Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kai was coming over in just a few minutes, and I, Akali So-Yeon, was panicking. Badly. I had spent the last few minutes frantically rearranging my clothes and books, cleaning up my laundry and game collection and shoving everything else that couldn't be sorted in time into the darkest recesses of my closet to be later extracted. I had even gone so far as to dust off the all the furniture downstairs, on the off chance that Kai wanted to chill in the family room rather than my room. I was about as prepared as I was going to be - physically, at least.

Mentally, though-

“Alright, you big dumb lesbian idiot. Surely you can keep it together for one afternoon, right?” I grumble into my pillow, curled up as I was on my bed. My tiny, one-room bedroom never felt larger than now, when I was stressing about cleaning every inch of it to perfection. I didn’t even know why I was so worked up about this. This was just a regular little meet-up, between two really good friends - even if I was still pissed about Kai dipping on me the past few weeks, I knew that this was a busy time for her, especially given how finals were a week away and Kai still had her duties as leader of the Star Guardian on top of her usual duties of working at the shelter and maintaing her immaculate 4.0 GPA.

It wasn’t like I didn’t see Kai often, either; in fact, I saw her almost daily, whether that was during lecture hours or during our Star Guardian team meet-ups. She was my best friend, after all. But most times we just hung out at the Arcade or grabbed lunch at Noodle Bill’s with the other Guardians. This was the first time in a while that Kai was actually coming over to my house.

The worst part was that my stupid little crush would be working overtime considering how it was just me and her together, with absolutely nobody else in the house, another rarity. Shen, my older brother, was out for the day, having to work long hours as an emergency EMT, and Mom and Dad were off holed up in their respective offices. Even Umi had disappeared to who-knows where, leaving behind a blob of ink roughly stylized as a thumbs-up on my desk to let me know he was alright. Normally I could count on my familiar to be the Worst Wingman Ever™ and stop any romantic atmosphere from developing with his comments on udon and gaming, but-

“Haaaaahh…” I uncurled myself with a groan, my gaze flicking around the room, searching for something- anything to distract myself from my annoying persistent one-sided crush and the impending lesbian disaster awaiting me.

My room was neatly organized… in a fashion. Shen used to joke that it was organized by how much I cared for stuff. On the right side of my cabinet were my prized possessions; my trophy case full of favorite novels and a few memorabilia from my time outside Valorant City, as well as a few figurines of Tiger Gauntlet from my favorite anime, Zodiac Relic #5. I smiled fondly as my gaze passed over Kennen, my old stuffed raccoon, nestled safely in the corner of an upper cabinet. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out, not with all the sentimental value it had.

“What was he… some sort of lightning tanuki?” I chuckled to myself. When we were younger, Kai’Sa used to make up all these stories about him and her own stuffed rabbit, having silly adventures through the fantastical world of Runeterra. On sleepovers, I’d fall asleep to her stories, the duo of Kennen and Mr. Bun, Kai’Sa’s stuffed rabbit, traveling the world and fighting crime, Kai’s voice still chattering away even as the Sandman pulled my eyelids down. On those nights I tried to stay awake as long as possible, but I would never quite make it till the end.

Next to that was my cabinet of FGC fighting games, controllers, and Nintendo Switch games, organized alphabetically with special different coloured marker labels taped on the side. Kai’Sa was the one who came up with the color-coded system, helped me put it all together after I complained about always losing my copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. She was the only person who I allowed to touch my collection; not even Shen was allowed to mess with my games without my explicit permission - not like he actually played any video games, being an emotionless cyborg of an older brother. I was always more of a Mortal Kombat type of girl, but Kai preferred the more hectic platform brawlers like Super Smash Bros or party games like Mario Kart or Mario Party so I always kept those near the top.

On my work desk were my pens, papers, and a collection of the few manga I still followed - mostly an eclectic mix of shonen-battle type manga by Kubo or Kishimoto, though there were a few shoujo manga hidden secretly toward the bottom of the pile that I didn’t want Kai’Sa to see, even by chance. Below that in the lower drawers were copies of my textbooks and lecture notes, kept in a neat little mini-case below my desk, the labels dull and faded from age. I wasn’t a particularly enthusiastic student, not like the effortlessly perfect Lux nor anachronistically studious upper-classmen Guardians like Janna and Soraka, but I took to subjects fairly easily, especially after I stopped needing to hide out in the arcade from my parents. Last year I even ended up tutoring Kai in half of her classes after she had begged me for some help with her anatomy labs.

Lately, though, she hasn’t needed my help. Hell, she’s been getting better grades than me in some of my classes, and it’s -
I flop back onto my back, my gaze turning back to the giant fan slowly rotating on my ceiling.
-weird. I feel kinda...melancholic? Wistful? That used to be our thing, hanging out after school whenever my parents weren’t home and Shen was at work or on campus, just the two of us.

Sometimes Kai would bring a movie she “didn’t want to watch alone” - usually some scary horror movie on loan from the movie shop downtown, and that’s how we’d spend the afternoon; the two of us curled up on the bed together, watching CGI monsters terrorize bright-eyed brunettes through my dinky school laptop. Sometimes, I think back and try to remember if there was a sign she liked me more than a friend would. Other times I realize just how foolish it was, agonizing over blurry memories more wishful than factual.

Ding-Dong!

Speak of the devil. I rolled off the bed with a groan, giving my room a quick once-over. It looked fine, right? I had emptied the wastebin in advance, sorted all my textbooks and supplies, stored away my Switch, Monster Hunter Rise still paused halfway through a mission- hastily, I smoothed over my bed, ironing out the few wrinkles still in it - and I had gotten some microwave popcorn from the nearby Mart for our movie night. Everything looked perfect for a night of RNR. Out of habit, I fiddled with my old friendship bracelet, the blue flower charm worn but still recognizable. I had taken good care of it, after all.

“Coming!” I yell, before dashing down the stairs and through the living room, where I gave myself a quick once-over in the mirror. I looked fine, for a rush job done in a half hour in advance. All my loose strands of purple hair were tied up in a quick ponytail, I was using slightest bit of makeup applied to make myself look mature and put-together (not that it really mattered, but I wanted to look my best, at least) and I was wearing my favorite set of casual t-shirt and comfy-jeans combo that I pulled out for occasions like this. Shoot, I definitely should’ve worn a better t-shirt - what if she thinks I’m a slob for being so casual? No, stupid thoughts. This was Kai, not some random girl I wanted to impress. She was my best friend before everything.

With a click, I unlock the door and pull it open, giving my best friend a teasing smirk. “Well, well, well. Look who made it here after all.”

Kai’Sa's face is flushed a bright rosy pink as she stands up and gives me a soft smile. “Hi, Kali.”
Even just her saying my name with such naked affection sends a shiver of sparks down my spine that I pretend are just chills. She’s still wearing her comfy Valoran University letterman jacket and uniform, her red tie perfectly askew, hair delightfully mussed as if she had just rolled out of bed after a late night of studying. There’s a part of me that just wants to - touch it, stroke through Kai’Sa’s perfect pink hair and just hold her silky-soft tresses in my hand. See her cheeks flush with surprise, her dusky amber eyes light up with confusion and maybe - just maybe - attraction-

Then I remember that she’s my best friend - that I’m crushing on my best friend, my very heterosexual best friend- and the back of my neck lights up with the smoldering heat of shame. Logically, I know I wouldn’t actually do it, but it still felt wrong to even think about such a thing - especially when Kai had little to no interest in women, and definitely zero romantic interest in me. Just my luck that I had to fall for the straightest Star Guardian in town, huh?

“Hi Kai.” I give my best friend a cocky smirk, leaning back against the doorframe. “Finally, you’re here. I was wondering if you had gotten lost on the way here or something- maybe some poor lost child you needed to escort home? Maybe a cat stuck in a tree somewhere?”

“Am I really that predictable?” Kai’Sa teased back, rolling her eyes affectionately. “No, you dunce. I just had some things I needed to take care of - you know, Star Guardian stuff.” My smile slips for a second, but thankfully Kai’Sa doesn’t seem to notice. “And anyways, the only cat I ran into on the way here was-”

“Rengar!” I cheer, spotting the old distinctive brown-and-white cat prowling along the sidewalk wall.
Rengar was an old alley cat that sometimes roamed along our street, wreaking havoc on the older ladies that lived down the block and generally being a all-round menace. It had been a while since I had seen him, though, so I was a bit worried that he had gotten hit by a car or something. Rengar’s head perked up as he heard his name being called before strutting over, his meal of a dead robin forgotten as he wrapped himself between Kai’Sa’s legs.

“I really don’t know why you dote on him like that, Kali, considering how badly he scratched you last time…” Kai’Sa mutters, leaning down to give Rengar’s tattered right ear a good rub. Rengar’s purring sounds like the rumble of an old Toyota, his whole body vibrating with the motion. Kai was great with animals, which made sense considering how her dad, Kassadin, worked at the local dog shelter. She just had a - way, of communicating with them that I swear was just about magic, turning even the most hostile of Doberman's and Pit Bulls into placid, well-behaved pups. Sometimes Kai’Sa and I helped out whenever the shelter was understaffed, which was more often than not. I didn't particularly mind; I liked working with the animals there, even if the sentiment was mostly one-sided.

“Ppft." I snort. "That was… affectionate clawing. Affectionate clawing, from a super-duper-affectionate catty-watty - who’s a good kitty, Rengar-” I coo, reaching down and scooping up the old tabby before he can react. Rengar yowled in anger as I gave his little belly a scratch, attempting to return the favor by scratching my eyes out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t dealing with a regular student here, he was dealing with a Star Guardian! Woo. Enhanced reflexes and durability made his claws trivially easy to avoid.
Just to tease him, I swung him to the left - then to the right, avoiding the tips of his razor-sharp claws by inches and enjoying the raw hatred that engulfed the tabby's features.

“Kali!” My best friend scolded me, worry clear in her voice.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, fine.” Trust Kai’Sa to be a bleeding heart about it. With an offhand flick of my wrist I tossed Rengar to the side, who landed gingerly on his feet before immediately retreating up a nearby tree to hiss at me.
“You’re just jealous of my amazing animal handling skills.”

Kai’Sa raised one eyebrow skeptically at me. “Of course. I am in awe.” Sarcasm drips from her words, though I don't miss the underlying tone of affection.
“Good. You should be.” I sniffed, pretending to be mock-offended. My best friend giggles, flipping her hair to the side and sending a wave of peach-scented perfume wafting towards me. I definitely don’t get distracted by how good it smelled, or anything like that.

Ding! The ding of the microwave catches my attention a second later, signaling that the popcorn was ready, and both Kai and I perk up at the sound.

“Is that-” Kai starts. If she was a cartoon character I could imagine her ears perking up as she sniffs the air.
I grin. I knew popcorn was a good idea.
“Yep. Microwave popcorn, fresh from K-Mart. Wanna come inside?” I gesture towards the open doorway, giving an awkward half-bow like a proper gentlewoman.

Kai'Sa smiles. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Text

“God, it feels like forever since I’ve been here.” Kai’Sa says as she pulls off her shoes, stacking them carefully against the tatami mat in the corner of the entrance, the large oak wooden front door sliding closed behind her. 

“How do you think I feel?” I say, half-jokingly, even if it was depressingly close to how I actually felt. We still met fairly often, for patrols and stuff, but the amount of time we spent together outside of classes and Star Guardian-ing as a group was depressingly little. I trot across the kitchen past the island table in the middle to the microwave, where my buttery-popped treat awaits.

“I’m sorry!” To her credit, Kai does actually seem sincere, her pink hair tie bobbing acrest a wave of lavender-coloured hair as she bows her head in an apologetic motion. “It’s just - you know. Being the leader of the team means I have to deal with them more often than not, and I’ve been also trying to get that internship at OT place, so it's a just a bit much right now.” 

“It’s fine. I get it.” I pry open the microwave door, poking at the now-ballooned brown package of microwave popcorn. The bag of popcorn is still scorchingly hot  - gingerly, I pick up the container by the corners before giving it a quick puff, cooling it down just enough to hold. I throw what I hoped was a mostly reassuring glance towards Kai’Sa. “I just think you should let me help you more. I get that you’re, like, a chronic workaholic, but I’m a Star Guardian too, y’know?” 
Translation: Don't work yourself to death, dumbass. She needed that type of reminder from time to time.

“Hey! I am not a workaholic!” Kai’Sa protests. 

In response, I raise a single, skeptical eyebrow, and watch as my best friend squirms uncomfortably on the spot. “I mean, I’m… probably not a workaholic? I hang out at the arcade all the time, right?” Kai amends her statement defensively. I snort.

“When I’m there. You hang out at the arcade when me or the rest of the team are there.” I point out. “And you always end up studying, which I don’t even understand how you do that, given how noisy it gets in there.” 

Honestly, half the time it’s our team that makes all the noise - Rell and Taliyah can get crazy loud when they’re doing their weird competition/flirting/courtship thing, and Ekko, for all his time-manipulating powers, was a surprisingly sore loser when it came to video games. And… maybe I yelled a few times, after Ekko used his totally bullshit powers to cheat during our best of three- 

I’m pretty sure the only reason why we haven’t been kicked out or banned from the arcade yet is just because we’re too good for their business; between their quarter-hungry claw machines that I swear are rigged and their shockingly overpriced pizza slices, they’re probably making a killing. 

Honestly, I felt kinda bad whenever Kai ended up at the arcade; she always looked a bit lost, wandering around the aisles in search of a relatively quiet corner to work at. Whenever we visited, I always tried to get her to play some of the games with me - mostly the co-op games rather than the head-to-head fighters, as despite my best efforts Kai’Sa was absolutely awful at fighting games.   

Sometimes I succeeded. Other times I didn’t, and I’d feel too guilty to play more than a few games before escorting Kai back home. On a good day I’d drag her off to play four or five rounds on some of the machines before she called it quits. Kai liked the dance and rhythm games, as well as the basketball-hoop machines - anything that required physical movement, really - but wasn’t a fan of the shooting games, mostly because they were all zombie-horror survival and Kai couldn’t stand jumpscares. A shame; she was a crack shot at Valorant and Apex the few times she played with me. 

"I'm not really into... that sort of stuff." Kai says. She twirls the ends of her hair together, a tell-tale sign that she's flustered. "And, uh, I like working on coursework! I find it - satisfying. Relaxing." 

"All that's telling me is that you have no idea how to have fun." I deadpan out. Seriously, saying that she enjoyed coursework was the most bullshit teachers-pet answer you could give, except Kai actually meant it. She enjoyed working on stuff for classes, which I found frankly horrifying.

“But that’s what I have you for, right?” Kai goes for the cheeky answer, but for a second I can feel my heart skips a beat as she gives me that stupidly charming head-tilt, one lock of pink hair shadowing her adorably diminutive nose that I so just want to brush aside-  

My fingers twitch, and I can feel myself almost reaching for her hair before I force myself to stop. Down, girl!  

“-Yeah. That’s what I’m here for. Yep, all me.” I cough, my gaze dipping away from Kai’Sa’s earnest gaze and wandering the room, finally landing on a pair of gray-and-black socks splayed out on the floor next to the couch that I immediately recognize as Dad’s. He must’ve just tossed it over there after his late-night shift was over- Dammit, I thought I cleaned up all his shit- 

“Anyways, uh- where’s Ina?” Before Kai can notice the clandestine couch clothing article, I hastily trot up the first few steps of the staircase, keeping my gaze on Kai and silently praying she doesn’t notice anything.  Thankfully, Kai seems way more interested in the bag of popcorn in my hands than examining any of the furniture too closely. 

My adorably oblivious best friend takes the obvious non-sequiteur in stride, pausing slightly in front of the stairs, a look of contemplation falling over her face.
“I… don’t know, actually. She left a note on my desk saying how she needed to do something, but she hasn't come back yet. Why do you ask?" 

“Huh. Weird.” I frown, pausing halfway up the staircase, the bag of popcorn still swinging from my fingertips. “Umi did the exact same thing. Just- y’know, with an inkblot instead of a note.” A surprisingly well-made inkblot, at that. It seemed my little manta ray was an artist. 

“Do you know if any of the other Guardians know why they're missing?” Kai asks. She’s probably talking about the Star Guardian group chat we had going on, the one she originally created for only Guardian stuff but was now so polluted with memes and random shit that we just treated it like any other group chat. 

I shake my head. “Nope. Well, Sona says Chiizu is missing, so that’s three, but apart from that most of the other familiars are still there, and they have no idea what’s going on either - or if they do, they’re not keen on sharing it.”

And that fact alone brought up a whole host of other questions.
I knew Umi. I trusted him - he was my familiar, of course I trusted him. He was what I'd imagine having a little brother was like, if little brothers could fly and were manta rays. But he also answered to a force above me - the First Star, the source of all Star Guardian's power. The one above all, the font of starlight etched within our Star Gems and the being which fueled our transformations.

I had only experienced the First Star's light once, when I was being initiated as a Star Guardian and it was-

Hard to explain, and yet impossible to forget. I felt, rather than saw, a blinding radiance, so bright it was almost painful, yet it was almost- compelling, the light, almost beseechingly so, the morbid feeling of tragedy etched within it and echoing in its rays. As if the being inside wept for all of mankind, and that was why they suffered so greatly, bringing balance to the universe and fighting back the darkness. It was eldritch in a way that tried not to even imitate humanity and yet cared for all of us. And if they were behind this-

Well. I really don't want to think what would cause the First Star to move, if they didn't even react to Zoe's incursion.

I stop at the top of the stairs, waiting for Kai to catch up before pushing open the door to my room. My room is in the attic, which makes it smaller than all the other bedrooms but also furthest away from the main living area. I liked it up here, even if it got a bit cramped with Kai over; mostly because it gave me a lot of privacy from my parents while also doubling as an early-warning system, in case Mom decided to pay me a surprise visit upstairs. 

Kai smiles as she notices Kennen still posted on the shelf, giving him a quick little wave before she catches me staring and flushes pink. 

“What?” 

“Nothing~” I say, innocently as possible. Ah, watching Kai’Sa’s blush spread across her face made it hard for me not to smile - the way her cheeks and even the tips of her ears were tinged pink as she tried to glare at me, Kai's pout as intimidating as a toy poodle's.

“Jerk.”

“Yep.” My reply is instant. “But you still love me.”

My heart catches in my throat a second later. I- didn’t mean to say that, the words just slipped out, and I’m about to follow it up with a stammered retraction when-   

“-Yeah, I do.” Kai’Sa laughs, and I feel my heart leap into my chest. Calm down, Akali. She's just doing that as a friend. She only sees you as a friend, don't get your fucking hopes up, you dumb lesbian idiot -"

“Really?” My words come out stammered despite my best efforts. I'm - far too aware of how hopeful my tone is, and the faint heat on my cheeks tells me that I'm blushing - it feels like a school of guppies are swimming through my gut, my mouth suddenly as dry as a desert.

“Of course. You’re my best friend.”  Kai replies, giving me a bright-eyed smile.

 “-Yeah.” I swallow, forcing myself not to visibly deflate as I offered a slightly more forced smile in return. Of course she meant it like that. What did you expect to happen, dumbass? “Yeah, of course.” 

Okay, I did that one to myself. My heart is still doing that stupid flip-flop thing where it isn’t sure whether to like what just happened or not, the sudden emotional whiplash making my stomach churn. I pretend to busy myself with prepping my laptop, logging into my Netflix account while in reality I'm just trying to get my heart rate back under control. Any and all thoughts of romance or romantic feelings I shove to the back of my mind as I force myself to skim through the recommended shows. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure that Ekko still has access to my account, as most of the recommended are a mixture of weird sci-fi shows or high fantasy. Kai's favorite genre is mecha, but I have no clue which mecha shows are good or not so I queue up the usuals; a mixture of reality tv and cooking shows, perfect for relaxing.

“Still, that is odd that Chiizu, Umi, and Ina are gone.” Kai frowns, her brow scrunching together as she bites her cherry-pink lips thoughtfully. “Maybe I can get in touch with the other Guardians, see if anything’s going on with them-”

I frown, halfway through setting up my laptop for movie night. No, there was no way that I was letting stupid Star Guardian stuff ruin the one day I had set aside to be with my best friend after a month of cancellations and abandoned plans, especially when I had gone through so much trouble to get Kai here in the first place- 

“Look, can we just… chill with the Star Guardian stuff for today? I kinda just want to rot my brain out for a few hours watching some dumb reality tv show or something.”  I tried not to sound too petulant, but it was hard. Sure, Star Guardians were supposed to defend the weak and beat back the darkness, but we weren’t Star Guardians right now. Right now we were just Akali and Kai’Sa, two regular college students at Valorant University having a well-deserved day off. 

“...Alright.” Kai’Sa pauses, then grimaces, her face falling slightly as she flops onto my bed. She takes the popcorn that I offer her, chomping on it morosely. “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been doing that a lot recently. I know I’ve been really bad about this stuff, it’s just- I’ve been having these dreams, and when I called the other Guardians they said Lulu and Soraka have been really weird recently about talking about their visions, and-” 

“Hey.” I place my laptop back onto the bed before gently bumping into Kai’Sa, giving her shoulder a reassuring nudge.
“It’s fine. I get that. You want to make sure that everyone’s safe. But you can’t do anything about that now, right? So why not just - take a day off to relax. The familiars left a note so they’re probably doing alright; Ezreal is on patrol tonight with Sona, and if they find anything they’ll let us know. It’s fine.”
I don’t quite stress the last part, but the note of finality in words seems to get the message across well enough. 

Kai’Sa  could get like that sometimes - stuck on an idea or problem so strongly that it was hard to shake her out of it. She was loyal to a fault, the best friend anyone could ask for, caring and compassionate to the point of naivety, but when it came to problems like the rise of darkness - things too large for a single person to handle -  she tended to hyperfixate on it, letting that cloud out everything else.  

“I know, I just… I don’t know.” Kai’Sa let out a deep sigh, settling down against my heavy blankets as she idly flicks through the episodes, stopping on the fifth season, episode one of The Bachelor.
Almost Paradise began playing through my tinny speakers, filling up the room with 1980s soft romance music. Classy.
“I just wish I knew what the council was thinking. Surely they must have a plan, right?” 

The Star Guardian Council. My lip curls up in barely-concealed disdain just thinking about them.
The Council was led by Lux and Ahri, the two most prominent leaders of the Star Guardians, and headed by a handful of well-respected Guardians like Janna, Soraka, and Syndra. Apparently they had been Guardians for hundreds of years, working tirelessly to defend against the darkness, blah blah blah-

You’d think that the Council  would actually do something about the rise of the encroaching darkness, rather than just sit around in their little tea parties. Instead, the Guardians were content to let the darkness fester out of sight, licking their wounds from their battle with Zoe as they waited for some kind of sign from the First Star. Worse than that, it seemed like they were intent on ignoring our little part of Valorant City, forcing Kai’Sa to run herself ragged trying to deal with the recent incursions. 

“Kai…” I stopped myself from saying anything. It was an old and well-worn argument between the two of us, and I didn’t want to ruin the moment, not when Kai’s free time was so limited. 

“Alright, I’ll stop now.” Your friend and fellow Star Guardian gave a rueful smile. “I see what you were saying, about me needing to take a break.” 

“I didn’t say you needed to take a break-”

“Only heavily implied it-” 

“No, I said you needed to stop doing it all by yourself, Kai.” I sat down to the right of Kai’Sa, sliding onto the bed on my stomach. “Move, please-” 

“Isn’t that the same thing?” Kai’Sa rolled over obligingly, and my stomach fluttered at just how close we are -inches apart, lying on same soft, downy cushion together - it’s impossible to focus on the bachelorettes speaking on-screen when there’s someone ten times more beautiful and real laying right next to me-

“No, it’s not.” Glancing back at Kai’Sa, I rested my head back onto the pillow, adopting my best “Teacher Akali” - voice, the one I used for tutoring and mentoring Rell and Taliyah. “You’re not alone here. The rest of the Star Guardians and I are here to help you. Even the First Star had her sisters, right? So-” 

“Mm.” On screen, the main bachelor and bachelorette are locked in a passionate embrace on a beachside getaway, romantic music reaching a dramatic overture. Kai’Sa tilts her gaze back towards me, her almond-shaped eyes searching my face for something - I try to smile back, but her amber gaze is just too polarizing, like twin gravity wells that drag any semblance of coherent thought out of my mind, and I snap my gaze back to the laptop’s tinny screen. It takes a second before I realize I had stopped in the middle of a sentence-

“-So, if there’s anything you need, like, at all? You can ask me. Uh, that is, if you need me to do anything for you. Which, I mean, I’d assume you would-”
I stammer out, very much aware of the awkward pause between my words.

Oh, god. I sounded like Ezreal, awkwardly flirting like that. Good going Akali, mess up and act like an idiot when it was just you and Kai’Sa-

Kai’Sa laughs, the sound as sharp and melodious as a flute as she pops a handful of popcorn kernels into her mouth with a crunch.
“Thank you, Akali. I don’t know how I’d function without you.” 

-Nevermind! Just as planned! It takes a solid effort not to smile like a loon, and I pretend I’m just really invested in the ongoing show. Kai may claim to hate this drama-filled trash, but I know she secretly has a soft spot for this garbage - though she may claim otherwise. 

We watch another few episodes of the season, before switching over to some Great British Baking Show. Kai’Sa liked to gush over the fancy pastries, especially the fruit ones. I personally preferred Chopped, or Iron Chef, something more competitive, but today wasn’t about me, it was about Kai, and I was all too happy just to bask in her undivided attention. Every once in a while she’d nudge me in the side, tell me one of those stupidly random thoughts that floated into her head, and I’d chip in my own two cents, normally completely at odds with Kai’Sa but we’d agree to disagree. That was just how we worked- that was our relationship, to a tee.  

The judges are in the middle of criticizing a pastry made by some Greek bodybuilder when Kai’Sa breaks our latest comfortable silence. 

“So, uh…” 

“I agree. Personally, I think go with a bit more rather than less, y’know? Bury them all six feet under. Do the do. Nobody will ever know~” I lean conspiratorially towards my best friend, as if this was some sort of secret form communication only best friends were fluent in.

“You haven’t even heard my question yet, you dunce-” Kai lets out a soft chuff of laughter that is illegally cute, tilting her gaze back to me. 

I shrug, pressing my pillow closer to my chest as I shuffle on the sheets, making myself slightly more comfortable. Kai claims she’s not a blanket hog, but I know better. “Does it matter? I’m like, 90% sure I’d agree with it…”

“And if I told you to jump off a bridge?” 

“You wouldn’t.” I shoot back. There was no way Kai would do something like that, unless it was for some really good reason, like if that was the only way for me to survive some convoluted anti-Star Guardian assassination plot was to backflip off a bridge - 

“Your faith in me is admirable, if slightly deluded.” Kai sighed, the edges of her lips twitching upwards despite her best efforts, and I grin, sneaking another handful of popcorn into my mouth. This was my Kai, the weird kaiju-mecha lore obsessed nerd with a talent for sharp kiwi accented-quips and stupidly cute grins. My Kai. My best friend.
“But - well, I was going to ask. Have you talked to your parents at all?” 

I frowned. “About what?” I hadn’t seen Mother in a few days thanks to her promotion at work, and Dad was still working the graveyard shift so I barely even saw him at breakfast before he trundled back into his room to catch a few more hours of sleep. Honestly, I - almost preferred it that way; having to deal with cooking and cleaning by myself was a small price to pay to avoid the lectures and verbal chewing-out that awaited me when they were home. 

“You know, that thing with the Star Guardians - the meet-up?” Kai says, and - oh. Yeah. 

I wince. I had totally spaced on that. “Right, your meet-up with the council.”
Kai had been planning it for weeks - collaborating with the other Guardians in our group to plan a nice week out in Camp Targon. I, on the other hand, was less enthusiastic - spending a week out in the wilderness with a bunch of stuck-up Guardians and no WiFi connection sounded awful, but Kai was extremely enthused about spending time with her idol, Lux, as well as the other upperclassmen.

“And the trip! And the sleepover- Kali, I can’t believe you. You promised me!” Kai says.
Ah. Now Kai was giving me that look - the one that she seemed to always give me when I messed up, the one which screamed “I’m not mad, just disappointed- ” though she seemed a little bit hurt as well. At me, which made the guilt that followed even worse. 

I hunch over defensively.
“I’m sorry. It’s just really hard to get permission from them. You know how they are-”

Kai didn’t, not really, but I had told her only bits and pieces about my home life - she probably thought they were just really strict, not letting a university-age daughter spend a night with friends, but- 

“Look, I’ll ask Shen tonight, alright?” I said. He was probably going to come back late, but - well, I could just stay up until he got back home. I normally did that anyways. “Either that, or… I’ll just sneak out of my bedroom window, and meet you guys there, alright?”

The three-story drop from outside my window would be intimidating if it weren’t for the fact we were both Star Guardians - and even then, I was doing that even before I was gifted by the First Star.

“...Promise?” From underneath her blanket Kai extended out her pinky finger, eyes narrowed with not undeserved suspicion.

“I promise.”
I took the offered pinky with the respect and gravity I knew it deserved. This was a pinky promise between best friends - basically about as unbreakable of a promise that you could make, and Kai knew that I took my promises very seriously. My best friend huffed, before resuming the episode, which I took as a good sign. 

“...Alright, I’ll hold you to that.” 

Chapter Text

It’s late in the evening when the wooden front door clatter open again and Shen drags himself through the doorway, black hair neat and tidy in a surgeon’s bun despite his haggard appearance. He doesn’t even notice that I’m lying down on the couch of the living room until I cough once, politely, sending him into a stumbling stagger before he recovers his balance, glaring daggers across the room at me through his square spectacles. 

“Akali.”

“Yo. Welcome back.” I wave offhandedly to my older brother, my other hand lazily scrolling through my Porogram feed and LINE. There’s a few aggressively enthusiastic memes from Sona sent a few hours ago, copied lecture notes from Rell for anatomy and lab, and the daily goodnight sticker on LINE from Kai that I had responded to just a couple of minutes ago. I watch as Kai's message bubble jiggles, the triple-thinking-period appearing as my best friend types somewhere halfway across Valoran City.

“You missed classes today.” Shen said in lieu of a greeting, stalking over to the fridge to extract his usual after-work snack - some sort of vegan dairy-free yogurt with half a banana, the only delicacy Shen allowed himself. Trust Shen to notice that; he was like one of those UAVs, omni-prescient of any wrongdoing done by his little sister in a thirty-mile vicinity. His tone is blunt and serious as usual, words devoid of any emotion besides a vague sense of disappointment.

I let out a snort of derision in lieu of an answer, rolling my eyes. “You sound like Dad.” 
That wasn't a compliment.

“What happened?” My brother asks, shucking off his jacket onto one of the wooden chairs nearby and taking a seat at the dining table. Underneath his black fleece medical jacket Shen was wearing a starched white dress shirt and plain cargo pants, looking for the life of him like he had returned from a 9-to-5 office job rather than his work as a EMT surgeon. Only Shen could make a live-saving emergency-room doctor job seem boring.

“Kai didn’t have classes today. I did.” I reply, my tone carefully flippant. I don't miss the way Shen's brow furrows in disappointment, his expression shifting from annoyance to regret back to a carefully blank mask in rapid succession as he tries to figure out the best way to comment on my infractions. 

I hide a sigh, shifting my gaze downwards again towards the sleek hardwood flooring. It wasn't like I didn't care for learning at Valoran University- far from it. I genuinely enjoyed some of my lectures, and the professors - while eccentric - were certainly well-versed in their expertise and passionate about teaching it. Professor Heimerdinger was a revolutionary scientist with over seventeen Noble Peace Prizes and I was thrilled to be learning from him, even if his lectures were more just absent-minded sparks of genius from the Yordle rather than any concrete lesson plan - despite the course being about biology I had learned more about psychology, quantum mechanics and electrical engineering than anything related to actual animals, but somehow Professor Heimerdinger made it work.

The problem wasn't a lack of interest in the subjects; the problem was that I was a Star Guardian - a defender of Valoran City from all threats, extraterrestrial or otherwise. That sort of duty, that sort of responsibility put everything else into perspective.
Skipping classes was tame compared to some of the other stuff I did as part of my Guardian duty. Fighting eldritch monsters in the depths of space? Yeah, if Shen knew that I’d be grounded for a whole year.

And... maybe, spending time with Kai was my way of making sure she stayed on the ground with me. She was the best Star Guardian from this side of Valoran City, the brilliant leader of our ragtag group of misfits, but it was clear to me that she wanted to do more as a Guardian, see more places, save more people. Save everyone, if she could. Push back the darkness forever until she was immortalized as a hero, just like Lux was at Valoran Square.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that was a fool's errand; that it was clear just from their lack of movements that Lux and the other Guardians had given up hope of ever fully defeating the darkness, commiting instead to quarantining and stalling the inevitable growth of the Void.
That becoming a hero meant giving everything up, sacrificing yourself for people who would never even know your name, where the only remaining memorial of your life would be a silent statue and the lingering grief of those who knew you.
That eventually, even the most stalwart of friends would lose even that, leaving you as naught but memories - or worse, blackened and twisted into a grotesque parody of yourself and sent by the Dark Star to wreck havoc on the universe. 

I was there when Rakan sacrificed himself, in a joyous, ugly, beautiful act of selflessness and love, taking in the darkness into himself so his lover, Xayah, could go free. And I knew of the grief he still now spread as a Blackened Star Guardian, forcing his lover to take a team of Guardians herself and scour the galaxy for him in search of freeing him from that darkness, his new form sewing chaos and destruction in an endless, chaotic dance. 

...It wasn't selfish to stop her. I wasn't being selfish by stopping her from becoming an Outer Star Guardian, by stopping Kai from exiting this planet in search of greater perils to throw herself against. I knew- knew! That eventually there would be a greater peril for her to fight here in Valoran City, and that she'd throw herself utterly and totally into stopping it.
I only hoped that I'd be by her side to protect her when that happened.

I smile as Kai finally responds with a photo from the shelter; one of the older dogs, Mittens, had finally gotten adopted by an elderly couple from North Valoran City. I’d miss hanging out with that old greyhound, but it was good that he had finally found his forever home. 

“Akali-“ My older brother puts down his spoon of yogurt just for a second to give me one of his trademark looks of annoyance - a stern, uncompromisingly passive-aggressive resting bitch face he had perfected through his four years of dealing with pesky undergrads as a TA at Valoran University. Unfortunately for him, I had over twenty years get used to his disappointment, and thus it had little to no effect on me.

“Shen.” I retort, tapping on my phone keys extra-obnoxiously. Shen hated it when I did that, so naturally I abused that to my advantage whenever he was being nosy like this. 

Shen pulls off his custom steel-tinted glasses, rubbing his brow gingerly, a sure sign he was growing exasperated at my antics. It's been a while since I've seen my brother, and I can't help but notice the faint but noticeable stress lines marking his cheeks, his once-solid black hair showing a handful of pale grey strands. I feel a pang of guilt surge through my gut at that. If I were him I'd already have given up on having a proper conversation and gone downstairs, catch some rest for once - god knows he worked enough.
Unfortunately, his dedication to his brotherly duty was also a humongous pain in the ass that I really didn't want to deal with right now, so I swallow my guilt the best I can as I type out my response to Kai, each clack of nails on screen making my elder brother wince.

“Akali, you can’t just skip class like that.” Shen tries again.

“I can’t?” I say, mock-sarcastically. That one earns me an unappreciative glare from my older brother. Truly the harshest critic.

“You need balance, Akali.” 

