Chapter 4

For many days, Diana and Lux walked in a complete silence. Lux had never been close to the Lunari, and the latter was likely to keep away from any form of social interaction. The only word they spoke was to know who would get wood to build a fire at night. This cold atmosphere was heavy on Lux's shoulders. She was a dynamic and friendly person, but Diana's attitude was like a virus, spreading to the people surrounding her. She was still convinced she did not need the Lunari's help, all the more that the Diana had set some weird schedules, preferring to move at night, when the air was fresher. Completely opposed to this idea, Lux had protested as first until a threat of violence from Diana deterred her from arguing more. They passed several villages, and Lux was looking forward to seeing the coast.

"Don't hold you breath." Diana said when Lux had opened her mouth to ask if they were close. "We still have to walk for weeks before getting to the coast. Have you ever stepped out of Demacia?"

"Probably more than you have from your Mount Targon."

Diana stared at her, a sarcastic smirk on her face. Lux gave her a dark look before sinking into silence again.

One day, they entered a city larger than any other village they had been to. The sun had set hours prior, and the streets were almost empty. The paved streets were soaked because of the endless rain which had started the day before. As they were making their way through an alley, looking for an inn, five male figures appeared in front of them. Diana froze, but Lux could see her smile. She looked back, and noticed two other men behind them, blocking the way. She silently swore: she was holding her staff, but it would be useless.

"Stay behind me." Diana ordered.

Lux, who still had the Lunari's bitter lecture in mind, stayed next to her. She could probably help her out if they were in danger.

"What can we do for you gentlemen?" Diana asked the men in front of her.

By the corner of her eye, Lux noticed that the two other men were very close. They were wearing leather armors and were all rather thin. They were gazing at the women in a way that could leave no doubt about their intentions.

"You ask a question whose answer you already know," on of the man replied "so drop your weapons and come with us, and we won't hurt you."

Lux noticed a symbol carved in the leather: two chains intertwining. She had already seen this when she was at the Demacian military school. Those people were slavers. Diana had reached the same conclusion as she retorted "I don't think so. I don't particularly value human lives, but being commanded by a brainless prick like you does not suite me at all."

Lux started to panic: what did Diana want? Did she actually wish to fight those men? Hadn't she noticed that there were seven of them? The man who had spoken sighed and barked "Take them!"

Diana grabbed her Moonsilver Blade and swung it in front of her, forcing her opponents to fall back not to be cut in half. By the corner of her eye, Lux glimpsed the two guys in the back dashing to her. As skilled as she was, Diana could not face seven enemies on two fronts at the same time. Lux stood back-to-back with her ally, holding her staff. Diana darted on the enemies in front of her, abandoning Lux with the two other men who were largely smiling. A scream of pain followed by a cracking sound caught Lux's attention, which could have been lethal, as the men had jumped on her together. She dodged by leaping aside. Her opponents were larger and taller than her. Another cry of pain echoed in the night. The Scorn of the Moon was eliminating her enemies one by one like a messenger of Death. One of the men facing Lux nodded at the other who dashed at Diana.

"Look out!" Lux shouted just in time for the Lunari to turn around and block a hit aiming her head. The man standing before Lux did not wait to attack. He dodged her strike and grasped her elbow before punching her in the gut. She fell on her knees, and her enemy kicked her in the stomach again, brutally enough to cut her breath. Diana had slayed all the other slavers and turned to the last one. He grabbed Lux by the hair and put his blade on her throat. "Don't come closer!"

Diana stopped moving and glared at him. If stares could kill, this man would already be six feet underground. Lux, whose breath was hoarse, managed to bend her leg, and violently kicked him in his most vulnerable part. He let go of her and doubled up. Diana rushed forward, pushing him on the ground. She lift her weapon to off him.

"Wait!" Lux said, surprising herself "You can't kill him like this."

Diana stared at her before replying "Of course I can." She sliced his throat and his blood ran on the paved ground, blending with the rain.

Lux's eyes widened in fear. It was the first time she experienced such a brutal death outside the Fields. A ruthless action that could have been easily avoided. She looked at Diana. This woman was crazy. No, not crazy. Dangerous. A merciless demon.

Diana stepped to the young woman. "Come on, we have to go before anyone shows up." She walked away, but Lux remained there, frozen at the sight of the dead slavers. They hadn't been killed. They had been butchered. There was no other word to describe the bloody slaughter.

The Lunari grabbed her wrist and yanked. "What are you doing? Let's go."

Lux let her drag her through the slippery streets. Diana had forgotten about the idea of sleeping in an inn and wanted to leave the city as quickly as possible. Once outside, they kept walking on the rode before cutting though the forest. Lux suddenly tore her arm off Diana's grasp and stopped. "What are you doing?" the Lunari asked.

"How could you kill him? He was on the ground, unarmed. We could've just left. There was no need to kill him!" Lux was shouting. She could no longer remain silent and had to take it out on somebody -in this case, Diana.

"He was about to kill you! Are you defending a man who sells people for his own profit?" They deserved death, and even worse." Diana's voice was as cold as the night, but Lux's head was heating like the inside of a volcano.

"You could have done anything to him. You could have knocked him out, or even terrify him so that he would never do it again."

"Soraka was right when she said you were naïve," the Lunari retorted "this is the past now, so don't bring it up anymore."

"You have to be fucking kidding me, right? Are you blind? From what you told me about your attitude towards Soraka, I though you had some slight respect for human lives, but all you know is death and murder. No wonder you exterminated all the Solari in their temple."

Diana's eyes glimmered, and in less than a second, she was in front of Lux, her crescent sword pointed at her chest. "Do not talk to me about the Solari. I'm here to help you, and if I have to cut your tongue, I will!"

Lux's heart was beating so hard her whole body was shaking. Nothing could have satisfied her more than punch the Lunari in the face. Instead, she took a deep breath and moved Diana's blade away with her fingers. "Come on" she said with a hoarse voice.

The two women continued their journey, and their attitude towards each other was even worse than before. Lux spent her days trying to figure out how to kick the Lurani out. She was even mad at Soraka for asking Diana to watch over her. She could have asked anyone else. Despite Diana's constant presence, she felt lonelier than ever. The young woman isolated herself whenever they took a break from walking. She felt more in danger than protected when Diana was around. She could not erase the sight of the dead bodies floating in their own blood from her mind. Diana did not make any more effort to settle the storm, constantly ignoring or glaring at Lux. A whole week elapsed like this, and they were now walking trough a huge forest whose trees glimmered in a blue light at night, when the moonlight shone on their trunks. The place was enchanting, and Lux enjoyed the astonishing scenery when they got to a small lake whose waters reflected the moonlight like a mirror. She looked towards the cloudless sky and noticed that the moon was full. She glanced at Diana, and saw her hair and the mark on her forehead shine bright. The Lunari too was gazing at the moon, a look of sadness of her face. Lux thought she was dreaming for a second, but her eyes weren't mistaken. She could actually feel a deep sorrow exude from Diana. The latter noticed Lux's stare, and her face turned back its emotionless self.

Note: Thank you for reading this story so far. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Should you have any requests, questions or advice/review, do not hesitate.

See you later for the next chapter.