A heavy thunderstorm raged above Talon as he emerged from the crates. The rain quickly soaked through the scraps of fabric he'd fashioned into clothes. Pressing on through the long stretch of alleyway before him, he felt the downpour worsen, becoming a relentless wall of water that seemed to push him back. His small legs grew heavy, sinking deeper into the mud with each step.
His foot caught on something beneath the mud and water, and Talon stumbled, dropping to his knees. Cold mud soaked into his clothes as he tried to pull himself up, but his legs wouldn't move. Panic surged in his chest as he strained, yet the ground held him fast. He tugged harder, but the muddy alley floor began to pull him down like quicksand.
Talon tried to cry out. He tried to scream, claw harder.
He couldn't breathe anymore.
His body jolted, and his eyes snapped open. Talon struggled to draw air into his lungs, his heart thudding spastically in his chest. He wasn't soaked; he wasn't dead. It had been a dream—a stupid, childish nightmare.
"Are you alright?" came a gentle voice nearby.
Talon's eyes strained open. The world still spun, and his limbs wouldn't respond when he tried to sit up. "Hey, take it easy." Lux's voice was calm. "It's okay… just breathe. You were crying out a lot in your sleep."
"I was… sleeping?" Talon managed to slur.
He didn't remember drifting off. One moment he'd been shouting at her, venting his many frustrations on this stranger. The next, he remembered pain in his hips and chest—a crushing pain, then a swift darkness.
"You were… thrashing in your sleep," Lux continued, concern etched on her face. "It looked like… like you were fighting something. I was going to wake you, but…" She trailed off.
Talon managed to sit up, steadying himself against a tree trunk, though his hands still trembled faintly. "It was just a dream," he muttered, mostly to himself. Then his expression darkened, his voice sharpening. "What did you do to me?"
"Nothing!" Lux replied quickly.
"You must've!" he snapped. "You knocked me out somehow! Explain yourself before I–"
"Should I grab him again, small girl-person?"
The voice was loud and gravelly, rumbling up from deep beneath the earth. Talon's blood ran cold as he tilted his head up, and the looming shape he'd once thought was only part of his dream came into focus. Towering over him was Galio, watching him intently.
"This one looks only skin and bone," the colossus rumbled, pressing a massive fingertip gently against Talon's back. "He'd be sharp if squished."
It was probably Galio's version of gentle, but Talon froze, every muscle between his shoulders screaming in pain. He opened his mouth, but no sound came.
"Wait! Talon—don't freak out!" Lux's voice broke through the fog of his fear, her hands raised as if trying to calm a startled animal. "It's okay! Galio's my friend," she insisted, her tone hurried but soothing. "He's just scared you'd hurt me!"
"Scared?!" Talon finally managed to croak out. "He nearly broke all of my ribs, but he's the scared one?"
"He's shouting enough; they're fine," Galio muttered.
"I promise he won't hurt you! He's just… very protective. Really, really protective." Lux gave Galio a quick look, nodding for him to back up a little. Talon felt the earth shake beneath him as the colossus actually obeyed, moving further back and sitting on his haunches, his gaze fixed on the distant city.
"...You've got him trained, I see," Talon whispered, brushing the mud and leaves off his clothes and checking himself for injuries. Thankfully, he had none besides a bruised spine and ego.
"Talon?"
He looked back at Lux with a small scowl, giving an irked jerk of his head to prompt her to continue.
"Please, please promise you won't tell anyone about Galio."
"You really think someone would believe me if I even wanted to rat you out?" Talon muttered, rolling his eyes. "That's a good one. Your weird magic act is safe with me. I don't care about this mage-hating law."
Lux visibly relaxed, glancing at him gratefully from the corner of her eye. "I owe you, then."
"What for? Not giving you a death sentence?" he muttered, catching the slight flinch in her expression. He felt a twinge of guilt for being so harsh, especially since she hadn't done much to deserve it—aside from the stone sentinel ready to pound him into paste if she willed it.
Talon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before settling back on the grass. "Look," he began, his voice softening, "when I was little, I was homeless. An orphan, and living in Noxus on top of it. Not exactly a great combination."
