Chapter 39
Mageseeker Camp
The leader of the Mageseeker group within the Silent Forest just frowned to himself as he thought about his latest interrogation session with some of the mages that they recently captured, safely tucked away in his command tent. To his utter distaste, he hasn't acquired anything of worth from the mages. All he got was information that he already knew. That there was a hidden sanctuary deep within the forest for mages that had helped the rebel Sylas in his little rebellion against Demacia. And that was the extent of what he managed to acquire. It was rather vexing to the Mageseekers as they had been tasked by the king to find mages and anyone else that had helped Sylas in his rebellion and bring them to justice. And the king's mood has been rather…temperamental against the Mageseekers as of late. Between the revelations exposed by the traitor Sylas, despite his actions against the crown during his rebellion, as well as the Mageseekers' actions against the people of Demacia prior and during the rebellion, the king has little love for the organization, despite having them in charge of hunting down Sylas' conspirators along with the Demacian Vanguard. So, needless to say, the Mageseekers need to do whatever they can to regain the graces of their king as well as not incur his wrath on them.
Thinking how to get the information out of the mages, the Mageseeker leader was brainstorming potential ideas when he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding coming within him. Stunned at this, the Mageseeker turned around to see a complete stranger in a feathered cloak and mask standing before the entrance of his tent. Although the mask did well in hiding their face from the Mageseeker, the man can tell that the woman, if her figure is any indication, was glaring at him with anger and hatred. As if she can peer into his very soul and see all the vile acts that he has committed in his life, even those he believes are not vile but honorable and just.
Looking at the woman before him, the man was stunned and even horrified to see that this woman wore garb that the people of Demacia traditionally saw as the attire of the Veiled Lady. While his mind tried to logically pass off as the woman just trying to intimidate him by adopting the persona of one of Demacia's spiritual deities, a small part of his mind, an insignificant and irrational part of his mind, was telling that this was the real Veiled Lady.
Steadying himself, the Mageseeker looked at the woman before him, face stoic as a Mageseeker should be when interacting with anyone, before addressing her.
"Who are you and how have you managed to enter my tent without my knowledge?" Demanded the Mageseeker, a hand on the sword hilt attached to his hip, ready to fight should this woman give him an opportunity to attack without a chance of retaliation. No doubt this woman was a mage sent to free her fellow mages from their clutches. She must have distracted the guards with that undead before. Cursing at his compatriots at falling for this mage's tricks, the Mageseeker was about to speak up again when the woman spoke.
"Who I am is none of your concern." Said the woman as she glared at him behind her mask. "What is of your concern is the mages under your possession. You will release them from your clutches and you will do so now." Upon hearing that, the Mageseeker scoffed at the woman's words. This mage dared to make demands of him and the Mageseekers? The sheer arrogance of this woman. What hope did this mage had against him? A Mageseeker with years of experience fighting her kind, knowing how to best defeat a mage and how to nullify their magical abilities.
"I will not do such a thing." Said the Mageseeker as he glared at the woman, one hand on his sword's hilt and the other reaching for a pouch on the other side of his waist. She just needed to get a little closer. "You mages are an abomination to the natural order of the world. You destroy, defile, and corrupt everything you touch with your magic. Just one mage can destroy an entire civilization if left to their own devices. The rebel Sylas is proof of that." If the Mageseeker noticed the woman clenching her fists upon the mentioning of Sylas, he didn't show it. Instead he continued on his lecture.
"That rebel has not only ruined the reputation of the Mageseekers in the eyes of both the people of Demacia and the royal family, but also caused harm to the people of Demacia and hampered our ability to defend ourselves against Noxus. All in the name of liberation." Said the Mageseeker as he glared the mage woman before him. "And you are apart of the problem. It matters not if you participated in Sylas' rebellion or not, we will not allow you mages to further damage Demacia than you already have. We will protect Demacia from you mages, even if it does not see the good in our actions."
