(? – 12:30 PM – ?)
Claire opened her eyes, the park stretching in front of her, filled with trees, and people walking everywhere. Winter has passed and the cold winds were now gone as the spring kicked in with its warm heat.
Even if the park was filled with a lot of kids around Claire could feel it was calm atmosphere, she was sitting on the grass with a picnic basket at her left, already open with just a few paper napkins already used.
¨You chose a great day to make this picnic Claire!¨ A feminine voice struck into the Summoner's ears, it was a voice she didn't hear for some time. When she turned her head and noticed the person at her right with black hair and blue crystal eyes was her sister, Liz.
¨What? How are you here? You are still trapped in the Void!¨ Claire raised her hand and extended it to touch her sister's cheek, surprisingly it was real, she actually was there ¨I… I don't get it¨
¨The Void? What are you talking about? I was with you most of the time lately¨ Liz grabbed a sandwich from the basket and started to eat it.
¨So… Katarina, the fighting at the mall, Ralzith. They never existed?¨ The noxian Summoner was confused, everything that happened was just a dream, a dream she enjoyed up until her sister was kidnapped.
¨I guess¨ Liz was wondering what her sister was referring to.
The two of them kept eating for a while before they decided to go for a walk around the park, however they weren't on New York but that didn't seem to matter Claire, her sister was now safe and there was nothing else to worry about.
¨You know…¨ Claire turned at her sister who was holding her hand as they stopped by a pond that was not far from the picnic area ¨Someday you should play League, I think you'd like it. It has many characters you would like!¨
¨Is that the same one you scream about every night?¨ Liz asked innocently while the big sister was patting her head.
¨ Yeah… maybe you are not ready yet¨ They both chuckled now sitting in front of the pond ¨Although it was a dream, I would find it relaxing having Katarina here. She might've liked this¨
¨Who is Katarina?¨
¨She is… was a good friend. Would've liked to know more about her¨ Claire's face now donned a sad look, but that changed almost immediately as it turned into a smile once again ¨So, what do you want to do next?¨
¨Oh, you know… I want to kill you, pathetic Summoners¨ Claire blinked and shook her head.
¨I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What did you say?¨
Liz stood up and turned away from her sister ¨I said, that I want to kill all of you…¨ The little one whispered, and even though Claire was a bit far away the words were able to reach her ears.
¨Come on Liz, that ain't fun¨ The Summoner stood up ¨We should go back home¨ Claire touched her sister's shoulder and turned her. The next thing she noticed was that the little one was different, her eyes were now completely purple and they were glowing, a lot of lines were marked in her arms and face matching the color of her eyes.
¨You should be honored Summoner, your sister will be first one of her class, a hybrid between human blood and Voidborn blood. The fact that you were a Summoner made the process even easier¨ This wasn't Liz's voice speaking, it was now a male. Claire never met him in person but she could identify who that was.
¨Malzahar…¨ The brown haired was speechless. This place was actually a dream, or some sort of mind control that the Overlord had over her. ¨Give me my sister back, or else… ¨
¨Or else what? Even if you get prepared for the challenge in the Rift, I have many wild cards to be played¨ Liz (or Malzahar in Liz's body) lift off from the ground and started to float in front of the Summoner.
Claire was stunned, even if it wasn't the true form of the Overlord, he was using her sister as a way of communication ¨But… how did you knew?¨
¨It's fun how some people can spill all the information you need by torturing them with the right methods¨ Malzahar grinned in a malicious way ¨Since I have no other option I will have to accept the challenge¨
¨You will not succeed. I want my sister back!¨
¨Oh Summoner, you WILL have your sister back¨ Claire kneeled down in front of the laughing Overlord, she didn't knew exactly what kind of things Liz was going through right now ¨Accept your fate, all hope is lost¨
¨Claire…¨ A voice echoed everywhere around her, but it was hard to distinguish who it was
¨Summoner, let the Void consume your soul¨ The floating person was slowly moving towards the kneeled Claire, from his left hand a dark purple flame erupted, ready to kill his rival.
¨Claire!¨ The voice was again was echoing, still hard to identify whose voice was it but she knew it was from a woman.
