Nothing Like Paradise (Part 2)

"Hey... wake up!" a voice gently jostled a sleeping Irelia.

Irelia shifted slightly and grumbled unhappily as her nap was interrupted. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open... Only to slam shut once more as the sun scorched her eyes.

"Ugh... Five minutes..." Irelia mumbled and rolled onto her stomach, folding her arms to make a pillow for her head. Unfortunately, whoever it was that was disturbing her beach side nap was persistent.

"Oh c'mon honey, your nap can wait. My fun cannot!" the same voice spoke up. This time, Irelia recognized it.

"Uh... Sarah... what do you want..." Irelia groaned, still trying to grasp at the fleeing straws of sleep.

From her position standing above Irelia, a large grin spread across the pirate hunter's face. Idly, Sarah hummed mischievously to herself as she silently knelt down beside the half-asleep Ionian. Carefully and stealthily, Sarah gently brushed Irelia's hair aside, revealing the knot behind her back that held her swimsuit in place. Finally, her grin ever widening, Miss Fortune pinched one of the loose ends of the knot and began pulling ever so slowly. Unable to withhold her own mirth, Sarah begin giggling louder and louder as the knot became closer and closer to being undone until finally-

"SARAH!" Irelia shouted, jerking to her side and clapping a hand down protectively across the rear knot behind her neck.

"There she is!" Miss Fortune exclaimed triumphantly, though she was visibly disappointed that she was unable to undo the knot completely.

"Cheater..." Irelia said sulkily as she refastened the knot securely. "What do you want anyway..." Irelia asked, quite clearly unhappy that her rest was disturbed.

"Girl, it's game time; and YOU are OUR team captain!" Miss Fortune declared.

Irelia sat up and rubbed the last vestiges of sleep out of her eyes.

"Game? What game?" Irelia inquired, still getting her senses straight.

Miss Fortune frowned and put a hand on her hip. Leaning down, she reached out and pinched one of Irelia's cheeks, guiding the Ionian's gaze to meet her own eyes.

"Beach volleyball, silly, how can you go to the beach and NOT play beach volleyball?!" The pirate hunter asked in a huffed up voice that almost sounded as though she were offended by Irelia's sleepiness.

Fortunately enough, Miss Fortune's pinching quickly restored Irelia's alertness.

"Beach volleyball?" Irelia echoed, managing to sound skeptical through Miss Fortune's grasp on her face.

"Yeah, beach volleyball!" Sarah declared firmly.

Before the pirate hunter could say more though, Irelia deftly reached up and swatted the woman's hand from her face.

"Asking politely would have worked better." Irelia teased, pretending as though she was going to refuse to play.

"C'MON GIRL!" Miss Fortune yelled in a loud voice. Undeterred, Sarah reached down to one of Irelia's arms and practically yanked the Ionian to her feet.

"Everyone's already waiting for ya!" Sarah spoke again happily. Suddenly, she dropped her voice for a dramatic effect, "Even she is there." Miss Fortune added with a devious smile as she pulled Irelia towards the volleyball net.

Amidst the rough transit, Irelia managed to voice a question.

"And who is she?" the Ionian inquired curiously.

Sarah smiled and refused to answer directly.

"You'll find out soon enough, now stop resisting!" Miss Fortune replied, redoubling her efforts to pull Irelia towards the court.

Minutes later, Irelia found herself standing before a decently sized group of champions from mixed backgrounds. Sighing, she shook her head, wondering how she managed to allow herself to be pushed into such a position.

"C'mon girl, pick already!" Miss Fortune called from somewhere within the small group of champions. Irelia was unable to see her behind the mass of champions all milling about aimlessly, waiting for action.

"Alright... Sarah, get over here." Irelia muttered offhandedly, making it seem as though her pick was completely based on a whim even though it was most certainly not.

Seconds later, Miss Fortune stepped out and joined Irelia.

"Your turn Lee." Sarah called out as she reached Irelia's side.