Lux edged closer, cautiously taking a seat beside him. "You didn't have anybody? No one at all?"
Talon stared at the ground, shaking his head. "I was kept in a building where adults would dump their children. I was found as a newborn in the bins by a drunk," he shrugged. "Left when I was seven. Nobody cared—just one less mouth to feed. I made 'friends' with some adults in the slums. They taught me some valuable lessons."
"And those were…?"
"If a guard ever asks, you saw nothing, heard nothing, and know nothing. My point is, Lux, I never tell authority anything. Your little secret's safe, and you owe me nothing."
Lux was quiet. She glanced back at Galio, who was still watching the city in contentment.
"Actually, there might be something you could help me with."
Lux looked at him, a bit quicker than she meant to. "Of- of course, Talon! What is it?"
"How far can that giant sentient rock walk?" Talon asked, jerking a thumb at Galio.
"He only needs a strong source of magic, which… admittedly, he draws from me."
"Perfect," Talon went on. "Because I want you to bring him to the great forest near my home. There's a threat in that wood, and nobody believes me. I think it's a magical creature."
"A magical creature to fight? Am I hearing that right, small sharp boy?" Galio interrupted.
Talon prayed he would not approach, but when the ground trembled and small twigs and pebbles bounced around, he knew that was not happening.
Galio lowered himself, and Talon realized he was no bigger than one of Galio's chiseled fangs. "I– kind of, yes," Talon tried to resume. It was hard not to stammer when he could be crushed at any moment. "This creature lurks in the woods at night and preys on lost travelers. It killed this bastard I knew, and I'm getting blamed in the local community."
Lux's eyes widened with a spark of excitement at the prospect of hunting down such a creature. "If it's magical, Galio could definitely help. And I will, too—especially if you're being unfairly blamed." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Where in the forest?"
"North of Uwendale," Talon explained. "But it lurks deep and only comes out at night. I've been calling it 'The Dark Terror,' but I bet it's got a real name."
Galio perked up, puffing his stone chest out proudly. "A lurking threat, and it's hunting fellow Demacians. Small girl-person, it sounds like an adventure!" He lifted a large, stone hand as if to pat Talon's back but stopped just shy of contact. "And don't worry, sharp boy. I will also protect you, even if you were born somewhere bad!"
Talon would've rolled his eyes if he didn't value his legs at the moment. Instead, he gave a quick nod. "My only question is, how do we move a giant walking monster without somebody taking notice?"
"You know he can fly, right?" Lux said, giving the colossus's stone foot a pat.
"Good one," Talon scoffed.
"I'm serious. He can."
Talon raised an eyebrow, scanning Lux's face for any sign of a joke. "You mean to tell me this hunk of rock can actually fly?"
Galio gave a rumbling laugh, his golden wings flexing slightly. "Indeed! Though it's less flying and more… graceful falling." He sounded oddly proud of the distinction.
Talon walked to the edge of the hilltop and stared northward. He wondered what his foster family might be thinking right about now. Was Monarri forming a search party to come bring him back, just like old times? Did they even miss him at all? He remembered the way Caleb had looked at him, eyes wide and wary—the same look he'd given him when he was brought home all those years ago.
"Talon?"
He turned, blinking as Lux appeared at his side. "You look cold and soaked from the drizzle. You should come back to my home." He snorted and shook his head, but Lux wasn't letting him brush her off so easily. "Where are you staying, then? I'll walk you there."
"I'm not staying anywhere right now. I've no gold to do so."
Lux's brow furrowed, undeterred by Talon's bluntness. "No gold? Then all the more reason to come back with me. We have a spare guest room in our home. I can explain to my parents; I think my father would be happy to help you. He's a nice man."
"No, thank you, Lux," Talon replied, mustering as much politeness as he could manage.
"And maybe some food wouldn't go amiss?" she added, and Talon's interest was piqued. Hunger stirred in him. Living in a house for nearly a decade had made him soft over the years. "It's pheasant," she added with a smile.