As Malzahar was getting close, the right hand was used to raise the head of the Summoner while the left one was charging the flame it was holding ¨For the Voi-¨ The Overlord couldn't finish his sentence as the sky was now more brilliant than ever, both of them bathed on its white pure light.
¨CLAIRE!¨ For the third time, the voice echoed, however this time Claire knew who was the one calling her. It was Katarina coming to rescue her.
(March 1st 2015 – 9:10 AM – Claire's House, New York, Earth)
The redhead was shaking her Summoner who instantly woke up, her eyes were red as the tears were still falling down from her cheeks. The assassin embrace Claire, the latter was looking everywhere, it was her bedroom, Katarina was at her side and by the door it was Ralzith looking at both girls.
¨W-what… I… Liz…¨
¨It was a dream, you started to scream and we came to see that was going on¨ Katarina muttered, still hugging the Summoner who was shaking.
¨You were saying something about your sister… and Malzahar¨ Ralzith spoke from behind while the assassin released her friend.
¨It was… I don't know, it looked so calm, but then he appeared. It was… horrible¨
¨He can infiltrate into your mind, but hopefully he won't be able to read your thoughts¨
¨He is going to turn Liz into a Voidborn!¨
¨WHAT?!¨ Both Kat and Ralzith shouted in surprised.
¨He also knows about the challenge…¨Claire's voice trailed off, falling once again on the bed.
¨Then we must act fast. So far I've managed to understand the crystal and I do believe that with the right amount of magic we can use it as a portal¨ Ralzith walked towards the two girls and sat on the chair from the desk.
¨You still need a champion…¨ Katarina whispered.
¨Speaking of which, Nick and Matt have been looking for some time now and think they found something¨ Claire stood from the bed, and so did Kat and Ralzith. ¨Although It may be a bad idea¨
¨Claire, there are many things at stake, I don't care if we have to go to the Void itself to find my champion¨ Ralzith shook his head while Claire turned on the laptop that was over the desk.
¨Well, you may notice that there are a lot of champions in our world, and for some reason there is a huge amount here in New York. Remember what I told you about the Chrysler Building?¨
¨I…¨ Ralzith scratched the back of his head while Claire sighed.
The laptop was turned on, the noxian Summoner looked for some pictures of the Chrysler Building, the most recent ones showed the structure surrounded by ice and many people trapped inside of shards in the street while the police cars are blocking the path.
¨See? It's been a week since the building started to get `frozen´ trapping many people inside¨ Claire clicked on other pictures showing almost the same in each one ¨And it is slowly expanding…¨
¨That looks like true ice, the only people that are able to control it are the champions from the Freljord¨ Katarina leaned by the wall, crossing her arms. ¨And the only champion that can trap people like that is...¨
¨Lissandra¨ The three of them said at the same time and nodded.
¨Also, Nick sent me this picture yesterday at night¨ Claire pressed some buttons onto the laptop showing an image of a person trapped within the ice. It's blue hair crystallized was very noticeable, the dark blue armor with a few details made on leather were contrasted by some cyan lines that were emitting a dim light. On top of the ice prison four blades were attached as if they were trying to free the person inside.
¨That person, it looks very familiar¨ Ralzith whispered while getting his face closer to the screen.
¨It should be. That's Irelia, although… not her regular attire¨ Claire zoomed the image and showed that the Will of Blades was asleep.
¨So what's the plan, we go there and rescue Irelia?¨ Katarina attracted the attention of the two Summoners.
¨I guess, it's not that simple but if it's the only way¨ Claire shrugged, as those were the only options that they had available.
(March 1st 2015 –1:10 PM – Nick's house, New York, Earth)
Nick was heading towards his bedroom to check the cellphone, Leona was preparing the table since Matt, Vi and Cait were invited to have lunch with them. The house owner grabbed his phone and noticed that there was a call from Claire awaiting to be answered.
¨Yo¨
¨Yo? What- Nevermind, how are you Leona and you feeling today?¨
¨Good… Why'd you ask?
¨Hey, listen. Ralzith, Kat and I are going to the Chrysler building at five and we need everyone to be there¨
¨Wait… what?¨ Nick sighed from his side of the line ¨Claire, I understand that you want to rescue your sister but if we all get ourselves killed, no one is gonna save her¨
¨I know, I know… but what if the military decide to destroy the building when they discover that they are facing something that's not from this world?¨
Nick was silent, that was a possibility he never thought of ¨I'll… I'll tell Matt, you go contact Marie¨
¨Will do¨ From the other side of the line the noxian Summoner ended the call, leaving a complete silence in Nick's room.
