A/N: I've wanted to make an effort of showing Celene's more unstable side.
Welcome to Summoner's Rift
1:3
From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.
-Edgar Allan Poe
Celene had excused herself early. She wasn't very hungry after her encounter with Lux, much to her surprise. Today was turning out to be a very emotional, very interesting day. She lay upside-down on her bed with her bare feet resting on her pillow, and her head hanging upside down over the foot of the bed. Celene noted that her hair wasn't long enough to brush against the floor. Storing the useless information in the back of her mind to likely be forgotten later, she sat up and began playing idly with the blue strands that protruded from her fingertips. Celene twisted the tendrils into a pair of stick figures. The figures danced an old Ionian dance she remembered. They took each other's hands, placing their toes against each other's so the hands of the other was all that prevented them from falling. Celene watched the figures. They stepped over each other's feet and spun again, one twirled the other. Celene's attention snapped to her door. Someone was standing outside, their feet casting a shadow under the door.
"Come in," Celene spoke up idly, not waiting for a knock. There was a pause. The figure began to turn away from the door. Celene flicked her wrist. The dancer's partner vanished mid-spin as a line of blue shot itself towards the door. The strand wrapped around the knob, pulling the door open with more force than she intended. There, halfway out of the door frame, stood a nervous-looking Lux.
"Ohhh." Celene felt herself purse her lips and whistle a single long note. The mage didn't wait; she quickly stepped inside Celene's room and slammed the door with a snap of her wrist. She took a deep breath. Her smile was strained.
"I am," she paused, "sorry for how I acted. I shouldn't have said such things." The mage bowed and turned to leave. Celene inhaled and disappeared, reappearing with her hand pressed against her door frame, preventing her exit. Lux jumped in surprise with a small squeak. Celene eyed her.
"What you said to me was true. I know what I am; saying anything else would be foolish. It seems ridiculous to rush to me and apologize over." Lux averted her eyes for a moment. The girl clearly wasn't comfortable. There was an awkward silence. The girl wouldn't let her go until she got an explanation.
"My parents ordered me to 'make amends'. They don't want the Crownguard name to be associated with hostility," Lux said.
"That's hilarious and also pretty fucked up. They want you to say you're sorry after what I did?" Celene smirked at her, the girl visibly tensed. Celene let go of the door, she took a pair of long strides towards her bed and jumped. Her back landed on the bedspread. She resumed, conducting a dance of blue light, the glow emitted lit the room very slightly. Lux watched for a moment, before she pulled the door open.
"You know, you're more complicated than you try and make yourself look," Celene said, her eyes not leaving the display in her hands. "I should really be apologizing; well -more. I try to save what I did for people that deserve it, but somehow it always ends up getting used anyways." The Mage paused. "Are your parents upset with you?" Lux's smile faded. She knew her relationship with her parents wasn't the best. She did try to please them, however, deep down she wanted them to be proud of her.
"I wouldn't say upset- they were expecting me to win. I think they might have been if the battle didn't end the way it did." The mage looked down at her feet, her steel boots shining softly in the blue glow.
"Instead, they claim your behavior embarrassed them and sent you here to try and right it," Celene finished for her. She locked eyes with the mage, getting to her feet. She advanced on Lux. Lux gripped the door frame slightly. "It's interesting that you're more scared of them then me." Celene ducked under her arm. "Well, let's go meet them," Celene said. Lux turned at the words and grabbed the hood of her cloak.
"W-wait a second." The words were hurried. The monster looked over her shoulder.
"You know," Celene said with a smirk, "I've been lying as long as I've been alive, I feel you deserve a bit of honesty." Celene's expression become more serious. "I hold no love for anything- I am no exception. That is why your words stung. Because I want to be something I'm not. Now, let's go have a chat with your parents." Celene grabbed Lux by the wrist and pulled her. She resisted, causing the monster to pause. Celene glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. Lux sighed and surrendered.
Maybe it won't look as bad if they see she dragged me, she thought, though she didn't want to spend any more time with her parents, but this woman was very insistent. Celene knew she was delving deep into Lux's personal life. Her entire reasoning was to find out why the girl was so uncomfortable. She pressed her shoulder against the heavy oak door, pushing it open and sliding through, Lux in tow. Summoners from the bottom of the stares looked at them oddly, as Celene and Lux emerged from the hall, only to turn and enter the Demacian one.
Inside, the halls looked the same aside from the increase in numbers of flags. Celene scanned. Lux was struggling slightly, but she ignored her. Her eyes fell on her target- a door marked Luxanna. She wrapped her fingers around the knob and twisted. The door swung open and Celene paused. The room was devoid of Demacians, but littered with books, items of clothing both unmentionable and normal, most of it either white or pink. Her bed was unmade and the blanket discarded on the floor. There was an upturned hat stand in the corner, and the scent of cherries wafted out of the room. Celene looked over her shoulder at a bright red Lux with a wide smirk before she closed the door and turned. Dragging the mage behind her, she searched for Garen's room. Lux pulled at her wrist trying to get free.
"They have their own room," she finally spoke. Celene stopped, loosening her grip on the mage's wrist. She was actually expecting them to, though Lux was unlikely to tell her where without some motivation. Celene had no code she had to keep, nothing to hide. Lux, on the other hand, was a teenage girl with parental issues that had to stand in a spotlight and represent an idea. Simple embarrassment would do just fine.
"Where are there rooms?" Celene asked, releasing the mage. Lux's eyes flicked to her door, then back to her captor gauging whether or not she could reach it. Celene smirked. Half of her wanted the mage to run.
"You don't want me to talk to them?" Celene leaned in slightly and asked. Lux slowly shook her head. Celene's smile grew. "Why not?" Lux knew she was backed into a corner. There was no escaping the question. Her eyes snapped to her door again. She pushed the idea, knowing that if she ran, Celene would either teleport into her room after her and drag her out, or just leave and knock on every door in the hall, until she found what she wanted.
"They don't hold a high opinion of you," she continued. She looked up and down the hall, making sure nobody was there.
"Shocker -And why is that?" Lux groaned and pulled her hair. She grabbed Celene by her hood, pulling her into her room and slammed the door. Lux exhaled softly, her image safe from spying eyes. "Why don't they hold a high opinion of me, Luxanna?" She spoke in an authoritarian manner.
"Please don't use my full name. If you're going to probe information out of me, at least treat me like an adult." Lux had her back to Celene, looking out her window. Celene's smirk softened into a small smile. Lux began to kick clothing out of Celene's line of sight. She was doing it as if hoping the monster wouldn't notice. The girl's odd mannerisms admittedly proved very distracting.
"If you're so embarrassed by it, why don't you just clean it?" Celene asked, her attention turning away from her goal towards the mage's behavior. "You act like I've never seen a bra before," Celene teased, lifting the white lacy object from the top of Lux's bookshelf. Lux whirled around her expression a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.
