Tags: Quinn, Vayne, Slight Yuri, Drama, Supernatural. Beta Reader: Gmp1000
Karma certainly didn't feel overwhelmed very often. Being one of the wisest and most spiritually attuned people to ever grace the fertile soils of Ionia, if not all of Valoran had its perks. Her spiritual state tended to cultivate a tranquil mind and a strong heart capable of overcoming any challenge thrown in one's way and the Duchess' uncanny ability to gaze into the very nature of one's existence only seemed to further fortify the Ionian diplomat's mental fortitude. Causing the Enlightened One's perception of the world to sometimes transcend the poor limitations of the mortal realm that grounded lesser men and women.
An Oracle and a scholar, a pacifist and a public figure, a noble life blooming under the bloodied strife of the Noxian invasion of Ionia. The Enlightened One possessed a pure disciplined soul that endlessly radiated hope and determination.
And yet Karma's resolve was to be tested that fateful day. Her proud heart booming inside her ribcage even as her gaze remained calm and unfaltering, the Ionian Duchess intelligent brown eyes locked on the dark brooding figure of the one called the Night Hunter.
Karma shouldn't really be that surprised of course. The Ionia spiritualist had long since known of the traitorous darkness swirling around the tormented soul of the solitary vampire. The tainted black mist following the cursed huntress threatening to devour her very soul the moment Shauna would happen to let her guard down. But the hungry dark void she was witnessing oozing off the Demacian woman today felt entirely.. different. Where once existed black mist now swirled black clouds, covering Shauna's imminent surroundings in a thick blanket of nearly impermeable liquid darkness. The malice and hate previously locked inside the deepest corners of the noble vampire's mind and heart now flowing freely out of Shauna's pores in spiraling ebony torrents, dripping anger, leaking despair and spitting out other previously oppressed negative emotions that threatening to hide the sunlight and replace the oxygen in the air.
The dark flood was absolutely terrifying, its unseen swirls almost scaring off the most empathic of champions with their astounding intensity. Karma had already spotted Sona hurriedly leaving the crowded hallway, her usually compassionate gaze suddenly filled with terror and confusion after reluctantly walking next to Vayne.
The vast majority of the Institute's champions didn't seem to notice the black dreadful mist however. The legendary heroes of the League blatantly ignored its very existence as they casually strolled down the corridor and through the aura of dread, without even pausing to spare a single glance at the silent vampire leaning against the stone wall of the crowded hallway.
Karma remains silent, her gaze still locked on the Night Hunter, not even daring to blink as a part of the mist seems to thicken and solidify forming an exact replica of Vayne, complete with flowing wispy black hair and red merciless eyes staring at her quietly as if challenging her with its bloodthirsty glare. And the Ionian duchess has to bite her lips and remind herself that she is currently standing in a corridor under the protection of the Institute surrounded by magical beings and Summoners of immense power and not in an shady cemetery in the heart of the Shadow Isles as another misty dark figure seems to practically detach itself from the black hungry mist only to remain hovering over the solitary pale huntress' shoulder.
This particular shade is smaller, cruder and unrefined and Karma somehow recognizes it as a shard of the Eternal Nightmare, glaring at her silently through milky white eyes full of malice. The Enlightened One swallows trying to ease the sudden lump formed in her throat, her mouth abruptly dry as she takes a step forward towards the quiet, brooding figure of the infamous Night Hunter. An ancient mantra already leaving her full lips as the olive green tattoos inscribed around her left leg and back abruptly come to life, flaring green with mana and spiritual torrents of jade-colored energy.
Vayne, the real Vayne, not the angry shade currently seething in anger by her side, slowly turns and looks at her confusingly, her scarlet glasses perched on her forehead for once, revealing the cold crimson eyes of the vampire. The silver-tipped crossbow bolt loaded on her trusty wrist bow still aimed towards the floor for the time being.
Karma takes another threatening step forward and Vayne's eyes suddenly narrow dangerously. The fallen huntress is not actually a spell caster per se, but the Demacian noblewoman has long since learned to read the subtle signs of focused mana distribution and so she can somewhat recognize the unnatural flow of magical energies powering most offensive spells. An unknown, but necessary skill Vayne had been forced to pick up during her countless and almost fatal hunts for lawless shady cultists and evil witches preying on innocent civilians.
Another step and Vayne kicks off the stone wall and turns completely towards the mage in order to face the frowning Ionian female, a silver bolt casually slipping through the loading mechanism of her wrist bow and… is that another shade coming into existence? This one is similar and yet completely different from the other two. Its presence almost forces the Ionian woman to her knees. This shade is horrifying. Powerful and at least as ancient as the cruel Nocturne, the Eternal Nightmare himself.
The newly formed Shade smiles at her, that too bearing the pale visage of Shauna Vayne, but Karma is sure that its true form is quite different. A demon. No! A god of chaos is currently residing within the tormented Night Hunter, following the fallen Demacian noblewoman around for reasons unknown to the currently speechless Ionian Duchess. Karma feels her heartbeat momentary stop and the blood abruptly draining from her face as the first shade, the Shard of Nocturne and the Chaos God hovering behind the perplexed Demacian vampire just keep staring at her, a different inhuman emotion flaring behind each pair of lifeless eyes even as Vayne gazes at her curiously. A peculiar mix of confused agitation clearly evident on Shauna's pale frowning face.
