Chapter 3

Mitna Rachnun

"Milord, you can't just gag the child whenever he cries." Said Keira as she saw that Moxxie, once again, held a gag on his mouth as he cried for attention from either Mordekaiser or Keira from his crip. Mordekaiser, laying on his throne, simply looked at Keira.

"I see no reason to remove it when the child is acting this way." Said Mordekaiser as ignored the child's attempt for attention. "The child is acting out of line and must be taught a lesson. Simple as that." Keira just shook her head at that, disagreeing with her lord.

"Milord, a newborn is not like a warrior or soldier under your command." Said Keira. "They require more attention and affection than a grown adult needs. They lack the understanding and common sense that those under your rulership know. The same can be said about loyalty. The loyalty of a newborn is fickle. He won't understand what you're doing right now is for their betterment. He will only see it as you ignoring him and thus cause him to resent you. And resentment can lead to thoughts of rebellion and treason. Do you wish that for your only spy for that new realm to be easily persuaded to turn on you?"

Mordekaiser pondered on that before ultimately agreeing with Keira, seeing her point.

"Very well." Said Mordekaiser before removing the gag magically, allowing the baby's cries to be heard fully. Upon hearing that, Mordekaiser resisted the urge to cover the child's mouth before grabbing him and holding him. Looking at the child, Mordekaiser can see that he was crying for nourishment. Ordering Keira to go and get some food from the stores. Once she left, Mordekaiser held the child close to his chest, causing the child to hold a part of his armor for comfort. As he did so, Mordekaiser hummed to himself as he wondered how to take care of this child now that he can't punish him as severely as he was used to.

Five years later

"Daddy! Daddy, look what I made!" Yelled a five-year-old Moxxie as he ran towards Mordekaiser as he sat upon his throne, silently judging those that came to his realm from afar. Looking down upon the Imp, Mordekaiser processed what he saw in the Imp's hands. It looked like a crudely drawn image of him and the Imp together, holding hands. Behind them was his Immortal Bastion, the one back on Runeterra.

"What is this?" Asked Mordekaiser as he looked at the drawing in the Imp's hands. The Imp, rather than answering, gave Mordekaiser the drawing, to which the Iron Revenant did after some prodding.

"It's a drawing I made for you." Said Moxxie as he looked at Mordekaiser with a smile. Mordekaiser simply looked at the crude drawing, pondering what to say. On one hand, this was a pathetic drawing that deserved no praise, even if he was a child, and he wished to say so to the Imp, but on the other hand, it may cause the boy to resent him and that was something that Mordekaiser wished to not occur with his future spy. And because he allowed the Imp to call him father, something that Mordekaiser kept telling him not to, but the Imp kept doing so, what he had to say held more effort on the Imp than anyone else. It also didn't hurt that Keira suggested allowing Moxxie to do so in order to further cement his loyalty to him. Eventually, he decided to speak the truth.

"It's a poor drawing." Said Mordekaiser, causing Moxxie to look at him in shock and hurt. Before he could say anything, Mordekaiser spoke up again. "But it's a fine start for a future artisan." Looking down at the now confused Moxxie, Mordekaiser spoke up. "You have the potential to be a fine artisan, Moxxie. Practice the arts and, in time, you will become someone that the masses will love. I assure you of that." Upon hearing that, Moxxie teared up in happiness before running over and hugging Mordekaiser's leg. As his tail wrapped around Mordekaiser's leg, Mordekaiser felt something within him that he held no knowledge of. Squashing it down, he went back to silently judging his realms' newest arrivals.

Another five years later

Moxxie

"Dad, I want to go." Said Moxxie as he glared at Mordekaiser, who glared right back.

"I forbid it." Said Mordekaiser as he looked upon the Imp upon hearing his ridiculous request. "The realm of the living is not prepared for someone like you. They will lynch you and kill you for your appearance, especially this Demacia." Moxxie groaned before trying to convince his dad about it being a great birthday present for him. His tenth birthday was soon and he wanted to go out and see the living realm. To see how they live and if it's anything like the stories that the other denizens of Mitna Rachnun tell him about. Mordekaiser and his Deathsworn always said it was a land of ignorance and fear of the dead, but Moxxie wanted to see it for himself. To see why his dad, cared so much about ruling the living as well as the dead. Yet Mordekaiser was refusing to let him go.

"But, dad…" Moxxie was then interrupted by Mordekaiser, who gathered dark green energy in his left hand.

