Second Meeting

'Goodbye.'

As soon as the text met his eyes, Nox knew that something had gone horribly wrong.

A wave of nausea hit his head. Quickly shutting the textbook, he tried to regain his senses.

His eyes watered as he felt the house draining away the remains of his energy. He felt a familiar voice whisper in his head.

No matter what, don't fall asleep. If you do… it'll all be over.

'The old Mythmaker?"

Nox recognized the voice, it was the young man from the memory fragment. He didn't know why he was able to speak to him but, one thing was certain.

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus urges you to fall asleep.]

The house of the door slammed shut, not budging even under the full weight of the Mythmaker. He had to get out, fast.

Thump-

His knee gave in, buckling onto the ground. A stifled yawn emerged from the boy's mouth.

'Not good.'

Without any other choice, he manifested a relic. The Last Light.

Igniting it with the last wisps of his energy, he placed it on his forearm. Instantly, he was jolted awake.

The scent of burnt flesh filled the hut as he forcibly stopped himself from collapsing. It hurt like hell, but it was better than whatever would come if he fell asleep.

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus urges you to fall asleep.]

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus urges you to fall asleep.]

…

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus begs you to give up.]

The mental attacks grew stronger, repeatedly crashing into his skull. He felt his brain rattling as he struggled to get a hold of himself. 

"I said no, you creepy old man!"

From the deepest parts of his consciousness, something awakened. The fragment that had been inside the boy since birth revealed itself. 

Nox felt his vision blur as memories from a previous life intertwined with his current ones. A faint blue hue slowly enveloped the sleeping boy as he fainted on the wooden floor.

Right before he fell, he heard a warm voice resonating in his soul.

You've done well, child. I'll take it from here.

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Lorn had been lying dormant for centuries, waiting for the perfect host. The soul of a hero was not easy to come by.

Years came and went. Eager Otherworlders proceeded onto the planet, hoping for fame and glory.

But he knew, deep inside, that they would not find anything other than death.

The planet of Noxus was a death sentence. Anyone sent here would be slain one way or another. 

Creatures here were far too powerful, too intelligent for the average human to face.

So the Emperor of Noxus sat on his ruined throne, waiting for that fateful moment.

Until finally…

"Couldn't they have placed me somewhere more convenient?" The boy grumbled.

With hair as black as darkness and determined eyes, the Otherworlder dispatched one beast after another.

Deep inside his soul laid the fragments of a Myth. After centuries of waiting, the hero had finally arrived.

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus watches with interest.]

'He's here…'

The boy turned out to be even more interesting than he thought. Lorn felt himself constantly comparing the Otherworlder to his old human self.

The hero was unafraid and never backed down from a fight. He was resourceful and cunning, using everything in his arsenal to win.

But most regrettably, he was kind. The Mythmaker was far too naive, far too trusting of people.

[A Challenger has slain a creature (Serpent of the Black Sea)]

As Lorn watched the boy lying atop the corpse, bleeding to death, he suddenly got greedy. He wanted to watch him grow. 

After all, how many years has it been since a notable challenger came into his planet?

From monsters to other Challengers, the Mythmaker proved to be talented beyond belief. Teaming up with another human from his planet, the Constellation suddenly had a thought.

'What if he does end up completing the Challenge?'

The old man was afraid. He hated to admit it, but he was jealous of the hero. 

Perhaps, if he had the same talent and willpower, his planet would've never been destroyed.

Cough-

King Lorn looked down at his hand. His condition had been worsening for a long time. Without any way to regain energy, the Constellation slowly grew weaker and weaker with each passing day. The black blood splattered all over the stone floor.

He realized it then. This was it. After this Challenge, he would cease to exist.

'I'm sorry, old friend. Your sacrifice will not be vain…'

Manipulating the soul of his friend Ralph, he cast it into the body of a lizardman. The Constellation would use everything in his power to wear the boy down

A red-haired Otherworlder destroyed the relics one by one. That wasn't the intention, but it can't be helped. He would have to revive the hard way.

His royal guards proved to be too weak, unable to take down the trio. But their job was done. With the death of the seer, they were no longer able to stop his resurrection.

The duo stumbled into the hut. 

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus urges you to fall asleep.]

The Mythmaker had grown far stronger than his expectations, but it hadn't been enough. If the boy had more time, perhaps he could've resisted.

As he watched the black-haired Challenger finally collapse onto the ground, the Constellation prepared his descent.

[Constellation: Emperor of Noxus is descending.]

Lorn dove into the consciousness of the hero. It was a pitch-black void, unbefitting of a mere awakened.

His frail arms tore apart the barrier surrounding his soul.

With a golden hue, it shone with unbelievable brilliance. The boy's potential was immense, like nothing the Constellation had ever seen.

'With this power… I could save our planet.'

He gulped. 

Reaching his hand over, he braced his body for the sensation that never reached him.

A shimmering white blade pierced through his heart. As Lorn slowly fell through the neverending void, he saw a man. With unblinking eyes, the swordsman gave him a sad smile.

The figure resembled the Challenger, but with one major difference. The Constellation used the remnants of his energy… and peered into his soul.

Like a solar eclipse, it was devoid of all light.

'This man… is carrying the regret of the entire world.'

For some reason, all he felt was a hint of melancholy. Lorn felt his consciousness slipping as he slowly faded away. On the verge of death, the King realized the sad reality.

"For the sake of my planet, please destroy every last one of them."

The revenge on the Constellations was never meant to be carried out by him. A mighty Constellation was but a small cog in the cycle.

[Error.]

[The Manager responsible for Challenge 74U has been eliminated.]

[Challengers will be teleported in: 00h 59m]

An earth-shattering roar sounded in the distance.