"What? The fancy birds only rich people are allowed to hunt?" Talon asked, and Lux nodded. His foster father often spoke of a hunter back home, who constantly complained about foxes getting at his game birds—a gripe Talon found ridiculous. It wasn't the fox's fault it was just a smarter hunter than him. "Well, if you promise your dad won't chase me off with a pitchfork the second he clocks my heritage…"
"I promise that won't happen," Lux said with a soft laugh. "The worst he'd do is make you sit back down for seconds with how skinny you are."
Talon huffed. "Why does everyone say that? I used to weigh two stone less and never heard it so much!"
With that small complaint, Talon began following her down the path. Lux said her goodbyes to her giant golem friend. Talon gave a hesitant wave (just in case Galio didn't take kindly to no goodbyes).
xxx
Lux led him inside a grand home, bigger than any manor Talon had seen back in Noxus. She gestured toward a side door. "You can hang your jacket in the cloakroom," she said. Talon blinked, sure he'd misheard. People had entire rooms just for coats and cloaks? Shrugging, he draped his wet jacket over the nearest pristine banister, trying not to imagine how massive the rest of the house must be if they'd set aside space just for jackets.
"Oh—could you take your boots off and leave them in the hall?" Lux called as his foot hovered mid-step over the polished wood floor. "It's customary here," she added quickly, her gaze flicking down to the mud and grime caked onto his thick leather boots.
"Is it just us, then?" he asked, leaning down to pull off his boots.
"For now," Lux replied. "My brother might be back soon, though. When he is, just let me do the talking."
Talon frowned. "I thought you said your family wouldn't have a problem with me?"
"Most of them won't," Lux admitted, sighing. "But my brother… he's stupidly protective. If you thought Galio was bad, Garen's like a second parent."
Talon huffed, glancing down. "My foster brother can't make up his mind about me, either. I make one mistake, and he acts like I'm some kind of demon…"
Lux offered him a sympathetic look, then gestured toward a pristine white sofa. The whole room looked untouched, like a place that would scuff if you even breathed on it. Talon hesitated, then gingerly lowered himself onto the edge.
"What's your brother's name?" she called from another room as the sound of running water suggested she was making drinks.
"Caleb," Talon replied, his voice a little softer. "And my foster sister's name is Quinn."
She returned with a tray holding two cups of tea, setting it down carefully before taking a seat beside him. She offered him a cup with a soft smile. "This one's yours. You can relax, you know."
Talon grunted. "I don't get to be in other people's houses much." Truthfully, he'd never been invited into anyone's home besides his own, and even there, he rarely felt truly at ease. Some nights he'd jump awake, expecting a shadowy figure to attack him. He still slept with a weapon under his pillow, just to feel that smidge safer.
"Well, you're welcome here anytime."
Talon took the cup she'd offered, letting the warmth seep into his scarred palms. He sipped, surprised at the mild, soothing taste—much better than the bitter tea his foster parents used to make, which had tasted more like medicine. "Lux is a strange name. You Demacians have such short, punchy names," he remarked.
"Thank you, man named after a bird's foot," Lux replied, rolling her eyes with a playful smile. "It's short for Luxanna."
"Ah," Talon murmured, taking another sip. "What does your brother—"
A heavy thud sounded from the hallway, and both he and Lux turned just as the front door creaked open. A figure stepped in, his footsteps echoing on the tiled hall floor. Talon noted the man's broad shoulders and the unmistakable authority of a soldier, his heavy armor scuffed from recent use. He looked to be in his twenties, tall and built like a fortress, with short-cropped brown hair, a strong jaw, and deep blue eyes.
"Lux," the man began slowly, his eyes flickering over Talon's rough attire, lingering on the faint mud stains still drying on his trousers and shirt. "Who's… your guest?"
"Garen!" Lux greeted a bit too brightly, moving quickly to her brother's side and flashing a reassuring smile. "This is Talon—he's, um, a friend? We met near Galio's rest."
Garen frowned, scrutinizing Talon with sudden intensity. Talon tensed under his gaze.
"Luxanna, may I speak with you… in private?" Garen hissed the last part through gritted teeth.
