together and shared a kiss. When they made contact, Riven could feel a soothing warmth fill her body as though all for worries and sins were washed away. She melted into Artrix and for a split second they were in their own paradise again. Then, the wounds and bloods on her face and body faded away, leaving behind not one scar. However, her old scars remained as a permanent feature of Riven.

Behind them, they could hear sounds of clapping and cheering from both the soldiers and Champions. When their lips parted, Riven's body felt lighter than air as though she could soar straight beyond the clouds.

Then, Jayce, Vi, and Caitlyn emerged from the crowd. All of them except Caitlyn were battered from the battle.

"Goob job man, you finally scored her," Vi joked cheerfully.

Artrix smiled warmly. "Lunch's on me I suppose."

"Then we go to the most expensive one we can find, after all, we need a little payback from you for making us fight so hard," Jayce said.

Caitlyn remained silent but nodded in agreement. Behind her austere face, a faint smile cracked.

Then, from the crowd of celebrating Champions, Morgana and Kayle came forth. Morgana was not affected by the battle while Kayle had her much of her armor removed, now wrapped in gauze instead. During the entire battle, Morgana had spent every single of it saving and healing Kayle.

"Great to see that you can finally return to Heaven," Morgana said while supporting the still injured Kayle with her shoulders.

Kayle's eyes were fixed on the ground in shame. She could not bear to look at Artrix.

"Kayle…" Artrix said as he approached her, "I'm sorry."

Kayle was surprised at this apology. "What? I mean, I should be the one apologizing after all I've done. I should've known but I was too blind and…"

"No, none of this would've ever happened if I had just listened to you. You were always warning me, caring for me but I did not see. Not only should I apologize, I should also thank you for all the time you had me in your care."

Kayle was still too ashamed to look up but she slowly lifted her head and saw Artrix once again in his whole glory. She found that she could not take her eyes away for moment as they were too allured by the warmness that he held.

"I… I'm sorry Artrix, can you forgive me? I know I have no right to ask but even so, please allow me to die with the knowledge that you had even considered about me," Kayle asked.

"I forgive you, just as I hope you will forgive me. And your sister."

Kayle was taken aback by his words. She then turned her eyes to her sister and saw her there with her full support.

"I do…"

Beneath her gloomy cask, Morgana faintly smiled.

Then, high above in the sky, a glorious ocean of light casted all of the clouds away before directing itself onto Artrix and Riven. The entire world was bathed in an aura of justice and divinity and the presence of the King.

Artrix looked up, his eyes meeting his father's will.

"Father! I am ashamed. I am sorry for what I have done, I had disgraced you…" Artrix said.

Then, a mighty and commanding voice boomed through the skies and rocked Valoran to its very core. Everyone, even the Champions were awed by this presence. Some of them even felt compelled to kneel alongside the Angels.

"You had and always will be my son. Mortals make mistakes, as do we. You have learned to live as, and to love a mortal. For that my son, is the quality of a great King," the King said.

Artrix then glanced at Riven for a moment and knew at that time, that their bond was inseparable and eternal.

"Then… Have you forgiven me father? Has Heaven forgiven me?" Artrix asked.

"I never blamed you once Artrix, nor did your mother nor did Heaven. You are now free to choose and act. I believe that you are ready…" with that the light and voice receded back to Heaven as the Gates opened. From behind a great light shone like no other, welcoming Artrix.

He turned back to Riven and held her in his arms.

"Riven, I must return now to right my many wrongs of the past and I swear to you that I will come back for you soon. I will meet you again soon, I promise," Artrix said.

Riven knew that those words were most pure and sincere. Artrix was not a deceiver and neither was she. Only truths and emotions formed that unbreakable bond called love between them.

"I will wait for you. Just… promise me one more thing. That you be a good King and the same man I love," Riven asked.

"I promise. When the time comes, we will be reunited for eternity where there will be no suffering, no wars, no desolation. Even if this is an unreachable goal, I will still try my best to achieve what can be achieved. We will always be together, no matter near or far."

Then, Riven leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on his cheeks. "Go now, you don't want to keep everyone waiting."

With a smile, Artrix ascended back into the skies and through the gates, followed by all of the Angels of Earth with Kayle and Morgana. They disappeared back into the clouds before the gate closed and vanished.

The soldiers and Champions all then cheered in joyous celebration. Amidst the ruins of the Institute, a new hope had risen between them. Riven looked around and saw the desolate desert. They were the scars of battle, but they will heal one day, just as Artrix shall return.

She kneeled over and clasped a handful of the smooth sands. Then, below the hole she had just dug she noticed a series of purple petals buried beneath. Gently, she pushed away the sands and found a single, brave Orchid, still alive amongst the ocean of sand and wind.

The city of Demacia was quiet, too quiet. The destroyed Demacian army had left very little guards to patrol the streets, let alone the homes of important officials. One of these officials hurried worriedly down an empty hall which normally would've been filled by soldiers. He glanced left and right and back, paranoid at the unguarded halls. As he quickly ran down the hall, he was at last able to reach his office from where he had casted a powerful barrier around it, keeping any intruders and would-be assassins out.

He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door and quickly shut himself in, slightly relieved now at the sound of the humming magical ward. He hurried to his desk and pulled out a scroll of important, sensitive Demacian information and was satisfied to see that it was still there. He leaned back onto his large, overstuffed chair and relaxed for a moment with his eyes closed. For a few moments, there was only silence, comforting silence.

When he opened his eyes a few minutes later, he nearly fell back on the floor when he saw her before him. He gasped, not knowing how to react but only move back in fear.

"Cha-Champion LeBlanc! What a-are you doing here?" he asked, terrified.

LeBlanc swayed her hips seductively and slithered over to the official. He was frozen in fear, unable to move a single muscle as LeBlanc playfully ran her cold fingers down his cheeks.

"Oh… Don't call me that, I'm a Champion no longer. None of us are, not with the Institute being destroyed. You can just call me LeBlanc now," she said all the while mocking the official.

"T-This is a restricted area. H-how did you get in?" the official weakly said.

"Oh, don't be like this, we both know what must happen now do we not? Do not make it any harder, it would really put a burden on my heart," LeBlanc sarcastically said as she raised her staff at him.

"No! NO!" the official screamed, trying to evade his fate but it was no use as a blast of magic exploded onto him, killing him in an instant. His charred body sprawled over the carpet flooring, leaving no a single drop of blood.

LeBlanc then retrieved a single black rose from her pocket and plucked a petal off. She held the delicate leaf in her hand and gently blew into it as it shattered into dust. The black cloud drifted over to where the dead official laid and then buzzed about like a swarm of bees. It then gained solid form and took on the image of the official, standing there emotionless.

"Let us get back to business," the fake said in a monotone voice.

"Take care of the body, it's time for the next one, soon, Demacia will fall from within," LeBlanc said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"You see… I've always strived for the greatest trick, the ultimate deception. Some believe that it is the ability to be at one place where everyone else thinks you are otherwise; some believe that it is the power to convince another of some fabricated story. For me, the greatest trick of all is persuading everyone that nothing had ever happened. The world, would've never known…"

END

AN:

Alright guys, thanks for all those who had kept reading. It was my first fanfiction ever so any comments, criticism and is surely welcome. As you can see, this story does lead to something else but it will not be a direct sequel. The story of Artrix and Riven ends here but that doesn't mean that they will never appear again. It will be a fresh new story with different characters and perspectives. Again, thanks so much for reading and please review and comment and give me any suggestions so that I can improve for any future stories.

Thanks! And C'yall later!