"So, where'd you come from, little guy?"
A man towered over a young Nero, who had been wandering Ionia's wilderness. The man slouched as he walked, a calm smile greeting the world with each step he took. Nero immediately felt drawn to the feeling the man gave off. What a wonder! A person so far out here. Elderly, but so welcoming.
"Um...Home. Though I know not where that is anymore." Nero looked back to the path he took, one that wound through the trees.
"Have you run so far you've forgotten your roots?" The man sat in front of him.
"I did something I regretted..."
"...What was the reason you came so far out here?"
"I wanted to learn more about myself."
Nero showed the man the pendant around his neck, still glowing ever so brightly. It looked brand new, as not a single scratch was on it. The man lifted it up with the side of his finger.
"You must be very loved," the man said, "I remember when I left my home..."
"Why did you leave?"
"I felt a greater calling out in Ionia. That I was needed. That I could be so much more."
"D-Don't you miss home...?"
"Don't you...?"
Nero looked down at the pendant. "...I do."
"Then why not go back? Do you not love your home?"
"...I..."
"...Come, walk with me."
The man showed Nero the true beauty that Ionia held, the breaths that every tree, blade of grass, and flower took. Oh how the world itself moved as the people that walked upon it and sung when life was brought into it. It seemed beautiful, endless. But the man's face fell flat when he saw Nero's saddened expression. Homesickness; Nero wished to be home again. The more he saw the nature around him, the sadder he seemed to become. The vibrant colors that painted the landscape reminded him of the walks he and his family used to take.
And that was when he remembered his father.
Nero woke up in a cold sweat, wrapping his arms around himself. It was still night, and nothing but the dust was awake to comfort him. It took a moment before a warmness flooded his face. He wiped his tears away, gritting his teeth. Why had he only thought of his family now? It barely crossed his mind before, but now it was all he could think of. A glowing blue shimmered from his chest, and he pushed aside his chin hair to see the pendant he hadn't minded for so long glowing brighter than ever before.
"Have I forgotten myself here?" Nero said, looking up at the night sky. "I don't want to leave, but...I have to admit that I do miss home."
And it was a wonder that he still never knew the secret the pendant held. He'd never guessed its purpose, never questioned how it shone. None of that really mattered to him. And it was only now, seeing it glowing as he cried for home, that he saw the purpose it held. It grounded him and held him in Ionia. With the gem around his neck safe and secure, he'd have home with him wherever he went. Never to be truly alone, never to be truly gone. He could be free as he felt. Never would the lively part of him decay and die away. The part that yearned for survival and freedom.
"...Did my mother expect my leave?"
The thought only saddened him more.
'She must be so alone at home. I wonder what she's doing...' he thought.
BOOM
It was faint, but it was there. An explosion from somewhere nearby. It grabbed Nero's attention, and he could've sworn he saw a flash of violet spring into the air and spread across the night sky. It sent a chill down his spine, but he felt drawn to it. It looked beautiful. Nero stood there in awe at the sight before him. What other beauty had he seen before besides those in Ionia. He'd forgotten the flourishing flowers, the calm meadows, and the strongly built mountains. All that had been lost before...and he'd seen something absolutely wondrous.
Dazed by the mere sight of the violet explosion, he started off towards it, breaking into a sprint. What had caused it was his next question. The moment he had gotten there, his amazement turned into horror at what he had seen: A rip in space, that served as a bridge to another world, had appeared. The edges faded out to blend with the world Nero stood in, threatening to spread further the more it sat and shimmered. The yordle took a few steps back, taking in the sight that he had come across.
"This...this shouldn't be here." He took out his shield. "...Something's approaching."
He nearly fell over as he saw a serpent-like beast with four wings fly from the bridge. It didn't seem to notice Nero, and several other beasts of a similar appearance, yet smaller, followed suit soon after. Deep in the distance, Nero could see the sun rising on the horizon. As the sun began to beam on the creatures' forms, they shrieked in pain, writhing in the air as if they had begun suffocating. Swarmed together in a blind rage, they snapped their jaws at nothing. One of them spotted the lone yordle, then another, and another. Yearning to escape the light of Runeterra, they sped towards what they saw as their only hope of survival.
Nero pulled up the shield he'd taken from one of the Noxian soldiers, sitting under it to repel the winged serpents. He only hoped the amount of sparring he did against Kled would have him perform decently. But all thought of success was out the window as the creatures moved aside the shield with ease and phased into Nero's form, causing him to gag and hunch over. Whispers, he heard. Angered shouts of injustice with each creature that he soaked up. It was as familiar as the ocean, yet somehow far more distant. He wondered why he understood their anger. Injustice, revenge, agony, pain- these thoughts filled him to where it was all he could hear. He struggled to stand, staggering forward and wanted to vomit.
"Q-Quiet! All of you!" He grasped his head to try and muffle the voices he heard whispering, growing into yelling.
All he could do was stand and let out a weak shout of pain. Nero felt numb in his hands and feet. All of it besides his chest, where his pendant lay, was completely numb. He began trudging back to the camp, glancing back once more to the gap that had opened from seemingly nothing. His feet froze and turned back towards it, and instead of a nightmarish and dark realm that he'd gazed upon once before, it looked like home.
"You can't fool me...I've long left Ionia."
He screamed as his muscles twitched and tightened up like strained cogs, causing him to collapse. He wouldn't move any further towards the rip in space, his heart told him to resist what he heard.
"I miss home, but...living in a fake world..." he spat, sneering, "...what life is that? Where's that going to get me!?"
Talking to himself made it easier to think for himself. He stood up once more, his legs still aching, and turned back towards the camp. It was a long and tiring journey...
Kled had been searching for him ever since the sun had risen, and seeing the familiar sight of faded blue fur on the horizon sent Kled scrambling for Nero. He grasped onto the yordle's shoulders.
"Where ya been!?" He looked Nero over. "And what happened to ya...?"
Kled watched as the blue fur became tinted violet. Nero was unable to answer, his eyes heavy- they were straining themselves to stay open.
"Look at me, EY! FOCUS!" Kled shook Nero to keep him awake. "Skaarl, get him back to camp."
He set Nero on Skaarl and got the drakalops moving.
"S-Something a few minutes from here...I..."
You can't leave...
Why do you run from home?
It's your life you're leaving behind.
We must go back home.
Finish what you've come here to do!
"What did I come here to do...?"
"Nero, what are ya sayin'...?"
To Kled, Nero was spouting random nonsense to himself. To Nero, he was speaking to the many, many souls that had found their ways within his thoughts. Feeling once alien, they were now a second family, and the yordle's weakened mind was unable to resist. Kled kept his eyes on Nero, and saw him sway and hit the ground after falling off Skaarl, heaving before going completely silent. Kled put a hand on the side of Nero's neck to check for a pulse. He nearly sighed in relief before seeing the yordle stand up and face him, his eyes blank, as if he was on another plane of existence.
Skaarl stood near Kled as her partner in crime gripped his axe tightly.
We can give you the strength you've missed.
Just let us inside...
They've wronged you.
REMIND THEM OF WHAT THEY DID TO YOUR KIND, NERO!
Nero staggered forward, water ripping itself up from the ground and swarming around him in a violent storm. His blank gaze hardened into a glare.
"You Noxians," he said shakily, before getting a stronger voice, "ARE ALL GOING TO PAY!"
"Skaarl..." Kled fixed his hat on himself. "...we're in it for the long run this time."
Skaarl chirped as Kled smirked at Nero. "Well, guess you've finally got yer courage! SHOW ME IT THEN!"