Yep, I'm not dead.

I've just been on a huge Manga reading spree and just didn't have much time in general, so please accept my apology, kind reader :3

Anyways, enjoy the Chapter!


With a deep breath, Narlou steeled himself and shoved the door open, walking into a dark room that was only dimly lit by some candles standing on a wooden table next to the entrance, the door behind him closing with a silent click. He stood still for a second, his heart pounding in his chest as he forced himself to calm down and observe his surroundings.

The room itself was quite small barely tall enough for him to stand straight, but the size didn't seem to reflect on the security of it since he could sense strong magic contained in the walls. The small entrance area was only a meter long as a row of thick metal bars divided the room into two parts. An old, rusty smell hung in the air so persistently that not even the smoke from the candles could fight it off. Besides that, there was no sound in the room, just heavy silence.

He couldn't even begin to imagine how boring and lonely it must be down here, cut off from the rest of the world with only your thoughts and silence to keep you company.

Shaking his head to get rid of those saddening thoughts, Narlou finally turned his attention to the only other person in the room. There, behind the bars was Katarina, dressed in a thin and dirty white shirt and some shorts, sitting against the wall with her eyes closed. Her hair was still as bloody red as he remembered, and there was still that deep scar over her left eye.

"Long time no see, Katarina." He whispered.

Just seeing her caused a wave of emotions to wash over him. He felt happy to see her again and he felt overjoyed that she seemed almost perfectly fine, but he also felt a crawling, suffocating dread flow through his body accompanied by suddenly overwhelming uncertainty.

He sighed, his fists clenching painfully until his knuckles were white and his arms were shaking. After another few seconds, he finally relaxed his hands and sat down in front of the bars, watching Katarina sleep quietly. Despite his sweeping emotions, he had to admit that she looked incredibly cute while asleep.

He let out a sigh as his thoughts went back to the reason why he was not yet waking her up.

He didn't want to tell her about Ethron.

It had been on his mind ever since he had made the plan to free her from Ionia, and he still did not know how to tell her, or if he even wanted to tell her in the first place.

He sat there for another few minutes, calming his mind by watching her peaceful face, but the longer he waited, the more anxious he felt about the whole thing. Eventually, not being able to sit still any longer, Narlou decided that he had waited enough.

"Hey, Katarina." His voice was gentle, but the trained assassin's eyes still snapped open immediately.

She just stared at him for a few seconds, blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes, until her sleep-clouded mind seemed to have realized who was sitting in front of her.

"Narlou?!"

She leaned forward with wide eyes, gabbing the bars and staring at the wryly smiling man in front of her.

"The fuck are you doing here?! Did they get you too?! Don't worry I'll get you ou-!"

"Katarina. They didn't get me. Calm down."

"Then why are you here?"

Narlou smiled as the champion slumped back into a sitting position, staring at him like he was a puzzle she had yet to solve.

"To get you out. I've made a deal with Karma to free you in exchange for a Noxian general."

"You gotta be joking, right?"

"I'm dead serious."

"I knew you were someone special from when I first met you back at the camp, but how the fuck did you even do that." She asked with disbelief, clearly not completely understanding what Narlou had just said.

Narlou shrugged, the mention of their first meeting bringing back the topic he wanted to avoid.

'It's now or never.'

"Hey, Kata. Before I get you out, there is something I need to tell you."

The woman behind the bars stilled, immediately picking up on his tone.

"Yeah?"

"Ethron is dead."

The words came out before Narlou could stop himself, the weight of what he had just said crashing onto them like a collapsed mineshaft. Katarina's face fell immediately, her brows furrowing and her eyes turning emotionless.

Narlou looked away, not being able to look at her anymore. He knew what was coming next, and he was absolutely not ready for it.

"How?"

He took a deep breath, gathering all his remaining bravery to spit out the words that he despised so much.

"I killed him."

He could have tried to sugarcoat it by saying that he was possessed by his own powers or by saying anything that would put the blame away from him, but he didn't. No matter what happened, he was the one who killed him, killed them in the end.

He felt his eyes water.

A silence so thick that one could cut it with a knife fell over them, and Narlou didn't dare to look up, waiting for whatever Katarina would do to vent her anger. He was absolutely not ready to face it, but he knew that he deserved it a thousand times over.

Eventually, he heard the shuffling of clothes as Katarina moved towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tensed his body, because no matter what Katarina would do to him, he would not defend himself.