"Because I have a reputation I'm supposed to be keeping!" Lux yelled, snatching the item from Celene's hand. Celene took a step backwards. "You are the most insufferable human being I have ever met, diving into other's lives without a care in the world. People are entitled to their own fucking interests." The mage advanced a step. Celene understood- the room was messy out of rebelliousness. "You don't understand what it's like, I'm a fucking object! I can't do anything without someone questioning whether or not it's right for Demacia!" She spat the name out as if it were a bug she swallowed by mistake. "I can't eat certain food, study foreign culture, talk to boys, and learn to dance. Smile, smile, smile." Lux stomped her foot. "The whole reason I'm in this fucking place is so I can represent some idea. I don't want to be trapped here, fighting is painful, dying is painful" Lux throw her arms up.
Advancing another step, she was within arm's length of Celene now. "And then you show up, you rip down everything because you're bored. You jump onto my life like it's a fucking swimming pool and make a mess of everything." Celene felt her eyes narrow in annoyance, the violent side of her sparking in her chest. Lux's eyes widened, realizing what she had said. She sighed and lowered her head. Celene took a step forward after a calming deep breath and put her arms around Lux's shoulders, reaching up slightly to do so. The mage sniffed slightly, returning the hug. "You're the only one that knows..." Lux muttered.
"You'll have to kill me, then," Celene joked softly. Lux snorted at the joke, snuffling again. "I wasn't expecting to make such a splash; I show up and people's lives explode all around me."
"That's because you're extremely nosy," Lux commented, releasing her arms from Celene. "But I bet, given what you are, it pays to be nosy, doesn't it?" Celene was unsure whether that was a joke or a jab. She felt a bit guilty for invading the girl's privacy, but she ignored it now.
"What did they say to you?" Celene looked Lux square in the eyes and asked. She wondered if this justified cracking skulls or not. She mused at the idea of strangling the male Crownguard with his fuzzy white scarf, remembering why she and Katarina were so alike. Lux didn't like the question. She sniffed again and looked away.
"They said I was a failure- not because I lost, but because I curled up like a child and cried. 'How can you be a symbol if you snivel at death like a coward?' She stomped her foot. "They don't understand what that felt like! It was like I was being raped. I've already been through that shit, and I don't need more of that in my life." She was yelling again, her voice stilled, remember she was talking to the person that had put her through the experience in the first place. Celene stared at her blankly in shock. She blinked, suppressing the shame in her stomach that urged her to slam her head in Lux's door.
"I'm sorry, I can't say anything, besides I feel horrible," Celene said. Lux looked at her, her face stiff.
"I'm not angry at you, but I hope I can trust you. No one knows about…well a lot about what I've told you," Lux said stiffly. "I don't understand how you did it... You cracked me like an egg. I've been tortured by my own men during training; I was tortured when I was thirteen and didn't say a word. But then you stroll along, sticking your head in my life like some kind of snooping ostrich and I break down." She put her face in her white silken gloved hands.
"Lux..." Celene slide her hands inside her cloak. "I am extremely good at what I do. I've had a long time to practice. When somebody says immortality, people don't really comprehend how long that is. I have met people much worse than you in similar situations. On top of that, I'm basically a walking pile of secrets told to me by others." Lux looked up at her. Celene looked at her hands.
"You know people squander their lives seeking what you have," Lux said, not stopping to think about changing the subject. Celene shifted her eyes uncomfortably away from Lux.
"I have no doubt I will see the day when everybody is like me and I'm no longer special, but when you don't die, that doesn't mean you don't value time. The faces, the memories, you forgot those you love, what you've fought for, who you are; It all eventually melts away. Everything is temporary, so in that, you can trust me. What I've seen here will float away before anyone finds out," Celene finished.
"Jeez, you're such a nihilist," Lux muttered, her hands resting on her hips. The sound of heavy armored footsteps outside leaked through the door, and Celene snapped her attention behind her.
"It's Garen," Lux whispered, her face lit up in worry of getting caught. Celene nodded; she wanted to help. Right now, all she could do is not exist- that would do. She disappeared in a flash of blue light, and reappeared in Lux's bathroom. There was a heavy metallic rap on the door. Lux opened it. Garen stood taller than her doorway. His eyes narrowed, noting her eyes were swollen, as if she was crying. His face was as sympathetic as his hard features would allow.
"I told her," Lux muttered.
"And?" Garen knelt down, his armored knee making a loud thunk as it touched the floor.
"Well… -She accepted the apology if that's what you mean. She's terrifying, but she means no harm." Celene felt herself frown- why did being called terrifying bother her? "And what of mother and father?" Lux asked.
"They are departing tomorrow." Garen looked behind him, making sure no one was there. "I'm sure I'm as thankful as you are." Lux thrust herself forward and hugged him. He was as sharp as a brick, a soldier, a massive ham, but he was also her brother, Lux thought as the hard armor she remembered from when she was a child pressed against her face. Garen put a gauntleted hand around her shoulders. "I must leave, Luxanna, the summoners say the match will be starting soon. Don't worry I'll keep an eye on the little horror." He stood and turned to leave. "Today, we represent nothing, cheer for me Luxanna." The door closed. Garen sighed and began to march back to his quarters.
Celene poked her head out of Lux's bathroom. "You're rather quick to be sneaky, you know. You ever hide any boys in here?" Lux jumped slightly, realizing that Celene was still in her room. She turned a shade of cherry red, her eyes widening.
"Never! You're so nosy." She crossed her arms at her chest. Celene did the same but paired a smirk and a raised eyebrow. The blush intensified. "Okay... Yes."
"Does this still happen?" Celene knew she was going too far, but didn't care. Lux was trying to be too damn pure for her to leave alone. She didn't want to answer, averting her eyes.
"Yes~" A tiny smile crossed the Demacian's lips. "He's a summoner, so we could set... Things up without actually talking," Lux admitted shyly. Celene whistled in scandalous approval, earning herself a red-faced glare. "Get out of my room, you're so nosy!" Lux squeaked, a soft hint of humor sat in her voice this time. Celene smiled. Lux was full of surprises, not a zealot at all, like Celene had first thought.
"Celene, its Marten. The preparations have been made, your practice match is about to begin. Do you have all the equipment you need with you?" Celene smirked.
"Preparations?" she asked teasingly. Lux looked at her confused. Celene raised a hand to say wait so the summoner couldn't tell.
"Yes, Preparations. We figured out a way to sort or issues with who's body you're in during matches; you little gremlin. Well, I'm going to transport you to your chamber to save you some walking." A familiar blue ring lit up around her feet as the connection was severed. Celene inhaled through her nose, her chest starting to burn. She pulled her cloak around herself as the runes wrote themselves on Lux's messy floor. The monster disappeared in a flash, leaving Lux alone. She flopped back on her bed and sighed. Her parents would expect to report to them.
"Fuck them," she said aloud, hopping to her feet. She stuck her paper smile on her face and pushed her door open, leaving for the dining hall. She had a monster to watch and brother to cheer for.
Celene hit the floor of the summoning chamber like a rock, her balance standing strong. Marten threw his arms out in excitement at her arrival.