I let out a groan of annoyance,  rolling over onto my stomach to pull cushions over my head and ears. “Oh, this again. Balance, equilibrium, bleh-“ Balance was practically Shen’s favorite buzzword, he used it so much - like it was some sort of secret DIY-life-hack that could get you through college quick and med school even faster. Though, honestly, consider how much Shen worked, I don't think he actually knew the definition of that word - he worked more than Kai'Sa, and she was practically juggling three jobs by herself on top of her Star Guardian duties. 

Shen continued as if I hadn’t said anything at all. “I know your relationship with Kai’Sa is important to you, and I approve. She gives you the drive to do things with your talents. But you need to learn to channel that into something productive. Soon you two will be graduating, and making the way through the workforce - and maybe that means moving to a different place, finding your own path - and that goes for the both of you. You'll both be heading out there in the world. I'll support you, and so will Mom and Dad, but you'll be more or less on your own."

Eventually, she's going to leave you.

"And maybe you'll stay really good friends, or, maybe you'll grow distant. It's just - part of growing up, separating from people you knew. I used to be really good friends with Zed - you know, he used to come over, and we'd play video games after school-" Shen says, his gaze turning fond for a moment.

"I remember." I force myself to unclench my jaw, giving Shen a weak smile. "He would always beat me in Super Smash Bros-"

You're not worth it. She won't remember you. She doesn't care for you.

"But eventually you'll have to live separate lives. She'll probably want to start a family, or at the very least find someone to settle down with, and Mom is always pestering you about going on those dates - even if they're all a bunch of stuck-up brats, maybe you'll find someone you like. And even if you don't, I wouldn't want my little sister to be unhappy and alone." My brother continues, giving me one of his rare smiles. "You'll find someone. I know you will." 

She doesn't love you the way you do.

I take a slow, deep breath in, my gaze locked on the wooden oak flooring. Then exhale.

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.” I murmured, dropping my phone back onto my stomach for a second. "I'll work on it. I just- you know. Had other stuff. To do." I tap back onto LINE, then away, like it was some guilty pleasure to see Kai’Sa’s icon stay green while she was waiting for me to respond.

Shen’s gaze softened imperceptibly. My older brother puts down his half-finished spoon of yogurt, the metal clinking against the bottom of the container. I very much don't look him in the eyes. “...Is something going on, Akali?”

“No! No, just- forget about it.” My voice involuntarily raised an octave in panic as I quickly exited out of LINE, turning away from Shen so he wouldn’t see my expression. Sometimes I forgot that my dumbass of a brother was actually really really smart - like, the type of smart that had him graduate valedictorian from university, top of his class. And he was a doctor, which meant he was pretty emotionally intelligent as well. 

My brother tosses his now-finished tub of yogurt into the garbage bin, the empty clunk making my gut drop. "Akali-"

I don't respond. It feels like there's a swarm of angry hornets swirling in my gut, the sort of anxious nerves I normally associated with any thoughts of the future. Shen's next words are kind, patient; the quiet concern of an wise older brother. I can feel his eyes on me even as I flick through my phone, scrabbling for something to do to distract myself-

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” 

“…” For a second, it felt like I was nine again, watching TV in the living room while Shen puttered around the kitchen, fixing us some instant ramen to eat in his little plaid shorts and sandals. He had always taken care of me, even more so when our parents were away, and he was one of the few people I could actually talk to about stuff. Stuff like the future, getting my diploma, higher education costs - stuff like Kai, though I hadn’t exactly told him just who I had a crush on, just that I had a crush on someone - (a girl) (my best friend) - 

But Star Guardians? Saving the world? The forces of darkness? Even just saying those lines in my head made me realize just how ridiculous it sounded. Even if Shen believed me, which was a tall order already- what could he do? He was just a regular EMT, all squishy and human. Out there, in the depths of space, he’d get popped like a grape.
And... about Kai, maybe Shen would understand.
Maybe. Just maybe. But even if he did, I would have Dad and Mom to deal with, and explain to them how I wasn't going to get married to one of their friend's sons, and how I wouldn't want to have a kid besides IVF, not that Mom or Dad would care to learn what that even meant-

So instead I rolled to my side again, pretending not to hear Shen’s question. Seeing as the conversation was effectively at an end, my brother lets out a sigh, drifting over past the living room and clomping down the stairs to his room, disappearing from sight a second later. Most likely he'd be out like a light for the next eight hours until his next shift began.

I close my eyes, inhaling deeply in my nose as I slump back onto the bundle of pillows on the couch. The old grandfather clock ticks quietly in the corner, a constant, static beat that makes me jumpy and nervous with each passing moment- 
I couldn’t… I didn’t want to be here anymore. I especially didn’t want to deal with Mom, and she was going to be home in just a few hours. I open my eyes, flipping back onto LINE. My finger hovers over Kai’s icon- before scrolling down the list of names, moving to the next best option. 

LoFiNinJa: Want 2 go n patrl bt need ptnr. U free rn? 

The responding ping was almost instantaneous. 

LyricalAggressor. Of course! I’ll be waiting in the usual spot. See you soon :D 

As much as I hated what being a Star Guardian had done to strain my and Kai’s relationship, I couldn’t quite say that I disliked being a Star Guardian. Sure, the moments of fighting Eldritch horrors in realms beyond human imagination were awful and terrifying, but moments like this- flitting over the buildings in a single stride, feeling the rush of air and adrenaline with each of my pumping strides - made those memories seem like distant nightmares. 

Striding across the rooftops as the edges of dusk dimmed into a vibrant black-blue nothingness, the feeling of flying as freedom without limits, without the constraints of school, parents, the future - nothing but me and the other Star Guardians, making the future brighter one fight at a time-

“——-?”

“-Sorry.” Ah, I was getting ahead of myself- literally, in this case. Mid-jump across a rooftop, I twisted my flip from a forward landing to a reverse, my feet catching onto the clipped tile roofing as I gave what I hoped was a vaguely apologetic look towards Sona, who floated a few meters behind me, looking slightly out of breath. 

Sona Buvelle was the second-oldest member of our team, right behind Ekko, and she was also one of my closest friends. Honestly, I had to thank Kai’s efforts in bringing the team together for that; Sona was a surprisingly complex person hidden behind a veil of quiet serenity, and far more interesting than I gave her credit for. Had both of us not been Star Guardians together, I might’ve never found that out- which would’ve been a damn shame. Behind her soft exterior was an energetic and snarky soul, who made up for her frail stature with a surprising amount of wit and a heaping amount of sarcasm - something which was completely at odds with her in-school persona, that of a quiet bookworm. 

The two of us were in our Star Guardian uniforms patrolling over the outskirts of Valorant City, where some anomalies had been spotted by Taliyah earlier. We hadn’t come across any yet, which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand I dreaded the idea of telling Kai about another potential incursion and having her freak out again over Star Guardian stuff. On the other hand, I had joined patrol to blow off some steam, and kicking the shit out of some baddies sounded like one way to do it. 

Sona shook her head, the most minute expression of irritation flitting across her face before she motioned again, this time more insistently. Her familiar, Chiizu was missing as well, I noted, which meant that she was back to using sign language and a mix of motions to communicate. Over the last few years I had gotten pretty good at decoding it, though, so it wasn’t too much of a problem. Definitely odd, though. Chiizu wouldn’t leave Sona on her own unless it was really important. 

“————?”

Trust Sona to be annoyingly perceptive as usual. I tilt my head to the side, twirling around before hopping backwards to the next roof, lazily strolling backwards, Sona following doggedly behind me. 

“Pshhh. What? Nothing’s bothering me.” I say, apparently unconvincingly as Sona cocks her head to the side, skepticism obvious in her gaze. 

“—————?”

“Is… this…about… no, it isn’t about Kai’Sa, what makes you think that?” I lie - blatantly, obviously, almost tripping over a loose tile before I regain my balance again. Sona huffs, giving me a mildly disapproving look - the one where she was pretty sure I were lying but wouldn’t push too much further in case i didn’t want to talk about it. 

“We’re fine. We -as a collective, we, not a unit- have been fine.” I clarified.  “I mean, it’s a bit annoying that she keeps on ignoring herself in favor of Star Guardian-ing, but she’s doing fine. I’m doing fine as well, which is the important part.” 

Sona raised one single, skeptical eyebrow at that. “-------?” 

“-And no, I haven’t confessed to her yet. I told you, I think that’s an awful idea.” I groan, feeling my cheeks flush with heat, Sona breaching the elephant in the room with her usual subtlety and grace. “Please, can you just let me pine in peace?”

A month ago, when I was really in the dumps about not seeing Kai for a while, I made the choice to go out drinking with the other Star Guardians. It was supposed to be a nice, relaxing night out with friends - except Kai had cancelled just five minutes before, stating something about work or school, or something, and I wasn't surprised, just disappointed, even though I knew that was a possibility- 

I must've taken out my frustration on my drinks, as the next thing I knew I was waking up on Sona’s couch with a splitting headache and a mouth dryer than the Sahara desert. Sona, being the gracious angel that she was, had woken me a bottle of Gatorade in hand and a question. Apparently, last night I gone to sleep sobbing while holding a picture of Kai, and she was wondering what was going on between us. 

I think that was when I finally started to trust Sona. She could've posted that on the group chat, made it a funny story, held it over my head as excellent blackmail material - hell, I might've even done that, to someone I didn't particularly like.

But Sona didn’t do that. Instead, she just asked what she could do to help. That’s probably the only reason why I told her, the whole story spilling out in stuttering, clumsy anecdotes until she knew all of my awful, messy feelings for Kai.  

And, as much as I would never admit it to her face, confiding in Sona was - nice.
I needed someone to talk about this stuff with, Kai wasn’t an option for several obvious reasons, and I - honestly - didn’t trust the well-intentioned but sometimes clumsy nature of the other Guardians I was close to, like Rell or Taliyah. Ekko was an option, but sometimes he didn’t really understand what I was talking about, or his advice was too specialized to be of any use to me. The perils of being friends with a time traveler, I suppose. 

 Sona wasn’t like that. She was - for all her quirks, nonverbal or otherwise, surprisingly blunt and to-the-point when it came to advice. Plus, I didn’t have to worry about her blabbing to the other Guardians, for obvious reasons. 

“I mean, I literally told her today that I love her - to her face, and-” I groan, already feeling my cheeks flush red as Sona oohs, eyes twinkling with interest- she’s clearly extremely invested in the ongoing dumpster fire which is my romantic life. “God, why did I even tell you about my stupid crush.” 

“______”

“Okay, I’m not a hopeless lesbian." I jab a finger at my green-haired Guardian friend, willing my flush to recede down my face. “That would imply that I’ve outed myself. Which I haven’t. Yet." The yet was a bit of a problem, which I was still working on.
 
"I’m, like, 90% sure that Shen has figured something out but he’s just waiting for me to tell him. But my Mom and Dad? Hah.” I crack a grim smile that comes out more like an uncomfortable grimace. “I’m sure they’d be thrilled to hear that their rebellious daughter is a lesbian as well as a slacker and a disappointment.”

When/if they found out, I was sure Mom would make some pointed comments about how I "choose" to be a lesbian just to piss her off further - which, to be honest, seemed as good of a reason as any to be a lesbian. The thought of that actually makes me smile faintly, just imagining her reaction.

“_______?” Sona asks, eyeing me with more than a little concern and a good deal more protective anger than I had expected. For once, Sona actually looked angry, her soft features hardened into a face of furious disapproval. Ah. Maybe I had said a bit too much about my parents.

“I’m fine. Just- y’know. Hardcore Asian parents.” I shrug airily, projecting a nonchalance I don't really feel. “I’m used to it at this point. Can’t disappoint them if they already have rock-bottom expectations of you, y’know?” 

Sona nods slowly, her expression still unconvinced, but doesn’t push any further. She could recognize a dismissal when she heard one.

“__________?”
I snort, seeing Sona's expression redden in embarassment as she tries to spell out "lesbian dating app" in sign language.

“I’ve tried. Still know a few people from there, actually. Like, as friends, nothing more though.” I say. Though Eve could get a bit... touchy-feely, at times, she respected my boundaries enough that I counted her as a friend. 

The songsmith Star Guardian blinks, tilting her head to the side and looking slightly dumbfounded at my revelation. “_____?” 

I crack a wry grin. “What, did you think I just sat around and pined over Kai all day? Please. I've been on a few dates - like, proper dates, not those awful events my Mom keeps forcing me to go to-”
Though she gave up after the fifth date had ended with a 200$ bill made out to my unfortunate date of the day - in my defense, he was a complete ass to the waiter and waitresses, and I figured that they deserved a massive tip for putting up with that dickhead-

I sigh, picking up one of the loose tiles and twirling it in my palm before flinging it away like a frisbee, the tile clacking audibly onto the ground below a few seconds later.
“But it’s just - I don’t know. Every time I think that I’d be able to date someone else, I just can’t help but realize that Kai’Sa will always be the most important person in my life. Like, how do you beat a triple threat of Star Guardian, best friend and supermodel looks?”

I had tried dating Eve for a while. She was smart, funny, very attractive - and she was clearly attracted to me as well - but after our third date she broke it off with me, stating that I was too distracted by Kai'Sa and that she wasn't playing second fiddle to such an obvious crush. Which was cruel, but- fair. We were still good friends, just- not girlfriends.

Sona nods sympathetically, the other Guardian all too familiar with this rant of mine. 

“And don’t get me started on how stupidly adorable she is. Like, I swear to god, my heart feels like it's going to explode whenever I see her do anything-” I say.

"_______?" Sona interrupts me, her face set in a careful mask as she signs something out.

“She doesn’t dress like a dork!” I pause, then grimace, remembering some of Kai’s more… extravagant fashion disasters.
“...Okay, you might be right. But she still looks, like, really cute wearing it! She called her uniform ‘student-body-fit-girlboss casual’ even though it’s literally just her school uniform, and-”
I pause, again. Reflect on what I just said. Let out a deep sigh as Sona descends into a fit of giggles, that she-demon. 

“I’m doing that thing again, right? The one where I gush about Kai even though she’s not even here?” 

Sona nods, not even trying to hide her knowing grin. I slump down bonelessly, flopping onto the rooftop shingles of the abandoned warehouse, Sona sliding down to sit next to me, both of our legs dangling off the side of the building. 

“I mean, sure. Let me know if you can find any currently single, pink-haired Star Guardians with endearingly dorky attributes. We can go on a coffee date or something, maybe bond over shared Zoe-produced trauma or something.” I snark out.

My friend lets out another surprised giggle at that, the noise a awkwardly endearing motion from the normally graceful Guardian. I quirk an eyebrow at my friend as I wait for her to finally finish signing her message, her lips and hands trembling from restrained mirth. 

“...Tali doesn’t count. We both know she has something going on with Rell, they spend way too much time together otherwise.” I tap my nose knowingly. After over four years of pining after Kai, my gaydar was a finely-tuned precision instrument for detecting cute girls and their crushes - even if they weren't public yet.

“And I mean, I was mostly joking anyways. If there is another endearingly cute Star Guardian, I’d just keep comparing her to Kai, and that wouldn’t be fair, right? And like- they wouldn’t deserve that. I would feel awful doing that to them, leading them on if I liked someone else. After a while of going on dates, it's kinda obvious who I swipe right on - cute leggy chicks with pink hair and dorky clothing.“

My sigh is more resigned than anything. "I have a type, which is the worst part. Like I'm some sort of Evil Queen, collecting the hearts of adorable pinkettes while I pine over my one lost love."
Okay, that was a bit dramatic, but it wasn't exactly inaccurate. I'm pretty sure after my first two years of holding unrequited affection for my best friend I earned the right to be a bit dramatic.

"...______?" Sona tries. She doesn't look particularly enthusiastic about it, but that's probably because Sona has always been a romantic at heart. After she had been confessed to by Ezreal and the two of them had started going out together, she had done her best to set up the rest of the Guardians with dates, myself included. Whether she was successful or not was another story, but she was definitely enthusiastic about playing matchmaker among our group.

I sigh, resting my back onto the tiling, legs crossing over themselves as I look up to the sky. The stars were out early tonight; I could see several of the constellations shining around me even through the air pollution, their images burned into the sky by the might of the Star Forger.
“I don’t know. I mean, you're right. Half of the guides online tell me that I should just stop being near Kai, wait for these feelings to fade, but... she’s my best friend before everything else."

I trace over the constellations I do know with an airy finger; the cheerful Messenger chasing after his lost bones, the tusked horns and head of hard-headed Charger, the twin Sisters entwined together in silver and gold, and the sly Serpent hidden neatly in the background. Kai had taught me how to identify constellations when we were younger, and I could still hear her voice explaining them to me, as passionate as she always was when talking about the night sky.
"So, that's the Charger, and it's above around the Serpent, because they're rivals, but the Serpent wants to hide from the Charger - and underneath that are the Sisters, entwined together. You can tell because that cluster of stars doesn't ever separate; they love each other too much to be apart in their endless waltz."

"When she’s around me the world seems brighter, more lifelike, even when it hurts. She loves me, even if it isn’t the same way that I do, and that… helps. A lot. And I have you guys as well, so I’m- I’m fine.” I confess.

And I was. Even if it wasn't a permanent solution, just telling Sona about this stuff made it so much better, so much more manageable. Right now I was happy taking it one day at a time. I stretch my arms up, reveling in the cool air and dim light of approaching nighttime before laying them back down by my sides, the touch of yellowing tiles reassuringly firm underneath my hands. 

“Not everything has to end like those romantic webtoons, you know? I’m happy to just be by her side.”
Another sudden though crosses my mind, and I let out a short chuff of laughter.
“Plus, like, being a childhood friend basically guarantees that I’ll get shafted in the romance department, so there’s that as well.” 

Sona doesn’t say anything. I shoot a glance her way, and instantly wince. My guardian friend has a teary smile on her face not dissimilar to Kai's face whenever she watches the climax one of those Hallmark movies - where the only thing that can bridge the gap of social class and mutual misunderstandings is a confession of true love. Then I realize she's aiming it at me, and I feel the back of my neck light up with the heat of embarrassment.

“Yeah, alright, call me a sap. Call me an idiot…” I grumble out, hunching my head onto the top of my knee as I pull myself into a ball, my right leg jiggling on the rooftop from the nervous energy and my newfound self-consciousness of the situation.

Sona shakes her head. The Guardian places her hands on her etwahl, and strums - once, twice, a beautiful two-part chorus that forms luminous strands of light that begin rearranging themselves in the air to form words in a neat and elegant cursive. I watch as the words align themselves in the air, forming perfectly legible scripts that fade away a moment later, just long enough for me to read them.

Having such beautiful emotions for Kai’Sa is wonderful.

She is truly honored to have your love.

There’s a weird pressure behind my eyes that I pretend to ignore as I stare pointedly away from Sona, the songmistress giving me a soft, almost pitying look of sympathy. I swallow, my mouth dry as a desert. You're wrong. It's not noble, it's selfish- it's me being stupid, and holding an awful crush over the head of my best friend, who will never be able to return my feelings-

“Thanks.” I mutter. Sona smiles, but doesn't say anything. I get the feeling that she's judging me, silently appraising some invisible tally in her head, though she hides it well.
I cough awkwardly into my cupped hand, breaking the silence that ensues.

“Anyways, thanks for meeting me out here. We didn’t actually find any monsters, but- thank you for listening, and stuff. I know you’re probably tired after your date with Ezreal-”

FWOOM-!

Before I can finish my sentence, there's a tug in my gut as the starlight of the First Star senses an Incursion nearby, the sensation sending waves of apprehension through me. I can see by the way Sona stiffens, her gaze jerking to the north that she can sense it as well.

I smile, standing up on the rooftop and brushing off bits of dust off my outfit. "-Maybe I spoke too soon. Sona, you down for a bit of fun?"

An excited grin from Sona is the only confirmation I need.

Chapter Text

The insistent pull of the First Star leads Sona and I north from the rooftops, up and over the twilight-touched rooftops of North Valoran City, past the still-vibrant bustling billboards and streetlights of Main Street, and finally over to Valoran City's largest public park - Amity Park, Valoran City's most popular and newly refurbished park. It had been a while since I've been here - the last time was back after finals about two years ago, when Kai and I spent most of the day just celebrating surviving another year at Valoran University. We weren't even Star Guardians back then; cheerful and carefree without the knowledge of the First Star or even Zoe, where our greatest concern was finding housing for next year and whether or not our finals would be open-notes.

I shake my head, forcing the memories back to the corner of my mind as I leap across the leafy treetops of the park trees, starlight empowering my jumps across the parkland before finally landing on the uppermost branches of an old oak tree. Sona floats down to stand next to me a second later, her gaze focused as she takes in the scene below us.
"----!"
The green-haired Guardian motions urgently to me, jabbing a finger at something off in the distance. I squint, following her pointed finger towards the middle of the grassy field before grimacing.

"Good eye, Sona. I see it too."

There, nestled in between a park bench and flickering streetlight, was the Distortion. Even an ordinary onlooker would have been able to identify the Void-formed wormhole, the form too distinct and too alien for it to be anything else. The portal thrums with a slick, oily sheen, an obtuse and jagged shape in the darkness that looks even more out of place against the soft edges of the grassy field around it. Standing here half a mile out I could sense the utter wrongness emanating from the blackened vortex, a sort of chilly numbness that creeps against my fingernails.

To my sharpened Star Guardian senses, the portal felt - fuzzy, for lack of a better word. The edges of the portal were seeping in and out of reality so deeply I couldn't even pinpoint where the distortion began and ended, only that reality itself was attempting to re-assert itself against the illogical nature of these Distortions and found itself wanting. The longer I looked at the distortion, the harder it was to pin down any concrete details about it - even size and shape became loose, twisted by the very nature of the darkness's reality-warping illogicality until all I got was a splitting headache from staring at it too long.
If left unchecked for too long, the Distortion would begin spewing out hordes of unyielding Voidlings - monsters crafted in the heart of the Void to encroach upon our world. It was our job as Star Guardians to stop that from happening.

We weren't alone here, though. Something else had come out from the Distortion - a vanguard of sorts, to defend the still-vulnerable portal.

The Rift Herald. A gigantic, horribly mutated Rift Scuttler, borne of the toxic amalgamation and corruption brought forth by the Void Currents. From up above, the horrific Rift Monster looked like a massive stag beetle save for the oddly-mottled hues of its shell and back, which were a deep, dark violet, shades of blue augmenting the edges of its shell. Its two upper arms were massive, hulking appendages with chunks of keratin lining the edge to form a makeshift biological armor, the undersides of them sharpened to a point.
The monster sniffs the air, purple tongue darting out of its crab-like maw, and I freeze - before it screeches, tearing into the wooden chips of the nearby playground set, sending up a flurry of wood fragments into the air like a miniature blizzard as it rakes its talons through the metal teeter-totter in a high-pitched whine of bone piercing through metal.

Sona makes to intercept, her hand already placed on the strings of her etwahl, only for me to stop her, holding up a hand.

"----?"

I give what I hope is a reassuring smile to my partner. "Save your energy, Sona. I'll take this one alone."
If Sona helped me on this one, it'd be over too quickly. I'd never be able to work out all my frustrations. Better that she just watch my six in case shit goes sideways. My friend pauses, assessing me carefully before her hand drops from her etwahl, giving me a slow nod. The meaning is clear; she'll have my back. I flash her a quick smile.

"Thanks."

Standing up from my leafy perch, I slowly stalk over the branch, letting it bend down slightly before dropping off the side, twirling about the upper limb of the tree before releasing my grip and landing softly on the grass, silent as a true ninja. The Herald doesn't even hear me approach, too busy mutilating that poor children-designed play station to hear anything.

"Hey! Ugly!" I call out, loudly. "Over here!" 
Instantly, the Rift Herald jerks its head to the side, its mantis-like head scraping against its chitinous chin in a 180 degree owl-like face turn.
Pale, insectile wings flutter from underneath its upper crust as the giant, crab-like creature lumbers forward, the ground trembling under its prodigious weight. The wings are a cruel reminder of the creature it once was before the Void energies swelled it to such gigantic proportions. Before, maybe those wings would've allowed it to skim through water as a peaceful River Scuttler. Now, all they can do is flail feebly without traction or purpose as the Herald slowly maneuvers the rest of its bulbous body on six jagged claws to stare down at me.

I don't blink. Don't move back an inch, save to get into a better stance for a fight. Stare up at the questioning, six-eyeballed gaze of the insectile monster until it realizes that I wasn't going to flee.
Bullies, monsters - they were all the same. The one thing you had to never do was show fear.

I was tall - taller than most people, at least, taller than most of the other Guardians even, with the sort of scraggly build that had me called a scarecrow in middle school before I finally put on some muscle. Between me and the Herald, though, it wasn't even a contest; the Herald dwarfed me, almost double my height while still being hunched over, holding the sort of gargantuan frame that looked indomitable even standing still.
Up close I can practically taste the Void energies swirling through the Herald's body, coursing through its veins in place of blood. At one point in time this Herald must have been in agony, feeling the corruption overtake its very soul. Now, I only felt pity for what was once an innocent and was now only a tool of the Void. 

"I think you're a bit too old for that playground. How about you and me play for a while?" I tilt my head towards the broken remains of the playground's teeter-totter, the poor wheel still spinning aimlessly without an axis to balance on, the rest of it ripped to plastic shreds. The wheel squeaks pitifully before the faint kinetic energy powering its last movements finally patter out and it grinds to a halt.

The Herald pauses. Sizes me up for a second with its six eyes - me, in my full Star Guardian regalia - before letting out a chattering array of clicks, leaning backwards and waving its armored forearms about. I wasn't fluent in Voidspeak, but I'm pretty sure it was mocking me.

Fair enough. That makes this part easier, at least.
Crick-crack.
I pop my knuckles - right hand, then left hand, flexing my finger joints out once before summoning my kunai in my left hand, the metal tips gleaming in the dim evening light. In my right hand I twirl my kama, the short blade lithe and poised for a fight. The Herald freezes upon noticing my weapons, angling itself forward in retaliation until it looms over me like a miniature mountain. It hisses, jaw-bits shaking aggressively as the mutated Skuttler rears up to its full height, almost taller than the old oak tree next to it-

I smile. There's no friendliness in my smile, all teeth.
"I'll take that as a yes."

FWISH!

A flash of blue and purple and a whistle of a blade slicing through the air is the only warning I get before the Herald swipes, his razor-sharp upper claws nearly bisecting me lengthwise had I not ducked under the blow, twisting my body out of the way of the follow-up strike before the tip of my summoned Kama lashes forward in an uppercut slash, catching the mutated monster in the chin and with it a chunk of his lower jaw. The segmented abomination recoils, staggering backwards as it clutches the right corner of its chin - where a long proboscis used to be and where there was now a massive, bleeding stump. 

Drip. Drip. Ichor drips from the wound, gushing freely like a miniature waterfall. The Scuttler's eyes are no longer distracted. Now, all six of its purple eye-stalks are locked solely onto me, darting about almost nervously like a prey encountering a new, foreign predator. It takes a step backwards, the ground trembling under the weight of a single footstep. Then another, rearing its head back in an pitiful attempt to seize back control of the situation.

First Blood to me. I tilt my head, sizing up my opponent mockingly. Guess they weren't used to weapons made of pure Starlight. The power of the First Star was anathema to the creatures of the Void, burning through any defenses they might have.

I wiggle my kama, the chains jangling as it hangs loosely from my hand. The blade is still drenched in the pink-blue blood of the Herald. With a flick of my wrist, blood splatters forward, off the starlight-forged weapon and onto the leg of the Herald. The violet-scaled abomination - twitches, its right arm reaching down to touch the smudge of pink blood on its lower carapace. Underneath my darkened Star Guardian mask, my smile is loose and feral.

Some Guardians say that the Voidlings were incapable of understanding anything other than violence. That they knew nothing of civilization, conversation, or anything besides the primal urge to consume and destroy all.

Personally, I disagreed.
They understood provocation pretty damn well.

“SKREEEE!” 

The insectoid monster screeches in rage, an ear-splitting screech as it raises itself to its full height - before six bunched legs dig into the ground, propelling itself forward, on the grassy path as it charges towards me with the speed and ferocity of a runaway freight train. I slam my palmed smoke bomb into the ground, sending up a spray of blindingly white smoke-

FWOOM!

The Herald skids to a stop, back legs flailing for a second as they scrabble against the grassy terrain, finally pulling itself to a stop. Note to self- six legs didn't necessarily mean six times the stopping power. Good to know.

"-I'm here..." I whisper, darting through the veil of smoke on silent footsteps, stalking behind the Herald.

Instantly, twin arm-blades swipe through the fog as the monstrous scuttler lashes out where I was a moment ago, hitting nothing but fog and air much to the monster's frustration. It shrieks, teeth gnashing as it scans the fog, intent on parsing out my location- I duck, gliding through the fog with a practiced grace, before tossing one of my kunai backwards, out of the fog and onto the ruined remains of the playground.

Clink.

Instantly, I can tell that the Herald hears the sound as all of its motion still, its head frozen in place for a second- before it screams, twin arms up in fury, turning all of its anger and frustration into its movements in a single, wild charge towards the sound. It seemed whatever hesitation my wound had inflicted upon the monster had disappeared, and all that remained in the Herald's mind was an all-consuming desire to crush me utterly-

-But that wasn't me. That was just a bait, the fog clearing to reveal the hard metal frame of the playground's swing set-

And the Herald was going far too fast to stop.
The resulting sound is like a metal spoon cracking against a gong as the Rift Herald collides into the metal frame of the playground. Fragments of shattered wood chips, grass, and slick pink blood spill out from the epicenter of the crash, and I can hear the Herald bellowing in agony, the front of its skull almost completely flattened from the impact, its chitinous head-armor dented. It's completely defenseless, the Herald's bulky arms uselessly scrabbling for purchase against blood-soaked wood chips-

My turn.

“Kunai Slash!” I flick my scythe and kama upwards, hooking around the branch of a nearby tree with the edge of the kama before flinging myself upwards in a twirling arc, sending a spray of magical kunai through the air in a deluge of iron, the tips embedding themselves across the giant insect’s dense upper body. Where they land, they shimmer, digging into the mottled flesh-armor and exploding, sending chunks of chitinous flesh tumbling to the ground amidst roars of outrage from the Herald.

At the zenith of my arc I lean back, aim - fwip! 

"GWOAARGH!"

I don't need to see it land to know I hit my mark as the goliath monster howls once again, pain evident in its cry, purple blood seeping down one of its now-dulled eyes, the kunai embedded perfectly in the bottom right-most pupil.
The monster grasps at its head with sharpened, insectile-talons, coating its limbs with its own viscous blood and eyeball fluid- before shuddering, its whole carapace shuddering with horrifically unbalanced force like a capsizing ship.
Creeping up its abdomen like the flaky petals of shattered eggshell are a series of cracks- followed by the snick-snapping of a thousand claws scrabbling against unarmored flesh, a sound not unlike nails scraping on a chalkboard made of raw hamburger-

A second later, the center of its scarred carapace bursts open, revealing tens of beady, blinking eyes and insectile-like bodies, the desiccated husk of the former Rift Herald dissolving into a blackened sand that quickly disappears onto the wind.

I scowl, readying a handful of kunai as I crouch low against the grass. Voidlings. God, I hated voidlings. always so hard to finish off. Fighting them alone was almost impossible unless you had a way of dealing damage to a group. The swarm of Void minions flicker before surging forward, covering the ground in a rolling wave of chitin and an endless cacophony of clicking tendrils and hardened carapaces-

Luckily, I had backup. “Sona? Little help?” 

“--------!” 

With a thrum across her etwahl, Sona’s tunes send a glimmering wave of bright electric-green magic across the lawn. As the light washes over my body, my tongue lights up with a sudden sweetness, like electric-green apple kool-aid; the taste so overwhelming and shocking I barely noticed when my wounds began to disappear. When the wave hit the minions, though, it hit like a blast of pressurized air, sending the front row of Voidlings sprawling backward into their companions. 

“And Crescendo!” 

Fwing!

Another wave of force ripples outward as Sona calls out her finishing move - a golden wave of light that-on impact practically eviscerates the Voidlings completely, charring them to a crisp. Those lucky enough to avoid the brunt of the attack still are blinded by the light’s intensity, stunned and locked down, their tentacles retreating back into their shell to be disintegrated upon the second volley of Sona's attacks. There some that even try to flee, dashing through the grass towards the beckoning light of inner Valoran City - but I'm there to stop them, kunai and kama in hand as a silent executioner. It takes only another few seconds before all of them are defeated, scattered into black dust that dissipates within seconds.

I pant, softly, the taste of fresh air euphoric in my burning lungs as I survey the scene.
One ruined teeter-totter, the wheel-shaped implement still crumpled from where the Herald had clawed it; one slightly dented swing set that looks somewhat intact; massive swathes of burnt and flattened grass from our climactic battle-

I grin. That's like a third of my usual property damage! Kai would be proud; I was finally taking all her lectures to heart. “Nice job, Sona!”

I waved my hand up top, and without a second of hesitation Sona hops up and gives me a high-five, cheeks flushed with excitement and exertion. She’s grinning, cheeks wide and red, and I know I’m smiling like a loon as well, the adrenaline giving me a perfect rider’s high like lightning in a bottle. God, I loved this part of being a Star Guardian; one of the few things in this world that made me feel alive. The violence, of course; the unintentional property damage was just an added bonus.

“That combo! And that Crescendo - that was like the perfect super move-combo!"

"-------! -----?" Sona beams, her happiness infectious as she bounces up and down, her Star Guardian uniform slowly disappating into her usual school uniform and glasses now that the danger was gone. I can feel the starlight drain out of my body as the First Star's blessing fades away, slowly transforming me back into my usual tracksuit pants and Pentakill t-shirt.

“Oh, you know.” To my surprise and endless shame I actually feel my cheeks heat up at Sona’s compliment. I honestly didn’t think that she would’ve noticed it during the battle. “I’ve been- practicing, a bit. Y’know, I saw Chun-Li’s backflip kick, and wondered if I could do it as well, and, uh, that was what I figured out.”

I huff, letting an indulgent smile slip onto my face as I remember the weeks of practice spent throwing myself off branches until I finally got my flips right. There had been... a lot of bruises. A lot of aching muscles from twisting myself into unfamiliar positions, using muscle groups I had barely touched upon before then- even a psuedo-intervention from a concerned onlooker who was worried I was hurting myself on purpose. Still, it was totally worth it, if just for the style points. 

"Actually, I've been working on a super move as well- kinda like your Crescendo, except-" I babble on, consciously aware of the fact that I'm rambling, but Sona nods, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm-

Behind me the Void-Portal ripples, then begins to dissipate in a spray of black ichor as the wound on reality slowly begins to heal. It’s a process I’ve seen a dozen times before, so I don’t pay any attention to it until Sona freezes, her gaze locking onto something behind me, her etwahl at the ready again, transforming again in a swirl of emerald-green light. 

“Sona? What’s-” I turn around. The pit of my stomach bottoms out instantly as I finally see what Sona reacted to. 

The portal isn’t closing. 