"You dare think the actions you Mageseekers are just?" Asked the woman, anger clear in her voice, as she got closer to the Mageseeker. "You dare think persecuting and imprisoning people for eternity just for being born with the ability to use magic is just? Never giving them the ability to live a normal life, honing their natural abilities, to learn how to avoid being a danger to others around them with their magic. You think that is justice!?" The woman was now a mere few inches from the Mageseeker, allowing him to see the purple glowing eyes emitting from behind the mask, showcasing the anger of the woman quite clear. "Sylas' actions are monstrous and wrong, I will admit, but that does not justify treating other mages as monsters or criminals that deserve to be imprisoned for the rest of their lives. You Mageseekers are so blind. Blind to the suffering you cause. Blind to the monsters that you create. And blind to…" The woman couldn't say anymore when she was suddenly hit with a small glass bottle containing a silverly liquid within. The bottle broke and the liquid spilled all over the woman.
Grunting, the woman took a step back as the liquid got all over her attire and her skin. The Mageseeker grinned as he witnessed this.
"We are not so blind as to waste an opportunity to weaken our opponents." Said the Mageseeker as he drew his sword, the steel weapon glistening in the fires of the tent. "I believe you are familiar with Petricite and its ability to nullify you mages, yes? Along with our ability to create an elixir with the properties of the nullification properties of Petricite? Obviously, you didn't. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten so close to me so that I could use it against you without fear of retaliation." As he said these words, the woman went to the ground as she felt her magic being drained from her body, giving a grunt of pain as she tried to process what was happening to her. As she did so, the Mageseeker brought out a pair of handcuffs with Petricite inside them. After all, this woman was a mage and it was his duty to find and detain Mages for the safety of Demacia.
"Now, Mage, come with me quietly and let's see what we can extract from your mouth. Hopefully the location of more of your kind." Said the Mageseeker as he moved to place the cuffs on the Mage woman before him. Just as he took a step, however, he was suddenly hit with a purple and black chain that suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit him straight across the face, breaking his mask and sending him flying back, hitting a table filled with maps and papers and causing it all to fly in the air as the table broke from the impact. Stunned at what just happened, the Mageseeker looked at the mage woman as she got up and glared at him as if nothing of real importance happened to her.
"But…how?" Asked the Mageseeker in shock and growing fear as he saw that the elixir apparently did nothing to the Mage woman before him. How could that be? That elixir was brewed by him personally and made from the finest Petricite and ingredients available to him. How could it fail to incapacitate and just barely inconvenience this mage that dared to adopt the attire of the Veiled Lady before him?
"You Mageseekers are all alike." Spat out the woman as she glared at the man before her. Getting up, the woman glared at the man as she approached him, glowing purple chains coming out of the ground as she walked. "You all are so arrogant, so blind to the wrongdoings of your actions that you cannot see what is right in front of you. The suffering of innocent people that simply wish to live in peace. To be treated as people and not abominations. Instead you see them as a threat to the world that must be eliminated or contained. To the point that you will even attack a treasured figure in your culture on the sole assumption that it's a mage in disguise." The chains then began to wrap themselves around the Mageseeker, causing him to cry out in pain as they wrapped tightly around his body and began to burn him with magical fire. Despite this, the Mageseeker was still able to speak, shocked at what he just heard from the woman.
"You…You cannot be the Veiled Lady." Said the Mageseeker as he looked at the woman, who glared at him with glowing purple eyes. "The Veiled Lady would never…*grunt of pain* never side with monsters and villains like the mages that we hunt. She would never help…" He couldn't say anymore as the chains squeezed him tighter to prevent him from speaking.
"She can and she has." Said the woman as she kneeled down before the Mageseeker before pulling off her mask, revealing her face to the Mageseeker. "For she sees their innocence and desire to atone for their mistakes in the rebellion. For she sees the value and wisdom in forgiving others for their mistakes and guiding them towards a better path, no matter how heinous and sinful their actions were. Unlike you Mageseekers, who only see all you persecute as irredeemable monsters. You bring shame to Demacia with your actions and represent how far you Demacians have lost your ways. Perverting the teachings of the Winged Protectors and bringing shame to them." The woman saw the rage and shock at her words within the Mageseeker, causing her to scoff. "What I speak is true, little Mageseeker, for I am not just the Veiled Lady." A great burst of purple energy burst out from the woman as more chains erupted from her very body and six wings of black and purple plumage revealed themselves to the Mageseeker. "I am also one of the very beings that created Demacia in the first place. I am Morgana and I am giving you one chance to repent for your past actions. Give me the location of where you have the mages as well as the keys to whatever shackles you have placed on them. And do it now." Morgana then caused the chains around the Mageseeker to loosen, allowing him to speak again, but she also caused the chains to glow brighter, causing him to scream in pain as Morgana used her magic to make the Mageseeker feel all the pain and suffering that he caused to others with his crimes and sins.
