ONE FELL SWOOP - CHAPTER 8
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Action
Author's note: Not much to say, I'm sleepy as hell right now. Don't really know what I was thinking, uploading this chapter 3:00 in the morning (*weak smile). Anyways, I decided to break this chapter up in two parts cuz they were distinctly two different settings but unlike how I usually switch from setting to setting, they're more like two separate chapters but because they were shorter than the usual chapter, I simply decided to combine both into one chapter.
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 8: Chronobreak / The Blade of my Sorrow
PART 1: Chronobreak
Come back to us Kaleb.
The thought was branded into Ekko's mind, a constant reminder of a promise that would never come to be fulfilled.
"15 seconds until the enemy mid-laner respawns." Rosalyn informed him.
"Thanks," he replied without fully processing what she had said.
He casually parried a strike from a melee minion, and kicked the creature away. The force was enough to deplete the red bio-digital projection of all its health, causing it to dissolve into the usual mush. Holding another four minions off, he decided to simply clear the wave with one well-aimed Timewinder. As the device contracted and returned to him, Rosalyn's urgent voice sounded in his head.
"Ekko, this is urgent. I've just received news from our top laner that he and his entire minion wave was wiped out by a gank from the enemy jungler. And it's not just any champion. It's Master Yi, one of the 132 top-tier, legendary champions. By my deductions, he's coming to our lane next."
"What's Master Yi doing in a low elo match like this?" Ekko stopped to catch his breath.
"It would be reasonable to assume that his mage at the present was subjected to a soft-reset to his rank and was placed with us for his promotional matches. He must have been ranked in the Gold or Platinum leagues last season to be able to afford a top-tier champion."
Ekko grinned. "Perfect. I'll be able to get some real practice."
"Keep in mind it is not the champion or the mage that determines the outcome of a battle. It is the unity and equilibrium between both. You must remain focused in sync with me throughout this potential fight."
"Don't worry. I won't let some top-tier champion unnerve me."
"Be wary of our enemy mid laner as well. He has respawned and is making his way down towards where we are at the moment. They will probably attempt to operate upon the basis of surprise, falsely assuming that we lack the map awareness to determine what would seem to be a disadvantageous situation."
"Hah, I can take them both of them on at the same time."
"Very well, if it is in my judgement that you are fatally close to losing all your health, I will aid you in your escape."
"Glad you've got my back," grumbled Ekko, who sounded irritated but was in fact, smiling on the inside. That was as far as Ekko could get Rosalyn to care about his wellbeing, but it was progress.
At least she's not completely cold.
"I am simply fulfilling my duty as your mage. Otherwise, we cannot hope achieve our goals" Rosalyn asserted.
"W-what? You heard m—?" Ekko stuttered, before the truth hit him. "Right. I'm an idiot. You're inside my head."
"Yes, and I can hear all the thoughts that you don't bother keeping private. I'd advise you to start filtering through and through."
"I'm positioning for Chronobreak. Tell me when our ward picks up movement on Master Yi and I'll keep a visual on our enemy mid-laner. Changing settings on the Z-Drive in preparation for Parallel Convergence."
"Master Yi's movements detected, 1400 units away, closing in fast." Rosalyn reported.
"Great, I'll start the timer for the Convergence. I'll have Phase Dive at the ready."
It was time to get to work.
"I'm going to switch the modes on your Timewinder to the Flashbinder Prototype. It will use up more energy on your Z-Drive but we can return to the fountain to resupply after this fight." Rosalyn stated.
"I'll let you make that call."
"I have a visual on both incoming enemies. Keep moving around the designated area to reduce movement predictability until the last possible moment."
"I see them too." Ekko readied his Chronoblade in a defensive stance and felt the air around him seize up, as if time were slowing down. In fact, time was slowing down. "Parallel Convergence has been initiated—detonation set to trigger at the detection of foreign entities entering the sphere."
"Steady. Steadyyy." Rosalyn counted in her head as the two enemy champions closed the distance within a matter of seconds. "Master Yi has initiated Highlander and Enemy mid laner has begun his charge. Now!"