In fact, if anything, it seems to be growing - pulsing with that same, strange eerie light, the inner center of its vortex-like structure trembling, quivering with an unnerving frequency until white-tipped fingers claw their way out of the darkness, out of the rift of reality, scrabbling for a foothold on nothingness and finding it -

-a hand, clawing out of the portal, too twisted and gnarled to be anything human, pale like plaster and coated in a white-gloved material-

And then the hand shatters, fragmenting itself into a myriad of spinning, pulsating tendrils that wail with an ear-splitting screech, and I’m moving before Sona can even think to stop me, throwing myself forward, transforming mid-air as I throw my kunai in a spray of violet starlight, hoping that it’s enough to stop the portal from opening- 

They land, the daggers piercing and tearing through the limb to slam into the oaken trunk behind it with a thud-
It’s not enough.
The creature on the other side shrieks in agony, a feral scream of anger like a distorted hog put through a metal blender, violet blood gushing out of its wounds- where the viscous liquid lands, the ground ripples , shorting out from green to white to a black-and-white patchwork reality as the portal tears itself open, spilling rays of monochrome light everywhere like a miniature supernova. Waves of ambient grey stillness splash across the sky as if thrown by a twisted skyline painter, all fading into a single plane of reality-

One arm tugs itself through. Then another, ripping itself out through the portal in a sickly squelch like someone tearing dried tar off of flesh- then a massive, glowing scythe slides out of the portal, twinkling ominously with a greying light- I don’t take my eyes off it for a second, but-

“Sona. Get Kai’Sa and the others here, now-” It was my fault we were here in the first place-

Sona’s eyes are wide and terrified as she shakes her head frantically. I notice that her hands are trembling even as she readies her etwahl. Already the world is fading to fog and mist as the Anomaly begins to take form within this world; that same twilight zone of twisted light and warped gravity, darkened halls and tilted chess boards-

aKaliiiii

aKAliiiii

fEARRR-

Then it’s on us, and the world dissolves into a patchwork melody of violence and terror. 

In the Anomaly, nothing is as it seems. Concepts like up, down, space, time, color, gravity- all of those were weakened here, like the foundation of a house built on quicksand. With a strong will and a connection to the darkness, a fallen Star Guardian could even manipulate the world, warping it to shape their innermost desires.

I always saw it a bit differently. The darkness wasn’t controlled by the Fallen Guardian; it was a reflection of their own distorted mind, as cruel and as twisted as their own mental landscape, let loose without restraint or order. 

Zoe’s world felt cold and chaotic, like there was never any rationale that existing within it besides her childlike whimsy or anger, a ever-shifting Bermuda Triangle’s world of ideas and concepts constantly at battle with one another. An instant hail of darkened droplets would shift to a grinning, graying sun before a deluge of comets would tear through the sky, chasing away any last fragments of starlight. All of this was reflected on a saturn-esque ring of checkerboards and discs, cut through by a dancing double-helix staircase in an endless chase towards infinity. 

Sometimes it felt like even Zoe didn’t truly understand her world, that she too was as much a prisoner as her captives, as underneath that veneer of cheeriness there was a hard and cold nugget of hatred, carefully nourished at the very core of her soul. Her cheerful and carefree demeanor was but a mask for a centuries worth of resentment and grudges, all stored up and unleashed like a tornado in a bottle, a loathsome djinn with enough power to level a planet and the capacity for cruel, capricious evil. 

The anomaly I was in right now felt so much like hers, and yet - worse.
If Zoe was a bottle storm of petty emotions, then this was a hurricane, a storm of crows and pure horror that rippled across the plane like a whirlwind of destruction. I could tell that every ounce of this creature's being was being spent towards our utter destruction - and worse than that, I couldn't understand how to stop it. With each swipe of its twisted scythe I could feel myself being backed further and further into a corner, unable to do anything as the monster learned and adapted.

“——-!” Sona strikes another melodious chord, and a glowing stream of blue energy wafts over the Anamoly’s checker-boarded floor onto the monster- where it hits mottled-white flesh, the skin bubbles like acid, burning away at the Star Nemesis in a cloud of mist, the checkerboarded figure falling over-

Until it fades away entirely, disappearing into a pale, hazy smoke, and I curse. "That's a fake! Sona, it's-"

"FEARRR!”

Tendrils of darkened light whip out from the fog behind us, spiraling outward towards Sona and me - one catches onto my kunai, another into my leg, and I feel this sense of wrongness pulse through my veins where they land. The tendrils gurgle, bloating up with starlight like a leech, and I hastily slice them through with my kama. To my right Sona strums her etwahl, another wave of green light cutting through the tendrils - but the light was noticeably duller than before, and it flickers where the tendrils lands, hairline cracks fracturing her iridescent shielding.

The monster creeps around us- slowly, audibly, like a old rusty bed-spring winding down to nothingness, a sound that ticks up the tension every moment I don't have eyes on it. If only I could see through the damn fog and chess pieces that covered the inky terrain of the Anamoly, I could hit back against it - but I had learned the hard way that rushing in meant near, if not certain death. Only Sona's healing words and movement buffs had saved me last time from getting skewered by a bolt of pure darkness.

I let out a shaky breath, forcing my heartbeat to still. Jagged breaths come in and out, in and out - pressed up shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back with Sona, with only Sona's flickering etheral light to show the way through the darkened halls of this checkerboard world- my pulse is pounding against my skin, and not in a good way. We were being hunted, slowly and surely, our constant vigilance needed but exhausting, the way every trick of light and shadow could pull my senses-

Somewhere in the darkness the monster groans, creaking out the words with the timbre of an old, rotting oak. "sOna… pLaY mE a SoNg?” 

A glint of steel from the shadows catches my eye, and Sona freezes. Her face is pale as a ghost, her hands still and unmoving on her etwahl, her eyes drawn with shock as she sees some phantom from her past in the warped fog's reflection-

“Move!” I tackle the other Star Guardian to the ground just as the steel moonlight scythe tears through the air with a metallic screech, just inches from slicing through the two of us- Sona’s trembling in my arms, and I feel a surge of anger as the monster laughs, its voice hoarse and guttural like the distorted sound from an old stereo. At this point it's just playing with us, playing with its food - I drag Sona away from where I had heard the voice, dashing recklessly through clouded white chess pieces, putting on a burst of speed to pull my limp teammate behind a lopsided blackened rook. Hopefully that would keep it searching for a while-

“Sona. Do you have enough energy  for your Aria of Movement?” My voice is dangerously steady. I can't afford to lose her here; she's the only one who can do something against the monster's power. Her Crescendo managed to stun it for a second, back when it was still revealing itself to us, but after that it had avoided Sona at all costs, skulking around with its eerie copies, wearing away at her until she had no choice but to use her precious powers defensively to protect me.

With a nod that seems to pain her, Sona reaches for her etwahl, only for me to stop her. I grab her arm, forcing her to look me in the eye, Sona’s gaze as wide-eyed as a doe, her gaze blank and unseeing. She's going into shock; as a nascent med student I could recognize the symptoms from a mile away. Fuck.
There was no way that Sona could keep fighting, not in this condition - not like I was in that great of condition either, my body covered in glancing, miniscule lines where the scythe had swiped, too close to mention.

“Okay." I swallow, breathing heavily. "So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to run for it, alright?”

“——!“ Sona tries to protest, the faintest glimmer of clarity appearing in her eyes. She knows what will happen if we don't stop it here - the nearest city-center is less than two miles away, filled with unsuspecting, defenseless civilians-

“We can’t fight it. It’s too strong, and you don’t have enough power to stun it again. We need to get out of here before one of us gets hurt- or worse!“ I hiss back, as quiet as I can.

“——-“ For a second, the green-haired Guardian stops to consider it- before she shakes her head, her jet-green braids dancing limply against her shoulders. She looks so determined, like a little toybox doll ready to be stomped on and broken- 

My lips peel into an angry grimace. “Dammit, Sona, I’m not joking! Either we die here, and the city is doomed, or we get out of here and try to contain it. You know what happened the last time an Anamoly occurred-“ I snarl. Then I freeze. It was quiet. Too quiet- where was the sound of footsteps following us-

"Kai...sa..."

Ice-cold terror sinks into my spine as the monster rumbles out my name. No, no, no - I thought I had more time, I thought I was far enough away- the voice is too close to be a bluff, too far and indistinguishable for me to tell where it's coming from, the voice holding the sort of creeping stillness of a grave and I can feel my body freeze up in a hopeless attempt to hide-

"I... sEEE...yOu?"

...

The moment before it happens, everything- slows. Slows to that an infinitesimally slow crawl, the same way that one's life flashes before their eyes just as they die, a final respite given by the hand of fate, and I see everything occuring all at once -  but I don't understand, not yet, only observe them with a detached sort of emotion as an onlooker rather than a participant, slowly compiling each individual piece of the puzzle together to form a horrifying conclusion. 

A feeling of pure weightlessness, hot warmth catching gently underneath my armpits and flinging me backwards, airborne and weightless - Sona's power, used in haste-

A shining silver blade, reflecting in Sona's pale green starlight barrier as it curves downwards, right where I was standing-     

A pure-green glow flickering like a candle in a wind, dotted and spread thin by bolts of darkness, still holding on with a strength borne from desperation-

Sona’s shield flickers, cracks spilling out from the epicenter of the scythe, sweat trickling down the Guardian’s face as she forces back the monster's horrifically oversized weapon. Crick...crack...

For a scant millisecond I almost believe that it's enough to hold back the Star Nemesis, the feeble green shield stretching precariously but still holding strong, Sona's arms trembling with the exertion of maintaining the shield - until, with a single twist of the massive blade, the shield shatters into fragments, allowing the blade to swing down onto Sona's chest with a bloody crunch of steel that sends the Guardian flying backwards, crashing into a white stone rook, her head bouncing off the solid stone with an audible crack.

"Sona!" I scream.
I land a second later, Sona's push sending me tumbling head over heel across the perfectly angular landscape of the Anamoly, sliding backwards until I collide with a studded white pawn, smashing through the bottom ring of the chess piece and sending up a cloud of dust and debris. There's a sharp spike of pain through my lower back and leg, as if someone took an ice pick and rammed it through to bone-

No no no no no no no no-

There's a spray of brown-red liquid dotting the edge of Sona's glasses, one of her lenses completely shattered askew- she's not moving. I-I can't even tell if she's breathing, the rise and fall of her chest too slight to notice, if it was even there-

"Ha...ha. S-sona. You're... you're fine, right?" My voice cracks halfway through the words. She's not moving. Sona's eyes are closed, a dash of bright-red blood caking over her forehead, 

With a screech and a slick, metallic crunch, the Star Nemesis withdraws its scythe from the rubble of the ruined chess piece before twisting its body to me, the multicolored expression on its face expressing no emotion whatsoever save for a sort of sick satisfaction. I can barely muster up the energy to maintain my transformation, let alone stand as the monster creaks towards me, its right arm scraping against the ground as it hobbles forward.

"fIIddlee...sTickssss."

As the Star Nemesis raises its silvery weapon, my hand finds my blade of my kama, dropped only a few inches away by the ensuing scuffle- before I let it fall. The blade rattles with a metallic clang as it slides onto the ground. I couldn't hope to defeat this thing, not on my own-

I'm sorry, Kai, Shen. I should've been stronger.

I stare up at the blade, accepting my fate but refusing to be cowed, not by this monster. The blade begins to fall.

-BOOM!

- then twin streaks of pink burst out of the fog, spiralling forward in a vibrant swirl of energy that briefly illuminate the faded, monochrome world as they collide with the monster's cage-like chest, exploding into a flurry of sparks and starlight. The monster screams, a high-pitched squeal of pain like the whir of a blender as they stagger backwards, marked by a brilliant pink glow that stops it from completely retreating into the fog-

"Gotcha!" A voice rings out in the inky blackness.

I crack my eyes open, the sharp pain across the neck that I was expected never appearing. Somehow my exhausted brain make the connection - pink starlight, that voice, that accent -

"...Kai." I breathe.

And somehow, there she was. Kai'Sa. My own, personal guardian angel. I can practically hear the angelic choir singing their heavenly hymns, taking me by the arms-

"Akali! Thank god you're alive." Kai's voice is filled with worry as she skids to a stop, her pink Star Guardian wings glowing ruby-red with condensed starfire as she takes in the scene. Her twin starlight blasters are cocked and ready, still trained on the monster's shivering body as it slowly pulls itself upright, though it makes no moves to attack, seemingly just taking in the new Guardian.

I blink again, just to make sure I wasn't imagining it with my blooming concussion. I wasn't. Kai'Sa was actually here-
"Kai, what the hell are you doing here?" I shake myself out of my stupor, dragging myself onto my feet with a wince, almost stumbling over myself, my legs shaky. Without the flood of adrenaline and tension keeping me upright, I could feel each and every one of the many cuts and impacts lining my body, making me feel like one gigantic bruise. Kai notices my stumble as well, if the way her gaze turns anxious for a second was any indication. 

"Saving your ass, obviously." My best friend responds, tone terse. Her gaze flicks from appraising me to Sona's limp body, still as silent and unmoving as a-

...

I bite my lip, growling in anger and forcing myself to stand despite all my aching limbs groaning in protest. "Alright. Just let me get first crack at this thing before you blow it to smithereens."
My best friend nods, letting me get to my feet, her gaze still locked onto the Star Nemesis. Kai's face is set in a stern, uncompromising mask of concentration - her leader face, I used to call it, jokingly, during our weekly patrols together. It's not so funny now, not when the monster is still there, white-crowned head twisted sideways in a grotesque parody of confusion.

"S...sTAArss..." The Star Nemesis wheezes out, its body and head shifting like a serpent as it draws itself back, Kai's pistols still aimed squarely at its glowing-black face.

"Give up now, monster. I'm not the only one who got their distress call; the other Guardians are on their way right now." Kai smirks, her blasters letting out a thrum of energy as they power up on pure starlight.
It's a bluff. Only I can tell that it's a bluff from my years of knowing Kai like the back of my hand, but even then I can almost believe it - just from the way Kai confidently juts out her chin, daring the monster to stick around and find out. 

The creature pauses. Seems to consider it, its gaze darting to Sona's body - before there's a click as Kai cocks back her weapon, her Supercharge already in motion, the smile gone from her face. With Kai at full power and the chance of reinforcements soon, the Star Nemesis nods - actually nods, once, a simple motion somehow even more unnerving than anything else. 
With a whirl of blackened energy a small portal appears, which the monster levers open in a meaty-sounding crunch, gradually lowering their gangly limbs inside, one after another until it's gone completely. Kai's weapons don't stray an inch from the portal until it fades away completely - then her guns are back in her holster and she's running past me, through the Anamoly to-

Sona.

I don't want to see what had become of my friend. I- hate the feeling of weakness that coils around my chest cavity, hot and heavy against my breasts, but I force my gaze back to Sona's body. Kai carefully pries the shattered glasses off Sona's face, folding them delicately back into her uniform pocket before touching a hesitant two fingers to the side of her neck.

"She's... alive."

My exhale of relief comes out shaky as I sag to the ground. My legs suddenly feel too weak to move, like leaden weights were strapped around the bottom of my tracksuit. Before I hit the ground fully, I feel warm arms wrap around my shoulder as Kai props me up, practically holding me upright.

"Easy there, Kali. Don't want you collapsing on me; I don't think I can carry you and Sona at the same time."
Her tone is joking, but there's a ring of truth to it as she levers me gently to my feet. I hiss as the errant motion sends a throb of white-hot pain through my right leg - I must've sprained it during the last exchange.

"You alright?" Kai'Sa asks, her voice anxious as she gives me another once-over, checking for some injury she might've missed, and I force a weak smile onto my face. "I-I'm fine. I think I just sprained my ankle."
Gingerly, I place my right leg onto the ground, exhaling a shaky sigh of relief as I don't feel the sharp sting of broken bones. 

"...Okay. Just let me know if you need any help, alright?" Kai squats down, scooping up Sona with practiced ease before hoisting the green-haired girl up onto her shoulders in a fireman hold. From here it almost looks like Sona's sleeping, her hair pushed back in a tidy ponytail - probably Kai's doing. 

I feel the recession of the void stir against my core as the Anamoly shrinks, vanishing back into dappered nonexistance. With the Nemesis's disappearance there was nothing to support the pocket dimension's growth, and reality herself was cleaning up the mess. Dotted checkerboards fade to green grass and gravel, the Anamoly's sunless grey backdrop slowly turning back to the star-covered canvas of the night sky- leaving me, Kai'Sa, and Sona alone again.

It's quiet. Cicadas are chirping their nightly melodies, the grass is slowly swaying in the wind - even the ruined swing and teeter-totter seem serene in the glow of the night light, squeaking gently with the quiet summer breeze. I breathe, in and out, the cold air somehow unfamiliar and intoxicating to my lungs, even as each shaky breath sends waves of pain through my body-

And it just hits me, all at once, and I feel a swell of unfamiliar emotions choke out my breath, forcing me to my knees. It's all too much - the monster, Sona's sacrifice, how everything went wrong so quickly. Kai stands to the side, biting her lip, her face drawn in a solemn frown before she lets out a sigh, hefting up Sona further onto her shoulders and patting me once on the shoulder comfortingly.

"...Let's get you two out of here, alright?"

Chapter Text

I wake up to the sound of a classical music, and a viola.

It's an odd sensation, waking up in a place you don't remember being at. My eyes flicker open, blearily cognizant of my surroundings and the music still soulfully humming in the background. A faint beat of panic surfaces in my mind at the unfamiliarity of it, the layer of warm immobilizing my movements all until I really take in everything - the soft leather underneath my cheek, the warm air noisily pushed out of the ventillator of the car's air conditioning, Kai's sweater draped around my shoulders- even in my drowsy state of mind I could recognize the feel of the white-colored cushions of Kai's Volkswagen Beetle. I had been here a hundred times before, during after-school carpools and late-night drives together but the music- the music was new. The music was different, the music was intriguing, a whole new side to Kai I had never known about until now.

I let my eyes slip closed once again, dragged down both by another wave of exhaustion and a desire to feel the music better. Even through the tinny-sounding microphone of the car music player the song is beautiful; the sort of pulse-pounding melody that makes the back of my hair stand straight up. Whoever is playing this is clearly talented, and passionate; the song drips exuberant energy from each staccato note.

The tune shivers into a gradual crescendo, the notes clamoring about themselves as if to outdo each other in their shouting, a brilliantly vibrant climax - until it swirls back into a perfect rest, a perfect silence until the notes resume. A solitary song this time, a solo. It's a rich, crooning tune that sounded like a serenade. No, not a serenade, not a lullaby, but a farewell gesture, as if the viola was singing to be heard across the sea, by a lover who would wait years for their long-waited embrace when their lives would finally be theirs again. The notes slide across the and up and down like a gentle sway, lively and yet subdued, warning of an inevitable tragedy awaiting in the wings.

And Kai - Kai is humming to it as well, her eyes lost in thought as she stares at something in the distance. She tucks a lock of rosy pink hair behind her head and - god, I was pretty sure I fell in love with her again as I stare at her, the sight so beautiful I half-wondered if I had slipped into a dream again, before the soft puff of air from the air conditioner brings me back to reality.

I knew that Kai'Sa was attractive. Even when I was in the depths of denial of my crush I understood - intrinsically, perfectly - that Kai'Sa was attractive. Her high cheekbones and tall, graceful stature gave her the figure of a supermodel; her pink hair and violet eyes the title of "exotic" by all her classmates, like she was some rare predator, a graceful snow leopard let loose in the big city. Her role as the Leader of the Star Guardians and as an Honor Student lent her an authority, a pressure to do the best and be the best she could be; to be a leader, a role model, an example for everyone else, lines and burdens so harsh and strong they blotted out everything else.

But here, in the fading twilight glow as night slowly overcame day, Kai looked- smaller. Less of a leader or an example and more of a person. Softer - the way the corners of her eyes crinkled with unspoken laughter, or the dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. Looser, as if she had finally allowed the stress surrounding her to weigh her down just slightly. Like a watercolor transformed to pastels, ink to finely-sketched pencil, a perfect work of art unsullied by time or place and yet - different. Warmer. Without all the sharp edges to deter contact. Less of Kai'Sa the honor student, Kai'Sa the leader of the Star Guardians, less of Kai'Sa the perfectly straight-edged perfect girl who would never ever love me like I did, and more of just... Kai.

The person I had a crush on. My best friend. Someone in reach, someone I could touch, someone who lit a fire within me from the moment we first met. Someone who treated me like I was someone, actually someone interesting and good behind the many roles I held - delinquent, Star Guardian, student-

She was the only one who saw me. Akali.

I must've made some sort of sound, or maybe it was a lack of sounds that tipped Kai off - Shen used to tell me that I snored constantly, though I never quite believed him - as Kai turns her face to me, her hands freezing in midair before she tucks them back onto the steering wheel. "Akali."

"Kai'Sa." No point in hiding now; I slowly uncurl myself from under Kai's sweater, the scent of peach-blossom perfume still strong on the lapel. I lean forward, adjusting my seatbelt to sit more comfortably around my waist before turning to Kai.

"How long was I out?" I could tell that I had been asleep for a while; the seat below me was warm and sticky from perspiration, the kind that came from sitting in the same position for too long, and I knew that at least an hour had gone past since Sona and I had gone to fight Fiddlesticks just from looking at the now pitch-black nightime sky. But I could only recall bits and pieces of the walk back to the car. Everything else past that was just... fuzzy.

Kai drums her fingers on the steering wheel, seemingly debating on whether to tell me or not.  "...About an hour." She finally admits. It feels like there's something she hiding from me, but I don't press. I frown. That long ago?
"You got into the car and just collapsed like a sack of bricks in the passenger side. The only reason I even knew you were alive was because of your snoring." Kai'Sa explains, reading the expression on my face. A ghost of a smile flickers onto her face. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep? I didn't, until now."

I wince. God, I hoped I didn't say anything too mortifying; there was a lot of things that I could have said that would've been quite awkward to hear, chief of them being my awful crush on her. Thankfully that didn't seem to be the case. I furrow my brow as I try to delve into the depths of my hazy memories. The last thing I remembered was -"Sona! She's-"

"Tired, but fine." Kai says. I sag with relief as she continues. "Soraka's taking care of her in the inner Valoran City. I ended up driving there and checking her into the hospital." The Star Guardians had a private hospital they used to avoid scrutiny from the public, founded and funded by Lux herself, one of the few decisions I actually approved of.

"I... don't know what happened in the Incursion, and I really wish that I didn't have to ask..." Kai takes a deep breath, steeling herself. "But as Leader of the Star Guardians, I need to know what happened in there. We need to know about the new Star Nemesis."

I stiffen. "...Okay."

I force myself to keep my breathing steady, my fingers clenching and unclenching from under the cover of Kai's jacket. I could still see it - its twisted limbs, demented crown, that goddamn sound of its steps creaking like rotted wood as it stalked us from beyond the fog-

"...On second thought. I think it can wait a bit. Did you...you want to get something to eat?" Kai tries. I shake my head stiffly. "...I'm fine."

As if waiting to contradict my statement, my stomach lets out an mortifyingly loud gurgle that I'm sure Kai can clearly hear - as well as anyone in a half-mile radius. I wince, feeling heat flush up my neck and ears as I will myself to sink and disappear in the leather seating.
"...Okay." My voice is embarrassingly weak, and I clear my throat, coughing into a palm until I feel like my voice is steady enough to speak again, giving Kai what I hoped was a hard look. "But I'll pay-"

"-Kali." Kai looks at me, her face and tone pleading, and I hunch forward, avoiding Kai's questioning magenta eyes and pulling my shoulder blades together protectively. I knew that Kai didn't mean anything by it, that she was just trying to be considerate to me, but I - didn't feel like dealing with her pity right now, not on top of everything else- I can feel my breaths coming out faster and faster, long gasps of air that make me feel light-headed until I swallow, my mouth still horribly dry.

"I - don't want you to-" I start.

"It's a single meal, Kali. Just..." My best friend looks almost pained as she scoots across her seat, closer to me. The sound is - too close to my ears and far too reminiscent of the Star Nemesis's creeping stride that I react instinctively, stiffening up into wary aggressiveness. Kai flinches back, as if burned and I immediately regret it. Why, why was I such a fuckup, why was I acting like this-
Slowly, tentatively, just like how she dealt with the dogs at the shelter, Kai reaches forward across the Volkswagen, her hand hovering a few seconds near my left arm as if silently asking for permission. My return nod is swift and jerky, barely a nod at all before Kai's hand presses against my hand.

Her hand is pleasantly cool and soft on mine - probably lotion-ed or manicured, my brain supplies, with the sort of cute hot-pink nails that I could never in a million years pull off. In contrast, my hands are rough and calloused, worn from the months working over the summer at Mr. Ramen's shop and training. I try to pull away but Kai sticks with me. It would take just a second of empowered Star-Guardian strength to break contact - I exhale. Kai brushes her fingers over the tips of my knuckles, ghosting over the welts and bruises, and I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry as a desert.

"...Can I do this for you? Please?"

Please. I feel the last of my resolve dry up in the face of - well, mostly just to that face. God, was I weak to Kai. Any other person I would've decked in the face by now for daring to pity me, but with Kai it always felt like it would be akin to kicking a puppy if I did that. She was just so stupidly - genuine, like sugar and spice and all things nice except it didn't come off as irritating with her, it seemed natural, the sort of natural that made her so good with animals and so perfect and so much better than me, endlessly patient and I was just a massive screwup in comparison-

"...Okay." I mutter out, quietly.

"Great." Kai's hand slips away, the coolness of her fingers immediately missed. Kai's 10,000 megawatt smile is back on her face as she started backing up the Beetle, airily chatting to herself in a way that was almost hypnotizing, with the sort of airy lightness I couldn't help but envy.

"I'm thinking - ChoBurgers? I don't think that KFG is open right now... ah, or maybe we could stop by Ramen Shack?"

She shoots me a conspiratorial smile that I just kind of shrug at. I know she's doing it for me, trying to get me to feel better but it felt kinda patronizing when she did it. Not in a bad way, just- weird. Kinda uncomfortable in that I wasn't really used to it. Besides, Mr Ramen's noodle shack closed early on the first weeks of every month. Kai should know  that, she had visited me during my shifts before.

"...Mr Ramen's shack isn't open today. It's a half-day for him." I respond. Normally he worked late nights, so it was a favorite of mine to go after patrol, but because it wasn't open today I hadn't planned on going on patrol - it was more of a spur-of-the moment thing anyways.

"Okay. ChoBurgers it is, then." Kai acknowledges my words with a gravely serious nod. She knew how seriously I took my ramen, especially Mr. Ramen's ramen. The Volkswagen's engine rumbles up again as she starts the car, reversing easily and pulling out of the parking lot. "There's still that one on Main Street, right? We can just swing by and grab it. Do you want some music? I'm afraid I don't have Pentakill, but..."

I shrug. I don't really care, but it's nice that Kai asked. "I liked what you had playing before." I offer. "It was nice."

"Oh."

Oh? My best friend clears her throat, looking almost caught off-guard by my suggestion. "...I guess can play some of that." 

Wait. Was Kai...blushing? I crane my neck to try to see but she's already turned her face away, focusing back on the road with an almost-laser like intensity. Weird.

She hits some dial on the stereo, and that soft classical music starts up again - a different song this time, though it's that same viola player, there's no mistaking that. I allow myself to relax finally, my head slumping against the white-cushioned seating of side-car door.

It doesn't take too long before the Volkswagon pulls into the drive-through line of ChoBurger. It's late, so there aren't many people here besides us; just a few lone cars scattered through the parking lot, a few weary middle-aged patrons seen through the glass doors of the restaurant. Kai pulls the Volkswagon up through the drivethrough, the tires squeaking as we pull to a stop.

"Welcome to ChoBurgers, how can I help you?" A bored teenage voice crackles out of the microphone. The poor soul sounds dead on their feet - not an uncommon occurrence when one worked the late-night shift and something I knew far too well. At least when I worked at the Ramen Shack it meant half-off all meals there, which made the work totally worth it.

"Two burgers, mini-Feast-sized." Kai pauses, her gaze darting across the giant menu on the drive-through runway, still lit brightly neon despite the darkening evening lighting. "...And one serving of curly fries, please."

"Kai-"

"What? They're for me." Kai's face is entirely too innocent to be completely genuine. "I know how much you like those fries, so I decided to get some. For myself." She smiles triumphantly at her own impeccable logic, and, against all odds, I let out a small snort of amusement. I can tell that Kai hears that as her eyes light up, her grin becoming a good deal more genuine. 

"Alright. We'll be with you shortly, just proceed to the pick-up zone. Thank you for ordering at ChoBurgers, we wish you a pleasant evening." Bzzt. Whoever is behind the microphone just sounds so done with their job, rattling out the order to a coworker as we drive further through. Our food is done in a few minutes, and we end up pulling out to a nearby parking lot just to eat it, Kai shifting the car to park before sliding into the backseat and forcing me to do the same - Kassadin was normally really protective over people eating in the driver's seat and getting the wheel all greasy so we moved to the back instead.

Kai takes the opportunity to roll down the window, the cool night breeze wafting in from the outside. I do the same, taking the moment to marvel at the night sky once again. If before the stars were barely visible, peeking out from behind the clouds then now they were out in full force, the pride and joy of the Star Forger displayed against the brilliant obsidian-black canvas of a night sky. I offer Kai her letterman jacket back; she refuses, so I pass the corner of the jacket over onto her lap as well, turning it into an impromptu blanket for the two of us to share. In the end, the jacket doesn't keep us warm but rather our own body heat, our knees bumping against each other occasionally as we sat side-by-side.

Kai'Sa pushes up the tray between us to make room for the food, and for a second I can almost pretend that we're on a date; the night sky bold and vast, the evening quiet; an atmosphere of a late-night rhendevous turned romantic night out with only the stars, food, and each other-
But it's a fragile illusion, one which never quite sinks into the moment.

From under the jacket I feel her leg bump against mine questioningly, and this time I don't flinch, giving my best friend a questioning look.

"You feeling better?" Kai asks gently.

I take another bite of my ChoBurger, the wrapper crinkling softly in my hands. "...A bit." I admit.

The food really did help. I didn't feel nearly as awful as I did a few minutes ago; the power of a full stomach, I suppose. I still probably looked like shit, though; my Pentakill t-shirt wrinkled and scuffed, my running sweatpants all soaked with dried perspiration. Kai looked as annoyingly perfect as usual, her mussed-up hair somehow coming off as charmingly coiffed, the sort of wind-blown curls that only supermodels or singers could pull off, and yet she did so perfectly.
I, on the other hand, was sure that my hair looked more like a rat's nest of curls, that wet splotch on the sleeve of my Pentakill t-shirt something I was fairly sure was a drool stain from when I fell asleep in the car. Surreptitiously, I wipe my chin with the back of my hand, hoping that Kai doesn't notice.

"Good." Kai takes another dainty bite of her burger, and something close to - not quite revulsion, but definite confusion flashes across her face. "Got to say, I don't really see what the fuss is about this stuff."

I pause, putting my burger down halfway through a bite and swallowing before responding. "...Kai, is this the first time you've had a ChoBurger?"
Even I had gotten ChoBurgers before - a few times with Ekko, once with Sona, oftentimes whenever we were just hanging out and couldn't agree on anywhere else to eat. Thinking back on it, I had never seen Kai at a ChoBurger before, but I had always assumed she had gone once or twice when I wasn't there.

...Come to think about it, I barely remember Kai eating out at all. The only time she ever grabbed meals with us was when we went to Mr. Ramen's Ramen Shack, or at that weird Cafe Cuties place that Taliyah really loved eating at - probably because of how pink it was.

"...Would it be weird if it was?" My best friend shifts nervously in her seat, her mouth set in a awkward half-pout smile, her eyes darting around the interior of the car avoiding my gaze as if she was a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. It's... kinda cute, actually, seeing her off-guard like this; normally Kai was effortlessly perfect at whatever activity she was doing to the point of being almost intimidating. "I don't really... get fast-food often, and Dad-Kassadin doesn't really like going out to eat. He's gotten way better at cooking as well."

Kassadin was Kai's dad, a gruff but kindhearted man who took over as Kai's sole guardian after Kai's mom disappeared several years ago. He was the head manager at the dog shelter on Main Street, where he spent his days dealing with the tougher dogs and calculating the finances. Apparently he had been some sort of explorer or guide up in Shuriman City until Kai's mom disappeared, and it had taken him a bit of time to adjust to being a stay-at-home parent.

"Yeah, your dad's brisket is amazing. I can see why you don't eat out much." I muse. Every time I was invited over to Kai'Sa's house for dinner Kassadin would make his brisket and insist that I have some - the meat so smoky and tender, practically melting in my mouth -

To distract from my sudden brisket craving I steal another curly fry from Kai's bag of fries, poking it into the ketchup tray and popping it into my mouth, savoring the salty tang of freshly cut curly fries. Mmm. Kai lets out an exasperated sigh before pushing the whole container of fries slightly closer to my side.

"You sure?" I say, though it comes out slightly muffled through my mouthful of fries. She shrugs, tugging her letterman jacket on our laps (and me by proxy) slightly closer to her side. "Take them. I'm... not super hungry right now." I notice that she's shivering slightly. With a sigh, I lift up my side of the jacket and push it all onto Kai before she can protest.
"I'm not that cold. Take it." I say. "You look like you're freezing." It was the truth; Kai was really weak to the cold, normally bundling up in several layers at a time. The fact that she didn't have her usual layers on for the cold Valoran City evening probably meant she had rushed out the door to save me; the least I could do was try to keep her warm.

She looks like she's going to argue with me before she thinks against it, instead pulling her pink letterman jacket back over herself and snuggling down into the seat. "...Thanks."

"So. You ready to talk about what happened?" Kai asks, once she's burrowed back into her seat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ready." I reply firmly. When I say it like that, I can almost believe it. I take a deep breath, before recounting exactly what happened.

"The patrol started off normal. We, uh, went across the rooftops, ended up near the North Side - you know, with the tiles and stuff. Totally didn't flick some of the tiles off there." I say nonchalantly. Kai always got on my case for messing with the tiles there, but c'mon. It was too fun not to do that. Kai definitely knows that's what I was thinking as her lips quirk up into an amused half-smile, but she doesn't say anything. "I talked to Sona for a bit there. Then, I felt the Anamoly."

"Right." Kai frowns, pursuing her lips. "Most of the Guardians actually felt it, though most were too far away to react. I actually sent you a text then, but you didn't respond."

I blink, surprised despite myself. "You did?" It takes me a second to pull out my phone but - yep, three missed messages from Kai, all sent within a few minutes of each other. I wince. "Sorry-"

"Not important." She waves off my apology. "I figured you were busy, so I didn't text too much. But- well, I wanted to make sure you were safe, so I texted you a bit after the Anamoly spawned." A pause. I get the feeling that Kai is thinking about her next words very carefully, as there's a hint of trepidation in her tone when she speaks again. "And... well, I felt the instant the Incursion spawned, so I texted you on my way there. I wasn't sure you could get it, but I wanted to just make sure you were okay."

The Incursion. The Star Nemesis. My shiver is entirely involuntarily. Just thinking about that hideous monster is enough to send tremors snaking through my body. I take another curly fry from the carton, nearly dropping it because my hand is trembling so badly- Kai snatches the lone fry out of the air just before it falls to the bottom of the car. "You good?" It sounds like her voice is coming through a wind tunnel, so out of focus-

Focus. I take a shaky breath in, willing myself to calm down. Try to concentrate on my senses, immersing myself in the moment- I can smell Kai's perfume, peach-sweet, and I latch onto that like a life raft. Exhale.

"It called itself... Fiddlesticks. Apart from that, I... could barely tell anything about it. It had clones of itself, like decoys, that it could place on command." I take another deep breath, forcing myself to keep going. "It had that scythe - the blade could expand, and..." I choke on the words, my mind flashing to the last time that scythe was used-

Don't. "-it could drain our starlight. I'm...Sorry. I couldn't figure anything else out-" Failure. Useless. Couldn't do anything. Couldn't save her-

"No!" I blink, startled as Kai grabs my arm. "No, Kali, stop apologizing. Please." She grasps my arm, and I notice, with some surprise- tears? The edges of her eyes are shining with the light unspent tears as Kai'Sa grabs my arm, and I'm too shocked to even react. "It's not your fault. Just - please."

