Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jinx laid in her warm soft bed wiping her precious guns with a slightly dirty rag. The various gun compounds scattered across the room, bullets decorated the floor further in a shiny golden display. Her music blasted loudly around the room as she hummed peacefully to herself. She pulled the rag away and threw it to an unknown location in the room as she looked at the now shiny and clean gun in her hands, seeing the rag flutter down in the reflection of the silver weapon. She hopped up from her bed and opened the door, walking out into one of the decks of the ship, hearing the usual beeping and clicking of machines.

She spotted the tall male with pure white hair in a ponytail and waved. “Hey there Yasuo!”

Yasuo gave her a small quick wave, staring intently at the orange holograph in front of him.

“What is it?” She asked, seeing his relatively concentrated look plastered on his face.

“We have to go to a nearby planet to get a component for the ship for its engines.” He said showing the screen displaying a bar graph that was slowly decreasing. “The engines are going to fail shortly if we don't get that part.” He tapped on the screen as jinx made her way to her seat, getting ready to steer the ship. The ship shook slightly as it made it to the planet. The ship shook violently upon reentry and through the window, Jinx saw a large city of tall skyscrapers standing proudly. They landed the ship a few feet from the city, afraid anyone who recognized it would immediately call the authorities.

Jinx gleefully skipped into the city, accompanied by Malphite, Yasuo, and their newest crew member, Sona. No one on the crew knew much about Sona. She couldn't talk so it made things a bit harder. She did, however, have a connection to Yasuo's late brother, and thankfully Yasuo had accepted her as part of the crew. Regardless of the fact she could not speak and seems calmer than the rest of the crew, they all still managed to have fun with her and enjoy her presence.

“So where do we go to get this component?” Jinx turned her head to Yasuo as they walked through the streets of the city, receiving quick glances from the civilians that tried their best to avoid contact with them. Some even crossed the street to get away or walked into alleyways to find another path.

“We need to go to a special merchant to buy it. The component is valuable.” Yasuo answered as he stopped in front of a large building that was a dark blue color, the paint beginning to chip. Some windows had tattered dark brown curtains that were slightly ripped. Yasuo entered the shop and was immediately greeted with the smell of burning wires and old fabric. Malphite released a slight cough from the dust that invaded his nose. The place was slightly clean surprisingly, and it had little to no stains on the wall or on the desk the owner of the store was sitting at. The man was tall and strongly built. He was sitting comfortably in his chair reading a portscreen, aimlessly swiping through it. He glanced at the small group of people and tossed the device to the side before standing up.

“How can I help you?” He asked, his voice sounded almost like a deep growl.

“We need an engine component for our ship. The name of it is the Psy-345.”

The man’s eyes grew wide for a second. “That component is very expensive.”

Yasuo crossed his arms. “And we’re ready to pay that price.”

The man paused for a second and shrugged and bent down to look in his storage and set the bright blue medium-sized component down on the table that made a loud thunk as it hit the table. “80,000 units.”

Yasuo was unphased by the price, casually pulling out a card and tapping it on a small black machine that chimed happily, the screen displaying a large green check icon indicating the price had been paid. The man bagged the item neatly and handed it to Yasuo.

“Have a good day.” He said watching the group leave.

---

When they arrived at their ship, a large platoon of bandits greeted them. From their expressions and body language, they had been trying desperately to break into the ship. They turned their attention to the group and gave them murderous looks as a tall man cut through them.

“Are you the owners of this ship?” He asked, glaring at them.

“Yeah, this is our ship. So get the hell away from it!” Jinx roared as she was about to charge at them until she was pulled back by Malphite.

“Your ship looks good. Good enough for me and my men to take and bunker down in. Give us everything you have, and we won't have any problems...” He chimed as if he was trying to sound peaceful. “, If not, we’re gonna see how many bones of yours we can break before you finally open up your ship.” He cracked his large knuckles as he reached over his shoulder and pulled out a large axe. The crew exchanged looks with one another and readied themselves.

The bandit leader attacked first, roaring and running blindly towards the group, his other comrades soon followed after yelling inaudible battle cries.

Yasuo dashed around quickly, almost a blur as he sliced through the enemies with ease. The wind howled around him as he swung his sword again releasing a small and powerful tornado. The bandits were knocked up and blown away, crashing into nearby trees and knocked out cold in an instant.

Jinx laughed in glee as she pulled out her large arsenal of weapons, firing at every bandit that was in her vision. Her eyes sparkled in delight seeing the multiple clouds of smoke and fire. She jumped on Malphites back as he punched and threw his enemies and began shooting, releasing a high-pitched laugh. One of the fallen enemies scrambled up and aimed at Jinx, only to be shot down again by Sona’s blue beam. Thanks to Sona being around the crew got to be a lot more aggressive than usual, and that was fine with them.

Kicking ass was one of the things they loved.

Minutes past and the bandits were all wiped out. Some either were passed out, ran away, or dead. The leader fell to his knees and wheezed loudly, clutching his axe with a broken blade. He looked at his comrades scattered across the field like discarded toys and looked back at the crew with burning hatred and anger in his eyes.

“You sons of bitches... I’ll kill you, all of you!” He jumped up and swung his sword towards Jinx and staggered back as a bright golden wave of energy hit him, feeling an aching and excruciating pain in his abdomen. Blood poured from the gash. His axe fell to the ground and his body followed a few seconds after. He laid there twitching and sputtering up large amounts of the crimson liquid. The group looked back at Sona who stared back calmly at them, her eyes as neutral as they always were.

“Whoa...” Jinx looked at the now limp body and whistled. “Too bad for that guy. Nice job!” She threw a thumbs up at sona before making her way to the ship.

“Let’s just hurry and get this piece installed before we get into any more fights.” Yasuo sighed, stepping over the body.

Jinx installed the component successfully after running into small kinks and wires that needed to be snipped or ripped out, and the ship hummed in response. The energy readings on the hologram screen went from red to green instantly and Yasuo released a sigh in relief.

“Now we’re ready to take off.” He said. Jinx nodded and began turning on the engines, and the ship lifted from the ground and blasted off into space once more.
---
Jinx sat in her room staring at the window displaying the countless stars while simultaneously cleaning her guns again, finally happy to return to her favorite hobby after a good fight. She had cleaned it so many times she knew every edge and space that was on the item. A bright brilliant flash of light made its appearance in the cosmos, making Jinx look up and stare at the window. There was nothing at first until she saw it. She gasped softly at the phenomenon, seeing a large, golden spread of energy expand more and more. She ran out of her room and into the main room where everyone was and jumped up and down pointing at a window.

“Guys! Look!”

The crew gathered at the window and saw the explosion. Well, the aftermath of it.

“It’s just an exploding star, what of it?” Yasuo looked at the excited girl.

“I know but it looks so cool! I never saw one before!” She said looking at the window in a daze, resting her chin in her palms.

Malphite shrugged it up and made his way back to the small project he was working on. Jinx continued to stare at the window. “Oh, I wish I could see it again. An explosion like that is a once in a lifetime experience..”
---
The great Ordinal Kayn was remarkably quiet at his desk during his usual routine: paperwork. It was deathly quiet throughout the entire room. The only source of noise was the occasional clicking of boots or high heels from employees outside the room, and from the voice of his newly accompanied ‘comrade’ who was also his weapon. He released a short sigh in annoyance from being disturbed from his work when he heard Rhaast’s low grumble in his head.

“What..?” He rotated his chair to face the scythe that was resting on the large window behind him, his eyes stared at the golden orb resting next to the scythe’s blade.

“I did not give you my power just so you could sit at your desk all day and read papers over and over again.” He grumbled.

Kayn scoffed and rotated back to his desk, now resting both his feet on top and leaning back on his chair. “Then what do you suggest we do?” He said resting his cheek on his fist. Even Though he asked Rhaast, the ordinal didn't partially care what the ancient being wanted. After all, he was the one in control of the power the scythe so graciously decided to bestow upon him. So in Kany's eyes, he was the boss. And he didn't give a damn about Rhaast’s needs.

“You know what I want, Kayn."

Kayn could tell by the emphases Rhaast put in his name, that he was already annoyed and fed up. Granted, He was bored as well. Sitting at your desk for almost three hours reading papers constantly isn't exactly what someone would deem as fun. Especially when these papers have not one clue about where the templar or the morningstar crew could be. Kayn swore that when he found that damn crew they would pay for taking the templar and messing up his plans to become emperor. So close he was to obtain the power when she was first captured. He was already powerful with Rhaast, thinking of the power he could wield if he just had that templar at his disposal almost made the dread of doing paperwork worth it. Soon enough he would-be emperor, and everyone would bow down to him. He smirked at the thought, humming in satisfaction with how good of a mood the fantasy put him in. Rhaast let out a huff and chuckled darkly.

“Be careful not to succumb to your fantasies Kayn. After all, you’ll have to kill me to get what you want.”

He waved Rhaast off like a fly and went back to reading. “Why don't you go to sleep or something before I use you to cut the weeds in the ship’s garden.”

A knock at the door was heard and Kayn immediately put his feet on the ground and sat up, clearing his throat. “Come in.”

The doors opened to reveal a soldier in black armor stepping in and saluting, the emblem of the demaxian empire resting on his armor glove.

“Sir, I came to give a report on our recent mission,” He stated.

He set down the port screen and looked at the soldier attentive. “Go on.”

“On our most recent mission is exploring one of the outer sector edgeworlds and found what seemed to be fugitives who admitted to being worshippers of the Templar.”

Kayn felt Rhaast’s attention light up at the word. He glanced behind him before returning to the soldier. “Did they have any valuable information about the Templar?”

“Negative, all of them had no idea of the templar's current whereabouts. However, they seemed particularly afraid of something. We don’t know what yet, but we assume to be able to share more information about that in the future.”

Kayn released a frustrated sigh. “Alright then...Anything else?”

“Yes sir, our satellites have picked up a star explosion in the same place where the outer sector edgeworld was in a few moments after we returned.”

Kayn raised an eyebrow. “It's just a regular star dying, what’s special about it?”

“The satellite also picked up energy reading of a foreign object that seemed to be...propelling itself towards the edgeworld. It crash-landed a few minutes afterward. We were able to get a quick photo of it before it left the camera’s vision.” He walked towards the desk slowly and set down a neatly laminated photo of a blurred object. Kayn stared at the photo that showed the blur of what seemed to look like a golden sphere. He hummed softly in thought. “Is that it?” He asked, not looking up from the photo.

“Yes, sir.”

Kayn clicked his tongue and lazily rotated his chair holding the photo, his back now facing the soldier. “Then you are dismissed.” He heard the soldier’s body shuffle before the sound of boots filled the room and eventually, the room grew quiet once again.

“Hmm,” Rhaast growled into a low rumble. “It can't be..no..there’s no way..”

Kayn looked at the scythe in confusion. “What is it now?”

“Nothing Kayn. Just wondering.”

“Wondering what?”

“If that strange object is someone who I...know.”

Kayn could feel the hesitation in Rhaast’s voice that sounded almost regretful. He scoffed in amusement at the creature’s tone. “You’re scared of a sphere?” He said sarcastically at the scythe.

“It is not a sphere you idiot!” He roared in protest. “It's a very old enemy of mine that I despise with every fiber of my being…” His voice was a low and murderous tone. The ordinal tilted his head and glanced at the picture once more.

“Is this a dangerous enemy of yours?”

Rhaast stayed quiet for a moment before answering. “She’s only dangerous if...Actually yes, she’s dangerous. That crazy bitch...” Rhaast’s voice got lower and filled with anger and annoyance.

Kayn was slightly taken aback by Rhaast’s sudden small burst of anger towards this unknown foe. “Is this foe of yours well known?”

“How should I know. You people can’t even find that one shooter criminal you’ve been hunting down from 4 weeks ago. I highly doubt she’s made it to your empire’s criminal records.” He grumbled rudely.

“I’ll send a search team to the edgeworld the enemy of yours crashed on them. I don't need any distractions from my true agenda. I’ll eliminate this person before they even know what’s happening.” He heard Rhaast crackle loudly.

“I don't think you’ll be able to eliminate this foe so easily Kayn. However, if this particular one did happen to show up again, I'd be more than happy to help you fight them,” He said in an amused tone.

Kayn rolled his eyes at the creature’s constant bloodthirst.

“How nice of you to help…”
-----
The orange holographic screen flashed with an alert loudly as Yasuo made his way over to it. He swiped the alert and it showed an image of the edgeworld. He squinted his eyes in confusion, reading text displaying that there was a strange ‘anomaly’ on the edgeworld. He thought for a moment before calling out to Jinx.

“Set course for the edgeword I've marked on navigation.” He said, still staring at the screen as Jinx walked over to her seat.

“What are we going there for?” She said, pressing various buttons while the ship slowly turned towards the destination.

“There’s a strange anomaly found there. I thought we’d check it out.” He typed on the keyboard in front of him. “Besides, there might be some creatures to fight.”

Jinx’s eyes glittered with delight. “Fight!? Aw yeah!” She pressed a button that made the ship propel swiftly towards the edgeworld. Sona as usual really did not show any reactions to the occasional sudden jolting of the ship. Malphite grabbed onto an object to hold to every now and then.

The ship landed and all of the crew stepped out. Yasuo held up a small device that showed a small red arrow that pulsed every second. “Let's go.”

The crew began making their way to the anomaly as Jinx and Sona watched for any enemies.
“What do you think this anomaly thing is?”

Malphite groaned in response and shrugged as Jinx continued talking. “Maybe it's a super rare monster we can blow up!”

Yasuo rolled his eyes listening to the girl's chatter while keeping his eyes glued to the device. They walked for almost an hour, with no sign of a monster as they grew closer to the destination. Only the howling of the wind and the skittering sound of rocks being kicked up from the ground. Soon enough, a bright red dot appeared on the device.

“What is that!?” Jinx explained loudly, pointing to a medium-sized beautiful floating golden orb. They looked at the orb with curious and confused eyes. Yasuo moved a bit closer to the orb, staring at the sparkling golden energy with hints of purple and red inside of it.

Suddenly, Malphite released a roar, and the body of a dead creature flew and landed between Yasuo and the orb. Yasuo spun around to see six large monsters surrounding them, growling loudly and slowly beginning to close in. Yasuo unsheathed his sword and slew three of the creatures with ease, while Malphite and Jinx killed two of them. The last one crawled swiftly, dodging Jinx’s attacks and launching up bearing its large sharp fangs at her. Jinx readied her gun to shoot, but a body slammed into the creature. It fell to the ground while a heel stomped on its head, crushing it and leaving a large purple puddle of blood with small chunks of flesh scattered across the ground. The crew stared in awe at the unknown woman standing before them.

“Whew, nice to know the cosmos is still as unpredictable as it was in the old days.” She said, her voice as smooth as silk and sounded as soothing as a loving mother’s. She had long white hair pulled into two low pigtails with neat bangs and a few loose strands surrounding her cheeks. She turned to face the crew with her brilliant golden eyes and had the look of shock on her face. She smiled nervously at them.

“Oh..people..” She took her foot off of the crushed head and dragged it on the ground, trying to remove as much blood as she can. “I didn't know people still had the courage to venture out into the edgeworlds.”

Yasuo sheathed his sword and turned around, no longer seeing the bright golden orb. His mind clocked. “Wait...You were that strange object we were looking for?”

The woman raised an eyebrow before forming an ‘O’ shape with her lips. “My regeneration orb? You must've been looking for that.” She scoffed in amusement. “Yeah, yeah that happens a lot. People think it's some ultra-rare item they can sell but no, that's just where I go to regenerate,” She beamed.

Yasuo raised an eyebrow. “Regeneration..?”

“It’s complicated.” She said. Looking down as if she was embarrassed. Jinx tilted her head, staring at the woman, She could tell that this unknown individual had a unique power over her. She didn't know why, but something told her that this woman needed to be on their side, instead of against them. Her eyes lit up as she stepped a bit past Yasuo and smiled widely.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you! Nice kill on that monster by the way. We’re the morningstar crew! Who are you?”