As both enemies entered the translucent sphere simultaneously, a high, winding pitch exploded and a vortex of blue energy burst forth from the center of the sphere, catching all three champions in the midst. Suddenly, Master Yi and the mid-laner froze, as if caught by some sort of web and at the same time, a blinding, whitish-blue aura shrouded Ekko like a second skin.
They're stunned. I have approximately 1.75 seconds to attack.
Should be plenty of time.
Ekko squatted down slightly, focusing all his strength in his legs, then dove to one side and attacked. To his enemies, who were still caught in the time-freeze from the Parallel Convergence, it would seem as if Ekko had vanished into thin air, then reappeared to the left before instantly teleporting behind them and striking both from behind in one single motion of his Chronoblade.
There was barely enough time to react before Ekko begun his next assault. As the sphere dissipated and both enemy champions were freed from their binds, Master Yi hit the ground running. This battle was no joke, and his enemy, Ekko, was no newcomer. Unfortunately, his mid-laner and the tall mage were so caught off guard that they stumbled around blindly, still looking for Ekko, who had already used Phase Dive to blink behind them.
Ekko aimed a low kick at the mid-laner's legs, sweeping them and tripping his target who fell on his back. He stabbed downwards using his Chronoblade, essentially crushing the man's heart and killing him instantly. The man's remains dissolved into the ground. The boy immediately begun reassessing his surroundings for his second enemy but felt a sharp pain of flesh being cut from behind. Jumping a few steps forward and twisting around, he faced Master Yi.
"What a pain. The cut was too shallow." Master Yi assumed his natural Wuju stance.
Ekko licked his drying lips and smiled grimly. "That's one sharp blade."
"Of course. I tend to it every day," and with that, Master Yi leaped forth, running at full speed towards Ekko. In response, Ekko hurled his Timewinder at the swordsmaster, who dodged it by Alpha-striking to a nearby minion. However, the Timewinder morphed into its prototype, Flashbinder—as Rosalyn had promised—which was essentially a more destructive version of its successor. When the prototype device reached its maximum distance and landed on the grass, it exploded. Master Yi, who was evidently within the range of the explosion, immediately channeled into Meditate. As a green, healing aura wrapped around him, the shrapnel from the explosion bounced off harmlessly.
That's when things got interesting. Unlike most of Ekko's inventions that exploded, the blue-hot magical detonation froze in mid blast. Columns of billowing blue energy fanned out from the epicenter. Bits of the disc's shrapnel twisted at a snail's pace along what, at normal explosion velocity, would be a deadly trajectory. Even the spherical blinding flash itself was frozen in space. The explosion then imploded, reforming itself into the palm-sized Timewinder and rewound back to Ekko.
Although the boy could not see it he could feel Master Yi's eyes widen as the swordsman realized what had just happened.
The Flashbinder was a façade to the real attack, to bait Master Yi into using Meditate. As the protective aura around the swordsman slowly faded, Master Yi caught a glimpse of Ekko—no—another Ekko, a time-delayed hologram of the boy, which brushed past him before everything around him exploded into white light.
. . .
"Even so, that's an impressive kills-deaths ratio."
"You simply underestimated us, Markus." Rosalyn brushed off the compliment.
"Oh? Are we on a first-name basis already? How did two enemies close such a drastic distance in their relationship in such a short period of time?" Markus casually slid his hands into his pockets.
"Surely you jest. I am simply addressing you as I would any other mage according to their registered name. You must be as dumb as Ekko, seeing that you entered your real name as your Mage name."
"Ooh, I have not experienced such a sharp tongue in so long. I might as well cry out in ecstasy." The older mage clutched his face dramatically. "So, how did you do it?"
Rosalyn looked at him as if she were speaking to a lunatic.
"How did I do what?"
"Don't play dumb with me. How did you and your champion gain so much power?"
"Just a matter of diligence, bro. Practice makes perfect." Ekko popped up from behind the mage and grinned.
