Chapter Sixteen
Aria,
Hey, it's been awhile. I hope your training is going well. I don't have much time to write this, and if anyone found out I was writing to you, I could get in some serious trouble. So this is going to have to be pretty quick.
I got a job with mining company I had a deal with before. Now I'm working onsite with them, creating and repairing equipment with my blacksmithing skills. We're in that contested area I was telling you about before, which is part of the reason this has to be so quick. My superior would have my head if he knew I was sending you a letter.
Anyway, things are good here. I mostly just wanted to write this in case you didn't get the letter I left back at home so you would know why I wasn't in the city anymore. Sorry about leaving so suddenly, but it ended up being necessary. Mom's treatment in Piltover is costing more than Akira and I thought, so I had to take this job. It pays really well, though, because of all the secrecy involved.
That's all I have time for. I just want to let you know that I love you. I know things aren't what we thought they would be, and that these plans of ours are falling apart, but hang in there. Everything will be okay, and I'll be home soon. Just a little longer, I promise. Then everything will be as it should be.
-Zane
I set down the letter on my desk, and let out a sigh, leaning back in my chair. I stare at the ceiling, and for a while, that's all I can do. My thoughts and emotions blur together in an incoherent storm of anger, hurt, fear, worry, and just about every other emotion. So I just stare at the ceiling, letting it all play out until my heart stops pounding. A faint headache starts to echo through my head, and I force myself to start to work through the hurricane, closing my eyes to focus.
On one hand, I want to believe him, I want to more than anything. He's my brother, and I want to trust him, because if I can't…
On the other hand, I don't feel like he's telling the truth. Nothing about his secret meeting in the alleyway that I saw feels right to me. Maybe I was wrong though. Maybe I was just hurt and angry when I saw that meeting, making me extra paranoid, looking for enemies where there are none. But if it's not just me being paranoid…
So there it is. What I want to believe, and what I feel. That's what it always comes down to though, isn't it? What do I choose to put more stock in, my heart, or my mind?
My back starts to ache, so I straighten my posture for a second before laying my head face down on my desk, and I force myself to clear my mind. I don't need this right now, especially not this early in the morning.
Someone knocks on my door, and I get up, quickly grabbing the letter.
"One second!" I yell, running quickly over to my bed and shoving the letter underneath it before I answer the door.
Molly stands on the other side in her workout clothes, a big smile on her sleepy face.
"Just wanted to make sure you weren't oversleeping," She says.
"Oh, thanks," I say, forcing a quick smile.
She frowns at me. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I say, and I get a stern look from her. "It's nothing a little breakfast won't cure, anyway. Come on, let's go."
She gives me another suspicious look, and then shrugs, leading the way. I close the door behind me as I follow and cast my locking spell while her back is turned. Then I hurry to catch up to her, and we walk to the second sublevel quickly.
"What do you think Elizabeth's going to do when we she sees Xander and Seth sitting with us?" She asks, giving me a nervous grin.
"Probably just give us really angry looks," I say. "There's not much else she can do, really."
"Aren't you afraid that she'll report you to Sadon or Dumont though?" Elizabeth asks.
"Not really," I say, brushing some hair out of my eyes. "Fairfax went out of his way to tell us he figured it out yesterday, so I'm sure he already talked to Dumont about it and got it settled. Besides, Fairfax already 'scolded' us, so Sadon can't really punish us anymore without challenging Fairfax's authority."
"So what you're saying," Molly says, the nervousness disappearing. "Is we got away with it, and now we get to watch them squirm because we finally pulled a plan over on them."
Instead of answering her, I just turn and give her a smile, and I see her eyes glitter in response.
"Oh, today is going to be a great day," She says, and I turn away, keeping my smile.
What I don't tell her is that I'm not completely convinced that the duels yesterday were fake. The things Seth said yesterday bother me a lot. I understand that he was just trying to make me angry, but still, the things he said… not to mention, it's not like the things he said were complete lies either. I have been keeping myself distant from people, but I've been trying to hide it so no one would notice.
So how did he figure it out when no one else seems to have?
Maybe Seth was just trying to just help me out yesterday, but he could have been trying to take me out. Either way, after yesterday, I can't afford to look at him as an ally for even a second. He's dangerous, maybe even more so than the Nobles. At least with them, I know where I stand.
From here on out, he's an enemy. Xander too. He may have told me that he was faking during the duel, but that was only after I was halfway to figuring it out myself. I still haven't forgotten the poison either. The poison that came from his lab.
After yesterday, I lost two allies and gained two enemies. That's how I have to look at it, because if I let my guard down for even one second…
A chill goes down my spine, and I ignore it, choosing to instead prepare myself for the clamor of the lunchroom. It's packed like usual, but the food line is almost empty, so Molly and I go through quickly. Devon and Alex are already at the table when we arrive, and we sit across from them.
