Chapter 1 - Prologue- The beginning of everything

Our story takes place two years after the great chemical war between Noxus and

Ionia; the war where the great and much-feared Noxian platoon had been decimated.

From this war waged between these completely opposing nations, a story emerged, a

beautiful story. The protagonists of this tale could never imagine that their lives had crossed

long before they even thought of meeting each other, and they could never imagine that

their fates were traced exactly on this fateful day.

-Riven the former commander of Noxus.-

Riven had the mission to make Noxus victorious in this battle, his platoon of fifteen hundred

soldiers was heavily armed and prepared, but unfortunately they were decimated by the

acids of Singed, an ally Noxus had hired to help in the great battle. Singed didn't care if his

victims were Noxian or Ionian fighters, he just dumped his acids and took his victims.

Riven was a renowned commander of Noxus, a prodigy of his generation. At eighteen he

joined the Elite Crimson, and at twenty-one he was already one of the best commanders

Noxus had ever seen. He followed all orders coldly, even if he did not agree with many of

the tasks imposed by the high command, he carried them out without questioning, he knew

he could not object, if he showed his displeasure, it was likely that his head would be

impaled in front of the gates of the barracks the next day.

The young woman always had the dream of fighting for her people, since since she was a

little girl, life has made her prove her strength and ability to survive. She wanted to fight for

a better life, a fair and honorable life for her and her people, those forgotten by the

authorities and who lived in the ditches, just as she once lived. But after so long serving in the army, she realized that nothing would make them change, nothing she did would really

help her people, she was just killing innocents and piling them up in her pile of worthless

trophies, all in the name of the glory of Noxus.

Unfortunately, all that was within her grasp was the feeling of being disabled, feeling

dirty and used and completely manipulated with everything she had done to so many

people. Sometimes she couldn't understand how she had been so blind and manipulated

for so long, remorse gnawed at her inside, hatred took her, sadness destroyed her, she

never imagined that her own nation would want to do so much harm to her own people and

to so many other nations.

And for that great battle, his main and indisputable order was to find one of the elders who

was part of the great council of Ionia, assassinate him, and return with his troops,

pretending that the supposed combat was only to take the lands and invade the capital. . It

was all a facade, his superiors wanted to shake the council from the inside out, and nothing

better than excepting one of its main pieces.

The old man lived in a hut very close to the field where the battle was planned to

begin, in a discreet wood with no witnesses.

When the confrontation broke out, Riven opened up the front line and let his soldiers

do the rest, sneaking out of the battle and out to the lord's hut.

He hurried into the woods until he found a small, old house that was made from the

stalk of a large tree. Ionia had majestic trees, it was common for Ionians to make their

homes this way. He opened the door slowly and carefully checked that there were no

hidden soldiers escorting him, then climbed the winding stairs to the second floor, slowly

and calmly, so that he didn't make any noise.

He stopped in front of a door that was halfway open and took a deep breath, looked

through the crack and found the old man meditating, he was alone, so it would be easier

than he expected. When Riven put his hand on the doorknob and gripped his great sword

tightly, the old man called to her

Riven (POV)

- You may come in. He spoke in a calm voice.

My eyes widened and I swallowed those words.

I opened the door slowly, stunned. I had completely hidden my presence, how was it

possible to notice?

And with guilt weighing on my heart, I stepped into the room and knelt, digging my

sword into the floor and voicing, "Excuse me, sir. - I spoke with my face down and breathing

heavily, remorse was eating at me ever since. - Excuse me, old man, but I have a job to do

here. I don't want to do that, but it's orders from the high command, unfortunately I can't talk

more than that.

I lifted my face and looked into his eyes, my orbs were almost filling with tears, I

couldn't take it anymore, I didn't want to do that anymore. I could no longer carry that

burden

'Now my dear, orders are orders, I know what that's like. But, calm down, I won't do

anything that could harm your mission, I just want to know the name of the beautiful young

woman who will take me home. He said with a sincere smile on his face.

"Why would you want to know this, my lord?" I'm the monster that will take your life, why do

you want to know my name? - I spoke in a voice of contained crying, my heart was so

heavy, that if I could start crying in that man's lap and leave everything behind, I would do it

without thinking twice.

'So young and with such a heavy heart, tell me, young lady. Why that? he said in a calm

tone, and it was making me even more sad and defeated inside.

"I don't want to kill you!" I can't take it anymore, I don't want to kill innocent people, I don't

want to feel the blood of these people running down my hands anymore, I don't want this for

me anymore! — I collapsed, I couldn't take it anymore.

That was the height of my despair

I screamed like a child as I felt the tears fall from my eyes as I pounded my fists hard

against the wooden floor.

"You don't need to go that way, dear. You've already fought what you had to fight for them,

it's okay, you need to complete the task, and I need to go. Everything has its time and its

right time, and I know mine is now. - Said with a sweet smile as he sipped from a glass that

was beside him

"Sir…" He had snatched all the words out of me.

I spent my whole life dodging elders, their prophecies and words made me sleepless

nights, and having to hear these kinds of things before I killed someone, oh, that was

definitely not what I expected.

