Things got slightly better between them after a brief night's rest.

He had managed to convince Kuvera to let them eat on the roof of the Palace of Dreams instead of the lobby, in exchange for yet another dozen coins. They had to bring their own dining rugs and utensils, but the spectacular view of the rising sun made it all worth the trouble. Sitting on the ledge, Ezreal spreads his hands; letting the gentle breeze wash over his hair.

"This is quite refreshing isn't it? Kind of reminds me of home. Had a private studio apartment in Piltover, the only thing that place was really missing was room service. Gods, I miss waking up on the top of the world every morning."

"Hm."

Kai'Sa interrupts herself to devour a piece of dried peach. At the rate she consumed fruits, Ezreal was going to have to visit the market yet again when night came. And the vendors were already starting to recognize the rich foreigner buying baskets worth of peaches every night.

"Don't you ever get bored of those?'

"No."

"I don't know, eating only fruits doesn't sound too healthy - maybe you should get some protein."

"Protein?"

Triumphantly, the explorer revealed a plate of fried eggs he had cooked in the downstairs kitchen; and nearly dropped on the way up the stairs. Despite his best attempts, most weren't circular; a result of his hubris. Cooking five eggs in one frying pan was not the best of ideas. Then again, he had to make her feel better somehow.

"Well?"

"They are quite deformed." Kai'Sa poked one cautiously, using her fork to lift up one that looked suspiciously like a heart. "Are you sure they are edible?"

"I mean if your second skin can purify mummy water, surely it can purify eggs right?"

While the huntress didn't look convinced, she gave him the honor taking a single small bite: and even a little nod. The growing pit in his stomach filled a little bit with relief.

"Are they good?"

"I have had much worse."

"Oh."

"Your effort is appreciated."

It was kind of nice, sitting side by side with a friend and forgetting the world-ending disaster on the horizon. The sun had finally crested Zuretta's walls, bathing the entire city in a radiant glow. Chickens began to sing, while messenger birds took off into the air for places unknown.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Ezreal retorts with his usual smirk, brushing aside his shock. "Totally fine."

Kai'Sa leans back; visibly relieved. For as apathetic and cold as she was, Ezreal could have sworn it was because of him: and not because of the fact she didn't have to wear ten layers of clothing just to walk out of their room. Was that delusional?

"You know what you remind me of? Jawbreakers."

"What?"

"A type of Piltovan candy my Uncle used to buy. Really bitter on the outside, but sweet once you got through to them. I loved eating them when I was a kid - looking back, they're quite expensive for candy."

"..."

"Don't take it the wrong way, it's a - uh - compliment."

"I know that."

Despite her voice remaining dead even, her expression turned a little softer for a second. Ezreal thinks he's off the hook: until she returns to being the wall of ice. One cold enough to make the Frejlord feel warm.

"You're still mad, aren't you?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh come on - it was one time!" He retorted jovially, waving off her concerns with a smile that was only half fake. "Look, I have the gauntlet. If anything goes back, I can just blink away. What's the Void going to do? Fly over into Zuretta?"

"The Void is not a joke."

"And I'm not saying it is, but I can handle myself -"

"You say that, but I have yet to see you fight on your own."

"W-what do you mean?"

"The bandits? The Xer'Sai?" Kai'Sa casually bit through the last bit of peach. "You are no fighter."

Her words slam into his ego, sending bits of it flying across his subconscious. She probably didn't even notice, a blunt weapon swinging without regard for who it hurt. Ezreal isn't even able to get another word out as the huntress returns to her third bag of peaches, his hand flopping weakly onto his lap.

"I mean, you're not - wrong."

For a split second, Kai'Sa looked concerned at his shift in tone. Ezreal quickly hid it behind a smile only half-forced, fiddling with his thumbs and counting the cracks on Zuretta's walls.

"Tell me - the Voidborn you killed. Was it dangerous?"

"Not really, Rengar did most of the work. He's a demigod by the way, which is why he was able to take down the Voidborn so easily. I did help a bit, but it was mostly me staying out of his way."

"Is this Rengar the one hunting me?"

"Well duh, who else could it be? Another silent hunter who just so happens to be in Zuretta? It even makes a bit of sense, Rengar kills animals, gets your attention, baits you out to the outskirts and ambushes you."

"Hm."

"Exactly. So, any response to that?"

"I have fought worse."