The screaming caused all those in the camp and even some distance away to hear them, causing the Mageseekers and even the Mages they captured to freeze up in fear and shock at what they just heard. One being, however, instead found amusement in what he just heard.
"So she decided to force the Mageseekers into compliance?" Thought Mordekaiser with some amusement as he heard the screaming from afar, knowing where it was from. "It appears I underestimated the lengths she will go to protect those under her charge. Such a powerful woman. If only I can convert her to my side without upsetting my son. She would be a fine replacement for that traitorous whore Leblanc and provides an excellent opportunity to corrupt Demacia from within and perhaps even her sister as well. A pity that she must remain the same for Moxxie's sake." Yet as those thoughts plagued his mind, a small part of Mordekaiser felt that he would not do such a thing as he claimed. Morgana…amused him with her naïve viewpoint on life and her desire to…help him become a better person. She was like that foolish Princess of Hell in her views on rehabilitation of the damned, only Morgana was more tolerable then the princess. A lot more tolerable. Plus, she was strong and uncompromising when it came to her beliefs and her will fight to defend them from criticism was something he can respect. Something severely lacking in the denizens of Hell, which disappointment to him, among many other things.
Honestly, Morgana was quite a breath of fresh air to what he was used to, both in the Grey Realm and in Hell. It has been so long since he actually was challenged in anything by someone he can respect. Hence why he accepted her offer in the first place along with his want to satiate his curiosity of her and to deal with the mundane of his life at the moment.
That respect is also why he offered to spare the lives of the Mageseekers that choose to pursue him. The woman, for the lack of a better term, earned it for not only willing to fight him for his insults at her but also being honest with him. She had a spine and a strong fighting spirit. She earned the offer. Besides, its unlikely that she wouldn't kill a Mageseeker or two in her fits of rage. That woman has quite a nasty temper.
Speaking of the Mageseekers, Mordekaiser looked upon those that had chosen to pursue him into the forest with some amusement.
Ten Mageseekers. Ten proud Demacians, a nation renowned for their fighting prowess, that have been trained in dealing with magical threats and the like, outfitted with the best anti-magic equipment that Demacia can provide them. All ready to die for the cause of protecting Demacia from mages and other magical entities that threatened the safety of their kingdom. With all this knowledge, he expected somewhat of an adequate fight from them once he led them away from their camp and let them surround him. He even purposefully handicapped himself by only utilizing a basic mace, he refused to utilize Nightfall on such unworthy souls, and some of the weaker spells he knew from the plethora of magic that he knew, magic that has been lost to the ravages of time or were made by him since his second death. He even gave them the first couple of strikes as a curtesy. What did he get for all this? An absolute disappointing of a fight that he had ever participated in his entire life.
To even call it a fight would be a disgrace. The Mageseekers only managed to graze him once with the free attacks that he gave them. After that, Mordekaiser proceeded to maim the Mageseekers and immobilize them with his magic as he only told Morgana that he'll provide her an opportunity to keep everyone alive and that he'll refrain from killing any of them. He never said anything about not giving them crippling wounds and ripping off a limb or two. And if she had a problem with this, then she only had herself to blame for not imposing that restriction on him in the first place.
Ignoring the screams and sobs of pain from the Mageseekers that he had crippled with his mace or ripped the limbs off, Mordekaiser looked at the direction of the Mageseeker camp. Wondering how Morgana is faring in saving her people, Mordekaiser hummed to himself as he patiently waited to see the result of her task.