Lee Sin nodded briefly in recognition before turning to the mass and raising a hand to his chin pensively.

"When did Lee get here, Sarah?" Irelia inquired as she watched the monk weigh his options.

Sarah laughed before speaking up, "He arrived earlier this morning along with some other people. Maybe if you were sleeping you would have seen them!"

Irelia rolled her eyes in answer.

"Your turn, will of the blades." Lee Sin's voice interrupted their conversation.

Irelia glanced over at Lee Sin to see Master Yi joining the monk's team.

"hmmm..." Irelia mused, unsure of who to pick next.

"You should totally pick her." Miss Fortune whispered in Irelia's ear.

"huh?" Irelia asked in reply, "Who?"

Miss Fortune smiled and pointed to a figure seated beneath the shade of a palm tree.

Irelia's jaw dropped in amazement, "No way..."

"I told you even SHE was here..." Sarah stated with a snicker. "She's a real sucker for games like volleyball or dodge ball."

Irelia answered with a hesitated silence.

"Oh c'mon girl, seize the moment!" Sarah whispered urgently. Before the Ionian could offer resistance, Sarah spoke up in a loud, strong voice.

"WE PICK SYNDRA!" Sarah yelled.

Instantly, all side conversations stopped and everyone turned their eyes to stare in shock at Irelia and Miss Fortune before hesitantly turning their eyes to gaze at the mage seated beneath the palm tree.

Needless to say, Syndra was just as surprised if not more so. Upon hearing her name called, Syndra's ear twitched as she lifted her head to glance at the speaker. Sarah met her gaze with a winning smile and a beckoning gesture. A mixed flash of emotions crossed Syndra's face as her displeasure with being forced to team up with an Ionian clashed with her desire to participate in one of the few sports she actually enjoyed. At long last, Syndra rose to her feet and shuffled mutely over to the two women awaiting her. She offered no words to them as she reached them and joined their ranks.

Unwilling to allow the sullied atmosphere to spoil the high spirits of the game, Lee Sin wasted no time hesitating over which champion to pick next.

"Fizz!" The monk said firmly with a smile.

"Whaho!" Fizz piped up and eagerly bounced forward to join Lee Sin's team. After high-fiving the trickster, Lee Sin glanced at Irelia, wordlessly encouraging her to follow his example.

"Uhm..." Irelia paused and gazed over the group. Briefly, her eyes settled on Karma and she almost spoke, "Ka- uhm..." She broke off mid-speech, realizing that selecting Karma as a teammate would further anger Syndra. Fortunately, Syndra was gazing off blankly at the ocean and apparently didn't notice.

"Nami." Irelia finally decided, giving the mermaid a kind smile. Nami floundered over to their all girl team and tried to catch all three of her teammates in a hug, but she only managed to catch Irelia and Miss Fortune. Syndra, on the other hand, backed away, disgusted with the notion of even touching the girly mermaid.

The rest of team selection was fairly uneventful. At the end, the two teams ended up being an unintentional men versus women match. Irelia's team consisted of Nami, Syndra, Sarah, Soraka, Irelia herself, and Ahri who had tagged along with Lee Sin in travelling to the resort. Lee Sin's team, on the other hand, consisted of Master Yi, Varus, Wukong, Fizz, and Gangplank.

Barely after the two teams had taken their respective sides with the net in between them, Miss Fortune snatched up the game ball and served the ball, sending it flying towards Lee Sin.