Talon watched Lux get up with a sigh and accompany her brother into the kitchen. The door clicked shut behind her. Why Garen asked her to go to another room, Talon couldn't say; this Garen could probably whisper across four fields, and Talon heard half their dispute from the sofa.
"Lux, I appreciate that you're being kind to a stranger. But do you know who that particular stranger is?"
"His name is Talon."
"I know who he is! Did you know he's a Noxian? One who's known to the authorities?"
Talon calmly sipped his tea, crossing one leg over the other as he listened to the siblings' argument grow heated. He looked around the room as their discussion continued.
"And for what crime? He's done nothing to me, or anybody!"
Large family portraits adorned every wall. He recognized one of Lux with her brother, standing in front of two figures he guessed were their parents. The male's build gave him an answer to how Garen came to be the size of a wall.
He wandered around the room, eyes landing on some little silver trinkets behind a locked cabinet. Years ago, this would've been a ticket to weeks of free meals; sometimes, he still had to fight the impulse to take what wasn't his.
"—He said he needs my help! Something's attacking people in his village!"
At that point, Talon sighed, having heard enough. He borrowed a scrap of paper from a fancy-looking planner left on the table and opened the kitchen door.
"Lux," he said.
The young woman looked up worriedly.
"Thank you for inviting me in and for the drink, but I think it's best I go." Talon reached out and shook her hand, discreetly slipping the paper into her palm. "Nice meeting you too," he sneered at Garen before slipping back out the way he came.
She called after him softly, "Talon, wait—"
But the door had already clicked shut behind him. She heard Garen mumble, "Good riddance," before he strode past her. Slowly, she unfolded the paper once her brother was no longer looking over her shoulder. Scrawled in Talon's rough handwriting was a brief note: "Galio. Tomorrow. Midnight."
xxx
The sky had deepened to indigo, the first stars shimmering against its vast expanse. Talon settled more comfortably into the curve of Galio's tail. Initially cold against his back, it soon became a spot to sit and watch the day go by.
With Lux's magic gone, Galio had fallen silent, but Talon found himself content in the quiet company. It reminded him of nights on Noxian rooftops, with only the pigeons for company.
"Do pigeons ever make nests on you?" Talon asked, looking up at the stone giant.
He remembered pigeons in his old skytop home; they weren't the best nest builders. As a boy, he'd sometimes gather bits of cloth, sticks, even feathers to help them along, hoping it would stop them from weaving nests out of cigarette butts and scraps of netting.
His attention shifted to the sound of breathless panting from someone climbing up the hill. He straightened, sliding down from Galio's tail as he recognized the approaching figure.
"Glad you could make it, Lux," he greeted her. "Thought your brother might've caught wind."
Lux wore a dark cloak, her features half-hidden beneath the hood. He considered making a comment about her new fashion choice but thought better of it.
"No, he doesn't suspect anything," she replied with a hint of defiance. "He just gave me a lecture about never inviting a 'ruffian' like you into our house again."
A deep crack and groan from behind them confirmed Galio was waking up.
"Urgh," the Sentinel grumbled, cracking his neck to the side and shaking off a few feathers, which conveniently answered Talon's earlier question. "How long was I asleep?"
"Just a day," Talon replied. "Hope you don't mind me sticking around your little… worship area." He gestured at a few discarded apple cores he'd gathered from the woods.
He'd debated slipping into the city for a more satisfying breakfast but figured it was best to keep a low profile in case Garen was still on the lookout.
"Right, best we move now while we still have cover of darkness," Talon instructed, starting to move briskly.
He barely managed a few steps before a massive stone hand scooped him up from behind, lifting him effortlessly off the ground. He felt a rush of air as Galio straightened, holding him in one massive palm. Lux was already seated on the giant's shoulder.
"Hey—! I can walk, you know," Talon protested, but Galio only chuckled.
"Your tiny legs would take you days to get back to your forest, small sharp man," Galio rumbled. "My mighty legs will get us there in just a few hours!"
Talon looked at Lux with a bemused expression. She shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "Best not to argue with the driver, Talon."