Almost immediately after I cast my spell on my food, Elizabeth gets up from her table and sits at ours with a smile.
"What do you want?" Molly asks, looking up with a bored expression.
"Oh, nothing much," Elizabeth shrugs. "I just thought I'd sit here from now on now that your table just got so much smaller. Congratulations on the victories yesterday, Aria, by the way. Don't you think losing two allies for two points is a bit high of a cost though?"
I look up at her, setting my fork down next to my bowl of noodles. Seth and Xander are coming over to our table with their trays, and I wait for the last possible second before I answer her.
"Where'd you learn to count?" I ask, letting myself smile as Seth and Xander sit down at our table.
At first, Elizabeth looks confused. Then I see the gears turning, and her jaw slowly drops as she begins to work it out. Her face turns red, and she clenches her teeth, eyes blazing as she looks at us.
"You think you're going to get away with this?" She whispers. "All three of you are done once they find out."
"Oh, they already have," I say, picking up my fork again. "Fairfax even punished the three of us already."
"Yeah," Xander winces. "His scolding sure was harsh."
Elizabeth slams her hand down on the table hard enough to make our dishes clatter, and she leans over towards towards me, with a sneer.
"You three threw your duels, and if you think you're going to get away with just a slap on the wrist because you're Fairfax's favorite, then you've got another thing coming."
Heat flash across my cheeks, and I open my mouth to retort. A sudden laugh interrupts me though, and everyone turns to look at Alex in surprise, who is laughing hard enough that he holds his stomach like it hurts. He takes a moment to settle down, and then he slowly looks at Elizabeth, his eyes bright.
"Come on, you're smarter than that," Alex says, grinning. "That fight yesterday looked and certainly seemed genuine for everyone. Just who do you think you're going to convince that it was thrown? No one, because what really happened was Aria, Xander, and Seth took a gamble that she could beat them in a fair fight, and it payed off. It looked real because it was. Seriously, give it up Elizabeth, before you do something really stupid."
Alex talks slowly, explaining it like he's talking to a little kid, and Elizabeth's face turns scarlet in response. She looks more shocked than anything else though, probably because she's never been talked to like that before.
"Excuse me?" She sputters. "Do you think you can just-"
Alex slams his hands on the table, hard enough to make some of our foods spill, and he stands up quickly, a thin, fragile smile on his face as he stares back at Elizabeth.
"I'm really, really starting to get tired of this crap Elizabeth," Alex says frostily. "You aren't the only one who can pull off some secret scheme and get away with it, and that's exactly what's going to happen here. We're going to get away with it. That is, unless you want to do something really idiotic like challenging Seth, Xander, and Aria's honor. In which case, I would be more than happy to champion for them against you. That is, if Fairfax doesn't do so first."
A dead, tense silence falls on the table as Alex stares down Elizabeth. She looks away from him, her teeth clenched and face flushed, and then she slowly walks away from her table back to her own. Alex watches her go, and then he slowly sits back down, picking up his fork again.
"I don't think I've ever seen you angry before," Xander says, his eyes wide.
Alex shrugs, looking almost embarrassed. "Guess I'm a little testy in the morning when I haven't eaten my breakfast yet. Sorry, guys."
I smile, and the others laugh. I notice the glares from the Noble's table, but I ignore them and turn back to my food as Alex and Xander get into their usual early morning banter. I use my spell once again before I resume eating, though, just to be careful.
A soft cough interrupts us as we are getting close to finishing our foods, and I look to the end of our table. Dumont stands there with a small, apologetic smile, and my heart stops for a moment.
Are we going to get in trouble after all?
"Sorry to interrupt," Dumont says, clearing his voice. "I just wanted to inform you that you shall not have to do your daily run today. The only thing we will be doing is meeting for about an hour in the classroom immediately following lunch. Feel free to use the rest of this morning however you like."
He leaves then, moving over to the Nobles' table next. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and I see Seth and Xander both also untense.
"I so thought we were toast," Xander sighs with a little laugh, shaking his head.
"Pssh," Alex says. "Wasn't worried for a moment."
"Then why did you almost choke on that bread you were eating?" Molly asks with a small smirk.
"Purely coincidence," Alex waves it off. "Besides, if we're pointing out overreactions, let's talk about Devon's. I mean, did you see him jump?"
Devon looks up from his food where he was obliviously munching on a bun of bread, blinking his eyes in confusion.
"Hmm?" He says, suddenly noticing all of our gazes on him. "What?"