Meanwhile
Morgana
It didn't take long for the Mageseeker leader to crack. When he did, he revealed where exactly the mages were and even provided her the keys to the Petricite shackles that the mages have to prevent them from using their magic. With that, Morgana cast a simple spell that knocked the man unconscious as well as casting a healing spell to heal his injuries from her chains. Once both spells were finished, she proceeded to the location of where the mages were so she can free them.
She had already known where they were, but she needed the keys to their Petricite shackles so that they can be freed from them safely. She could destroy them with magic, but that ran the risk of some of the Petricite being embedded into their skin, thus causing them pain, if she wasn't too careful. Besides, she wanted to see the Mageseeker leader and give him a very painful lesson that needed to be done. One she had hoped to avoid, but knew in her heart was inevitable. Demacians have always been a stubborn and prideful people. Something that they received from, amongst other things, her sister and herself.
Upon arriving at the cages, Morgana saw both those under her protection and those that they had tried to save on their own in varying degrees of injuries. Upon seeing Morgana, those sent to help their fellow Mages find her sanctuary gave looks of hope and relief as she made her way towards them.
Enraged at seeing her charges bloodied and hurt, the Veiled Lady marched her way to the cages and towards the Mageseekers that were guarding them. Upon seeing the woman marching towards them, the Mageseekers pointed their spears and swords at the woman. They had been discussing amongst themselves about the screaming they heard earlier and were about to send a few Mageseekers to determine what happened to their commander and what made him scream when this woman appeared before them, anger clear in her face.
"Stop right there!" Yelled a Mageseeker as he pointed his sword at Morgana as she approached them and the cages. While these Mageseekers had no idea who she actually was, they did know that she was likely the reason for the screaming earlier and thus were prepared to face her and avenge their commander if this woman had anything to do with the screaming from earlier.
Rather than complying with the order, Morgana simply continued to trek towards the Mageseekers and the cages, bringing out her wings as she did so. As the Mageseekers were shocked at seeing her wings, Morgana spoke out.
"If you all heard the screams of your leader, then you should know that I was the one that caused it all." Said Morgana simply, keeping her anger in check as she glared at the Mageseekers, causing them to step back from her in shock, both at she just said as well as the magical power that was emitting from the woman. The magical power was so great that their Petricite embedded weapons were reacting violently to her presence, a result of Morgana unleashing a mere measure of the vast magical powers within her. "Unless you all wish to suffer the same fate as him, I advise you all to lay down your arms, allow me to take the Mages within your possession home, and then reflect upon your deeds within your organization and how horrible they really are." Upon hearing the woman's words, the Mageseekers either looked upon her in shock are in rage.
Eventually, one of them gathered the courage to attempt to rally his fellow men and women in arms in order to make a stand against her.
"Gather your courage!" Yelled one Mageseeker as he looked upon his fellow hunters of Mages, trying to rally them against this strange Mage before them. "This woman before us is not only a Mage, but is also responsible for harming our commander. Steel yourselves! We must…" The Mageseeker couldn't say anymore before Morgana launched a ball of dark purple fire towards him. Landing right on his chest, the Mageseeker couldn't do anything as he was not only burned around the area he was hit, but was also sent flying back towards the cages, ramming into one and causing it to shake and causing the Mages inside to cry out in shock. As the other Mageseekers looked at what happened in shock, Morgana spoke.
"Does anyone else have a desire to make a stand against me?" Asked Morgana as she crossed her arms across her chest as she looked at the other Mageseekers with both contempt and barely contained annoyance. Must every interactions she has with the Mageseekers end in violence?
She got her answer when the remaining standing Mageseekers look upon their wounded comrade before looking at Morgana, who then proceeded to clench her hands in resignation when the Mageseekers charged at her.
"Why must Demacians be so stubborn?" Thought Morgana as she summoned various chains from the beneath the ground of the charging Mageseekers and used them to immobilize them before they got even remotely close to her. With the threat, if it could be called that, not dealt with, Morgana made her way to the cages in order to free her charges, passing the Mageseekers as they cried out in pain from being forced to bear the pain and suffering that they have done to others through her magic. Though Morgana despised her celestial origins and how it tore her family apart, she cannot deny that it has been useful in making people in seeing the error of their ways. If only she could do the same to her sister and perhaps even her mother.