¨So when are we leaving?¨ The voice of Caitlyn was heard from behind him who was leaning by the doorframe.
¨We are going… be there by 5¨ Nick covered his face, thinking that it was going to be a rough day.
¨You want me to tell them?¨ Caitlyn walked towards the Summoner and patted his back but he shook his head as they both walked down the stairs.
In the living room Matt, Vi and Leona were speaking about Valoran, the table was already served and the food prepared. When they looked that Nick didn't had the same face when he walked up they knew something was happening but before any of them could say something Nick lowered his head.
¨We… are invading the Chrysler Building¨ Caitlyn said with a grim tone, the rest of the people remained silent as the unexpected news struck them.
¨You are kidding right? That place is a fortress, without a proper plan we would get killed!¨ Matt stood from his chair, almost shouting.
¨Yo, pinkie is right. I wouldn't mind go in there and smash some faces, but other than that, it's just plain stupid¨ Vi crossed her arms in disapproval.
¨So what? We let Claire, Marie and Ralzith go in there hoping to get Irelia? If they don't return our world might as well be considered doomed¨
¨Well… it's Claire who's asking us to go, and Marie is our friend… but Ralzith tried to kill us twice…¨
¨Can you at least do it for me?¨ Caitlyn looked at her Summoner with puppy eyes.
¨Oh come on… don't do that to me, you know I can't say no when you do that¨ Matt was trying to look away but he knew that the sheriff was still observing him with the puppy eyes ¨Oh, God damn¨ He hit the table ¨Alright, we'll go… But please don't take advantage of that¨ Vi chuckled and punched the Summoner in the arm.
¨Doesn't my opinion matter at all?¨ Everyone turned at Leona who was quite silent since the beginning.
¨Uh… alright. What's it gonna be?¨ His Summoner asked, although the majority already agreed on going, if the Radiant Dawn refused, one less champion would make the things harder.
¨I'm going¨
¨…¨ Nick remained silent as he turned at Caitlyn who shrugged ¨Let's just finish here and go to each one's houses¨ The raven haired and the sheriff sat down by the table. ¨You know… if we succeed, we'll be one step closer to defeat Malzahar and save both worlds¨
¨You're saying as if we won't get through this¨ Matt muttered, munching on his food.
¨I'm being realistic. We have zero clue what we may find inside¨
¨Probably a bunch of ice dudes, a bitch-ass queen and troll with an icy club. Easy¨ Vi drank from her glass, she was too confident about the upcoming battle.
¨You think Lissandra gathered her army? I know a lot of people became her followers once she appeared to claim the Freljord, but that was in our world¨ Leona asked, she never travelled to the icy territories in Valoran but heard a lot about the conflict of the two (now three) tribes and how Lissandra's apparition affected it.
¨Considering a person made out of ice that can trap people in big shards, anyone would join her just to not get killed. At least, that's what I'd do if I didn't meet any of you¨ The piltovian Summoner pointed with his fork at Cait and Vi.
¨And there goes our brave Summoner…¨ The sheriff took a sip from her glass.
They kept talking, speaking little about the upcoming mission and focusing onto other topics such as what would they do once the Overlord gets defeated, but deep inside they knew that even if they avoided talking about their most recent objective, it would eventually happen.
(March 1st 2015 –5:20 PM – New York, Earth)
In front of them, the Chrysler Building stood with the banners of the Frostguard hanging outside. At street level, the floor was completely covered in ice, many cars were trapped in it as well as people who couldn't escape in time before the True Ice turned them into frozen statues. The temperature around the frozen area was colder than the rest of the city, and if it kept expanding then the entire New York would be covered in Freljord's ice
Claire, Marie and Ralzith were waiting on the rooftop adjacent to the building, Katarina and Thresh were there as well but this time there was another champion alongside them, the Twisted Treant was alongside his partner from the Shadow Isles and the Noxian, talking about this mission.
¨You sure that you told them it was this exact place?¨ Marie was overlooking the entrance of the building which was empty, no guards or anything outside.