They laugh as he blinks in confusion, and then lets out a soft little shrug, going back to his food, which only makes them laugh harder. I just shake my head and smile, trying to look like I'm enjoying breakfast as usual.
The truth is, I've been keeping my eye on Seth the whole time. So far, he's remained his normal, quiet self. He hasn't done anything suspicious at all, and he smiles and chuckles with the table like usual. Maybe it's just my imagination, but it does seem like he's going out of his way to not look at me.
"You know," Molly says deviously, snapping my attention to her. "If we're really free until after lunch, we should do something together to celebrate."
"Like what?" Xander asks.
"Well, I don't know about you guys," Alex says, getting up with his tray. "But I'm starting off this celebration by getting seconds. I'm going to take advantage of not having to worry about seeing my food come back up again."
"Fair enough," Molly laughs. "We'll discuss ideas while we eat seconds then."
I frown at Molly. Something in her tone makes me suspicious of her. She glances at me, and I see a twinkle in her eyes that I've seen a few times before, when she's planning something. Usually, it's been directed at Xander, but I get the nervous, fluttering feeling that i might be something different this time.
"I'm going to go back to my room," I say, getting up quickly. "I have some letters to write."
"Alright," Molly says with a wink. "I'll come get you when we decide what we're going to do."
I manage not to let out a groan as I leave, heading back to my room quickly. I know Molly means well, trying to get me to have fun with everyone else, but my idea of fun and her's are drastically different. I guess I used to be like her though, active and hanging out with friends, filling up the day with as much activity as possible, but… well….
Things change, I guess. Now my idea of fun is sitting around and reading a book by myself, or even just listening to the quiet in a relaxing place.
Maybe I can explain that to Molly when she comes to get me. She'll probably understand. Besides, I actually do have things I could be doing.
I get in my room. Writing letters, huh? Well, I'm definitely not going to be doing that. Still, it was a good excuse as any. Maybe I'll just clean my katana then. That's always pretty relaxing as long as I don't accidentally cut myself.
I get out the cloth and cleaning materials and get to work, letting myself fall into a daze at the familiar task. It's not especially difficult, but it manages to take my concentration away nonetheless. I let it, enjoying the quiet and sheen from the blade as I finish.
Just as I'm putting it away and start wondering what I should do next, there's a knock on my door, so I put my sword away and get up. I open the door up, and Molly stands on the other side holding two items of "clothing".
"Bikini, which I assure you is perfectly normal everywhere else," Molly says with a smile. "Or a one-piece?"
It takes me a second to respond.
"Seriously?" I sigh.
"What? Don't be angry at me! It's what the group decided we should go swimming."
"Oh yeah, I'm sure," I say exasperated.
"Come on," Molly says, blinking her eyes at me in a begging expression. "It's just the beach! You gotta tan that pale skin of yours anyway, and it's a perfect way to give a little thank you to the guys for helping you out yesterday."
"You have a really weird way of thanking people," I say, my face heating up. "And my pale skin is why I don't like beaches. I burn too easy. Besides, I like my pale skin."
"Fair enough," Molly sighs. "It does sort of suit you-"
"So am I off the hook then?" I ask quickly, but Molly's smile tells me otherwise.
"-But," Molly continues, eyes growing fierce. "Luckily for you, I have this special cream that you can put on that'll stop you from tanning and being burned. So what do you say, huh?"
I let out a sigh. My back aches, probably from leaning over my sword for so long while I was cleaning it, and I give Molly a look. It takes me a second before I find the right words.
"Molly, there's another reason why I don't like the beach," I say, looking away from her.
"I'm sure it's nothing I can't solve," Molly answers, beaming at me. "Come on. Tell me. I dare you."
Thirty minutes later, I find myself laying in the shade of an umbrella, the only person wearing workout clothes on the entire beach. Molly is already in the water, swimming around and calling out to Xander and Alex, but the two of them stand over me with shocked expressions.
"You seriously can't swim?" Xander asks me, the sun shining brightly in the hot and humid morning.
"Nope," I answer from where I lay in the sand, shaded by an umbrella. "Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Aria, you live on an island," Alex says, shaking his head. "Shouldn't swimming be in your blood or something?"
"I guess not," I say, smiling weakly at him. "Look, you guys go on and have fun. I don't mind, really. I have a book to read anyway."
"Oh yeah, Summoning Legends: A Guide to All Magics Related to Summoning and the Truths Behind Them," Xander reads exasperated. "Looks real riveting."
"To me," I say with a pointed look. "It is."
"Alright, alright," Xander sighs. "Well, I guess there's no helping it then. Come on Alex, lets go join Molly."
They begin to leave, and I watch them as they go, totally not admiring their backs as I do. Alex must feel my gaze because he turns his head to look back at me, and I find myself blushing lightly as I hurriedly look back down to my book.