The women looked at Jinx’s excited and happy demeanor and smiled, grateful there were still so many lovely people in the cosmos. She crossed her arms nonchalantly and spoke.

“My name is Avila. It’s nice to meet you Morningstar crew.”

Chapter Text

The edgeworld was a vast, unpredictable place to say the least. Littered with dangers like monsters of all kinds and sometimes deadly weather, it's no wonder why the great demaxian empire wanted to explore it. To some, the more dangerous the area is the more loot that’s waiting to be discovered.

Yasuo, to say the least, believed and agreed about the thoughts of the edgeworld, but he’d never think the discovery he’d make would be finding a woman who can turn into a golden orb.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Avila!” Jinx happily said as Avila offered a peaceful smile in delight.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

“So, Avila, where did you come from?” Yasuo asked her as she formed a straight line with her lips and hesitating to answer as if embarrassed.

“Well, it's not gonna be a story you hear every day.” She chuckled before picking at her near-perfect-looking nails with silver polish.

Jinx made a face and softly pat Avila’s back. “We’ve heard tons of crazy stories, I'm sure yours isn't too bad!”

Avila let out a sigh and spoke calmly. “Well, I got stabbed, turned into my orb, and got sealed inside the core of a star by a powerful celestial being I knew for a thousand years.” Jinx and the rest of the crew had pure shock plastered on their faces as Jinx scratched the back of her head.

“Sheesh, that’s rough.” Realization struck her like a bullet and she looked back up at Avila. “Wait, how did you live for that long? You’re human aren't you?”

Avila twiddled her thumbs and looked at the floor. “Technically yes, but I’m also immortal.”

Jinx gave a shocked and interested smile and gasped. “That’s awesome! How are you immortal?”

“My heart pumps blood and also 80% pure ora.” She extended her arm and the crew looked, seeing her blue veins, but flashes of gold coloring in them.

“I have to admit, that’s impressive,” Yasuo said, admitting to himself even he was interested in this. Never in his life had he ever witnessed someone be immortal from Ora. Sure he's seen people have extreme strength or speed, seen people die from Ora overdose, but never be immortal.

Jinx was about to explode with questions out of excitement until Sona pointed up at the sky as Malphite yelled, “We have enemies coming down!”

The crew looked and saw a large ship landing and saw the demaxian empire emblem on the side. Their minds went to the closest candidate.

“Do you think it’s Kayn?” Jinx turned to Yasuo and he nodded in agreement. After all, they still had his precious templar. The guy also loved to explore the littlest things that appeared in the cosmos, especially the edgeworld.

“Come on, I know a place where we can hide, they must have traced my orb signals as you guys did!” She ran with the crew and led them to a large cave not too far away. It was dark and cold and hard to navigate around, but Avila managed to have each of them hide successfully in the cave.

She peeked her head from her hiding place through the opening, seeing nothing but the usual red-orange-colored arid soil of the edgeworld and the dust-filled wind that howled outside the cave.
-------
The ship landed loudly on the ground, rumbling softly as its tired engines died down. Kayn raised from his seat, clutching his scythe as the 4 soldiers that accompanied him stood up and readied their guns. They were tall and strongly built with their broad shoulders and chests that stuck out proudly. At first glance one could tell that they weren't mere rookie soldiers, these soldiers were one of the strongest and more elite soldiers of the empire. With their more complicated highly deadly weapons and hard penetration armor all over their bodies. The steel door groaned loudly and opened revealing the dry and empty edgeworld environment ahead of them. The strong wings brushed against Kayn's face making his hairbrush against his face as he winced softly from the intense sunlight that swiftly invaded his vision. He walked out of the ship and walked a few feet to where the location is, followed by the soldiers that had their guns ready.

Kayn continued walking to the location and looked around silently at the countless miles of dry bright red soil that painted the edgeworld.

“The energy reading disappeared and so did the object..” Kayn murmured loud enough for only Rhaast to hear. He heard Rhaast’s voice release a low and irritated growl.

“That means she’s not in her orb anymore..” Rhaast said as Kayn continued to walk, the soldiers never walking behind too far. He looked at the soldiers a few feet away from him and turned his attention back forward, continuing to speak to Rhaast.

“What even is this woman you fear Rhaast?”

Rhaast grumbled in his breath, annoyed at the fact Kayn really thought he was afraid of a mere immortal woman. If he had his body back, he would've found her again and killed her to turn back into that orb and sealed her side another star. God, she was so annoying. He had to admit though, she had some balls constantly bothering a celestial being such as himself. Countless thoughts poured into Rhaast’s mind. How the hell did she manage to get out of a damn core of a star? And why the hell was she so obsessed with him!? His frustration boiled over, turning his attention to the soldiers behind Kayn, he wanted to slaughter them all just to release even a half of his anger at this entire situation. This damn woman would ruin his plans if she was kept roaming the cosmos, he had to stop her before it came to that, or else she’ll be a bigger threat than Kayn would ever think. Especially if she somehow found her sword he sealed away. Then she’ll really be a pain in the ass.

“It’s not just what she is, it's what she can do. If she is left to roam then she will be in the way of your plans,” he said to him. The tightening of his grip indicated to him that the warning clearly got through to the aspiring emperor. He continued, “But it’s going to be difficult to subdue her. She can't die.”

Kayn glanced at the scythe and raised an eyebrow. “Whatever do you mean?”

Rhaast wanted to roll his eyes at Kayn's ’oblivious moments such as these where he just couldn't take a hint. “She’s immortal.” He said simply, seeing Kayn's face display shock and confusion.

“How?” he questioned, his voice full of curiosity.

“Her heart pumps blood and pure ora, that’s how she’s able to be immortal and have exquisite strength and speed when fighting. Not to mention her signature ancient sword is made out of 100% pure solidified ora as well.“

Kayn sighed heavily in annoyance. He could already tell this woman would be a threat, but he had to admit, she had already sparked a slight interest in him. He wondered what it would be like fighting her, hopefully, it would be fun and amusing. But judging from her description, he could tell she isn't the type that would like to run away. That was fine with him. A braver opponent to battle against was always a treat to take down. Rhaast could sense the slight excitement in Kayn and spoke again.

“Careful Kayn, the woman is dangerous. She has an unquenchable bloodlust. And she hasn't splattered blood in a thousand years. Who knows how much blood she’s willing to bathe the system in right now before she’s satisfied.”

Kayn simply hummed in response to him. Rhaast suddenly received a wave of ora energy and quickly alerted Kayn.

“Kayn. That cave.”

Kayn stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to a large dark cave. He waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to search the cave. The soldiers immediately obeyed and marched quietly to the cave and entered inside of it.

Avila peeked her head out of her hiding place and saw the soldiers enter the cave. She tried her best not to release an irritated huff. She pressed her back to the rock and looked at the crew who was still hiding. Jinx silently crawled over to her and whispered. “Y’know Avila, we could take these guys.”

She shook her head. “Those look like strong elite soldiers from the demaxian empire. If you're seen and decide to fight them, they’ll send reinforcements that will overwhelm all of you in seconds. Don't worry, I got this.”

One of the soldiers slowly stepped towards Sona’s hiding spot with his gun raised, ready to shoot. Avila quickly appeared behind him when the other soldiers were distracted and knocked him out with a rock, catching his limp body and dragging it out of sight. Avila laid the body behind a large rock and peeked to see the other soldiers. She turned to the crew to check on them, seeing them all safely in their hiding spots. Malphite struggled a bit finding his spot, but managed to do it before he was noticed. The large alien was tough to hide.
Avila peeked once again from her hiding spot and saw the soldiers, immediately her assassin mind clicked. She signaled the crew to stay quiet while she moved silently and swiftly as her hand wrapped around each soldier's neck, snapping it and dragging their bodies from view. She didn't want to do it, but her bloodlust episode suddenly made itself known. Feeling the bones snap against her hands felt amazing, each one soothed her bloodlust little by little.
Rhaast sensed the soldiers' life energy-depleting until it was completely gone, and immediately cursed in anger. Of course, she was in that cave, why wouldn't she be. She must've had a bloodlust again. If she didn't, she would've instead knocked out the soldiers instead of killing them. Great, thanks to her bloodlust Kayn will have no backup. The best chance he’ll have is to hurry and capture her before her bloodlust gets worse.

“Kayn, the soldiers in the cave are all dead except for one. We need to go check it out.”

Kayn rolled his eyes. “Fine, we’ll finally be able to take down this woman, and I can keep trying to find that templar.” He said before walking into the cave while Rhaast cursed Kayn for his arrogance. A small part of him wanted Avila to kick Kayn's ass just to subdue that arrogant side of him that loved to poke out and annoy him more than usual now and then. Kayn looked around seeing none of the soldiers in his sight. He clutched his weapon, ready to strike at any threat as he trudged slowly throughout the cave, slowly turning his head to look around for any incoming attack or enemy. So far he saw and heard nothing, Just the wind howling from outside and the dark rocky interior of the cave. He looked at this scythe and quietly spoke. “There’s no one in here Rhaast.”
Rhaast felt the overwhelming ora energy and the bloodlust coming from Avila that slowly got stronger and warned Kayn. “No, she’s in here. Just hiding…”

Kayn was about to take another step until he suddenly saw a figure in front of him. In a second, the figure drop kicked him onto the floor. He crashed on the ground, the thudding sound echoing throughout the large empty cave. The shadowy figure stood up and yelled, “Now! Run!” Suddenly Kayn immediately recognized the group of people who bolted past them, along with a purple aura that made them all run faster.

“The morningstar crew…” Kayn growled angrily as he stood up, ready to chase them. Due to his anger, he completely forgot about the figure and barely paid attention to Rhaast’s voice warning him to turn around. He fell to the floor again and turned around seeing the light from the outside shine on the figure, revealing the woman with brilliant gold eyes and snow-white hair. He stood up and gripped his scythe.

“Kayn! That is the woman! Hurry up and kill her so she can turn into her orb!”

Kayn looked at the woman and straightened himself, looking into her eyes. “And who might you be?”

“Name’s Avila Starstorm. Im the energy signal you came here for.”

Kayn’s annoyance grew. “Im aware woman. Now, be a good peasant and get out of my way.”

Avila cracked her neck and balled her fists. “No thanks.”

She lunged at him and Kayn instantly swung his scythe down aiming for her head. She swiftly sidestepped and delivered a strong punch to Kayn’s stomach. He staggered and held it for a few seconds before swinging the scythe once again aiming for her arm. She jumps back and dodged the blade as Kayn smirked, happy he caught her off guard with his trick. In the blink of an eye, Kayn hastily grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She released a gasp of air, trying to hold back a loud scream. Kayn held the blade of the scythe up to her neck, pressing it against her warm flesh, drawing blood. He heard Rhaast release a sound as if he was moaning, which made him extremely uncomfortable to witness hearing.

“Oh my, I hate this woman with every fiber of my being but I must admit, her flesh drives me crazy in many ways~”

Kayn's face scrunched in disgust hearing Rhaast speak in such a sexual and seductive tone. "Ew, gross,” he murmured as he turned his attention back to the woman who was now grabbing his arm, gasping for air.
“And here I thought you'd be a pest to beat.” He said raising his scythe as Avila smirked.

“The only pest here is how much you talk to yourself.” She kicked Kayn in the jaw and felt his grip loosen. Chuckling softly, she kicked his chest and sent him back a few feet. She landed on the ground and coughed before running out of the cave, seeing the crew almost at their ship. She sighed in relief before seeing Kayn shadowstep towards her and slash her side with his scythe. She yelled in pain and held her wound, seeing the gold and red blood pour out of her and drop on the ground.

Kayn looked at the blood and his eyes lit up in slight glee. “Amazing…" He grinned widely and held up the scythe, seeing gold and red liquid drip from the blade. “I can't wait to make you bleed more…” he grinned violently and dashed at Avila.

Jinx hurriedly opened the door to the ship and saw everyone run inside before she was about to go into the ship herself. She paused abruptly as her eyes set on Avila and Kayn fighting. She gasped while turning quickly to Yasuo, grabbing his attention. “Yasuo wait! We’re gonna leave Avila!”

Yasuo frantically typed on the holographic keyboard. “We have no time! Get in the ship!”

Jinx turned back to see Avila badly losing the fight to Kayn and yelled back. “No! She helped us! We have to save her! Or else I'll blow this ship’s engines and we aren't going anywhere!”

Yasuo looked at her and sighed heavily. If it came to blowing something up! Jinx always meant it. “Fine go! But hurry back!”

Jinx smiled in triumph and ran out of the ship towards Avila. She was about to call out to her but saw Kayn’s blade pierce Avila’s stomach. Seconds later her body turned into the same golden orb.

“Good, now grab the orb and go!” Rhaast yelled. Kayn reached for the orb but was knocked back by a blast from Jinx’s cannon. He landed a few feet from the orb and snapped his attention to Jinx in anger. “How dare you!” He lunged towards her but was caught by one of her traps. He saw her run to Avila’s orb and grab it while struggling in the trap’s grip. He roared in anger and sliced the trap before seeing Jinx frantically running back to the ship.

He quickly chased after her, scythe ready to strike. Yasuo saw Kayn inching closer to Jinx and released a tornado towards Kayn. He quickly shadow-stepped through the tornado but was immediately hit with another explosion from Jinx. He staggered back and when the smoke cleared in front of him, the morningstar ship was already off of the ground as he saw the door slowly close with Jinx holding Avila’s orb in her arms.

“No!” He screamed before getting in his ship and commanding the pilot to follow the ship. Jinx set the orb on the couch and quickly sat in her seat before starting up the engines and setting the hyperdrive for the ship. “Where to!?” She said to Yasuo, who was looking for coordinates.

“Set the coordinates for the planet Lilac!”

She quickly typed the planet's name and pulled up all of its info before selecting it. The ship’s engines whirred loudly and shook before a 5-second countdown was displayed on the screen.
Kayn saw the ship charging up for a hyperjump and shot at it, embedding a tracker on the exterior. He smirked as he watched the ship dive deep into the cosmos, surrounded by gold and blue energy before it dispersed.

“Kayn you idiot! Why didn't you chase after them!?" Rhaast yelled out at Kayn, frustrated at his failure to chase after the ship. Kayn barely noticed Rhaast’s rage at him as he smirked in satisfaction.

“No matter if I didn't chase after them. I implanted a tracking device on the ship.” He moved to a large control table and began typing on it. “They won't get far. For now, I should go back and grab more soldiers. This ends now."
-----------
Avila woke up and saw an orange ceiling and a bright white light shining in her eyes. She sat up slowly with a groan, her body feeling heavy and sore. She looked around the room, seeing dressers and a communication device on top of it alone with a few wires hanging from small corners of the ceiling. The window next to her displayed a large beautiful light purple-colored planet with four moons accompanying it. Her mind spun. What happened?
The last thing she remembered was fighting that man with the strange scythe. When she was fighting him, she felt such a strange vibe from his weapon, as if she had seen it before. She shook the thought out of her mind and threw her legs off of the bed. She slowly stood up, her vision getting blurry every now and then while she did. She walked out of the room seeing Jinx and her crew all playing a board game. She noticed Jinx arguing with the big blue alien before she turned her attention to Avila and smiled widely.

“Avila!”

Jinx ran to her and hugged Avila tightly.

“Hello, Jinx.” She said smiling softly at the orange-haired girl. Jinx grabbed Avila’s hand and guided her to the couch and sat her on it and sat next to her.
“I totally forgot to introduce the crew to you! This big blue lug is Malphite! The guy with the cool lizard and white ponytail is Yasuo, our captain! And that’s Sona!”

Avila looked around the room at the various people and waved. “Well, it's nice to properly meet the members of the morningstar crew.” She noticed a large bandage on Jinx’s side and looked at her and shock and concern. “Jinx, what happened?”
Jinx’s face displayed confusion for a moment before she looked at her side and laughed. “Oh, it's nothing! I just got a small, uh, cut from that awesome assassin without even realizing it!”

Avila softly smiled. “Thanks for going back and saving my orb. And thanks to you all, for allowing me to be on your ship.”