Sighing, Morgana pushed on to her goals at the moment and proceeded to start freeing the Mages from their cages, pushing the first Mageseeker off to the side in order to do so, ignoring his grunts of pain as she pushed him aside. Upon unlocking the first cage, she was immediately assaulted with a hug of relief from one of the mages inside the cage. Taking a brief moment to recover, Morgana looked upon the Mage before her, a young woman that she didn't recall ever seeing before. Believing her to be one of those that tried to look for her sanctuary, Morgana returned the embrace with a sad smile as she looked upon her bruised face.
"You're safe now." Said Morgana, ignoring the pained screams behind her from the Mageseekers. "You're all safe now."
It took awhile to find the correct keys for each specific cage and shackles as well as dealing with tearful thanks and hugs from the freed Mages, but Morgana eventually managed to free all the Mages from their bonds. Now free, the Mages all began to flock around Morgana, thanking her for not only freeing them but also not abandoning them like Sylas did during the final battle of the rebellion. Feeling a slight twinge of hurt upon the mentioning of Sylas, Morgana soon spoke to the Mages.
"I know you all suffered much in the recent months, some more than others." Said Morgana as she addressed the Mages before her. "But that is over now. Let's return home and tend to your wounds. Let us leave this place and never return." With that, Morgana was about to lead the Mages back home when she heard one of them ask a question.
"What about the Mageseekers?" Asked a Mage, a young man, still in his adolescent years, as he glared at the people that hunted his kind just for being able to use magic, specifically the one that Morgana had taken down first, who was now unconscious as a result of the pain she inflicted upon him with her magical chains, forcing him to bear the weight of his sins in full. "Shouldn't we do something about them?" Upon hearing the question, Morgana looked at the young man with a cautious look on her face.
"What do you mean by that?" Asked Morgana, a growing sense of dread within her as she looked upon the boy as he glared at the unconscious Mageseeker. This boy must have been another one of those that were looking for her sanctuary as she never saw this boy before either.
"These monsters are responsible for hunting us down like dogs. Imprisoning and killing hundreds of us mages." Spat out the boy as he continued to glare at the Mageseeker. "They don't deserve to live." Upon hearing that, Morgana, for a moment, didn't see the boy but rather a man that she was all to familiar with. A man around his mid-twenties with a slim, athletic yet muscular build. The man also had shoulder-length black hair, thick eyebrows, blue eyes, and a short beard. Seeing this image of the man she once helped brought pain within Morgana as she looked upon the image of Sylas.
Shaking her head of that image, Morgana quickly move in front of the boy and the unconscious Mageseeker, intending on stopping the boy from doing something he'll regret later.
"I will not allow that." Said Morgana softly but firmly as she looked upon the boy with sympathetic eyes. "I understand your desire for revenge, but I will not allow you to harm this man and his colleagues anymore than what was already done to them. Especially if they are unconscious, thus unable to defend themselves. To do so will make you all no better than these Mageseekers. Nor will it help the goal of making Demacia accept Mages at all. If anything it'll justify the Mageseeker's stance on Mages. Do you desire that? To give the Mageseekers and the nobility of Demacia cause to strengthen their stance against all Mages?" Instead of answering the boy just glared at Morgana, causing her to blink in surprise at the vitriol and hate he was giving her. Before she could process this, the boy suddenly conjured up a fireball in his left hand. Seeing this, Morgana sprang into action.
Almost instinctively, Morgana shielded herself and the Mageseeker with a magical barrier just in time, causing the fireball from the boy to hit her shield before dissipating. Then, before the boy could react, Morgana sent out a chain to incapacitate the boy as her shield dispersed. Tying the boy up, Morgana made sure to prevent him from using magic as well as insuring her chains wouldn't hurt the boy, both through magical means and physical ones.
Her chains, like most magic she knows, can inflict both spiritual and physical pains through a variety of means. The most used being spiritual as she forces a person ensnared in her chains to endure all the pain and suffering they committed in their life. To make them understand the suffering they've caused and make them repent and work towards becoming better people as a result. It's a method that worked well for her in the past and perhaps is needed now more than ever in Demacia with what is going on currently in the kingdom. She can, however, prevent her chains from using this abilities of theirs, making them little more than magical conjurations that she can use to day to day affairs. Such as right now, where she simply wished to incapacitate the boy and prevent him from harming anyone.