I was just surprised at how muscular he was. Yeah, that's it. Surprised. It's not my fault that I haven't seen him shirtless before.
I let out a sigh. Focus, Aria. Summoning magics. Right.
I start to get back into my book, but I find my mind slowly wandering away as I absorb the information. It's not that it isn't interesting to me, I just have an easier time reading these kinds of books when I let myself take time with them. So I do, letting my focus slip to occasionally look up at the antics of the three in the water. I glance over to where Devon is, lounging about in shorts and a lightweight tunic. He seems equally amused as I do, occasionally looking from the notebook he writes in to the three in the water.
Devon said he'd swim a while later after he finished writing some things, and Seth also said he had to finish something up real quick before he came out. At least I'm not the only one being antisocial. That's something, I guess. Still, I feel bad about not joining them in the water. It's not like I don't want to, but…
Well, I can't.
I feel another stab of pain in my heart, my throat clenching as I try to ignore the shive of discomfort going down my spine. There's nothing I can do about it though. Nothing.
So I just sit and watch, smiling to myself as they play king of the hill on a small little mud island just off the beach. Alex remains dominant for most of the time, but starts to lose when Xander and Molly go for him at the same time. He barely manages to hold on though, laughing when he suddenly loses his balance and falls for no apparent reason. The three scramble to claim the hill once again, and I shake my head with a small smile, going back to my book.
I hear the soft crunching sound of footsteps in sand start to approach me, and I feel myself tense up. Here we go. Let's see just how fake yesterday really was.
Seth sits down next to me, wearing a pair of swimming shorts similar to Alex and Xander's. I glance at him from the corner of my eye and then back to my book. My heart pounds in my chest, and I find myself rereading the same sentence over and over again as I wait for him to say something. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air to calm myself.
"Aren't you hot in that jacket?" Seth asks suddenly, and I snap my eyes open.
I look at him in surprise and then down to my workout jacket.
"Not really," I say, blinking. "I guess heat doesn't really bother me."
"Ah," he says simply, and then goes quiet.
I try to go back to my book in the awkward silence, but I still can't make any progress. I end up closing my book, and looking out to the ocean water. It looks startlingly blue and beautiful on such a clear day, and I try to enjoy it. I've seen it so many times before that it's sort of lost it's first time appeal, and I find myself longing for something different from this normal weather.
Supposedly, it should be snowing by now, even in Ionia, but Runeterra's weather pattern is pretty messed up because of the Rune Wars. It's been a few years since I last saw snow on the ground, and I kind of miss it. It looks so beautiful and pure, oblivious to the darkness and corruption in the world. It's amazing.
"I'm sorry," Seth says slowly and quietly, breaking my serenity. "I hurt you yesterday, and used your emotions against you. If there was any other way I would have taken it, but… I just didn't see any."
"Doesn't mean it hurt less," I murmur, and he nods.
"I know," He says, taking a deep breath as he looks out to the water. "In that moment, it had to have hurt, thinking I turned on you for revenge, even though you know the truth now."
My heart beats faster, and I look over to him, watching him carefully.
"You know," I say quietly. "Someone who's skeptical might think that you did turn on me, and that you're just trying to cover it up now."
I don't know what I expect him to do, maybe look shocked or hurt, but instead, he just smiles sadly, nodding like he understands.
"I knew what I was doing when I did it," Seth says, his eyes distant. "And I'm ready to accept whatever happens because of it."
I stare at him, and I feel anger start to bubble within me. How can he be so calm about this? This is my life and emotions he's playing with, and he just accepts that? Like I'm just some variable he can toy with?
"How?" I ask simply, trying to not let my anger seep in. "You know, I get why you did it, why you said the things you said and toyed with my feelings, but what I don't understand is how you could possibly do that. Be so cruel and spiteful to someone you're trying to help."
That actually gets a reaction from him. Instead of replying anger with anger, he just winces, and looks down at the sand. I stare at him, my teeth clenched as I wait for him to reply.
"It wasn't hard," he whispers, and I blink. "It's not like what I said wasn't actually there, you know? Like I didn't actually feel angry at you and Alex, like I wasn't just getting my revenge. Somewhere inside me, that's what I felt, and I knew that this duel had to be more than just seeming real, it had to be real. So, I let myself slip. I stopped fighting my anger. I let it take control until I had done what needed to be done."
My throat suddenly feels very dry, and I clench my teeth harder as my stomach starts to churn.
"I'm not going to lie," Seth says, his lips curling in disgust. "It wasn't just easy, it felt good. To give in to the anger, and to let myself see things that way. Those thoughts of revenge didn't just come out of nowhere. I don't expect you to forgive me, but you do deserve to know."