"...Okay. I'm-" I stop myself before I can apologize again, closing my eyes again. Her jacket brushes up against my shoulder blades reasurringly, like a miniature hug. "...fine. Just-can we stay like this? Just for a while?"

At my side, I feel Kai stiffen, but before I can retract my statement I feel her arms loop around my right arm, Kai shifting over on the seat to get a better grip on my arm, her hip sliding to meet mine while her head drapes itself unceremoniously on top of my shoulder. I can feel her pink hair tickling my back as Kai leans in close. "All you had to do was ask, you dunce."

We take the long way home this time, the Volkswagon puttering along the brightly lit suburbs at a meandering pace, our headlights just one solitary glow among the many neon decorations on the houses and streetlamps. Every once in a while I can sense Kai's worried eyes on me, but I pretend not to notice; I didn't want her to worry any more than she had to.

Finally, we're back at my house - and there, standing in the middle of a lit doorway, hands on her hips, was Mom. I could practically hear the incoming tirade already - a mix of scolding Korean and scathing English words on how much of a disappointment I was, never good enough, always a failure, words that once might’ve meant something to me but now just felt old and tired, like fingers picking at the corners of an old bruise. 

I let out a deep sigh. I was not looking forward to this. 

“You good? I can go in there with you. Your mom likes me, you know.” Kai’Sa remarks casually, leaning over the steering wheel to give me a questioning gaze, violet eyes darkened with worry.

I did know; Mom wouldn’t stop gushing about Kai whenever she came over, only stopping to comment on “how disappointing Akali was” and “how she wished that Kai was her daughter instead, or that her own foolish daughter could emulate her friend in her studies.” It stung, but I got used to it, especially when that meant Kai could come over more often, given that she had Mom’s seal of approval - a nigh-impossible standard to meet.

And, oh, did I want her to be there. I wanted Kai’Sa by my side in the sort of way that a freezing woman would crave a warm blanket, not so much in comfort but in necessity, to have something wrapped around you to ward off the stinging cold. But it was a foolish, selfish desire that I quashed within myself almost immediately. Kai didn't need this on her plate. She didn't need to know about how awful Mom could be, or how I was a fuck-up even in my own home, nor did she deserve Mom's ire should Kai try to defend me-

And… even if it was selfish, I didn’t want her to get dragged into my mess. It was embarrassing, and personal, and I had met Mr Kassadin, Kai's single father and he had beamed with pride when Kai had handled that angry Doberman at the shelter, and she wouldn’t understand anything else, not when the love she had grown up with still glowed around her. I swallow, my stomach churning even as I forced myself to give Kai a loose grin. “It’s fine. See you tomorrow?”

“…of course.” Kai reaches over the dashboard and- 

-fuck, Mom is still watching, her eyebrows set in a harsh, disapproving frown-

- but Kai’s giving me a hug, and it’s impossible for me to refuse that. I clamp my arms around Kai’s back, squeezing her tightly, feeling her arms wrap around me, her peach-scented perfume filling the space between us.

Kai gave the best hugs. Kai made me feel safe, like I could bury my face into her pink tresses and everything else would just fade away, like every looming problem around me was a thousand distant miles away. I had no idea what she got out of hugging a skinny scarecrow like me, but I wasn’t going to question it. I squeezed a bit tighter, treasuring the precious warmth I got from human contact. Kai squeezes back as well - the sort of unspoken signal of comfort I couldn’t help but crave, like a Morse-Code-translation of love protectiveness from my best friend.

I hear you. I’m here for you. 

Vaguely, I recognized that I had let the hug drag on far too long, and that I should disentangle myself- which I did, albeit reluctantly. Instantly I felt ten times colder without Kai’s sun-dappered arms around me. “Sorry.” I murmur off to the side, embarrassed despite myself. I wasn’t a kid anymore, needing hugs and a pat on the back to deal with my boo-boos. It just… helped. A lot. 

“Don’t be.” The way Kai said it- like it was never a burden, like I was never a burden - it made me want to gorge myself on that feeling until my chest stopped aching that tired, familiar pain. My exhaled breath is shaky and unsteady as I lean back away from Kai, conscious of how close I was to tears, my mask just one word away from breaking. To my mixed relief and disappointment Kai leans away as well, until we're two paces apart - then three, as I take another step back, popping the door open and stepping out of the old Volkswagen-

I look up, back at my best friend. Kai'Sa nods encouragingly, tilting her head towards the side where my Mom was waiting, posture rigid and unyielding. I can barely smell Kai's faint peach-scented perfume over the stiflingly overpowering scent of incense and spices-

“Bye.”

“Bye.” 

Chapter Text

I watch Kai's car putter off down the street and up the hill, past my neighbor's speckled-white fence and out of sight, the light of her headlights cresting over the horizon for a split second before all traces of my best friend disappear. I inhale; a deep, shaky breath. There's no trace of peach-scented perfume in the air, all of it blown away by the cool night breeze. My shoulders are tense and stiff as I turn around, and the reason for that tension is standing right in front of me, arms crossed in the doorway of her house.

Min-ji So-Yeon. My birth mother and current guardian, no matter how much she seemed to despise playing any sort of parental role role.

I've heard hundred of times before, from family and family friends that I looked almost identical to my mother when she was younger. I could see it in some of the framed paintings Mom kept on the cabinets, like the ones of her wedding with Dad; young-adult mom, tall and skinny like me, wearing a beautiful, tapered white gown and heels. Her smile was actually genuine for once, reaching her eyes, not thin and pointed with disapproval as I always saw it. If you ignored the obvious hair and age difference we looked almost identical; she could've probably passed for my older sister.  

There were a few other differences of course; I had my mother's sharp jawline and eyelashes, though my hair was much closer to my father's - thick and wiry, needing to be wrestled in each morning to keep the ends from fraying or splitting. I think Mom hated that about me, the fact that Dad's features were seen so clearly in me. When I was younger, before school each morning she'd drag all my hair into a tight, almost painful knot of neatness as if she could strangle any trace of my father out of me. I'd suffer through the indignity of a topknot during the long walk to the school bus stop where, upon entering the bus I'd finally tear off the scrunchy holding my hair together, shoving it deep into my pocket where presumably it would get lost in the wash a few weeks later.

That little bit of rebellion only grew as the years progressed. When I was twelve, I dyed my hair blue with a ten-dollar bleach kit and a bottle of extreme hair dye in a futile attempt to try and impress some girl I didn't even know I had a crush on. It had been a shitty job, made even shittier by Shen's refusal to help - I ended up doing the whole thing single-handedly and making the resulting dye job look splotchy and streaky as a result. My mom screamed at me when she found out, promised to ground me until I was twenty if I didn't "find some way to fix that-" but it was too late, the damage had been done, and the only thing left to was to cut out the parts soaked blue and try to trim the rest, leaving me with practically a bowl cut. After that, each subsequent dye job was done more and more consistently and thoroughly until my mother finally relinquished her control over my hair, probably the only time I've ever managed to win something against Mom.

By sixteen I had finally figured out the hard-earned lesson that Mom would never be proud of me, no matter what I did, and so I tried to escape her judgement in its entirety, taking off after school to roam about the streets of Valoran City. I was a proper delinquent back then, patrolling the streets with nothing but a bad attitude, a willingness to brawl and a can of pepper spray. Thankfully, Valoran City was a pretty peaceful place so I never ran into anything more dangerous than a group of high-school bullies - but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm in the slightest. I had taken martial arts when I was younger, kept it up long after Mom stopped paying for the lessons, and I was more than willing to unleash it on whatever unsuspecting wrongdoers I could find.

That was also when I had met Kai'Sa again. We had been close, once, during middle school - extremely close, really - but one day she all but disappeared. Later I found out that it was because her mother had vanished, and they had moved to Valoran City. It was just coincidence that we had met that day and that she had recognized me, enough to ask me -

"Akali? Is that you?"

That was probably the only thing good that came out of my delinquent phase; re-connecting with Kai'Sa. For some reason my mother loved Kai'Sa, enough to make her lack of affection for me even more pronounced - always wanting to dote on my friend while at the same time using the conversation to subtly imply my own inadequacy. It hurt, but I brushed it off as best I could, pulling Kai away and up into my room where I'd chase away any lingering bitterness with stupid tv shows or fighting games.

Sometimes I hated Kai'Sa for Mom's treatment - a stupid, irrational feeling that I tried to ignore as much as I could. Most times, I just hated my mother a little bit more, resolving myself not to let her words affect me any further. I wished I didn't have any of my mother's features, that it wasn't obvious that I was her daughter through-and-through. It would make the obvious lack of affection a bit easier to stomach. When things were particularly bad with Mom I'd imagine that my life was like one of those reality tv shows, where my real mother was an estranged billionare who had never stopped looking for me, and that when she found me I'd be whisked away into a loving household, filled with parents desperate to reconnect with their long-lost daughter. It never really worked, but it was a nice fantasy to hold onto.

“Akali.” Mom doesn't sound pleased. She sounded scarily calm, her words said with the sort of tone that made my skin crawl and my stomach lurch.

I swallow. My throat feels like it's been starched, devoid of any moisture. “…Mom-“

Slap! The sound rings in the silence of the open night. I flinch back, my cheek stinging from the slap even as Mom's hand grasps painfully around the upper tip of my ear, dragging me into the kitchen. Behind me, the front door slams shut with a heavy, resounding thud. Mom doesn't even let me get my shoes off before she starts berating me.

“What were you thinking!” Mom hisses. Her breath is uncomfortably hot on my ear. I try to wiggle out but her grip is like a fucking vise, too tight to even get the slightest of reprieves.

"I was... out with Kai-" I stammer out, my gaze locked onto the dark oak flooring of the kitchen. Fingernails, sharp and painted dark red grab my chin, digging into my neck and forcing me to look at Mom. She is furious as I've ever seen her, her almond eyes alight with anger as she gives me a scornful look, her professional work makeup still on her face, like a battle-paint for middle-aged parents.

“Don’t you dare lie to me, young lady.” My mother spits out the words disdainfully. “What would the neighbors say? What would they say, if they knew my daughter was out late at night and coming home like this-"

I nodded woodenly, my gaze locked onto the floor, only darting up every once in a while to meet my mother's incensed glare so Mom wouldn't think I was ignoring her. She's expecting something, maybe another meaningless apology, as if I hadn't exhausted them at this point on things too pointless and meaningless for her to remember. I clench my fist until I know my knuckles are white with tension. When I speak again, it's something approaching sincerity, if sincere words could be muttered out under one's breath-
“Yes. I’ll make sure to be home by curfew next time. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better next time-” 

But I was tired, and stressed out of my fucking mind, the feeling of comfort and safety Kai had given me nothing more than a distant memory at this point, and every added insult my mother said made something hot and ugly bubble up in my gut. My eyes narrow. I didn’t need a mirror to know that my jaw was clenched hard as granite, face set in a mask through Mom’s words- 

"-Disappointing." The emphasis Mom puts on the word snaps me back to reality. I clamp down hard on my lower lip, forcing myself to stay silent. My mom shakes her head, still giving me that look of pure vitriol, like I was a person non grata, an unwanted refugee that had somehow wandered into her household.

"You...are a disappointment, Akali. Honestly, I don't know why I even tried. I gave you everything you needed to succeed, and yet you waste it, on-"

She rattles something of in rapid-fire Korean, something I just barely manage to understand - something about time, her career, her marriage - always about that, always about her, always another disappointment from Akali, her stupid, useless daughter fucking up her perfectly-laid plans for the future.

"Do you really think that your friends are worth more than your future? Huh? Answer me."
Mom's tone turns questioning, mocking. I grit my teeth, refusing to say anything. That was the wrong answer it seemed, as I can see Mom frowm, disapproval clouding her features for a second. She leans down, inch-by-inch until she's eye level with me, eyes squinted in scrutiny towards me, her hands posed defiantly on her hips. "Answer me, Akali."

My breath hitches. I shake my head weakly until it's obvious that Mom wants me to say it out loud. "...No." I manage to get out. 

"Then why are you wasting your time with them?" She doesn't wait for an answer; to her, it's an obvious rhetorical question. "When all your friends have graduated with good jobs, and are finding good husbands - you'll be all alone." Mom jabs a nail into my chest, unknowingly poking at a still-healing bruise under my collarbone - I flinch back, recoiling at the fresh spike of pain. Mom doesn't even notice, too self-absorbed in her rant to know or care about me.
"Who will take care of you when you're in the real world? When you're trying to - pay the bills, find a job, take care of your own kids-"

Every word feels like the closing of a vise around my lungs, grinding me slowly to dust. my palms light up with heat. They feel like they're swelling, filled with hot water and steam instead of blood, all of it rushing to my head and through my back, making me feel light-headed-

"You won't have me. You won't have your brother. You won't have Kai'Sa, or any one one of your little friends there to help a deadbeat like you-"

"And Shen- I thought I told you to keep an eye on your sister! What were you doing that whole time-" Mom's words sound tinny, muffled and indistinct like they're coming through a long tunnel. I suck in another heaving, gulping breath as a wave of dizziness washes over me. For a second it feels like I'm breathing through a fishbowl, each gasping lungful of air feeling smaller and smaller. It felt like there were hundreds of heated needles stabbing into the back of my neck, lighting it up hotter than a bonfire.

"I apologize. It was my lapse in judgement." Shen's voice is quiet but remorseful, his head bowed in apology. It's obvious that he's exhausted just from the way my older brother holds himself upright, but I can't focus on that, can't focus on anything except escaping here, right now-

"May I... may I be excused now?" I manage to get out. My voice is faint. I hated how Mom does this, makes me feel smaller than the tiniest of ants, all my power as a Star Guardian feeling so useless right now. Pathetic, that's what I was - I could stare down monsters bigger than mountains and yet my own mother was making me quail. I try to move but my legs are still locked up, frozen on the laminated wood of our kitchen flooring.

Mom gives me a waspish look of irritation, as if my presence here was another annoyance that she had to deal with, despite the fact she had dragged me here herself. She barely gives me a perfunctory look-over, once, before replying.
"You're grounded for the next week, at least. If you behave, then maybe I won't extend it for another month."

My mother turns around in an obvious dismissal, moving to berate Shen further and I take the opportunity to bolt, my chest heaving as I try to at least retain even some of my dignity. I almost slip on the stairs up on my way to my room, barely catching onto the rail in time, my fingers feeling hot and clammy as I cling on the wooden railing.

When I open the door to my room and stagger through the doorway, I finally allow myself to breathe as I shut the door quietly behind me. If Mom wanted to talk to me - or, more likely, yell at me more - I'd have a few seconds of advanced notice from her tromping up the stairs. My shoulders sag as I just- blink, my gaze gravitating up to the ceiling, hands by my pocket-

"Fuck." I manage spit out. I exhale forcibly, flopping down onto my bedsheets. I felt like a wet rag, all squeezed out. There's a wetness to my eyes that I refuse to acknowledge as I bury my face into the cool polyester fabric of my pillows. That was a particularly shitty meeting with Mom, but I was never expecting it to go well. I was just- well, maybe it was because of what happened today - with Fiddlesticks, and Sona, that Mom's words just hit harder. Because even if she didn't know it, she was right. I was a disappointment. I was a failure, a fuck-up even as a Star Guardian.

I try my best to push the thought to the back of my mind as I sit upright, rolling over on the bed to check the glowing timestamp on my digital clock. 11:30 PM. Most of the other Guardians would be asleep by now, but it was far too early for me for me to drift off to sleep. Besides, sleep wouldn't come easy for me, as wired as I was on leftover adrenaline, like a shitty holdover from all the fighting. In this sort of mood, I'd probably break my keyboard if I went to play Valorant, and I just wasn't in the mood to read through the latest addition of Tiger Gauntlet I had pre-downloaded on my phone. Honestly, I just wanted this shitty day to be over. Hopefully tomorrow would be better. At least tomorrow I could go back to pretending everything was okay-

I grimace. It was hard to try and shut off all the negative thoughts still spiraling through my head, but it was also hard to try to ignore it; it felt like everything in my brain was just swimming in a fog of white smoke, an endless mental itch at a place I just couldn't scratch on a subject I really just didn't want to deal with right now.

I sink back into bed, pulling out my phone to start idly scrolling through my old Porogram account, the one I barely used anymore. I - didn't know why I was doing it, really, I just wanted to do something rather than just stew in my own misery. Even though I hadn’t touched it in a year, my feed was cluttered with Kai and the rest of the Star Guardians. Most of the posts were old, dating about six months ago - back when we were all starting out, all rookie Star Guardians. It felt like a mistake to keep scrolling through, but- I pushed through the growing apprehension in my gut and kept scrolling.

A picture of Taliyah, Ekko, and Sona at Mr. Ramen's Ramen Shack, posing with their half-devoured bowls of ramen in front of them. I flick to the next photo.

Ezreal, posing with a Vladamir plushy at Cafe Cuties while Quinn holds up another two plushies of Bard and Sivir. Next.

And then there was one of me.

I stared at it. It was a unfamiliar picture, probably snapped by one of the familiars - maybe Umi or Chiizu - when we weren’t looking because I didn’t recognize the shot, but it sparked the faintest hint of a memory. Like unearthing a perfect piece of curved driftwood from underneath the sands of lost horizons.

There was Ekko and Ezreal up towards the upper edges of the frame, perched at one of the library tables, talking animatedly together as Ekko fiddled with the circuitry of one of his disemboweled Timewinder prototypes. Ezreal’s hair is stuck in that awful cowlip haircut as he laughs at some long-forgotten joke, frozen in time on a plastic chair with a goofy grin on his face. To the right was Sona, Taliyah, and me, all three of us seated together three-in-a-row, our laptops and notes scattered across the wooden table, three separate paper-tornados of cramming material as we studied for our midterms together.

Here, Sona was caught with her face in a pout, presumably because of Taliyah’s teasing, while I- I remember that I was still trying to figure out what the answer to that math problem was, so I was only half-listening to their argument. The picture captures me with the tip of my tongue out, studiously glaring at the problem on the worksheet as Taliyah cheerily prods Sona in the side.

My thumb traces over their faces, their smiles so radiant even in the tiny resolution of my phone screen. We were so hopeful back then; Zoe's incursion hadn't yet happened and we were still learning about ourselves, about our powers. Having not yet met a Star Nemesis we were - almost cocky, really; so sure in our ability to protect Valoran City from any alien or Void-based threat. Everything changed once Zoe attacked - and now, there was a new Star Nemesis. One even stronger than Zoe was, something utterly inhuman- 

With a click I turn off my phone again, flopping onto my back, my head sinking into the softness of my pillow. My head is buzzing right now, filled with static white noise that I can't shut out. Was it my fault that Sona had gotten hurt? That the two of us had almost died? What were we going to do about Fiddlesticks? Could we even defeat him? Mom’s words swirled around my head, drowning out any other semblance of coherent though. 

I close my eyes, resting my head back onto my pillow as my eyelids tug themselves downwards… 

Crack-

I was falling. 

The world shatters beneath me, the cushion’s soft folds engulfing me in a cloying slowness as I tumble, down, down, down, into the depths of the Anomaly, in a weightless fall like a deep dive into a silent ocean, the light above me darkened violet and gray-

My arms, outstretched and hanging, hold nothing but stillness as I sink further into the abyss. It’s almost beautiful, the Void; the air around me dappled and oceanic, holding that almost-translucent quality that gave it a weight, shimmering with solid green light- 

I’m falling into another nightmare. Twisting into a stream of consciousness, the sort of half-ness both soft and sour, supple like soft bread and as cloyingly sweet as spoiled milk. Back into the monster’s clutches - a part of me is screaming, understanding that what lay before me was not peace but danger, annihilation - but would it would be so easy to just slip away under the waves? To not feel the aching longing that gripped my heart nor the love that could not reach? My will to resist wavers, and with it my vision blurs, blinking in and out of existence like an staticked radio. Dots of blackness swirl against the edges of my vision, my exhaustion made manifest- 

-Kali!

Kai’s voice hits me like a truck and I gasp, the shock hitting me like a bucket of ice-water as I realize the cloud of darkness wasn’t just my imagination- it was there, a thick smog of darkened energy that clouds around me. The fog grazes against my exposed upper arm, and I feel a sharp shock of pain rush through my nerves down to my tips of my finger. It felt like each speck of darkness was a droplet of chilled oil, a potent touch of frostbite that left my skin numb and pained-

Panic floods my system as I tug on the frayed connection to the First Star, flipping the mental switch to transform, letting the starlight course through my system as an electric shock of warmth. Relief is instantaneous as the darkness reels back in reaction to the starlight, dispersing about my body and swirling off into the distance. With another mental tug, I manifest my kunai and kama, slowly drifting my way to the checkerboarded ground - another clue that this was an Anomaly, or at least borne by the Void. 

The ground bends beneath my feet, soft and solid like a cloud when I land, the sensation oddly rhythmic under my feet. It feels like I’m sleepwalking, and for a second I almost dare to believe it - until a wave of cold, malevolent feeling washes over me like an icy chill.

The cloud of shadows is there. Shifting. Pulsing. Standing just a foot away from me - It feels like it's observing me, and I try to suppress the shiver that trails its way down my spine. My kama clinks as I raise the blade, pointing it directly at the shadowy monster. “Is that all you got? Trying to prey on a Star Guardian by invading her nightmares?”

There's no response. Nothing that would indicate a level of sentience - until the world swirls on its axis and I stagger back as a wave of vertigo assaults my senses. My vision flickers, shifting, splitting. One plane becomes two, as the horizon tears itself in half with a croaking scream of metal shifting, like a ship's hull being ground ashore- all the hairs on the back of my neck stiffen, and I clench my jaw, the sensation unnerving to each and every one of my senses.

And then it clears a second later, like a vision disappearing after a foggy morning has cleared, but there's a change.

The shadow is gone. In its place, standing before me in a perfect mirror is-

“Is that…”

“Me?”

I start back at the voice - gravely and fragmented, like it was coming through a thousand speakers at once, but there was no way I couldn't recognize it. It was my voice. A tall, lanky frame, hair tucked away in a neat bow - everything about this figure was identical to me, save for the utter lack of color on its body. A perfectly inky representation of myself, shimmering with a dark, malevolent energy that screamed danger to all of my senses-

The shadowy copy of myself tilts its head, its entire face blank and shadowed save for an eerie crescent-moon of a mouth cut across the lower half, an perfect imperfection that made her look almost doll-like-

"W-what... what the hell are you?" I can't tear my eyes away from it. It's like I'm watching a horror movie; everything else sluggishly moving out of focus, out of frame as the monster tilts her head to the side, clearly understanding my question. And then it speaks, again, in that horrible distorted way that somehow sounds almost identical to me-

“I’m the part of you that you deny, Akali. The light behind the curtain, the ugly truth you would never admit about yourself.”

The shadow grins, the motion sharp and mocking like the curve of a finger-bone, and with a shimmer of shadowed light a kunai and kama appear in her hands. I take a deep breath to steady myself as I sink into a ready stance, my own weapons in hand, my shadow mirroring me perfectly.

“So, in a way- that makes me more you than you ever were, hm?”

Cling! I react on instinct more than anything, my kama flicking out to block the thrown kunai before the shadow is on me, her own kama swiping downwards towards my head - I dive to the side, blood pounding in my ears at the swish of steel bisecting the air overhead - popping up out of my roll to fling a handful of kunai back in retaliation, the Shadow blocking it in an eerie mimicry of me. 

“You don’t know anything about me!” I yell back, twirling my kama taut between my hands before blurring forward, the weapon hissing as it cuts through air - a horizontal slash across the knee transitioning into a an upward backhand slice, a move I’ve practiced a thousand times - except the Shadow simply twists its body to the side, sidestepping the counter strike as if they knew it was coming before lashing out with a heavy kick that I just barely block, my gauntlets grinding against shadows for a quick second- That was my move - the twist, kick - it copied me? 

Bam!

I’m knocked backwards, thrown across the checkerboarded ground of the dreamscape, barely managing to drop another smoke bomb and fling myself to the side, avoiding the spray of kunai that plant themselves just around my location. The Shadow strolls forward, avoiding my hastily thrown kunai with contemptuous ease-

“Oh, but I do, Akali. I know everything about you, from your deepest fears and insecurities, to your pathetic longing for your esteemed leader.” My blood runs cold at my Shadow’s words. The shadowy me lets out a rasping chuckles at the expression on my face. I school my features back into an impassive mask but I don't think it matters. The Shadow tilts its head again, studying me before her neon-shaped mouth opens again, a half-moon slice across her jet-black face.  “You know, it’s almost liberating to see you like this, Akali. So wrapped up in your own petty fears, doubts, self-loathing - all of it weighing you down. It makes you weak. Predictable.”

"Shut up! You don't know anything about me!"

“Oh, Kali.” My shadowy clone says mockingly, her tone a bitter mirror of Kai’s affectionate drawl. “I am you. You are me. I’m just more - outspoken.” A flash of steel that I almost don’t dodge, my doppelgängers’s thrown kunai scraping my thighs in a spray of blood and welt-like pain as I dive to the side, throwing down a smoke bomb that explodes almost instantaneously - 

Across from me my shadow does the exact same thing, two concentric circles of smoke that waft across each other before a dagger spins out of the cloud- I duck low, kama swinging to deflect one kunai into the air, plucking the second kunai with a single gloved hand with practiced grace. The Shadow hums, a delighted sound as she neatly sidesteps my kunai again - before my own kama spins out of the shroud in a slash aimed directly at its upper arm that it just barely reacts to, tearing through the slightest corner of her shadowy flesh.

Finally, a stumble from the shadow. A spray of blood, black and oily, splatters onto the checkerboard ground before my doppelganger finally manages to fully disengages, vaulting backwards and landing squarely on its feet like a cat. For once, the Shadow’s look of smug satisfaction is gone from its faceless expression as it eyes the wound with something close to trepidation.

I can't hide my satisfied grin at having finally shut up that shadow. Yeah, that’s right, bitch. I can adapt as well. I’ve played enough mirror matches in fighting games to know how this goes. The one who adapts fastest wins- and at the end of the day, that Shadow’s just a poor copy of me. With a hiss, I suck in air through my teeth, gracefully leaping backwards through my shroud, back into the shadowy smoke still lingering in the air-

"For someone who claims to know exactly how I think, you're doing a pretty shit job of predicting me." I throw my voice to the side - an old trick I had learned a while back. Good for messing with people during class; even better for projecting myself through the smoke. The Shadow tilts its head, its faceless expression somehow conveying mirth. I tense as it turns to face me, its pupil-less and eye-less face dispassionately staring through the cloud of smoke exactly at my position. It couldn't see me, it was just doing that to psyche me out-
"Ah. Baseless bravado. An old classic for Akali. You know, trying that against someone who know your very thought patterns is a bit pointless, no?"

"You aren't me." I snarl. "You're just a sick, demented monster made to mess with my head. I'm not falling for that!" There's a ruined rubble statue to my right, just tall enough for me to grab a hold of - I grab the craggy pillar with both hands and launch myself up, flinging myself into the air, still hidden in the smoke, my thrown kunai whistling towards the back of my doppelganger's head-

"Then why are you so desparate to prove me wrong? Why even rise to the bait?" My mirror copy smiles, and effortlessly blocks the kunai aimed at its back without even looking, snatching the blade from the air and flinging it back towards me in an underhand flick - I curse, diving out of the way, tucking myself into a roll and popping up only for a blackened blade to come slicing towards me.

The kamas collide with a clash of steel, and I'm forced back, knees trembling as my hasty block is just barely enough to stop the descent of the darkened blade. My Shadow leans forward until we're inches apart, face-to-face. Up close it's like looking into a pool of tar, an inky mirror of dark starlight, utterly inhuman- I can see my own reflection in it, broken and distorted by the waves of shadow-

"Accept it, Akali. I am you. You are me."

With a burst of exertion and strength I didn't know I had in me I force my Shadow back, dropping another smoke bomb to disappear into the safety of my Twilight Shroud. My doppelganger simply lets me retreat, scanning the cloud with an eerie calmness.

"Perhaps I'm going about this wrong. Maybe I should state something only I - we - would know. Oh, how about this?"

"You know that Sona pities you, right? That's the only reason why she pretends to put up with you. You're her latest charity case. Congratulations!" I grit my teeth. It was worse, hearing all these words in my voice, putting the unspoken thoughts inside my head to paper -

"Maybe she's seeing how far she can push you before you realize you're being tricked. The sad little delinquent, hopelessly in love with her best friend, except her best friend would never love her, not poor, unlovable Akali-"

The shadow chuckles, the sound eerily mocking, white teeth gleaming on a darkened face. "Maybe she's a rat. We know what rats look like, don't we? Always so innocent, charming, right up until they stab you in the back-"

A growl erupts from my throat as I rip one of the fallen knives off the ground, flinging it in the direction of the voice. “Don’t say that about my friends!” 

 For a second I dare to hope that it hits its mark- before the distorted voice chuckles again, this time from the opposite side of me, still hidden by the smoke. I whirl around as the smoke billows forward, engulfing me in its entirety - I can just barely hear the shadow moving, the footsteps identical to mine. She's... behind me... I grasp my kama in my hand firmly, preparing to turn-

“The only one who wants to stay with you is Kai, and that’s only out of an insipid feeling of loyalty… but what happens once she finds out about how you really feel for her?” The Shadow taunts, her voice echoing from the smoke but it's not enough to hide from me-

“-I don’t care! I’ve accepted that she will never return my feelings- that doesn’t matter to me, as long as I can stay by her side!” I roar, swinging my kama wildly into the smoke- a flash of steel, and the two blades crash into each other with a shing of metal, my Guardian powers warring against the Shadow’s blighted blade - I growl, throwing my full weight behind it and with a surge of strength I throw my shadow back, shattering through the darkened steel of its kama -

Even the Shadow seems to understand that it's over, as its gaze darts from the broken shards of her kama, tossing it onto the ground after a moment of hesitation. It's completely defenseless, not even trying to avoid the next blow-  And yet it won't - shut - up -!

“Everyone leaves you, Akali. Once they learn who you really are- a pathetic, piece of trash that drags down everyone around you."

The shadow’s face warps, the solid blackness turning to a grotesque ooze that stretches into sharp pointed teeth, a smile curved with amusement-

“Target, lock!” I scream, my voice hoarse.

"You'll always be alone, Akali." My shadow smiles, a victorious motion even as my Kama flies in a perfect arc, slicing through her neck in a single slash. “Everything you do simply proves I’m right.”

With a sound like smashed glass my doppelganger shatters, spilling into hundreds of blackened shards that spray out onto the checker boarded floor. My kama tumbles to the ground, its arc finally concluded, and I slump to the ground with it. "Ha, haa-" I'm panting. I can feel the hot sweat pouring down my back and arms - my magical energy was almost spent as well. That fight had pushed me to my limits and then some -

"...?!" There's a hand, grasping out of the checker boarded floor, clamping down onto my foot - then another one, and another, the arms long and gnarled, stretched thin like barren branches and I can't break free, no matter how much I struggle -

"-Get... of of me!" I slam the tip of my kunai into the ground, the metal edge scraping away, slowing my descent by seconds but not stopping it-
The ground around me is all melting away, like quicksand, the liquid floor oily and dense around my ankles. I try to push myself out of the hole but there's nothing to push off of, every bit of the ground as boneless and weightless as tar, dragging me slowly down until it's just my head, craning to stay above the ground - I can see no stars, no sun and or moon in the sky above me just a shadowy expanse of nothingness - before the ground swallows me whole and my vision fades to black.

"-Gah! Ah, aa..."

-I wake up. My pillow is soaked with sweat and I- 

I shiver, wiping away beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. The clock to my right says 3:30 PM - I must've fallen asleep looking at old Porobook stuff. Groaning, I pick up my phone and place it on my bedside cabinet to charge before settling back into bed. I can’t remember what my dream was. Normally there’s at least the faintest idea, a simple thread of logic or memory that I could trace back to, but - there’s nothing, not even the slightest hint of a memory. Just the understanding that whatever it was, it wasn’t a pleasant dream. 

With a groan, I tumble back into my bedsheets, willing myself to go to sleep. Eventually, I do, but it’s a small comfort; my dreams are haunted by a specter of a jet-black monster, cackling as it consumes everything and everyone around me - until I’m all alone again.  

Chapter Text

The kitchen is dead quiet when I descend down the wooden staircase to the living room the next morning, my footsteps echoing in the vague emptiness. As usual, the kitchen smells of old jasmine and other spices, the sort of old-timey Asian smell that I had grown up hating but now found slightly comforting, like a placebo replacement for parental affection. 

Shen wasn’t up, which was both a disappointment and a relief. I dreaded the amount of disappointed and judgmental looks my older brother could conjure up with his three extra years of experience over me, but I still hadn’t asked if I had permission to leave on that trip with the other Guardians. At this point it was looking like I’d be sneaking out again, which all but guaranteed another angry tirade from Mom in the future. I tried not to think about it too much. 

I skirt around the corner, sneaking a peek at the shoe rack before letting out a sigh of relief. Mom’s shoes were gone from the shoe rack, which meant that I was free to roam to the kitchen without fear of parental attention. Most times she left the house early to avoid all contact with Dad, but sometimes she liked to stick around to remind me who was the matriarch of our family. On days like that I’d sneak out my window and head to Noodle Bill’s for breakfast rather than face her wrath - the old man gave me half-off bowls on the conditions that I helped out during rush hours and during the summer for minimum wage. 

I stifle a yawn, pulling on my fluffy pink bunny slippers (a birthday gift from Kai) before pacing across the living room to open the blinds. The sun was just now streaming through the open window. The only sound for miles were the sparrows chirping outside on the branches of the pink-red cherry-blossom trees scattered across our street.  It felt - peaceful. I always liked these moments of stillness because it felt like I was the only living person in the house. Like I had fast-forwarded twenty years into the future when I had finally managed to find an apartment of my own - a place where I could just live quietly in peace, just me and Umi and all the ramen we could stomach. Maybe Kai could move in with us as well, though that was mostly wishful thinking. 

The fridge hasn’t been filled up in a while, but that’s fine; my appetite still hasn’t fully recovered from last night nightmare and the fight with Fiddlesticks. From the back of the refrigerator I manage to fish out one last white egg, a container of dried-out old grilled mushroom, and a bit of ham still in the package that doesn’t smell too funky when I give it a sniff. 

“Alright. Scrambled egg sounds good.”

Cooking was something I was adequate at, for a number of reasons. Mom barely cooked, and when she cooked she cooked in bulk, the sort of easy-fry vegetable stir fry or curry that was easy to make and even easier to store, even if after the first few days of consumption you would want to scrub the taste from your mouth - it was just that bland. Often times she would work from dawn to dusk, barely setting foot at home except to shower and sleep. On those days Mom would give me or Shen a stipend of cash for the week, assuming that we'd figure out everything else for ourselves. I ate burgers and ramen for a whole week until I was almost sick of the flavor and I finally resigned myself to cook.

Surprisingly, cooking was something that I liked. There was just something...relaxing about cooking for myself, by myself, at a time where nobody else was up. It was one of those stupid things that I couldn't put into words, the appeal of it. Once I even contemplated cooking a meal for Mom, seeing if she'd somehow be impressed by my cooking skills. I knew I was good at cooking - even Shen had complimented my cooking - so I was probably decent at it. But the idea of disappointing Mom again was too much so I never did it.