"Celene, it's good to see you," he said cheerfully. Celene made a note of Marten's interesting change of mood. "I'd like you to meet your team." He gestured to the group of four figures to her left, all looking at the cloaked Ionian. She recognized them all. The large bull from yesterday, flanked by a small purple-clad woman with a tall hat. The woman smiled nicely, readjusting the position of the long rifle slung on her back. The bull grunted and bowed low. He raised himself, taking a single step towards her. With his great size, he closed the distance as he towered over her. He knelt down.
"I am Alistar," he boomed, "the Minotaur. It is my job to protect you and your friends from harm." He stuck his hand out to shake Celene's. She gripped his index finger and shook. He stood tall again, stepping back into place. Celene's eyes turned to the woman in purple, who had the eyes of a cop. The Ionian decided not to make her walk, instead taking the six steps needed to reach her.
"I am Celene. The lazy old man has yet to give me my title." She smirked at him.
"Dig yourself deeper, young lady," came Marten from behind her. Celene extended her hand through her cloak, and the woman in purple shook it.
"I am Caitlyn, the Sheriff of Piltover." Celene's smirk grow as the woman crushed her fingers. She attempted to return the gesture, but lacked the strength to do so.
"That's not too nice," Celene teased. Caitlyn let a tiny smile leak through to her face.
"Just making sure you wouldn't bite, quite a nasty bit of work you did on Luxanna. You should have seen her father's face." Celene looked at her sideways, a stab of guilt pushing into the back of her mind as she turned to the remaining two champions. Garen, whom she had just narrowly avoided. He was rigid, eyes forward at attention, and Riven whom was sitting against one of the room's circular walls, away from the others. Celene nodded at Caitlyn and passed, kneeling down in front of the Exile. Riven sat with her eyes closed. Her mind was elsewhere. Celene leaned in.
"I hope my display didn't scare you," she teased. Riven didn't move.
"As if you could scare me," she almost sounded offended. Celene frowned a bit at the tone. The frown was thrown into the abyss as a tiny smirk revealed itself on Riven's lips.
"You excited?" Celene asked, already knowing the answer.
"Nervous," Riven stated stoically.
"If you're done exchanging pleasantries, let's get to the fun part," Marten said, rubbing his hands together. "We summoners will be here to offer you advice, our spells, and information about enemy positions." He took a breath. "Introduce yourselves, summoners, if you please." Hoods were pulled back. Celene recognized none of the faces.
"I am Summoner Jura," said a tall, skinny man with a scraggly, unkempt beard and long hair tied back into a ponytail. He nodded at Garen, the Might of Demacia, who returned the nod.
"I am High Summoner Werhan," said a chubby man with long, blond hair. He passed Celene, heading for Alistar. She wrinkled her nose, noting that the man smelled faintly of fish.
"I am Summoner Wiles. Caitlyn, if you please?" The man was tall, clearly from Piltover. "You ready for your tower diving lesson, my lady?" Caitlyn's eyes widened slightly, glaring. Alistar snorted loudly behind her at the idea. She turned to him, annoyed, looking at him with cold, scathing eyes.
"Well, what kind of support are you? Cow?" Alistar shrugged and closed his eyes.
"Moo?" he replied. Celene, Wiles, and Werhan burst out laughing.
"I am Summoner Kathrine," a woman introduced herself. She was small, but had a few inches on Celene, built on the wide side, with a round face. She descended from the platform in the room's center, kneeling down in front of Riven.
"Are you ready?" she asked considerately. The amber eyes snapped open. Riven nodded her head, her eyes shifting to Celene. The gaze reminded her of the spell Lux put a hole in her tower with. Riven pulled herself to her feet as the summoners assembled themselves in a ring on the platform facing inward, the champions passed them with their backs to each other, facing their summoners. Celene copied them, facing Marten. Orbs of crystal floated from the ceiling and each summoner placed their hands on one and began to chant. Lightning arced from the orb to the summoners' hands. Marten's finished first, the orb hovering in front him, glowing blue. An image of the ring could be seen in the orb, showing Celene and the ring of the champions. She looked up, trying to locate its source, her image copied her in real time. Marten flicked his fingers, panning the Image around the room before setting it back on her. Blue rings appeared around their feet, the runes righting themselves out.
"Hey, Beyal is on the other team, you know," said Werhan to Wiles. Wiles nodded.
"Thank fuck we aren't actually doing any piloting today," Wiles replied. The way they spoke made Celene raise her eyebrow.
"I know, his Kat is such a pain. A week ago, he and I rolled this Zaun team, he quadra'ed," Werhan spoke again. Celene was confused but intrigued, they were using slang and shortenings she hadn't heard before.
"Nice, who were you piloting?"
"Vayne."
"Oh. I didn't know you pilo-" They were cut off as the world vanished into black. Celene was surprised to see the others hovering beside her in nothing, Alistar and Caitlyn to her left, Garen and Riven to her right. Riven was performing a slow, sweeping motion with her sword. Garen drew his long, adorned broadsword and pointed it forward. Celene followed it. The enemy team was floating about sixty feet from them.
The shirtless man from yesterday lifted a sword longer than he was tall and pointed it at the Might of Demacia. The white-haired woman that was next to him was again in a sitting position with a book in her face. A bow made of what looked like ice sat on her lap. In the middle, staring hard at Celene, was an insanely pissed-off looking Katarina. She was curled with her knees at her chest, glaring up at her. To her right was Sona, hovering there, her dress billowing as she plucked at a strange instrument in front of her. Celene noted that Sona wasn't wearing shoes. The last champion she didn't recognize- a woman wearing an Ionian ninja's tunic sitting cross-legged in nothing. A pair of kamas hung from the sash that tied her waist. Her mouth was covered by a green mask. Her eyes locked on Celene, running over her cloak-hidden figure in an almost ruthless examination, lifting any thread of information possible about this new enemy. Celene put her index finger under her eye and pulled downward, sticking her tongue out at the ninja. The ninja blinked once, leaning her head ever so slightly back, then blinking again. The rush of air could be heard. Over a few seconds, the rush turned to a scream and the ground slammed into their feet.
Lux had reached the dining hall. Turning into the doorway, she saw a small ring of bystanders had gathered around the large orb in the center of the room. The vendors had left their posts and pulled up chairs. Lux grabbed a chair from the nearest table and slid it up to the orb.
"Welcome to Summoner's Rift!" the all too familiar announcer echoed through the dining hall. The image focused in on each of the champion's faces in turn. Some of the summoners had taken to voicing over the broadcast matches. The image first snapped to Celene,as she was new, and she got the honor. The newcomer panned her head around, taking in the new arena. She nodded and placed her hand on the shopkeeper's table.
"She's in for a challenge today. Her lane partner is none other than the sadistic assassin Katarina, the Sinister Blade." Katarina sat motionless on the summoner platform. She opened her eyes and stood. She placed her hand on the shopkeeper's stall. There was a pause. She retracted her hand. Gripping the cutlasses at her hips, she drew both weapons, adding a spin to the motion so the weapons twirled in her hands before coming to rest in her grip. She had an excited grin on her face as she took off down the center lane of Summoner's Rift.