"Look at me." The gentle voice of the assassin echoed through the room, but Narlou didn't.

His entire body tensed as a hand was placed on his head, gently stroking his hair.

"Narlou, look at me."

He finally looked up, red meeting green, and for a second that seemed like an eternity, everything became still.

"I forgive you." She ultimately said, staring deep into his eyes with such a warm kindness that Narlou found himself crumbling down like an unstable card house right in front of her.

Tears welled up in his eyes as the words gently forced themselves to the forefront of his mind, embracing it like a warm blanket. More and more tears kept fleeing down his cheeks until he couldn't take it anymore.

All the emotions, all the sadness and anger that he had built up during his time traveling was now flowing out of him in the form of thick tears and desperate, pathetic whimpers. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to do right now, and the only thing keeping him from completely breaking down was Katarina's gentle fingers running through his hair, keeping him afloat like a big ship on the stormy seas.

It took a few minutes for him to calm down, but once he did, he felt better than ever, as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Though, just because Katarina had forgiven him didn't mean that he had forgiven himself. He would still try his best to life a live that his friends would be proud of.

'No, not try. But succeed!'

"Thank you so much."

The champion gave him a blinding smile.

"Ethron had always been an amazing judge of character, and I trust that he knew what he was doing when he started training you."

Narlou barely knew Katarina, but in that moment, he felt as if he had known the woman for a lifetime.

They sat there for another few minutes, just enjoying the silence, before Narlou eventually sighed, moving to stand up.

"Well then, shall we get you out of here?"

Katarina nodded, and a knock on the door later caused Karma to step into the room, two small heads peaking in from behind her. Slowing to a halt in the middle of the room, the leader simply stood there, looking between him and the assassin with an emotion he couldn't quite place.

"Lady Karma?"

She blinked once before giving him a small smile.

"I apologize, I was just in thought."

Turning to Katarina, Karma scanned her from head to toe with searching eyes until she also gave her a small smile.

"It seems as though you are done. I trust that you will not misbehave, Katarina?"

Said woman nodded obediently, and without any delay, karma summoned up some mana, lifting the bars that kept the champion confined.

"Come here." Karma said, and Katarina stepped in front of her, holding up her left arm on which a small bracelet was attached.

A small mana-filled touch later caused the bracelet to fall down, and Narlou watched closely as the read haired woman stretched herself, moaning in satisfaction as her bones cracked in place.

Despite the previous emotional rollercoaster, Narlou couldn't help but feel his blood rushing to certain places as Katarina's stretch gave him a perfect view of her breasts pressing against the tight fabric of her shirt.

He quickly turned his reddening face away as Katarina stopped stretching, hoping that she had not noticed him staring.

"Damn it feels good to finally have mana again."

"I can imagine that. Here you go." Karma said, handing the other woman a set of cloths that looked suspiciously like her old ones that she wore during the war.

'Where did she get them from anyways?'

"Thanks. Can I change somewhere?"

"Of course. Follow me."

They all followed after the leader of Ionia as she led them back up to where the other cells could be found.

Watching the leader of Ionia casually stride through the hallways as if a Noxian champion was not walking directly behind her made Narlou realize something.

He had no idea how strong Karma really was. He knew that Champions were on another level, but he couldn't even feel a tiny bit of the woman's power, which meant one of two things. She was either extremely good at hiding her mana, or she was so powerful that he could not even perceive her strength with his current level of power.

He shuddered at that thought.

'Thank Targon she didn't participate in the war.'

They finally stopped in front of a small room with a wooden door, and Karma turned around to face them.

"The guards normally change here, but no one is there right now so you can use it."

Katarina nodded, opening the door, and stepping in only to turn around at the last second.

"Make sure nobody comes in. Except for you Narlou, you can always watch me change if you want."

The seductive smirk that followed had Narlou's heart racing. He would have definitely taken her up on that offer, but the surprised looks from the brothers and the presence of an amused leader of Ionia made him stay in the end.

"N-no thanks!"

"Your loss." Was all she said before slipping in, leaving them alone in the empty hallway.

A short awkward silence stretched between them before Karma spoke up again.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you two champions?"

Narlou stiffened, opening his mouth to lie his way out of this, but before he could do so, the brothers were already talking.

"Yes, we are! Though I'm obviously the stronger one."