I hum, twirling my chopsticks around my hand as I whisk the egg yolk around, churning it around in the bowl. The ham and mushroom I dice into bite-sized pieces, pouring them into tiny red-white bowls to be added to the pan. The old cast-iron stovetop grumbles as only a worn-out appliances can, finally jetting up with a faint blue flame that I gradually coax into a fire. A drizzle of oil tossed onto the pan, then the scrambled egg into it as well, the yolk hissing as it hits the warmed iron skillet-

Soft footsteps trudge up the stairs from behind me. I don't even need to turn around to know who it is - too quiet to be Shen's footsteps, and Mom wasn't at home.

"Morning, Dad." I call out behind me, flipping the egg around in the pan.

"...Akali? You're up early." Dad sighs, his brow furrowing further as he squints up me through his thick-framed glasses. Like me, his hair is black and scraggly, untamed by genetics, except his was rougher, bangs and sideburns cut short in a sloppy, uneven line, flecks of grey hairs peeking out from the base of his scalp. I couldn't tell if his grayness was from age or stress; he was only a few years older than Mom, but his wrinkles and stress lines were far more pronounced, sloping down the side of his cheeks to give him a perpetually dour disposition, though it lightened when he wasn't at work or dealing with Mom. His blue Croc slippers squeak on the hardwood floor as he trundles over, his lumpy t-shirt of some obscure band hanging over the rim of his jeans. "What are you making?"

"Scrambled eggs. You want some?" I offer. A single-egg omelette split between two would make for a poor meal, but I didn't mind if it meant I could spend more time with Dad.
Dad shakes his head. "Nah. Made myself some toast already. Just wanted to check on you." He actually sounds like he means it, as well; his voice doesn't sound too scratchy either, and it even looks like he shaved a bit.

It's a good day, then. It was hard to tell, sometimes, with Dad. On good days Dad was fairly self-sufficient, making himself food and doing basic chores like washing dishes and taking out groceries. He was interested, and aware, and sometimes even able to do stuff with me, like help me with my makeup or do some handiwork stuff on the old appliances, which were always needing a tune-up.

On bad days I'd find him downstairs in his office, slumped down on his russet-brown La-Z-Boy recliner with a half-eaten dish on the table in front of him, barely moving, the widescreen TV on the wall showing some inane show or weather channel that he never seemed to be too interested in. On those days, if Mom was around, I'd hear glimpses of their fight from all the way upstairs in my room - Mom screaming at him for being a lazy piece of shit who didn't provide anything to this family, Dad yelling back that it was better than being a heartless bitch who didn't care about her family or some old rehash of those two statements. And then, come morning, I'd find him trudging up the stairs, eyes bloodshot with a bottle of his usual soju in hand, not meeting my eyes but apologizing all the same.

I didn't blame him, really. Not for the fighting, at least; though, god, sometimes I just had to wonder how the hell Mom and Dad got married in the first place. I had always assumed that it was an arranged marriage, but one time Dad let it slip that it wasn't an arranged marriage, that Mom had just been sweet on him until they had eloped - at which point he promptly clammed up despite my insistent questions. It was hard to imagine Mom being sweet on Dad, given their dynamic now, but they must've loved each other at one point considering how Shen and I existed. 

When I think of it like that, though, the answer seems pretty obvious. Me being born fucked everything up. Mom and Dad would've been fine with just Shen as their only child, but then I came along and everything went to shit. Which - whatever, bitch. I exist now. Deal with it.

"You good, Kali? You're, uh, stirring those eggs pretty viciously." Dad asks, a tad nervously. I blink, refocusing back onto my omlette. I... certainly didn't mean to rip the omlette into shreds with my spatula, but somehow that seemed to have happened. And also the spatula seems to be a bit mushed, the rubber folded in on itself. Whoops. I make a mental note to buy another spatula on my way back from classes. 

"Yeah. Just- you know." I gesture vaguely with my free hand, hoping that clears everything up so I don't have to explain. "Stuff. Got a bit distracted, sorry."

"Don't apologize. Not my eggs you're messing up." Dad chuckles at his own joke, a rare sound to hear. Must be a really good day. "You wanna talk about it with your old man?"

"I-" The no is on the tip of my tongue just out of habit before I change my mind. "...Actually, yeah."
I wasn't going to say anything, but - today was an unusually good day. That was a rarity with Dad, and I had a few questions I wanted to ask my one semi-reliable parent. With a hiss, I turn off the stove, dumping the lumpy egg-bits onto my plate, spearing one with a chopstick to shove into my mouth. They don't taste that bad, actually, aside from being shredded.

"Hit me with em." There's a scraping sound as Dad drags over a nearby chair across the laminated floorboards, reclining back into the seat. Welp. Time to jump the shark now. I twist my fingers, taking a deep breath and letting air fill up my sternum before finally relaxing, exhaling in a gush of air. Dad raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

"Can I... can I ask about Mom?" I ask.

"Ah." Dad freezes, and I kick myself, mentally. Stupid, stupid Akali. Today was going so well, why did I have to ruin it-

Talking about Mom with Dad was a bit of a loaded subject. For one, they - Mom and Dad - weren't on good terms (obviously) but more than that there was a history between them that made me more than curious about the lives they lead before having me and Shen. Apparently they were much, much more different from when they were in college; Dad was on track for a business degree, not an English degree, and Mom was still figuring out what she wanted to do, nothing like the cold businesswomen she was now. And apparently Mom was the shy one in their relationship-

But that was most of everything I knew. Even on good days this was a potential misstep, asking about Mom. On bad days Dad wouldn't even acknowledge my question at all save for perhaps a grunted no. On good days Dad's mood did a complete 180 if he thought about what he and Mom had back then. Sometimes he'd be angry - face dour, scowling, bristling at the slightest comment. Most times, though, he just looked sad.

This time, though, Dad doesn't look sad. He doesn't even look angry - if anything, he looks slightly bemused, giving me an odd, sideways look, as if I had suddenly shaved my head bald. "Akali...Have you've found someone you like?"

I blink. "What? No, I mean-"

My words come out as a stammer. How did Dad come to that conclusion? That was so far off what I was going to ask-
Also, why was I blushing? I cough into my fist, hiding my burning cheeks behind my hand unsuccessfully as I frown at my father. I can feel my ears burning- "That's... not what I'm talking about. At all. Like, I have no idea how you even got that conclusion-"

"Milady thinks you doth protest too much, no?" Dad teases. His roots as an English Major are really showing there. I'm pretty sure Dad used to work at Valoran University as a lecturer - that's where he met Mom, anyways, from what snippets of information I could put together, though Dad was remarkably tight-lipped about that stuff. "It's fine. You're at that age, after all. I'd love to meet him if I have a chance." He sounds so happy for once, a far cry from usual Dad that it hurts to burst his happy bubble-

I bite my tongue, unsuccessfully hiding my wince. My father seems to misinterpret that entirely, as Dad's expression darkens. "He's not some sort of person I wouldn't approve of, right?" His voice is dangerously quiet. I'm sure he's planning on dismembering my poor imaginary boyfriend-

"He's..." I start slowly, chewing the last dregs of omelette before swallowing. I hate misgendering my crush, but it was easier this way. As much as I loved Dad, he wasn't exactly running a tight ship. One slip during an argument with Mom, and I'd have a whole other problem on my hands. It would be safer this way. "He's not really interested in me? And he's not really looking for a relationship-" I try.

Wrong answer. Definitely the wrong answer. The way Dad looks right now, his face thunderous, you'd think that Kai was some cheap playboy, playing with my heart and feelings, not just a woefully oblivious best friend. "Akali, you know I respect your ability to choose your own relationships, but-

"No! No, Dad, it's not like that. It's -" Ugh, so embarrassing. I flush, rubbing the bridge of my nose, feeling heat creep up my cheeks and the back of my neck. "It's, uh, kinda a one-sided thing? I just have a crush on he-them. I have a crush on them."

Admitting it out loud - that I was pining over someone like a middle-schooler with their first crush - was actually mortifying, but I wanted to nip this misconception at the bud. If this got out to Mom - or even worse, Shen - I shudder. Yeah, that would be awful. Not only was Shen super protective of me - needlessly so, in my opinion - he was also stupidly well connected through his university friends and scarily efficient at leveraging them to the best of his ability. He practically knew more about the gossip at Valoran University than I did, despite having graduated several years ago, just because the gossip network between nurses and med-school interns was so large and well-informed.

"Oh." Dad deflates almost instantly. I'm sure he was secretly hoping for the chance to beat down some punk who was breaking the heart of his little girl. Not that he would be able to, with his lanky frame, all height no muscle, and it wasn't like I was still a kid anymore - I was practically a grown woman at 20. I could make my own decisions, make my own mistakes. Besides, it wasn't like I was completely innocent. I had girls over before, been up in their rooms as well- sometimes invited, sometimes smuggled in. Those were flings, though; and a summer romance with Evelynn that had ultimately fizzled out into nothingness. This, what I had with Kai'Sa, was - newer, and yet not. More important to me, and so painfully intimate I was paralyzed for fear of upsetting our careful balance.

"Well, why not just confess?"

I cross my legs again, taking another morsel of egg into my mouth, chewing slowly as I deliberate on what to say. I couldn't exactly explain the whole lesbian thing without crawling out of the six-foot-deep closet I was currently in, and trying to using metaphors to allude to my lesbian ass seemed like a dumb thing to do to an English Major, as well as a bit too twee for my tastes. In the end I decide on just honesty. 

"Because I don't think they're interested. That, and... I don't know. We've been friends for a while, but I've never had any feeling that they liked me back. So it'd be weird if I confessed, right?" I say.

Dad hmms thoughtfully, his face not revealing any of his inner thoughts, the same way Shen did sometimes. "Are they in a relationship already?"

"Not that I know of." I reply. And I did know - obsess, really - over Kai's relationships. It was hard not to; even excluding my crush on her, Kai was still my best friend, and I tried to be supportive of her various boyfriends. But they never seemed to last that long - a few weeks at most, and I knew that wasn't because of me, because it always was some mutual breakup that left both of them still friendly if distant acquaintances afterwards. I also knew that Kai'Sa was in a relationship drought for the past few months, mostly because of Star Guardian stuff.

So, technically, it was a perfect opportunity to confess-

No. I shake my head. I wouldn't confess. I... couldn't confess. I was... not scared, just-

...It was weird. It would be weird, right? It would mess up our six-year-long best-friend dynamic, and that would be bad. Yeah. And of course there was the whole - missing 100% of the shots you didn't take - but if I missed this shot everything would go sideways. The worst part would be that Kai might feel indebted to stay friends with me even if she felt uncomfortable around me, and that was something I just- couldn't have happen. Just thinking about that outcome made my heart ache with shame and yearning.

As if sensing my heartbreak, there's a sharp spike of pain through my chest, like a spike hammering through my sternum - and I can feel my Star Guardian connection buckle, for just a second - I gasp, half from shock, half from pain, and it's only the returning of my connection a second later that stops me from outright panicking - 

What the hell was that? I tentatively reach out with my mind, tugging at my connection, the phantom pain in my chest vanishing completely leaving only a numb ache on my clavicle - but the connection is there, as strong as ever. It was - maybe it was just a bruise. An odd bit of heartburn. Maybe I had- I don't know, bumped my chest into the table and rubbed the wrong way against an unhealed bruise. When I say it like that, I almost believe it.

"-Akali?"

I blink, re-focusing on Dad who is now giving me a look of confused concern. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm listening, Dad. Just - think a bit of egg went down the wrong pipe, that's all." I cough fakely into my palm, shaking my head a bit before giving a sunny smile back to my father. Couldn't have Dad worry about me on one of his good days; they were far too precious to waste on me.

"Alright..." Dad lets out a quick huff before smiling encouragingly at me. "Akali, you are a beautiful, intelligent, and talented young lady. Anyone would be honored to have you as their girlfriend. Sometimes, you should just have a little more faith in yourself, alright?"

"Mm." I stare down at my empty plate before giving a weak, if genuine smile back to Dad. Honestly, his advice wasn't bad, but it was more of the same - basically what Sona had told me. It was solid advice, just -
I couldn't risk it. I wouldn't risk it. Not for an empty crush like mine. "Thanks, Dad."
He seems to realize that I wasn't going to take his advice, as he sighs, giving me a halfhearted smile as if to say "well, he tried."

-Beep!

There's a beep from outside, and my heart almost leaps out of my chest at the sound. Was Kai here already? I look at the clock. "9:30? Shit, I don't have my stuff packed-" I jump out of my seat, scrambling upstairs, trying to locate where I left my laptop and hastily shove it into my backpack alongside my papers and other stuff. 

"Is that Kai'Sa?" Dad asks, peering towards the window. "It's good that you two are still friends. She's a good egg, and I know she'll keep you out of trouble."

If only he knew about being a Star Guardian. That thought alone makes me crack a smile. Dad would probably be thrilled to hear about me sneaking out at night to brawl horrific star monsters.  

"Oh! There's one more thing."  I snap my fingers, turning back to Dad. Almost forgot about it. I hadn't expected Dad to be - well, aware enough to sign off on anything, but I might as well use the opportunity when it was here. "Kai invited me to this group thing in a few weeks - like, some camp, and most of my friends are going. But-" 

Dad waves his hand as if waving the question away. "Say no more. I'll deal with your mother. You just have fun, all right?"

I grin. "Thanks, Dad." I hesitate for a moment, then before I can really think about what I'm doing, I'm rushing over to Dad and squeezing him in a one-armed hug - maybe a bit too roughly, as my dad fake-groans in pain before he squeezes back. I take a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Dad smelled of talcum powder and something smokey, like a rustic barbecue. His stubble is rough against my cheek as he pats me awkwardly on the back. It's been a while since I've been able to give Dad a hug, and he feels smaller now; only a few inches taller than me, and almost frail, his shoulders sharp and bony. I ignore that, focusing on Dad's warm arms around me.  

"Sorry, kiddo, for being not around for the past few days. I'll make it up to you, all right?" Dad mumbles out, almost awkwardly. 

"...Alright." I whisper back. I had heard that one before, though; on every good day Dad had, and I had long since given up any hope for change. I give one last squeeze before I'm heading out the door, sliding my backpack onto my back as I dash out to Kai's car.

“Urghhh…” I groan, slumping over onto the car dashboard, hands on my cheeks as I squeeze my face. "Pain..."

“How bad?” Kai asks knowingly. The two of us were finished with lectures for today and just hanging out in her car, as per usual - Kai's car parked out towards the outskirts of Valoran Park - a small, gravel-covered trail-like area of the parking lot that not many people hung out at. From here we had easy access to just about anywhere - we could down the block to Mr. Ramen's noodle shack, grab some food at Cafe Cuties, go to the nearby Valoran Square Mall - but it was nice out, so we were just sitting here in the car, the sunroof and windows rolled down for maximum lighting. I'd enjoy being outside more if I wasn't so swamped with work, of course.

Kai was looking as perfectly put-together as usual, with a cute school-appropriate blouse and a pink skirt & stockings combo that I enjoyed immensely and respectfully- it wasn't my fault that Kai'Sa's legs were practically a work of art, like solid marble and ivory shaped in the image of pale elegance. Her pink ponytail bobs as she tilts her head to the side, resting against the headrest of her seat.  

“Awful.” I answer honestly. “I’m pretty sure there should be, like, a law against assigning coursework when it’s finals week.” And it wasn't just any coursework; it was another four-paged essay assigned by Mr. Jhin, the eccentric art and design professor - honestly, if the stuff he taught wasn't legitimately fascinating even to my own untrained smooth-brained self, I'd consider dropping the class completely. As it stood, though, I just had his essay, a few assorted labs to make up in Microbiology, and then I was free to focus on my finals, which were a whole other problem. Whatever. One thing at a time, Akali.

“Yeah, Professor Jhin is kind of weird like that." Kai agrees. "I mean, he's kinda weird in general, with his mask and stuff..." Professor Jhin always taught mask wearing a white opera mask, the sort of high-cheeked sculpted face mask with twin eye-slots poking out the sides and a filigree of light lines etching over the cheek and upper forehead of the mask. Apparently nobody in the student body had ever seen him without it, a fact which had spawned many a rumor about what he truly looked like. Was he horribly deformed, and hiding his face with that mask allowed him to live in peace? Was he actually a student prodigy, freakishly tall for his age? Or maybe he was a sentient Star monster? Everyone at Valoran University had an opinion on it, even those who weren't in his class, and there was a huge betting pool on Professor Jhin's true reason for the mask. I had 20$ riding on him being just a weirdo. 

"Kai, let's not sugar-coat it. He has the fashion sense of an edgy 16-year-old obsessed with anime." I lift my face off the dashboard to glance balefully at Kai, who raises her arms in surrender. "And if that weren't enough, he does this - thing, with his hand that always pisses me off-" I wave my hand in the air frustratedly. The word to describe him is on the tip of my tongue -

"His flourishes?" Kai suggests helpfully.

"Yes!" I snap my fingers. "He does a flourish whenever he passes out papers. He practically prances whenever he walks around campus. I swear to god, Kai, that guy is a total drama queen. And he's assigning me a freaking essay on finals week that's worth 40% of my grade-" The sound that exits my mouth is some sort of keening screech like one of those Alien Queen mating calls. Kai'Sa weathers through it with the patience of a goddess-

"Sorry. Just, y'know. Finals." I add, sheepishly. Kai rolls her eyes, giving me an annoyed but affectionate smile. "You're not the only one who has finals, Kai. Heimerdinger's finals for physics are -" she shudders, as if recalling something horrific. "-actually impossible. Like, I've literally traveled to space as a Star Guardian and I still can't understand half of his quantum physics equations, even if I know they're correct."

"Yeah, Heimer can be like that." I agree. The Yordle was a genius, but there was something to be said about eccentricity and geniuses going hand-in-hand. "Did you know the guy tried to enter a mechanical T-rex in the local Battlebots competition? A full-scale T-Rex?"

"Really?" Kai blinks in surprise, before she considers something, her surprised gaze turning thoughtful. "Wait, was it called a T-Hex or something?"

"...Yeah, actually." Now it's my turn to give my best friend a questioning look. "How did you know?"

My best friend shrugs. "I saw this massive thing backstage in the auditorium when I was helping out Mr. Udyr, the janitor, with some chores. It was like some gigantic T-rex made of solid chrome, but I assumed that it was just a prop for theater. Professor Jhin would probably commission something like that, right?"

He definitely would; Professor Jhin was a perfectionist when it came to every aspect of his theater-works. He made pretty damn good plays, to be fair, but that wasn't the main thing on my mind. The main thing was that there was a giant automaton of a T-Rex less than a mile away-

"...D'you think he'd let me take it for a test drive?" I ask, shooting my best friend a conspiratorial wink.  Kai grins back, on the exact same wavelength as me. "No way. I would totally have first dibs. Professor Heimer likes me; he added two smiley faces on my last essay, the one about moon rocks and their mineral compositions." She preens slightly in a way that would be annoying if it wasn't so Kai.

"The one you cheated on?" I ask, only half-jokingly. "Because I'm pretty sure using Star Guardian powers to ace an assignment is against the code of academic integrity. Unfair advantages and all that."

"It isn't cheating if I went and got some moon rocks from the moon. It's..." Kai struggles to find the words for a second, before her gaze turns triumphant. "-showing individual initiative to go above and beyond."

I snort. "Nerd."

"Dork." Kai shoots back, before giving a short chuff of amusement, her face glowing with excitement. "God, that's crazy. Having a giant robot T-Rex? There's no way that's legal, right? But at the same time - that's so cool, I can't even blame Professor Heimerdinger. I kinda want to sneak into the auditorium again, see if it's still there-"  She's practically vibrating with anticipation, doing that excited little dance that she does when she gets really carried away- 

God, I love you. The words almost slip out before I bite my tongue, forcing myself to turn away- and the sudden pain that hits me again comes completely out of nowhere, stabbing again through my chest like a molten bar of iron. I choke, my next breath rattling about in my sternum before the pain disappears, leaving me with hot goosebumps all over my body. Again, I can feel my connection to the First Star flicker, going dark for a moment before it reforms, taking just another half-breath to do so. A soft hand touches my shoulder and I jerk up to see Kai giving me a look of concern. "You good?"

"Yeah." I rasp out, before coughing again. Kai pats my back comfortingly, massaging little circles into the small of my back. I find my breath a second later, back aching from the sudden tensing and un-tensing. "Just, uh..."

“Hm?” Kai glances at me expectantly, and it's enough for me to lose my nerve. 

“-Nothing. I was gonna ask if you read the latest episode of Tiger Gauntlet #5 - y’know, the new edition just came out, with Lissandra’s big reveal against Tiger Gauntlet and co. I know, you’re much more of a Mecha Kingdom fan, which is, like, objectively the worse comic-” I can't resist baiting her a bit; Kai's love for Mecha Kingdom is legendary amongst our Star Guardian friend group, and I knew what came next.

Kai lets out a mock-offended gasp, leaning back into her seat, eyes gleaming. “How dare you slander Mecha Kingdom like that! Mecha Kingdom is like, 50 times more original and interesting than Tiger Gauntlet. The people who made Tiger Gauntlet are a bunch of talent-less hacks copy-pasting ideas from better comics!” My best friend rants, her cute kiwi accent not detracting at all from the sheer passion in her voice.

I scoff, feeling slightly more energized as I playfully scowl back at Kai'Sa, scrambling my brain for a rebuttal. “There is literally no way you just said that. Tiger Gauntlet is made by the same people who did - Pool Party! Debonairs! Even - freaking Dark Star and High Noon!”

“ I mean, yeah, but they also did The Ruination and we know how that turned out.” Kai replies with a smirk. Touche.

The indie-movie crossover marvel of The Ruination featuring zombified/darkened main characters of various series serving an evil Ruined King was a polarizing box-office flop. Some critics hated it with a passion, others found it so bad that it circled back around to good. Kai was in the first category, I was in the second.  It was still a poignant point of disagreement for the two of us.

“…I still maintain that it had artistic vision, even if it lacked the technical flair to make it realistic.” I retort. 

“You’re just saying that because you think Viego is hot~“ Kai teases back. 

I groan, burying my head into my hands. God, I had hoped that Kai had forgotten about that incident. By my side my best friend cackles evilly, seemingly taking that as proof she was right.

The truth was a… bit more complicated than that.

Fact 1: I was a lesbian - as in, extremely, very very gay lesbian - and thus had about as much interest in men as cats have in following commands. 

Fact 2: Picture the scene. 2019 Star Guardian sleepover night: an annual tradition.

We’re about two movies in - halfway through The Ruination, the hot new blockbuster of the year. Most of the couples have already fucked off to their rooms for some real celebration, leaving a motley handful of Guardians still watching the movie.
One by one the other Guardians disappear into their rooms until it feels like it's just two of us; Kai’Sa and I sitting side-by-side, shoulder-to-bare-shoulder together on one of the beanbags. I feel Kai’Sa’s weight shift ever so slightly as she rests her head onto my shoulder, the soft fuzz of her pink pajama top just tickling the back of my neck. My stomach flutters as I realize that we were practically the only people in the room, besides Poppy who is snoring away on the couch, completely out cold - Soraka is the last to go, giving me an encouraging thumbs-up for some reason, and I can't even tell if she planned it or not-

Then I feel Kai shift again, leaning further into me until it feels like she's practically straddling me, her thigh and jeans resting on top of mine, the weight almost anticipatory in that it felt poised for something, like it was just a half-step away from more- intimate activities-

It felt like there was a bowl of warm ramen in my gut, everything swirling downwards from my sternum to my core in a haze of lust and heat and warmth. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and in my ears, a solid thump-thump-thump like a rock-and-roll drum solo. Kai smelled so good - all citrus-y and sweet, strands of her hair snaking down the front of my shirt like a lover's gentle touch, tracing down my collarbone until I can feel myself start to flush as well, my body unconsciously reacting to the warm body on my lap. Kai was - had always been - a handsy best friend but this, this was something more. This was all of her, on all of me, and I could feel the last bit of self-restraint I had begin to slip away. I finally work up the courage to look at Kai'Sa's face, slowly turning my head to the side until I can see Kai - her face is flushed, pale porcelain-skinned cheeks rosy, violet pupils dilated as she stares back at me, her gaze searching- my cheeks burn, feeling like they're on fire as I instantly turn my face away, only to slowly turn back around to watch Kai out of the corner of my eye. I can smell the sweetness of her peach lip gloss from where I was, our faces less than a foot away from each other, her breath warm on my shoulder

I wonder what her lips would taste like. Would they be sweet? Warm? Soft? Would they taste like peaches? My heart is beating at a thousand miles per hour as I turn to look at her again, only to find Kai looking at me as well. Our gaze meet, and there's this tension- like sparks, or magnets, her gaze locked on mine and I can't draw my eyes away- 

Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss her kiss her kiss her you big dumb idiot just kiss her already- 

“Viego’s hot, right?” I blurt out. 

...

...

Kai chuckles, before pressing her head back down onto my upper shoulder, just above my right breast, relaxing into me. "Mm. Not really my type of guy." 

And that was that. 

Why my brain cells decided to desert me at the most critical moment, I have no idea. It was literally the perfect opportunity! Hell, I might've been able to salvage the situation a bit, maybe say that she was hot as well - though honestly, I was like 90% sure that Kai would just take it as a compliment rather than me trying to flirt with her- and then I could've confessed. I should've just kissed her. If I had just said anything else, I might've salvaged the situation. Instead, I just froze up, doing nothing at all until Kai fell asleep on me a few minutes later. When she woke up, she seemed to have forgotten about everything that had just happened - and me, being the awful coward that I was, didn't ask.  

All of which brought me to this point. Me, the self-proclaimed lesbianest lesbian since Sappho, with a mistaken crush on Viego. Karma at its finest. 
Which was… ugh. I hated to admit it, but maybe there was a tiny bit of truth to that statement. Being a lesbian, Viego held about as much attraction to me as a slice of burnt toast, probably less. But Isolde? The Ruined Maiden? I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but the long locks, gentle face and perfectly ice-blue eyes that seemed to stare into your soul was definitely a “I would’ve had a massive crush on her if I saw The Ruination when I was younger.” moment.

Also the fact she was voiced by Abby Trot in the English Dub? Oh man, was I gone. So I (may have) stared at her a bit… 

“Kali? Earth to Kali-” Kai teases, her violet eyes twinkling with mischief. “Did you get lost in the eyes of your dreamboat again?” She faux-sighs, batting her eyelashes at me jokingly.

“Okay, I don’t want to hear it from the resident mecha-sexual-” I fire back, shaking off the last vestiges of nostalgia and pointedly ignoring the ache of regret that strums in my chest. She didn't kiss me either, I remind myself for what was probably the umpteenth time. If she liked me back, she would've kissed me. That, or she was drunk, or just sleep-addled, and I wouldn't ruin our friendship over a confession like that.

“Hey! How dare you slander Mecha Kingdom! Absolutely nobody is allowed to diss the mechas, all right?” Kai crosses her arms to glare at me, the effect still hilariously unintimidating.

“I thought you’d be more insulted by the whole, you know, attracted to mecha thing." I deadpan.
Leave it to Kai to be more interested in a fucking suit of armor than me. I can't even blame her, though. Did I have enough weaponized ordinance to destroy a city? Did I have rocket boots or giant mecha-axes? The answer to both of those questions, unsurprisingly, was no. If the answer was yes then I think I'd have a few more problems than my unrequited crush.

“But they’re so cool!” Kai exclaims.
Ah, here comes Kai’s geek rant about mechas. She always got this way when talking about Mecha Kingdom - I sigh, reclining into the seat and smiling indulgently at my best friend.
“Each of them have, like, a dynamic piloting system, which is both based off of actual fighter jets and stuff - and like, their pilots are so awesome! Saijax - he's the one with the big staff, you know - he's apparently like some thousand-year-old warrior who fought with a lamp of all things. A lamp! Can you imagine someone just bonking you over the head with a lamp? Just- bonk!”

Kai mimes hitting someone with a staff, before bursting into a fit of giggles. It should be criminal just how charming that sound was, like a wind chime or birdsong or something musical. I wasn't the English major, but as someone who had a hobby of making music I knew what good sounded like. If I could even bottle up a tenth of that feeling in my music I'd be set for days.

“Mhm. I heard a fan theory that the lamp is actually what's powering his mech, that it's some long-lost relic of Icathia.” I reply casually.
Kai beams at me - actually beams, her dimples coming out in full force with her smile. God, she's actually adorable. Facts like that intermittently hit me like a truck whenever I stared at Kai too long. Like staring at the sun and getting eye cancer - except, y'know, more romantically. Metaphors were never really my thing.

“Yes! I love that theory. I'm, like, 90% sure that there's a bunch of little hints about it scattered through the other comic issues - like, how Mecha Garen's sword comes from the chest compartment, where his power source is, and like Mecha Sion's reactor is cobbled together from the centerpieces of other mechs, and Draven's mech has him in the center so he's powered by - himself, because you know - Draven Draven- " She wiggles her fingers in the air in a scarily accurate, if Kiwi-flavored impression of Draven.
I snort. Kai seems to realize that she's rambling, as she ducks her head shyly, giving me a wan smile.

"Thank you for listing to me ramble, Akali. I didn't know you actually read Mecha Kingdom, though. We should talk about it sometimes!"

“I haven’t, actually." I admit. "It’s just - some video essay on it showed up on my Youtube, and I figured you might be interested in it as well."

Also, I may or may not have done a bit of research on my own about Mecha Kingdom - partly because I also had a soft spot for giant mechas (I mean, really, who doesn't?) but mostly because it was one of the things Kai talked a lot about and I wanted to contribute, at least a little bit, to our conversations. The only person in our group that was into Mecha Kingdom besides Kai'Sa was Ekko, and every time they talked about it my head would spin just from the amount of jargon and terms thrown around.

“Oh.” To my faint surprise, Kai blushes, her face flushing with pale blots of red before she regains her composure again. “W-well, yeah, duh. That’s cause Mecha Kingdom is the superior comic. I'm glad you finally admit it, Akali."

"Yeah, yeah." I wave it off. "Anyways, isn't the meeting starting soon? We should probably get going, Ekko texted me that he's on his way here and I'm pretty sure I just saw Valor fly by a few minutes ago." 

"We're continuing this when we get back, by the way-" The car door clicks open as Kai slides out of the car, shutting it close behnd her. I do the same, stretching out the moment my shoes hit the gravel walkway. "I have to enlighten you about the benefits of joining the Mecha Kingdom fandom. Join us, Kali! We have ice cream... and cookies!"

"Never been a sweets type of girl, so I'll pass." I grin at Kai, before my expression turns more serious. "Game time, though. You ready?" 

"...Yeah." Kai'Sa closes her eyes. When she opens her eyes again, it isn't the face of my goofy best friend staring back at me, but the determined mask of the Leader of the Star Guardians. 

"Let's get this meeting over with. We have a Star Nemesis to slay."  

Chapter Text

Valoran City Park is refreshingly sunny and fair-weathered as Kai and I trot over towards the giant oak tree at the center of the park, the unofficial meeting place for our group. It was a beautiful day out, which might've attracted some other uninvolved residents of Valoran City had Kai not put up a temporary barrier around the park - nothing major, just a simple exclusion barrier that made people want to go elsewhere. The concept was apparently similar to an Anamoly, though the differences escaped me, even after an explaination from Kai.

That left everyone in the park to be a Star Guardian, and I could already recognize some faces. Ekko is the first one to notices us - probably because of his bullshit time-warping powers or something like that - giving the two of us a quick nod from his perch on the higher branches before sliding off.

"Yo!~" Ekko lands with a twirl, the back of his purple jacket fluttering in the wind. "About time you showed up. For a second I though you two had ditched us to go to the arcade or something."

"I can't say I wasn't tempted by it." Kai teases back. "But this is pretty important, so hold off on wandering off to your lab for now, okay?"

The Timebreaking Star Guardian winks, his teeth shining in a pearly-white, toothy smile. He slings his weapon -a shining, starlight-blue blade across his shoulders before matching me and Kai in our strides across the grass. "You know me. I've got all the time in the world~"

I scan the park for any other familiar faces. There's Rell, off by the side chatting to a grinning Taliyah, both of them transformed into their Star Guardian regalia already - and I spot Ezreal hanging out off to the side, looking far more subdued than normal. Quinn is there as well, wearing a custom-made purple hoodie and t-shirt with a wing symbol and VALOUR printed on both pieces. It's a surprisingly casual look combined with her blue jeans and sneakers - not that it doesn't look good on her, just unusual to see her in civilian clothing.

"Akali." Quinn greets me with a nod, one which I return. The ranger was normally one of the more reclusive Star Guardians to get a hold of, so her showing up now was generally a good sign. It didn't help that her only close friend within the Guardians was Rell, the two of them being best friends in situation similar to me and Kai - except they really were just best friends, nothing else.

"Quinn. Thanks for coming." I say. "I know you're normally busy with your patrols, after all."
The Star Guardian ranger shrugs airily, letting out a piercing whistle to Valour, her hawk familiar responding by diving down low to rest on Quinn's shoulder. "No problem. I figure it must be something important if you went out of your way to contact me." She side-eyes Ekko warily. "If it's something dumb like a surprise birthday party, I will kick you."

"Oh come on! It was one time!"

"Not my decision. Valour's decision." Quinn says primly. I can't tell if she's just messing with us or not; most Guardians were, well, familiar with their Familiars, but Quinn took it to a whole new level with Valour. In combat the two of them were practically in-sync, Valor acting as a feathery extension of Quinn's will without the need for even verbal commands.

"Looks like we're all here." Kai'Sa declares. "Let's get this meeting on the road, shall we?" That seems to be the signal for the group to gather around, Rell and Taliyah stopping their conversation to trot over. Between the six of us - Rell and Taliyah transformed, the rest of us untransformed - I can feel the starlight glow, each of our bonds resonating with the First Star's light and sending a electric tingle through my body. It felt right, being here, alongside the other Guardians.

"So, tell me again why we're doing this meeting during finals week?" Rell asks, arching an eyebrow skeptically at Kai. "Cause Tali's been really stressed out lately, so we were planning on chilling the fuck out-"

"It's about the Incursion that happened yesterday, right?" Quinn comments, interrupting Rell, the cavalier looking slightly miffed at being interrupted but ceding the conversation anyways. At my questioning glance - how did she know about that? - Quinn elaborates a bit. "I didn't sense it myself, but I've been tracking something on my patrols. More movement from the Void, more attempted Incursions - the latest one would've lined up exactly with yesterday."

Quinn had been tracking Fiddlesticks? That was news to me. I stifle the pang of regret at not keeping in contact with Quinn. I didn't know her that well, and it had seemed like she enjoyed her privacy, so I had never really reached out to her. I make a mental note to keep in more regular contact with her.

"Uh, is anyone else super lost? 'Cause I know that I am-" Ekko says, awkwardly raising a hand in the air. Kai and I exchange a look, the sort of look that only six years of friendship can communicate.
You want me to take it?  I ask, motioning to the group. Technically I had the most experience with Fiddlesticks, even if Kai was the leader and the one who called the meeting today.
Kai shakes her head. I'll do it.

"Last night, Sona, Akali, and I encountered a new Star Nemesis." Kai announces gravely.

The reaction is more mixed than I expected. Taliyah looks shocked and slightly terrifed, though she tries to hide it unsuccessfully; Rell looks grim but accepting. Quinn doesn't even look surprised, whereas Ekko's expression is stuck on dumbfounded - he probably wasn't expecting news of this callibre. The only reaction that I found really surprising was Ezreal, who simply leans back onto the tree behind him, frowning. He probably heard it from Sona already, I realize. Either that, or Kai told him before the meeting began. Whatever.

"You sure it's a Star Nemesis? Not, like, a really large version of one of those Star Monsters? I mean, they can get pretty freaky at times-" Ekko tries. This time I cut him off. I'm sure he doesn't mean anything by it - hell, i I wish I were wrong in this case - but it's a bit annoying to have Kai's words doubted so easily.