Once the boy was secured tightly all over his body, especially his arms and mouth, and wouldn't harm anyone without harming himself as well, Morgana walked to the boy, disappointment in her eyes.
"I know your desire of vengeance is strong, but vengeance is not the answer." Said Morgana as she looked at the boy, seeing him glare at her with betrayal and anger in his eyes, trying to get free of her chains to no avail. Sighing, Morgana looked at the other Mages, looking at her in shock and a bit of fear, before addressing them.
"Let's leave this place and to the sanctuary." Said Morgana simply before conjuring a portal that will lead them to her sacred home, where they will all be tended to and be safe from harm. "Take the boy and leave now. I'll talk with him latter." The Mages, upon hearing all this, just nodded and proceeded to carry the boy through the portal after Morgana caused the chains holding the boy to be freed from the ground, allowing them to carry the young Mage home. As he was being escorted away, the boy spoke out, Morgana having allowed the chains around the boy's mouth to loosen as he couldn't do anything against her without harming any of his fellow Mages in the process.
"Sylas was right about you." Said the boy as he glared at Morgana, causing her to go stiff upon the mentioning of Sylas. "He told me all about you and how you helped him and the rebellion. How you turned your back on him when he needed your help the most. How he felt betrayed that you abandoned us when you needed you the most. How could you call yourself a figure of justice when you let the Mageseekers do what they want with Mages!? How can you…" Morgana couldn't hear anymore as the boy was through the portal at the urges of his fellow Mages, who didn't want to anger Morgana with the boy's words, leaving the Winged woman alone with the unconscious Mageseekers.
Once all the Mages were through the portal, Morgana closed the portal at her own volition so she can be alone with her thoughts. Specifically her thoughts pertaining to Sylas. Someone that she had originally respect for before later going on to loathe him at what he became later on. How she loathed that man and wished nothing more than to lash out on him for becoming what he is today. But, perhaps more importantly, she loathed that her newfound hope within Sylas had been destroyed and all that was left was pain and misery within her. And she had no one to blame for it but herself.
"How could I have let Sylas become what he is today?" Thought Morgana sadly as she recalled the day she met Sylas, how full of rage and anger he was and how humbled he was when they next met. How full of hope she had that he will bring about a new era of change for Demacia to the point she gave her blessing to him. That he'll bring about the change necessary for Demacia to become what it was meant to be. She then recalled how that hope turned to horror when she learned what Sylas had eventually become. How his rebellion became little more than a civil war that killed innocents of both sides and no one cared. "I should have seen the signs. Should have been there to prevent him from becoming the monster that he is now. To guide him. I should have done more than give my blessing to him." Sighing to herself, Morgana wondered how Sylas became what he is and what she could have done to prevent it when she felt the air around her go cold. Sighing again, Morgana said nothing as Mordekaiser made himself known, rising from the shadows like a specter of death. Which, in many ways, he was.
"Please tell me that you haven't slain any of the Mageseekers that went to pursue you." Said Morgana as she turned to face Mordekaiser. "I'm not in the mood to hear of you failing to keep your promise to me." Mordekaiser simply gave a grunt at that before speaking.
"Then you will be pleased to know that I have kept my promise to you. Although I will admit I maimed and crippled quite a few of them." Said Mordekaiser as he looked upon the Winged woman before him. Sensing her pain within her soul, Mordekaiser said nothing as Morgana sighed upon hearing his words.
"Non-fatal wounds, I hope?" Asked Morgana, not surprised at all that he had wounded the Mageseekers. The Iron Revenant didn't exactly leave the impression that he was capable of being subtly to her.
"Of course. I do try to keep my word on matters. Even if I disagree with what I am asked to do. But if you desire to heal them, then I'll guide you to where they are." Said Mordekaiser simply, causing Morgana to sigh again.
