Hey everyone. This is a bit of a different chapter, as it hints towards something else that I might include later on in the story, but I'm still debating it.
Also, I might slow down on the production of these chapters as my finals are coming up very shortly. Other than that, not too many large announcements to be made
The duo approached the magnificently decorated lobby with ease. The entire trip down the enormous hallways took them less than two minutes. Once they arrived at the lobby, they approached the young female receptionist who greeted them with a smile.
"Hello ladies, how may I help you today?"
"We would like information regarding the tournaments that we have been told will be occurring later on this month. Do you think you can help us out with it?" Asked Lux.
"Well of course I can. Is there anything in particular that you girls are looking for, or do you just want an overview of what is going on?" She replied with the happy voice that she was being paid to use.
"Well, we're mostly looking for information about the champions tournament."
"Oh. Of course you are. What is it that you guys would like to know about it?"
"Is there a way to take yourself out of it? Can you remove yourself from the list of contenders?"
"Sadly, that is not something that you can do. You are being forced to attend this tournament. I don't make the rules, Lux. I simply follow them. If there were a way to take you guys out of this, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But the head summoners are determined that this event is going to occur, come hell or high waters, and they will not accept anything else."
"Is this the decision of solely the head summoners, or are there some other pieces that are being played in this? Have any champions been a part of this decision?" Asked Irelia, hoping to find someone to ask what they were thinking when they decided that making this tournament was a smart idea.
"No. They just said that they were going to use it one day, and then that was the decision that they stuck with. No amount of coaxing will get them out of it. We're going to have to play it out and see how it works out."
"Well, can you at least tell us the day that this is tournament begins on? Maybe we can get a head start on the other champions and know in advance seeing as the date itself hasn't been publicly announced."
"Yes, that I can do. Let me see here." The receptionist looked around in the papers on her desk. "It is going to occur three days from now at 1PM."
"Thank you." Irelia said with a forced smile.
"I hope you guys do well. I'll be rooting for you when you're out there."
"Don't be. I know that I won't be." Irelia said as she turned her back and walked back towards the staircases that led away from the reception area, leaving Lux behind. She quickly realized that her friend was walking away and quickly caught up, walking beside her.
"Irelia, you aren't really going to go along with this are you? You're not just going to force yourself into doing this?"
"Lux, there are some points in your life when you must give up. You're not a child, you understand this already. And while I do respect your ability to look up in every situation, you have to learn when you stray away and when you have to walk in line. Some times, stepping too far away from that line will do nothing more than getting you in trouble. It's something that we all learn. And this is one of those times. We have to try our hardest, and hope that we can get eliminated from this as fast as we can."
"Why do you want to get eliminated from this? Don't you want to win?"
Irelia looked to her side, and then looked down the railings to the training areas beneath them. Champions were practicing their techniques with intensity. Some were practising in hand to hand combat, some were training with their weapons. But they were not talking. They all had determination. They wanted to win.
"Lux, have you ever been forced to take a life?" She asked suddenly.
"Well, no, I guess I haven't."
"Then I can't expect you to understand the feeling you get when you take someone else's life. It's not a feeling that I enjoyed years ago, and it is not one that I will take now. And all though we do it all the time on the fields of justice, it doesn't even compare to what it really feels like. It's not a kind of feeling that you can simply forget about over one night, one week, one day, one month, one year, one lifetime. They're not doing this for a test. That would be accomplishing nothing. This is trying to see if we're all still warriors."
"What do you mean? We're all still warriors. Most of us were never warriors before we joined the league. I haven't even injured someone before in my life. How would I be a warrior?"
"Lux, do you really think that they chose you to be a champion for the league of legends by putting your name in a bowl and you got randomly selected? That's not how this whole thing works. You were chosen to be a champion for the league of legends because you were a warrior. Something inside you was a warrior. That's why they made the league of legends. So that that part of you became apparent. And now you were a strange pick up. You're the kind of person who wouldn't dare hurt a fly. But others like myself are much more apparent. We have been warriors from the day that our lungs were taking in air and our heart was beating. But the point of the league of legends remains the same. They want you to become a warrior. They want you to fight in the league of legends, not as a diplomat, or a chef, or a pirate. They want you to fight as a warrior. That is what the point of all of this is. Those sick people."
The light in Lux's eyes dimmed "Irelia, what do you mean? You're making no sense."
"Some times, Lux, life just really doesn't make sense. My apologies if you don't get what I just said. I don't even think I know what I just said. Anyway, we are allowed to leave the premise right?"
"Well, yeah of course we are. We aren't going to be summoned for the next three days, so whatever we do is up to us."
"Let's go get something to eat in town. I'll pay for it. Consider it my gift to you."
"Yeah, let's do that. It sounds like a great idea."