Lux blinked- Katarina looked even more excited than normal. Maybe it was because of fresh meat? Lux thought. The image snapped to bottom lane, where Alistar had lifted Caitlyn onto his shoulder. She grabbed his horn with one hand, her rifle in the other, and marched off towards lane. It was interesting. This kind of interaction simply didn't happen in normal matches. Lux felt her smile return as the image snapped to her brother Garen. He ran towards his lane as fast as his armor would allow, sword drawn. A voice came from behind Lux, completely stoic.
"Luxanna, have you seen Akali?" It was Shen. Lux turned.
"No, I haven't." Just then she flicked up on screen, she sat cross legged at the base of the top tower, her kamas in her sash. Shen sat next to Lux. She glanced at him. He wore his mask like always, making seeing his face impossible. It was rare he exposed himself to her or anybody for more than moments at a time.
"I advised her against answering the summons," Shen said stoically, watching the orb. Riven flashed on screen, standing outside the empty Cinderhulk camp. She was motionless, her sword level with her hip as Alistar and Caitlyn arrived. Caitlyn slid down Alistar's back and took aim at where Riven had her eyes locked.
"Minions have spawned!" the announcer boomed. The Cinderhulk clawed it away into the opening through the tree behind it. There was a gunshot, and the match was off. Riven lunged forward, her stone sword plunging into the distracted creature.
Celene shifted her eyes to her right as a gunshot cracked a short distance away. Her back rested against her tower. Her eyes shifting back to the assassin Katarina, she paced back and forth just outside of Celene's tower range like a tiger. Her weapons drawn, gleaming in the midday sun. Celene smirked. So impatient, she thought, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the tower. She let the sun bathe her face. The sound of shifting clothing caused her eyes to drift open, a line of minions passing her. She stood straight, her arms leaving her brown cloak as she stretched them over her head.
"Nmmggg," the sound left her lips as Celene pulled her thin arms behind her head. Katarina was still staring at her. She backed off, allowing her own minions to in front. The waves began to fight. Celene stepped to her tower's range, feeling the blue tendrils leave her fingers under her cloak. One of Katarina's minions was getting ganged up on by hers. She spied it, her arm leaving her cloak, spearing it just like she had done before her battle with Lux.
"Good. Remember I get gold for these, more gold, more items, more power, victory," Marten said. Celene nodded, impaling another.
Shen tilted his head- the nature of her attack was strange. He leaned in slightly, watching intently now. Lux glanced at him. The crowd had grown to more than twenty.
Celene was beginning to understand the ebb and flow of how minion waves worked; if she killed them too fast, her line would push and make it harder for her to get more. Katarina was being surprisingly conservative. She placed herself just out of Celene's range, took a swipe at a minion, and then backed off. The line had her nearly to her tower. Celene stood idly in the middle of the lane, watching the thick reeds at her flank more than the assassin in front of her, ready to disappear at the slightest hint of an attack from behind. She took a step forward to spear another minion. Katarina disappeared. Before Celene could react, the assassin was on her. A thin blade punched through her shoulder. Celene vanished, reappearing at her tower's range clutching her shoulder. The assassin turned casually. She flicked the blood from her weapon with a leer and twirled it over the top of her hand to adjust her grip. Celene's eyes narrowed as she clutched to wound. She was surprised Katarina's face was even capable of such a smug expression but the wound was already beginning to knit itself back together. Celene noted the stopping of blood. The League's faster regeneration coming in handy.
"Ouch," Celene muttered under her breath. The heat in her chest growing. The corner of her mouth twitched before Celene composed herself and straightened up. Katarina could have easily done lethal damage if she had wished. Celene met eyes with her. The Assassin was letting her know she was playing, much the same way Celene had done to Lux earlier in the day.
She's been waiting to do that, Celene noted mentally as she took a deep breath and composed herself.
"Don't worry about it," Marten said. "If you feel like you're in trouble, drink on the potions hanging from your belt." The newcomer felt the oddly shaped glass bottles with her hand, remembering them clinking together amusingly as she jogged into lane. She looked at the assassin, stepping from her tower's protective range as Katarina's minion line advanced towards her. She began to spear the wounded minions once again. The assassin paced just outside of her range. Her stance was odd. Katarina rested her weight on her back foot, her cutlasses held back handed; not normally how you would hold that type of weapon, but it seemed to be working. She held her left arm straight, her left side facing Celene. Her right hand was tucked up by her chin, the weapon held the conventional way. The stance made Celene think of her playing a violin. A small smile split her lips at the idea.
Shen nodded in approval. His companion, Akali, was doing well. Lux, on the other hand was frowning. Garen was having a hard time keeping up with the ninja. She darted in, took a few swings, then threw a smoke bomb and vanished before Garen could really fight back. His armor had kept him safe through most of the engagements. He took a step towards a minion, raising his broadsword to strike. Akali burst from the bush at blinding speed. Garen managed to awkwardly curve the downward swing towards the assaulting Akali. Stepping out of the way as if avoiding a door she had just opened, she darted inside his guard. Her kama struck him in the side- the heavy Demacian battle armor was doing its job as he just winced from the blow. He brought the broadsword back towards the ninja, who ducked, getting inside for another hit. She aimed high at his neck. Garen shielded his face with a gauntleted hand. He caught the weapon by the blade. The ninja abandoned it- a blast of smoke and she was gone.
"You depend too much on that armor, Demacian," a level voice came from the smoke. Garen looked around himself. He held his sword closer to himself then he normally would, her stolen weapon gripped tightly in his off hand.
"And you depend too much on the element of surprise," he shouted back into the smoke. It slowly cleared. The ninja knew he was expecting her and waited.
"Celene, Riven is coming, get ready," Marten piped up. Celene and Katarina had been dancing around each other, farming for the last five minutes. The newcomer wasn't stupid and didn't make the same mistake as before. Riven was coming- Celene felt her chest burning. The assassin was being far too conservative to make killing her easy. She could simply pop away to the safety of her tower.
"Now!" She could imagine him leaning in towards the orb as she advanced. She was now in the middle of the lane. Katarina disappeared again. Celene was waiting for her to, and vanished as well. A cutlass narrowly missed impaling her as she reappeared a few feet behind where she had been. Katarina snuck a glance over her shoulder, her eyes widening as she realized she had been tricked. Celene didn't waste the opportunity. Tendrils of blue exploded from under her brown cloak, advancing quickly on the redhead. Katarina had managed to turn around. She took a step back, swiping at the blue with her sword before deciding to turn again and run. The newcomer appeared in front of her in a blue flash. Katarina swung at her head, the weapon meeting a wall of blue strands. Encircling the weapon, they snaked their way up to the assassin's hand. The sharp tips plunged into her flesh. She cried out. There was a sound from behind her- sandaled footsteps. She looked over her shoulder, trying to gather the energy to shunpo away. Riven was within feet of her. Her focused gaze burned into the assassin like a brand.