He chuckled and said, "May I ask you a little favor, pretty young lady?" he said as he held

his cup of tea.

His beard swayed with his breath, the calm he emitted was comforting.

'My name is Riven, sir. I said, returning to my posture, kneeling down as I gripped the hilt of

the sword with trembling hands.

"So, Riven; I want you to take good care of my boy. I know you will meet soon, so I wish I

could give you a message.

"What message?" I looked at him in surprise, then my hands tingled, that could only mean

someone was coming this way.

I drew the sword, ready for defensiveness.

"Tell him I'm so proud of the great man he's become, he was the best thing that ever

happened to this old man." He smiled and took the last sip of his tea.

"But sir, how do I know who your boy is?" - I looked at him still amazed by the request

made to me.

"You will know, the winds will always tell you. - He laughed - He's a peculiar person, it won't

be long before you recognize him. - He replied smiling serenely - Goodbye, and thank you

very much for this last conversation! He bowed and then braced his hands on his lap,

closing his eyes calmly

"Sir, I don't want to do this…" I said with regret in my voice.

"You need to do this, Riven. In addition to being an order, this will change your life, I'm sure

what I'm saying. Trust the old man, he knows we're always right.

"Sir…" My eyes stubbornly, filling with tears again.

- Go ahead. My soul will not hold any grudges, it will go free to my ancestors.

I took a deep breath, lowered my head and summoned up the courage to do it.

'Goodbye, sir. "It was the last thing I said when I got up."

I gripped my sword tightly and made its greenish runes glow so bright I've never seen it like

that, screamed loudly at the top of my lungs, then snapped the old old man in half.

The tears that fell on my face were so many that they ended up dripping onto the floor.

I held my sword tight and wiped my face. I turned around and abandoned one more

body, one more innocent victim I took, one more innocent victim Noxus took.

I descended the cabin stairs and yanked the door open, felt the cold night air hit my face,

wiping away the recent tears, took a deep breath and tightened my grip on the hilt of my

sword, finally running back to the battlefield. I went as fast as I could, and when I got there,

the scene I saw was nothing I expected to see, it wasn't Noxus or Ionia winning the war, it

was a massacre, the massacre of two nations, of two very different peoples that in the war

they ended up becoming the same thing, nothing .

I saw my friends, my soldiers, my platoon and a large mass of the Ionian army, decimated,

tortured and killed in such a cruel way. I saw your flesh and skin melting away from your

bones, I saw your expression of horror, anguish, despair, fear. I saw an ally of Noxus kill

everything and everyone around him. What was supposed to be our help turned into our

failure, our defeat, our death...

I started yelling at the rest of my platoon that was still alive to retreat.

- Noxians! Back off! No need to die here! Back off! Come back! I screamed desperately.

None of them heard me, they'd rather die to Singed's cowardly acids than go home a

failure. For a Noxian, there is no greater pride than dying in battle, least of all for me. Dying

for Noxus in battle... That was a tragic death, that was the real failure.

I saw Singed running across the field with a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, still hurling

his filth at the ones who were still alive, I watched him ecstatic, startled by the sadistic grin

that marked his jaw-lines. That man was a monster.

I pulled the old cloth from under my armor and covered my nose, felt the armor heat up and

realized that the smoke that was being released from Singed's tank was corrosive to metal.

armor on the floor, desperate to get rid of that mound of metal that coated my body.

I ran through the woods, and when I felt I was far enough away from that place, I dug

my sword into the ground and put my hands over my head, felt the icy drops of rain fall on

my face. My breath hitched, I went into despair and started pulling my hair as I remembered

all the things that happened that day, flashing through my head, fast and horrific.

I fell to my knees on the floor and broke down in tears and screams.

After that night, all of Noxus thought that the great Commander Riven had died along with

her squadron, the commander who had always brought so many victories and honor to the

mighty Noxus. But the reality about that night is that the great commander did her job and

fled the rest of the massacre with her tail between her legs.

She would rather carry this burden for the rest of her life than die in that dirty and

cruel way, so the great commander preferred to wander around aimlessly and with nothing

but guilt to carry.

To break my link with that rotten nation, I broke my sword to pieces, but I kept a part of my

armor, so I would never forget everything I went through, never forget who I was and what I

did.

-Yasuo, the hero of Ionia-

Already with Yasuo, we have the second part of our story.

Yasuo had been cast as the old man's personal guard, who was an extremely influential

man in Ionia, a major player in the chess game of nations. The boy had been the man's

apprentice, and nothing better than his ward to carry out the necessary escort and strong

enough to protect him.

Thanks to the support and lap of this ancient warrior, Yasuo had the support he

needed to grow as a man and as a combatant, thus awakening his legendary abilities with

the winds. He was like a second father to the brunette, the one who lived for years with the

All afternoon, the youngest stayed there in the old hut, playing the flute and gladdening the

oldest's heart, when night will finally fall, the sounds of battle could be heard from

everywhere. The screams, roars, and noises of all the swords and weapons clashing made

Yasuo tense, uneasy

He wished to defend his homeland together with his comrades, asked his tutor for the

necessary blessing to face the battle head-on with his brothers, and without giving too much

thought, he would allow Yasuo to fight.