I look away from him, feeling suddenly nauseous. He's telling the truth. That's the worst part. I know for a fact that everything he's saying about just giving in to his anger is true. I know it because I've been there before. I've done what he did.
The difference is, I did it for myself, and he did it for someone else.
I'm still more suspicious of him than of everyone else here, but this… well, I guess now at least it makes sense. What he says is true, that everyone has those dark thoughts and feelings that whisper, tempting you to do something you know you shouldn't. The scary part is that he knows just how easy it is to act on those feelings, on the evil. It's so easy because instead of fighting to not act on them, you just give in. It's as easy as that. Just stop fighting. Flip the switch, and everything changes.
He knows it just as well as I do, and that's how he was able to act so realistically during the duel. He wasn't faking, he was just letting his darker part show. I have to be more cautious of him for that very reason though, because that means a part of him really did mean the things he said.
This whole time, I thought he would come to me and apologize, trying to talk me into believing what happened yesterday was just an elaborate ruse. But he didn't. Instead, he admitted to some of it being true, and that's why it seemed so real, just like Xander's reason for dueling me.
They both gave in to something dark and hateful inside of themselves, Seth just kept on his mask longer. I have to keep them under constant watch from now on for that very reason, but at least now I know. They didn't even try to hide it for a second though, which means…
"I forgive you," I say quietly, and he looks at me in surprise. "Just don't expect me to ever trust you."
He stares at me, and then smiles slightly, a look of relief on his face.
"Good," He says. "But I have to ask, do you actually trust anyone here?"
I look away. The only things I see are my supposed friends, smiling and laughing as they wrestle for control of the mud hill. Molly shrieks as she falls from the hill, and Alex lets a roar of triumph. Molly gives him a pointed look, but then bursts out laughing when a huge ball of mud thrown by Xander slaps Alex right in the face, and he starts coughing out mud.
They fight playfully, without a worry in the world, just enjoying each other's presence.
"No," I say simply, staring at my allies as they laugh and play in the water. "Just like you, I meant what I said yesterday. It's not that I don't want to, but I can't. I just… can't."
"That's good, Aria," Seth insists softly. "Because in Noxus, they teach us to not just give in to our anger but to feed it and turn it into hate. It's disgusting. I threatened your family yesterday, so don't trust anyone here. People can turn on others in a second even without Noxus encouraging it. It's ingrained in our bones, to do anything to win."
I shiver, but I manage a nod, not trusting my voice. Then he gets up and heads towards the water.
Seth. He may be one of the most dangerous people here, even more dangerous than the Nobles. At least with them, I know they're trying to take me down. But Seth, he understands what motivates himself and the other Noxians, and he knows when to use that. That puts him on an entirely different level.
One slip or step in the wrong direction, and everything here could fall apart. I've known that since the beginning, but this is just one more countless reminder.
I watch my allies as they splash in the water, Seth giving battle advice to Molly and Xander as they try to dethrone Alex as king of the hill. Even with him indirectly helping though, it doesn't do much, and Alex manages to keep his spot for a while.
"Ha, ha!" I hear him shout faintly from where I am. "Is that the best you two have?"
That's when I notice Devon has left his spot nearby and is quick walking up to Alex while his back is turned to fend off Molly and Xander's next attack. Devon moves swiftly and silently, like a predator cat, and even seems to move through the water without a sound. He scales the small mud mountain without Alex noticing, wraps his hands around his belly, and jumps off with Alex in tow into the water.
Xander lets out a triumphant shout as he scurries to try and take Alex's place, but he fails to notice Molly turning on him until it's too late. One quick shove later, and Molly's standing on top of the muddy hill her arms on her hips as she laugh maniacally.
"Fear this day you fools!" Molly bellows. "For the dread rule of Queen Molly the First and Only has begun. Nothing shall save you now! Bow and beg for your lives for my immortal reign will never end!"
Her foot slips out from under her in the mud a moment later, and Queen Molly's reign comes to a very anti-climatic end as she splashes back into the water with a small shout. She sputters out of the water a moment later, blinking in confusion at the laughing around her until her gaze settles on me.
"Peasant!" She cries out, pointing at me. "Fetch me my drying toga! I need a break from these mongrels!"
I get up with a smile, grabbing Molly a towel as I do.
Maybe I'll never be able to be carefree and have fun like they do, but I at least I can pretend. At least I can smile for them. I owe them that much.
"Alright everyone," Dumont begins once we find seats in the classroom. "As I'm sure you already know, today begins Phase Three of your training. As some of you might have guessed, we will now begin using magics in your training. Today we will focus on using magic in combat, and tomorrow you will learn summoning magic and use it in your first League match."