"It's a Star Nemesis, Ekko. I fought it as well; there was no mistaking it. It had the power to create Incursions. It was intelligent, even if it wasn't human. And... it was as strong as Zoe." I swallow. "Maybe even stronger."

There's a moment of silence as the assembled Guardians take in the news - before your entire group erupts into uproar and panicked chaos.

"Everybody calm down-!" Kai tries to say something, but it's drowned out by all the other Guardian's voices - I can barely hear anyone, much less Kai - I open my mouth to shout ad everyone and tell them all to shut up, but someone beats me to it.

"Re-lax, guys!" 

Ezreal's words pierces through the din of conversation instantly. The blonde is the only one who seems to be keeping a level head in this situation. It's another reminder that, for all his percieved youth and inexperience, Ezreal was actually one of the more experienced Guardians - not quite as old as Syndra, Janna, or Soraka, but definitely more well-versed in Star-Guardianing considering his former place on Ahri's team.
"It's just another Star Nemesis. With a bit of backup from Ahri's and Lux's groups, we'll be set, yeah?" Ezreal's tone is casual, but I can tell that the blond Star Guardian had put more than a little thought into his plan. "Besides, I have to pay that thing back for hurting my girlfriend."

Another murmur from the collected Guardians as people realize the reason for Sona's absence from the meeting. This, at least, seems to focus some of the other Guardians, who seem to realize just what was at stake here. Still, Ezreal's comment does bring up a good point. What were the other Star Guardians doing?

"Right. Yeah, that's right." Ekko snaps his fingers, looking noticeably more relaxed. "Hey, how long do you think it'd take Lux and them to get over here if we let 'em know about this Star Nemesis?"

"Actually..." Kai'Sa pauses, tilting her head down. It takes me a moment to realize that she's checking the time on her watch. "They said they'd be sending messengers..."

I frown. This was news to me. I was surprised, as well as more than a little bit hurt that my best friend hadn't told me about this. "Kai?"

My best friend winces, as if just now realizing I was there. "Sorry, Kali. They told me to wait until everyone was gathered before saying this. They also said we'd recognize the messengers-"

There's a pop, then a burst of starlight as a Rift opens up right above our heads, about six feet off the ground - the tunnel is barely larger than a dinner plate, and for a second I think they're going to expand it further - or, maybe slide out the end feet-first like a McDonald's playpen slide - before two very familiar shadows pop out of the darkened wormhole and into the light. One of them is Ina, the white moon-rabbit bouncing to its feet and gliding over to Kai'Sa, whereas the other one is-

"Umi!" I cheer. My familiar trills, bobbing up-and-down before swooping towards me, little manta-ray fins wiggling as it circles around my head making various happy noises. I wiggle my finger towards my familiar, giving him the equivalent of a high five. "How are ya doing, bud? I missed eating ramen with you, bud. Where have you been?" I don't - coo, but my tone is certainly softer than it normally is. I missed my little familiar, even if sometimes he was a pain in my ass - he was like the little brother-pet that I had grown to appreciate.

"Umi and I have actually been in contact with the First Star, Akali." Ina says, answering instead of my inky familiar. The bunny looks slightly worse for wear, back slumped in an almost-exhausted posture as it bounces over to Kai'Sa, though it straightens up a second later as all eyes fall upon it. Kai'Sa's bunny familiar clears its throat, turning to the rest of the assembled Star Guardians. "Lux and the Council have been tracking Fiddlesticks for the past few months, through deep space and various worlds. Apparently this Star Nemesis is particularly good at escaping from Star Guardians through the Void, making it quite an irritation."

"Alright..." Ezreal says, slowly. "I guess that's good to hear." He doesn't look too pleased about not being in the loop, and honestly I can't blame him. The fact that this all could've been avoided if Lux and the others had just told us in advance about Fiddlesticks - "So they're sending a team of Star Guardians to help, right?"

It takes a second to recognize the expression on Ina's face, though that's mostly because I've never seen it on any familiar's face before. But - even on an anthropomorphic rabbit, I knew what guilt looked like. I feel my heart sink into my stomach as Ina can't quite meet anyone's gaze, the rabbit busying itself with fiddling with its front paws. "The Council has... that is, the Council recently got notice of former Star Guardian Rakan's location, out in the Outer Wilds of the galaxy. So-"

...

...

"...Hah." I chuckle. There's no humor in the noise. Ina winces, floppy ears folding over defensively, but I'm not angry at him. Don't shoot the messenger and all that shit. No, the people I was pissed at were at Lux and the other Guardians.

"So - what? Sorry we're not going to help you? Sorry that we managed to corral this Star Nemesis right to you and now can't be bothered to help? Good luck and fuck you? We're going off to save Rakan? Hopefully some of y'all survive so we can have that summer Sunday brunch?" I bark out a laugh, the sound hoarse and choppy in the silence that follows. "I sure am glad that they're here to help us, like they said they would when they took the oath!"

Umi trills in distress, bobbing around my head anxiously. But even the comfort of my familiar being back doesn't fix the hot discomfort curdling in my gut. We had been sold - hook, line, and sinker, by Lux and the other Guardians. Abandoned, when we needed them most. Left out of the loop for months and then forced to deal with their problem -

Because of them, Sona had gotten hurt. Because of them, Sona and I had almost died, and they weren't even willing to say sorry, those pieces of shit- A voice hisses in the back of my mind, and I can't deny it, not after this-

"They finally had a lead on Rakan. It's understandable that they'd want to pursue it-" Kai says weakly. I twirl around to stare at Kai'Sa, my best friend meeting my incensed glare with a calming hand - not that it did much, I was practically seeing red at this point-

"Are you actually defending this shit? Kai-" I hiss.
Something vicious swirls inside my stomach, screaming at me from behind my ear like an angry gadfly, a persistent buzz in my eardrums. Kai was always so quick to defend the Guardians, so eager to agree to Lux's every whim. Maybe it was ridiculous but I had thought - hoped- assumed, that her best friend would take precedent over the words of someone she had met a single time-

"I'm not. Not defending them. I... but I understand why they would do that. Rakan is their friend, Akali. They can't just abandon Rakan like that-" Kai'Sa tries.

"He weighed his lover's life against that of his own freedom and he found the trade acceptable. And now he's a mass killer, terrorizing planets, darkening worlds as a Ruined Star Guardian." I spit out viciously, and I can see Kai flinches back at the sheer vitriol in my voice. "If there was anything left of Rakan in there, it's long gone now. It's been a year, Kai. One whole year! And they haven't had any success in saving him. And now they want to drop everything, abandon us and the people of Valoran City for a wild goose chase?" 

I was there as well, Kai. I knew that beautiful, terrible decision Rakan had made was one that still weighed in Xayah's mind, drove her to such lengths. If only he hadn't had done that. At least they could've been together in the darkness, an eternal pair in the Void. But breaking the two apart had sent Xayah in a grief-consumed spiral, one which had only been broken by her current desperate quest to save Rakan from the Darkness. At this point I had to wonder;

Was it love that drove Xayah so far, or was it guilt?

Kai bites her lip, her gaze pleading, hands clenched into fists. She doesn't say anything, but I can practically feel her desire to prove me wrong, to refute my words, say something- 

I don't let her. The words keep tumble out, each one stacking on each other and it feels like I'm - feeding off the anger, feeding off the conflict like a wildfire spreading across dry brush. I hate that Kai keeps defending them, hate that Kai is siding with them over me, her best friend - over Sona, and everyone else, all the other Guardians here - Taliyah, Rell, Ekko- that she was basically saying she would be okay with losing them, okay with following a selfish, horrible decision that could cost our friends their lives-

"They need to wake up and understand that Rakan's not coming back. There is no power of love that can save him, no silver bullet to bring him back from the darkness - and they're actively putting people's lives at risk by doing this. How, can you not understand that, Kai-" I plead. Please, just listen to me for once-

"They can't give up. The moment they give up is the moment Rakan dies for real." Kai twists her hands together anxiously. She can't meet my eyes. "I understand what you're saying, Akali, but - Rakan did it before, saving Xayah from the darkness-"

"And that was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. A sacrifice, made in the heat of the moment, by a truly selfless love." I counter. Not even I could deny that; the bond that Xayah and Rakan had shared was something special, one which transcended being a Ruined Star Guardian. But-

"Do you truly think Xayah would accept Rakan now? After everything he's done?" I whisper, just loud enough for Kai to hear me. She stiffens. "Do you really believe that?"

"That's..." Kai takes a step back. Unconsciously, I feel myself match her with a step forward, my voice growing louder and louder-

"And now we're screwed. That - thing, almost killed Sona, and I don't think it was even using its full strength! It was just- toying with us, that whole goddamn time-" I clench my fist, the memory of that terror sending another spike of anger - "How can you be fine with that, Kai'Sa? How can you be fine, with our friends being killed by that monster-!"

My voice trails off. Everyone else is silent, staring at me - I realize I'm practically looming over Kai, my best friend shrinking away from me. I shrink back, pulling myself together but the damage is done; Kai's staring at me like I've grown another head and I-

"I'm- sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean to-" I stammer, reaching out to Kai-

My best friend flinches, away from me, and I jerk my hand back. The look on her face - a mixture of regret and fear flashes across Kai'Sa's face - she was afraid, of me- I fucked up. I fucked up, I fucked up, always a screw-up, always a disappointment- "I'm sorry. I-I don't know why I said that, I-" The words just aren't coming out, aren't enough- it's like one of my nightmares but even worse, the fact that it was real life and-

"Akali-" Ekko tries. He says something that I don't hear, can't hear- I throw up my hand to stop him from getting any closer.

"Don't! Don't come any closer. I just-" I exhale a shaky breath, taking one step back. Then another, avoiding the concerned gazes of the other Guardians, avoiding Kai's seeking gaze - I didn't want to see the pity hidden within them, or worse - the fear, the disgust, the anger rightfully aimed at me-

"I just need a moment to put myself together, alright? I'll be back. I just... I'm sorry." I swallow. "I'm sorry-"

"Kali!"

I don't wait for Kai's reply before transforming, letting starlight energy fill my body and form starry wings before launching myself into the sky and away as fast as I can. 

I fly.

I don't know where I'm going. Just - away.
I fly as fast as I can, as high as I can until my legs ache from the strain of flight and even then I push forward, up, past the clouds, past the shimmering waves of blue and tranquil violet that make up the sky - my lungs burn from a lack of oxygen, the air too thin to breathe and still I push forward, my vision turning a blinding pure white for full seconds at a time, blue-black wings straining against gravity's incessant pull.

Here was where even the most high-flying birds dare not go, up in the upper reaches of the stratosphere where no living thing could survive save for those wreathed in starlight. Higher and higher into the sky, past layers of clouds and lights and air so thick and thin it was like breaching an alien planet, each second a dizzying escape of motion and movement-

Until my wing beat one last time, my body weightless for one, infinitesimally minuscule moment of freedom. A perfect heartbeat of zero gravity.

And I fall.

Air rushes through my hair, whistling in my ears as I drop, channeling my upward momentum to downward in a moment, a perfect arched back like a midair swan dive, body curved and angled like a cloudburst's teardrop-

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

I tumble, free-falling, arms dangling in the wind, the world whipping past my eyes in shades of white and blue, all of it blurring together in a seamless transition of air and light - I'm falling towards the ground, my wings fluttering helplessly by my side, tucked into my back as I force myself to cede any control I had over my fall. It's surprisingly peaceful; even the harshest of winds can't penetrate the passive protection of my Star Guardian uniform, and so all I hear is the wind trilling in my ears, like a long-forgotten melody.

Four seconds. Five seconds. Six seconds.

I can hear it now. The closer I get to the ground, the more I can hear, the more I can sense, the more I can feel - like a whole hybrid sense opening up to my eyes. I can sense them, the starlight in my veins reacting unconsciously to the ordinary people below me. Like a thousand brilliant beacons all coming into view at once, each of their dreams and ambitions glowing in their souls-

Seven seconds. Eight seconds. Nine seconds.

Enough.

With a burst of starlight and a flutter of feathers, I spread my wings. My wings are beautiful; the only part of my transformation that I truly loved. As picturesque as pure starlight, coalesced and darkened into darkened violet-purple gossamer wings, longer than my outstretched arms by a foot and glowing like the reflection of the night's sky on the wings of a Monarch butterfly. They ripple violently as they catch the air, caught between twin forces of air and gravity, the force as violent as a whirlpool and with the force of a hurricane. Desperately, I force myself to stay upright despite the raging air currents screaming in my ear and circling between my shoulder blades -

Ten seconds. Eleven seconds. Twelve seconds.

Finally, I can feel the wind begin to peter out behind my wings, enough for me to finally right myself, gliding across the skyline before finally drifting down to a nearby park. I had no idea where I was, which - wasn't unusual, really. I tried not to think of anything when I was flying, just focusing on the wind on my back and sensation of falling, the feeling of adrenaline driving me more than any logic or thought process. This wasn't the first time I had just - needed to escape, needed to leave, but most times I did it from home, hopping out of the window to escape Mom's clutches. Not from Valoran Park, which was halfway across the city.

Just thinking about what I did - to Kai, in front of all the other Guardians - made me want to curl up and die in some hole in the ground. I mean -

"Fuck." I huff, wiping away a bead of sweat off of my forehead. There's a park bench and table to my right - I stagger over to it, practically falling over myself as I sink down onto the wooden seating, my legs suddenly unstable and shaky as the last dregs of adrenaline run their course. But even after all of that, even after threatening to burn myself out completely with my powers, forcing myself to my upper limits - I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

I had lost control. I had yelled at my best friend. I had taken out all my shit on Kai, and it wasn't her fault, it was just - everything that had happened, and I was projecting, and I wasn't thinking right, and-

"Hrmgph." I groan, slumping back over onto the table. Yeah, alright. Young adult with disapproving mother and barely cognizant dad has anger issues; completely unsurprising. But what had happened there, looking back at it - it just didn't feel right. At that moment, it had felt like there was something in me, drawing out the worst of me like a firestarter to a blaze, whispering in my ear all the things I tried to ignore - about Kai, about the other Guardians, all my deepest insecurities projected onto another-

"Penny for your thoughts?"

The words don't register to my mind until a second later, when I sense eyes on me - just a second - I whirl out of my seat, turning to face whoever it was-

"Oh dear." The voice tuts. "You're having quite a rough day, aren't you? My apologies."

It was a woman. Of course; my only weakness. Worse than that - a hot woman. Hot was an understatement. She was gorgeous - beautiful in a way that put even supermodels to shame. Her skin a rich shade of pale ebony-pink; long, slender hands and arms that fit perfectly against a chest and tapered waist, the sort of classical hourglass figure that most women would kill to have. She was tall; taller than me, even, her white hair tucked into a tight, neat, bun on the top of her head, her dark violet eyes gazing lazily at me from behind tinted silver frames. From a distance, with her tight-fitting white blouse and tight-fitting designer pants, she looked like the subject of many student-teacher fantasies; a beautiful, assertive, leggy teacher-

And every one of my senses was screaming danger, danger, danger just looking at her.

Instantly, I transform, starlight pouring through my -

Or at least, I try to. Instead, there's this - tug, when I try to transform, like trying to unclog a running sieve, and there's nothing, not even the slightest hint of starlight. At least there's no pain this time, just a growing discomfort as the sensation I was tensing for never arrives. Fuck, of all the times for this to happen-

"Stay back!" I slide off the bench, holding myself in a defensive position, posturing as if ready to transform. There was no way she could tell, right? "Don't make me have to hurt you!"

"Hm? I only wish to talk, little Star Guardian." The woman smiles, holding up her hands in a surrendering motion, as if somehow that would put me at ease. It doesn't. Surrendering like that meant nothing in the world of Star Guardians and Star Nemeses; if she was truly as dangerous as I suspected, she had no need for firearms; she could simply murder me with her bare hands.

She knew what I was as well - I grimace. Any chance that she was just a confused bystander instantly evaporates. This woman is dangerous, extremely dangerous. Being able to hide from my senses was one thing, but acting like this - in front of a Star Guardian, no less- This is bad. This is really, really bad. My gaze flicks across the park, scanning for some sort of backup or escape plan, but there's nothing. The park is completely deserted besides me and the mystery woman, which normally would be a good thing - I could transform and just fight her - but my transformation is still abandoning me. I force myself to stay calm, my heartbeat thumping in my ears. The woman makes no moves to approach me, simply standing in one place, hands still in the air before she lets them fall, loosely, to her side.

"Oh, don't bother with calling your little Guardian friends, either. I simply want to...chat with you." She intones chat like she's suggesting a nice dinner date, or a poolside brunch - something infinitely more pleasant than what most likely awaited me should I concede to this "chat" of hers. I lick my lips, my mouth feeling conspicuously dry right now.

"Yeah? Well, consider me not interested."

She cocks her head to the side in an unfairly attractive movement, her dark blue lipsticked lips pursuing against each other. Something close to - amusement? flashes through her eyes for just a second as she evaluates me, and I bristle at the unwanted attention, still in a ready position. "Really? Even though I can sense Fiddlesticks's shadow on you?"

"Fiddlestick's... shadow?" I repeat, warily. It could be a bluff. It could be just some sort of made-up thing to get me to slip up and reveal something important - but for some reason I got the impression it wasn't a lie. Earlier today, with that weird feeling in my gut - and that nightmare that I still can't remember...

"Mm. You must be having some troubles transforming, by now... or perhaps it's started leaking into your other self. I can sense - reconciliation being needed, a sort of duality in your shadows as they are irreparably in conflict with one another." She smiles, a wry sort of smile that makes her look shockingly human. "Trust me when I say that's the clearest I can be, when talking about these sort of problems."

"...I don't know what you're talking about." I lie, badly. I wince. Good job, Akali. Tell the evil lady that you can't transform -

The woman shrugs, seemingly uncaring, her gaze not leaving me for a second. I can't help but notice that her eyes are a hypnotizing hue of violet, like the petals of a nightshade plant; beautiful and deadly. "Perhaps it's not happened yet; but it will. Fiddlesticks is a slow, insidious killer, the sort that doesn't mind waiting a hundred or even two hundred years for their victim to fall." She pauses; the sort of pause for dramatic emphasis, before she continues offhandedly, as if she hadn't just commented on my inevitable, slow and agonizing death-

"Well. I suppose it doesn't matter, then. Seeing as you don't trust me-"

"Yeah, no shit." I snap out, mostly out of nerve more than anything. I instantly regret it as something close to - not quite anger, but something old and ominous rises in the violet eyes of the mysterious woman. It was like they could see through any and all defenses I had, in a forced intimacy more spine-chilling than heartwarming. It's gone as quickly as I sense it, but it's enough to put me back on edge. She seems to realize it as well, as her tone returns to a more professional nature.

"-I suppose I'll just... leave this here, for now." From the inner folds of her velvet-blue blouse the woman pulls out a simple business card, tossing it onto the table where it lands, perfectly innocuous. I don't spare it more than a single glance on the off chance it might be a distraction. It's a simple card; no ornaments, no fancy designs, nothing unusual about it besides its owner. I can't sense anything dangerous about it, either.

On it is a single line, ten digits long. A phone number. I don't make any move to pick it up.

"You know, most people at least give their name before leaving their number." I snark out, slowly relaxing as it became more and more obvious she had no intentions of hurting me. If she did want to hurt me, she wouldn't have given me her business card, nor would she have said so much about Fiddlestick's Shadow - A lead. Something concrete to look into- Maybe Ezreal could help, or maybe I could reach out to Syndra, if she was still around-

"Ah. How rude of me." And - goddammit, she has a sense of humor as well, if the way her eyes sparkle with amusement is any indication. She has the hot/scary/boss motif down pat, why couldn't she be a total stick in the mud as well! Dammit, Akali, stop being attracted to the obviously evil lady! Even if she is ridiculously hot- I force myself to focus on her - her words, that is, what she was saying, not her- 

"Morgana. Pastry chef by day, but by night, well..." She licks her lips in a slow, seductive movement before giving me a pointed, almost cruel smile. "I have other... proclivities."

Why the fuck is that so attractive. Goddammit. She's absolutely going to try to kill me sooner or later, but for now I can just appreciate how far she's going with her attempted seduction - not that it isn't working, it definitely is, but I wasn't going to fall for the obvious ploy anytime soon.

"Right... So, uh, thanks, Morgana-" I put as much sarcastic emphasis as I can on the word thanks just to see the way Morgana's jaw stiffens in irritation - seriously, why the fuck do I find even that attractive as hell  "-but I don't think I'm in need of a pastry chef anytime soon." And the less said about the other thing, the better; even just thinking about it for more than half a second is enough to make my brain start to malfunction.

"I assure you, you will be interested, sooner or later." Morgana insists. "...But I won't force the issue. It was nice meeting you, Star Guardian." She strolls away, hips swaying, seemingly uncaring of any retaliation from my end - or maybe it's part of her seduction pants - plan, I meant plan -

"Yeah, like that line ever worked on anyone." I mutter under my breath, mostly to distract myself from her alluring sway.
I nearly jump out of my spine when I hear Morgana laugh, already halfway across the park - how did she hear me? - her laugh a surprisingly throaty noise, her words delivered in a surprisingly catty tone. "Just because it never worked for you, Akali, doesn't mean it won't work for me~"
The last few words are delivered with a breathy, throaty tone, somehow eminating from right behind my ear and I exhale, forcing myself relax, my pulse and heartbeat drumming up involuntarily.

I wait until she's gone - really, truly gone- and for my Guardian powers return before I pick up the business card. Against all my better instincts, I put the card back into my pocket where it sat, a burning weight in my pocket, waiting to be called. I... didn't want to resort to it, but if what she said about Fiddlestick's Shadow was true, then... I couldn't not take it.

I frown. Something about that last interaction with Morgana was throwing me off, but I couldn't figure it out. I run the memory back in my mind, line-by-line, action by action. Then it hit me.

"...She knew my name." I mutter. I had never told her my name. And that fact alone is enough to put me on edge again. The inviting shade and drooping shadows of the park's spruces suddenly seeming far more threatening. I pace back warily, slowly scanning the clearing, prepared to move at a moment's notice. Clearly, this was not a chance meeting; clearly, she had been stalking me for a while-

Brrrring! Brrrring!

My phone rings. The sound pierces through the silence as I gradually un-tense myself from my combat stance. With shaky hands I press the answer button-

"Oh thank god." It's Kai, on the other end. Not Morgana.
I relax, before I really take in her tone - breathless, stressed, Kai's breath coming in short huffs through the microphone - she didn't expect me to pick up? Or-

"What's going on? Kai?" My mind is already thinking of the worst-

There's silence. Then-

"It's Fiddlesticks. He's back."

Chapter Text

Viewed from twenty thousand miles in the air, the Clearview Shopping Mall looked like a gigantic nautilus shell laid on its side, the pale concrete of plastered walls and roofs stretching outwards in clumpy, misshapen squares and rectangles. There's a certain oddity at peering down from a view normally reserved to only birds and other avian-folk. From my perch in the air, my wings beating steadily to hold me aloft, I can see every bit of tattered concrete and peeling paper normally hidden from consumers on open display from above, giving the once-pristine mall a sense of dereliction. Sensing the people milling about from the inner folds parking lot garages to the outer edges of the complex is an easy task with my Guardian abilities. When I try to sense through the center of the mall, though, there's nothing but an eerie tugging in the back of my mind, an invisible voice rasping at me to turn back, turn back-

Bingo. No time to waste; I tuck my wings in and dive, the wind whipping through my hair as I force myself to accelerate in a straight line towards the bottom edge of the mall's massive glass window, towards one of the lower quadrants where I could see specks of rust and chipped edges - hopefully that was where the glass would be weakest. The instant I had gotten Kai'Sa's message I had flown myself across town as fast as I could, ignoring the painful twinges from my wings at being subjected to such relentless abuse.

Kai had only sent me a single line - Clearview Shopping Mall. Need Backup. Nothing else. That had been twenty minutes ago, and now I was getting worried. There was no telling who or what Kai was fighting in there - and if it was Fiddlesticks, like she said, Kai would be in a lot of trouble.

The roof of the mall careens into view as I begin my downward descent, rocketing forward into my vision as I spiral downwards, bracing myself for impact. I can almost feel the brief second of contact, combat boots to glass, momentum versus architecture- before Star Guardian durability wins out handily.

CRASH!

Stainless white glass shatters-

And reality with it as I dive into the Incursion feet-first, the last particles of reality seeping through the cracks like a light from the heavens before the Incursion repairs the jagged wound in its side, throwing me back into the distorted red-light of the voided reality.

I had been to Clearview Shopping Mall several times before; sometimes alone, sometimes with friends, once or twice with Evelynn, being dragged along as a living display mannequin. At the time, I had been pleasantly amused by how much effort went into the appearances and approachability; the catchy jingles broadcasted constantly over the intercom, giving the mall a simplistic, Christmas-y charm - each corner of the mall boasting several different decors and styles, each embossed with their own logos on the floor or walls, wherever space was available. The vibrant, eye-catching lights around every corner were so blinding I joked that was the reason for Evelynn's perennial sunglasses.

Now, though - with the lights pale and flickering, barely a candle's glow against the Void's effusive violet light, the storefronts seemed more eerie than inviting. Large posters and banners of smiling models and customers that once were cheery and humorous now came off as ominous and foreboding in the distorted violet haze, their features flickering in and out of vision like tired specters. The speckled tiled flooring clack as I land, descending slowly with my starlight wings. It's the only sound for miles upon end, besides the soft rattle of air-conditioning units still puttering about, unaware of their lack of customers. Compared to the normal hustle-and-bustle of the mall, the silence was disconcerting to the extreme.

I can feel the difference already.
Here in the Incursion, the air felt - almost hungry, like a constant pressure against my skin, threatening to devour me. Flight here would be difficult, if not impossible; the air too saturated and dense to be easily brushed aside and so with a hint of regret and a burst of violet light I make my wings disappear back into my skin.
God, this place was creepy. I stare at an abandoned botique display-case to my right, the leading mannequin's body still twisted in a stylish pose. In full daylight it wouldn't seem nearly as scary but in the shifting vision of the incursion that was a jumpscare waiting to happen. My fingers twitchs as I restrain myself from summoning my kunai and ripping through it. Vaguely, I wonder if Kai would blame me if I destroyed all the mannequins I came across - surely one of them would end up being possessed or something, and I wasn't about to get ambushed by a walking cliche like that.

Focus, Akali. First things first. Find Kai, find any other Guardians in here, save any unlucky civilians stuck here. Then - hopefully, kick Fiddlestick's ass hard enough that it fucked off, preferably to some other, uninhabited solar system. I was being a bit optimistic on that one, but - well, being a Star Guardian was about hope, right?

I take a deep breath in, tasting the air. From what I had encountered as a Star Guardian, no two Incursions were the same, and this one seemed to be no exception. For this one, the air tasted- almost sweet, sickeningly so, like a form of melted cotton candy, the scent and taste still lingering in my mouth. More than that, it was cold - colder than I had expected, cold enough to see the faintest wisps of air exit my mouth in little puffs, a touch of white smoke against the pink-rose haze.

"Hmm." The haze, the smoke - almost like perfume. I narrow my eyes. The last time we had fought Fiddlesticks it had been in a chessboard reality, fully swallowed by the Void, a perfect playground for the scuttling chessboard king. This, though - this seemed different. Almost like there was another influence here... or another reason for this haze. Like a hidden meaning among this obfuscation of the senses. Maybe... did Fiddlesticks change his Incursion depending on who was in it? I couldn't tell for sure, but-

"HELP ME!" 

Kai's voice. A scream, echoing through the emptied corridors.

All thoughts of planning and observations disappear from my head as I whirl around, sprinting in the direction of the voice. "Kai!"

My feet pound against the slick tiling of the mall as I sprint deeper and deeper in to the violet depths of the shopping mall, Kai's scream still echoing in my ears. I reach a part walled off by metal girders and a hastily constructed yellow sign warning me - Construction Beyond This Point- I growl, putting on the speed, my kama swirling into existence in a spray of starlight before I slash, the blade screeching as it tears through the metal like paper, ripping a hole large enough for me to smash through.

Exposed metal girders and non-functional portable halogen lights greet me on the other side, alongside chunks of plaster scattered haphazardly about the floor, torn out of the walls and ceiling like scabs torn off an open wound - it's dark, almost pitch black, and for a second I hesitate, standing on the edge of the upper deck - before I hear Kai's voice again, screaming from below.

"HELP ME! HELP ME!"

"Hang on, Kai!" I shout.

I sprint to the railing and jump over it, launching myself over the side and into the pitch-black darkness below - my enhanced eyesight barely catches the glint of corrugated metal as I'm falling, allowing me to twist and land on the red metal construction staircase below, my feet clanging against the solid steel as I jump, two-steps down at a time all the way to the bottom. It felt like no matter how fast I was, Kai's voice kept getting further and further away-

"-HELP ME! HELP ME!"

"Dammit! Kai- say something! Kai! What's going on!" I shout. There's no reply - no light, nothing to be seen except the haze of the Incursion and the metal beneath my feet - I could barely see more than three feet in front of me. Visibility was an an all-time low, and I flinch back as my foot hits a spare piece of rubble, the plaster clacking as I kick it away, sending it spiraling into the darkness. With a burst of starlight, I light up the area around me, but even then the light barely penetrates the violet haze. "I can't help you if you don't tell me where you are-!"

There's nothing. Just silence, the last echoes of my footsteps ringing out softly in the depths of the darkened halls. Kai's voice is nowhere to be heard, and I have no idea where she could have gone - direction, location, all of  hard if not impossible to discern in the pitch-black darkness. I shiver as a stray air current brushes against the nape of my neck, cold as ice. The air feels moist here, almost unpleasantly damp, as if I was standing in the cavernous maw of a gigantic leviathan, a feeling only strengthened by a single, dangling lantern a few meters forward. It's the only light source I could see - a single, dangling light like an anglerfish's glow-

I step towards the light, consciously aware of the pounding heartbeat in my ears. The lantern swings, almost beckoningly, creeping into my vision with a rasp of metal on metal. That... that was Kai, right?

"...Kai?" I say.

-SHING!

Only the barest glint of light - a metallic shine, like a quarter - and the creeping feeling of unease setting me on edge warns me before a massive, silver scythe tears through the air with a whisper of steel, slashing through the air and narrowly missing my neck - I bound backwards, flipping over the follow-up strike to slide across the tiled flooring, my kama ready to block any further attacks from any direction. I had a feeling something was off when Kai had refused to say anything other than those two words. Kai was smart, and I knew how she thought. If she was in trouble, she'd try to warn me of the danger, or tell me how to help the first chance she got. The fact that she didn't, meant that either she couldn't...

Or it wasn't her at all.

"You're not Kai, are you? That's you... Fiddlesticks." I whisper into the darkness. There's no reaction, save for a shiver that runs through the mist, as if even the very fabric of this world was terrified of the mere utterance of his name - but I knew, and it knew, that it was out there. The pressure returns, pressing down on the nape of my neck as if to freeze me in my tracks, and I grit my teeth.

Fiddlesticks...sticks...sticks...

The name echoes in the dark tunnel-like interior of the mall before fading out of existence entirely, disappearing down one of the many hallways-

No. That was wrong. The name didn't fade away, and that realization sets all the hairs on the back of my neck up on end.
It was ended; snapped up and out of existence as if consumed whole, snuffed out in an instant like a flickering candle. I pace backwards, warily, very much aware of how little visibility I had - trapped in the center of the darkened room with the only light being the weak, pulsing glow of starlight and that glowing, beckoning light in front of me that suddenly seemed far more menacing. Every inch, every fiber of my being was screaming danger, danger, danger from all directions-

"Help me! Help me! hElp mE! HeLp me heLp me heLp mE-"

The words swirl into a constant screech of inhuman sounds, Kai's voice distorting into something completely unrecognizable, like a tribalistic chant, seemingly from everywhere and nowhere all at once. I pace backwards as the light from the lantern illuminates the area around me with shaky, shadowy rays - broken storefronts, worn-down mirrors, all surfaces of glass and steel that begin to ripple, holding silhouettes of checkerboarded distortions within them as limbs - shadowy, murky fingers and hands - tear their way out of the surface as if it were liquid, splashing droplets of shadowy liquid in their horrific rebirth.

Plop. Squelch. Drip.

The staircase rattles with a shuddering clank as shadowy blobs of distorted, human-like figures tear their way out of the ground, their edges fuzzy and indistinct like shimmering inkblots on reality. Minions. Two, four, eight - nine to my right, six behind, three towards the other sides. And there were more around me; the sound of their summoning like a pelting rainfall against wet concrete, a series of horrid squelches as rows upon rows of minions began to be summoned. I summon my kunai and kama, standing my ground warily as the group of shadows moves to surround me, the barest hints of a plan quickly forming in my head. 

Break through behind, then head back up the staircase. Hopefully I can lose them there-

...No. Stop. Think about it for a second. I force myself to calm down and think despite the pulsing undercurrent of fear running through my veins. Something wasn't adding up here.

Everything Fiddlesticks had done so far had a purpose. The way he lured me into the darkness, pulled me away with a mimicry of Kai's voice, crying for help- the lantern to give me a false sense of security. I double-check the head-count, a quick count as best as I can through the darkened violet veil. Regardless of how I looked at it, there were more to my right than anywhere else. In fact, there were practically none behind me - only a handful of the shadowy minions compared to the horde in front of me.

And if that were the case...

The monster- Goliath - in front of me lets out a creaking groan, trudging forward, briefly illuminated by the light. It's massive; a hulking creature that shines with a darkened chrome exterior, its body and posture long and lanky like a humanoid ape, or maybe a stretched-out human, with fingers that creep against the ground in a slow scratch. My mouth feels uncomfortably dry, but I force myself to glance behind me. There it was; a way out, only three of them there, each of them conveniently space apart from each other with a gap just wide enough for me to slip through.

Ssh-thunk.

The lead Goliath stops, abruptly, freezing in its track. Then - the monster staggers, its body slumping forward like a de-stringed puppet, the center of its chrome cranium pierced cleanly through by my kunai. As if struck dumb by the death of their leader the other Goliaths hesitate, stopping for a moment to turn to their fallen leader before - as one - their heads swivel back towards me. I grin, twirling another kama in my hand, adrenaline flying through my veins in a way that just felt right, despite the overwhelming odds against me. 

That's right. Star Guardians didn't run from their problems. If we ran, who would hold the line? And there was still Kai, somewhere in this building -

Another shuddering stomp forward from the other Goliaths that turns into a stampede of footsteps as the horde of creatures rushes me from all angles- I crack open a smoke bomb to throw down onto the ground, sending out billowing explosion of greying smoke that I slip into, silently - creeping through the silent shroud before I make my move.

KA-shing!

Three heads, inky and blackened explode into a burst of starlight as I slice through them with a single swipe of my Perfect Execution, breaking through their line in an instant. I don't stop there - with a motion practiced over a thousand times I flick a flurry of kunai behind me, each one sharpened by starlight. Some miss their marks; most don't, piercing through the enemy Goliaths in a spray of darkened violet light. I count at least six direct hits before I hear a Goliath roar from behind my blindspot, swinging a shadowy arm at me that forces me to dodge, rolling to the side and retaliating with a perfect kunai to the face, slipping back into the shadows a second later.

The monsters mill about, their movements clumsy and reckless as they search through the wreckage of the broken-down mall. In this way the terrain worked against them as it did for me; as long as I avoided Fiddlestick's beckoning light, I could avoid their watchful gazes. My steps are light and silent; the mark of a good ninja. If things remained like this, there was no way they could find me- I turn, making my way to the north, slipping past the monsters with ease. The north was where the most enemies had been posted, so that had to be where Kai was. And if I could make my way to Kai, the two of us would be unstoppable together.