"With your high skill and battle prowess, what are you two doing in such a low-elo match?" Master Yi walked out of one of the teleportation pods that transported champions to the arena.
"We're starting from the very bottom and making our way up." Rosalyn replied, as if the answer were obvious.
"I do not understand why you have not simply joined a professional team and climbed the ranked ladder that way. Would that not be significantly more efficient?" the swordsman inquired.
"They would only be in the way."
"Who exactly are you two . . .? The Markus narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"We'll be the one to usurp the current Kings, and take rank one for ourselves." Rosalyn declared bluntly.
Master Yi and Markus gaped at her as if she was insane.
"Are you—completely out of your mind?" Markus whispered with panic in his voice.
"No. It is what Ekko and I intend to achieve."
"Do you realize what would happen if any one of the Kings' servants heard you?" Markus continued in an urgent whisper.
"What Markus means is it would be unwise to provoke the Kings in such an outspoken manner, especially in the public." Master Yi seemed to have regained most of his composure. "There would be severe consequences if news were to get to any one of them that a mere solo-queue mage challenged their position."
"The Kings will know better than to send weaklings after us. Ekko won't be the only one they're dealing with." Rosalyn raised a hand and clenched her fist. A small, translucent black sphere materialized around her fist. She opened her fist slowly and the sphere expanded faster than any of them could blink, filling the entire lobby. Strangely, nobody except the four of them noticed and it did nothing more than send a chill down their spines.
"Don't take me for some champion-dependant mage. I could kill everyone in the lobby right now if I so much as wished for it." The look in Rosalyn's eyes told both Master Yi and Markus all they needed to know.
It's not a bluff. She's truly prepared to kill everyone in this lobby if it was called for. Markus shivered. What a terrifying presence.
Rosalyn's hand dropped back down to her side and the chilly feeling faded away. Markus let out a big sigh—he didn't even know he was holding his breath until this very moment.
"I'm sorry," Ekko yawned and broke the tense atmosphere, "What is all this stuff about usurping Kings? Ros—Rayven I thought we were just aiming for rank one."
"You realize that's still quite the feat right? Rank one…." Markus grumbled.
"It's true, we initially were aiming for just rank one. But Kaleb and I discovered—" Rosalyn began, but bit her lip as if the latter statement had been a slip of tongue. "—But then I discovered the existence of the Five Kings who were in a constant power struggle for rank one. In the past three years, there has not been a single mage who has broken through the threshold of the top 25 ranked mages. All top 25 positions in the ranked ladder are being held by the Kings and their 'servants', the Kings themselves obviously taking the top 5 spots. It would be evident that in order to take rank one, I would have to crush all Five Kings and their teams. However, in order to do that, both Ekko and I needed to be officially registered. On paper, we would have to start from the bottom."
"I may be wrong," Master Yi stared at Rosalyn intently, "But is it possible that you have a personal vendetta against the Kings?"
Rosalyn hesitated as a dark look fell upon her face. "Though the Kings are in perpetual conflict with one another, they also see one another as worthy opponents and thus, have developed a sense of sibling-like rivalry. In other words, although they would like nothing more than to kill one another, they also are protective of their own kind and lash out at those who threaten to break their 'Great Wall' that is the 25 of the most powerful mages in Runeterra. Greedy and arrogant as they are, it is of their values and beliefs that only a King may defeat or kill another King."
"But what's the catch?" Master Yi pressed. "What is the driving force behind your ambitious goals?"
"Those eyes of yours truly do see through everything don't they." Rosalyn sounded more resigned than annoyed. She ran her hands through her long, black hair.
"I also discovered the name of one of the Kings. Antoine Milano. The man who murdered my entire village."
. . .
PART 2: The Blade of my Sorrow
"Soooo—I don't have to wear the mask or my bodysuit around the house?" Kaleb asked for the seventh time in the past five minutes.
"Yes, Kaleb, you can change into your regular civilian clothes if that makes you more comfortable." Zachariah sighed.