Karma let out a small chuckle as Yone rolled his eyes, turning to face Narlou who was watching them with anticipation. Champions were very desired, so he rather wanted to be careful, especially considering their age.

"You must feel very proud of them, knowing that your brothers are champions, but you don't have to worry, I promise as the leader that they will be safe here in Ionia."

He nodded with a relieved smile.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Katarina stepping out of the room, immediately striking a pose as Narlou turned to face her.

"How do I look?"

"Very g-good." He stuttered out, a bright blush forming on his face as he quickly looked away from Katarina's much too tight clothes.

'Why the fuck do I always stutter when this happens?!'

Luckily, he was not alone, as a quick glance at the brothers showed Yasuo to be blushing bright red, and even Yone was blushing a bit, avoiding looking at Katarina.

"As amusing as you are, I still have a lot of things to do. Let's not waste any more time."

Narlou spent the walk back to the office filling Katarina in on what happened while she was gone until they reached it, but before they could enter, Karma stopped them.

"Would you mind waiting out here for a few minutes? I Would like to talk with Katarina in private."

The three just nodded, and as soon as the door closed behind the woman, Yasuo turned to him, a questioning look covering his face.

"Are you two more than just friends?"

It was a serious question from an innocent person, but Narlou blushed, nonetheless.

"We are nothing more than friends. She is like that to everyone. I think."

"But she was offering only you to watch her change."

"That's because you are still kids."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am already very mature!"

"Sure, you are."

"You as well Yone?! This is two against one, that's not fair!"

They continued to bicker back and forth until the door opened, Katarina and Karma walking out.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, approaching them with a smirk.

"Nothing important!" Narlou was quick to answer, making the champion smile mischievously.

Not wanting to get teased again, Narlou quickly changed the topic to a subject that did not end with his face as red as Katarina's hair.

"So, what are your plans now that you are released?"

"I'm gonna go back to Noxus. There is someone that I need to pay a visit."

Narlou's face immediately fell, having hoped to spend more time with Katarina, but he quickly accepted that she had her own mission and instead gave her a smile.

"Nawww, don't be sad!" She cooed with a pout, pulling the young man into a tight hug, purposefully pressing his face into her cleavage. "Once Boram is dead, you have to come and visit me!"

"And you two, please take care of this cutie while I'm gone!" Katarina said as she released Narlou, ruffling through the brothers' hair with a smile.

"I will bring Katarina to the gate, so please excuse my lack of manners, and take this. You can do everything without having to pay as long as you show this. Please rest somewhere, and I will send someone to get you as soon as I have made my decision regarding Riven." Karma said, pressing a small jade coin into his hand.

"Bye! Stay save!" Katarina shouted as she and Karma went out of vision, leaving the three of them waving after her.

Once she was completely gone, Narlou took a closer look at the jade coin with interest. Back in the mines, when he was still just a child, Narlou had always dreamed of what he would do once he had as much money as he wanted, but now that he could actually spend money without a second thought, he barely felt any excitement.

'Money can't buy me my friends back.'

He shook his head with a sad smile.

"Let's go look for a place to sleep for the night." Narlou eventually said, receiving a nod from the brothers, and they went outside to look for a comfortable looking inn while Narlou mentally recovered from getting his face sandwiched between the breasts of a very attractive woman.


Karma was once again sitting at her desk with the sun still just rising behind the trees, going over papers ranging from updates about the situation with Noxus to complains about a guard having harassed an old woman. Meanwhile, stacks of unread papers covered the rest of her desk, promising boredom, and a big headache that she was definitely not looking forward to.

"Who would've guessed that the mighty leader of Ionia would be defeated by bureaucracy." The woman muttered as she reached for another stack of papers, placing them down in front of her with a thud.

She loved her job and this nation dearly, but sometimes she just wanted to put everything away and rest for a few days.

The sound of footsteps approaching her office made her perk up, and her brows furrowed as she identified more than just one pair of them rushing in her direction at a fast pace. A few muffled shouts and some rumbling later, Karma's door sped open, an out of breath Irelia standing in her doorway.

"You can't just go into lady Karma's office without permission! Please understa-!"

The guard was cut off by Irelia sending him a look that could freeze the Shurima desert with its ferocity, a tiny whine instead escaping his throat as he backed off, almost stumbling over another unconscious guard on the floor.