"LADIES FIRST!" Sarah yelled midway through her action, barely giving the opposing team enough time to react. Unfortunately, a deceptively alert Fizz instantly dived and launched the ball back up into the air before Miss Fortune's rather underhanded tactic scored her the first point. Scrambling to assemble themselves, the rest of Lee Sin's team dashed into position before Master Yi sent the volleyball back over the net with a powerful spike. Irelia barely had enough time to dive to the ground herself and dig the ball back up, sending the ball safely back into the air. Taking advantage of the air-time, Nami floundered into position before gently pushing the ball in the air, readying it for a perfect attack. Soraka took the opening and sent the ball flying towards Varus. Unfortunately, the archer was rather distracted. Amidst her team's possession, Miss Fortune caught Varus's eye and tantalizingly brought a finger down to the neck of her swimsuit, giving it a seductive tug. Varus unintentionally stared and was momentarily distracted. By the time he recovered, it was too late. Just as he snapped out of his trance, the ball bounced off of Varus's leg and touched the ground.

"NO!" Varus howled before glaring at Miss Fortune. "You cheater!" he accused, his face flushed with embarrassment. Miss Fortune giggled before high-fiving her team in celebration.

After their brief celebration ended, Lee Sin passed the ball back to Miss Fortune.

"HAH!" Sarah shouted, serving the ball again and resuming the game. This time, Varus was ready, catching the ball with a well placed strike that sent it upwards directly towards Lee Sin. Although Lee Sin was blind, he had long since surpassed the impairment. Tilting his ear slightly, the monk leapt into the air and placed a perfect strike straight in the center of the ball, sending it with blinding speed across the net.

"That's yours!" Irelia called out to Syndra. The mage grinned widely with anticipation as the ball travelled towards her. Temporarily forgetting about her condition, Syndra reached out towards the incoming ball and clawed her hand, willing her powers to collect. Midway through however, she was cruelly reminded that her powers had been stripped from her. Detecting the increase in magic collecting in the mage's body, the rune in her back activated, instantly sapping her power and releasing an electrical charge out of its surface.

"AH!" Syndra grunted in pain as her powers instantly dissipated and she dropped to a knee in shock. Glancing up, Syndra barely saw the volleyball before it smashed into her face, knocking her to the floor. Instantly, Irelia rushed to the mage's side.

"You okay?" the warrior asked, worried that the mage had been injured. She leaned over, offering a hand to help the mage to her feet.

Blinking away her surprise, Syndra's face twisted into a furious scowl. Without answering Irelia, the sovereign knocked away Irelia's hand and pushed herself to her feet, angrily brushing off the sand which stuck to her body.

"AH HARHARHAR!" Gangplank suddenly sounded, unable to withhold his mirth. Immediately, every set of eyes in the vicinity turned to the pirate, almost cringing as they knew something was definitely going to happen to him. Syndra glared at the pirate before realizing that several of the other champions around her were too withholding their own laughter. Humiliated, Syndra's face flushed crimson before she furiously snatched up the volleyball and drop-kicked the ball with all her might. The ball went flying with blurring speed straight into Gangplank's groin, instantly silencing him.

"UMPH!" the pirate wheezed as he grabbed his crotch and crumpled to the floor, huddling into a ball.

Before she had even seen the results of her actions, Syndra turned and stormed away, leaving the court without a backwards glance. Her face burned with the flames of humiliation, dulling every one of her emotions other than anger. So great was he anger that she didn't even notice the blood leaking out of her back where the rune had drained her.

One Hour Later...

Irelia's mind was a mess. Even though her team won the volleyball match, Irelia couldn't help but feel that a part of her had failed. Failed at trying to return any inkling of happiness to the sovereign. In fact, she had done the exact opposite; she had unintentionally humiliated her. As Irelia ascended the steps to Syndra's usual seat atop the cliffs, Irelia racked her brain for some way to start a conversation with the mage. Unfortunately, by the time Irelia had reached the top of the steps, no ideas had managed to surface in her mind. Now standing behind Syndra, Irelia allowed her wandering gaze to settle on the mage. Syndra was sitting with her legs hugged to her chest; her chin resting on her knees as she stared out at the ocean. Irelia swallowed her hesitation and pushed herself forward, finally mustering the will to speak.

"Hey..." Irelia called out. Inwardly, the Ionian wanted to smash herself over the head. Hey? That's the best you could do? LAME! Irelia's conscience chided her.