"How . . . how does this work again?" Kaleb placed his hands on and off his mask.
"Like I've explained to you for the past few times," Zachariah said as he carried the cardboard boxes labelled 'house décor' across the room one at a time. "Because of the purity and abundance of magical flow around the peak of this Ionian mountain where we built this house, I was able to harness the magical energy and form a barrier around this place with similar properties to Zilean's Diachronika Replica or Amina's alternate dimensions."
"Which means . . .?" Kaleb moved his hands in a rotatory motion, gesturing for Zachariah to finish the explanation.
"Which means—hhggh—" Zachariah grunted as he heaved the last cardboard box on top of an organized stack he had made. "—which means, that you can breathe and move perfectly fine without your protective gear. Just make sure you don't do anything that exerts more force than a typical household chore."
"Alright. If I die or get hurt, it's your fault. Here goes nothing." Kaleb positioned one hand on each side of his mask and gripped tightly. He let his middle fingers slide into small cavities with what appeared to be tiny buttons within them. "This should release the contraption."
As soon as Kaleb pressed the buttons, a hissing sound signified the release of some sort of gas compartment. He felt the mask loosen against his skin. He waited until the hissing sound slowly faded and then gently pulled on the mask. The metal clamps that strapped the mask to the back of his head gave way and the oxygen tubes fell limp to the side. He held the mask in his hands and stared at it in delight.
"Ohh my days it feels good to be back."
"Spare me the drama and help me move the boxes with our kitchenware into the kitchen." Zachariah put on a façade of exasperation but his heart smiled with content. At least the void that had divided him from Kaleb had slowly closed its distance. Perhaps, in more ways than one, the intensive training from Zilean's last teaching had contributed to rekindling their brotherly bond.
"You have no idea, Zach. Why don't you put on the mask for a day and see what it feels like?" Kaleb touched his face as if it had been revitalized.
"I respectfully decline your offer. Now come help me."
"I still need to take off my bodysuit. It's so skin-tight I feel like I'm practically naked right now."
"Okay, okay, I don't need to hear the details," Zachariah interrupted before the boy could go any further. "Go change upstairs. Master Zilean collected most of your clothes from your old house and packed them all into one big box. It should be in your room, second door to the left after you reach the top of the stairs."
A few minutes later . . .
"Alright what do you need me to do?" Kaleb walked out into the front foyer and looked for the boxes Zachariah had asked for.
"Wait for me, I'll be right there."
Zachariah's footsteps could be heard thumping against the wooden floor from the foyer but they stopped as soon as he stepped into the narrow hall leading to the front door.
"Kaleb," Zachariah said slowly, "What are you wearing?!"
Kaleb had put on a thin, long-sleeved black shirt and nothing more than black, sports-boxers. He actually had quite a slender figure if one paid close attention to such aspects.
"Sorry for taking a bit longer, I wanted to wash my face before coming back down to help." Kaleb swept his black hair back with both hands, looking fresh as ever.
"Did you even hear what I said? What are you wearing?" Zachariah looked utterly baffled. "At least put some pants on!"
"What? Why? This is what I wear when I'm at home." Kaleb sounded as innocent as he was confused. "Are you bothered by this?"
"No—I mean, yes—I mean—" Zachariah was at a loss for words. Shaking his head, he attempted to recapture his speech. "I mean, you wore this even when you were living with Rayven and the other boy?"
"Oh, no of course not." Kaleb assured him. "We lived in three separate, different places. Ekko lived in Zaun and both Rosalyn and I lived in Ionia, but in different districts.
"Well, you're living with me now." Zachariah persisted.
"So? We're both men. There's nothing to be embarrassed of. You can wear your boxers around the house if you want too."
"That's not the point!" Zachariah said loudly, exasperated. "Besides, why do you have—such a—feminine body? Did you not hit puberty or something?"
This time, it was Kaleb's turn to gape at him.
"W-what does that even mean? Feminine body?" Kaleb hugged himself self-consciously. "I do not."
