Chapter Two

Sunlight glares into my eyes, forcing me to squint from where I stand. The sun sits in its usual afternoon position, marking the end of yet another school day. Summer has arrived, and today had been blazing hot, with a consistent breeze to stop the heat from being unbearable. Well, that would have been the case, if it weren't for the sunlight glaring through the window right where I sat all day.

I sigh. If I just arrive at school a little earlier, I probably could get a seat in a nicely shaded part of the room. The fact that I'm almost late to school every day probably doesn't help, though. I can't help it, I mean, it isn't my fault we leave so late… usually. I lean myself on the old wooden railing, making it shift slightly underneath me, and look out onto the courtyard.

I stand at the corner of the old wooden catwalk that surrounds the second floor of the school building. The school itself is simple enough, two stories of grey brick and a slanted roof. Its shape is similar to a 'U', except blocky, almost like three separate rectangles were shoved together in a rough imitation. The only outstanding part is the courtyard garden area inside of the 'U', filled with cherry trees, smooth stones, and a few small little ponds. Rocks outline the perimeter of the entire courtyard except for a lone pathway that cuts through the middle, leading from the school entrance at the bottom of the 'U', to the exit at the top.

The courtyard is usually where most students gather to hang out due to its natural shade and beautiful scenery, but only a few people are left this long after school. It's easy to see them all from how high up the catwalk is. Two girls a year under me chat as they head along the path to the outside streets, a classmate of mine meditates by a pond far across from me, and just to my left an unfamiliar boy lays against a tree in a small clearing, facing the rocks underneath me.

The boy near me chose a good spot, right in the corner of the courtyard. I call it the rock garden, due to all the different stones surrounding an ancient cherry tree in the center of the clearing. The clearing has just enough space for four or five people to sit down in the shade provided by the old tree. Usually it's pretty secluded, mostly due to the difficulty in finding the makeshift path to it.

I had found it accidentally when I was leaning against the catwalk barrier like I'm doing now. It took a few more days of searching to find a good path there though, even with a bird's eye view. It's a great spot, but it looks like I'll have to find a new one now, or I'll run the risk of having to share it with him. It isn't that big of a deal, and some things just aren't worth fighting for. I let out another tired sigh. It was just going to be one of those days, I guess. Especially with what was coming next.

I feel a soft tap on my left shoulder, and I know it's time. I turn, already imagining what I will see. The same old shadowy corner, with the same old people preparing to fight over some trivial matter. All of it feels oddly nostalgic, though, right down to the uneasiness in my stomach and the worry etched in my bones. I should be used to this by now, but I'm not. Not yet, anyway.

I look into the shadowy alcove, ignoring the person who tapped me on the shoulder for now, and wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. The three rectangles of the school buildings don't actually touch, which leaves a small space in what would be the corners of the 'U'. The second floors of the building are still connected by stone, but to help segregate the segments, no walls to connect the buildings were built, leaving a small alcove with a stone floor, covered by the roof. This is where most of the fights took place, just like the one that was about to happen.

Standing in the alcove are five other students. Three are near one wall to my left, standing with casual arrogance and contempt usual to the Noxian students. They do their best to look bored as they chat amongst themselves, showing no signs of anxiety about the fight coming up. The shadows cover their features, making them appear similar except for their hair and height. One has spiked blond hair and is of average height while the other two are slightly taller, both with black hair. One wears it in a short, military style, while the other's is medium length and shaggy. All three of them wear the same black and red uniform I do except with long black pants.

They go to the same school as me, which is how this problem started in the first place. With the provinces falling under possession of Noxus at the war's end, many Noxians rushed to get their hands on all the new positions of power that opened up. They took any important job they could find, from guards to governors, and they didn't stop there. They brought their families with them too, including their children.

Our school was actually built to accommodate this fact, hence the three separate buildings making up the school. The rectangular wing on the right side was made for Noxian classrooms, the left one for Ionian, and the connecting center building for administrative offices and other necessary rooms. Even with the purpose of segregating the students, it was pretty much inevitable that fights would break out. Conflict was the foundation of Noxian culture. If you had a problem that needed to be settled in Noxus, you're expected to just challenge someone to a duel. The winner of the duel also won the argument and any other wagers riding on the duel.