Upon arriving in battle, Yasuo infiltrated his comrades and foes and fought valiantly, until the

gruesome moment when Singed began his chemical attack.

When the windbender saw his companions falling to the ground and dying to death,

he went into shock, froze for a moment, and felt the worst yearning of his life. See your

brothers melting completely, giving off the putrid stench of death.

In quick action, the remaining Ionians sensed the situation, managing to back off and

get as far away from that miasma as possible. With a throbbing pain in their chest, they

backed away from the front line that was collapsing so cruelly, barely noticing Yasuo

disappear in despair towards the sacred hut.

When he arrived at his home, his insides twisted at the sight of the door with its roots

wide open, he ran up the spiral staircase, it had never seemed so long in his entire life.

Her knees went violently to the ground, just as a guttural scream ripped through her

throat. Seeing his father there, torn in half, there was no pain that could be described, there

was no name for the feeling the warrior felt ravaging his heart.

When he no longer had the strength to cry or stay there, watching that tenebrous

scene, his body dragged itself towards the capital, going to the hall of the elders.

His feet scraped across the floor of wet and puddled stones, if it weren't for soldiers

making a round, it would take Yasuo days to reach his superiors and report what had

happened.

His head was pounding, the marks on the wall, the way his body was stretched out on

the floor were marks ironically similar to his own. Either her father's killer was a warrior with

skills from the wind, or it was all a setup to incriminate him.

Until they could retrieve the elder's body, the high command had left Yasuo in the care of

his magicians and healers, his expression horrible, desolate. The man refused to eat, his

head boiled with anger, hatred. What made all this feeling spread, was realizing the distrust

coming from his superiors.

And the fateful moment had arrived, with a barely contained smile, one of Ionia's most

powerful magicians declared that Yasuo was the only one guilty, sentencing him to death,

without the right to trial or any defense.

And drawing strength from his deepest heart, Yasuo had escaped the capital. The

wind was completely against his favor.

The man knew he couldn't try to explain himself, they wouldn't believe it, at least they

refused to.

During his flight, his body had become weak, he ate little, he wandered through

forests, villages and temples, he prayed that a miracle would happen and he might have the

chance one day to prove his innocence. He promised himself he would find the culprit,

make him confess, so he could at least die in peace, knowing that Ionia would finally

believe in him.

He wandered along long roads, avoiding certain places where he knew that even the

smallest flower had eyes and ears.

There was only one place he could hide, he knew that not everyone had the courage

to stay there.

The floating islands of the Dark Sovereign.

At the top of the mountain, the closest place to the first island, there was a village,

used only for illicit combat and to serve as a meeting point for mob groups.

At the foot of the mountain and covering much of the only road that led to the top,

there was a bamboo grove, and when his body had thought of surrendering to fatigue, he

felt a presence.

And without thinking twice, Yasuo ducked through the thick bamboo walls and tried to

hide as much as he could.

Behind the wall of bamboo, there was a platform of earth and stones that edged the cliff that

surrounded the mountain, and waiting patiently there in that area, Yasuo expected his

enemy to show their faces

He sat down on the floor of the black part of Ionia and took a deep breath, when the

presence revealed itself, he was not surprised to see Yone there.

He did not expect another attitude from the eldest, if they ordered him to be

executed, he would do it, he would fulfill his duty without remorse or hesitation. After all, if

the council convicts someone, it can only mean that that person actually committed a crime.

Yasuo stood up and turned to look at his older brother's stern face.

"Yone, please. Trust me, I didn't kill the old man, you know that better than anyone, I

considered him like a father! Yasuo looked into his brother's eyes.

"Now it doesn't matter anymore, you're an outlaw from Ionia and you've been sentenced to

death, I don't doubt the council's decision." Yone gave him a cold, emotionless look.

"Believe me, brother!" — Yasuo was even begging.

"Don't call me brother, you bastard!" Yone advanced angrily at Yasuo.

The youngest realized that it wouldn't do any good to talk to his brother, he was blind

and wouldn't believe him, even if he begged him.

He would need to fight in earnest, he could not die here, even if it was for his last

living relative, he needed to prove his innocence and restore his honor.

The blades clashed violently, the clatter of steel was deafening, as was the thunder

that echoed across the sky, indicating the coming storm.

And during that deadly dance between the swords, a breach was found and the

youngest fatally wounded his brother, feeling the blade pierce the other body. He had held

the torso of his trembling beloved familiar, his eyes ready to well up with tears.

In tears Yasuo spoke: — Forgive me, brother, I didn't want it to be like this... — He said

through the thick tears that ran down his face — I need to find the real culprit for the crime I

was accused of, I need to bring my honor back! Her voice was choked and hoarse from

crying.

"Fuck those excuses, Yasuo! You never had any honor…" Yone spat the words in the

other's face. If not you, who was it? Yone had started spitting blood and howling in pain as

he clutched at the wound in his belly.

Gradually, he saw the life drain from his brother's body. And there, the last person

Yasuo had as a family left.