"Yes you do." Zach insisted. "Your arms are slender, your shoulders are broad but not that significantly built. Your legs are well built enough to be called a guy's legs but still skinny for a champion. And—and your behind is proportioned as if you were a female. Heck, you've even got a slightly pretty face. I might as well call you pretty-boy."
"Are you possibly body shaming me?" Kaleb narrowed his eyes in challenge of Zachariah's claims.
"No, no, no, there's nothing wrong with having a feminine body. You can take those as compliments." Zachariah said quickly. "I was just surprised. But seriously, stop deviating from the original topic of conversation. Put. Some. Pants. ON."
"Alright, alright, if it bothers you that much, I'll go back up and find something. Give me a minute." Kaleb began his walk back upstairs.
Zachariah sighed. What a ruckus.
While Kaleb's hands searched for an appropriate pair of pants among all his other clothes in the box, his eyes wandered elsewhere noticed the hilt of a blade sticking out from underneath one of the other boxes. Curious, he paused his search and reached over to pull it out. As soon he touched the hilt with his fingertips, he felt a painful shock, as if it had ignited, and fell backwards crashing into the box that held his clothes. Footsteps came hurriedly up the stairs and Zachariah burst into his room.
"What happened?! Did you hurt yourself?" Zachariah immediately began assessing the room's environment for potential dangers. "I thought I told you not to engage in any physically straining activities?"
Kaleb rubbed his back which was starting to grow numb from the pain.
"I was trying to grab that blade underneath that box, but there was some sort of violent magical reaction."
"A blade? What bla—oh no. Oh no." Zachariah approached the box cautiously and flicked his fingers. The box moved itself gently off the blade, revealing the entirety of the weapon.
Which was nothing.
Because the hilt was all that was left of the weapon.
. . .
"What the hell?" Kaleb stepped closer to the hilt, examining it from every angle possible.
There was nothing unique about it, besides the fact that it was missing the blade-part of the weapon itself. The hilt looked as if it were of a standard katana with a rectangular guard.
"Don't step too close to it," Zachariah warned.
But it intrigues me.
"Don't touch it, Kaleb." Zachariah warned him again. "You already know what's going to happen."
But I want to.
"I don't want you to put yourself in another position of danger." Zachariah emphasized but Kaleb was still slowly inching his way towards the bladeless hilt.
But . . . but it feels . . . familiar.
Kaleb's consciousness was floating in and out of reality. He was beginning to experience another psychological dissociation. Another vision. He could feel it coming. Zachariah's voice was but a million miles away.
"It calls for me." Kaleb's speech was slurred as if in a trance.
"Kaleb, wake up! Kaleb, come back to me!" Zachariah grabbed the boy's arm and tightened his grip, pulling on it. However, for some peculiar reason, the boy was immovable, as if he had been glued in place. Fortunately, he was not getting any closer to the blade either.
"I can hear its voice," Kaleb continued, "It's calling for me. It's calling my name."
"It's all in your head, Kaleb. Tell me what's going on." Zachariah tried pulling on Kaleb but the boy remained firmly stuck.
"It's telling me—it's telling me it has many names. B-but, at the same time, it is nameless. It has many forms, yet it is formless." Kaleb's irises began to glow with a purple
Nameless? Formless? Zachariah froze and was struck with an epiphany.
"The name of the blade . . . it's . . . the people of Ionia call it Vagus." Zachariah almost shouted.
"Vagus . . .?" Kaleb repeated after Zachariah.
As soon as he named the blade, Kaleb buckled and collapsed on the ground.
"Kaleb! Kaleb, are you hurt?" Zachariah dropped to his knees and placed two fingers on the boy's neck, trying to feel for a pulse. He held his breath in anticipation until he felt a slight beat against his index finger.
"Hey," Kaleb croaked as he opened his eyes to a slit. "Am I alive?"
Zachariah breathed a sigh of relief, laughing from the mere ridiculousness of the question.