"Please do." Said Morgana simply as she walked towards him. "The Mageseekers here are safe from further harm. The ones that followed you, however, are not. Whether it be from the wounds you inflicted on them or from the resident animals and monsters in this forest. Though few of them are of little danger to me, the Mageseekers are not so fortunate. So, if you would please escort me to them, let us move them out of harm's way." Mordekaiser gave another grunt at her words before motioning for her to follow him. With that, the two moved past the Mageseekers, out of the camp, and towards the area where Mordekaiser left the other Mageseekers in. As they walked, Mordekaiser spoke.
"I sense the pain and regret within your soul." Said Mordekaiser, catching Morgana's attention. "It's like a beacon to one such as me. Even more so with how old it is. Tell me, what is ailing you for such strong emotions to come from you?" Morgana sighed at his words, realizing what he was talking about. Though a part of her wished to avoid conversing with Mordekaiser regarding her feelings towards Sylas that had been reopened by that boy earlier, another part told her that he'll just keep persisting on this matter until she revealed to him the truth. There was also the fact that, although she despised his attitude and lack of social tact, he wasn't the worst of people to talk to about her troubles. That, he also knew about Sylas from her and how she was saddened from his…actions regarding his rebellion. After some thought, she revealed to him what was ailing her.
"One of the mages we rescued, one of those that were looking for my sanctuary, attempted to harm a Mageseeker I incapacitated." Revealed Morgana as they walked. "I stopped him before he could do anything rash and the other escorted him back to my sanctuary safely, but before he could be taken away, he revealed to me that he had spoken to Sylas and that he told the boy everything about me and what I did for Sylas prior to the start of his rebellion. He then told me that Sylas felt betrayed with me for not helping his rebellion. For not being there to aid in changing Demacia. The boy finally questioned my role as one that stand for justice, asking how can I call myself a figure of justice when I allow the Mageseekers and the royal family of Demacia to persecute people just for having the ability to use magic. And…I can't help but feel saddened with what he said."
"And why is that?" Asked Mordekaiser as he looked at Morgana and upon seeing the saddened look on her face, something he only seen once or twice from her, left him feeling something strange within him. Something similar to what he was feeling when it came to Moxxie and his emotional state.
"Sylas was my hope for change in Demacia." Explained Morgana. "That he'll be the start of Demacia returning back to the path that both my sister and I wanted for them to take. That…he'll be prevent my sister's inevitable return to Demacia from being as bloody as I envision it to be and that…I can return back to Demacia without fear of my sister's retribution upon both me and the kingdom we helped create. But…what he became is something that my sister will not only see as proof that Demacia is beyond saving, but also serve as proof that her methods are the only way to enact justice. And that mine only serve to allow the corrupted and damned to continue their sinful ways. To harm the innocent." Morgana sighed as she held herself in an attempt for comfort. "I should have done more for Sylas. To prevent him from becoming the monster he is today. I…I shouldn't have left him be alone in leading his rebellion. Perhaps I could have minimized the death and destruction the rebellion caused or perhaps just prevent it from steering away the path that Sylas intended it to be in the first place. So much I could have done if I was just been with him, even if it ran the risk of my sister coming to Demacia, but I wasn't. And Demacia suffers for it." Mordekaiser, upon hearing all that, simply stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
"Then do you see what I meant when I claimed you were a coward?" Asked Mordekaiser, causing Morgana to look at him in slight annoyance, her temper flaring a bit, but otherwise she remained calm. "Your fear of your sister blinded you to the possibility that your Sylas will deter from the path you wish for him to take. So fearful of your sister's return that you ignored the possibilities of the rebels and the nobles of Demacia need your aid in whatever side of the rebellion you wished to side with. And because of that, many have died. The rebellion became something you are horrified with and despise. Something that may have been prevented if you actually had a part in any of it. And you have no one to blame but yourself for that. The deaths. The rebellion. Sylas. The Mageseekers'. All of it. And its long overdue for you to realize that." Morgana wanted to argue, but upon hearing his words and the words of the boy from before, Morgana realized that Mordekaiser's words were true. So very true and she had to face that fact.
Realizing this and realizing how she responded back to him earlier regarding her cowardice, Morgana wanted to both apologize to him and go further in detail about her cowardice when a sudden portal, a rather small one that only small creatures can go through, opened before them and out came a small metal bird with sickly green eyes. Upon seeing this, Mordekaiser raised a nonexistent eyebrow.