“It’s the least we could do, you did help us escape from that insane freak,” Yasuo said sitting on the couch while his lizard crawled onto Sona’s lap, releasing a small squeak before curling into a ball and closing its eyes.

“Yeah, don’t worry! We love danger!” Jinx said as she moved a piece on the board, earning a groan from Malphite. Poor guy must be losing.

Yasuo sat down, stretching slightly before releasing a breath of relaxation. “So, Avila, while you were asleep Jinx has been bugging me about letting you stay on the ship and be a member of the crew.”

Avila looked at Jinx and saw her nod happily and smile widely in excitement. “Please? It’ll be so fun having you around I just know it! We can go on a ton of adventures together and set stuff on fire and make stuff explode! It'll be great!”

Yasuo rolled his eyes at Jinx and chuckled before looked at Avila. “So, what do you say Avila?”

She thought for a moment. She did love the crew already, their fun energy was great to be around and could tell they were really lively. Plus, she really didn't have any place to go and would be hunted down by that crazy scythe guy for whatever reason without defending herself for too long. She smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I do like this crew. I’d love to be a part of it.”

Jinx jumped up and hugged Avila and cheered happily. “Yes! This is gonna be great! We’ll go on a ton of adventures and have such a good time together!”

“I look forward to it Jinx.” Avila said kindly. She already was happy with her choice, loving the constant lively energy the crew has.

A few hours had gone by, and Avila was standing near the window of the main deck on the ship, looking at the stars. She began to go deep in thought. She wondered why she felt such strange yet familiar energy emitting from that assassin’s scythe. She had never seen it before. Could it just be the energy of the ora within the scythe? She closed her eyes. It had been so long since she was able to finally be out of her orb again. Being in that star wasn't exactly a party. It felt so lonely for all those years. Being in that little tight space, being nothing but swirling energy in a solid golden sphere inside a bright star.

She was glad to have been able to immediately met with action as soon as she came out.
That was always such fun for her. If she had a totally peaceful life, she would be bored. Being able to venture out through the cosmos was amazing. And now she had comrades to accompany her. She heard a door open and looked back, seeing Jinx. she smiled and waved as Jinx walked over to her.

“Hey, Avila! Whatcha doing?” Jinx said, standing next to her. Avila let out a small sigh and said, “nothing much, just looking at space I suppose.”

Jinx looked out the window and smiled. ‘Yeah, looking at all these stars is pretty cool and soothing. At Least for me. Hey, so since you’re a member of the crew, I have decided the role that’s perfect for you!”

Avila raised an eyebrow and slightly turned to look at Jinx. “What role is it?”

The orange-haired girl smiled widely. “You, my friend, have the same role as Malphite. Security guard! You’ll be our extra muscle!”

Avila laughed. “Security guard? I like it, which means I get to hopefully fight more people.” Jinx nodded and laughed in glee. “Definitely, we all love a good fight!” Avila scoffed softly.

"Thanks again for letting me be a part of your crew.”

Jinx chuckled. “No problem! You’re gonna be a great crew member I can already tell!”
Avila and Jinx went on to talk about various topics while sitting down and staring at the glimmering and fading stars.
----
The dark star. A terrifying phenomenon that has made itself known throughout the universe. An object that craves nothing but destruction and nothingness. To the ones who've witnessed the dark star, never live to tell what they saw. A never-ending black hole consuming whole cities, planets, and galaxies. But to the small amount who have witnessed the dark star and survived, became corrupted dark entries with the same aspiring agenda: Nothingness.

Thresh watched as he fed the dark star, his God, the galaxy in front of him. He watched as the planets were slowly engulfed in black and glowing dark purple energy, breaking apart and swirling into the large black hole. The once bright stars were ripped in half, their light fading in an instant. “ Soon, that dark star will consume all living things and matter, until nothing but the vast horrifying darkness of the universe itself is left.” He chuckled darkly as the galaxy that once was home to 7 planets, was now gone. All of it drifting in the oblivion of the dark star. It would take a long time before the universe was completely swallowed, but it would've all been worth it.
Orianna danced around a few feet from Thresh, her orb following not too far after in an elegant and terrifying scene. She paused, posed in a ballerina stance perfectly still before speaking. “Thresh, remember, The dark star consumes all. One day, it will even devour us.”

“I am well aware of that, Orianna. And I have accepted that fate. So long as nothing, not even the universe itself is left after I have served my purpose.”
Orianna formed a small bright star from her hand and let it drift towards the dark star, only to be immediately engulfed. “Have you heard from Rhaast, Thresh?”

Thresh released a low growl of annoyance at the name. He wasn't very fond of Rhaast, especially since he managed to get trapped inside his own weapon and was never seen nor heard from for years. “No, I have not. That insolent fool.” He said as he threw his chain into the vast cosmos, pulling another planet towards that dark star and watching it be destroyed. “I cannot believe that idiot managed to become trapped into his own weapon. A disgrace.” He held the dark star in his large hands and chuckled darkly, his laugh echoed throughout the empty stars.
“If Rhaast still fails to get out of his scythe, I'll feed him to the Darkstar myself…after all, such a pitiful being deserves no purpose.”
-------
Avila sits on the couch of the main deck, resting her head on the pillow. Jinx has already gone into her room to sleep, but she had no idea where the rest of the crew was. A few minutes passed and Sona came in the room, sitting next to Avila. Already, She could feel the overwhelming energy of the ora, but to her it was soothing. It was warm and comforting. She felt the cold parts of her heart and soul warm up from the energy and sat up and greeted Sona with a smile. She couldn't talk, but Avila could tell she’s friendly.
She scanned her attire and concluded that she was a templar. “So uh, you’re a templar right?” Sona nodded quietly as she neatly laid her hands on her lap.
“I see...I have a feeling there aren't as many templars as there once were.” She rested her head back on the pillow of the couch, staring at the ceiling, still seeing Sona in the corner of her eye. “I heard of the Templars a long time ago. Back when I had a place to stay. A place...to call home.” There was a slight change of mood in her voice and tone. She felt the memories of her old life wash over her. And while they were mostly happy memories, filled with people who were so important to her in her life. It made her sad that she could never make any more happy memories with those same people. One of the things she hated about her immortality. All the people she’d meet and come close to and love would eventually be gone. And she’d still be here. Forming new bonds with new people that would eventually fade and break. Because unlike her, they had a timer that could go to 0 at any moment. And never come back. She sat up softly before continuing.
“As much as I love adventure and roaming worlds and discovering new things...I miss the days when I had a peaceful home and life. I hope I'm able to make a home here, with this crew. You all look like a happy family. I miss having that…” She said as she slowly realized she was now hanging her head low, staring at her hands. She felt Sona’s hand one her shoulder and looked at her, seeing her give a faint soft smile of comfort. With her other hand, she held it up, forming a small golden orb in the palm of it and swirl to form a crystalized golden ora flower. She handed it Avila, who in return took it and laughed.

“Thank you, Sona.” She said as she softly put the flower on her lap. “I hope I can be a wonderful addition to the crew…”

“You already are,” Yasuo said, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His lizard resting on his shoulder. He walked over to them and grabbed a chair, sitting on it near him. ‘You risked yourself to save me and my crew, we’ll always be grateful for that.”
“Yeah!” Jinx exclaimed, popping her head out of a large corner along with Malphite. “, We were listening too, this whole time!” Avila laughed at the two while Yasou gave them his usual weird look as they sat down.
“Hey Avila, since everyone is here we’d love to hear more about you!” Jinx stated proudly, her voice full of eagerness and curiosity.
Avila agreed and asked, “Okay, what do you want to know first?”
“Just start from the beginning,” Yasuo said calmly, relaxing in his chair.
“Well...alright.”
---------
The planet Oberon was a vast, wondrous, and beautiful place. Filled with lush healthy green forests, clear blue waters, and beautiful architecture. It was no wonder so many people from other planets and galaxies warped from around the cosmos just to visit this place, even if for just an hour. The planet was also home to great prodigies of various occupations. But was mostly dominated by scientists. The peaceful nonhostile world was a haven for research just begging to be discovered. It wasn't a heavily populated planet, having only about one million residents.

While that number is relatively large, it's nothing compared to the planets out in the system that held almost 10 billion people.

In one large city, it bustled with life as the citizens went about their daily routine. The streets were filled with constant chatter and movement, and various sounds of vehicles filled the air. Unlike some planets, scientists found a way to successfully be able to create eco-friendly hovering vehicles, making the pollution rate of the planet down to 1%.
The research facility was no different. The noise bounced through the building’s halls and rooms as most of the people walked expeditiously through the halls clad in the usual long white lab coats. Avila was no exception. She effortlessly slipped past incoming bodies that sped through her like race cars.
She kept her glacial ice blue eyes glued to a sheet of paper, her heart hammering in her chest. She released a loud huff of air, blowing a small piece of her brown hair up before it slowly fell back into place. Normally, she’d spend a bit more time fixing and combing her hair before leaving the house, but didn't have enough time to care about her hair today. She was too curious, too excited. While she was gone for a few days to take care of her sick son, her team made a remarkable breakthrough. They found a way to temporarily stabilize pure ora.

She burst through the doors to one of the rooms, earning the slightly shocked eyes of her comrades. A smirk spread across her face as she dropped the paper and said, “Show me.”
She walked swiftly to the main part of the room while one of her co-workers gave her a summary of the experiment. Their voice sounded dry and almost tired as if they hadn't slept at all. Maybe they didn't, maybe they were also too excited to see this for themselves. She stopped in her tracks, seeing the stunning golden orb inside a crystal clear container with wires hooked up to it. The container had wires that were connected to scanners that chirped happily and showed all green scans. The liquid orb floated peacefully as some of the energy swirled around it, resembling a small gold ringed planet.
Avila smiled widely in delightment and amazement at the phenomenon in front of her.

So many grueling hours for her and her team have had to endure that lead to this moment. It was so worth it. She couldn't wait to flaunt her crew’s succession at all the other scientists in the facility who doubted her.

“You gonna keep staring at it or actually read these numbers?” A deep voice erupted from Avila as she spun around. Immediately she smiled and laughed at the man who stood in front of her with two fresh cups of coffee. He smiled earnestly and extended one of the mugs to her and she happily accepted it, letting the sweet aroma from the drink enter her nose.

“Brewed nicely with 3 sugar cubes just the way you like it.” He said taking a small sip from his. She giggled softly and yawned.

“Our boy is feeling better. He finally went back to school.”

The man released a gruff laugh. “Its about time. He’s severely behind on his studies.” He chuckled softly before turning his back to a small table and looking at a holographic tablet displaying various graphs and numbers. He scanned the data with his dark brown eyes and sipped his coffee again before speaking. “The ora is stabilized surprisingly. It's amazing. We are able to temporarily stabilize one of the universe’s most unstable substances.”

Avila glanced at him and smiled before turning her attention back to the orb. “How long can we keep it like this?”

“We have no idea. But so far it's been stabilized for about 5 hours already. Hopefully, we can keep it like that for a few more hours to get all of the data we need.”

Avila held her mug, feeling its warmth on her hands. She thought about all of the people that doubted her. The ones who said there was no way for them to break ora down to do your own will. But she was staring at the proof right in front of her. They beat the countless odds that were against them and were able to do something everyone thought was impossible. She always believed they could. They all had the drive, intelligence, the motivation to do it. There are so many things the living creatures on this earth have done. The things that were deemed impossible like traveling to the edgeworlds, genetic engineering, cryo-sleep. They accomplished it all. And one of the new impossibilities made real. Stabilizing Ora. Bending it to your will.
A few hours passed and the lab room was idle. Everyone was at their desk typing away or walking throughout the room to get more coffee or water. Avila sat at on desk working on the data, staring at her bright computer screen. A low chime escaped from the computer. She slightly jumped at the sudden noise and dragged her eyes to the bottom right corner of the computer seeing a message alert. She clicked it a large white box expanded in the middle of the screen, displaying a message that read,
“Hey, wanna go out for dinner tonight?”

She smirked softly, knowing who it was. Her love was such a flirt sometimes, it was cute. It was one of the reasons she decided to be with him. Never once had she regretted it.
She swiftly typed back and continued clicking away at her computer as the screen once again displayed graphs. All she heard was the softly pulsing sound of the contained ora, machines whirring soothingly like a lullaby, and the sounds of keyboards typing. For a moment, Avila let herself relax. Happy with where her life is right now, how successful she and her team are, how lucky she is to have a family. She chuckled quietly to herself, feeling her mind and body filled with serenity.
She was about to let her thoughts wander more until a loud high pitched shriek pierced the quiet atmosphere like a sharp needle. One of the scientists bolted up from their chair releasing animalistic screams while clawing at their now bleeding neck. Their fingers were a dark blue and black color now painted red with fresh blood. Avila immediately recognized him. It was the same scientist that was giving her a summary of the experiment when she walked into the room this morning. Now even 2 hours later they were now like this.

One look at the scientist and the room quickly descended into chaos. Panicked screams erupted loudly as one of her co-workers was already on the phone alerting the disease containment unit to send soldiers quickly, their voice shaky with each word.
She felt her body grow numb as he recognized what was happening to the scientist. There were many diseases the people on this planet cured. But one of the deadliest things they couldn't cure was the disease known as the berserk plague. It was the number one deadliest disease on this planet. No one had ever been even close to finding a cure to it.
It renders the person affected completely aggressive. Making their body pump unhealthy amounts of adrenalin and become aggressive to anything and everything. The person infected usually lasts one hour. And death is always the same: You start bleeding from your eyes and finally, your heart explodes.
Avila had heard of the disease but never saw it so up close. Needless to say, she would've liked to go her whole life not witnessing a catastrophe like this unfold in front of her.
The berserk growled at the group of scientists and Avila huddled in the corner, fear fresh in their lively eyes. Avila was in the front in an attempt to protect the all.

“Avila, you have to move! He’ll attack you first!” Her beloved screamed with desperation, but she ignored it. Unlike a lot of people she knew, Avila never feared death. She never was afraid of dying, death had become something she accepts with every fiber of her being. To her, there was no point in fearing the inevitable thing called death, no matter how she died.
Just as she expected, the beserk roared in anguish and ran towards the group. Avila reacted quickly, screaming at the scientists behind her, watching them all break apart like a piece of paper in water as she pushed some of them away herself. She dived to the ground, hearing the wall above her break, pieces of dry paint and dust from the old stone peppering the shiny floor beneath her. She stood up and ran to where the beserk previously was, watching him struggle to take his arm out of the hole he created. She frantically looked around, seeing the other person scattered around the room. She heard her beloved call out to her, his voice full of panic and worry.

“Avila! Get away from there!”

She ignored him again, not wanting to get distracted by him. She needed to keep the berserk's attention just on her to protect him from possibly getting attacked. She couldn't risk him getting affected too. She had to protect him. All of the people in this room. Hopefully, they could escape effectively without any casualties. Regardless of the fact she was standing right next to the Ora, its beautiful swirls of gold shimmering like a star. The berserk finally freed his arm and dived straight to Avila, who was his closest target just like she wanted. He bared his teeth with murderous intent and punched swiftly, giving Avila little to no time to react. She quickly fell to the floor, hearing the sound of glass breaking followed by screaming and the sound of electricity crackling loudly. She grabbed the edge of a nearby desk to pull herself up, seeing the berserk on the ground shivering violently as electricity crackled around him. She saw one of the main cords that were previously connected to the containment of the ora, now ripped off and on the ground near the twitching body.
Avila heard the gradual sound of increased whirring and saw the ora pulsing brightly. Parts of golden energy burst out of the glass and swirled around the room. Gold energy pulsed violently as the orb pulsed once more before releasing an ear-shattering burst. Avila was the first to feel the blast, knocking her back. She felt her body hit something solid as bright golden light engulfed her vision. Screams and the sound of an object hitting the wall and being ripped apart were heard. Avila’s ears rang violently and despite seeing a bright light, she eventually passed out, seeing only darkness.
She woke up, seeing a destroyed room. The containment that was once filled with Ora, was now shattered and empty, electricity softly crackling. Tables were on the ground near the floors as countless lifeless bodies decorated it. Avila stood up slowly, hearing the glass crunch under her feet. She lethargically walked through the room, looking around for any sign of life. Her eyes fell on a lifeless body with a large piece of glass right between his eyes, fresh blood trickling down his face. Despite the face being badly mutilated, she, unfortunately, recognized it. Her mind tried to search for every reason that the body was not him.
No. It cant be. It isn't. No, he wouldn't let himself get killed like this right…?