"Fuck!" Katarina swore aloud, knowing she was in a lot of trouble, but she was forced to fight. She ripped her hand free of Celene, the tendrils goring her flesh, taking the cutlass with them as the assassin turned.
"Fuck is right," Celene said calmly.
Riven was in the air now, fully intent on splitting Katarina in two. She sidestepped the blow, the stone sword passing inches in front of her face. Riven began to pivot her upper body the second the weapon missed, now facing the assassin. Her heavy sword lagging behind her as she swung it at Katarina's head. The assassin leaned back to avoid the blow again. The attack sailed in front of her face, taking nearly two feet worth of red hair with it. Katarina righted herself before Riven could recover from the swing. Her mangled left hand pressed itself against the back of the Exile's right arm, pinning the blade out of Katarina's way as she twisted inside Riven's guard, her remaining cutlass heading for the Exile's neck. Celene appeared in the way. Her small, thin fingers wrapping around the assassin's hand, her other hand closed around her neck. Hundreds of blue strands left her cloak.
"BOO!" Celene shouted with a sadistic grin. Katarina had absolutely no intention of being near Celene. Drawing a sharp breath, she vanished, appearing already in full sprint behind the pair. Riven took off after her. Katarina stole a glance over her shoulder; Riven was gaining ground with surprising speed. She would be reached before the safety of her tower. Katarina cursed internally and dug her cleated boots into the mud. Spinning, she sent a wave of throwing knives at Riven. The Exile managed to put her body through a gap in the spacing of the projectiles. She ducked low, thrusting her sword towards the assassin. Katarina knocked the attack aside. Blasts of green exploded from Riven's sword as the assassin stumbled to her side. She stabilized in time to put her cutlass in between herself and the Exile. There was a clang of metal against stone.
Katarina was swatted right off her feet. She hit the ground, rolling back onto her feet as Riven sank into a much faster version of the combo she practiced so much. Broken Wings, the exile had named it. She spun into the second swing, this time coming from Katarina's left. The assassin was unable to adjust as the blade barely missed her exposed stomach, leaving a thin red scratch. Riven recycled the movement as the heavy weapon swung its way behind her. She spun with the swing, redirecting the energy upward as she had done so many times before. She was facing the assassin again, her sword in the peak of its arc above her head. Katarina had no time to avoid it. She shielded herself with her remaining cutlass, but the combination of gravity, kinetic energy, and Riven's strength proved too much. The blades met with another clang, Katarina's knees buckling as the cutlass snapped neatly in two. The stone sword continued downward without pause and struck Katarina's collar bone. Her leather armor provided no protection as the bone split. The blade bit nearly a foot downward before stopping.
"Gotcha," Riven muttered. Katarina blinked, dazed. She looked down and blinked again. Her arms hung limply at her sides. Celene whistled to herself, leaning arms crossed against the base of her tower. Strands of blue waved slowly around her thin form. Katarina's hands raised, her fingers wrapping around the stone blade embedded in her.
"Deserting traitor," Katarina choked out at her, blood seeping into her mouth.
"Bitch," Riven calmly replied. She put a hand on the assassin's shoulder, wriggling her sword loose. Katarina remained still, her body not comprehending the amount of damage it had taken. She was feeling lightheaded, her right side coated in something warm and wet. Riven put her hand between the assassin's breasts and pushed. She was unable to keep her balance and toppled backwards into a spiraled pile.
"First Blood!" The voice rang through the dining hall and clapping rose from the crowd. More people had arrived.
Riven glanced over her shoulder at her remarkably calm teammate. "You talk too much. You need to be focusing on what you're doing," Riven said softly. Celene half-shrugged. Riven wrinkled her nose, deciding arguing with her was pointless. She turned to move towards her Jungle once again.
"Why did Katarina throw those knives?" Lux turned to Shen and asked. The ninja was still. He pondered the question just like he did with everything.
"She wasn't counting on Riven wriggling by them like a snake under a door." Shen remained still. Lux nodded, her blue eyes on the orb. The match progressed roughly fifteen minutes before anything exciting happened again. Considering it was a practice match, there was very little fighting outside of small skirmishes. The score was fifteen to eleven in favor of the purple team.
"You know this… Celene?" Shen asked Lux. The ninja hadn't moved a muscle in the last fifteen minutes
"I do; I was her opponent on the Proving Grounds today," Lux said, watching as the blue team began to gather together.
"How did that go?" Shen looked at her, intrigued. Lux didn't answer. The match had been going nearly thirty minutes, and much to the crowd's disappointment, Celene hadn't shown very much. She didn't appear to be putting forth much effort which was frustrating her team and their summoners. The newcomer didn't have single kill to her name, where as her redheaded competitor had five to hers. Everyone in the crowd knew what was going to happen in the next few minutes; allowing a champion that much more gold than everyone else was bad, no matter which champion it was. Katarina specialized in killing others; she had little ability on the Fields of Justice beyond that. At the moment, she was doing her job perfectly.
Celene crouched low in the reeds, the water up to her knees. Her cloak floated on its surface. She peered through the reeds as Sona drifted towards them, her toes barely touching the still water. She clutched a small, winged totem in one hand, the green crystal at its top glowing softly. Her other hand idly plucked at an instrument that floated along with her. The music was heart-stoppingly beautiful. Celene shook her head, not letting it distract her. She motioned to Alistar and Caitlyn. The bull practically lay in the water to keep his height from giving them away, supporting his weight on his massive fists in an unmoving pushup. Caitlyn sat cross-legged on his back, her rifle fully extended. She used Alistar's horn as a bipod, looking through the arrangement of lenses along the rifle's barrel.
"She wouldn't be alone, this is a practice match," Caitlyn muttered, waiting, her sights trained on the floating musician.
"I agree," Alistar whispered. Celene was impressed how stealthy he was being, given his size. He leaned his head down farther, his horn sliding towards the end of Caitlyn's barrel. His door knocker-sized nose ring dipped into the still water.
"Steady, you big cow," Caitlyn said quietly. Alistar smirked, holding as still as he could. Riven moved up next to Celene. Looking behind her, she pursed her lips and placed her index finger over them. The enemy team emerged from the reeds that blocked sight of the middle lane, Akali parting them neatly with her kamas. She took a step onto the water, a single ripple expanding out from where her foot met the surface. She took another, walking on the surface casually.
"Ninjas are bullshit," Alistar spat as quietly as he could. The rest of the hidden blue team snorted. Celene looked over to the Exile next to her, smiling softly at the Minotaur's comment. Garen pointed past Celene's head, a gauntlet-clad finger aimed at the reeds. Katarina hacked her way out of the tall, green wall. She stumbled slightly into the water with a loud splash. Akali spun around, her green eyes meeting the assassin's more vivid ones.