"Stay your hand, Morgana." Said Mordekaiser, calming Morgana down when she saw the portal and instinctively raised her hands in preparation for a battle. "Its one of my own. Meant to rely important information and have it known to only a select few. Though why it is here, I have no idea. But it must be important for one of my subordinates to send it here. Something that is meant to be only heard by me." Morgana said nothing as she processed this, watching as the metal bird flew to Mordekaiser, landing on his right shoulder, and making a metal screech to where Mordekaiser's ear would be if he was human. Wincing a bit at the metal screeching the bird was making, Morgana was about to cover her ears when the screeching stopped and Mordekaiser sighed.
"That Imp is starting to become more trouble than he is worth." Said Mordekaiser in a tone that Morgana could only describe as annoyance before looking at the Winged woman. "It appears that I must leave you now. My son has been captured due to the incompetence of his employer and I have to rescue him." Upon hearing that, Morgana widened her eyes in shock at what she just heard. Before she could ask Mordekaiser for details, he spoke up again. "You'll find the Mageseekers up ahead. You'll hear them before you see them. With that, I'm off to save my son and his idiotic and useless employer." With that, Mordekaiser opened a portal to Mitna Rachnun. Before he went through it, Mordekaiser looked at Morgana and spoke some words that she expected to hear from him as well as some that she didn't think she would ever hear from him.
"Ponder on what I said today, Morgana." Said Mordekaiser as he looked at the Winged woman before him. "Ponder them for we will discuss about them the next time we meet. A meeting that…I hope will be more pleasant than our first one." With that, Mordekaiser went through the portal, causing it to close up before Morgana, who was processing what Mordekaiser had just said to her.
Blinking for a moment, Morgana just thought of Mordekaiser and couldn't help but shake her head a bit.
"That man." Thought Morgana as she thought of Mordekaiser. Despite herself and her annoyance with him and no doubt disdain for the state that she'll find the Mageseekers in, she couldn't help but smile at Mordekaiser's actions. He was…a breath of fresh air for her and…perhaps he was what she needed in her life just as much as Moxxie was in his life.
Shaking her head, Morgana pressed on to find the Mageseekers, hoping they weren't in too bad of a condition, though perhaps that was just a naïve hope considering who Mordekaiser was.
Meanwhile
Mitna Rachnun
"So you mean to tell me that Moxxie and that incompetent Blitzo was captured by humans on Earth simply because they didn't go through a portal fast enough?" Asked Mordekaiser as he sat on his throne while Keira was telling him everything that transpired while he was away. After returning back from Runeterra, Mordekaiser was informed of what happened with Moxxie through Keira, who was relaying what they learned through the building's security cameras regarding Moxxie's latest…issues. Needless to say, Mordekaiser was not happy with what he was told.
"That is indeed what has happened, milord." Said Keira as she finished relaying the story she gave to Mordekaiser. "Your daughter-in-law has left with the sole Hellhound of the I.M.P. business to try and rescue them. Shall we assist them?" Mordekaiser just glared at Keira at what she just said.
"I'll handle this myself." Said Mordekaiser as he rose from his throne. "It's been too long since I actually killed a mortal being, Keira. It is time for me to rectify that. Besides, this Blitzo and I need to have a talk with one another regarding his competency and his ability to actually lead." Keira said nothing as Mordekaiser prepared himself to head to Earth to save his son and Blitzo. Just before he could open a portal, however, Keira spoke up.
"Milord, there is one thing that I believe will catch your interest." Said Keira, causing Mordekaiser to look at her. "One of our front companies have managed to create a weapon that I believe is suitable for your method of fighting. They sent a shipment of their working prototypes to us just a few hours ago. One of their designs I believe you will enjoy quite a bit and will only improve your combat efficiency." Upon hearing that, Mordekaiser hummed at that. To be more efficient at killing. Well, he wouldn't say no to that.
"Show me, but be swift. Moxxie needs to be saved from the idiocy of his employer." Said Mordekaiser, causing Keira to nod and take him to where the weapons were.
Just to clarify, the weapon is based on a family of weapons from one of my favorite franchises.