I don't bother trying to stop myself from grinning fiercely, and I see most of the others have the same reaction. Finally. We're finally getting to why we came here in the first place. Everyone else is smiling because they're excited to be able to try it out for the first time, but I'm more than just excited. I'm ready. They may have had me during the duels, but now it's going to be my turn. My specialty.
Finally.
"But first," Dumont says, raising a finger. "We must discuss why the League is what it is. So, let us begin with some history."
Dumont makes a faint gesture with his hand, and I feel power surge from him, wisps of white energy swirling from his fingers and condensing into a map of Runeterra next to him. He snaps his finger, and red lights start popping into existence and fading quickly all over the map.
"The Rune Wars," Dumont sighs, gesturing to the map. "Led by powerful mages called summoners, two major wars played out across Runeterra. City states and other factions vied for control over any and every holding they could set their sights upon, and the magical warfare was… horrific. Armies were ripped asunder, settlements engulfed in seas of fire and acid, and even kings fell victim as the very earth they so proudly ruled turned against them."
Dumont looks away for a second before continuing, clearing his throat as if it pains him to even talk about it.
"Something all of you should be keenly aware of, however," Dumont says, waving a hand at the map once again. "Is that magic always comes with a price."
That's when I start to notice the color of the spectral map of Runeterra has changed. Each red spot that flared to life to mark battles slowly faded, but some of the color remained. As I watch, the red starts spreading out, infecting the white areas around it. Soon, the entire map is bright red, shining iridescent light across the dim room.
"Just as auras develop around mages as a side-effect from calling up magical power, so too do spells actually have auras," Dumont continues, eyes sweeping around the room. "The auras around spells are invisible or contained within the actual framework, which is why it took us so long to realize what we were doing to Runeterra. With each spell we unleashed upon the land, slowly but surely, we were poisoning Runeterra with excess magical energy that it could not possibly handle. The energy of each spell, radiating outward, spread with each battle and wreaked havoc that couldn't possibly be undone."
With another flick of his wrist, the spectral image suddenly starts shaking, cracks appearing in it. A low, screeching sound comes from the particles, permeating all the way through my bones, and I shudder, almost putting my hands up to cover my ears. Everyone else seems as uncomfortable as I am, shifting in their seats and twitching as the screeching sound gets more and more intense.
"Earthquakes and storms of pure magical energy began to run rampant across Runeterra, and it became apparent to everyone that another Rune War would be the end of everything. The land we fought over would no longer exist. So, a conference of mages was called to come up with a solution. This is where the League was first conceived."
The map suddenly breaks into thousands of particles, shimmering for a brief moment before vanishing. The screeching disappears with it, and I feel myself relax, my muscles unclenching. Dumont steps to the middle of the room, looking over us slowly.
"At first, the only thing that was accomplished at these conferences was endless bickering. Eventually, one faction began to emerge that was pushing for what would eventually become the League as we know it. Many were terrified of these mages proposing a system led by summoners, the very people who were destroying the world. They were called by one mage a bunch of 'Radical Insurgents Orchestrating Tyranny.' The faction adopted that name to spite their critics, and became known as RIOTers. Soon, it became apparent that no other solution would work, and so the RIOT plan was given a chance."
"The first few iterations of the League," Dumont continues, his voice hard, "Were failures. The first attempt had summoners fighting in the aether realm. It was quickly realized that this simply would not work. City states and their people would never follow unnamed and unknown wizards, and the outcomes of the matches would never be honored. So, the idea of using champions was brought up. What was needed was not power, but a legend for the people to rally behind."
"However, this was not enough to please the people. In this aether battleground, this so called Field of Justice, it became apparent very quickly that it was anything but justice. Justice is fair, and war is not. For this to work, the league had to become something more than just a proxy battleground. It had to provide not just fairness, but entertainment to the people of Runeterra."
"And so, rules were created. Champions' abilities were turned into statistics that could be measured, and then weakened and strengthened accordingly. Mechanics were added to the Field of Justice such as minions that would grant gold and towers for each team. The League changed from a gladiatorial bloodbowl to a game that could provide fair and unquestionable decisions. War is not fair. The very purpose of the League was to remedy that. So, now conflicts are truly just a test of skill, and are made to be as fair as possible."
Dumont stops, looking around at us. He presses his lips into a thin line, almost as if considering his next words carefully. His eyes land on me, and I look away from his intense gaze, trying my best not to fidget in my seat.
"Let me be very clear about this next part," Dumont says, his voice ice cold and just as sharp. "There has been some recent criticism around Runeterra on just what sort of role summoners play in the League and if they are even necessary. I want to make it perfectly clear that without summoners, not only would the League not exist, but it would fail to function, destroying Runeterra. Summoners are more important part than even the champions. Anyone who says otherwise has clearly not thought things out.