That tradition didn't die out in Ionia. In fact, it became even more brutal. At first, the Noxian students walked all over us, challenging us to duels at the slightest provocation. Accepting the duel guaranteed a beatdown, but refusing was still worse. Refusing was deemed cowardly, and you lost any right to a fair fight. Anyone could beat a coward up whenever they wanted, according to their sadistic rules. That was how it worked though, and they didn't care if we knew the rules or not. It wasn't uncommon for six or seven Ionians to be beat up in a single day. It took awhile before we learned the rules to this sick new game. But soon after, we got lucky and figured it out. A loophole. The only loophole.

With my eyes finally adjusted to the shadows, I look to the person who tapped me on the shoulder. He stands at the edge of the shadows, slightly to my right, with a bored look on his face. He is tall and skinny, a runner's build, and our school's uniform hangs loosely on him, obviously a size too big. Akira Light stares at me a few seconds before a slight smile begins to play on his face.

"What?" I ask flatly. How very eloquent of me. It may have come out a little more sharp than I intended, but he takes no notice.

"Nothing," he says, still almost smiling beneath his medium length brown hair. "You just always look like you're lost right before one of these duels. Kind of like when I help you with your math homework."

"You're one to talk," I retort. "You always look as bored as that one time I explained a League match to you." We both begin to walk over to the side across from the Noxians, ignoring their scowls and talking loud enough to drown out their whispering. The distance to the last person isn't far, so we make sure to walk as slow as possible, trying to make ourselves look unworried. I guess ticking off the Noxians wouldn't be the worst thing either.

"Pssh, like I need help understanding a simple game," he says, his grin becoming more genuine… well, almost anyway.

"Then what's the point of Inhibitors?" I glance at him suspiciously, poking his arm.

"That's obvious of course. They uh...inhibit things...and...stuff," he glances down at his old watch desperately, looking for an escape route. "I would go into more detail but I wouldn't want to keep our challenger waiting," he finishes slyly, and we finally reach the last figure, who is also clad in our school's uniform. He looks up at us underneath close cropped black hair with a grin plastered on his face.

"She bring up the League again?" my brother asks, green eyes glittering.

"She did," he sniffs disdainfully. "But I refused to take part in petty squabbling and let her win."

"Oh you let her win, did you? You sir, are quite the gentlemen."

"Don't forget the scholar part, Zane. And I'm quite humble, too," he says, glancing back at the impatient Noxians. The humor slowly fades from the air as we begin sizing up the Noxian side, our smiles replaced with neutral masks. Hopefully, our casualness will have put them off their game slightly. First impressions are important, after all.

The banter between the three of us comes naturally. Akira isn't technically blood related to Zane and I, but you wouldn't know it by the way we act. When he was little, his parents were shipped off to a Noxian work camp, leaving him orphaned on the streets. My mother had taken him in, and the three of us had grown up as siblings ever since. He's only one year older than me, same as my brother, so we all get along very well. He's the only person I trust as much as my brother.

"The new kid is the challenger, right? Damon something-or-another?" Zane asks, sizing him up. I nod, also observing the kid in question. The one with the spiked blond hair steps away from his two friends, moving towards the middle of the two sides, smirking with absolute confidence. The shadows shift over his face, all jagged features and hungry brown eyes. He stops and crosses his arms, waiting for us to approach.

Zane lets out a sigh and slowly takes off his blazer, leaving him in a white button up shirt. He hands Akira the blazer and rolls up his sleeves, never taking his eyes off the Noxian. I bite my lip as I watch him, fear beginning to claw into my belly. Zane seems to notice my gaze and gives me a smile, taking a small step towards me.

"Hey," he whispers softly. "Don't worry about me. I know it's hard to tell, but I've done this a few times before," he jokes. He really shouldn't be taking his time to comfort me. It might make him look weak to the Noxians.

"It's just..." I stop, searching for words. "Do you have to... you know... go through the whole routine?"

"You know I do. I've never fought him before, and we need to know how he fights. You're even the one who came up with this plan," he says, letting the silence settle in for a while. "So what's really the problem?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt." I say, looking to the floor.

Really, though, why do I have such a bad feeling about this? Something just doesn't feel right.

"Oh ye of little faith," he says smiling, gently pulling me into a hug. "I won't lose. Promise."

He doesn't get it, but I don't bother arguing, so I just hold him tightly. Of course I know he won't lose... but what will the price of victory be today? He doesn't think Akira and I notice, but we do. He pushes himself so hard, bearing the burden of being guardian, always training, always fighting, all because of other people's dumb mistakes. Even mine.