"Could you make any more noise?!" the ninja hissed, a thick Ionian accent present in her voice. Katarina drew herself up to her full height, but Akali towered over her, her position on the water surface giving her an advantage in the height department, as the taller Noxian stood knee deep in water. Caitlyn trained her sights on the assassin's head.
"Fuck you, bitch, do I need to tell your pimp Shen how you've been behaving," Katarina said flatly, crossing her arms at her chest. Akali blinked. Shen had failed to ever explain to her what a pimp was, though she understood the first part of what Katarina had said. She knelt down, leveling her eyes with the assassin, her expression unreadable past her face mask. The thump of approaching steps was heard
Beyond the reeds. Tryndamere burst through, slamming his boots into the water. He neglected to use the path through the reeds Katarina had already created in favor of ramming through with his weight.
"What's going on?" he spoke loud enough for a small echo to reverberate back to him. Katarina felt herself smirk, as Akali narrowed her eyes at the large man.
Sona floated by the patch of river grass that hid the blue team. Deciding it was a good spot for her Baron ward, she cheerfully turned and parted the reeds with her hand, using the hand holding the ward to widen the part. She pushed in a bit farther and came face to face with the Might of Demacia.
Sona opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came. Sona, remembering she was mute, floated backwards away from the bush. She dropped her ward with a small splash and pointed frantically at the bush. Her team wasn't looking; Akali and Katarina were both glaring at the shirtless man as Ashe stepped through the gap in the reeds. Sona looked back at the bush nervously. Smirking at her, Garen put his finger to his lips and withdrew from sight. She waved her arms over her head. Ashe spotted the flailing musician and pointed. Sona sighed again and pointed to the bush. The purple team locked their eyes on the patch of grass.
"Enemies?" Akali asked the musician. Sona nodded her head frantically, floating quickly towards her team. Akali took a step, her body passing in front of Katarina. A muzzle flash came from the reeds with a loud crack. The bullet struck the ninja in the arm, spraying Katarina in blood. Katarina blinked the flecks of red from her eyes, barely comprehending how lucky she was before her fight or flight kicked in. Akali winced, pushing the pain out of her mind as she threw a smoke bomb into the water. It exploded into a gray cloud. She put her hand on Katarina's head, forcing her down into the water as more gunshots left the bush. The assassin pushed the ninja off of her, looking up at her with a murderous expression.
"Fuck, she blocked my shot," Caitlyn shouted, jumping from Alistar's back. She pulled the trigger several more times. A glint came from the cloud. An icy blue arrow left the smoke, aimed at Caitlyn's muzzle flash. Alistar saw it, thrusting his arm in front of Caitlyn. The arrow hit him with a thunk and thin layer of ice spread from it.
"Our cover is blown. CHARGE!" Garen exclaimed, bursting from the reeds. He slogged towards the cloud of smoke as quickly as he could. "Demacia!"
"Ugh!" Riven groaned loudly at the reckless soldier, charging out after him. Celene followed, staying behind the large, fast-moving wall of Demacian armored ham. Tryndamere emerged, screaming obscenities, his sword dragging behind him as he charged for the reeds that hid Caitlyn and Alistar. Chaos followed as all but Katarina came running from the smoke. Akali dashed nimbly across the water, weaving and ducking left to right. Her good arm swung at Riven, who ducked. Garen put himself in between Tryndamere and Caitlyn's hiding place. The shirtless man shouted something about the Demacian's mother and swung his sword down at him. Garen intercepted the blow with his sword, deflecting it. He pulled his sword across the man's chest. Tryndamere didn't even flinch, ignoring the fact that he'd been wounded. He screamed at the top of his lungs, swinging his oversized sword again. Garen ducked the blow.
"You're in my fucking way!" Caitlyn shouted from the reed, trying to squeeze a shot past the wall of Demacian armor that filled her sights. Celene materialized next to Akali, a wave of blue erupting from her cloak. Akali dashed between them before either could react, her kama sinking into Garen's armor.
The Might of Demacia flinched as the weapon punched through the chain mail that defended his sides.
God damn, she's fast, Celene thought to herself as she slid back into the brush. She hadn't seen head nor tail of the redhead. Celene closed her eyes, deciding to focus on disrupting the assassin when she arrived. The choice had little tactical influence. Celene was simply interested in toying with the Katarina.
Riven and Celene were both out of position. The Exile inhaled sharply, her sword pulsing brightly, a flash of green light emitted from it, several stone fragments suspended in the air, the runes glowing bright green. The sword was now longer than Tryndamere's. Her eyes locked on Ashe, holding the weapon no different than she had before. She sprinted, the blade's new tip dragging in the water. Ashe turned her attention to the charging Exile and released the arrow she had just nocked. Riven tucked her head down, making herself as small a target as possible. She shifted her course slightly, the arrow sailing by her ear with a whistle. Riven stumbled from the sudden change in direction, maintaining her speed. Ashe began to look worried. As the gap was being closed, she loosed a second arrow. Riven twisted, too close to avoid it. As it struck her shoulder, her teeth gritted, locking her amber eyes on the now terrified-looking archer. She did what she had done many times before, forcing herself headfirst through the agony that washed over her body. She reached the archer who was awkwardly trying to nock an arrow as the battleground reduced to the size of a phone booth.
Celene stood with her eyes shut, listening. The sounds of battle raged all around her, gunshots from behind her, the clashing of weapons to her front. She heard what she was waiting for, a puff to her right. She snapped her head to the sound, as did everyone. Katarina had appeared. She was standing with one foot on a rock that rose out of the water, sinking into a low spin. Everyone knew what was coming, but no one was close enough to stop it.
The woman became a spinning flurry of red hair and steel, knives flying out of the lotus of death with impressive precision. Alistar put himself in between the woman and Caitlyn, knocking her to the ground. Riven turned her back on the archer, unable to avoid the barrage of throwing knives that slammed into her. She hid behind her sword. Katarina was able to aim the knives between the levitating fragments of stone. Riven fell to her knees, and Garen soon followed, a knife embedded in his throat. Alistar fell to the ground and a massive splash followed. Katarina recovered from her dance, hopping down from the rock and charging towards the now undefended Caitlyn. Celene saw her chance. She materialized above and behind Katarina some forty feet up. Celene felt the excitement in her chest building as she dropped towards her target. The Ionian landed on her shoulders, knocking her to the ground as gunshots erupted from the reeds.
"You fucking nin-" Katarina began, thinking Akali had shoved her down again. Her head turned up to meet a pair of hungry blue eyes and a wicked ear-to-ear grin.
Akali noted the newcomer had knocked Katarina off her feet as she dashed towards the now-fleeing Caitlyn. Whatever, she thought, turning her eyes to her prey.
Celene felt her fingers wrap around the assassin's wrists as she slammed into the water on her back. Katarina knew she was stronger than the girl, it was just a matter of overpowering her. Celene leaned in as Katarina hit the bottom. Tendrils wrapped around her wrists, invasively running up under her sleeves. Celene wanted the assassin; she wanted to give her what she didn't have time to all those years ago. Katarina felt her arms being pinned to her sides as the blue strands encircled her. She sucked in a breath before the water covered her face. She struggled against the strands as bit into her skin. The newcomer that had given Katarina her now-famous scar leaned in.