His gaze finally shifts from me, and I suppress a shiver. I've heard the whispers he's talking about, and he's right, people have been talking. They don't understand why champions, supposedly so mighty and powerful, allow themselves to be controlled by summoners. I've always disregarded those whispers as a minority, but if even Dumont is addressing them now…
"It was tested," Dumont says, his voice ringing clearly. "On what would happen if the Shells and the Artificial Souls of the champions were created and let loose. The results were as you might expect. Every single match that had the same composition of champions ended exactly the same way ninety-nine percent of the time. Artificial Souls are only a snapshot of a champion, so it makes sense that they would behave the same exact way over and over again. They would never learn from a matchup or mistakes, so how could anything be different? They are simply mindless, soulless creations without a purpose."
"This is part of the reason why summoners are necessary. They provide the variable. With a summoner in the match giving instructions to the champion on what lane to go to, what items to buy, and when they are strong enough to take down an enemy champion, they act as strategists. They are the generals, giving orders to the champions they control. That is why summoners are necessary. Without them, nothing would change. It would be the same battle with the same results over and over again, the only thing changing would be the champions involved."
"It should be noted at this point," Dumont says, holding up a finger. "That summoners have one other job. They are responsible for creating the Shell of their champion and empowering it. As the match goes on, it is the responsibility of the summoner to provide the champion with the proper stats based on the champion's level and items. Other than that, they play no part."
"So, to sum things up, summoners are the strategists. They give the orders and provide the tactical intelligence. The champions provide the legend and combat experience. While the summoner tells the champion which lane to go to and when to pick a fight, it is completely the champion who does the actual fighting. Contrary to popular belief, the summoner does not control every sword swing or ability activated. That is the champion's role, not the summoner's."
"That is not to say that summoners play no part in combat. The job of the summoners is to give magical aid to the champions. As I said before, the aim of the League was to not just create a battleground, but to create a fair arena that the denizens of Runeterra could rally behind. So, summoners are give the responsibility of using magic to increase a champion's base abilities. The statistics in game of each champion, attack damage, ability power, attack speed, movement speed, armor, magic resist, health, and mana are all simply measures of how much aid in the form of magic is given to the champion.
Dumont chuckles for a moment, quickly clearing his throat.
"If a champion were to simply take one swing of a sword and fall dead, they wouldn't be very legendary, now would they? Not only that, but as I said, war is not fair, games are. With champions now having health bars that measure the amount of defensive magic before they die and other stats to measure the other magics helping them, battles become equal contests between the strategies of the summoners."
Dumont claps his hands together, giving a nod.
"So, with all this information, I'm sure everything you've been doing here begins to make sense, no?"
I feel my eyes widen involuntarily as Dumont smiles. Oh. Of course. If we're supposed to be the strategists, then we would need to understand every aspect of combat. That's why we've been training in hand-to-hand and weapon combat. It was to make us understand the combat the champions would be doing. I always just assumed that they wanted their summoners to be tougher and stronger than any other, to be part of the Noxian way.
"Judging by the looks, you've all begun putting it together," Dumont chuckles. "Sadon told you that you needed to be as strong as the champions you were controlling, but that's only a part of it. Knowledge is power among mages, even more so among summoners. Now that you've begun to know how fighting works at an intimate level, you will have a major advantage over the other summoners."
"So," Dumont says, clapping his hands together. "We will move on to the final phase of training. To truly understand what a fight with summoners backing you up feels like, you must participate in one. For that reason, your homework for tonight will be coming up with stats and abilities as if you were a champion. You will have the end of tomorrow to have all your stats and progressions approved by me. Please be aware that you will be practicing summoning enhanced shells tomorrow and will not have the whole day to come up with the stats."
"That is all for today," Dumont finishes with a nod. "Look at current champion's stat progressions and base yours off theirs if need be. Take this seriously, because Thursday you will fight as a champion and summoner in your first League match. Good luck, summoners."
Dumont turns on his heel and walks out of the room, leaving us in a fragile silence.
The nobles break it first, standing up and leaving the room quickly. I look at my allies, and blink in surprise as I see the stunned expressions on their face. I know that it's a little sudden to be asked to come up with abilities, but is it really that surprising? I mean, we are in a academy to learn how to be summoners. So, why do they look so shocked?
"Woa," Xander says, scratching his head. "Umm… is that even possible? To be the champion and summoner?"
"Yea," I say quietly, surprising everyone. "Instead of having the summoner's top down view, you just have the view of the champion with the HUD."
"HUD?" Molly asks, raising an eyebrow and turning in her chair towards me.