The loophole we had found so long ago, the one that had allowed Ionians to be able to avoid duels, was all possible because of Zane. The rules stated that anyone challenged to a duel was allowed to select someone to champion, a single guardian. That was the first part of the loophole.

The second part was that the rules said that everyone was limited to two duels per day. By those rules, if Zane accepted every challenge against an Ionian, they could only make him fight two of those challenges everyday, and by the next day, he would hopefully be ready to fight again. So even if he accepted thirty challenges, he could just fight two a day until they were all gone.

It had been... hard, at first, even though Zane is by far the strongest person in our school. Being the son of a blacksmith and top fighter in the martial arts club did that to you, I guess. Even with all that strength though, dueling every single day had taken its toll. Our plan eventually began working after awhile. He won every single duel, and the challengers slowly learned the futility of challenging Ionians. Why challenge someone when you knew they were just going to beat you? We still got challenged every once and awhile though, usually by someone new, like the guy he was about to fight right now.

We end our hug, and I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, nodding at him. He nods back, and we walk to the middle. Zane stops just before he would cross to the Noxians' side, and I stop in the middle of them both, five steps to the side. The Noxian smiles cruelly at us, a metal ring flashing on his tongue as he begins to talk.

"I didn't know she was your girlfriend. I thought she was the other guy's. Guess that explains why I'm fighting you and not him though," he says, every word dripping with scorn.

I fight not to roll my eyes, hiding the truth behind a blank face. My brother does much the same, not even flinching as he stares down the Noxian. The fact Zane and I are siblings is a well kept secret among us and our classmates, and for good reason. Knowledge like that would be used by the Noxians ruthlessly. Zane had only wanted to keep me safe when he suggested we shouldn't tell anyone, especially because of his status as "guardian", but we hadn't realized it would cause so many... awkward assumptions. I clear my throat loudly and begin speaking.

"As an official teacher's representative, I will be the referee for this fight. Does anyone have a problem with this?" I ask, expecting none. Noxians never objected. It would make them look weak after all, and my brother wasn't about to argue. I had made it clear to him that as long as he was guardian, the least he could do was let me be there at his fights, and he had been wise enough to yield that much to me. Neither of them say anything, so I continue.

"Damon Porter, you are the challenger, and Zane is the guardian for the challenged, Akira Light. The reason for this dual is to determine which party was in the right of an argument. The argument began when Akira said you should show more respect to a fellow student, and you took offense and challenged him. Is this all correct?"

Damon nods stiffly. Usually the stating of the facts involved a lot more arguing, but it was hard to argue when the referee had seen everything actually happen. Well, technically, I was the reason it had happened. I had been walking past Damon in the courtyard, and he thought it would be funny to trip me. I had seen it coming and tried to avoid it, but my clumsy leather shoes ended up tripping me all the same. Akira had been walking with me and stood up for me, and that's how we got into this mess. Just another stupid rouse invented to start another stupid dual. Another plan hatched by Kor.

Kor was one of the other Noxians here today, the one with the shaggy black hair. Ever since we had started using the loophole, Kor had made it his mission to destroy us. It was obvious he was the ringleader behind the Noxian students. It hadn't been hard to figure out, him being at every duel but never actually fighting had made it kind of obvious. He wasn't the usual Noxian brute, though, which was the scary part. He never said anything, and his cold eyes always seemed aware, searching for a weakness to exploit.

I risk a glance at him and regret it instantly. He stares at me with a level of intensity I've never felt before, his icy, almost black eyes searching for some unknown answer. His bodyguard Evan, the one with the military short hair, leans over and whispers something to him, causing Kor's eyes to narrow slightly. I suppress a shiver and look back to Zane. He seems to have noticed his gaze as well, but he just turns to me with a frown, nodding at me to continue. I take in a shaky breath.

"The rules for this duel will be the usual. You will both engage in unarmed combat until one of you is unable to continue or is willing to yield. The use of any other weapon is forbidden. If either of you sustain a serious injury, I will call a stop to the duel until it can be determined whether you are able to continue or not. My decision will be confirmed by one of the witnesses here. Questions?"

Silence answers, so I continue.

"Each of you will now take five steps back from each other. I will count down from ten, and when my arm drops, the duel will begin. Take your places now."