Their foreheads touched. Katarina pressed her back involuntarily into the riverbed as her personal space was invaded. Celene noticed that her chest was on fire. There was a pause. The assassin wiggled against the blue bindings. Celene savored this for a moment, all manner of sadistic thoughts flying through her head about how to approach Katarina. Maybe if I romanticized the idea a bit? Celene thought to herself
"Bad fucking idea." Marten said.
Celene felt the sting of guilt early this time. She knew it would be much worse after the body was returned. Her experiences from earlier in the morning threatened to shattered her high. She began to wonder why she wanted to hurt this woman so much and that wandering thought destroyed her. Celene diverted it, throwing the guilt into the furnace of her temper.
Katarina had nearly gotten free and she was going to run short on air soon but none of that mattered now. She knew she would regret it but sided with her sadistic side and shoved her feelings out of her lips met. The Noxian froze up, her blood feeling like it turned to ice. Her eyes went wide. Celene didn't break the kiss, she exhaled into the assassin's tight lips and released the fire in her chest. The assassin was in shock; she clenched her teeth behind her lips. Celene's cloak was ripped from her as the tendrils punched their way from her back. The assassin overcame her shock, struggling again. A spark of fear lit in her heart as blue strands emerged from Celene's lips. Parting the assassin's, they forced their way down Katarina's throat, water coming with them. She gagged, her hands coming free as Celene slumped down on top of her. Katarina's hand found the cutlass on her back. Drawing the weapon, she thrust it into the girl, her hand gripping tight as she was forced to swallow. Clenching her eyes shut, she pushed against Celene, kicking at her with her heavy boots. Anything to get away from the assault. Katarina's other hand came free as the binding slide loose to join the mass forcing itself down her throat.
She grabbed at them but the perfectly smooth surface gave her nothing to hold them by as they effortlessly slid through her hands. Unable to get the lavage for a good swing Katarina pulled her boot-knife and attempted to saw and hack at the alien attacker to no effect.
"Katarina!" Beyal screamed in her head. "Stay calm, we have countermeasures in place for this." Katarina couldn't comprehend what he was saying. "You'll be fi- "His voice was cut off as her mind was flooded with some alien presence. Her body began to convulse as the last of the strands disappeared. She involuntarily curled up. Her eyes snapped open as the convulsions stilled. She smiled. Katarina was confused. She hadn't told her lips to do that.
"Beyal! What the fuck are you doing, you were told not to pilot!" She screamed in her head, attempting to sever the link. Nothing changed- there was no link, Katarina realized. Her body had been stolen from her. A wash of shock and horror engulfed her.
This is what Celene had been trying to do all those years ago. What a cruel, fucked up thing to do. The assassin wasn't angry, at least not yet; she was simply stunned -in shock of the womans capacity to hurt her. Stalking her through her childhood like a hungry predator, mutilating her when she didn't get her way. Katarina now understood that Celene was telling her she was being saved for later, like a squirrel burying an acorn. Katarina had killed plenty of people; for no reason other than she was told but this was different then ending someone's life. This was taking a life and showing the victim what they will never have again.
Celene was moving, seeking air. Katarina could feel everything, the lack of oxygen and wrists cut and sore from the bindings. Celene and her were the same person now. She recalled that nearly fourteen years before when she had first seen the short Ionian she looked identical to her appearance now; she hadn't aged a day. Celene thrust her new body's head from the water, coughing and spluttering. Celene's old body floated limply in the water next to her, the form stained the water crimson.
The body caused Celene a brief pause as she caught her breath. At that moment Katarina's rage exploded, that body was just like she was now; forced to go through everything Celene chose to do.
A soft footstep from behind her got Celene's attention, and Katarina's by effect.
"Caitlyn managed to escape," Akali said flatly, tossing the net she was holding into the water as the rest of her team arrived. Celene couldn't help but start to laugh, starting low in a chuckle but rising in volume and pitch to a cackling, echoing laugh. Her new voice was well-suited to it. Her new three feet of red hair fell over her shoulders as she straightened all the way up. Akali tensed slightly.
The assassin really didn't care what happened to akali, but something in her heart clicked, started to probe for the tether to her summoner.
"Something is funny, assassin?" The question had a touch of hostility to didn't answer.
"Beyal! Warn Akali's summoner, tell them to kill me. KILL ME!" Katarina screamed in her head. Akali approached as Tryndamere, Ashe, and Sona all leaned in. Akali set her weapons in her sash and placed a hand on the assassin's shoulder. The body was no longer hers, but Katarina felt uncomfortable. She commanded her hand to slap Akali away. There was no response.
"Are you alright, Noxian?" Akali asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Peachy~" her tone was unnervingly cheerful, that familiar; thin Ionian accent Celene spoke with ripped through Akali's through. Celene turned her head, cocking it sideways, looking at the ninja. Akali recoiled in shock. The Noxian's eyes were bright blue, a sadistic smile on her face. Akali reached for her weapons. The monstrous Ionian loved that moment of realization the most, she could see Akali's gears turning, computing the scope of the danger in front of her. Celene spun, thrusting the cutlass still in her hand through the ninja's gut.
"Hullggh!" Akali bent forward, her eyes wide in shock. Celene tore the blade loose, twirled it in her hand as the ninja fell with a splash. Katarina's experience with the weapons came in handy; they felt like an extension of her arms rather than something she held in her hand.
"Surprise! ~" she shouted whimsically. The boot-knife Katarina had attempted to free herself with earlier left Celene's new fingers and struck the arrow that had been sailing toward her.
"Holy fuck…" Beyal said over the tether, "Hooooly fuck that is so overpowered."
Celene understood why Katarina carried so many sword as she eyed the shocked frost archer a short distance away. Battle was messy and things got lost she noted as the boot knife and arrow landed in the water with an alarmingly casual splash. She popped one of the cutlasses on Katarina's hips from its scabbard and disappeared with a blue flash, reappearing in front of Ashe. The archer had managed to nock an arrow after seeing her former teammate impale Akali. Tendrils of blue exploded from Celene's new back, a wave of pain washing over her as Katarina's nerves retaliated. The archer took a surprised step back, fear plastered across her thin face.
"Double kill!" the announcer boomed over the field. Celene slipped under Ashe's bow, jamming the weapon into her thigh. She cried in pain, flinching. She brought her knee up between the archer's thighs as she tore the blade upwards and ripped it free. Ashe doubled over, dropping her bow she reached desperately for the dagger that hung from her belt. Hundreds of blue needles punched their way through the archer's front. Ashe went limp against the assault of blue. Celene turned her head, her new red hair contrasting the writhing mass of blue strands. A screaming, fast approaching Tryndamere filled her vision.
"Triple Kill!" the announcer boomed again. Lux stared wide-eyed, her mouth ajar. The room was silent aside from the sounds of combat coming from the orb.