"I said no and that is final." Said Mordekaiser as Moxxie flinched at the energy in Mordekaiser's hands, having seen what happens if that stuff touches him. With Moxxie sufficiently scared, Mordekaiser released the energy and spoke. "Moxxie, the world of the living is a realm of ignorance and paranoia. They fear what they do not understand. That fear will lead them to attempt to harm that which they don't understand. I do not wish for that to happen to you when you a great purpose lies ahead of you once you reached your twentieth year of age. Is that understood?" Moxxie just pouted at that before trying one last thing to convince Mordekaiser.

"I know that dad, but it's just one trip to see just how backward it is and how much they need you." Said Moxxie. Upon seeing Mordekaiser tilt his head, Moxxie continued, knowing that Mordekaiser was ready to hear more from him. "What about a small trip to the living? Just a tiny morsel. To see what it's like to live without your influence. If you do this, I promise I'll never bring this up again and that I'll do whatever you want when you want me to go to Hell." Mordekaiser narrowed his eyes at that but pondered on the idea. Eventually, he spoke.

"Very well. One trip to a village in Demacia and no more than a day." Said Mordekaiser, causing Moxxie to smile. Thanking his dad with a hug, Moxxie left for his room in the excitement in order to prepare for a trip to the living realm. Scoffing at this, Mordekaiser summoned Keira and ordered her to find a suitable location in Demacia for Moxxie's little birthday present.

"If the child wishes to see the living be ruled by incompetence this early, so be it." Thought Mordekaiser. "But if he believes that this will be a trip of excitment, he is sorely mistaken."

Few days later

"This is so exciting!" Yelled Moxxie as he jumped up and down on the prospect of meeting the living. Keira had come by to his room yesterday to inform him that she picked him a location in Demacia that would be suitable for a first-time visit to the living world. After doing so, she advised him to not venture to the living world yet. She said that he wasn't ready yet for the harsh realities that came with interacting with the living, but Moxxie didn't care and ignored her. He wanted to see for himself the living world and how different it was compared to living in Mitna Rachnun. Seeing that he was ignoring her, Keira told him that he should be prepared for the consequences of his actions before leaving him alone, much to his confusion. He was just visiting a village in the living realm. What consequences would there be with a simple visit?

Going through what he was bringing with him once again, Moxxie was content with what he was bringing. Food for a week. A musical instrument of his own making. Some medicinal items if he needed them. A piece of bone that he can use to return back home if he snapped it in half. And a piece of parchment that his dad insisted he brings with him. He said that it will protect him from harm, but he should only use it when he really needs it. He also said that he will forbid Moxxie from seeing the living realm if he didn't take it along with taking a scroll that will make him appear human to the living.

Moxxie didn't really want to have the pieces of parchment, but his dad insisted on him having them. One for protection and the other because of Demacia hating anything they deem supernatural and magical, that included demons. To the point that they will kill anything supernatural and magical.

Much as Mordekaiser and Keira drilled into him and warned him that the living will not accept him nor like him, Moxxie was confident that he didn't need either of them. He was sure that the two were overstating the hate and dislike that the living had for their kind. His confidence regarding the kindness and tolerance of the living was so great that he neglected the piece of parchment that would alter his appearance to make him more humanlike. With everything packed up, Moxxie went towards the portal that Keira made for him in his room before leaving.

Once he entered the portal, it closed after him, leaving no trace of its existence behind. Mordekaiser, who felt Moxxie's presence leave his realm, scoffed at the foolishness of the Imp. Perhaps this trip can help rectify that.

Runeterra

Demacian village

In the Demacian village that Keira had provided Moxxie for his trip, the children were out playing, having the time of their lives. Some adults were keeping an eye on them in case any of them get hurt or wandered off into the nearby forest, where they may be preyed upon by wild animals or worse. As everyone was minding their own business, a portal opened up at the outskirts of the village, and out came Moxxie in all his glory. Upon seeing the village, Moxxie smiled a bit before venturing into the village. As he walked, he wondered what friends he'll make in this village and if they'll like his songs.

Ever since he was little, he found that he had a real talent in making music. After getting bored one day, he decided to create some music with a makeshift instrument that he made based on stories he heard from the Deathsworn about musical instruments. After creating a song and performing to a group of Deathsworn that held a little interest in music. Their reaction towards his song was…well if he wasn't someone that Mordekaiser deemed important, he would be alive right now.

Still, despite the negative reception that he got from his audience, Moxxie found that he loved making music. It provided him comfort and a way to move beyond what Mordekaiser wanted of him, which was to be a spy for his mother's home dimension. He had known about it when Moxxie asked the Iron Revenant on his ninth birthday. When he told him about the deal that his mother made with him, Moxxie was shocked and stunned at the revelation.