Both of them step back into their positions, and I raise my arm high.

"Ten."

They both take their stances, Damon in a boxer's stance, arms high and closed fists, while my brother shifts so his side is facing his opponent, putting up his hands and leaving them open and loose.

"Nine."

Even though fights are fast, it won't be hard to keep track of who is who. Damon still wears our dark uniform blazer and has his contrasting spiked blond hair, while my brother is in his formal white button up, his sleeves rolled up to elbow height. Damon is also taller and lanky, while Zane is of average height and stocky. The muscles gained over years of work make up most of Zane's heavier build though, which does nothing to hamper his explosive speed.

"Eight."

Damon bounces on his toes a few times with an insane smile, eager to get started. Zane by comparison is calm and relaxed, staying slouched in his pose.

"Seven."

Logically, the fight should play out with Damon using his lighter weight and longer reach to deliver quick attacks and dodge in and out of Zane's range. Zane is strong enough that he just needs to close the range and land a few blows to dizzy him and then land a finisher. It won't play out like that though. Noxians don't fight logically, they fight bravely. That's what they would say, anyway.

"Six."

"I've heard you never lost a duel before," Damon says, all wild eyes. "Looks like I'll be the first to beat you."

"Five."

Zane shrugs. "I'll probably lose someday." His eyes seem to take on a frosted quality as he responds. "Not today though. Not today."

"Four."

"Ooh, scary!" Damon laughs. "Just don't think I'm going to go easy on you just because your girl's watching."

"Three."

"In fact, I think I'll beat you even worse now," he says, eyes glittering. "And once I'm done with you, I'm going after her next."

Zane seems to stiffen for a moment, then he lowers his head slightly, his voice taking on a darker tone. "You just made a big mistake."

"Two."

"Aww, did I hit a nerve?" Damon asks. "One little threat and you're too scared to fight?"

"One."

Zane looks back up with a look I've only seen a few times before, his eyes seething with rage. "You talk too much. Let me fix that."

"Zero," I finish, dropping my arm. By now my heart has all but exploded out of my chest. Zane doesn't take threats to our family well, especially not me, and if he lets the anger take control, it could be bad. For Damon, that is.

My brother manages to control himself though, keeping his stance, but Damon reacts the moment my arm falls completely. The Noxian springs forward, faster than should be possible, closing the distance in half a heartbeat. He runs slightly to Zane's right, forcing him to shift his stance. Damon launches himself at my brother as he is shifting, throwing half a dozen punches at my brother in half as many seconds.

Zane grunts as the punches slam into him, using his forearms to block the heavier ones and open hands to parry lighter ones to the side. The punches are ugly and brutal, too quick for me to even see properly, and even Zane is slowly forced to backpedal as Damon starts throwing more weight behind them. Zane tries to block what looks like a sloppy kick at his ribs, but it turns into a lunge, and Damon ducks beneath Zane's guard, launching an uppercut right into his ribs.

My brother lets out a gasp of pain, and Damon presses in, throwing punch after punch at his head. Zane gets his hands up in time, managing to block most of them with his arms. Damon still manages to slip in a few hits to Zane's stomach, but nothing that looks too serious. The Noxian switches tactics and starts throwing in a few kicks to the relentless beatdown. Each kick that hits makes my brother stumble to the side, and after a particularly brutal one, Damon launches himself into another flurry of hammer blows.

Zane manages to yet again raise his arms in time, and the blows rain down uselessly. After a dozen racing seconds, the Noxian lets out a frustrated growl, and backs off a few steps, leaving both of them gasping for breath. So far, Zane has yet to land a single blow on him, and his arms glow angry red from all the punishment. He spits crimson onto the brick floor next to him, and I see a flicker of surprise cross his face.

Was he actually losing? My brother's fighting strategy was to let his opponent wear himself out while also memorizing their fighting style, but Damon seemed to be actually beating him. His punches hit hard and were vicious, and he was blindingly quick. He wasn't dumb either, having the sense to back off and rethink his strategy when Zane blocked his knockout punches. The bad feeling I had earlier seems to only grow with each passing second. Who was this kid?

Zane glances at me, and our eyes meet. The green color seems calm, like a prairie grassland. He smiles, winking at me, and his heavy breathing returns to normal almost instantly. He stands up straighter, rolling his neck a few times before looking at his surprised opponent. He smiles and begins edging towards him, an almost playful grin on his face. I let out a strained breath, and I can't help but feel a little stupid. Of course Zane was faking it, there's no way he would lose. He promised me.