Click...click...click-

And evidently Fiddlesticks thought the same, as a second later the overhead lights and LEDs to the mall flick on, bathing the area in a ghastly violet glow - and exposing me completely. Shit.

I sigh, flicking my kama's back into my hands as the Goliaths slowly close in on me, looking distinctly unhappy and murderous as most Void-Monsters were. Might also be because I killed his friend, over there, the larger pool of void goo-

"Guess we're doing this the fun way, then."

Shing! I slam into the head of the shadow monster, feet-first with a crunch - before propelling myself off it in an acrobatic backflip. The force alone is enough to throw the monster like a pinball, sending him bowling into another group of his peers which had just formed- and sending me forward, the momentum giving me enough force to tear through the next line of monsters, my kama leaking drops of the oily monster's blood from its rampage through their lines. I had stopped keeping track of my kill count after twenty and after I realized that they weren't really getting killed  - nor, it seemed, were they alive in the first place. The shadows seemed closer to automatons than anything else, simple golems made of oily-black Void energy programmed to chase me down.

Lucky for me, they were slow. Oh, sure, they were fast as compared to humans. I'd even put them a head above most of the Void creatures I fought against on a daily basis. But compared to a Star Guardian? They might've been standing still for all their speed did for them. And even then, among the other Guardians only Quinn was my equal in terms of movement. Not even Kai could keep up with me.

"What's wrong? Not a - fan!?" I yell, vaulting over the heads of the newest group of shadows forming just below my feet in the darkened cracks of the flooring, just in time to swipe through their bulbous upper body with a single strike of my kama, cleaving them with a burst of starlight.

The more monsters that Fiddlesticks summoned in my way, the more I was sure that my theory held weight. Fiddlesticks wasn't trying to kill me; he was trying to lead me away, make sure that Kai and the others were fighting their own battles alone - and I, being the dumbass that I was, had almost fallen for it. That thought alone is enough to give me a second wind as I sprint through the dimly lit hallways, staying just barely ahead of the horde of monsters.

There was someone there. Another Star Guardian, fighting the Star Nemesis out there as well - I could hear them now, even - maybe it was an illusion, another trick of the mind by Fiddlesticks, but even if it was I had to chance it. Another group of shadowy minions begin seeping out of the cracks that I simply sprint past - bathed in the light as they were now, they were too slow to form, too slow to catch me save for weak and clumsy grabs from the ground that would never hit me, not in a million years - and I was in the zone now.
Before, I was off my game, distracted, being pulled away by distractions and fear of losing Kai. Now, though - I had a plan, I had a goal, and, most importantly, I had hope.

I slide through the corner in a baseball-style slide, my boots screeching against the slick tile as I weave through the maze of concrete pillars, lights flickering overhead and throwing ghastly illuminations of the horde of Void Monsters behind me - my wings flare for just a second to give me a boost of speed as I snag a corner pillar, allowing me to tuck myself into a hairpin turn - up, over the bench, past the boutiques now swarming with monsters- out of the corner of my eye I see a manniquen get pushed over with a clatter, stomped over by several gargantuan monster footsteps, glass and doors shattering as they tear  through every surface in a wild attempt to get me-

They're too slow. I can almost see the exit; the green glowing sign and metal bars not detracting from the euphoric feeling of freedom, just barely outside my grasp- I sprint, pushing myself further, faster - just a little bit further! Just a bit-

And then I'm through, past the metal gateway, stumbling through the last bit of tiling that marked the entrance to the northern section of the Clearview Mall, turning around in an instance to fight off whatever hordes of monsters could make it through or - more likely - make another break for it-

But there's nothing. No enemies to block my path, no shadowy figures crawling out of the edges of my vision. I'm half-expecting another wave of enemies to be - swooping down from the upper layers, or perhaps slithering through the pipes and airvents like a discount action movie star, but the only thing I can see is the shadowy minions seeping away, back into the shadows and cracks of the mall's walls until I can barely sense any around me.

My sense of disquiet grows. Did Fiddlesticks just... give up? That didn't seem likely, unless he had some other plan in mind... or maybe I had fallen into his trap, and that whole thing was just a huge bluff? If so, then why didn't he spring the trap? Was he waiting for something?... or someone?

I could no longer make out the sounds of fighting from the other Guardian either, which made it more likely that Fiddlesticks had just left... But if he had left, then this Incursion should've begun to disappear, and that clearly wasn't the case. Whatever. I banish the treacherous thought that maybe, just maybe Fiddlesticks had already won the fight and was leaving, his objective complete.

Still, it was seemed like a good time to rest as I took stock of my location. During my escape from Fiddle's minions I had ran from the eastern exit, down towards the southern corner where I had gotten ambushed and then all the way to what seemed to be the center of the Clearview Food Court, near the northern entrance. Here there were less shops and more amenities; a few gumball machines near the corner, next to an old rocket-ship machine that looks older than me and a vending machine that was nearly sold out of everything, even bottled water. It felt kinda like exploring one of those old dungeon-crawlers, like Persona or SMT, skulking about while avoiding as many random encounters as I could.

There's an escalator to my left that rattles as I grow near it, gradually letting out a cough-like cry before starting up again, gears and chain clanking from underneath the metallic steps as if beckoning me to step onto it. Nope. Not going on there. The idea of getting pulled under and crushed by the escalator's sharpened gears seemed like a distinctly unattractive process, as well as the sort of nightmarish-ly horrifying ideas only Fiddlesticks could come up with.

"Guess I'm exploring the first floor, then." I mutter, mostly to myself. Upstairs was where the jewelry and tech stuff was stored at, but compared to the first floor there wasn't much up there. I'd explore it later if I had a chance.

The Food Court was a generally nice-looking place to be at, even when colored by the perpetual violet haze of the Incursion. The faint trickle of water from the stained acrylic center fountain, combined with the island of greenery towards the center gave it an odd tranquility - most likely to entice people into eating at the ridiculously overpriced restaurants, which were a handful of knockoff fast-food burger joints and a few Americanized noodle shops, nothing too great. The ice cream was fine, though; one of the few things that made the trip down here worthwhile.

Oddly enough, though, there seemed to be... something off with the Food Court, and I feel a tingle of anticipation slip down my spine. That chair to the right - it was missing a leg, almost like it was torn off in an impact with something, and I could see hints of disrepair far greater than any normal mall. Walls with bowling-ball-sized craters missing from them, signs dented and dinged to the point of almost being unreadable - and there! In the corner of the room, a whole furrow in the ground, torn apart so completely it was like a tractor had drawn a trench through it.

Someone else had been fighting here. Someone other than me-

"A-akali?" 

I freeze. I knew that voice. I turn, feeling myself light up with a smile of mixed relief and happiness as the sight. "Taliyah! Great. Listen, we need to get deeper in, that's-"

Crunch. I swallow as a gargantuan boulder shivers its way out of the ground from behind Taliyah - then another, smaller one, and another, until there was a miniature solar system orbiting Taliyah, torn out of the mall's flooring and hovering menacingly behind her. Taliyah's power, stoneweaving, was deceptively simple in its execution and terrifyingly powerful in practice. And it didn't seem like she was in a talking mood.
I step forward, holding my hands up. "T-taliyah? It's me, Akali-" 

"Don't! Don't come any closer."  Taliyah's eyes are wild; her breath panting. My Star Guardian friend and teammate looked - haunted, almost, her eyes still chasing specters of nothingness rather than focusing on me and I curse. Fiddlesticks. It had to be him. 
Dammit. What had he done? I could see traces of combat on her uniform - the edges of her leggings and blouse torn and ripped with lines of sharp edges chasing across the tears-

"Okay. I won't. Just- what happened here?" I gesture to her, and the absolute destruction that had occurred here - I'm half expecting her to deny it, like Taliyah always did when talking about her property damage, so I'm more than a little bit caught off-guard when Taliyah's eyes darken, looking almost...

"We were fighting. Y-you... you were attacking me, then you were Mom, and Dad, and Rell... you can't trick me any more!" Her voice is raw and hoarse, run ragged from emotion, and I see her whole body begin to tense, the boulder behind her quivering-

"I'm not Fiddlesticks! Taliyah, please. You have to trust me. I got Kai's message, I... I came here to help, Tali!" With a sparkle of starlight and a force of will I make myself de-activate my weapons, stepping forward slowly - the stones don't move, not an inch, and I chance holding my hand up in what I hoped was a non-threatening motion towards Taliyah. "Trust me. Please."

It's like calming a spooked horse; any action that I did was prone to misinterpretation, and a misinterpretation in this case meant death. I tried to inject as much calm and slow pacing into my words as I could, exaggerating each movement to an almost comical extreme until I sense that it's fine for me to approach Taliyah again. "I came as fast as I could. I was fighting Fiddlesticks as well - and I'm here. You can sense it, right? I'm not a trick."

Closer. Like defusing a bomb. A pink-haired, anxious, teenager Star-Guardian bomb. Closer.

"That... makes sense." Taliyah chews her lips thoughtfully as she looks away, a habit I know she's been trying to kick for the longest time. For her to do that right now, she must be really stressed, and I feel a pang of sympathy for my poor underclassmen. Her curly hair is frayed and ruffled from stress or combat, probably a mixture, and I can see the worn bags like concentric rings under her eyes.

"Then, can I-"

"B-but I don't trust you! It could be an illusion, a-a clone. It could be..." Taliyah bites her lip again, scrutinizing me with her gaze for a second - I keep my hands up, frozen in place until she nods and I can finally exhale in relief-

"Tell me something that only you would know. It could be anything. Just - something that only Akali would know."
It's as much of a threat as it is a genuine cry for help, Taliyah giving me a seeking glance as if desperately wanting to believe me yet not wanting to open herself up to the danger of another trap.
I close my eyes, trying to think of something. The memory comes almost instantly.

"...Last summer, I helped you order a custom-fit bikini. It was from some website Evelynn had recommended, called TomboyX, and you said that you didn't need it, that you weren't going to ever use it. But I still got it for you as a gift, because I know how uncomfortable you were in most swimsuits, and I wanted you to have fun when we went to the pool."

I smile, a slightly wistful smile as I recall the bittersweet memory - more sweet than bitter, sure, but still another reminder of how little I knew about my teammates- and, in some ways, how privileged I was, to always feel at home in my body and who I was.

"I thought I did something wrong when you started crying, but it was apparently a good cry - one of the necessary ones. You gave me a hug, said that it was the first time someone did this for you, and then you tried it on. I thought it looked really cute on you."

"It was cute. And thank you, Akali." Akali. Taliyah smiles, a weak but genuine smile before my teammate crumples, the rocks around her crumbling into rubble that easily seeps back into the ground as she staggers to her knees. I barely manage to catch her before she hits the ground completely.

"I'm sorry I had to check, it was just-" Taliyah mumble, blinking as if trying to stay awake. In my arms she feels as frail as paper, her breaths coming out short and shallow like little gasps of air.

"It's fine." I touch the back of my hand to Taliyah's forehead and hiss. She's hot; feverishly hot, a sure sign that she was overusing her Star Guardian powers.

"Okay, we need to get you out of here-" It wouldn't be safe for Taliyah to stay without her powers - without their powers, Star Guardians were basically walking targets for most of the Void-

"No! No, I'm fine." Taliyah struggles to her feet. "Rell and Kai'Sa are still fighting Fiddlesticks. They need your help, and I'm the only one who knows where they are. You need me, Akali."

I grimace. As much as I'd like to deny that, she was right. I did need Taliyah to lead the way to Taliyah. Even if Rell was there, a 2v1 still favored Fiddlesticks, and I had no idea how long they had been fighting the Star Nemesis. They needed all the help they could get. At the same time, though, if something happened to Taliyah and I couldn't protect her-

"Stronger together, right?" As if sensing my internal struggle Taliyah gives me a soft nudge - barely a love tap. Just a reminder. Right. Guardians helped each other, no matter what. Stronger together.

"Fine. Lead the way."

...

Taliyah leads me down the line of closed-off restaurants and storefronts until I reach a wall that I swear wasn't there before. Next to the other walls it looked nearly identical, until you took in the faint, barely visible hairline crack leading down the center.

"Split." Taliyah murmurs, and with a rumble of stone the wall begins to tear itself apart, turning into a long, dark hallway -

I took in the scene in an instance.

Rell, scraped rough and blood, her face defiant as she stares up at the ceiling, her gaze darting about the darkened corners of the room. Underneath her Sebastion paws nervously, the iron steed similarly bloodied yet still holding strong.

And then-

Kai. My best friend. I can't help the rush of relief at seeing her again, even as her gaze darts to me, and Taliyah. She's hurt - cradling her ribs gingerly, her uniform scuffed and dirtied from blood and grime - but she was still okay. Still breathing. Still shining-
"Kai." I breathe.

"Kali-" Kai's eyes widen in shock. "Watch out!"

"REAP!" A voice, hoarse and twisted, tears out of the shadows. I flip backwards, just barely avoiding the tip of the silver scythe as it tears through the floor below me. Taliyah dives to the side as well, the pink-haired Guardian sending a retaliatory flurry of stone spiraling outwards into the shadows until there's a flicker of movement and Fiddlesticks scurries out. I grit my teeth. The Star Nemesis looks exactly as it had two days ago; twisted like a bamboo sapling, tall and silvery with a discordantly colorful outfit of rainbow pinks and yellows. It hisses, its scythe dangling for just a moment as it stalks backwards, almost spider-like-

That's when I see it - the small gap in reality being torn further open, a Rift for Fiddlesticks to escape into- I open my mouth to say something, but I'm not the only one who noticed.

"You will not walk away!" Rell shouts. With a groan of metal and shimmering star magic, Rell's metallic steed begins to glow, forming a vaccumn-like wave that whirls into being, dragging the Star Nemesis backwards and into Sebastian with a thunderous clang. For the first time ever, I think I see a hint of panic on Fiddlestick's features. Instantly, the Star Nemesis swings a silvered arm across the mall, snaking out and flinging Rell away -

It's not enough. I grin. I landed a kunai on his chest, the projectile giving me perfect vision of his movements - with a jump, I dash across the room in a spray of violet starlight, my wings carrying me across the room to slam into the Nemesis's chest, caving it in - the creature screams, this time in more pain than anger, and I take the opportunity to slash at Fiddlestick's grotesque neck. The slice goes wide, but still the Nemesis is reeling-

"Perfect..."

I land. Channeling everything I had into my kama - my blade glows, once, a silent affirmation before I launch myself forward, hyper-focused on Fiddlestick's now-exposed upper body. If I could get one slash in - no matter how slippery Fiddlesticks could be, I could kill it- finally end that monster once and for all-!

"Executio-!?"

Fiddlesticks rears back its ghoulish, green-and-grey head and screams. The cry is unneringly feral, a harsh, discordant scream that burrows into my ears as a physical force, slowing me for just a second - before the back of Fiddlestick's scythe smashes into my stomach, tossing me across room, my vision spinning as I spiral across the room- I brace myself for impact only to be caught with a huff of air and a surprisingly soft contact. Kai.

"Urgh..." I groan in my usual dignified manner. I feel, rather than hear Kai's huff of laughter like a rumble against my back as she pulls me to my feet. Her hands are pleasantly cool and soft on mine. "You good?" Kai asks, her eyes creased with concern. I nod, wobbling slightly as I stagger forward, the room lurching slightly, Kai giving me a helping shoulder that I really didn't need but would happily accept anyways. "Yeah, I'm fine-"

"Wait! What about Fiddlesticks!" 

"Already gone." I jerk my head over to Rell who had spoken. The cavaliar looks dead tired, practically dead on her feet after that last fight but gives me a weary grin anyways, resting on Taliyah's shoulder. I see that the two are holding hands but I don't comment. Maybe later. "That monster just disappeared after it hit you."

"Dammit!" I scowl. That would've been my chance to defeat it for good and get rid of one gigantic problem.

"It's fine, Akali." Kai sighs, shoulder slumping. "I don't think I had much left in the tank anyways. It's a good thing you guys got here when you did, otherwise I think I'd be toast."

"Yeah! A-and, I'm pretty sure you hurt it, right Akali?" Taliyah pipes up. I think back to the way Fiddlesticks had reacted - the scream, the scythe - remembering a flash of steel and a feeling of impact. My Perfect Execution had hit its mark, definitely. I nod.

"Yeah. I definitely hit that fucker, at least. Next time, though-" I pound my fist into my hands, cracking my knuckles.

"Next time we'll get him. Definitely." Kai says. The other two nod.

"But before that - let's get out of here before anyone notices, alright?" Kai is right; the Incursion is depleting, rapidly; already I can see the violet haze begin to shrink, lights flickering to full power and gates and escalators turning on again with a rumble of metal.

"No disagreement here."

With one last look at the darkened room where we had dealt Fiddlesticks our first major blow, I hurry out to catch up with my teammates. "Wait up, guys!"

Chapter Text

Soraka’s hospital is only a stone’s throw away from the mall, which is a good thing; all four Guardians tucked into Kai’s tiny Volkswagon was a bit cramped for everyone. It takes Soraka only a few minutes to get us all checked in and healed up, something that I’m silently thankful for. 

After the adrenaline of the fight had worn off, you’d think that things were easier between me and Kai. Instead, it seemed like somehow everything had gotten worse; it was hard to even look at my best friend, let alone hold a conversation with her, and the instance we had arrived at Soraka’s hospital I had thrown myself into helping Taliyah and Rell. 

Every time I looked at her I felt like I was letting her down, avoiding a conversation that needed to happen so... I stopped looking at Kai, instead pretending that the outside road and passerbys were too interesting to miss even a second of.

Kai must’ve known that I was avoiding her, as she volunteered to stay at the reception and handle the paperwork, something that just made me feel a thousand times more awful about myself. Still, I didn’t say anything, instead slinking away back to the waiting room until Rell and Taliyah were finished with their healing from Soraka. 
Coward. A voice berates me in my head, in a tone just like Mother - I ignore it.

"Tali." Rell steps into the waiting room, the cavalier having changed back into her baggy school uniform, her mop of hair only slightly more missed up than usual. She's more than a little bit roughed up, limping about awkwardly and obviously favoring one side over the other.

The moment her gaze meets with Taliyah’s, though, her entire demeanor changes, going from slumped to upright in a second, the hard edges of Rell's usual petulant frown shifting to something softer.

"Rell-" Taliyah doesn't waste a moment, already throwing herself off her chair and into the eager arms of Rell, burying her face deep into her partner’s chest, Rell squeezing her arms around Taliyah tightly. The two rock back and forth, like a ship in the wind, Taliyah’s eyes squeezed shut and Rell’s arms still wrapped around her until the latter coughs, awkwardly tilting her head to the side, toward where I stood behind the pair.

I grin, wiggling my fingers in a wave at Taliyah and watching as the youngest member of the Star Guardian turns beet-red with embarrassment. 

"Cute." I smirk, enjoying the look of panic that flashes across Taliyah's face.

"W-we aren't-"

"I'm not-"

The two both give each other a look, and I resist the urge to simply facepalm. Really?

Honestly, at this point I felt like I was doing them a favor; practically everyone in the Star Guardian group knew they were together, and already approved. Besides, they were doing a pretty shit job of hiding it anyways.

I give them my best Shen-gaze-impression - a stern, unamused gaze that I knew struck fear in the hearts of undergraduates, Taliyah being no exception. It only takes a few seconds before Taliyah cracks, sagging down into her chair.

"...How long have you known?" Taliyah whispers, her face pink. "O-or did you just find out?"

I shrug, enjoying the look of disbelief that surges across her face before I respond. "Like... a month, I think. You came in with her lipstick once, I think. It's a pretty distinctive brand - Hermes or something?"

I only remembered it because Evelynn had drilled me on the different brands. Apparently, dating a supermodel meant that I needed to be in the know about fashion accessories and brands. It was fun, learning from Evelynn - it also probably helped that Evelynn was very, very good at finding ways to motivate me.
The thought is more bittersweet than I expected; for a summer fling it seems there were more emotions involved than expected.

"T-that's normal! Friends use each other's lipstick all the time!" Taliyah stammers out. I see Rell has already figured out what I'm going to say as she gives me an embarassed nod. I purse my lips together, raising another eyebrow skeptically.

"Yes, except you didn't know it was her lipstick. I asked about it, and you said you just grabbed one. Except the brand you were using was a super-expensive one, and I know the one person who uses that stuff is Rell." I point out.

The cavaliar shrugs, giving her "friend" a helpless look, as if to say - 'what can you do' in face of such overwhelming evidence. "Guilty as charged."

Rell isn't denying anything - and, judging by the way Taliyah sinks into her seat, her face flushed with embarrassment and horror, I'm probably correct in my deductions. Next to her, Rell pats her girlfriend on the back comfortingly, massaging rings into the center of Taliyah's back as Taliyah groans, refusing to meet my eyes. I shift my teasing smile into a more genuine one, giving my distressed underclasswoman a comforting headpat.

"Congrats. You two are cute together, y'know?" Behind me Umi trills in agreement, my inky familiar doing a celebratory backflip.

Instead of responding normally Taliyah just whines - a slow, keening sound of despair. I give her the moment she needs to collect herself before she finally says something, her face still in her hands.

"But- you knew from the lip gloss. Which meant that you- you knew, that time at Ekko's party-" Taliyah stammers out

"Yeeep." I draw out the word slowly, savoring the look of pure embarrassment that slowly grows across Taliyah's face as she realizes just how badly they had been hiding their relationship. Don't get me wrong, I love Taliyah - she's an absolute sweetheart when it really came down to it, and a wonderful friend, but sometimes it's good to have a friend understand just what they put you through.

Seriously, I get that it's their first relationship or whatever, but - keep your hands to yourself when you're not in private, please! Do you know how awkward it was to pretend to not notice the numerous bite marks and hickeys all over her neck? Or Rell moaning from behind the staircase? She was lucky - really fucking lucky - that I was the only one within earshot, otherwise she'd have been busted right then and there. Even then, I had to distract them by showing off my impressive keg stand ability, which left me woozy for the rest of the night.

"And that time at the pool-" Taliyah manages to get out. She looks like she just bit into a sweet tart and found it to be distressingly, lip-churningly sour. I nod, watching as her face pales with horrified realization.

"Ye-p." The less said about that incident, the better.

"And that time, when you came to pick me up at my apartment and I didn't realize you were there-"

"Mhm." That one didn't even need to be said. I pretend to look at my nails, rubbing the tips of them together before giving Taliyah an amused, catlike grin. With each affirmation Taliyah seems to be growing more and more red until she's completely flushed, even the tips of her ears a bright, glowing pink. "You know, I always figured Rell would be the top-"

"STOP." The Star Guardian lets out one last despair-induced cry before Rell takes pity on her girlfriend, giving her a hug that Taliyah melts into, disappearing into the folds of Rell's floppy school uniform.

"Please, just kill me now." Taliyah whimpers out, her face still muffled in her girlfriend's chest.

Rell pats her back comfortingly, before shooting me an annoyed, if slightly amused look. I'm glad she seemed to be taking it with good humor. "Sorry, babe. I guess you're stuck with me forever."

"Haah..."

We were born from light before there even was a dawn~

Rell's phone rings, interrupting Taliyah's impressive limpet imitation with its Star Guardian ringtone- a touch on the nose, but it was a good song. Rell's face shifts into one of consternation as she takes in the caller ID, which is too far away for me to catch a glimpse of.

"I gotta take this. Sorry, babe. It'll only be a moment."

Taliyah groans. "Fine... Just-"

I raise an eyebrow skeptically as Taliyah shoots me a look, daring me to comment. I raise my hands up in mock-surrender, turning around to give the two lovebirds a bit of privacy.

I can't see them, but I can practically imagine the look on Rell's face as she leans in to her girlfriend, a satisfied look like the cat that had caught the canary. "I gotcha."

There's a conspicuous noise of two lips crashing together which I do my best to ignore, followed by some decidedly muffled moans. I give them twelve seconds of privacy, counting down in my mind before turning around just in time to catch the last few seconds of their lip-lock before Rell pulls away, wiping her lips and giving Taliyah a toothy smile, the cavalier practically glowing with happiness. Taliyah smiles back at her girlfriend, a goofy grin on her face before she pushes her girlfriend away. "Go. Do your thing. When you get back-"

Rell smirks. "You tease. Alright. It'll only be a second."

There's a very noticeable sway in the cavalier's steps as she saunters down the hallway, throwing a knowing glance back behind her at her girlfriend. I roll my eyes. Please, can we keep the flirting to a minimum in the hospital? I glance back at Taliyah, who seems to have forgotten I ever existed in favor of looking at her girlfriend's receding backside. God, to be young and in their first real relationship-

"You know, you can stop smiling now." I drawl, once Rell is sufficiently far away not to hear.

"Jerk." Taliyah glares at me, though it's really much more of a pout than anything. "You're just jealous that I have an awesome girlfriend and you're still tragically single."

"Mm. Sure." I scoff. 

"I meant what I said earlier, though. You two are good together." I admit.

They really were good together; the peanut-butter & jelly combination that I never really thought of before but one which worked surprisingly well.

Rell was - nice, but often a bit standoffish, the sort of person who definitely did care but had a hard time really acting on it - the sort of friend you knew would be fine on their own and didn't mind being alone for long stretches.

Comparatively, Taliyah was a social butterfly among the Star Guardians but suffered from a lack of confidence at school and other places. Being with Rell had given her confidence to be wonderful, vibrant, outgoing woman that she was, whereas Taliyah gave Rell a reason to care and be more involved with other people. The best of both worlds.

"Thanks. I mean, it's been wonderful. We've been together for like, five months? And it still feels like we're in our honeymoon phase. I mean, every day I wake up feeling like it was just yesterday she accepted my confession and started going out with me. And Rell - she's so kind, and considerate, and beautiful-" Taliyah gushes, her eyes dreamy as she leans back into her seat, Aru letting out a bay of confusion before rolling to the side, narrowly avoiding getting squashed by his owner.

I almost gag at the sheer diabetes-induced sweetness coming out of my friend's mouth.

Almost.

I don't, because Taliyah is a friend and I am genuinely happy for her, but it's a close thing.

I do, however, make a fake gagging noise in mock-protest of Taliyah's newfound girlfriend status until she shoves me in the side, almost knocking me off my chair.

It's a playful shove. Probably. I know from training that Taliyah can shove a lot harder when she wants to - for such a small frame, there was some serious core strength in there. Taliyah frowns disapprovingly but I can tell that she's secretly amused as well, judging by the way her lips crinkles towards the edges as if trying to withhold a smile.

"Bitch."

"Love you too, Tali." I reply, laughingly, squeezing my adorkable underclassman in a sideways hug until she finally relinquished herself into my grip, letting me ragdoll her in a hug for a few seconds.

"Aww, look at you, Tali - all grown up, cussing out your elders, with your own girlfriend-" I coo, ruffling her fluffy pink hair. There was just something about Taliyah's hair that made it so wonderful to run my hands through - the long, pink, hair, with the little mini braids that I knew Rell did for her, which was honestly adorable-

She protests, but just like a kitten held by the nape of their neck immediately gives up the instance I start rubbing circles into her shoulders, collapsing into her chair with a pleased moan. "Mm...How are you so good at that?"

I shrug, still massaging. "Practice, mainly." Sometimes I massaged Dad's shoulders when he was having one of his really bad days; it was one of the few things that seemed to help - and after Ekko had caught me giving Kai a shoulder massage, he had asked for a massage as well. I had gotten pretty good at locating the stress points or whatever they were called - chakra points? No, that was something from Naruto-

"...Hey, Kali?" Taliyah says. For some reason she sounds kind of hesitant. I nod, still pressing my thumbs into the back of her neck.

"Mm?"

"Um... about what happened earlier today."

My smile fades, but I force myself to nod, still kneading Taliyah's shoulders. "Yeah?"

So much had happened - the meeting at the park, the appearance of the second Incursion, and the rematch with Fiddlesticks-

And Morgana. The card was still in my pocket; I almost reach for it out of instinct before I pull away. Taliyah doesn't notice my movement, which is good; I don't know how I'd explain this to her - that there was someone out there who know who I was, knew that I was a Star Guardian- 

I force myself to unclench my hands, suddenly aware of how hard I was massaging Taliyah. "Sorry." I mumble, loosening my grip, Taliyah exhaling in relief.

"No, it's fine. I should've clarified, hah." Taliyah chuckles, though it's a weaker sound than I'm used to. "I... you know how I came out a few months ago? How I was on HRT for a while but I hadn't come out to my parents yet?"

I nod. Taliyah had told me this, back when we were just friends and not Star Guardians, about her parents being slightly conservative-leaning and how they might react to the news. I had asked her whether she wanted some backup for coming out and she had declined, and after that the topic never came up again. I had assumed that they were fine with it considering how Taliyah had started wearing more skirts and dresses when out with us, but-

"Do I need to punch someone for you?" I phrase it as a joke, even if it's something I would absolutely do. Taliyah's eyes widen in shock before she realizes what I'm refering to and shakes her head. "No! No, uh, it's fine. It's just..."

"My parents didn't accept me at first, you know?" The words seem to tumble out of her mouth in a rush.

I stop. "Tali..."

"No, it's fine, Akali. It's just- it's better now, because they went to therapy and we worked through stuff... and I've been going to therapy as well, but it's... you know. A work in progress." Taliyah unclenches and clenches her fist slowly, her eyes downcast. As if sensing her Guardian's distress, Aru floats over, the fluffy ram familiar nuzzling against the pink-haired girl's cheek with a throaty purr until the Guardian smiles weakly.

"Thanks, Aru."

"But when I first came out, when I finally told my parents and they reacted like - how they did - I was angry at them. Furious. And if I had just kept that bottled up, I would've ruined my relationship with my parents for no real reason. Rell was the one who reached out to me first, told me to talk to them, really talk to them. And it-helped me figure out that they really did care, they just didn't know how to, y'know, deal with this stuff."

The way she talked about it - there's a part of me that gets it. My parents were clueless about stuff like this, both out of apathy and general disregard. If I came out to them, who knows how they would react. There's another part of me that's eminently jealous of her for having such understanding parents, but I push that selfish thought to the side, giving my underclassmen a genuine smile.

"I'm proud of you, Tali." And there's nothing sarcastic about the way I say it now. I reach out a hand to ruffle Taliyah's hair, only for her to duck under my hand.

"Thanks. But it's... look, I don't want to be presumptuous and assume anything... but I know what self-loathing looks like. Heck, I was basically the master of self-hate, back before I, uh, came out. So, if you need help, anything at all, just ask. Please." The last part is delivered with a quiet intensity that I find myself unable to respond to, Taliyah's doe-like eyes suddenly holding something far too understanding and compassionate.

I lick my lips nervously. It's impossible to meet her eyes, as earnest as she is. Taliyah's infinitely more brave than me, stronger than me, dealing with something that puts all my problems to shame - and yet she was the one offering to help me, a friend in need. Something like liquid shame pooled at the base of my throat, hot and languid in my chest. I wish I could be even half as brave as her.

"I don't-"

"Just- anything. We can go to... or Cafe Cuties... or if it's about Kai-"

"What about Kai." Somehow, I keep my voice even as my throat constricts with panic. Taliyah gives me a look - like she's debating on how much to tell me, her auburn eyes shining with something close to - pity?

"Akali. You aren't the only one who's pretty perceptive."

-I can't breathe. It feels like everything had tilted its way on its side, on a 40% angle and everything wasn't right anymore-
I sink back into my chair, my mouth dry and breathless, my heart screaming at me through my chest-

"Did-did you tell Kai?" My voice cracks at the last half. Taliyah shakes her head, and it feels like the vise my heart had been in eases off slightly, though it hasn't quite disappeared.

"No! Of course not."

She clears her throat, as if she didn't admit to seeing through my entire facade - and god, wasn't that terrifying.

I had spent so long just - assuming that it was foolproof, that nobody would ever know, that Taliyah's frank admission terrified me beyond anything.
God, if she told Kai'Sa - if Kai'Sa had heard-

Almost instinctively I check behind me, and practically jump out of my skin as the door clicks open and Rell saunters in. 

"And I'm back, babe! Woo!" Rell cheers, her puffy hair bouncing as she strides over to her girlfriend. "Miss me?"

"Yes, but-" Taliyah barely gets the words out before Rell swoops in for another kiss. This one only lasts a few seconds before Taliyah pushes Rell away- gently, not a rejection but still something that leaves the cavalier slightly confused.

"Tali?" Rell asks.

"Babe..." The look Taliyah gives Rell reminds me of a scolding wife to her husband, a disappointed look at interrupting her heart-to-heart with me-

"?"

-which Rell seems to be eminently clueless about, giving her girlfriend a confused head-tilt, blinking in confusion. "Something wrong, babe?"

Taliyah sighs. "...Nevermind." She gives me a pleading look that I try my best to meet, my heart still thumping quietly in my chest.

"Anyways, think about what I said, alright? You don't have to answer right now, just- think about it, okay?" She pats my arm in a way that's supposed to be comfortingly before standing up, Rell offering her arm gallantly which she takes.

"Alright..." I mumble out. I just... I needed to sit down after that. But before I can take a second to - figure out just what the fuck just happened-

"If you're looking for our leader, she's up that-a-ways." Rell flicks her pointer finger to the right, down the hall. "If you hurry, you might be able to catch her-"

I'm gone before she can even finish her sentence.

Kai looked tired.

That was the first thing that I saw, before anything else. She looked - well, she looked as good as anyone who had gone 5 rounds against a Star Nemesis could; tired, drained of energy even if Kai was doing her best to appear otherwise. Kai was always good at that; putting on a mask to try to appear invincible. Whenever she got like that it took a concentrated effort from - everyone, especially me to pull her out of it and force her to get some rest.

Because I was avoiding her, though, I could tell that some of the exhaustion over the past few hours was starting to catch up with her. Her hair is ruffled in a distinctly un-Kai'Sa-like way, and though her posture is tall and proud there's - something about how Kai holds herself that just makes her seem - small. Like a marble column, eroded away and barely standing.

I bite my lip. It was enough to know that she was fine, right? I didn't need to... talk to her. But somehow my brain seems to be not quite in control of my body, and I found myself walking across the room towards her, each step feeling like an anchor to my tracks.

Kai'Sa brushes her hands on her skirt as she turns around, her gaze drifting across the room before she spots me and freezes.
There's a few seconds of something - a complicated bundle of emotions flitting across her face, too fast for me to really make sense out of before she waves at me. Her smile is a tinge too perfect to be entirely genuine, too smooth to not be at least a little forced, and so I force a smile as well, striding across the lobby to her.

"Akali."

And- oh. She's doing the leader thing. Putting on a show, as if she couldn't just speak to me normally - I hide my disappointment with a nod, giving Kai'Sa a quick smile. 
"How is Taliyah doing?"

"She's doing fine. I think that Rell's doing her best to distract her, which is good." I reply. The way the two had stuck together, Rell promising to be back as soon as possible - whatever had happened to Taliyah in the mall, whatever Fiddlesticks had done to her to terrify her so badly - that wasn't going to disappear overnight. But with Rell's help, maybe it would be fine.

"I kinda called them out on their dating, though, so you have to pretend to be surprised when they tell you, alright?" I say. Kai'Sa snorts.

"Yeah, I noticed. They're not very good at hiding it, are they?" My best friends chuckles, giving a more genuine smile this time as she stares off into the corridor where I knew Rell and Taliyah were. I feel myself relax slightly as we veer away towards the subject I knew neither of us were willing to talk about yet - that being my awkward meltdown earlier today.

