1 Prologue

The continent of Ionia was known for its lively and breath-taking beauty. No living being could wander a meter without finding an exotic species of animal, insect or fauna.

None of the geology made sense, mountaintops stood towering over forests and rivers travelled through all terrain, both mountains and valleys alike. And yet, the ecosystem thrived, simply because the spirit of Mother Nature willed it to.

However, on this fated day, this beautiful and rare landscape was being torn apart.

Horns blared through the thick forests of Ionia, and thousands of armored soldiers marched through the winding wilderness. Weapons and stray pieces of armor littered the soil as shouts conveyed the struggles of each individual soldier.

However, these were not deep, learned grunts. Instead, they were high-pitched and filled with desperation and fear.

These soldiers were not men, they were boys.

These young soldiers, aged between 9-17, struggled to keep their fear in check as they continued the invasion. They had been torn from their homes in Noxus and thrown to the front lines of an invasion.

Their fear filled their very beings, yet they did not turn back. They knew that the punishment for desertion was far worse than death. In front of them stood Ionian soldiers, unwilling to kill children, but even more unwilling to lose their homes and families.

No one involved in this war wanted to be here, none in favor of this war were present.

Among these children, one stood out.

Not because he was older, bigger or stronger than his peers, but because he had little to no armor on his scrawny body.

He had a blue streak in his hair and despite his short stature, was able to wield the sword in his hands quite effectively. Little to no fear burdened him, instead, confidence and cockiness filled his eyes.

The young boy was one of the few that didn't seem to fear this war, instead, he reveled in it. While the rest of his comrades struggled to stay alive, this young teen rushed forwards into the fray.

"Kayn! Get back and stay in formation!" An older voice yelled from behind.

"Formation won't win this war!" The young boy yelled in return, as he continued to rush towards a group of armored adults.

The group of 6 armored soldiers saw the young boy rushing towards them, and with a great deal of hesitation, they readied their weapons in preparation for the young teen's attack.

However, being ready was not enough. Kayn tore through their defenses with a wicked smile of glee.

This battlefield was one of tragedy and misfortune. Adults were forced to kill children, and children did their best to advance, despite their fears.

Perhaps the only soldier in sight that didn't experience the slightest bit of hesitation in this war was Kayn. Before being forcibly recruited, perhaps he lived as a normal boy, but here, his psychopathic personality guaranteed his excellence.

And so, while everyone struggled to inflict wounds upon each other, Kayn carved his way through dozens of soldiers.

Eventually, Kayn had emerged as one of the few Noxian survivors.

A shadow found the young teen covered in blood and guts, only some of which were his own. The shadow found that the young teen was a true warrior and had the potential to surpass even himself.

And so, the shadow saved the young boy, despite his many injuries. His intention was to create a tool powerful enough to shake the balance in Ionia.

However, at that same moment, the shadow felt his hair stand on end.

Despite being one of the most powerful men in Ionia, he felt primal fear that of which he had never felt before. He heard the caws of crows fly overhead as they flew straight past him.

The shadow quickly took the boy and fled in fear. By no means was he a coward, but he wasn't an idiot either.

Whatever caused an instinctual fear so pungent, was a greater power that the shadow stood no chance against.

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Almost 20kms (about 12.43 mi) away from Kayn and the mysterious shadow, a younger teen stood.

Despite all the blood, death and decay that surrounded the young boy, he didn't show any signs of fear. However, his face was indeed plastered with anger and disgust.

In front of the young boy stood a metallic scarecrow. A red and black energy covered its very being, and seeped into the ground and corpses that surrounded it.

The scarecrow, despite being the cause of the carnage, didn't seem to care about the many corpses around. As if all the deaths it had just caused no longer mattered.

Instead, the scarecrow faced the young boy directly.

And still, even being face to face with the young human, the terrifying scarecrow sensed absolutely no fear from the boy.

It had come face to face with the bravest and strongest men in history, and still, they would lose their minds from fear from looking in the eyes of the very embodiment of fear.

However, this young boy felt no such thing.

It wasn't that the young boy was too brave to feel fear, or anything like that.

It was a simple inability to feel that specific emotion.

The boy didn't have an Amygdala.

And so, the scarecrow stood.

Despite being an ancient demon, more dangerous and more threatening than any other, after meeting a human that seemed to defy the very emotion that the demon had fed off for millennia caused it to freeze.

In all of its experience of causing terror, it had never found a human like this.

And so, the both of them stared at each other.

One figure, looking down in confusion, and perhaps, amazement.

The other, glaring in contempt and anger.

"NO... FEAR?" The scarecrow screeched. Both words sounded like they came from different people, but it was undeniable that both words came from the deep, dark abyss of the demon's stomach.

"..." The young boy did not respond.

The scarecrow leaned forward slightly, as if getting an inch closer to the young boy would allow it to understand more.

Regardless, the young boy didn't move an inch.

Seeing absolutely no reaction, the scarecrow paused for a moment, as if pondering its next action.

And seemingly in no time at all, it decided.

The cage on the chest of the demonic scarecrow slammed open and the red-black energy that lingered within the cage shot out towards the young boy.

With no way to resist, the young boy tried taking a step backwards to avoid the rush of demonic energy. However, there was no way for a normal human to escape an ancient entity.

The red-black energy passed through his chest and nestled inside of his body.

The process was seamless, there was no pain and no discomfort.

All that remained was hopelessness.

The young boy understood that inside his chest, was a demon.

And that demon had killed everyone he claimed to love.