Damon seems to realize his onslaught hadn't actually been effective and backs away, still exhausted from the last bout. By the time he stops retreating, they're back in their original positions, right in the middle of the two sides. Damon wipes the sweat off his face with a jerky motion, and then sprints forward, rushing towards my brother with a roar. Zane takes a few smooth steps forward to meet him.

Damon tries using his overwhelming speed to his advantage, throwing a wall of punches at my brother, but Zane seems to have gotten faster. He sidesteps the heavy punches and parries the lighter ones away almost casually. Zane has a lazy grace to him, always moving at the last possible second to dodge or counter an attack, never quite leaving an opening. Damon is forced to retreat as Zane keeps walking forward, even though Zane still has yet to throw a punch. Damon tries to stop his advance, punching hard at my brother's face. Zane slaps it away with his left hand, and his other suddenly blurs forward, hitting him right in the nose.

Damon's head snaps back, flecks of blood flying from his now broken nose as he takes a few drunken steps away, blinking in confusion. Zane closes in, sidestepping a kick with lazy grace, before suddenly blurring forward into a punch that ends at Damon's stomach. The Noxian stumbles backwards, letting out a gasp of pain as the air is forced from his lungs. Damon has slowly been retreating back to the Noxian side and is now practically back to back with the wall.

Damon seems to figure out just how much he underestimated his opponent, but the Noxian inside him refuses to yield. Eyes blazing with rage, he throws a painfully slow punch at Zane's head, which he ducks under with ease. Zane continues the motion, pivoting on his right foot and snapping a kick with his other leg at Damon's head. It connects, and Damon's body twists from the force of the blow, throwing him backwards. His head collides with the wall in an ugly smack, and he falls limp to the ground, blood dripping from his brow.

"Stop!" I all but scream. My brother knows the drill though, and has already backed off to the Ionian side. He looks surprisingly calm, like this was the expected outcome. Evan has already rushed to Damon's side and is trying to rouse him back into consciousness. Kor just continues leaning against the wall, eyes closed, as if he's lost all interest in this fight. I walk swiftly over to Damon, and Evan slowly helps him up into a sitting position.

Blood trickles down the front of Damon's face from a vicious gash on his head, and his eyes are big and unfocused. He still tries to stand though, refusing to lose, but Evan holds him down, saying something about him needing to get checked out.

Whenever a serious accident or injury happens during a duel, it's the job of the referee to decide whether the contestant can continue fighting. This usually involves asking a bunch of really obvious questions and sticking a finger in their wound to see how bad it is. I try to always bring a medical bag with me, but I had forgotten to get it before the teachers locked up the infirmary. It just was one of those days.

The gash is ugly, and like most head wounds, is bleeding absolutely everywhere. I don't think it's that bad, but without feeling how deep it is, there's no way to actually know. Lucky me. I arrive at his side, and reach down a hand, poking at his wound. I barely touch it before he yelps in pain and surprise, eyes suddenly focusing onto me.

"You," he spits out. "Get away... from... me," he gasps, slowly standing up with his back against the wall. His eyes are wild, and his breaths come out raggedly.

"Look, if you want to continue fighting I need to see how deep this is," I say, reaching out to touch the wound again.

"DON'T TOUCH ME, YOU FILTHY WORM!" he screams, shoving me with all his strength. I stumble backwards a few steps, suddenly pushed back onto the catwalk and try planting a foot to stop myself from falling. My clumsy leather shoes trip me again though, catching on one of the loose wooden boards, and I end up backpedaling even faster. I slam into the wooden railing behind me, pain flashing through my back. Time slows to a crawl, and everything comes into crystal clear focus.

I notice two things instantly. First, I see that Kor has taken a sudden interest in me again, his eyes gleaming at me from where he slouches. I swear he's smiling. The second thing I notice is the giant cracking sound from the wood railing as it gives out behind me. I feel weightless for a moment, and then I'm suddenly falling. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zane sprinting towards me, and he slides to the edge, reaching out a hand.

I'm beginning to fall headfirst now, my body slowly tilting from the momentum of slamming into the railing. I reach out, desperately trying to grab him before it's too late. Our fingertips touch for half of an agonizingly long second, and then I'm falling upside down, still looking up at him. He looks on in horror, hand still outstretched, and I decide to close my eyes. I don't want that look in his eyes to be the last thing I ever see. My heart pounds in my ears, and I wonder briefly why time seems to have slowed. Was this just what dying felt like?