She slowly kneeled down, softly touching his face, feeling the remaining warmth slowly fade. She looked into his deep brown eyes and immediately realized it was true.

He was dead.
Her love was dead.
She felt her chest grow heavy as she let out a cry of anguish and shot up, feeling her legs carry her backward before collapsing on the cold blood-stained floor. She heaved and gasped heavily, her eyes stinging with tears before realizing what she saw. Seeing the cold lifeless eyes, one slightly popping out of the sockets, his pale skin devoid of color, the blood trickling down his face and piece of brain sticking out. She gagged and heaved loudly. She shook and coughed violently before wiping her mouth with her sleeve, cringing at the terrible aftertaste puke left behind. She looked at the wall she previously moved from and gasped, seeing a pool of dried blood on the floor.

Is that her blood? No, no it can't be.

But then again, as she studied her body, she notices she didn't have not one scratch or bruise on her. She rolled up the sleeve to her lab coat, turning her arm and studying it. She saw no fresh blood. No new cuts, just old forgotten ones from long ago that already embedded themselves permanently in her skin. She turned her arm and stared at her wrist, staring at the veins intensely until something caught her eye. Something that wasn't supposed to be there. Her veins were still blue but showed quick flashes of gold in them. Her mind raced as she picked up a piece of large glass from the floor, ignoring the dry blood on it, and looked at herself. Her brown hair now had white tips and was also white at the root. Her blue eyes also now have golden spots in them. As if a sea with brilliant gold stars in it. She looked back at the empty container where the ora once was and felt her heartbeat quicken in panic.

Where is the Ora? Could have possibly..no..no that can't be possible….

But then again, she was the first one to get hit by the ora blast, and her blood displayed golden sparks, along with the golden spots in her eye’s iris. She looked at the sharp piece of glass in her hand and gulped loudly, mentally preparing herself for the sharp pain she was about to experience. She drives the sharp glass into her side, making sure to hit no important organs and arteries.

Only skin and tissue. She told herself, as she collapsed on one knee clutching her side. She breathed loudly, feeling the overwhelming stinging pain. With one swift motion, she cried out in pain as she yanked the glass out, gripping tightly with her hand as blood from her side poured on the already dirtied floor. Her head pulsed and sweat beaded at her eyes. The electrifying pain she felt was immeasurable. She looked at her side and saw the once horribly bleeding wound was beginning to heal at a rapid pace. Golden energy swirled around the area of the wound like the sun’s rays, shimmery and glowing brightly. The bleeding ceased and the skin instantly was sewn back together, leaving a perfect unscarred wound. She let out a loud gasp as she released the glass, letting it clatter to the floor.

What is happening..? What is happening..?

She didn't know where she was running, but she let her legs carry her out of the room, down the halls, and hide in a bathroom where she splashed cold water on her face, ignoring the sting in her eyes as tears fell. It felt like hours of splashing her face before she looked up at the mirror and stared at her blue eyes, peppered with gold spots.

“The ora...its in me... it's in my blood…”
She slides down on the floor and released and shaky sigh. Her love was gone, her crew, her research. Everything. Everything was gone. Who would she turn to? No doubt if she told anyone they're probably either think she's crazy or lock her up and run painful tests on her. The world around her felt so much smaller than before.

“How am I going to fix this...How…”
----------------------------------
“After that, I learned more about the power the ora gave me. My enhanced healing, speed, strength, and the fact that I was now immortal. My heart now pumps at least 80% pure ora.”

The room was quiet for a moment, the crew was staring at her in shock with wide eyes. Jinx jumped up. “Wow! That’s really cool!” She said in amazement.
“So, how did you end up on the edgewold?” Yasuo asked, crossing his legs while he sat.

“Well, thousands of years ago, I was killed and reduced back into my orb again by a celestial being and sealed inside the core of a large ancient star. Then I spent another thousand years inside, building up my energy. And just a few hours later I released it all, making the star explode and burst out into space. The force launched my orb to the nearest edgeworld.”

“Explosion? Oh! I saw it! That explosion I saw was you, Avila! Wow, that’s so cool!” Jinx exclaimed, her eyes displaying pure astonishment.

“That explosion must've also caught the eye of the demaxian empire, which is why Kayn was probably there as well.” Yasuo said, his face scrunched deep in thought that was interrupted immediately by the ear-piercing sound of the ship's alarm system. The crew's senses instantly shot up as Yasuo was the first to jump to action, seeing a small alert flashing on the holographic screen when he pulled it up. He studied it further before realizing it was a video comm. But from who? He answered it and the screen flashed a light that projects an even bigger movie-like screen displaying Kayn's face. Malphite growled in anger at seeing the assassin's face, especially since he almost killed his fellow crew member. Yasuo released a huff and crossed his arm staring back at the clearly annoyed assassin who had murder in his eyes.

"Can we help you, Kayn?" Yasuo said nonchalantly, trying his best to hide the rising anger inside of him, earning a loud scoff from Kayn before speaking.

"You know what I want Yasuo. This bullshit wild goose chase has gone on long enough. Give me the templar. If you do, maybe I'll think about making your deaths less painful." He said darkly, his voice oozing nothing but poison and staring at Yasuo with piercing eyes as if they would come through the screen and stab him like small daggers.

"Yasuo, why don't you just hang up on him already?" Avila chimed in. Yasuo actually showed consideration at her words, not wanting to deal with the annoying man's childish behavior a second more. Her words earned the attention of Kayn as his face displayed more anger seeing Avila walk in front of the screen, standing next to Yasuo.

"Oh, and what do we have here? Yasuo recruited the annoying woman from the edgeworld. Tell me, girl, how do you feel knowing you're about to suffer along with your new friends?" A smirk appeared on his face as Avila shrugged.

"I'm not going to suffer, and neither are my crewmembers. The only thing that's going to suffer is your dignity and pride if you try anything." She said, smiling in satisfaction at seeing how quickly her words wiped the shit-eating grin from the young man's mouth before it was quickly replaced with disgust.

"We'll see about that once I get my hands on you girl."

Avila smiled slightly and tilted her head while calmly putting her hands behind her back. "I'd like to see you try, Kayn-y boy."

Kayn's face flushed a bright red with embarrassment at the name as the crew snickered and laughed at the new title. He groaned in frustration hearing Rhaast laugh and insult him as well.

"Shut up! Fine, you don't want to cooperate? I'll take the templar and execute ALL of you. And you," his eyes darted to Avila in anger. "I'll make sure I take my time torturing you when I catch you."

The screen instantly switched off and the ship shook violently as Malphite looked at the window seeing fighter ships rip past them, delivering projectiles that exploded and further damaged the ship.

Yasuo ordered Jinx and Malphite to handle the weapons, earning a squeal of excitement from Jinx as she eagerly ran to her chair.

"Finally I get to blow up something!" Jinx grabbed the controls and fired, already knocking down five ships as they decorated the dark cosmos with their bright explosions. The ship shook violently once again as the light blared loudly. Yasuo pulled up his screen and cursed seeing a live feed from the ship's cameras that displayed Kayn's giant ship latch onto theirs.

"Get ready to fight! Jinx, take Sona to a room where she won't be found. Avila, go with them. Malphite you handle the soldiers on the third deck Invading the ship," He turned his attention to the camera, seeing Kayn swiftly shadow stepping up to the second deck. "I'll take care of Kayn."

The crew sprung into action immediately. Jinx and Avila rushed Sona to a safe room as Malphite was charging to the third deck, colliding with a large number of soldiers in his path.
Avila followed Jinx and Sona to the room, making sure there was no one following them. When they arrived Jinx opened the door to a well-lit small room with one single chair and circular window. Jinx ushered Sona inside and turned to Avila. "You should come down with me and help Malphite, he'll get overwhelmed." Avila nodded glanced at Sona. "What about her?"

Jinx grabbed a small device from her pocket and handed it to Sona. "Let us know if you're in trouble with this okay?"

Sona nodded, her face full of worry and fear. Avila offered her best smile and hugged Sona softly. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." Sona grabbed Avila and Jinx's hands softly, displaying her concern for them, but also her trust. She smiled and nodded as the floor around them turned purple. They thanked her for the speed boost before closing the door and locking it. Within seconds, they rushed and arrived at the bottom deck, seeing Malphite manhandling the soldiers as more poured in with guns and swords. Jinx readied her guns and rushed on. Already Avila heard the screams of soldiers and looked frantically around for a weapon. Sure, she could fight with her hands, but not for long if she wanted to defend Malphite and Jinx. She spotted a large metal pipe on the wall and grabbed it, almost effortlessly pulling it off seeing steam hiss out of the broken pipe, hopefully, it wasn't too important. She ran and joined the others, fighting her way through.

Yasuo hurried to the second deck as his mind raced. He hoped everyone was okay, they could take care of themselves, right? Plus, Avila was with them. Yeah, they were totally safe. He calmed his mind just in time for Kayn to appear, his scythe in hand as always. Yasuo rested his hand on the handle of his sword as Kayn slowly brought the scythe up and rested the back on his shoulder.

"Give me the templar Yasuo. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to your precious crew do you?" He said grinning grimly.

"My crew and I will be fine. You, though, I'm not so sure."

Kayn's expression darkened into a murderous one as he readied his blade. "You talk big for a man that's about to die."

Kayn was the first to charge. Yasuo dashed and swung his sword, clashing with Kayn's blade. Before jumping back and swinging at Kayn's torso. He blocked the blade with the handle of his scythe with ease, spinning it and swinging down in a swift motion. Yasuo barely dodged the blow. Seeing him caught off guard, Kayn swung upwards as he smirked in satisfaction seeing a fresh wound open up on Yasuo's shoulder. Yasuo grunted in response, holding his wound as blood dripped onto the floor.
"Excellent Kayn. Now hurry and kill him so we can find the templar and Avila!" Rhaast yelled in Kayn's mind, making him growl in annoyance.

"I know what to do Rhaast!" He said before dashing towards Yasuo once again.

Yasuo kept his mind clear as he dodged the multiple swings Kayn delivered before seeing an opening and releasing a tornado that directly hit Kayn. The tornado knocked him airborne and he felt his body slam into the cold metal floor. He looked up and saw Yasuo in the air above him, ready to stab his sword in. He reacted quickly, swinging his scythe for his head. Yasuo cursed and blocked the blow with his sword, slamming into the wall. He felt intense pain in his side as Kayn kicked him a few feet away. He crashed on the ground with a loud thud, his sword falling beside him. His lungs and ribs burned as if they were on fire. He struggled to get up, still in pain from the fresh throbbing wound from earlier in their duel. Why was he suddenly so weak? Usually, his mind was clear when he fought, but it was different this time. For the first time in a while, he actually felt scared. Scared of losing his crew, his ship, this life he shared with them all. As soon as he received the comm from Kayn, he was scared. His mind still felt cloudy. He wished he could just see if everyone was okay. But he couldn't, it sent his mind into a frenzy. Kayn stayed back laughing while slowly walking towards him.

"You're losing your touch, captain. What would your brother think?"

Yasuo's muscles flared at the insult as he stood back up grabbing his sword. He waited until he heard Kayn's footsteps directly behind him before he released a tornado. Kayn barely had time to react as he was hit and knocked airborne once again, only to be slammed back down by Yasuo's sword. He roared in pain as a gash was made on his body, feeling his back hit the ground. Yasuo's vision blurred before dropping his sword and collapsing on the ground and passing out.
"Kayn. Kayn. KAYN!" Rhaast yelled, trying to catch the attention of the young assassin who was in the middle of coughing up blood and struggling to get up. He cursed to himself as he got on his hands and knees, seeing a small puddle of his blood form while his scythe was on the ground. "That bastard…" He growled in anger as he slowly got on one knee.

"Are you able to stand? Can you fight?" Rhaast asked, waiting for an answer. Kayn grabbed the scythe.

"Unfortunately I cannot." He said standing up and looking behind him, seeing a passed-out Yasuo. "That's one little pest out of the way."

On the third deck, the three had taken out most of the soldiers. Of course, Avila showed restraint and didn't kill anyone. Yet.
Jinx was staring at her device in worry. "Yasuo isn't answering me, we gotta go make sure he's okay!" Before they could move, they were stopped by a giant, heavily armored, and tall soldier stepping into their view. Malphite charged in but was stopped by the large colossus abruptly. The armored beast shot Malphite with a weapon that released a large wave of electrical charge as if it was a giant taser. Malphite released a pained roar before falling unconscious. Jinx called out to him, but careful not to get too close. The soldier quickly pulled out a large axe and swung it at Jinx. She immediately set down her traps as the soldier got caught in them. Avila moved quickly, using the sharp end of the pipe and her strength to stab through the armor. She cursed in disappointment when she didn't feel flesh. The armor must've been extremely thick. She dodged a swing from his hammer and delivered a blow to his helmet with her fist. The collision hurt her hand like hell, but it also cracked the helmet in turn.
Jinx shot at the armored giant, but it seemed all of their blows were doing nothing but tickling him.

Avila jumped back and held her injured hand that healed within seconds. The demaxian empire has really been improving on their armor quality much to her dismay. The soldier threw his axe, aiming for Avila's head. She quickly dodged, watching the axe hit the floor a few feet from her. Jinx called out her name as she snapped her attention back at the soldier who shot another projectile from his giant electric weapon. Jinx jumped in front of her and took the blow, yelling in pain as she fell on one knee.
"Jinx!" Avila hissed in pain as she reached out to touch Jinx, but received a powerful electric shock, making her draw her hand back in pain. Electricity danced around Jinx as steam raised from her body.
"Go...Go protect Sona, I'll be fine." She spoke weakly, trying her best to get up. Avila wanted to carry Jinx back with her, but that would result in the soldier following them and being led to Sona and putting both of them in danger. She growled in frustration at herself before looking at Jinx. "I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?"

Jinx nodded as Avila stood up and made her way back to Sona. Jinx stood up and readied her weapon, seeing the soldier charge up his once again.
"This is really gonna hurt…" she sighed and shot at the soldier who continued aiming while taking the blows from her projectiles. Jinx knew she wouldn't be able to dodge it, her body felt too heavy. The projectile hit her like a truck. This time, it knocked her out instantly.

Kayn finally arrived at the lower deck with Yasuo on his shoulder before throwing him on the ground with Jinx and Malphite. He smirked at how pathetic they all looked. It felt good to punish those who took him lightly.
"Where is the girl? And the templar?"

The soldier spoke in a deep and raspy voice. "According to some of the soldiers who snuck in and searched what they could, they were unable to find the templar. The woman ran away after her little friends here were defeated."

"Dammit." Rhaast cursed in Kayn's mind. "She keeps slipping from us. Who knows where she might be with the templar. "

Kayn thought for a moment before looking at the soldier. "Do you know if any escape pods were launched?"

The soldier shook his head in response. Kayn huffed in annoyance, all this trouble, and they still didn't find the templar. While kicking the crew's ass and taking them in would certainly be a plus for him, he would've loved to find the templar in the process. He hated to admit it, but Rhaast was right. This woman was proving to be more trouble every second. Kayn's thoughts were interrupted by a comm from Jarvan, telling him to return to HQ immediately for an important meeting. He groaned, not wanting anything to get in the middle of his plans.

"Round up the fallen and bring them back on the ship."

The soldier complied as he moved swiftly. Kayn turned around and looked at his scythe. "And Rhaast, you're going to tell me everything you know about this Avila woman. I'll search for her in the empire's files to see if there's any more information about her as well…" He turned back to the soldier carrying the three into the ship.