At first, he thought his mother didn't love him and that Mordekaiser only took him in because of his mother dying, but Mordekaiser quickly rebuked him on that. He valued Moxxie, not just as a spy, but also a citizen of his realm. His mother also cared for him. He told her how she was willing to undertake a dangerous assignment and willing to do anything to please him so that her son would have a comfortable life. A life that he must now earn in her stead. He also told him that he was not worthless. Even the lowest of lives have their purpose in his realm and his purpose is beyond just being building material for his fortresses and armies. It was an important one and thus he was someone that Mordekaiser held in high regard. That statement combined with the brutal honesty from Mordekaiser assured Moxxie of his worth and thus the debacle came to an end. Though a small part of him worried about failing to live up to Mordekaiser's expectations. He saw what happened to those that failed to live up to the revenant's expectations and it stressed the Imp out about failing him.

Shaking his thoughts at the thought of failing his dad, Moxxie marched towards the village with a smile. Today was supposed to be a happy day. He got his birthday wish to see the living world and see how they lived without Mordekaiser's guidance and gaze upon them constantly. Plus, he gets to make friends with kids around his age, something he lacked back at Mitna Rachnun. Oh, how he can't wait to meet his new friends. At least, that's what he thought and hoped.

Because, upon arriving at the village and when people saw him for the first time, the villagers screamed and began to carry the children away from him. Confused at this, Moxxie was about to try and ask what was going on when several adults came out of their homes with swords and various farming applicants and were charging toward him.

Later

Nearby the village

In the nearby forest of the village, a dark-cloaked woman was walking down the forest, minding her own business. The woman often took a walk down the forest to clear her mind of her deepest regrets, which were quite painful to her.

Clutching her cloak, the woman remembered someone from her past and how she wanted to both hurt and hug them for what they did and what they continue to do to this day. As tried to forgot about that person, she suddenly heard screams coming from a village close to her home. She also felt a great disturbance in the air. Some sort of great power that she hadn't felt in all her life. And it was straight damp on the village. Though the village was full of the ignorant that rather destroy the unknown than try to interact with said unknown peacefully, they still were innocent people and thus she went to investigate what was going on. When she approached the village, the woman was stunned at what she saw.

Though the village was still intact for the most part, the inhabitants were not.

The villagers looked like they had their souls sucked out of their bodies, thus causing them to rapidly age and wilt without their souls. Even the children, to the woman's horror, were not spared from whatever it was that attacked the village. As the woman knelt down at the sight of two dead children held by their mother's dead carcass, horrified and angered with what she saw, she heard the sounds of whimpering nearby. The sounds of a child in pain.

Hearing those whimpers made the woman hopeful for survivors of this ordeal and thus she went towards the source of the whimpers, finding them in the center of the village. As she walked closer to the center the more damaged the village became. Scarred buildings and burning wood caused by magic became more common along with more bodies, all decayed and rotting despite being fresh. Eventually, she found the source of the whimpering and she was taken aback at what she saw.

In the middle of the town was a strange red creature with white hair that she never seen before. In all her years, she had never seen such a creature before. Red-skinned with a tail that was shaped as an arrow at the end. Stunned to see such a creature, the woman was almost distracted from seeing the wounds on the creature when it whimpered it pain. Then she saw just how badly beaten and hurt the creature was. Bruises were all over its body and it was bleeding from several stab wounds. Though she wasn't a doctor, she confident if the creature didn't receive any medical attention, it'll die. Alone and unloved.

Never one to let someone or something die alone, the woman grabbed the creature, and carried it in her arms before departing for her home. As she walked looked at the creature with her eyes in concern. Her glowing, purple eyes.

Meanwhile

"Interesting." Said Mordekaiser as he gauzed what was happening via a portal that he had his Deathsworn build so he can monitor the living world. It had taken a while and many souls, but Mordekaiser can now see the world of the living without much impediment, provided that there isn't some magical defense that obstructed his vision that is.

And it was that portal that Mordekaiser saw what Moxxie was doing and who was currently carrying him to mend his injuries. Though a small part of him churned at the sight of the injuries the Imp had, Mordekaiser focused on the woman. Even from afar and through a portal, Mordekaiser can see she wasn't an ordinary woman. She held great power. A power that he was eager to obtain or destroy, preferably the former. Deciding to watch them for now, Mordekaiser was curious about what the woman wanted with his little Imp.