I already know what lies in wait beneath me. I practically have the courtyard memorized from all the different times I've waited for a duel to start. Based on where I fell, I would be plummeting directly towards the rocky perimeter below me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what a two story fall, upside down, and into jagged rocks will do to someone. I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Tears begin to form in my eyes. I don't want to die... not like this. Zane's going to blame himself for not saving me, I know it. Akira wouldn't be much better off, but maybe he would at least be able to stop Zane from killing Damon. That's what Zane would do, too. There's no way he could control his anger, especially not with my killer standing right there. My brother would regret it for the rest of his life though, and it would be my fault. He might even hate me for it eventually.

It seems absurd that all my dreams are going to end from a stupid little fall. My dreams... I was going to become a guard and save people. Ionian, Noxian, it didn't matter. If they needed help, I was going to give it. Even if I could just have saved one person, my life would have had a meaning. A purpose. Now it would have none though, and I would just be another Ionian slave who died in a world that was just too cold.

The fall's finally going to end soon, I can feel it. I brace myself, and then something suddenly slams into my right side, catching me underneath my shoulders and then my knees when my body levels out, and the falling sensation turns into one of floating. My eyes open, and I find myself still in the air, but being carried in someone's arms. The boy carrying me has long brown hair and a painful expression screwed into his face. His brown eyes burn determined though, and I suddenly recognize him as the Noxian who had been sleeping in my usual resting spot.

He must have jumped up and caught me because we continue falling through the air. However, the speed he used to jump up to me must have changed our course, and instead of slamming into the rocky perimeter, we fly over it and onto the sidewalk next to the school. He lands hard, his arm digging into my back and knees, but he manages to stay upright and we skid to a halt a few feet later.

Time seems to have finally snapped back into its usual pace, but everything remains still. He stands there, breathing heavy and holding on tight to me, almost afraid to move. The wind blows gently, ruffling the leaves in the trees and blowing the Noxian's hair out of his face. A few birds take flight, chirping happily, and the boy looks down at me, a worried look on his face.

"You okay?" he asks in a concerned voice, still trying to catch his breath. My heart races, and before I can respond, I hear my brother call out from the catwalk, now above our heads.

"Aria!" He yells, his voice cracking slightly.

"I'm fine!" I yell, trying to sound calm, but it doesn't sound very convincing. Fear still runs like electricity through my veins, and everything seems to be happening too fast now, a drastic change from during the fall.

"Okay! Just... just stay down there! I'll be right down after I finish this, so stay put!" I hear the floorboards creak as he gets up and walks away.

I know why he doesn't want me up there. Damon attacked me outside of a duel, and if that wasn't bad enough, I was the referee. When something like that happened... well, it was going to be bad. Zane was within his rights to get revenge, and my brother wasn't about to go easy the person who almost killed his sister. He was going to teach Damon a lesson. Akira would stop him from taking it too far though, I think. I hope.

"Umm..." The Noxian holding me says, and I realize an awkward amount of time has passed. I feel my cheeks warm up slightly as I search for words.

"I'll just set you down here," he says, setting me down with my back against the wall. My legs feel like rubber, so I just continue sitting, resting against the building. He is shaking with fatigue, and so he sits next to me, closing his eyes as he rests his head on the wall. I finally seem to remember what language I speak, other than awkward silence, and I turn to him.

"Thank you. If you hadn't caught me-" I begin.

"Don't mention it," he interrupts nonchalantly, looking down at the floor. He rubs at his arms, and I see a few bruises when he pushes up his sleeve.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize I hurt you, just give me a second, and I'll go get some salve or something," I say, before I suddenly remember that the healing salve would be locked away in the infirmary. It really was just one of those days.

"What, this?" he asks, gesturing at his arms "Don't worry, this is from-ahh... something... else," he mumbles the last part, looking away. I frown, taking a closer look at him. His longer hair hides his eyes fairly well, but now that I look closer I see a few bruises, including a nasty one on his jaw, and one of his eyes looks slightly swollen. The bruises on his arms suddenly remind me of my brother's red forearms during the fight, and everything clicks together.