Moments later Avila quietly led Sona out of the room before guiding her to the third deck. She gasped softly, not seeing Jinx or Malphite anymore. The ship was deathly quiet. Avila's heart raced as she realized Kayn successfully took Jinx, Malphite, and Yasuo. She and Sona raced to the first desk and Avila pulled up a holographic screen that displayed the cameras. She spends a few minutes rewinding the camera feed to where Kayn's ship was. She watched as the once passed out soldiers she defeated all trudging into the ship, followed by Kayn and the large heavily armored soldier carrying Jinx and Yasuo while dragging Malphite onto the ship before it blasted off in the other direction. Avila did her best to predict where the ship was going before drawing her conclusion. "He must be heading back to the empire…" She softly bit her thumb's nail while typing on the keyboard more, putting in various codes and numbers. A large projection of the nearest demaxian mother ships was found and Avila typed frantically on the computer.

"Every demaxian fighter ship, scavenger ship, or battleship has numbers that are the same as the mothership they came from." She said, explaining to Sona who had a confused face.
Avila continued. "If I could just…" she looked at the picture of Kayn's ship once again, studying it. Sona floated quietly to her side and did the same. After a few minutes of searching, Sona pointed to a blurry patch on the rail gun sitting onto the ship. Avila zoomed in on the gun and scanned it. The scanner instantly cleared the picture to reveal the code.

8456-d45

She smirked. It was amazing how far technology has come, isn't it? She went back to the demaxian mother ship and scanned it for the same code. The speakers around the ship chirped proudly as the screen presented an identical code, like it found the last piece to a puzzle.

"That's where he's taking them…" She said quietly, turning to Sona who had a sad look on her face. Avila smile in hope. "Don't worry, we're going to get them back."

While she did believe that, a part of her was still filled with doubt. She was strong, but could easily get overwhelmed if she didn't have a weapon. Dammit, if only she had her sword. Taking out the troops that will be no doubt guarding every corner of the ship would be easy. If only Rhaast hadn't sealed it away.

Rhaast.

Where was Rhaast anyway?

She shook the thoughts out of her mind.

I can't concern myself with him right now, all that matters is getting them back.

She repeated that sentence in her mind, feeling her nerves and senses already on fire from remembering the old days, remembering the people she once knew, that now were gone. Faded memories that she could only relive in her head.
Being immortal has its faults. And to her, the faults are greater than the perks.

Sona tapped Avila on her shoulder, snapping her out of her gaze. Avila looked at Sona and saw a sword in her arms. She looked at it in shock for a moment before realizing it was Yasuo's.

"His sword…" she grabbed the handle softly, still feeling its warmth, and held it in the air. She looked at Sona with confused eyes. "How did you…"

Sona moved to the side to reveal Yasuo's lizard sitting beside her proudly. Avila smiled at the small creature. "You brought this up here yourself? Well, isn't that sweet?" She chuckled as the creature climbed across her body, resting on her shoulder. She scoffed softly while studying the beautiful sword in her hands.

"Well, now I'm not so scared of pulling up to that place." She pressed a few buttons on the control panel. The large screen projection showed a 10-second countdown to the set coordinates. The ship's engines whirred loudly, and the ship seemed it was being engulfed in a beautiful pure sky blue aura. Avila scowled at the picture of the demaxian mothership.

"Let's go get the rest of the morning star crew back."

Chapter Text

Avila stood glued to the control panel, deep in thought about the crew and their well-being, hoping nothing bad happened to them. However, she quickly put those worries to rest, knowing they could very well take care of themselves. Not to mention, Yasuo was with them, he’d make sure they were alright and safe. She glanced at Sona who peacefully slept on the soft peach-colored couch with Yasuo’s lizard snuggled against her. She smiled softly at the sight before putting the ship on autopilot and sitting down in a nearby chair, softly rubbing Yasuo’s beautiful sword with her fingers before drifting off to sleep. 

---------

Kayn stood proudly in front of the holding cell, glaring at the crew. While he was pissed he didn't capture the templar or that woman, he was at least satisfied her had most of the members. There would be no doubt that Avila woman would come back to save her little friends. Then, it’ll all be over for them. He slowly paced the holding cell, his boots echoing throughout the quiet hallway against the cold metal of the ship. 

“Let’s not waste any time, where is the templar you pathetic worms?” 

Yasuo was the first to reply, sitting up and looking at Kayn calmly. “You’ll never know where she is Kayn, why don't you just give it up?” 

Kayn growled in annoyance at the man. He hated how calm he looked even though he was standing in front of someone who could easily walk through the cell and slaughter him with one swing. But he held back his anger, all would fall into place soon, He’s one step closer. All he has to do is track down that ship, take the templar, and slaughter that woman. No, he’d take his time with her. Break her down, make her suffer for weeks. Then, finish her off slowly. His thought earned a chuckle from Rhaast. 

“How interesting Kayn. I must say, looking at your little torture session brings me joy.” 

Kayn softly scoffed before turning his attention back to the crew. “I will stop when I get what is mine. Your charade bore me. But this chase will soon come to an end.” Kayn turned to the four troops standing on each side of the cell. “Do not let any of them out of your sight. You let one of them get away, all of you will pay with your lives.” Kayn watched at the troops hurriedly nodded and their demeanor became stronger, doing their best to stay calm from the threat. Kayn walked away quietly to his office, as Rhaast grumbled. 

“Where are you going?” he asked. “We’re supposed to be interrogating them! I suggest we start with the girl. She’s louder and more annoying.” Kayn shook his head. 

“Before we do any of that, we need to get more info on that Avila person.”

Kayn arrived at his office, resting his scythe against the wall nearby and sitting at his desk. He began typing on his computer and spoke. 

“Rhaast, tell me everything about this woman.” 

“ I’ve already explained to you Kayn. She is an immortal woman that somehow has a heart that pumps pure ora, making her immeasurably strong. She’s lived for thousands of years...bothering me.”

Kayn glanced at the scythe and raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Bothering you?” 

“Yes! That crazy girl is a stalker!” He roared in anger. 

Kayn laughed at the sudden outburst of anger from the scythe. “You should be happy anyone finds you interesting Rhaast.” 

Rhaast wishes he could roll his eyes at the aspiring emperor. He has no idea how utterly annoying it was seeing the same person so much for thousands of years. He continued,  “She’s the most annoying being I’ve ever come across. The day I found out she was immortal was the day I knew all of my faith in her dying one day was gone. She’s so…” Rhaast trailed off with his words, feeling his burning anger and hatred come back for her. 

Kayn continued searching for info about Avila while continuing to talk, his eyes glued to the bright white screen displaying multiples criminal names. “What did she specifically do to you?” 

“She’s followed me for a long time, always trying to talk to me! And it was so goddamn annoying. I remember when I saw her slaughtering an entire army of demaxian troops hundreds of years ago. I have to admit, she looked hot while she was doing it, but then she started talking to me!" 

Kayn stops typing and glanced at Rhaast, shooting him a weird look. “You find her attractive?” 

Rhaast paused, growing silent for a few seconds before answering. “Well, yes. But extremely annoying!” he said, making sure not to give Kayn any ideas that he feels otherwise towards her. Rhaast cursed her. He remembered when she dragged him to a flower garden on this one long forgotten and nearly destroyed planet. What the hell does he look like going to a flower garden!? The only reason he even let her drag him there was that he wanted to get away from Thresh.  Rhaast huffed, the moments of Avila bothering him fresh in his mind. He hated how often she bothered him, it was worse when Thresh started annoying him as well. But the more he thought, a small part of him remembered feeling a bit lonely on some days where she was nowhere to be found. He felt a feeling in him. 

Was he seriously...missing those days? Admitting to himself for a brief moment, he did find the days where she was around him better than the ones Thresh would constantly piss him off. Even when he speculated that she finally escaped the star, a small part of him felt...happy?  The mixed feelings resurface and in turn, made him angry. He hated the fact that he was still prone to feeling anything. That's human's number one weakness, one he loved to exploit. However, feeling these emotions himself was a chore. Trapped in this scythe gave him too much time to think. He hated thinking. 

Kayn interrupted his thoughts, sighing loudly in frustration. “There are no records of her. So I assume she isn't in our...wait…" Kayn spotted a file that was named triple S class criminals. He had never heard or saw that file before. It must've contained info about the most dangerous criminals.  After clicking it and typing in his required password, he gasps softly. The only name he saw in the file was Avila’s.

 “She’s a triple S class criminal...the only one.” He clicked the file and read the info about her while Rhaast stayed quiet. Rhaast sensed Kayn's uneasiness and asks “Kayn, what’s wrong?” 

“This woman has been wanted from the demaxian empire since it was created. Her bounty is 40 trillion units! She’s committed countless crimes of murder, manslaughter, thievery and impersonation.” 

Rhaast felt the shock in his subside. “Oh. Well, that doesn't surprise me one bit. It would be a crime against all living things if she wasn't in your criminal records by now.” 

Kayn looked at the clock. It was ten minutes before the meeting started. He groaned in annoyance and went over to his scythe and grabbed it. He shrunk the scythe and stored it in his pocket. 

“I have more than enough information about her now. Let’s get this meeting over with. Then I can go back to questioning my most favorite crew…” 

-----------

“Yasuo, do you think Avila and Sona are okay?” Jinx turned to Yasuo, who laid on the rock-hard bed staring at the ceiling. 

He released a small sigh and sat up. “I don't know for sure. But I believe that they are, they’re strong. I'm sure they’ll come back to help.” 

Jinx nodded sadly before leaning her head on Malphite, who sat peacefully in the corner of the large cell. Yasuo turned away from them and sighed, wishing he had his sword. He would be able to at least help Jinx and Malphite escape, even if he’d be captured and possibly even killed, at least the crew would be safe. He laid back down with his hands above his head and closed his eyes, feeling his body and relax. But his mind stayed in a constant storm of worry. 

Please be okay you two…

----------------------

Avila woke up from her slumber and yawned. She glanced at Sona who was now awake reading a book. She stretched before standing up and moving to the control desk and pulled up the star map to check the course of the moving base. 15 more minutes until they arrived. Avila bit her lip softly deep in thought. How would they breach a highly secure enemy base? But no matter what, she will do whatever it takes to save them all. The crew just needed to hold on for 15 minutes. Then she’ll be able to save them. She hoped the crew wasn’t hurt too bad, considering Yasuo probably took a beating from Kayn while Jinx and Malphite got shocked horribly by that soldier. A small part of her wanted to rip that soldier apart from hurting them, but it subsided, knowing she’ll probably never see him again.   

Sona floated over to Avila’s side and motioned her to follow. She raised an eyebrow as she followed Sona throughout the halls of the ship, stopping at a large escape pod. Avila’s thoughts immediately began to hatch a plan. 

“We can use that pod to sneak into the base! But how we do that I have no idea. It's the demaxian empire, I’m sure that base is heavily secured with security drones and scout the outside of the base for intruders...Unless…” She trailed off, going back to the star map and typing into the keyboard. Yasuo’s lizard rested on her shoulder, staring at her hands moving swiftly on the keyboard and the bright screen staring back at her. In a few minutes, she had a list of all ships belonging to the specific demaxian base on the screen. She smirked, happy her hacking skills were still amazing. She scoffed to herself. For an empire that was thousands of years old, their security was child’s play. She had more trouble hacking into a bank than the entire empire. 

The list showed multiple ships that were scheduled to leave the demaxian base for various reasons like patrol ships, scavenger ships, etc. She quickly scanned it and saw a ship that was due to return back to the base in about 20 minutes. It was a small fighter class ship. Good, those usually have about only three crew members on board. Taking them out would be easy.  She relaxed on her chair, thinking. 

By the time the ship arrives, she and Sona could take the escape pod and follow the ship and break into it, defeat the crew members and be able to successfully sneak into the hanger of the base and work her way from there. It would be risky, but she was sure she could do it. Especially the fact she now had a temporary weapon. All she had to do now was wait for the moment to strike. 

-----------

Avila and Sona sat in the escape pod silently, hearing nothing but the buttons on the control panel occasionally chirp and beep quietly. Avila steered the pod to the course of the fighter ship keeping a sharp eye for it. She looked at the clock. It should be arriving on course in 3 more minutes. Scanning the area and seeing no security drones, she moved their pod behind a large asteroid and waited to see the ship. After a few seconds, she ship finally showed itself on course to the base just as she suspected. When it passed the asteroid the pod was hiding behind, she glanced at Sona and smiled. 

“You ready?” 

Sona nodded, readying herself with her instrument as the lizard squeaked happily in excitement. Avila smirked, holding Yasuo’s sword close to her as she activated the boosters of the pod full throttle, propelling it towards the roof of the ship where she wouldn't cause any serious damage to it, leaving the ship to still function. Luckily the pod was sturdy, so when it rammed into the ship, it barely had a scratch. The crew of the ship dived for cover as Avila, in one swift motion, grabbed Sona and held the handle of the sword in with her teeth as she jumped down and cut down the first member of the crew who screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. 

The remaining two crew members roared loudly and ran towards Avila to attack. They were killed with ease and minutes later their bodies were put in the storage room in the ship. Avila sat down at the control panel and continued driving the ship to the base. The speaker on the ship turned on with static audio before a deep voice echoed in the room.

“Fighter cruiser #346, please verify your identity.” 

Avila cursed herself as she looked around, seeing a dropped id card on the floor with a drop of blood on it. She hurried to and picked up the card, putting it in front of the active camera. The light flashes green and the voice spoke again.

“Verification complete. You may now proceed.” 

Avila sighed in relief and continued driving the ship. Eventually, she arrived at the hanger, seeing multiple aircraft workers walk through the hanger. She landed the ship and immediately hopped off the chair and grabbed Sona, leading her down to the exit of the ship. It opened and Avila rushed out with Sona, looking around for and personnel. So far, they were distracted. She took this opportunity to hurry and run through the hanger and hide behind one of the large crates. Peeking her head, she saw some of the workers standing at the end of the exit of the ship, scratching the back of their heads in suspicion. One of them stepped inside the ship and seconds later they ran out and alerted his companion. 

She cursed, looks like she’ll have to cut down them too. Avila looked at Sona who nodded, already knowing what they’ll have to do. 

Avila jumped out from her hiding place and dashed so fast, it was as if she was a ghost. Her sword impaled the worker straight through his heart as he fell to the ground. Pulling out her sword and decapitating the second worker in one swift and elegant motion.

The rest of the workers immediately pulled out their guns and began shooting. Avila grabbed one of her fallen enemies’ guns and hid behind the leg of the ship, feeling the heat of the sparks from the plasma bullets that collided with the metal material of the leg. She peeked out and shot one of the enemy's right between the eyes, seeing him fall to the floor.

She used her strength to throw the gun at one of the enemies, hearing the satisfying metal sound of it hitting someone’s head. She sprinted and dashed swiftly throughout the room, cutting down each opponent, the blade slicing through them like warm butter. She loved this feeling. Feeling all of the panic coming from her enemies, the sound of their screams and cries for mercy that she always ignored. She was like an assassin in the form of a ballerina. Every move she made was as deadly as it was elegant and mesmerizing. 

Minutes later, everyone in the hanger had been slaughtered. Avila ran to Sona and ushered her to follow. Finally, she could begin to save her new friends. 

She hoped she wasn't too late. 

----------

The hall lights were bright as the sound of boots clicked throughout the metal hallway. Jinx, Yasuo, and Malphite stayed quiet as they walked with their arms cuffed together. Because of Malphite’s size, he had the most bondage out of all of them. The three were ushered to stop in front of a large metal door with the empire’s insignia on it. One of the troops went op to a small panel and put his hand on the grey scanner that made a whirring sound before turning green. Bolts on the door could be heard unlocking and the guard opened the door, revealing Kayn sitting at the end of a medium-sized table with a grin and his hands folded neatly on the table. 

“Hello, Morning star crew.”  He said in a low gruff voice. The lights in the room made the intense and intimidating atmosphere seemingly almost hard to breathe in, of course, they had to be rendered defenseless against a deadly assassin. But luckily he wasn't getting violent. Yet.