"Heads-up-display," I answer with a shrug. "It's what they call all the information the summoner can see like the map, champion stats, and stuff like that."
"Oh," Molly says, scrunching her eyebrows together.
Everyone remains quiet for a little longer, and so I slowly stand up, brushing off my skirt.
"I'm going to get started working on my skillset then," I say, moving towards the exit slowly. "If you guys need any help figuring out stats or anything just-"
"Aria!" Alex says suddenly, standing up quickly from his chair.
I turn to him, blinking in surprise. My eyes catch my other allies as I do, and they all look at me almost desperately or lost. Well, except for Devon. He just watches quietly like he usually does.
"I, uhh," Alex says, scratching his head and looking away timidly. "I think I speak for everyone here, so umm… do you think you could help us figure out our abilities and stats? I don't think any of us have a clue what any of that complicated stuff should be, so…"
"Sure," I say, smiling at him and rubbing my eyes tiredly. "Five other people besides me. We should be able to finish that pretty quickly. I mean, you guys have some idea of what we're supposed to be doing, right?"
They answer with with blank looks, and my smile slowly slips off my face.
This might take longer than I thought.
I walk towards Dumont who sits at one of the desks in the room with a stack of papers in front of him. He looks up at me, and smiles softly, gesturing for me to pull up a chair. I do so, placing my paper on the desk. He looks up at me with raised eyebrows, letting out a little huff of air.
"Best for last, I see?" he says, amusement echoing in his voice.
"The others wanted me to help them with their skill sets," I say tiredly, and he chuckles.
"Ah. I was wondering why it took you an entire day to get back to me. That also explains your classmates having such good papers, I suppose."
He grabs my paper from the desk and looks at it, eyes skimming over the words quickly. I look around the room in the awkward silence, looking for any little details in the stonework I might have missed before.
"What did you think of the Rift today?" he asks, and my gaze snaps back to him.
I open my mouth to answer, but I force myself to pause, thinking about it. Summoner's Rift, one of the major battlegrounds constructed by the league. For being a construction in the Aether, it felt surprisingly real, from the gentle river cutting the map diagonally in half to the different terrain of the three lanes, top, bottom, and middle. It felt surprisingly real, actually.
What really got me was the Nexus. Seeing the giant crystal floating in the middle of a seemingly bottomless pit, protected by two towers of stone right next to it. It was… beautiful. The crystals refracting light, and the giant crystal hovering in the middle of the large stone construction. It was… well, a dream come true, really, to actually be able to see the Rift in person.
"It was amazing," I say finally, shaking my head with a small smile. "It was a little weird getting used to the HUD blocking some of my vision at first, but after that… I mean, it just seemed so real."
"And the summoning technique?" Dumont asks thoughtfully. "Do you think the other students will be able to master it?"
"I… not right away, no," I say, sliding my eyes away. "It takes a lot of focus to maintain a spell in the back of your mind and still fight on a battleground. Even with the summoning orbs to help, it's tricky. Some of my classmates were sweating after just twenty minutes of exploring…"
"Hmph," Dumont sighs, setting down my paper. "I had the same assessment. I fear they will struggle when it comes to actually casting spells within the Rift too."
"Not that I'm saying they're weak or anything," I blurt out quickly. "It's just, summoners were never meant to create a shell and control it while keeping the connection to the League… it's just a little much for them."
Dumont nods slowly, then lets out another sigh.
"Enough about them," he says with a wave of his hand. "Let's talk about this."
He points to the paper, staring at me questioningly, and I feel myself tense up. Here we go…
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asks quietly. "These abilities you've chosen to be able to use in the League matches are quite… unique. I'm not entirely convinced this will work for you."
I try not to fidget too much, but I can't help it. The reason I turned in my paper at the last minute wasn't just because I was helping my classmates, but I also didn't know what abilities I wanted to pick. I mean, I had it figured out, but that was before-
A pang of hurt slices through my heart, and I swallow, my throat suddenly tight. I look at Dumont, trying to keep my face as steady as possible.
"I'm sure," I say, my voice steadier than I feel.
"Okay," he says, letting out a sigh. "Just be warned, having only skills of this type is… dangerous. Your classmates didn't hold back on the devastation theirs could wreck. If you're holding back-"
"I'm sure," I say, clenching my fists underneath the table.
Dumont looks at me, his eyes searching, but he leans back after a moment, gesturing at me vaguely.
"Very well. Your skills and stats are fine. I will see you on the Rift tomorrow, summoner."
I nod at him, and then stand, leaving the school room.
Tomorrow, it begins.
This may be a huge gamble, but it's not like I have a choice. Not after what's happened.
I just hope I haven't made a huge mistake, because I probably won't live long to regret it.