Syndra ignored her and hugged her legs closer to her body.

It was then that Irelia noticed several purple streaks running down Syndra's back, originating from the rune in her back. They were definitely not there before.

"Hey." Irelia called out again, this time slightly louder. "You're bleeding..." Irelia spoke up, sounding mildly concerned.

Again, Syndra ignored the Ionian, but she did take a hand and run it over her back. The action caused the blood to smear across her back in an extremely messy manner. Finally, Syndra glanced briefly at the large amount of blood now on her hand before returning to her former position, acting as though nothing had happened.

From her position behind the sovereign, Irelia shifted awkwardly; her efforts to engage the mage in conversation failed miserably.

"Uhm... Well we won the match..." Irelia started, glancing at Syndra for some hint of recognition.

None was offered.

Finally, Irelia moved resolutely forward. Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, Irelia knelt down behind the mage, intending to clean up the wound on her back. The moment she reached out, however, Syndra abruptly turned and slapped away her hand.

"Get. Away. From. Me." Syndra snarled in a low voice, punctuating each word for effect as she glared daggers at Irelia. Irelia swallowed hard before backing away slightly.

"I'm just trying to help out a little..." she said as she rose to her feet.

"I don't need your help! I am strong... I am powerful... Unlike you people who are weak and cling to each other for protection." Syndra spat viciously.

"But you're injur-"

"I DON'T NEED HELP." Syndra interrupted adamantly. "How long will you do this to me? Is my pain enjoyable to you? Do you relish in your plan's success to rob me of what is mine?! ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN BECAUSE I WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH." Syndra finished angrily.

"But-"

"I KNOW you picked me for that match to turn me into a laughable object for your 'friends'. Perhaps you will enjoy watching them DIE." Syndra again interrupted. It was clear that Syndra had no intentions of listening to Irelia's defense or reasoning. Before Irelia could even open her mouth to refute Syndra's accusations, the mage spoke again.

"You. Know. Nothing." Syndra spat, "Nothing about the burdens I bear. Nothing about the very lies you have convinced yourself to be true. Nothing about the hypocrisy of your very existence!"

With that, Syndra shot to her feet, whirled about her heel, and stormed down the steps to the beach.

Helpless, Irelia could only watch in defeat as Syndra stranded her yet again.

After several minutes had passed, Irelia finally sighed and shook her head before taking the same steps down from the cliffs.

"I know nothing...?" Irelia thought to herself. She frowned. It only took her a few moments to realize that the statement was indeed correct. She knew nothing about Syndra other than that Syndra was supposedly an enemy of Ionia. Nearing the bottom of the steps, Irelia glanced about, searching for the solution to her problem. Finally, she found it. Meditating underneath a palm tree sat Karma, deep in concentration.

"Let's get to the bottom of this..." Irelia muttered with short breath before swiftly making her way to the enlightened woman.

Irelia took a seat on the sand, across from Karma. As the enlightened one was still deep in meditation, Irelia folded her legs and closed her eyes, waiting patiently for Karma to address her. After a few minutes of silence, Karma finally spoke up.

"Irelia." Karma spoke up, nodding kindly at Irelia. "I sense... you have a great deal of questions."

Irelia smiled sheepishly, somewhat surprised that Karma was always able to predict what it was she wanted.

"Please, Irelia, it isn't hard to see your questions when your brow is so furrowed with thought..." Karma answered in response to Irelia's half-hearted amazement.

Again, Irelia chuckled and smiled at the floor before finally turning her gaze back to Karma.

"I don't know where to start." Irelia stated hesitantly.

"I do have time." Karma answered encouragingly.

Irelia took a deep, calming breath before finally speaking up.

"What is Ionia?" She asked vaguely. The question immediately drew a smile from Karma.

"A complicated question." Karma stated and took a deep breath. "By a standard definition, Ionia is our home. A land in which we all foster growth under the quest for eternal balance."