The guards forced the three to sit down. Unfortunately, Malphite had to sit on the floor due to his size. He groaned in slight pain, the traps he had were designed to take away most of his devastating strength. There were multiple troops standing silently around the room, around 10 in total in case anything went wrong. But they all knew Kayn could kill the three with ease if they tried anything. Kayn sat back and rested his elbow on the arm of the chair while tapping his finger on the table softly. Already his face displayed that of boredom and slight annoyance.  

“I’ll spare the boring introductions and skip right to it. Now…” Kayn stood up and pushed in his chair as he sauntered around the table, his heels echoing in the room. “We can do this the easy way, or the dangerous way…” He smirked and turned to Yasuo. “Let’s start with you, fugitive.” Kayn leaned on the table. 

“What do you want to know..?” Yasuo said in a low mundane voice, staring at the table. There was no way he would make eye contact with the assassin. If he didn’t smell the fear coming from Yasuo, then he’d surely see it in his eyes. But he possessed any fear of Kayn harming him. The dedicated captain was afraid of him hurting his precious crew, the ones who've been through everything with him from the start. 

“Simple. I want to know where the templar and that woman are.” 

Yasuo scoffed. “Over my dead body…”

Instantly the blade of Kayn’s scythe met the neck of Yasuo. Jinx yelled in protest and was further restrained by troops as Malphite stared in fear and shock. The metal of the blade felt cold yet warm against Yasuo’s neck. His heartbeat quickened and so did his breathing. Sweat beaded at his forehead. Suddenly his body felt hot and numb. But he still managed to calm himself after a few seconds. 

“Do not test me. Because that can be arranged. And I would be happy to make it…” 

Kayn spun the scythe and rested it on his shoulder, his stare becoming more menacing by the minute. 

“You keep up this attitude, im afraid this room will have a lovely splash of red on it…” 

----------

It had only been five minutes on this ship, but it felt like hours. Slipping past the countless troops was a task, but she was able to get it done, Especially thanks to Sona for the speed boosts. She hid behind a wall biting her nail, trying to find the security room. This base was massive, there’s no way she’d be able to find the holding sell the crew was in just by looking. There were too many. After more minutes of sneaking around, Avila saw one of the troops walk into a room filled with screens showing multiple rooms of the base. 

The security room.

She peeked out and looked at her surroundings before motioning Sona to follow her. Quickly, she dashed through the door before it closed with Sona and hid behind a large shelf on the left of the room. She watched the troop sit on the chair with a sigh and tiptoed behind the large chair. She grabbed the man and lifted him up by his collar, shoving him on the wall. He was about to scream for help but was shushed by her. 

“Scream and your throat will be ripped out of your body.” She dropped him to the floor and grabbed Yasuo’s sword, piercing the troop’s uniform to the wall as if he was a piece of paper with a thumbtack through it. 

Avila sat in the chair and scanned the screens, flicking through them. On one screen she found an empty cell with a familiar device on the floor. Looking closer, she saw it was a comm device and recognized it. It was Jinx’s. She rewinded the footage and watched it. Seeing Kayn at the cell before walking away. After fast-forwarding, she saw troops take the crew away. Her eyes frantically looked at the next screen, seeing the troops lead the crew in front of a large door and opening it. She paused the footage and yanked the sword from the troop’s clothes as he dropped to the floor. She grabbed him and pulled him up to the screens and pointed to the paused footage.

“Where is that room? And you better talk if you want to live.” 

The worker stammered violently as he struggled in her firm grip. Avila rolled her eyes.

“Sona.” 

Sona grabbed Yasuo’s lizard and put it on the troop’s shoulder. The lizard squeaked before slapping him with its tail and biting him, drawing blood. He yelled in pain and cried out. 

“Okay! Okay, I'll talk!” 

Avila smirked at the lizard as he crawled onto her shoulder and proudly squeaked back at her.

“That’s one of the interrogation rooms on level B, right below this one. I-Its room 25-B!” 

Avila dropped the man on the floor. “You alert anyone of this, I will kill you.” She ushered Sona and left the room. The man watched the two leave before he frantically grabbed a nearby comm device and spoke into it. 

“Hello? Yes, get ordinal Kayn! There’s an intruder onboar-” 

Blood splattered on the control panel and screens as the troop’s body fell to the floor. Avila stood holding the gun she had stolen from the man's holster, with smoke rising from the barrel. 

For the rest of the way, Avila slaughtered every troop that crossed her path. Eventually, every hallway she was in was bathed in a glistening crimson red. Alarms blared loudly throughout the ship as every part of the base was notified. But she didn’t care, the more blood she could splatter, the better. 

-----------

Kayn felt his nerve spike in excitement. Excitement in seeing the three lowly pirates reduced to nothing but pathetic prisoners at his mercy and will. Dark visions flashed and danced in his mind. He couldn't tell if some were his own, or ones Rhaast inserted into his head like he always did to make the young man frustrated. Before he could open his mouth and hopefully silence these horrific thoughts, the door slid open quietly, a soldier emerging from the threshold with panicked and terrified eyes. He heaved for a bit, sweat beading from his forehead and dripping off the tip of his nose. Kayn glowered at the random distraction—who obviously just finished sprinting—and sneered, "How dare you interrupt a secure interrogation held by an ordinal. Speak up, baffon! What could possibly be the reason for this intrusion?" 

“Ordinal Kayn!" the troop exclaimed, delivering a quick bow, so fast the poor bastard almost stumbled.  "There are intruders in the base!” He explained with a wavering tone. Kayn stood up and held his scythe tightly, anger boiling inside his chest.

“How many?” 

“Two! One is a woman w-with snow-white hair and a sword and the other is a templar. They’re working together, we have no idea why they’re here yet!” 

Kayn cursed. Avila is here with Sona. No, no, this is good! If he could kill Avila and reduce her to her orb, he could take the templar. And he’ll execute all of the crew one by one with her last. This could be his chance to end it all. 

Jinx glanced at Yasuo and Malphite smiling widely.

“Avila! Avila is here haha! I knew she’d come back for us! She’s gonna kick your butt like she did last time!”

Kayn shot her an annoyed look before looking back to the panicked troop. 

“Ready the soldiers, track her movement, and meet me outside this room now!” The troop nodded and hurried out of the room as Kayn turned to the other remaining troops guarding the inside of the room. 

“Make sure none of them leave. If you do it will be your heads.” 

Kayn exited out of the room and walked a few feet away from the door, hearing far away screams and gunshots get drowned in the continued blaring of the base’s alarm.

Avila appeared at the end of the hall, her blade practically dripping a fountain of fresh blood. 

“Ah, so you’ve finally walked into your doom. You are making this all so easy for me. Letting my guards take and imprison your crew, and now you’ve brought yourself and the templar. I thank you for finally ending it all.”

Avila cracked her neck as she spun her blade and held it up. 

“Let’s just skip to the part where I kill you and get my friends back, then blow up this shit into little pieces of metal, okay?” She smiled before dashing toward Kayn. 

Thanks to his amazing reflexes, he parried her blade instantly and growled. “You would do well to not underestimate me, girl, I know who you are now. And im getting to finally know your weaknesses.” He smirked, sweep kicking her to the ground. He swung his blade down as fast as he could, cursing when he saw Avila dodge the blow by an inch. She kicked his jaw, sending him staggering back a few feet but quickly recovering.

“Give me back my friends,” she said menacingly. 

Kayn grinned. “You’ll see them soon. After all, you’re gonna attend their funeral!” 

Avila grabbed her sword and swung it swiftly. Each blow Kayn blocked, but after each swung she gained speed. Eventually, she was so fast Kayn was having trouble keeping up. For some reason, this fight felt different. She was faster, stronger, angrier. It was as if he was a completely different person. Rhaast cursed.

“Oh no, she’s in her bloodlust. Kayn, be careful!” Kayn tried his best to dodge and parry her attacks as he kicked her to the floor. She jumped back up before flipping on a nearby wall and launching herself off of it, knocking Kayn into the wall. He released a groan and slashed her leg. She grabbed Kayn and flipped him to the floor and heaved, feeling her wound already start to heal. Kayn scrambled up and continued, not wanting to give up. But as each second passed, his senses started to fail him. She was too fast suddenly and caught him off guard. 

 He groaned in pain as he felt a gash open up. Yep, this one was deep. He fell to one knee and before he could react, Avila tackled Kayn to the floor. The impact made him drop his scythe as he felt the cold metal of the blade slightly cut his cheek. Avila looked down at him with bloodthirsty eyes. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least nervous. Kayn may be extremely powerful, but he was still human. He was still a mortal. 

Avila stared at him for a few seconds before speaking. “I really want to kill you,” She purred, like a cold-blooded hunter before pulling the blade back. "But we don't need an entire empire on our asses more than they are now." She winked, casually stepping over him and pulling out a bloodied keycard. 

She turned to him, “By the way, who’s the name of your barber?” 

Kayn struggled to push himself up a bit and gave her a clueless look. “Barry, why?”

“Im killing him for giving you that haircut,” she smirked before going inside the room.

Kayn used his last remaining strength to yell and curse her in annoyance, before passing out from blood loss. 

Avila entered the room with Sona and knocked out the troops before freeing the crew. Jinx hugged her tightly and screamed happily.

“Thanks Avila! How did you find us?”

Avila smiled. “It took a lot of work,  but I managed to do it with Sona’s help.” Sona smiled as Jinx hugged her tightly. Avila walked up to Yasuo and handed him his sword while scratching the back of her head.

“Uh, it has a lot of blood on it. Sorry about that.”

Yasuo scoffed. “It’s fine. You did it to save us. Thanks.” 

Avila smiled back as Jinx high-fived Malphite and cheered.

“Okay! I know where they hid my stuff, let’s get my guns and get on out of here!” 

----------

It had been a few hours since Avila broke the crew out of containment. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to blow up the base, but at least she got her friends back. So it was still a win-win. At least they got to steal a fighter ship and fly to the ship.

Mostly everyone went to bed except Avila. The ship was as quiet as it could be, with sounds of machines in the room. She sat on the main deck with the light off, the only thing illuminating was the led lights around the couch.

She heard a door open and saw Yasuo coming into the room. He gave her a curious look.

“What are you doing up?” he asked her, sitting a few inches away from her on the couch. Avila shrugged.

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t feel like sleeping…” She glanced at him with a soft look, seeing the tiredness in his eyes, “Why are you up?” She asked. 

Yasuo sighed softly. “Im troubled…”

“About what?”

“My past, my present, and future...They call me a captain but...We almost died cause I couldn’t beat Kayn…They counted on me, and I feel like...I let them down…”

Yasuo hissed in pain at Avila flicking his forehead. “You stop that crazy talk. Your crew cares about and trusts you just as much as you do. You’re only one person, you can only do so much.” She smiled and poked his chest. “You have a big heart, and you try your best to keep everyone safe. That’s why you’re the captain. And that’s why they trust you so much. Including me.” 

Yasuo stared at Avila for a moment before smiling in relief. “Thanks...Im happy you’re one of us now. You’ve already saved us twice. If it weren’t for you, we probably wouldn’t ever see this ship again.”

Avila laid back on the couch and closed her eyes. “My pleasure. I’ll always try to save my new friends.” 

Yasuo laughed and patter her shoulder. “I’ll see you when we all wake up. You should get some sleep too, you deserve it.” 

He said before getting up and returning to his room. Avila let out a long sigh staring at the dark ceiling. Usually, when she was alone, her thoughts turned into an entire hurricane. But today for some reason, she didn’t have any keeping her up. She let her tired eyelids fall. And for a long time in a while, her body relaxed and allowed her to peacefully drift off into sleep. 

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since that damned woman came to Kayn’s ship, wreaked havoc, took his hostages, the templar, and escaped. Of course, the whole ordeal pissed him off. Even more when he got into a heated argument with the leader of the demaxian empire, Jarvan. He held back his harsh words though. After all, Jarvan was his best friend. But he wanted to scream, admitting to himself he would be afraid of the punishment. Kayn moved around in his quarter’s bed. His body had felt heavy and tired from it all. The constant chasing. The anger and resentment. But through it all, the fire that drove him to become emperor continued raging inside of him. All he had to do was crush a couple of maggots. But it was easier said than done.

“I told you,” Rhaast bellowed, his deep voice echoing in Kayn’s mind. “She is a foe that is devastatingly hard to defeat. If I can't even defeat her, what makes you think you can, mortal?”

Kayn held down the urge to roll his eyes. “Well, I have faith that I can defeat the witch because I'm not afraid to talk to women like you, old man.”

Rhaast growled at the comeback. “How many times must I remind you Kayn? I am not afraid of that woman!” He protested. Kayn stood up from his bed, ignoring the pulsing pain of his headache and stab would she so graciously bestowed upon his side, while moving around his quarters, sitting slowly at his desk. His loud groan descended into a pathetic quiet whimper as if he were a child, feeling his tired and aching muscles scream in protest. He rested his elbow on the desk, burying his face in his palm. He reminded himself this was all a minor setback. That the pain and frustration would be worth it in the end. He will make everyone bow down to him. Every demaxian, every outworldly being. They would recognize him as the supreme being that none could defy.
But he had to admit, Rhaast was also another difficult obstacle he had to face. He had no idea who or what Rhaast really was. A part of him worried about that factor, and he had tried to get information from Rhaast’s origin before. But the scythe only gave him bits and pieces of where he truly came from. Even though they spent all these times together, Kayn was sure Rhaast still didn't want to tell him anything new about his origins.

“Avila is getting stronger,” Rhaast spoke softly, probably deep in thought or fear. “, The more she fights, the more she’s going to yearn for her beloved sword back. If she finds it…” He trailed off, his voice seemingly wavering

“I'm guessing she’ll be damn near impossible to control?” Kayn said almost too calmly as he searched the records for her more. His desktop was covered in multiple windows displaying codes and letters, names, and locations. He surfed through the database like a madman, data showering on every corner of his screen. He clicked on her name, and the file opened. In big bold red letters read

Class Triple S: Avila Starstorm.
Pursue with extreme caution.

His eyes scanned the document, ignoring her biological information and instead, finding her list of crimes. He felt a small part of his stomach churn. Though the shock didn't affect him as much, feeling her bloodlust in battle himself. The memory of her being wanted to countless crimes, mostly murders, returned to her.  He scanned the names, seeing them display the names of long-dead criminals, demaxian troops, bartenders, blacksmiths, any man or woman of any occupation they previously had. Kayn wondered how many murdering sprees she went on through the years of her being alive. And for a moment, he wondered, why was she so violent on the inside? What could possibly drive her to kill so many people? Regardless if they are bad or good?

“It’s the ora.” Rhaast said, answering Kayn's thoughts. “One of the negative side effects of her having that much power of it, is that he gives her unexpected and powerful bloodlust. Sometimes it would get so bad she would kill the first thing in front of her without thinking. It was like the ora itself whispers to kill everything. It's why she chose to be away from mortals for so long.”

“Does that mean, she’s tried to kill you before?” Kayn said, glancing at the scythe, ignoring his stiff neck.

“Of course. I'm immortal. Not only that, I was the only being around her for so long to see the people she’s killed. Sometimes she’d mean to do it, other times I'd see her, crying at the corpse of a person she killed. She’s learned to suppress the need to kill and hurt people over the years, but that would always come back and bite her in the ass,” Rhaast mused, he hesitated at first, but continued. “, Not only did I seal her inside that star because she was annoying. I also sealed her inside to save that crazy woman from herself. Seeing her suffering like that was…” There he goes, trailing off again. He felt a twinge of pity in him. ,” Enjoyable. At first…”

“How merciful of you Rhaast,” Kayn said, continuing to stare at the document.

“I wasn't being merciful! I was just...Just…” He growled in frustration, hating the fact he couldn't figure out a rebuttal for Kayn's remark. He did hate seeing the days she would be hunched over a lifeless body. Usually, him being a destructive being, he would've felt disgusted by her. He would've hated her for being like that. For being sensitive. For having regret. But now, looking back, he realized he simply hated seeing her that way. Even though she was so annoying to be around with her constant chatter. He admitted to himself, he’d rather deal with that than hear her sobs of pain and regret of her existence. If she were mortal he would've killed her, but since she wasn't he had to think outside the box. Hence, him sealing her inside the core of a star.