"You were in a duel, weren't you?" I ask. "It must have been against another Noxian, because I don't remember you fighting Zane. It must have been recent too, and I can tell you lost by the bruise on your jaw. Why were you fighting other Noxians?" I blurt out, not thinking clearly.

"I didn't realize Ionians were so rude, or is that just you?" He snaps back, letting out a tired sigh afterwards. "Just... shove off."

I try not to laugh, I really do, but soon enough I'm laughing hysterically, and he's giving me an odd look. "That's kind of how I got into this mess," I point out in between laughs.

He stares at me blankly for a second, then he starts chuckling, only to wince and put a hand on his ribs. That just makes him laugh harder though, and soon we're both gasping for breath. He puts on a sad smile, and rests his head against the wall, eyes closed again. My mind is still racing, adrenaline still pumping through me, and I find myself looking around at where I fell.

Broken sections of the wooden railing mark the spot on the rocks where I would have landed, but I look past that, to the old cherry tree. I begin wondering how the Noxian caught me when I couldn't have been falling for more than a few seconds. The distance from the tree to the rocks wasn't that far, but to react so quickly to someone suddenly falling from the sky, and then jump up so high... Not to mention that he was holding his ribs like he had taken quite a beating. The only way it would be possible was...

"Magic," I whisper out loud, and his eyes immediately snap open, staring at me silently. "You used magic to get me, didn't you? You're pretty beat up, but if you used magic to make yourself faster and improve your senses..." I trail off as I see a defeated sort of look cover his face.

Everything remains silent for a moment. The wind rustles through the trees. The Noxian's thumps his fist lightly onto the ground. A familiar looking man in a hooded black robe passes by, paying us no attention. The floorboards above us creek in the wind. Finally, the Noxian turns to me.

"What do you want?" he asks warily.

I blink at him, more than a little confused. He sighs impatiently.

"Sorry, I forget that you Ionians aren't used to playing our games," he says, anger creeping its way into his voice. "Usually though, its common courtesy to let the person you're blackmailing know what you want them to do in exchange for keeping their secret."

Oh. So that's what this was about. He was afraid that I was going to tell other people that he could use magic, and then they would be able to use that against him. I guess that makes sense, with all the rumors about that "aptitude test," the one that finds out who can use magic and makes them disappear.

The ironic part is that I can use magic too, but I can't just tell him that because I'm afraid of the exact same rumors. I take a second to try and think of something to say, but he just shakes his head and begins to rise.

"Look, I don't have all day," he says, standing up. "When you finally figure out how to blackmail someone properly, well, you know where to find me," he finishes, and begins walking off. Even if I told him I would keep his secret, he wouldn't believe me. He's different than other Noxians though. He saved my life, not even worrying about having his secret being exposed. I can't let someone like that worry about watching his back, constantly afraid of being blackmailed.

"Wait!" I call out to him. He stiffens, and turns his head towards me. I beckon him over, and he walks, until he stands in front of me. The only thing Noxians really believe in is actions. So I would just have to show him that he could trust me. I owe him that much.

"Watch," I say, cupping my hands together to form a sphere. I concentrate briefly, creating a small orb of energy in my mind, and then I reach into my power, drawing from my mana 'pool'. Violet light begins to glow from my cupped fingers, and when I open them, a glowing purple sphere hovers between my hands. He looks on, his eyes wide, and I hold onto the spell for a while, before letting it go. The sphere turns into streams of violet smoke, disappearing into the air.

I stand up on shaky legs, and he looks at me in wonder and confusion. "Why?" he asks plainly.

"Sorry, I forget you Noxians aren't used to our games," I say, doing my best to mimic his earlier arrogance. "Usually though, it's common courtesy to not blackmail the person who saved your life."

He stares at me for a moment. Then he lets out a light sounding laugh, and I smile back at him. He has one of those infectious laughs that just makes you want to forget all the worries of the world.

"Seriously though," I continue. "You saved my life, and I want to repay you. I thought that it might be a good start by letting you know that your secret is safe with me as long as mine is safe with you."

He nods back at me, still smiling. "It's a deal."

"I was also thinking that you might want some lessons, you know..." I trail off, trying to pick my words carefully. If there's one thing I know about Noxians it's that you never insult their pride. "Well, you didn't exactly deny those bruises came from you losing a duel, and I'm sure I could convince Zane to give you some fighting lessons... you know... if you want," I say, wincing slightly.