Karma paused briefly to glance at Irelia, checking to see if that was the answer that Irelia wanted. As expected, it was not.

"On a deeper level, however, Ionia is not just a country. Ionia is... an ideal."

Karma paused again and glanced at Irelia. The warrior was gazing straight back at her, rapt with full attention.

"The ideal we represent is that people can coexist. No matter how different we are, we can all stand under one goal and strive to reach that goal."

Karma knew what Irelia's next question would be even without Irelia asking it. None the less, the enlightened one allowed Irelia to ask it.

"What about the ones that do not adhere to our ideals?" Irelia inquired in a quiet tone. Karma took a moment to compose her answer before speaking.

"That is the beauty of our ideal. We do not force our ideals on others. We encourage them to find their own answer." Karma replied. Again, she knew where Irelia was going to go next, but she waited for the warrior to lead her there.

"Syndra." Irelia stated as a single word, not bothering to make it sound like a question, but rather using it to serve as a counterpoint to everything Karma had just told her. Although Karma knew that was where Irelia was going to go, she sighed in resignation none the less.

"Syndra..." Karma echoed quietly. Irelia thought she saw a pained look flash across the enlightened one's face, but she blinked and the look was gone.

It was now Karma's turn to ask Irelia a question. Turning her gaze to pierce Irelia's eyes, Karma stared into the depths of Irelia's eyes and spoke.

"What do you know of her?" The enlightened one inquired.

"She destroyed her village and killed our people. She even destroyed our land and seized it as her own." Irelia answered readily.

Karma sighed in response to her answer. Irelia noticed that Karma seemed unusually uncomfortable; a stark contrast to the usual serene aura that typically emanated from the woman.

"Irelia..." Karma started before hesitating slightly. "It is rare that I say this, but some things are best left untouched. The sovereign's history is one mired with the darkest secrets of our country. It is dangerous to speak of them."

Irelia was taken aback by that. Rarely did Karma ever refuse to answer a question as she was doing now. None the less, Irelia was not one to give up so easily. Without speaking a word, Irelia turned her gaze to her right, her eyes settling on Syndra who had seated herself atop the cliffs once more.

Karma immediately recognized the look. After seeing it several times, she knew full well that Irelia had already developed a mixture of guilt and pity for the mage.

"It isn't your fault, Irelia..." Karma started, trying to free Irelia of her remorse. "But at the same time, things are better this way... She is unstable, at least like this, we know she cannot harm someone by sheer whim."

Irelia's lips pursed into a thin line at that.

"And that is considered fair?" Irelia stated almost cruelly.

Karma stiffened at that, caught off guard by Irelia's abrupt change in attitude. Finally she sighed and answered simply.

"No..."

"Are we not being hypocritical then?" Irelia inquired firmly, sounding more as though she were stating a fact as opposed to a question.

Karma didn't answer until a minute had passed in silence.

"Irelia..."

"Yes?"

...

...

...

Finally, Irelia turned to head back to Karma. The enlightened one was gazing straight back at her with a very serious look in her eyes. It was clear that Karma was subtly conveying the severity of what she was about to say. After making eye contact, Karma didn't break their locked gazes as she spoke.

"Would you believe me if I told you what you know of Syndra's past is incorrect?" Karma inquired in a hushed tone.

Irelia was expecting that was the case, but she was slightly surprised regardless. Finally, she nodded.

Swallowing hard, Karma took a deep breath and spoke.

"Syndra... is among Ionia's darkest secrets. She is a stain that taints our country's history." Karma paused before continuing. "But it is not her who stained it."

Karma nodded her head slightly at Irelia for emphasis. Irelia didn't break her gaze.

"We were the ones that stained it." Karma finished decisively. Before Irelia could inquire further, Karma continued her explanation.

"The day Syndra became the being we know as the Dark Sovereign was the day we tried to take her powers from her." Karma stated flatly. Irelia raised her head in surprise.