While Rhaast was deep in thought, Kayn tried to hide the sheer awe he was in looking at her profile. The number of murders she committed was astounding. Back in the era the demaxian empire was around at first, she was very well known and feared. Traveling galaxy after galaxy, planet after planet. She slaughtered, stole, made illegal deals that would get someone killed, and even used to be a hitman for numerous wealthy people. And even then, after she was done with her pay, she’d kill them and seal their riches for herself. He read the reports long-dead civilians had given to the empire.

Logger name: Classified
“I thought she was just some crazy woman, but turns out she’s more than that. Anyone that finds this, please, do not bother begging her for mercy. This woman knows no morals or self-restraint. She’s slaughtered so many of my comrades...so many of my clients laid there dead. She’s a danger. Stay far away from her. Such a violent woman with a God complex is not to be approached.”

Logger name: Lex Usu
“I'm a bartender. I worked at the tavern she would always go in. Get a couple of drinks, then kick someone’s ass and leave. Today though, she was sitting down looking as docile as I'd ever seen her. Though...it was hard to not get nervous when she had that sword strapped to her side, glowing gold. She went on about her past. I didn't listen at first until she mentioned how she had a finance and a non-biological son. They died to something she called the ‘dark star’. She was from the old planet Oberon. That place had been gone for centuries. Apparently, she used to be a scientist that was working on stabilizing ora before a blast hit and killed everyone but her. She told me how she got her power. But she called it a curse. Said if she was given the chance, she’d kill herself with no remorse. It’s the first time she’d talked without insulting someone about how inferior they are to her. She’s a twisted woman but hurt inside. I pray she heals one day.”

Kayn drew back for a moment, thinking of his next move on what he should do. The woman may be strong but she has a weakness. Everyone does, even Rhaast. So far, he found two. Two of them he could use to his advantage. He admitted he was weaker against her, but he would turn her bloodlust against her. Make her hurt one of her crew members. A sinister smile crept on his face as he leaned against his desk.

He tapped his gloved finger on his desk, feeling it rattle against the sleek clean metal. With a new crew member in the mix, he began to think of new strategies and plans moving forward. Nothing would come between his goal of ultimate power. Not Rhaast, not Avila, not Jarvan, and not the Morningstar crew. Everyone will succumb to his power and obey, or they will be smitten by his blade.
------
Avila sat on her bed, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. She stared into her white bangle, given to her by her love. After all these years of bloodshed, it still retained its pearly white shimmer. She felt her stomach sink at the thought. All those lives she had taken. All the lives she deemed unworthy thanks to the ora giving her a superiority complex whenever she succumbed to its power. It made her believe she had the right to take as many lives as she could, treating those like playthings for her entertainment and pleasure in torture. It was a horrid trait she had. A horrid trait that would never go away, only be suppressed and ignored. She loved being with the crew and loved the rush of adrenaline she felt when fighting. But she hated how every time she did, her vision was slowly pouring with red. Afraid one day, she’d hurt the wrong one again.

She pushed the thought out of her head like a wave. Thousands of years she spent suppressing her entire bloodlust. This was no different. So what if she roughed up a couple of people, maybe slit a few thoughts and break a few necks. Most of them deserved it. As long as she was able to stop herself in time. As long as she was able to control it before it made her that way permanently. Then it would be okay, right?

What she really needed to concentrate on, was getting her sword. If she got it, she could be of more use to everyone. Not only that, she could hold her own better if she ran into that Kayn fellow again. Or, any other foe that wanted to kill her for some reason. She made her way to the main deck, seeing the empty room with the only company being the machines, the comm deck, and dashboards with comfortable seats in front of them. She plopped down on the familiar orange couch and sighed.

“Hey.”

She looked up and saw Yasuo, making his way and sitting next to her. She gave him a quick small wave and let her hand lazily flop back into the cousin of the couch. He gave her a look before leaning against his seat.

“Something wrong?” He asked, opening a bottle of soda and downing it.

“Nothing much,” She replied, playing with her bangle. “, I’m thinking. About my sword. I need to find it.”

“Do you know where it is?” He asked, standing up and walking to the comm desk, wiping off the crumbs from chips and food. Avila shifted on the couch, leaning against the arm.

“Nope. Not after it was sealed away someplace shortly after I became my orb. I have no idea where it could be. But if I found it, I’d be more of a threat to our enemies.”

Yasuo shot her a sly smirk while typing on the keyboard. “More than you already are?’

He swiped through various newsletters and reports on the galactic radio, skimming over them as he did. Reports of riots, murders, cargo ships being destroyed filled the feed. Along with other useless junk like ads from the demaxian empire urging people to join as a soldier and news of the leader signing peace treaties with planet governments, gaining their trust. Whenever he even glanced at the demaxian empire, flashes of Kayn filled his mind... He was happy to be away from the crazy prick, but so long as they have Sona, he would never stop coming for them. But he would never let that happen, she was a member of his crew. And as the captain, he would protect everyone at all costs. Not only that, she was the only one who knew about his brother. She had answers to the many questions he had. His eyes stopped on a pop up that flashed in his feed. He read the bold red letters on it and felt his stomach drop.

Breaking news:
Galaxy mysteriously disappeared.

“What…” He trailed off, scanning through the article. Avila seemingly appeared at his side, which did startle him a bit when he felt her warmth. But chose not to say anything. They stood silently for a moment, taking in and reading the article. The galaxy was home to almost thirty solar systems. Yasuo heard a small groan emit from Avila before seeing her walk back to her seat and sitting down.

“Do you know anything about this?” He asked, still reading the article.

“Yes. That galaxy was swallowed by an ancient dark celestial being,” She said, picking at her nails, feeling a void in her gut. “, The dark star.”

Yasuo was already sitting down next to her, listening silently.

“The...dark star?” He asked leaning forward.

“It's a black hole that swallows up everything. Planets, solar systems, galaxies, everything. And it won’t stop swallowing everything until it's all gone. Until there's only darkness in the universe. It bends and destroys light. It's been around longer than I have. I can't believe it’s still as powerful as it was before…” She bit her nails, feeling her anxiety rise. “I would know, my planet was destroyed by that abomination…”

Yasuo drew back at first, struggling to find the right words. Word of comfort perhaps. But Avila flashed a smile at him.

“If you want to give me sympathy, it's alright. After all, it was years ago since that happened,” She said sinking into her seat. Yasuo stayed quiet after that, pursing his lips for a moment. He was never the type to give too many comforting words. He rarely received comfort himself. He slowly walked to her, sitting next to her with his arms crossed and a worried look plastered on his face.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, leaning against the cushion. Avila threw her head back, staring up sadly at the ceiling, looking as if she had just lost something precious to her.

“When Kayn attacked. I felt just like you did, hopeless. I was only able to get you all out of there if it wasn't for you leaving your sword. I...I miss my sword. I have a connection with it you see. One I can't escape. When I hold it, I’m able to fight better. I feel more powerful and confident. I’m embarrassed to say without it I...I’m not the most reliable crew member. I’m not the greatest with hand-to-hand combat. I need my sword back…”

Yasuo watched her worried look, scanning her soft features with hints of strain and worry on them. Avila rarely showed her stress, but when she did, it was sometimes obvious to the keenest of eyes.
“Where do you last remember its whereabouts?” Yasuo asked. “, Maybe we can find it for you.”

Avila shook her head, her face scrunching into a distaste and stressed expression. “It’s not easy. It was sealed away thousands of years ago. However, I know where...where he sealed it. On an asteroid, with a temple on it. Obviously, it’s constantly moving, so I’ll never know where it is...But I think I remember its name.” She said, putting a finger on her chin in thought. “The temple of forsaken stars.”

“I’ve heard about that before. However, I didn't know it was on an asteroid,” Yasuo admitted. “There’s only one person who would know about the sword and the temple,” Walking to the control panel, Yasuo began entering in numbers on the dashboard. Avila looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Who?”

“The Trade Master. He has tabs all around the entire galaxy he lives in. If anyone would know the whereabouts of your sword and the temple, it's him.”
Avila looked down for a moment, considering.

“Fine. let’s hope it’s true.”
---------------
The ship landed with a violent jolt, as Yasuo and the rest of the crew stood at the entrance. The large doors slid open, and a gust of warm and dust-filled wind hit all of them in the face.

"What is this place?" Avila asked, seeing a great number of run-down-looking buildings with rotting wood and rusted metal. Many people were bustling around, minding their business not even paying attention to their ship or them.

"This is the black market slums of a pristine planet, it's not too bad once you get past the illegal uses of drugs and weapons here," Yasuo answered, walking out of the ship with the crew.

"Whoa! This place looks pretty cool! Reminds me of the city I grew up in," Jinx said, happily hopping off the ship and planting her feet on the ground. The sky reeked of an almost suffocating musty and burning scent of smoke. They pushed forward, taking in the half depressing scenery before them. Avila could tell this place wasn't exactly safe for families to settle down. But people around here had to make due she supposed. It made her mind spin though. Why were there so many people here living in these horrid conditions? It must be another case of high-class rich people at the top, and middle-class people at the bottom fighting for scraps. That’s what it seemed like to her at least.

Once passing a building holding a room filled with men and women who seemed to come from all backgrounds, Yasuo stopped at a structure in front him. He knocked on the door, the rusty metal clanking at his touch. It screeched and yawned open, revealing a skinny and bald man with a purple optic on the left side of his face. The optic whirred and shined on Yasuo, as the man flashed a toothy grin. Avila tried not to cringe at the terrible dental sight. Chipped and missing teeth were one thing. It was worse when his gums looked as if they were dipped in tar.

“Service?” He asked in a raspy voice.

“My crew and I are here to see the Trade Master,” Yasuo stated. The man hesitated to answer first, before smiling wider and nodding. He pinched his optics and adjusted them, as the light flickered and a chirp emitted from the small machinery.

“He will see you shortly. 30 minutes, precisely. Don't be late.”

He shut the door in front of them, and Yasuo sighed before turning around.
“I’ll stay here and wait. You all can go do whatever, but be back here soon,” He ordered. Malphite stayed near Yasuo, crossing his arms.

“I’ll stay with you. Shady,” He bluntly stated, nodding towards the door where the man once was.

“Well,” Jinx began, hugging Sona and Avila close to her. “, Me and the girls will go snoop around then! Don’t worry, we’ll definitely be back in time. Let’s go!” She exclaimed, dragging the two away from their captain who simply rolled his eyes. The three walked on the streets of the town, passing by commoners and sellers who tried desperately to get their attention. It wasn't too loud outside, but definitely not quiet. Most of the streets were filled with people dancing or playing music to get a little extra money, along with beggars who were spat on or ignored by the people walking by. Avila spotted an old woman being pushed to the side and into the street by a man, almost getting run over by a vehicle. She managed to get up and flee into the shadows of an alley. Avila felt a twinge of sympathy for the people here. To them this place was a dog-eat-dog world. No one was worth saving here. They passed by a small shop, through the large window stood androids sitting on benches or standing. They noticed a man with a remarkably long beard working on a tall rusted grey and brown robot that spoke gibberish and twitched violently. Jinx saw the jittery machine and laughed to herself.

“Hey look at that! Reminds me of how I was, getting this tech in my head,” She mused happily.

“If you don't mind me asking,” Avila began “, What happened?”

Sona leaned in, with a curious look as well along with a small smile.

“To put things short, I had a brain-eating interstellar parasite in my head from exploding a radioactive dump with my sister years ago. For a few weeks after we explored the dumb for treasure and parts to sell, I was feeling dizzy and tired all the time. My vision got super blurry, and eventually, I couldn't comprehend the smallest things like my own name. My sis knew something was up, so she took me to a doctor. And that’s when they found it. By the time they got rid of the creature, it ate almost half of my brain. My sister was the one that paid for a robotic expert and technician to install this piece of work into my head along with this freakishly long cord!” She said, grabbing the large cord behind her and swinging it around. Avila stared at the metal on Jinx’s head in awe.

She felt like a child constantly getting impressed by the technology and the wonders it was doing for people now. But she really couldn't help it. Jinx spotted a store up ahead, seeing people walk out holding bizarre machines and other items. She squealed and pointed.

“Let’s go check that out! Come on!” She said, running to the store. Avila called out to her to slow down. Too busy making sure she didn't take the wrong turn, she accidentally bumped into a figure. She turned around and began to apologize, only to see a flash of something gold as the figure stopped in their tracks. She saw his eyes land on hers, seeing their purple hue. He seemed to be glancing between her and Sona quietly, like a silent shadow. Avila scowled at him before grabbing Sona’s hand and catching up with Jinx. When they entered the store, Avila made sure to look behind her to check for the figure. Only to see they were already gone. Her nerves calmed themselves once she stepped deeper into the store, making sure to keep a close eye on Sona and Jinx both.

The store itself was extremely spacious and almost beautiful when you looked past the old tired metal and chipped or peeling paint on the walls. It held a wide variety of items to select. From toys or minor repair parts that were extremely common to get by yourself if brave enough to venture out. She made sure to make way for children passing by, running towards the toy section of the store in shrill laughter and glee-filled eyes. She chuckled to herself. The joy the children displayed reminded her of Oberon, her son, and her love.

They went to a store just like this one many years ago. It was a sleek and posh vibrant blue color. The long stainless steel shelves were filled with items that would excite a child and make them erupt with joy. It was run by a middle-aged couple that had children of their own, who opened the store to make others happy. Her son would always want to come to the store after school every other week. Knowing that’s when the store would have its bi-weekly stock of a limited toy or game.

While she and her love would follow him around, watching him point to the many toys and games laid out before him. They always bought him one thing from the store at the most, more if he was doing extremely well in school. Her thoughts wandered more and more. His bright naive smile. A smile she wanted to protect from the darkest things in the world. She’d kill to see his smile again. The despair always loomed over like a cloud when the memories began to form. Every laugh she shared with them. Every argument. Every silent anger. All of them were cherished. Things she’ll never feel toward them ever again. They were gone. Because of her. Because she wasn't strong enough to protect either of them. That’s what she told herself.

The dread of losing them never faded. It didn't for a thousand years. Why would it now? The grief of losing a mortal. Never again would it happen again. Falling in love with someone who was always destined to die. In the end, her immortality would only bring death to the ones she loved. Forcing her to never join them. There was no afterlife waiting for her. No Heaven or Hell. Nothing but loneliness and bloodshed awaited her. Every single time. A tap on her shoulder interrupted her, and she met eyes with Jinx’s large green ones.

“Hey, you were kinda just staring at nothing there for a while. You okay?” She asked while Sona stood beside her with a worried look on her face. Avila put on a nervous and startled smile.

“Yeah, I’m alright you two. Sorry about that.”

“Aw, it’s okay! You did worry me there for a sec, I thought you were having a stroke or something!” Jinx laughed as Avila only smirked at the joke, rolling her eyes in amusement. The chirp of a comm filled the air, and Jinx whipped out her device staring at the screen before her eyes lit up.

“Looks like we should get going, it’s almost time!” She said, practically pushing them out the store and into the streets. “, C’mon! We can’t be late!”

They hurriedly ran to the rendezvous point with Yasuo and Malphite. When they arrived, they were heaving over and out of breath. Thank the stars for Sona’s speed boost, or else they would’ve been practically on the floor from exhaustion. Yasuo stood over them with a half impressed look and chuckled.

“You all managed to actually get here early,” He stated as Jinx held up a thumbs up, followed by Avila and Sona.

The doo beside Yasuo opened again, and the same scrawny man stood before them with a grin.

“The Trade Master will see you all now.”

He ushered them inside, disappearing into the ship. Inside, the interior had been turned into a giant diner and bar. The glances from some of the civilians made Avila want to cut open their throats in irritation. When they passed by a doorway covered by long tattered cloth, the room scenery changed drastically. It was a black and gold color, the walls were so shiny with metallic gold pieces it almost made Avila’s head hurt to look at them. In the center sat a remarkably tall and wide man. Wearing a beautiful black and gold tux, sporting a gold fedora hat with a black rose on it. The room was lined nicely with many of his henchmen, all of them having weapons and dirty glances.