"Thanks, but I think they would only target me more if they knew I was getting fighting lessons from an Ionian," he answers. "But I think I have another idea. How good are you at magic?"

I raise an eyebrow at him before continuing. "I've been able to use magic for about seven years now. I mean, I'm no master, but I like to think I've gotten pretty good. Why?"

"Well… look, I'm actually really good at duels. Ever since I came here though, some people started targeting me and… well, they have to be using some sort of magic to beat me. They just move so fast, and whenever I feel like I'm about to get a in good hit, it feels like I slow down just enough that they can dodge. I mean, is there even magic that works like that?"

I think for a moment before responding. "Technically, I don't see why there couldn't be. Every mage tends to have their own "style" of magic and some styles even have a name. For instance, people who are especially good at fire magic are called pyromancers. You could be facing people who use magic to make themselves move faster. A kinomancer, I think. Actually, judging by the way you were able to move so fast and catch me, I would guess you're one too."

Kinomancy was a pretty common form of magic from what I have studied. It usually involved strengthening muscles with magical power so they could perform even better. What he said about how he lost his fights fits with what I know. The thing that bothers me though, is why this kinomancer hasn't challenged Zane yet. I would definitely be able to tell if someone was using magic during a duel, which was one of the reasons I had wanted to referee for the duels in the first place.

He absorbs the information well, and then continues, "Yeah, I guess that would make sense. The real problem is, I just recently learned I could even use magic, but I can't really control when. It just… happens. So, I was wondering if you could teach me how to control this… kinomancy magic, just to help level the playing field. You know, fight fire with fire," he explains, looking at me expectantly.

I take another moment, considering my options. I'm not against teaching him, but teaching him combat magic... I mean, he seems like a pretty nice guy, but with something like that... No, I won't teach someone how to possibly kill another person using magic. But I could try something else. I shake my head at him, making up my mind.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," I say flatly. Disappointment shrouds his face, and he looks like he wants to argue, but I hold up a finger, silencing him. "Combat magic is dangerous. One stray thought or emotion, and you could accidentally kill the other person, or even yourself. Kinomancy is one of the most dangerous too, because it involves throwing around spells that affect your body's organs and muscles. I'm sorry, but I won't teach something like that."

I let the silence hang for a while, keeping my finger raised. I feel like such a hypocrite, even though everything I said is true. I might have made kinomancy sound a little more dangerous than it actually was though. The thing is, I've trained myself a little bit in combat magic, and denying someone who actually needed to learn it felt... very... Noxian. What makes me think I know any better than him anyway? I push those thoughts out of my head and continue speaking.

"However, there is something else I could teach you," I say. "I don't know if you've ever seen a League match, but sometimes a champion uses a spell that stops another wizard from using magic. This technique is call silencing. If you still want to learn, I could teach you how to silence you opponent, which would at least make the duel even. They wouldn't be able to use their magic, and neither would you," I explain, looking at him. Sometimes the best offense is a good defense, and I hope he understands that.

He thinks about it for a second before answering. "Well, I guess that could work. As long as I can make it a fair fight, I'm sure I can win… yeah that sounds good. When can we begin?"

I smile and extend my hand. "We'll start tomorrow. I can teach you right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I don't have club practice for Kendo. The other days we'll have to wait until after. Let's work well togeth-" I stop, blushing as I realize I don't even know his name. I mean, its not like he saved my life or anything. Why would I have possibly asked him for his name?

He laughs, which only makes me more embarrassed, but he reaches out and shakes my hand, keeping his easy smile.

"Kyle Jensen. I look forward to working with you… sensei." he adds, bowing a little at the last part, making me giggle.

"Aria Kessler. Let's work well together, Kyle."

Kyle leaves before my brother comes down, specks of blood staining his white shirt and hands. That doesn't stop him from giving me a tight hug though, and I hug him right back, pretending I don't notice. Blood doesn't really bother me anyways. I guess I'm just used to it by now. Akira and I hug next, and that's when Zane finally asks where the Noxian who saved me went.

"He just left. I have a feeling we'll be seeing him around though," I say, grinning. Something tugs at the back of my mind, and so I let go of Akira, stepping backwards. I hear a faint sound begin repeating itself over and over again. It sounds so familiar. I strain my ears, listening, and I finally make out the words.

It's time. Wake up.

I suddenly feel very tired, and the world dissolves back into darkness.