"It's alright, she can come in." Karma said with a sigh, secretly happy that someone was distracting her from the tedious work, even if it was an angry looking Champion with a known temperament.

The door closed behind Irelia, and a short silence fell over them as their eyes locked.

"How can I help you?" The older of the two finally asked, pushing the stack of papers aside to rest her elbows on the table.

"Why didn't you wake me up immediately?"

Already being used to Irelia's straight to the point attitude, Karma answered without delay.

"Because you need as much sleep as you can get."

It was a cheap excuse, but Karma couldn't just tell her that she didn't have the nerve to deal with her yesterday. Well, she could, but then the stacks of papers wouldn't be the only source of the headache.

"We got Duqual for fucks sake! You should've informed me immediately instead of just sending me a letter which you knew I would only read the next day since I was asleep."

Karma could only smile sheepishly.

"Well, now you know."

"Ugh, whatever. At least tell me who it was so I can go and thank them personally."

Karma's expression turned into an awkward smile.

"Err, about that. The person said that it's fine and that he doesn't need any compensation."

"So, it's a man." Karma heard Irelia mumble, holding herself back from rolling her eyes.

The woman was probably already planning on finding him no matter what she would tell her.

"What does he look like?" Irelia immediately asked, confirming her theory.

A sudden idea popped up in Karma's head, making her smirk.

"Hmm, I don't remember. What a shame! I only remember that his name was Narlou."

Irelia gave her a long look, and Karma only smiled back innocently.

"Well then, I better go look for Narlou. See ya!"

She dashed out of the office without another word, leaving a snickering Karma behind. She would give her about half a day before she would come back, begging for more information. Information that she could not and would not provide, since Narlou had made it pretty obvious that he wanted to stay anonymous.

A sudden thought made her frown though. She knew how obsessed Irelia was with paying people back, and while Narlou had seemed like a really nice and genuine person, she still couldn't just trust him based on the few interactions they had.

"I'm going to talk to her once she comes back." Karma eventually decided, not liking the idea of Irelia forcing herself to do things that she didn't want to do just because she felt like she needed to pay Narlou back.

With a nod, Karma went back to work, the headache already forming.


"This woman never fails to make my life more difficult." Irelia mumbled under her breath as she walked out of the building, easily blending into the crowd of people that were wandering the streets of the city.

She wanted… no, needed to find this Narlou person. She had to at least thank him for what he had done. Never in a hundred years would Irelia have expected that someone would actually find and capture the man. He was a Noxian general, sure, but he was pathetically weak in comparison to other generals, so the chance of him just dying somewhere without her knowledge had been uncomfortably high.

So, when she had read Karma's letter about his capture, she had been happier than ever before. Irelia's first impulse had been to immediately go to Duqual's cell and let out all of her built up frustration and anger on him, but something had stopped her. And that was none other than herself.

From even before her family had been killed, Irelia had always been a fair and kind person, helping people who needed help, standing up for the weak and, of course, paying back what others did for her twofold. Now, after the death of her family, she lived by those values more than ever.

Repaying Narlou, no matter what kind of person he was, stood at the top of her priorities, and no matter what Karma said, she would do everything in her power to bring this man just as much happiness as he had brought her.

But to do that, she first needed to find him.

Her thoughts went back to the conversation with Karma. She had told her next to nothing about this man except for his name. He could be a resident of this city, or he could be a traveler, which would make more sense considering that barely anyone has left the city these days for obvious reasons.

Going with that information, she could conclude that Narlou was currently living in one of the inns if he didn't leave immediately after delivering Duqual, but Irelia found that to be highly unlikely since Karma would have told her so if that was the case.

Now, knowing where he could be living right now was already a good start, but there were still two big problems. The first one was that she still didn't know which of the inns he was in, and she couldn't just go around and ask for someone named Narlou in every inn. She was a champion, so people were bound to ask questions if she did that, and she would rather avoid that.

The second problem was that he might not even be in an inn at the moment. The sun was still just rising after all, so he could already be out doing something else, and Irelia knew better than to search for someone that she didn't even know the looks of in a huge city like this one. She was a warrior, not a spy.

All things considered, Irelia was only left with one option, and that was to go back to Karma and ask for more information.

But Irelia was nothing if not stubborn.

"I'll at least try to find him before going back." She decided, walking to where she knew the nearest inn was.

"Just you wait Narlou. I'll find you and repay you, even if it's the last thing I'll do."