The Trade Master flashed a smile and ushered them all closer, his gold rings shining in the light like diamonds under the sun.

“Welcome,” He bellowed. “I'm sure you already know me, yes? Trade Master of the black market slums. I give any information or item you may need. For a price of course. To what do I owe the pleasure? What do you gentlemen and lovely ladies need?” He asked, downing a glass of red wine, only to have it refilled by one of his men holding a large wine bottle.

“We’re the Morningstar crew,” Yasuo introduced. “, And we’re here to know the whereabouts of an ancient temple on a moving asteroid. It’s known as the temple of forsaken stars.”

The Trade Master stroked his chin, eyebrow raised. “Temple of forsaken stars? A peculiar request. I admit, not even I have heard of such a name.” He reached over to a holographic tablet and swiped through it, the silence in the room almost deafening. The fabric of the clothes behind them waved, and a man wearing a long white lab coat with crazy green hair pointed in all directions emerged. He stopped beside the crew, glancing at them before turning to the Trade Master.

“Temple of Forsaken Stars. Find it,” He ordered. The man nodded profusely, hobbling away out of sight.

“Should we wait outside?” Yasuo asked. The Trade Master laughed.

“Of course not! Our paying customers are treated like royalty while their order is getting fulfilled.”

Two of his men walked up to them, offering food and drinks along with seats. The crew reluctantly accepted, enjoying the delicacies and beverages.
“Tell me about yourselves,” The Trade Master said with a smile. “, What does the Morningstar crew do in their everyday life?”

“We mostly cruise around and explore other galaxies and edgeworlds,” Yasuo answered, downing his drink in one gulp.

“Interesting. Sounds to me like your regular good old space travelers. Tell me, does the rest of your crew...speak?” He asked with a grin.

“We do,” Avila answered him, not looking up from her wine. “, Just don’t feel like talking while we’re eating.”

A snicker erupted from Jinx, who had a piece of bread stuffed in her mouth. The Trade Master’s eye twitched before putting on a forced smile of delight.

“Is that so? I wish I could hear the lovely ladies of your crew speak once in a while,” he laughed. “You all look like a strong bunch. If I didn't know about your occupation, I would've asked you to come work for me. I think it would be enjoyable for you. You get to still explore and collect treasures. Earn thousands while doing it. On my behalf of course.”

“We’ll pass,” Yasuo answered, tapping his finger on his glass. The air seemed to grow thicker and thicker, and the Morningstar crew felt their nerves spark each second. They took the time to scan the entourage he had. Many of his members looked like they’ve been through hell. Some missing an eye, scars filling their face with rough patches under their dark eyes. Avila wondered if they were found like that, or if they looked like that cause of their beloved boss.

The green crazy-haired man limped back to his boss on his prosthetic leg that looked years overdue for a proper change. He handed the Trade Master a thin portscreen as he snapped his fingers. A wide range of orange screens floated above his head. He craned his neck, scanning all of the graphs and data displayed in front of him. Along with a picture of the asteroid and temple. He smiled, condensing the screens back into the tablet and laughing to himself.

“We’ve sent you the coordinates,” He stated proudly.

Yasuo pulled out his portscreen and flipped through it, nodding to himself... “We’ve received them. Here’s payment.”

He tapped a button on his device, and a happy beep erupted from it. One of the men next to him instantly checked their portscreen, nodding in approval.

“Excellent. I suppose we’re done here now,” He said, watching the crew begin to leave. He cleared his throat. “However, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

Yasuo slowly turned around along with everyone else as he continued.

“I’d love to know, why’s a prized templar traveling with you folks?”

“She’s just another fellow crew member,” Yasuo answered, his hand flexing on the handle of his sword.

“I don't mean to intrude on your business,” The Trade Master choked out with a laugh. “, I find it oddly peculiar for a templar to be with a bunch of travelers. I also find it peculiar a bunch of nobodies are going after a sword,” He said with a grin. Avila felt herself stiffen at the sentence. In the corner of her eye, she saw some of the men start to push themselves off the wall and grip their weapons as he spoke.

“Oh, Morningstar crew. You’re holding out on us all! After such a rare treasure, and you don't want to share? I find that insulting.” He stood up from his chair, clapping his hands together as his men moved in closer. Some are moving to block the entrance. They were surrounded, and they definitely weren't allowed to leave without a fight. The Trade Master flicked through his portscreen, his eyes lighting up in greed. He looked up, the orange tint reflecting off his tired pupils.

“A sword made of pure ora. Many have tried to touch this, only to come back with permanent injuries or die. That’s some weapon you’re after,” He chuckled,
watching the crew slowly grip their weapons as his men pointed their guns and swords at them. He held his hands up, signaling them to all relax.

“Now, we don't have to make this a fight my friends. But that payment you gave me was merely chump change compared to what you’re after. Tell you what, you folks let me have the sword, and I give you about...10% back of what you gave me as payment? You all leave with that happy, I’m here happy with my sword. Sounds good?”

He said with a wicked smile. Avila almost wanted to let out a laugh. HIS sword?
“And why would we do that?” She asked in a venomous tone, staring daggers at him.
“Because you all want to live don't you?” He asked darkly with a chuckle. “If I have that sword, you know how much my status would skyrocket? I’d be a God here! I’d use this power to control the entire black market city. And next the entire planet!”

“You said yourself people have died trying to touch that sword,” Avila argued with her arms crossed. “, What makes you think you’ll be immune to that yourself?”
“I have my ways, pretty lady,” He replied. “I’m making a very generous offer. I like you folks. I’d hate to have to kill you to get what I want. Just walk away, and give me what I want. And your lives are spared. That’s how it goes around here.”

“Too bad, because that’s not how it goes with us,” Jinx sneered as all of them switched to battle stances.

The Trade Master displayed a sympathetic and sad look, hanging his head low and shaking it slowly. “Morningstar crew,” He cried. “, If only you all understood how things worked around here. A shame. Didn't want it to come to this.” He twirled a finger in the air before looking at them with a hearty smile. “Kill them.”

Yasuo cried out, releasing a tornado that knocked up half of his men into the air before he jumped up and sliced them down. Jinx roared, climbing on top of Malphite who punched the lights out of every opponent that dared to get too close. Bullets bounced off his tough rocky skin as Jinx shot back, laughing insanely seeing their corpses fall to the ground. Avila scooped up a half dull sword from one of the bodies and cursed to herself. It’ll have to do.

Thanks to Malphite’s tough skin blocking every bullet along with Sona’s healing aura and shields, it was a fun battle nonetheless. Avila grabbed one of the men and slammed them onto the ground, stomping on their neck while stabbing any that charge at her. The entire battle was filled with nothing but pain from the opposing side. Despite his men looking like they’ve been to a warzone, fighting them was child’s play. Malphite’s powerful punches sent them flying right into Yasuo’s blade or Jinx’s bullet. Avila, much to her dismay and irritation, had to keep switching weapons due to her breaking every sword. The chore almost cost her being shot and reduced to her orb, until Yasuo swooped in to save her. Eventually, she grew tired of the dull blades and resorted to smashing their head in with the many glass wine bottles that laid throughout the room. A man roared and charged at Avila with his sword raised. He swung it, only to see Avila easily sidestepped the attack before smashing the bottle on his head, the olive green glass shattering and flying in the air as his body dropped to the ground.

Almost every enemy had pieces of glass stuck in their hair or face. The Trade Master attempted to fight back with what little weapon and battle experience he had but was easily overpowered. Avila grabbed the green-haired man and knocked him out as Jinx pinned the Trade Master down by planting her foot on his neck. She pointed a giant cannon at him that wired violently with its blue light shining, while the rest of the crew stood over him.

“Follow us, and this place will have to find a new Trade Master,” Yasuo threatened, sheathing his sword. The Trade Master nodded violently, tears stinging his squinting eyes as he pleaded for his life, staring intently at Jinx’s cannon.

“Yes, of course! We won't follow you, you have my word. Please…” He whispered, staring at them with glossy eyes. Avila huffed in satisfaction, walking away from him, and making her way to the entrance.

“Your entire entourage had the combat skills of toddlers,” She mumbled, leaving the room with the rest of the crew following after. It was obvious the commotion and violence of the fight caught the ears of everyone inside the diner, their fearful or cautious gazes following them as they left. Avila stepped out of the building with her annoyance growing. She pursed her lips and gripped her arms tightly. Of course, thousands of years later ora is still on people’s radars. It would come as no surprise to her if she had to fight off the greedy bastards that were out for her sword like before.

The whole thing made her sick and tired of dealing with it all. It was a slightly quiet walk back, the words of her crewmates being drowned out by her thoughts. When passing the entrance of the public open hangar where ships could safely land, Avila stopped in her tracks when she saw the same cloaked figure standing in front of their ship. She squinted in suspicion at them as they stood there still as a statue. It was unnerving to see such a dark and mysterious figure silently stand there, saying nothing.

“Hey!” Jinx bellowed, throwing a fist up. “, Who’re you! Get away from my ship!”

"Our ship,” Yasuo retorted. Jinx glanced at him before plastering a nervous smile.
“That’s what I meant!”

The figure said nothing as he stepped closer, before extending one of his arms that displayed no hand, but a large golden blade. The crew drew back at the spectacle, and Avila found herself beginning to be nervous. This was no ordinary foe. This was something unusual. And it definitely wasn't peaceful. It spoke in a hushed and grim voice, devoid of all emotions and feelings.

“We are the ones with power you cannot begin to comprehend,” It began. “We are here to slay those who are unworthy of breathing. You hold false propositions that use ora in a way we deem unfit. These beings must be eradicated, for we are the ones who have mastered the power of ora. You hold a templar that leads you down a path with no end and a poser who hogs ora within themselves. An abomination we must erase. We will return this ora to its rightful owner. Us.”

Jinx released a small groan, scrunching her face and furrowed her brows. “What’s with this guy? Why’s he talking like that?”

“I don't know,” Yasuo said, drawing his sword. “, But I assume he won’t be moving away from our ship.”

As if it was liquid, the darkness around the figure melted away, revealing a man clad in bright purple and blue with gleaming gold accents. His mask’s blue eyes beamed at them as his other hand morphed into a razor-sharp blade.

“Pfft! You think your fancy words and getup can scare us!? Two blades are easy to beat you shiny glow stick!” Jinx exclaimed, pointing her gun at him and firing.

The bullets pierced through what looked like a black silhouette, hitting the ship behind him. A shuriken whizzed towards Sona, inches from her face. In one swift motion, Yasuo stepped in front of her and smacked the shuriken out of the air with his blade. Though he didn't want anyone to see, he began to display nervousness in his eyes. A small bead of sweat poured from his forehead. Avila silently looked around, trying to find the real one. What kind of sorcery did he just pull? Could this man literally pull clones from himself?

“Disappointing,” He fumed, returning back to his spot in front of the ship.

“, Lesser beings protecting one another, pathetic. None of you will ever be worth anything.” A wide range of blades emerged from every part of his body. His back, sides, hands. All of them are equally sharp and deadly. Avila felt her heart hammer against her chest. Though there was only one of him, he still had the potential to defeat all of them without even trying. It was a terrible thing to admit, but they had no idea what they were up against. From fighting large mindless monsters to a demented and crazy assassin in the Demaxian empire, they had never encountered such a foe like this.

“Yasuo,” Avila whispered. “, We have to find some way to get on the ship. We can’t fight him.”

“I’m aware,” Yasuo answered back quietly, gripping his sword tighter with each passing moment. “We have to split up for now. Jinx, go with Sona. Malphite and Avila, with me.” He whispered as they all nodded.

That’s when the entity charged once again summoning a shadow and throwing his shuriken. The group broke apart in different directions, waiting for the moment he’d chase. He hastily switched his shadows and pursued Sona and Jinx, making Yasuo curse to himself.

“Go after them, I’ll get the ship!” Yasuo yelled, making his way to the entrance.
Avila wanted to call out to him and ask for his sword, but he was already gone. She sighed to herself before nodding to Malphite.

“C’mon big guy.”

The purple hue reflecting in the sky and walls of nearby buildings was enough of a beacon for Avila and Malphite to follow. They pushed past bystanders that happened to be in the way, ignoring their screams of frustration at them when they hit the ground. She stopped for a moment, watching the purple light fade before shining once again. The buildings they were around were nothing but small houses. Small enough a fall from that height wouldn't kill her. She called Malphite over, climbing onto his large frame and heaving herself onto the roof of a house. Malphite continued his chase as she hurriedly continued running, hopping from roof to roof tumbling.

The smoky air made her throat and chest burn while sweat poured down her face. She was getting closer, the purple was getting brighter and brighter like a flashlight in the darkness. She fell onto a lower roof, gasping for air before lifting herself up and pushing forward.

Jinx and Sona slipped past dumpsters and dipped deeper into any path they could. The sound of whispers ringing in their ears from the entity’s shadows being cast out. A gleam of gold flickered in the corner of her eye, and Jinx grabbed Sona before diving to the ground. The stray shuriken pierced the old brick wall, the stone dust sprinkling onto their heads. She lifted Sona up and tried to continue running, only to be stopped by him. He stood in front of them, blades read to strike as spider leg appendages emerged from his back, their sharp tips pointed at them. They two slowly backed away as Jinx pulled out her cannon, unable to hide the stress and terror on her face.

“Stay away!” She warned as he drew closer showing no hesitation.
“Foolish,” He said. “Accept your fate. I will rid this universe of a few more unworthy parasites.”

Avila stopped and stood on the edge of the roof, right above him. He was getting closer to Jinx and Sona. Too close. Without thinking, she threw herself off the roof, trying to hopefully knock him down. His body turned black again, and she cursed to herself as she landed on the ground and tumbled with a thud and groan. On her back, she punched the ground in frustration.

“Dammit!”

Jinx gasped. “Avila!” She ran to her, helping her up. “That was some distraction!” She said with a laugh. Avila heaved herself up and cracked her back, wincing in pain and rubbing it.

“I’m never doing that again.”

The shadow suddenly moved and began to attack once again, spinning with its blades. Avila jumped back as it replaced itself with him. He moved in once again, about to dash forward until an ear-piercing roar was heard, catching him off guard. Malphite charged in and headbutt him away, sending him flying followed by the sound of metal clanging and bricks falling. Avila and Jinx laughed as Sona smiled widely and clapped.

“That was awesome! Our security sure does know how to make flashy entrances!” Jinx said happily. The beeping of coms made Jinx immediately pick up her device and speak into it. Before she even could form a word, Yasuo’s voice blasted in her ears.

“The ship’s ready, hurry!”
Jinx signaled them to follow, and without any words exchanged, they bolted away. It only took seconds for them to turn the fifth corner and see the ship already hovering off the ground. Avila glanced behind her and saw the shadows emerge, the entity switching between them.

Once at the doors, they climbed aboard as the door slowly began to close. A shuriken sped toward them and hammered itself between the doors. He began to pry them open with extreme strength as the old metal of the doors screamed in agony.
“We are Zed,” He said. “, You cannot escape us.”

“Yes the hell we can you freak,” Avila sneered, delivering a swift kick to his face and forcing him to stagger back. The doors crushed the shuriken and slammed closed as the ship rumbled violently. Jinx was already at her seat steering as Yasuo typed furiously on his holographic screen. The ship blasted off, shaking violently during its departure.

“Where are we going?” Avila asked, watching the ship pass the many stars in front of her.

“Where else? The temple. We’re gonna get that sword,” Yasuo answered with a smile. Avila smiled back and nodded.

“Thanks, captain,” She said, walking over and sitting on the couch, embracing its worn-out cushions. Finally, she was able to get it back. After all those years. Her fingers itched to feel the smooth handle again. To feel the flesh being sliced by the sharp blade. She couldn't wait to fight more with it. It was waiting for her once again, waiting for its rightful owner to come back to it. And she was almost there. The rest of the trip was relaxing and silent. The ship was peacefully on the course as the crew began to unwind, unknown to the fact that Zed was still near. Lurking in the shadows and ready to strike, inside the deepest enclosures of the ship.