¨Yeah, I called Nick again just to tell him that¨ Claire was walking from one side to the other trying to maintain the warmth of her body. Ralzith was at the side of the blonde looking at the huge building that served as HQ for the Frostguard.
¨I've saw many painting of Piltover and its structures, but I have to admit you people know how to build a city¨ Ralzith said, his face filled with amazement and fear.
Claire stopped walking and looked at the blonde Summoner ¨Marie, do you have a moment?¨ The girl nodded as both of them went the other end of the rooftop so none of the champions, nor Ralzith could hear them ¨I have to ask this, in case the whole rescue mission goes wrong. Do you hate us?¨
Marie was stunned, that question had many answers, before any of the Champions appeared she still hated them because she was left alone, but now they were friends again, although Thresh was trying to poison her mind with the wrong ideas ¨Why do you ask that? I don't hate you or anything¨
¨Good… because I still remember what we did and… I know it's too late but… sorry¨ Claire lowered her head, embarrassed after what she and her friends did years ago.
¨You're… you're being honest with me? Why would you have to say sorry?¨
¨Because I knew what we did was wrong. We knew you weren't that good at the game and we didn't say anything just to not hurt your feelings¨
¨So the wisest idea was to burn all the bridges between you and me…¨ She sighed and turned away, although a slight smile appeared on her face ¨I thought none of you would say that¨
¨I had to do it, and I needed to find the right moment to do it¨ Claire lowered her tone by the end as Marie turned back to the noxian Summoner.
¨All is forgiven…¨ The blonde turned her head at Thresh who was still occupied talking to the other two champions ¨There is something you need to know¨ She turned her head back to Claire ¨Thresh is planning something horrible, and he told me that if I don't help him I-¨
¨The boys arrived¨ Ralzith interrupted Marie who couldn't finish her important message.
¨Come on, you'll tell me what horrible thing Thresh is planning once we are done. Ok?¨
¨But… you are gonna-¨
¨Now we need to focus onto more pressing matters¨ Claire slightly pushed the blonde towards the new arrivals, Ralzith following them from behind.
The group was finally together, sort of. Leona was wearing some winter clothes and on top of it the golden armor that protected her, the shield and sword bearing the symbols of the Solari, still shining. Both piltovians were heavily clothed, especially Vi who was one of the front lines, Caitlyn on the other hand wore her traditional hat.
¨Uh… Marie… isn't that… Maokai over there?¨ Matt pointed at the tree who was looking at him, one of the saplings jumped from the tree's arm and landed on top of the Summoner's head, trying not to fall.
¨I'll explain a lot of things once we get out¨ Marie said while the pink haired grabbed the sapling and left it on the ground which started to run back to its father.
¨If… we get out¨ Everyone looked at Nick, his comment was not that positive at all ¨Come on, everyone is nervous about this¨
¨Yet, we shouldn't give up before going in¨ Katarina huffed.
Everyone got closer to the side of the rooftop that was facing the Chrysler Building. Nick was right, there was no plan but to rush in, rescue Irelia and get out, and that caused fear or just plain lack of confidence. Still, there were many things at stake, the fate of two worlds and Liz who was still a hostage in the Void.
¨So this is it…¨ Leona whispered
¨A month ago, we were just normal people playing our favorite game, and now the fate of the world depends on us¨ Claire muttered.
¨And waitin' here won't do anything. Let's roll!¨ Vi shouted as the group nodded. Heading towards their next big challenge.
And that next big challenge will be in the next chapter ;)
So university, other games and winter making me have a huge-ass cold took most of my time while writing this, but hey, here's for you to enjoy!
As a side (yet not important) note, I passed my Portuguese I final! :D
KyuubiNoPuma: I love the action.. Tho I secretly shipped Clarie and Kat.. tho now i'm interested in who Clarie has a crush on.. and the Vi bit made me laugh..
Will not lie, I had an idea for Claire and Kat but decided to keep the GarenxKat ship. You will know who is that crush... when the time is right, maybe it's a boy, a girl, maybe Tahm Kench ;)
Chapter done, week is over and just two more weeks until I have my vacations. Then more free time to write until I have to return to the university :(
This is it, enjoy, and it doesn't mather if you are enjoying Winter or Summer, I'll see you next chapter ;)