"Our elders will tell you differently, but what they cannot deny is that WE struck first." Karma continued relentlessly. "WE never accepted her. WE never tried to teach her our values. WE tried to take away everything she had even before she had done anything to show that she deserved such treatment..."

A tense silence enveloped the two Ionians after that, neither one feeling comfortable with the knowledge that was just shared.

Finally, Irelia spoke.

"But if we know what truly happened, can we not make amends?" Irelia inquired hesitantly.

Karma didn't answer for a few moments.

"No..." Karma finally replied with a sigh. "She was young when we did this to her. The memories... the horrors... the betrayal that she went through is burned deep within her mind. If she were still a child, we could have attempted to overwrite those scars... heal the wounds in her soul. But a child she is no longer. She is a woman now, willful and set in her beliefs. Nothing we do can change her now."

With that, Irelia rose to her feet, bowing slightly to Karma in acknowledgement for her audience. Briefly, the Ionian warrior glanced at Syndra before turning and taking a step towards the cliffs. She was stopped only when Karma called out to her.

"Irelia..." Karma spoke, sounding worried. "Be careful..."

Irelia nodded in response, but her mind was already set.

If Ionia was unwilling to try to fix a problem, then she would be the one to fix it.

Irelia took her time ascending the steps to the cliffs. She was in no hurry to rush another confrontation with Syndra, and she needed time to sort out all the information Karma had given her. None the less, by the time Irelia reached the top of the steps, she still had much to consider. Brushing the mess of information in her head aside, Irelia focused on the mage in front of her. Syndra was not sitting at her usual spot. Instead, she had gone beyond the protective railing and was sitting dangerously on the very edge of the cliffs; her legs dangling off in thin air. Unwilling to go beyond the protection of the railing, Irelia called out to the mage.

"You really do like high places..." Irelia stated, doing her best to sound cordial and friendly. Irelia noted that the sovereign had done a rough, but suitable job of treating her injury.

Syndra visibly twitched at the sound of Irelia's voice, but chose not to entertain the warrior's statement and instead answered with her usual silence.

"Why do you like it up here so much anyways? You spend all your time here staring out at nothing..." Irelia asked, undeterred by Syndra's refusal to answer.

"Of course you see nothing." Syndra stated flatly, not bothering to turn her head in order to address Irelia.

Irelia frowned slightly at the statement, but quickly covered it with a cough.

"Then what do you see?" she inquired, trying her best to encourage Syndra to continue their conversation.

Syndra, however, only grew annoyed with her question.

"Look for yourself." Syndra stated in the same flat fashion. The mage swung her legs back up onto the cliff top and walked back towards the railing, subtly offering Irelia her position on the cliffs.

Subconsciously, Irelia attempted to swallow her fear. She was never a fan of heights, but this was a rare opportunity. Never before had Syndra offered Irelia anything, and even if this was an unintended offering, Irelia had little intentions of denying such an opportunity. Steeling herself, Irelia vaulted the railing and shuffled forwards, hesitantly. Finally, she reached the very edge of the cliff. Everything hit the warrior at once. The ocean breeze, the smell of the salty air, the bright glittering reflection of the sun glistening off of the churning waves. The beauty of the scenery could not be overstated. Irelia could see far out into the distance, all the way to the very distances where the sky and clouds seemed to fuse with the ocean. Subconsciously, Irelia took a deep breath, completely overwhelmed by the serenity of the landscape.

"Wow..." Irelia whispered, breathlessly. Behind her, Syndra smirked as she had subtly defeated the warrior's expectations.

...

...

Then Irelia made the mistake of looking down.

Instantly, the fear surged back into Irelia's mind. Standing at a dizzying height of easily a hundred feet above the ocean below, Irelia found herself momentarily stunned by the realization of the danger she had put herself in. Abruptly, blood rushed to her brain, temporarily blurring her vision as panic set in.