Celene stepped to the side, Ashe still hanging from the blue strands. The large sword sailed by her. Celene casually leaned her head backwards and to her left, avoiding a second wild swing from a furious Tryndamere.
"Stop the match! Now!" Katarina screamed over the tether, feeling her hands drive the blade through Tryndamere's throat. The man ignored the wound and swing his blade downward over his head at Katarina.
"I can't! That's a surrender on our part, look just keep your cool, it's just like another death." he said as calmly as he could.
"NOW!" Katarina screamed back at him.
"TRAITOR!" Tryndamere gurgled as the assassin disappeared, his sword sinking into the muddy riverbed. A pair of cutlasses plunged into his back. He looked down to see the weapons punch through his pecs, the guards hitting his back. Blue tendrils snaked around the weapons, working their way through him. He felt his insides get torn to shreds by the blue strands around the blades. Celene felt her new, fuller lips split as she ripped the blue strands outward in all directions, dicing the furious man. Celene blinked as she was covered in a thin layer of red gore.
"Quadra kill," shouted the announcer. Celene stepped down from the ruined Tryndamere like he was a flight of stairs. He wobbled before falling forward into the river. She was breathing hard, covered in blood and sweat. Her face mirrored what you would expect Katarina to make after just performing a similar task. She flicked the tendrils, sending Ashe's limp body into the river with a splash and looked up to lock eyes with a terrified Sona.
The cutlass fell from her hand as her new fingers coiled around one of the silver knives around Katarina's waist. The weapon was drawn with a flick, Celene paused. She noted Katarina's reflection in the polished surface. The thin line of scar tissue down her face. The small chip in the knives side caused Celene more pause. This was the same knife. Celene blinked,
Katarina was not the most socially adapt woman but with Celene wearing her face, the horrified expression she saw in the reflection in the reflection of the knife gave both her and her captor pause. Katarina could see guilt in her own face on the weapons polished mirror surface.
Celene's sadism turned on her. It doesn't matter why. You should never do this to anybody, you goddamn freak! She mentally snapped at herself. Her new eyes turned downward, spotting her reflection in the water. A frowning, red haired woman wearing a thin sheet of blood stared back at her, the blue tendrils drifting in wind with her hair.
Sona didn't waste the opportunity to defend herself. A sour tone left the instrument in her hands as she gritted her teeth. All at once a blast of sound from Sona lifted her off her feet. Celene gritted her teeth. flesh split as if cut by a barrage of invisible daggers as the staccato of shattering ribs held her attention until she struck the water. Katarina lost her focus on the tether and dropped her connection with Beyal. Her body informing her of the catastrophic damage it had taken. Oddly Celene seemed frozen, uncaring. She splashed down in the river and began sinking under the water. Katarina's mind raced, putting name to the damage as she felt it. Water flooding her lungs through numerous punctures, the pressure in her chest cavity had reached equilibrium with the surrounding river; her lungs collapsed under the liquid as a curtain of red occurred her vision. Celene wasn't really aware of what was happening, in fact she hardly noticed. She apathetically stared at the surface of the water, watching it distort the clouds in the sky behind it as her emotions ripped each other apart. Ribbons of red drifted upward from her body like smoke from a chimney. Celene found she simply didn't care.
Sona blinked, exhaling a sigh of relief. She was unsure why the monstrous woman had given her the chance to defend herself.
"Beyal has informed us that Katarina wishes to surrender."
After a moment Katarina's body begun to protest the lack of available oxygen. Celene was unable to find the will to move, she simply lay there at the bottom of the shallow river thinking.
"You know the scariest thing about you Celene is what I can feel over this tether." Celene didn't even summon the energy to think a reply. Marten paused. "Well either way the Enemy team has surrendered and the match is being halted. Which gives me a chance to test our new countermeasures; Exciting."
Celene felt a pull in her mind, like someone had attached a rope to her attention and tugged. It pulled upwards. Celene gasped in her new body as she felt her awareness being ripped forcibly out. She resisted, but it was no use; everything went black as she was ripped free. The black nothingness of the summoning void slammed into her feet and the world reappeared. She was standing once again in limbo having lost nearly a foot and roughly forty pounds. She blinked. Her brown cloak settled around her shoulders.
"I didn't know you could rip me from a body. That's... worrisome," Celene said aloud. She was beginning to win her battle with herself. Her mental state slowly returning to normal. She inhaled the scentless air of the void, enjoying the suspended feeling it gave her.
"Why do you think people actually listen to the League of Legends? Because we can develop and employ protective enchantments in a few hours; that's why." Marten stated proudly. "Either way." Within a minute, she was standing next to Riven in the summoning chamber. Everybody was staring at her wide eyes. She sighed, the guilt surprisingly missing in favor of the icy apathetic grip of depression.
"Dude... That was fucking AMAZING," Werhan said. Celene forced herself to smile.
"Well we're nerfing it." Marten retorted.
"Well no shit." four summoners replied in harmony
The fast approaching sound of heavy boots could be heard outside. The heavy door was kicked open, revealing a gore-coated, sopping wet, murder-faced Katarina, breathing heavily. She glared daggers at Celene. Her eye twitched.
"You..." She advanced a step. "You stole my body." She advanced another step. "You tormented me." She reached Celene. "You... KISSED ME?!" She leaned in and yelled at the top of her lungs. "YOU MUTILATED ME! Marked me as your territory like a fucking dog." The assassin wrapped her gloved hand around Celene's neck. "Why..?" She asked the question slowly. Everyone in the room was frozen. Celene let out a long sigh.
"It was a mistake," Celene answered. Katarina's eyes narrowed. "I took an interest in your body a long time ago; I thought it a solution to my mundane life. But... It turns out you're not what I'm looking for after all," Celene admitted, her gaze shifting away from the redhead. "I'm jealous of you... You accept who you are, I do not. You have goals and ambitions related to your personality, I do not." Celene averted her eyes. She finished, her face hot. Celene was sinking in the woman's grasp. Katarina wrinkled her nose and slapped Celene hard across the face with the back of her gloved hand. Throwing her from her hand, Celene lost her balance. Alistar caught her with a simple motion of his hand. The bull glared at the assassin, returning Celene to her feet.
"Katarina," Riven spoke up. "Stop. This violence will solve nothing. Wouldn't it be bett-"
"SHUT UP!" The assassin spun. "Violence solves everything! I have solved every single problem in my life by running a sword through it!" Katarina screamed. She glared around the room as everyone took a step closer to Celene. The assassin knew she couldn't win. "If she'd done to you what she did to me…" She gritted her teeth and whirled around, storming from the room, her hair billowing behind her like a cape.
Marten blinked. "Well everyone survived so I say she took it pretty well."
Celene glanced around the chamber. Everyone was staring at her silently. She drew up a picture of her new room in her mind. The Ionian woman vanished from the chamber without a word, startling everyone inside. Celene materialized a foot above her bedspread and apathetically landed face down on it. It had been a long day, a day Celene spent the remainder of pondering if she wanted to be here after all.