The trip to the town was more calming than she had first presumed. The autumn had changed the shades of the trees to many different shades of green, orange, red and yellow. Fallen leaves littered the sides of the roads, along with the side walk. They walked side by side, the orange glow of the sun setting and reflecting off the hills filling everything with an orange tint. They arrived in town and walked around, looking for somewhere to get something to eat. The people who lived here looked at them and greeted them politely, and one even asked for an autograph, which they calmly accepted. Champions and summoners were the only ones who were allowed down the road that connected the two locations, and those who were caught were punished. It could range anywhere from being sent back to town, to extreme cases where the punishment was lethal. The guards who monitored the institute of war were ruthless and cold, and would do whatever means they deemed necessary to keep it safe. They looked around for a while before stopping by a small ice cream stand and quickly ordering. They thanked the employee and left a generous tip before returning back to the institute. This time, instead of returning back to the institute by the side walk, they walked down by the river, which was a light, calming shade of blue. She ripples in the water and the calming noises of water clashing with the walls of the riverbank calmed Irelia and she almost forgot about the upcoming tournament.
"Hey Irelia, I have a question if you don't mind me asking."
She finished a bit of her ice cream before she responded. "You're free to ask Lux, I don't mind."
"What is the whole relationship between you and Riven? I mean, you guys seem like friends on the outside, but there's something more between you."
"What do you mean Lux? There's nothing else between us." She replied, lying straight through her teeth. "Who told you that?"
"Oh, word travels quickly. You guys just seem like more than friends. I don't know why."
"Well, even if we were, would it damage whatever relationship that we have. I mean, even if there was something between us, it wouldn't matter would it."
"No, why would it? It's just that well, I'm curious by nature, and I just wanted to know."
Irelia looked over to see the mage playing with her hair. "So anyway, let's change the subject. Who do you have your eyes set on?"
"I don't really look at that many people. I quite enjoy being alone most of the time, despite my social position back in demacia. I only really hang around with a small amount of people."
"Are you trying to beat around the question Lux?" Irelia pressured, revealing her playful side. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I'm telling you everything. You don't believe me?"
"Oh, I believe that you're telling the truth. You're just not telling the whole truth."
A quick moment of silence appeared between the two.
"Hey Irelia, were you being serious when you said that there was nothing going on between you guys?"
"Yes, I am Lux. Why do you keep asking?"
"I overheard one of yours and Rivens conversations."
Irelia's heart nearly made an audible thud.
"Oh you did? What did you hear?"
"It was mostly just Riven talking. Something about love and you in the same sentence, but after that I didn't hear much. I was in a hurry to get back to my room and I heard you guys talking."
Lux was the one who had planted the bugs in her room. She could say that with one hundred and ten percent certainty. She was almost sure it was Lux earlier, but if she had assumed that and she had been wrong, then she would look like a terrible person, and that might've ruined their friendship right then and there. But not it was certain.
"Hey Lux, I want to know why you placed those bugs in my room the other day before we keep this conversation going."
"I overheard you and Riven talking, and I wanted to find out exactly what was going on between you two. Please don't get mad at me. I just wanted to make sure that you guys were all right. That you were all right." Her voice sounded scared.
"So you decided that you were going to bug my room instead of asking me? That sounds so unlike you."
"I'm so sorry Irey. I didn't think before I did it. I just wanted to make sure that you were all right. I wasn't certain that Riven was innocent, and I thought she might've wanted to hurt you. I was afraid for your safety. But then I heard your guy's conversation."
"So what is the big deal about it? We might be a little bit more than friends? How does it concern you? What I do behind closed doors is my own business and mine alone. So what if I don't quite follow the straight and narrow. I feel something for Riven, and it's something nice. I hope you can understand where I am coming from."
The light mage shot her a look. "You're right Irey, what you do behind closed doors is your own business. I shouldn't be intruding on it. I think that you and Riven would make quite a nice couple actually." Her voice returning back to its normal, comforting tone, before she muttered something incomprehensible under her breath.
"What was that Lux? I didn't quite understand you."
"Oh, I just stubbed my toe against a rock. It's no big deal."
"Oh, are you ok? Is it something that you might want to get checked out?"
"No, I'll be fine. If it gets worse, I will go get it checked out. I promise."
"I can carry you back if it hurts too much for you to walk on it."
"I'm not as weak and delicate as you think I am, Irey. I can walk on my own for right now. You don't have to carry me. You have enough on your shoulders anyway right now huh?" She said with a wink.
"You're not going to tell anyone about that are you Lux? I trust you not to tell anyone. It hurts me enough to know that you spied on me, I don't want everyone in the league to know."
"It's ok Irey. I'm not going to tell anyone else. I don't want to have any other reason for you to be mad at me. And I'm really sorry for implanting those bugs in your room. I brought you food to show it was out of kindness, and that I was just watching out for you. I didn't mean it to invade on your privacy."
"Thank you Lux. It's nice to have someone like you as a friend. I appreciate that you're looking out for me, but next time, just ask. I'll tell you anything you need to know."
"Thanks Irey. I appreciate it." She said with another barrage of muttering.
"Are you feeling all right Lux? Is your foot really hurting that much?"
The mage looked up with pink in her cheeks. "No, I'm actually quite fine. Can I use your arm to balance myself though? It's kind of painful."
She looked over with a strange look on her face, but extended her arm, which the delicate girl grabbed on to. She supported herself using her friends arm and they walked back to the institute, leaving behind them nothing but the wind and the trees.
Also, I'm just curious. Which one do you guys like more? Riven X Irelia or Lux X Irelia? I'm kinda torn between the two after writing this chapter. What do you guys think about it? Leave it in a review if you feel like it. I want to know what you guys think about it