Syndra noticed the change and called out in an annoyed voice.

"Hey, idiot... get a grip..." Syndra chided offhandedly.

Irelia didn't notice. Teetering dangerously, the warrior found herself unable to break her stare at the frothing ocean below.

God it is high up here... Irelia thought. With the fear and panic increasing in her mind, Irelia found herself uncharacteristically unable to move or act in any manner.

Finally, the last strands of control snapped in Irelia's mind. Caught completely stunned by the height she was standing at, a sudden gust of wind completely destroyed the last vestiges of balance Irelia had on her teetering perch atop of edge of the cliff.

Irelia slipped.

Before she even knew what was happening, the sharp rocks beneath the cliffs were approaching her at an alarming speed. Finally, Irelia snapped back to her senses. She was falling. Within a split second, Irelia calculated all possible methods of escaping her plight. Subconsciously, Irelia called out to her blade, intending to use it as a platform to catch herself. From the corner of her eye, Irelia saw the blade flash from its position on the beach, flying with blinding speed towards her.

But it wasn't coming fast enough. Irelia's eyes dilated in panic as she realized her only hope of rescue was doomed to fail. This is how it ends? Irelia asked herself, horrified to face the fact that her life was about to end in such a crude manner. NO! Irelia screamed in her mind, NO NOT LIKE THIS!

As all hope seemed lost, Irelia closed her eyes in preparation for the inevitable.

Only it never came.

Instead of smashing into the sharp rocks below, Irelia instead felt a different sensation. Just as she had closed her eyes, an invisible hand smashed roughly into Irelia's side, sending her sprawling sideways in an inglorious manner. The push was just enough to propel Irelia off to the side and safely into the open ocean.

-SPLASH!-

Irelia smacked into the ocean with an unpleasant sounding clap. Instantly, Irelia felt the right side of her body surge with pain as she ungraciously broke the water's surface. Seconds later, she surfaced, coughing and spitting out water as she did her best to shake off the sense of terror that still lingered in her mind. Unable to even think straight, Irelia instinctively swam back to shore. When she finally reached the sandy beach, the warrior dragged herself onto the safety of land where she collapsed, gasping for air.

A few meters away from her, several of the champions were all murmuring in indiscriminate conversations that Irelia couldn't make out. Catching her breath, the Ionian warrior finally mustered enough strength to glance up at the various champions. They were all pointing and looking at the direction of the cliff top. Weakly, Irelia followed their gaze to the cliffs where her eyes fixated on a crater in the cliffs that was definitely not there a few minutes before. Only seconds after she had focused her eyes on the crater, six beams of light shot down from the sky; an indication of an incoming teleportation. Another few seconds later, six robed summoners emerged from the beams of light, encircling the crater.

Finally, Irelia realized what had happened. Scrambling to her feet, Irelia sprinted back up to the cliffs, leaping up the steps several steps at a time. Pushing her way into the circle of summoners, Irelia fixed her eyes on the one figure laying at the center of the crater. In a pool of purple liquid lay an unconscious Syndra. Beside her, a single rune lay on the side of the crater, cracked in half and chipped in several places. Abruptly, one of the master summoners spoke up.

"I knew we couldn't trust her. We should have expected this to happen." He said coldly. The other summoners nodded mutely in agreement.

"No" Irelia spoke up suddenly.

All of the summoners turned to he. They seemed both shocked to find her there and surprised with her disheveled appearance.

"Uhm... pardon?" The head summoner asked, eyeing Irelia quizzically.

"No..." Irelia repeated.

"She just saved me."

Author's Notes:

Whew... five thousand word chapter... longest one to date. Hopefully this isn't too long or boring of a chapter, but I wanted to get done with this "paradise" section of the story. Back to the Institute for the next couple chapters where we will finally see the relationship between Irelia and Syndra grow.

As always, thank you all for reading and I hope to see you in the chapters to come!