"Yes, Kaleb. You're alive." Zachariah patted the boy's shoulder. "You can lie down for a while. The bladeless hilt drained a significant portion of your spiritual energy while you were speaking to it."
"Yeah, I feel all weird and sleepy." Kaleb closed his eyes and yawned. "What is that thing?"
"Even though it has had many names in the past and its spiritual identity claims to be nameless, the people of Ionia have a common name for it. Vagus—it's old Ionian for 'Wanderer'. Its blade supposedly takes the form of its wielder's emotions so if no one wields it, it would appear bladeless. However, it only appears to those it deems worthy of its partnership."
"Hah. Worthy? How am I worthy? I died to a mistake of an attack." Kaleb coughed weakly.
"Well, in this case, worthiness is determined by how much you've lost. In the Ionian myths, there was a powerful Grandmaster of the Order. He was falsely accused of murdering his successor on a power-hungry whim and thus, hunted by the entire Order across Ionia. However, as powerful as he was, he escaped them at every turn so they ended up naming him 'The Wanderer' and instead, exiled him from Ionia for all eternity. They essentially forced him to live in constant fear of captivity, and he was never able to settle down in any one place for too long. When he died of old age, it was said that his soul was scattered to the wind, unable to find a proper resting place due to be driven from his home country, until a legendary Protectorate Summoner known only as The White Phantom managed to gather all the pieces of his spirit and sealed it into a sword who's blade had been shattered."
"That still doesn't explain how I'm worthy of this apparently mythical weapon that just happened to materialize as I was searching for a pair of pants."
"You've lost a lot, Kaleb," Zachariah said softly, "You've lost your life. Perhaps Vagus sees you as a capable partner in taking back what's yours."
Kaleb sat up and looked at Zachariah with accusing eyes.
"I thought we already established that it was impossible to defeat Amina."
"No, we agreed that we would bide our time and get stronger. With this weapon, we have a chance."
"I guess." Kaleb was hesitant. This revelation gave him hope, and hope had destroyed him before."
"Try holding the weapon now."
"Excuse me? Did you just see what happened?"
"Just try it."
Kaleb raised an eyebrow but gave a small grin.
"Like I said, if I die, it's your fault."
The boy controlled his breathing and when it had steadied, he grabbed the hilt without another thought.
This time, there was no negative reaction. In fact, the hilt began to vibrate and a blade slowly grew from the guard. When it finished vibrating, the blade was indeed, at its full length, a katana. It gleamed in the sunlight that shone through the open window, but when Kaleb cautiously felt the blade's sharp side, he was greeted with a strange discovery.
"Uhh—Zach. It's dull."
Zachariah gave him a strange look.
"What do you mean it's dull?"
"I mean, it's dull. It's not sharp at all. It feel like a fake blade."
"I AM NOT DULL OR FAKE." A voice boomed within their heads. Both of them flinched at the sudden proclamation.
"Did you just . . . speak to us?" Kaleb stuttered with an incredulous expression on his face.
"YES. GREETINGS, KASSADIN LUNACRUX REIYVER AND FELLOW WANDERER, ZACHARIAH PROTEAGUS."
"Would then care to explain why you're dull?" Kaleb asked dumbly.
"I AM NOT DULL YOU IMBECILE. YOU MUST FIRST GIVE ME FORM."
"How do I give you form?"
"POUR YOUR HEART INTO ME. I AM FORMLESS AS I KNOW NOT YOUR HEART."
"You want me . . . you want me to let my emotions run free? I can't do that—I'll lose control." Kaleb looked down in shame.
"IT IS THE ONLY WAY. YOU MUST GIVE ME A FORM TO TAKE OR I WILL CEASE TO EXIST."
I can't . . .
I'm afraid . . .
I'll turn into HIM . . .
Alright! I'm starting to get the hang of writing cliffhangers now (heh, get the pun?). In the next chapter, you'll find out another name that belongs to the Blade, Vagus, a name that will complete Kaleb's identity as a champion! Post your comments in the REVIEW section below if you like the story so far!
See you next time! Peace!
~Nightrous