Sometimes, Ezreal wondered if Kai'Sa still had a self-preservation instinct. If it was present, it was off. Her complete apathy to danger was an admirable yet utterly frustrating trait.

"Well - let's go find him."

"Why?"

"What? Are you really going to walk up to Rengar and fight him on your own?" Ezreal huffed incredulously. "Well, knowing you, you might - but I'm not. We're a team - and I'm not going to let you off that easy."

"Besides, how hard could it be to find a demigod?"

Despite being twice the size of a normal person and carrying around the skulls of a hundred dead creatures, Rengar was surprisingly difficult to track down.

After a whole morning spent running around, Ezreal was all too eager to take a break, finding a secluded tower on one of Zuretta's walls. Even with the huntress' excellent senses, the demigod had seemingly disappeared from the city. And if yesterday was any indicator, asking around Zuretta was not the best of ideas.

They had hit a dead end.

"Man." He says between swigs from his half-empty canteen. "This Rengar guy knows how to hide."

"What are you trying to prove?"

The question catches him off guard. Ezreal stumbles for an excuse. "Prove? Prove what? Why would I be trying to prove anyone? I'm already Number One, what else is there to look for?"

"Hm.

Kai'Sa spares him one last look, as if seeing through his mask - before returning to watching distant caravans travel across the desert horizons. It takes a long time for Ezreal to do the same.

The view of the Great Sai was spectacular, sand and stone awash in the orange light of the sun. Groups of trader caravans clustered around one of the less empty oases, crystal clear waters reflecting light like liquid diamonds. He closed his eyes and smelled the crisp air, bereft of any of the city's dust and musk.

"You know, I don't actually know where you came from. You never told me."

"I am Shuriman."

"I know but like; from which village or city? You have lived in the same world as ordinary humans, right?"

"Hm."

"Oh come on, I've told you all about Piltover - ever heard of quid pro quo , the law of equivalent exchange?"

"Why do you want to know so much?"

"Well, seeing as I have traveled everywhere, I probably have been there. Besides, what's the harm in it?"

When even that didn't break through her armor, Ezreal gave her his best impression of puppy-eyes. Somehow, that worked far better than words did. After another long pause, Kai'Sa sighed in defeat.

"Narjah. A small village in the south."

"Oh? Never heard of it. We should totally visit sometime - maybe you can show me around."

With unnatural speed, the girl's expression darkened. Her voice turned bitter, filling with spite.

"There is nothing left to visit. The Void destroyed everything."

Ezreal didn't exactly know how to respond to that. He kind of fumbled for words, giving the girl a pat on the shoulder. Her armor rose to meet his hand: scales rustling at his touch. Purple on black, it glowed with burning hot plasma: Ezreal quickly snatched back his hand to avoid a potential burn.

"Your armor is glowing. Like, more than usual."

Kai'Sa rose from her seat as if she had not heard him, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"The Void is near. Very near."

"What, here?" Ezreal instinctively glances over in the direction of the dried oasis. "In Zuretta? Are you serious?"

Silence.

"Well, if we are doing this, I need a second to prepare and everything -"

"You are not going."

"What? Why not? This could be another trap by Rengar to bait you out-"

"All the more reason that you should not be there to hold me back."

Ignoring the harsh rebuttal, Ezreal pressed on. "Think about it, we can work together-"

She looked his way coldly, cannons pivoting over to shoot down Ezreal's hopes of coming along and maybe leading her away from Kog'Maw. The force behind her harsh glare alone would have been enough to level Zuretta.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?"

"... No."

The huntress silently disappears into thin air, only the thud of her landing on the walls indicating that Kai'Sa was even present in the first place. Ezreal fiddles nervously. He was confident that the huntress could take down the big cat easily, but that didn't stop the explorer from worrying.

"She can handle herself." He sighed. "It's Kai'Sa, she can handle anything."

"Kog'Maw? Are you still alive?"

A bark answers his prayers.

Wagging its little tail, Kog'Maw practically jumped for joy as it emerged from the bushes. Ezreal pushed past a stray branch, patting the creature as it nuzzled at his leg: careful to not drop any of its acidic spit. Its skin felt smooth and soft for a raging Voidborn, reminding him of rubber.

"Damn, you really are one big softie huh?"

The creature rolls to its side as the explorer rubs its chin, squeaking out what sounded like the Void equivalent of laughing. A splash of acid gets on his skin, causing the explorer to wince as the area turns an ugly shade of red.