"Karma, did Vayne do something to insult you? You are glaring at her as if you are about to slap her or something."
The Ionian Duchess almost jumps in fright, her slender neck nearly snapping as she instantly whips her head towards the voice of the curious newcomer with the speed of a spooked yordle. Gold and Blue garbs, compassionate amber eyes, another Demacian champion, Quinn is staring at her questionably.
"No…"
The word leaves her lips before Karma even considers the scout's question and Quinn smiles in relief, happily nodding at the wise Ionian duchess.
"That's good, I have to go now. I wish you have a pleasant evening Duchess."
"Yes, you too."
The polite response comes naturally to the Enlightened One's lips as Karma absentmindedly nods at Quinn with the ease of an accomplished ambassador that has evolved etiquette into an actual form of art. The Ionian's grim thoughts are still occupied by the dark swirling entities hovering around the Night Hunter even as Quinn nods and happily strides towards the invisible Chaos God, the two unseen shade demons and the visible pale and currently frowning vampiric noblewoman. Karma unfortunately proves too slow to stop the unsuspecting brunette girl from reaching the shades and the humanoid beast. Her dark-skinned hand shoots out and almost succeeds in grabbing the scout's wrist, whistling next to the other woman's sleeve before Quinn passes her by and smiles at the glaring Night Hunter.
"Hey, Shauna. You didn't have to wait for me long now did you?"
Karma's eyes widen in terror. The black-haired woman instantly whips her head towards the obviously angry vampire and the young Demacian ranger. Meanwhile the dormant magical power previously gathered around the Ionian Duchess' hands flares before diming and then fading completely as the distraction of Quinn's appearance unwittingly disturbs the Enlightened One's concentration causing the incomplete spell to harmlessly dissipate before forming before Karma's fingertips. The Enlightened One's heartbeat briefly stops when Karma realizes that this bitter failure has probably sealed the poor brunette woman's fate.
"No, I just got here."
Karma blinks once and then twice, her head tilting in a rare display of confusion. Because when Quinn reaches the moody vampire, the shroud of black mist surrounding Vayne suddenly seems to fade and the inky veil of dread abruptly weakens. The bloodthirsty mirror-shade of the pale vampire smiles kindly and then leans down to press a chaste kiss against Quinn's aura before disappearing completely. The fragment of the Eternal Nightmare explodes while screaming in hate and agony and the mysterious Chaos God swiftly retreats back inside Vayne's soul after sending the Enlightened One a small wink and a sly grin that exposes Shauna's pearly white fangs, the fake vampire's teeth aimed straight at her shocked visage like miniature ivory daggers. Karma has to practically force herself to gather her wits and somehow remind herself to keep inhaling and breathing.
The facial muscles of the actual Night Hunter stretch and twitch as the cursed black-haired woman leisurely approaches the innocent scout, the edges of her ruby lips subtly shifting with each lazy step as they struggle to form a faint… smile. Vayne is actually smiling at the young Demacian ranger. Shauna Vayne is smiling. Karma quietly wonders if she is just seeing things. Were the toxic fumes produced by Singed's underground lab experiments capable of reaching all the way to the surface and the common areas? Shouldn't they all be dead then by now?
"Let's go. I want to buy some bird snacks for Valor as a birthday present." The Demacian scout smiles as sun-kissed fingers gently wrap around a pale vampiric palm and Karma's raised eyebrows soon disappear beneath her black hairline when the dark malevolent aura that's always siphoning around Vayne dims even more before shifting.. subconsciously retreating as to avoid touching the brunette ranger's soft and warm appendage.
"Sure, if that means that your damn bird will finally stop pecking at my exposed fingertips..." The grinning Night Hunter grunts and the Enlightened One's eyes instantly turn the size of saucers when the huntress and the ranger casually stroll away from the dark crowded hallway and the empty summoning chambers and into the warm gentle sunlight of the Institute gardens.
Vayne doesn't seem bothered by it. She just keeps walking forward, the faint barely visible traces of the previously suffocating dark flood of negative energies now acting as some sort of dense barrier, shielding the crimson-eyed huntress from the warm golden rays of the sunlight.
Karma slowly swallows once more, the Enlightened One's throat suddenly dry. A shadow demon, a fragment of an ancient terror and a powerful chaos god, all of them inhabiting the soul of the same broken vampire. A broken vampire that can obviously walk under the sunlight and harbors feelings for a sweet innocent Demacian woman.
The Ionian's alarmed gaze keeps following the two young Demacian women as they slowly head for the town surrounding the Institute, the black unseen beacon that represents Vayne's soul still visible to only her own wide brown eyes. The faint glimmer of light encased in the black vile mist suddenly burns with blinding intensity when Vayne abruptly wraps one possessive arm around Quinn's shoulder blades. Karma can actually feel the red eyes of the mad god returning her glare from Shauna's turned back and the Ionian Duchess finds herself praying that no harm will ever come to the Demacian ranger that's keeping Vayne's darkness at bay. Or all of Valoran was certainly doomed.
Writer's Notes: Another unused scene from the Hunters series. This one refers to one of the possible endings where something happens to Vayne and she is stuck with multiple entities chained to her soul. Vayne uses her body and soul as a cage of sorts in order to contain the entities and protect the ones she loves.