"Crap!"

Kog'Maw rolled off at the noise, chirping frantically as Ezreal washed off the wound with his canteen. The explorer reached out a non-injured hand; only for Kog'Maw to warily take a few steps back. It was afraid of hurting him.

"Hey buddy, it's ok. Accidents happen."

It looked down at the sandwich, sealing off its caustic tongue. Only when Ezreal took a few steps back did the creature have the courage to reveal its second mouth, panting like a little dog. A look behind the creature revealed a small 'nest' made out of twigs and melted dirt, shaped exactly like the round little Voidborn.

"Wait, I have an idea."

Ezreal blinks backwards, reaching into the backpack that he had brought. Kog'Maw chirps in confusion, but its eyes light up when it sees a wrapped sandwich. The creature reaches out its tongue, but Ezreal hides it behind his back. As he predicted, the Voidborn blinked: chirping in confusion. Looks like object permanence didn't come with whatever education the Void gave its creations, if any.

"I want you to do something for me first." The explorer makes sure to keep the gauntlet charged with a Trueshot Barrage, in case Kog'Maw decided to try anything irrational. "Then you get the food."

With his free hand, he tosses a rock - only for the dust to blow harmlessly across the oasis. Ezreal blinked.

"W-what?"

He tries again, this time watching his pet. With surprising speed, Kog'Maw fired a wad of slimy spit: vaporizing the rock with the air of a sharpshooter. Bits of acid were all that was left of the pebble, steam sizzling from the sand. For something so goofy, Kog'Maw was far from a pushover. A pang of nervousness rings in the back of his mind: if Rengar took down this thing on his own, what did that say about his power?

A chirp. The Voidborn pushes at his leg, wagging its tail excitedly.

"Uh, wrong. No food."

Kog'Maw chirped again, more insistent.

"Ok, one more time. You take rock, I give food. Got that?"

Did it even understand him?

With a nice kick, Ezreal juggled a rock into his palm. He reels back and throws it further: Kog'Maw's spit wads barely missing the spinning rock. Changing its strategy, the Voidborn aimed skywards: the artillery raining down and shaking the ground with every impact. By the time the explorer could find the courage to peek from behind his hands, one side of the oasis had been reduced to a sizzling series of craters.

"Ok, fine. Maybe it's better if I show you."

Ezreal blinks over, picking up the rock, and quickly returns. He mimes out eating the sandwich; getting Kog'Maw's undivided attention. The wide-eyed Voidborn purrs curiously as the explorer repeats this a few times, before a lightbulb visibly goes off in its head.

"Like that. No shoot, only take. Got that?"

To his delight, Kog'Maw 'nods' - moving its whole body up and down.

"Alright - Fetch!"

This time, the Voidborn immediately takes off - short limbs flailing as it chases the soaring rock across the clearing. Ezreal laughs as it trips, before quickly scrambling to its feet and chasing after the pebble. The Voidborn returns panting, waddling triumphantly over to set the slime-coated pebble down at his feet. As promised, Ezreal tosses the sandwich over; which Kog'Maw gratefully devours in short order.

"Are you seeing this destiny? I can totally handle the Void."

His new pet lurches forward: regurgitating dozens of nearly identical pebbles.

Turning pale, the explorer backs away as the creature looks to him expectantly. Ezreal knew for a fact that he did not have enough sandwiches to feed this thing's ravenous appetite; surely Kog'Maw understood the concept of delayed payments.

"Well this is awkward."

Thankfully, Kog'Maw's attention was diverted; pulsing a color eerily similar to Kai'Sa and her armor. The Voidpuppy pointed its body towards the heart of Zuretta: growling and dripping acid. Spines on its back raised, bulbous eyes crackling with plasma.

"Huh?" He pushed at the Voidborn, remaining eerily still. "You ok?"

Before Ezreal could do anything about it, Kog'Maw was back to normal: wagging its tail and panting like nothing had happened. The explorer's brow curled in confusion, taking a few steps back from his new pet.

"Huh. That was - weird."

The pieces begin to fit into place. Voidborn could both sense other Voidborn, meaning that they were all somehow connected. Clearly Kai'Sa wasn't sensing Kog'Maw earlier, because if she did then the Voidpuppy would have been long dead by now. Ezreal clenched his gauntlet in concern, and not even Kog'Maw's nudges could distract him from his thoughts.

What were Voidborn were they both sensing inside of the city?