"So, uh..."

Kai's gaze flickers to me and I lose my train of thought immediately, sucked into the warm auburn glow of Kai'Sa's eyes. I felt like a fly in amber, crystalized in an instance before Kai jerks her head away and the spell is broken, leaving me with an aching sense of wanting and yearning.

Normally it was effortless to get lost in small talk and easy conversation with Kai'Sa but after the fight with Fiddlesticks, after all that had happened, everything just felt so - raw. That had always been the case with Kai, though; slipping through all my defenses far too easily and quickly in a way I loved and feared in equal measure.

When did it become so hard to talk to her? When did it become so - painfully gut-wrenching to even look at her, to see her?

God, I wanted to hold her so badly. It felt like I was drowning on land every time I saw Kai's face, even in profile, my gut doing that stupid loopy-swirly thing that I couldn't possibly deny even when it was obvious these feelings weren't reciprocated, an incessant throbbing in my chest as my heart tried desperately to convince my mind there was something there I wasn't seeing, a chance to free the desires locked in the careful corners of my heart.

Every time Kai looked at me, every time she smiled at me, I could feel something raw be worn away at the edges of my heartstrings, shuttering itself away every time she looked away, transforming each careful glance into a thrum-thrum-thrum of my heart pounding in my chest like a drum solo of her name- Kai'Sa, Kai'Sa, Kai'Sa.

I wanted to run my fingers on the edge of her chin, through the edges of her bangs until she knew exactly how I felt.

I wanted to squeeze her hands, trace over every callus and perfect inch of smooth, soft skin until our hands were so tightly intertwined like the branches of an olive tree and I could feel her pulse skin-to-skin, and answer every unanswered question I craved release from.

When you see me, does your heart pound like mine does? Does your heart cry my name in-between its pumps of life-flowing oxygen? Do you feel like something is growing inside you each time you see me? Warm and painful like a miniature sun, terrifying and brilliant and wonderous in its ceaseless destruction of my heart, burning me up from the inside?

...Would you accept me, even if I loved you? 

She would never accept you. Not when she learns of how badly you want her, not when every part of your heart is filled with those impure feelings.  

The voice hisses in my head. I don't even notice when my Guardian powers flicker, disappearing for a moment and bathing me in cold shivers like an ice bath, only the cold realization that it was right.

She would hate me. She would never trust me with those unguarded looks of awe and care ever again, never trust me implicitly as she did with no one else, not when she became aware of how I felt - and if she did it'd be forced, our relationship would be forced, and I would rather tear each and every one of these bleeding feelings out of my chest than be a burden to Kai'Sa like that. 

Just.

Stop.

Just- stop. I force myself to bury the thoughts of everything, banishing them to the back of my mind.
She's your best friend.
She's not into you like that.
If you weird her out, she'll realize that you like her, and that you're fantasizing about her in a way that would probably make her super uncomfortable, and then the best relationship you've ever had in your short, shitty life will come toppling over like a stack of sad dominoes.

Kai'Sa wasn't gay. She was painfully straight, she had boyfriends in the past, and she wasn't into "experimenting" or whatever shitty excuse straight girls made to make out with their lesbian best friends- 

Which probably was for the best, because thinking about kissing Kai sent my mind into a spiral of decidedly impure thoughts and wants that made my core ache with something more than just longing, and I was blushing now, wasn't I?

I force myself to look away, cheeks burning with heat. Kai's gaze dips to the floor as she seemed to realize I wouldn't be saying anything. There's a tension in the air that makes me want to break it, while at the same time smothering out everything I could say, sewing all the words inside my lips like a patchwork girl. I open my mouth to say something -

"I'm sorry!"

"It's my fault-!"

...We both said it at the same time.

"Um..." My best friend winces. "I, uh..."

"You first." I offer, giving Kai a tentative smile before-

God. Seeing a genuine smile from Kai'Sa actually aimed at me made my mind blank out for a few seconds, as if stuck trying to process all of - Kai. It was like staring into the sun, a starlight so bright and warm I didn't ever want to look away from. It takes me a second to realize that she's actually saying something-

"...fault. I... didn't realize that you felt so... stressed-" Kai'Sa bites her lip, an annoyingly distracting motion-

"What? Whoa, whoa, whoa." I shake my head, intent on clearing this obvious misconception.

"You didn't do anything, Kai. None of - that was your fault. I was just... having a really shitty day, and I took it out on you."
I clear my throat before forcing myself to stare Kai in the eye just to make sure my point got across, even if staring at Kai'Sa's amber eyes made my stomach fly loop-de-loops.

It wasn't Kai's fault that I had - emotionally invested myself in her so one-sidedly like some kind of romantic parasite. It wasn't her fault that I was so deprived of love and affection from my parents that I warped one of the few genuinely positive relationships into this awkward, one-sided mess that it was now-

Besides, how I felt - my feelings - they were my problem to deal with. Not anyone else's, and definitely not Kai'Sa's problem. She deserved better than that.

"Akali..." Kai'Sa starts. Her hands fiddle with something in the air before they freeze, halfway through a nervous motion. "I know I've not been the best about..." she waves a hand almost awkwardly in the air, her shoulders tensing in an almost-shrug. "And I know that there's been... something going on with you that you aren't telling me-"

That much was obvious, and could've probably meant a whole number of things, but I still flinched at that. I really, really did not need Kai'Sa to start snooping around, especially now that I knew other people knew about my crush on her, like Taliyah and probably Rell-

"I'm not going to push, alright?" Kai'Sa says, gently - carefully -

I exhale, a silent sight of relief that felt more like an eighty-pound barbell getting expelled off my sternum.

"But when this is all over, we're having a sleepover, just the two of us, and you're going to spill, alright? If... if you want to talk about it." Kai backtracks, just slightly, her tone turning hesitant. "I realize I've been a really shitty friend as of late-"

My cough comes out of nowhere as I almost choke on nothing, mostly because Kai'Sa never swore, not unless things were really serious -
As if reading my mind, my best friend grins, a perfect sunburst that fills up an empty cavity in my chest with warmth. "Yeah. I know. But it's the truth, right?"

"You had... other responsibilities, Kai. Being the leader of the Star Guardians. Midterms. Exams." I say, carefully. Kai pulls a face.

"That doesn't give me an excuse to act how I did, though. I should've... I don't know. Said something. Done more. Not relied on you pulling me out of my funk every time. I'll try to be better, alright? But-" A finger pokes the edge of my shoulder as my best friend prods me in the side, gently but purposefully. I don't push her away when Kai leans against me, her head falling perfectly onto my shoulder.

"You need to talk to me as well, alright? I... I'm your best friend, Akali. You know I care about you, right? And I don't want you to - self-destruct like that again." Kai whispers. "That scared me. Scared me because I might lose you. And... I don't want that to happen, alright?"

"Alright. I...I will." I promise. "I'll try to be better about it, alright?" I could at least try. Kai deserved that much, and more.

"Okay. Good." And that's all that needs to be said, it seems, as Kai gives me one last hug before disengaging from me in a way that feels like it should be awkward but really isn't.
It felt - natural, the way two really good friends would interact with each other, and for a second I almost believe the lie that everything was going to be fine.

"So. Uh. Not that, I didn't, y'know, want talk to you, but-" I cough, feeling myself blush as Kai laughs, a quick wind-chime laugh that makes her eyes twinkle like the very stars we followed- "What's the plan now, fearless leader?"

"...Right. When we - Rell, and Taliyah, and I were fighting Fiddlesticks, there was this moment - I swear that Fiddlesticks hit me, with his scythe, and I could feel myself get hit-" Kai shakes her head, giving me a comforting pat on the side as if just noticing the tension building in my shoulder and gut.
"No, I'm fine. I didn't get hit. But, for a second, I thought that I did. I thought that maybe it was one of Fiddlestick's attacks, but it seemed as surprised as I was."

"Maybe it was some power that he didn't have control over? Or..." I blink as the answer comes to me. Kai'Sa nods, having come to the same conclusion I had, just faster.

"Yep. I was going to keep an eye on Rell and Taliyah, maybe see if I can get in contact with Lux. That means - you're fine with going out, right? I'd come with you, but-" Translation: If you want me to come with you, I will, even if I want to drop dead on my feet right now-

"No, it's fine. You should rest, Kai." I say, firmly. My best friend opens her mouth to protest before I give her the look™. "You promised you'd listen to me, right?" Translation: You look like a zombie, Kai, even if you still look stupidly attractive.  I was well aware of my bias, but it was the truth.

"...Alright." Kai says, finally conceding the point. "Just... say safe, alright?"

"When am I ever not?" I throw back.

Kai'Sa rolls her eyes affectionately. "Do you want an ordered list of incidents? I can do that, if you want..."

Very maturely I stick my tongue out at her to blow a quick raspberry. "Screw you. I'm always careful."

"Besides, it's not like I'm doing anything dangerous, Kai. Just paying a visit to an old friend." I shrug.

"Hopefully he'll have some time for me."

Chapter Text

Ekko's workshop is in the deep downtown of Valoran City, buried in one of the many offshoot neighborhoods to the north of the university campus, far enough away that most of the college kids aren't interested in renting there and too close to the gentrified areas to be super affordable. It's also one of the more ethnically diverse neighborhoods, which may or may not be a coincidence.

It's not a rough neighborhood either - not really. Valoran City is too nice of a place to have any real distinction between the rough and nicer neighborhoods, at least to my unassuming eyes, but compared to the upper-class districts it's pretty - old, and not nearly as polished as some of the other districts in its area. There's a sense of age there; of history within Valoran City, unobstructed by any attempts to cover it up - back to the roots of holding the first gay and lesbian bars (still standing to this day!), to the way the houses light up like fireworks at night on the week of Diwali.

Ekko prefered it that way. I knew that his family was firmly upper-middle class, with his father having worked as an architect on some of the famous structures of Valoran City, like the Bauss Building, and his mother being a college professor for linguistic history. He probably could've rented a better place than what he had gotten, for the amount he paid, but he liked the atmosphere of those neighborhoods. Something about wanting to "stick true to his roots".

"Yo, Ekko! Open up!" I bang on the door roughly - a one-two beat against the metal entryway before I wait on the concrete landing outside, boots clomping on the faded brown welcome mat. It doesn't take long before I get a response, another indication I was in the right place; normally it took several pings in our group chat for Ekko to notice when one of us was over, mostly because he was usually too busy tinkering to answer calls. The fact that he had answered immediately meant-

The metal slot creaks open. I see Ekko's eyes dart through the gap, lock onto me before the slot slams shut again. "Password?" His voice is slightly muffled from the metal between us.

I snort. "Hah. Funny. Password is - "open the door or I'll knock it down". That work?" 

"Sheesh... I swear, you and Vi would get along great." Ekko grumbles. 
From behind the door there’s a sigh, then a click- shunk! As the metal bolt behind the door is unlocked. And there's Ekko; eyes bleary but awake, his mullet frazzled and touched with grease as if he had just come out from underneath the carriage of an automobile.

“Right. So, uh, what can I do for you today?”

“Cut the crap, Ekko. If you were actually tinkering, you’d never answer the door. You know why I'm here.”

To his credit, Ekko doesn't even blink at the accusation, just giving me a once-over before nodding, his face set in a sharp frown. 

“Fine. Get in; don’t want all the cold air to get in, or I’ll have to re-calibrate my chronogram.” He heaves the door open and I follow him inside. 

Not much has changed since the last time I was here, and yet most things seem different. The garage is still a mess of incomplete projects and junk, scattered about the lab either half-cannibalized for parts or partially restored, frames hanging off the loose innards like clothings off of mannequins. Of course, I didn't recognize any of anything here; Ekko cycled through projects  so quickly, trying to keep up with him was an effort in futility. The garage is lit by a soft, warm orange light that covers the concrete flooring with an almost-cozy atmosphere. Being in his workshop always felt like being inside a personal slice of Ekko's brain, his thought process laid bare around us in a scattered, 3d brainwave type of way. 

I take a quick inhaled breath before coughing, wrinkling my nose at the noxious smell that fills my nose. It smells of Goodyear tires and car transmission fluids, an odour only intensified by the furnace-like heat permeating the surroundings. That was different from last time. Ekko doesn't seem to be bothered, though, as he paths his way through the labyrinth of electrical parts to the back of room where a plain, metal door rests. 

“What gave it away?” Ekko asks, suddenly.

I shrug. "Time powers? C'mon, Ekko. It isn't rocket science." 

“Damn.” The genius clicks his tongue in annoyance, as if somehow he thought Kai'Sa and the others wouldn't have noticed. “Well, whatever. I wanted you here anyways. C’mon, follow me.” 

“Okay, we’re not changing the subject that easily. What were you doing in the Incursion? More than that - why didn't you help?” I say. "If you had been there, we might've been able to defeat Fiddlesticks?

Ekko doesn't answer. He's too busy fiddling with some sort of numerical keypad at the back, one I swear was a new addition. There's a hiss, then a click as the doors pressurize like a space capsule, before opening to the other side in a whoosh of nicer-smelling, if processed, air, as well as the inner part of Ekko's laboratory. 

This part looked a lot less different than before. There's a cot on the side, rolled up neatly and shoved safely between two shelves, one with an assortment of paperwork and the other holding a mixture of photographs neatly aligned in a row. Across all the structures here are a set of mechanical toys and paperweights that looked not dissimilar to Da Vinci's flying machines if they were made in the year 2000, as well as a main desk with a teched-out computer and pc setup that probably costed and weighed more than a refrigerator.

This was his inner sanctum. His own, personal room. Only his friends and other Star Guardians were allowed in here, and I was lucky (or privileged enough) to be both. This was also where he stored progress on his Timewinder, the device Ekko was creating to fully control his time powers. 

"Trust me, I wasn't thrilled either." Ekko grumbles out, finally. "But I had a theory, and I needed to test it. That monster went after Sona and you guys first, right? But then he backed off when Kai’Sa showed up. And there, at the mall-”

He holds up a hand, giving me a sharp look. "Don't. If they were seriously in danger, I would've stepped in, but I needed to test something."

"Test what?" I can't hide the annoyance in my voice. "If you had just been there, we wouldn't even be having this conversation-"

"Or, it would've gotten away, and we would've lost the element of surprise. It would've figured out my powers, and adapted." Ekko says, flatly. "It's a Star Nemesis, Akali. Who's to say there isn't a - second form, or second phase of this boss fight?"

"...You've been playing too many video games, Little Man." It's a fair point, even if I don't agree with his assessment.

"And you haven't? Whatever. Look, the point is, we need more information, but this thing is too slippery for me to get a good read on it. If we don't find out a weakness soon, it'll eventually open an Incursion large enough to affect society, and then things get bad."

"We need more time." Ekko quirks his mouth into a cheeky smile. "Luckily, that's kinda my specialty."

“So, I’ve been working on this hunk of junk.” The inventor slaps his workbench, upon which his newest creation rested, clad in all chem-punk glory.

Ekko's creation - whatever it is - looks like an oblong fire extinguisher, one that has been von Frankenstein’d to hell and back with a box of junkyard metal supplies. Frankly, if I didn't know Ekko so well I'd have called it either an automatic bong-rip machine or just a pyrotechnic accident waiting to happen. As I did know Ekko, I knew that it was neither of those things but something else entirely. 

I squint at it warily. It doesn't look like much, but then again looks could be decieving. "What is it, exactly?" 

“It’s… well, it was an earlier version of my Chronobreak machine, but it doesn’t really work - at least, not in the way I want it to.” The Boy Genius admits. I detect a note of sheepishness in his voice that I don't comment on. Most things that Ekko considered failures were still technological marvels in their own right - it just took a certain type of genius to pronounce some things failures. Then again, his overall goal is trying to create an actual time machine, so it makes sense that his standards are pretty high.

“What does it do, then?” I poke at the machine cautiously and Ekko jolts to attention, pushing me out of the way and immediately rushing to his creation, arms shielding it protectively. 

“Hey hey hey! Careful now- you might disrupt the chronal accelerator, and you wouldn’t want to do that. Trust me.” 

Half of the words I’m like 90% sure he’s making up, but Ekko’s tone is dead serious as he says them, so I give him the benefit of the doubt for now and back off a few paces, the Boy Genius relaxing slightly as I do, fiddling with the part of the machine I had touched and letting out a sigh of relief when everything was where it was supposed to be. 

I feel like that's a bit of an overreaction... I had barely touched the thing, really. 

“What would that have done?” 

Ekko’s wrench freezes for a second, before he begins methodically disassembling and reassembling some old dial towards the back end of the invention, one which whirrs as he twists it shut again. It's a nervous tick if I've ever seen one. “Ever see that old-ass movie with the repeating day and Bill Murray?”

“Groundhog Day?” I actually loved that movie, and it definitely wasn’t because I had a soft spot for Bill Murray and his whirlwind romance with Andie McDowell. Well, maybe it was, but it was mostly because of how excited Kai got whenever she saw it. She’s probably seen it at least eleven times, five of which I’ve been there with her, and yet she still gets all wide-eyed and adorable whenever Bill Murray says, in that deadpan voice, “I’m a god.” 

“Yeah. Think that, but you’re stuck until you fix the machine… and every hour, it resets. Over, and over again.” Ekko cracks a smile, though I know him well enough to know it’s a tad bit too forced. “Like a pop quiz from hell. Believe me, I got really good at fixing that thing.”

“Right… and why, exactly, are you working with something that dangerous?” I definitely don’t edge surreptitiously away from that ticking time-bomb of a creation. Messing with space demons was one thing, but messing with the laws of causality? Yeah, hard pass. That was the fate for some 90's horror-anime villain; getting trapped in an infinite time loop for all eternity until I figured out how to fix it. The most terrifying part about it would be the inevitability of it all - eventually, I would figure out how to fix it, and then I'd be back here, back on the timeline - but who knew how long that would be? A year? Ten years? Two decade? Stuck like that for all eternity... that would be a fate worse than death. 

Ekko sighs, wiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. His arms are completely covered in grease and motor oil, faint scratches leaking blood and grease over the edges of his rolled-up sleeves. Combine that with the number of tools scattered around his workbench in a DIY hurricane and I can see that Ekko’s been at it for a while. Did he run straight to his workshop after his meeting with Fiddlesticks? 

“Because, like it or not, it’s our best shot at stopping this thing.”

Ekko jabs a finger towards the back of the board, where a single, snapped photo of Fiddlesticks lies pinned to the wall. Even frozen in a polaroid like that, the Star Nemesis still managed to look both terrifying and etheral, its limbs splayed out like a horrific spider. I'm half-expecting it to jump out at me from the confines of the photo.  

“I was watching that thing, skirting around its - weird clone things with my time powers. Believe me, it was hard to even get close to it - but I noticed that it had been following Kai and the others for a while. It could've attacked at any time, but it chose to not."

"That thing let us live. I don’t like that.”

The invention beeps, then - with a hiss - opens up, revealing a surprisingly simple tube-like apparatus with hooks on the side, complete with multicolored wires and bulbs poking out of its innards in an asymmetrical spray of red-and-blue electrical tape. It’s so very - Ekko-like, and I stifle a grin. Okay, but are the wires doing a cosplay of Ekko’s hair or is Ekko’s hair doing a cosplay of  the wires? 

 “And when I don’t like things, I end up violating the natural order to fix them. Case in point- this thing.”

The Star Guardian pats the metal backing almost proudly. “I call it the Deep Dive Transfer machine - the DDT for short.”

“And what will this do, exactly?” I ask. Ekko grins, excited despite himself to start talking about his project to a willing audience.

“It creates a projected reality approximately one day ahead of us. Think of it like - a preview. You’ll be able to go through your life for a day before getting zapped back to the present. It's like - hijacking yourself from a day ahead in order to change things and see how things go. “

I hold up a hand, stalling out Ekko's next sentence. Something about the way he said that last part made me think- 

“Hang on- I though you were doing this?”

I hate the fact that I can already read the answer on Ekko's face before he responds. My friend and fellow Guardian shrugs helplessly, his brown locks flopping over his face for a second. “I can’t be the one to do it. If something messes up on any end - future, past, present - I’m the only one who has a chance to fix this thing, and I can’t do that if I’m locked in the DDT.”
I suppress a wince. Yeah, that made sense, even if I didn't want to admit it. 

“Honestly, I’m glad that you were the one who showed up. It was either you or the Captain that I wanted to test this thing.” Ekko says. 

"...Alright." I don't like that I was essentially suckered into testing this Deep Dive Machine, or whatever it was, but I could at least understand the logic. Besides, if Ekko was telling the truth - and I trusted him to be - then this machine was amazingly useful."

“Objectives are - find Fiddlesticks, find his next victim, and figure out what is going on with his powers. If you can get that, it’s a success.” Ekko says, rapping his chalkboard with a knuckle.  I nod, turning back to the DDT and giving it a cursory once-over, careful not to touch it too hard. 

"So - what, do I just… put it on? Is there some - I don't know, lab pod or something I should be sleeping in?" 

Ekko scoffs at my very realistic and understandable concern. 

"We’re exploring different realities, Kai, not time-travel. All you have to do is put it on, and then press the button."

I hold the DDT gingerly, hefting it up to test its weight. It's an extremely innocuous-looking device for a reality-warping space-time manipulating gizmo; lighter than it looks as well, only slightly heavier than an Ipad or something, which is really kind of unbelievable.

"On… my waist?" There was a slot for it on the DDT, but I just wanted to make sure before I warped myself into next year.

Ekko gives me a look like I’m an idiot, half exasperated and half bemoaning, as if he was seriously reconsidering giving me his super-secret timeline-shifting weapon. 

“No, on your head. Of course it’s on your waist. It’s super simple. Just hit the button, and the timelines will split. For you, it’ll seem like you were sent into the future - 24 hours into the future- and then yanked back into the present, just after you pressed the button. Then we’ll have to wait until the timelines converge again before trying again." 

He pauses. I can see practically hear the gears whirring in his head as Ekko runs through some quick mental calculations, before he continues. 

“Technically, we could have multiple converging timelines, but that’s a tentative maybe. I think - up to four timelines at once, probably - six if we really push it. After that it gets dicy.”

“…so it’s not actually time travel.” That was the most I had gotten from all of that. Hey, I was more of a reality-tv, fandom type of gal, not really a sci-fi one. I hook the DDT to my waist, and definitely don't jump as the machine lets out an approving hum and a warm tingle, like the aftershock of static electricity.

“No, not really. It’s more like… a trial run through tomorrow? Or - more like a save file, from a video game, set in the future. You'll be able to reload it as multiple times, but it'll have the same chronological beginning and end.”

Ekko shudders. “If it took this much work to get the chronal particles to align in a single direction, I can’t fathom the amount of work needed to get it to move multiple directions, let alone synchronize the diffusing time flows after the initial temporal gate. If Professor Zilean's thesis on repeating chronological patterns is even remotely accurate - and it is, believe me, I tested it - it's theoretically possible to make a time machine, but that's... beyond me, right now.”

It’s all gibberish to me - Ekko's the advanced theoretical physics major, I'm just the lowly medical student - but I get the gist regardless. 12 hours for me to work, then I’ll be yanked back to right now. 

"And if I... get hurt?" I ask. Or die, is what I want to add, but I don't think it was necessary. Ekko knew as well as I did, just how dangerous Fiddlesticks was. 

The resident genius purses his lips. "Best-case scenario, you're close enough to the end of the temporal leash that there isn't much kickback when you get pulled back to our time. You'll feel awful for a few minutes, like you just choked up the world's largest vodka hairball, but other than that you'll be fine. Worst-case scenario..."

"...I have a feeling I don't want to know the worst-case scenario." I say. Even my worst fear is probably only half as terrible as my actual fate if something goes really wrong. Not even death is a certainty when one messes with time.

"Yeah." Ekko says, grimly. "It's pretty bad." He forces a grin. "Well, the good thing is, you have time; lots of it. If you think it's getting too dangerous, you can always just wait out the hours and jump back to here. We'll have some time to brainstorm between loops."  

I poke at the DDT gingerly when Ekko's not looking. It feels reassuringly solid, though who knows if that matters given the whole quantum theory behind this stuff.
“It looks like one of those old Dalek Beam-saber weapons from Star Trek or whatever.” I comment innocently.

“It’s Star Wars, Akali, it’s a global phenomenon, there is literally no way you haven’t heard of-“ Ekko catches a glimpse of my amused smile and pouts, rolling his eyes. “Ha-ha. Very funny. Any more wisecracks before we commit crimes against the space-time continuum?”

"...Can I get a moment to think about it?"

"Nope."

There's a click- then a whirr as Ekko slaps the DDT's switch on, letting the machine rumble to life.

Instantly, I feel - odd. It's not a placebo effect - I can distinctly feel my connection to the Stars fluctuate, like a wifi-signal struggling to connect, whirling about in my gut like electric cotton candy in my veins. 

"Uh, is this supposed to be-" I freeze. My vision is warped, like looking through a reberverating mirror, Ekko's face wavering - splitting, fragmenting into copies of himself - except they weren't exactly the same, they were slightly different - different hair, different poses, the laboratory holding a solid whirlwind of blue-light afterimages of projects and ideas and possibilities that didn't yet previously exist, and now were being summoned into the visual sphere by the DDT.

It feels like my gut was being pulled through a test-tube glass cylinder as the world shimmers, shading everything in a neon blue swirl - until it all reverses, funneling back into me so quickly I have to close my eyes against the onrush of blue images  flashing in my retinas -

And then it stops, so quickly and suddenly I barely manage to catch myself as everything slows down to normal. I stagger backwards, only to be caught by a familiar hand on my wrist.

"Yo. You good, Akali?"

I squeeze my eyes shut, blinking to get rid of the flashing lights still imprinted on my eyelids. "Is time travel supposed to be this trippy? Or am I just special."

"Ah. Try using it all the time, Akali." Ekko laughs. "And this is the refined version."

He gives me a look, and it takes my brain a second to realize that he's looking past me - at some sort of afterimage I couldn't see but could now easily imagine, given my newfound experience with the quantum realm.

“Yeah. Most times I see, like, a quantum shadow around you- around everyone, when I use my power. But for you?” Ekko smirks. “There’s nothing. Welcome to the future, I guess.”

“Still no flying cars?” I deadpan. To my surprise, Ekko grins, a slick conspiratorial grin like that one time when he used his time-travel powers to edit Dr. Mather’s multiple-choice pop quiz answers to be all B. 

“Well, Tocker and I have been a bit busy lately… but no. Not yet.”

“So, how does it feel?”

I flex my arms, squeezing my hands into fists before throwing a couple of quick punches, bobs and weaves, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

“…weird.” I finally conclude. 

My body does feel weird. Not in a bad way, just - kind of disconnected, if that made sense? If I really focused, I could feel more grounded in the moment, but apart from when I did that it felt like I was constantly covered in some vaguely warm sweater, or maybe a ball of bubble wrap. Still, I had to remember that I was just as vulnerable now as I was normally. No timewinding like Ekko, no second chances.

“Twelve hours, Akali.” Ekko says, strolling over to the door and sliding it open, the musty garage air wafting in like a wave of heat. "Twelve hours until yesterday again. Better get moving." 

First things first; get a bearing on - well, everything. 

It feels a bit weird, looting through my own backpack and phone for clues, but it's the first thing that I do after escaping Ekko's workshop. Apparently after using the DDT memories take a while to re-orient themselves to the timeline, but they could be triggered by notes, which is -

Aha! Of course. My past self - future self? Whatever- made a checklist of things that they had done and things they needed to do. At the top of the list is a phone number and a reminder. Call Rell.

The number rings - once, twice, three times before Rell finally picks up.

“Akali? That you?” Rell's voice crackles through the other end, sounding distinctly staticky and muffled. "Sorry, the connection in the hospital is shit- here, gimme a second." I hear rustling on the other side as Rell picks up her phone, followed by a few seconds of silence before Rell speaks again, her voice marginally more clear. "This better?" 

“Yeah, a bit." 

“Cool. What’s up?” 

“Nothing. Just wanted to check in on you.” I say. The last thing I remembered - and god, does it feel weird to think that, having memories that were me but not me- was needing to check in on Rell for some reason, though I haven't the foggiest why.

“Oh, really? Hah. Thanks.” I can hear Rell rummaging through something- maybe a bag, maybe some bedsheets. “I’m, uh, still at the hospital. Soraka won’t let me go for at least another two days, which I think is some bullshit- but at least Tali's here as well. I'm pretty sure she's been going stir-crazy as well. Kai'Sa's been bringing some board games over as well, so we aren't going completely insane of boredom. " 

“Right. Is there… anything you want me to do for you?” Knowing that Kai'Sa was okay was good, sure, but this wasn't exactly the pertinant information I was looking for.

“...Now that you mention it, there is, actually. Quinn.” Rell pauses. I get the feeling that she's choosing her next words very carefully. "You know how she's, uh, kinda solitary at times?" 

That's a good way of putting "brooding and standoffish" in a non-offensive way. I nod, then realizing that Rell wouldn't be able to see the motion, respond. "Yeah. What about her?"  

"She sent me a text a while ago saying that she found something. This was before we - being me, Kai, and Tali - found the incursion at the mall." Rell explains. "We were going to go investigate it together, but - well, you know what happened. She sent me a whole map of stuff for me to look at, but I've completely forgot about it until now, when you reminded me."

"Can you check in on her for me? Knowing Quinn, she'll probably run in on her own if she doesn't get a response back from me - and, despite her insistence, Valor does not count as a capable companion for these sort of missions. I would go myself, but..." Her voice trails off. 

"No problem. Anything I should keep in mind?" I say. 

“She probably wants, like, one of those hazelnut buns. Actually, get two of them, because Valour probably wants one as well. I'll send over the files she sent me so you can look at them.” Rell laughs ruefully. “Tell her that I’m fine, alright? She’ll probably worry a bit - actually, she'll probably worry a lot, even if she looks unbothered. That's just how she is.”

"I'll do my best."

Rell forwards the emails a few moments later and I take a look at them while en route to Quinn's rooftop lookout. It's an acquired skill, looking at my phone while flying - only 10% less hazardous than driving while texting - but it's definitely worth it for all the down time saved. I can’t seem to decipher Rell’s handwriting despite my best efforts, the cavalier’s handwriting as unruly as her hair, but thankfully Quinn’s map of her reconnaissance is much more clearly organized.

And it’s…

“Whoa.”

It’s a map of Valoran city - at least, most of it. Probably about 80% of it, excluding the outer city limits where basically nobody patrolled due to how far out it was - at least two hour's distance even by flight. More than that, almost every inch of the map is neatly categorized with information of various kinds. Scribbles left in a neat, deft cursive sprawl, detail everything from tidbits of information- Valour’s parrot paramour, Dad's workplace, Akali's house and jogging routine - which, I noticed, was unnervingly accurate, down to timestamps - I'd consider it stalker-level information if it weren't present for everyone - everyone I knew, at least. Kai'Sa, Taliyah, Ekko, Ezreal - all of them have little  blurbs of information and neat notes documenting their various actions and routines.

The thing that takes up the majority of the page, though, is a orange scrawl that litters even the margins of the map, leading all around the city-

I squint at the map, scanning the page until the name corresponding to the orange scrawl comes up - and somehow, I'm not surprised.

Fiddlesticks.

Quinn seemed to be having trouble locating Fiddlesticks, or finding even traces of him. Compared to the scarily accurate previous information sets, these locations were scattered, littered with so many question marks and dashes that Quinn seems to have resorted to mostly guesswork- until they started to even out, gettting more and more precise up until the locations became a solid line that dashed across the page but remained unnervingly precise.

She had found a way to track Fiddlesticks? This would be game changing information - but no, it seemed more like a more accurate list of sightings, not predictions. The latest sighting was at the Clearview Mall, and before that -

"...Westside Park?"

Wait. That was where I had gone, after the meeting with the other Guardians - and where Morgana had shown up.

I flip to the next picture. Another map, but this one was littered with purple dots rather than orange. I only have to see the Westside Park dot show up before I know that it's a map of Morgana's location. That, and there's a photo of me and Morgana attached to it- back at the park, tucked in at the bottom right corner of the page. Quinn had seen me meet with Morgana? 

I flicked forward a page, then back again. Then do it twice, just to make sure I wasn't just seeing things. I wasn't.

…The more recent dots lined up almost one-to-one with the purple line. Wherever Morgana was, Fiddlesticks showed up not long after. 

Fiddlesticks was following Morgana - and Quinn, after failing to track Fiddle, had started tracking Morgana instead. 

“You’re not Rell.” 

Those are the first words that Quinn says when I finally arrive, landing with a thud onto the rooftop. I had severely underestimated how far Quinn's hideout was, and how easily I could find it. The amount of times I had circled the area before finally recognizing Valour on the rooftop -

“Huff, huff…” I pant, wiping a bead of sweat from my brows, my wings disappearing back into my suit. “Holy shit, why are you so high up?” 

“Vision, mostly. Plus it helps for some privacy.” Quinn replies. From who was left unsaid, mostly because it could be anyone- other Star Guardians, passing-by airplanes, maybe the NSA -

...It was a nice view, though. I could see almost all of Valoran City from up here, even the campus of Valoran University and a brown-ish blob in the distance I tenatively identified as Kai'Sa's house.

"Still, you wouldn't have come here without a reason." Quinn gives me a once-over, her gaze piercing like a drill sergeant. "Why are you here?"

“Rell… is at the hospital, with Taliyah.” I say, after a moment of hesitation.

For the first time I see something close to genuine emotion flit across Quinn's face. The Scout doesn't say anything, simply striding over to her black backpack thrown on the side of the rooftop, pulling out an old, beat-up Nokia.

“Really? A Nokia?” I can't help it; that phone is probably older than me at this point.

“Emergency phone. I don’t use technology on patrol. Too… distracting.” Quinn says offhandedly, flicking through the contacts of her old flip phone. It takes a few seconds before her face softens with relief and she shuts off the phone again, tossing it haphazardly onto the ground. I wince at the clatter of plastic on concrete, even knowing that it's a Nokia and basically invincible. 

“That idiot. Of course she'd do that.”

Still, she does look slightly less put out by the news, looking more appraising than concerned.

“Also, she said to get you two hazelnut buns, so I... got you these.” I hold out the buns as a peace offering, letting Valour land on my arm, his claws digging into my arms for a few seconds before the bun is devoured and Valour flies away in a flurry of wings, landing back a few inches away from Quinn on the nearby rooftop.

“That’s the wrong brand. The ones we normally get are from that cute bakery down at 9th Street, next to the bodega and hairstylist place. That one gives Valor hiccups.” Quinn eyes her familiar, who at least has the good grace to look guilty, crumbs of the vanished pastry still present on his plumage. “...But thanks. Is that it?” 

"Well- not exactly." I explain what Rell had told me, as well as the connection I had read on her map. When I get to the part about Morgana, though, Quinn stops me.

"I don't think that you're going to betray us, Akali, but I needed to make sure. That's the only reason why I was watching you, at the park." She pauses. "Also, you are aware that she's a Star Nemesis, right?"

"Duh. I mean, I just-" I bite my lip, suddenly feeling self-conscious for some reason. "I just got cornered by her, alright? And - I don't know. She wanted me to join her, or some shit. I didn't listen to her, if that's what you're asking either." I add.

Even then, it feels like a weak excuse, but I couldn't reveal how my connection to the Stars was wavering, otherwise she might suspect something of me. Worst-case scenario, she might think I was working with Morgana-

"Mm. Alright." I can't tell if it's sarcastic or not, as Quinn just gives me a look - piercing brown eyes from behind her white mask - before she stands up. I tense, expecting something - a confrontation, maybe - but Quinn just brushes off the last crumbs of the pastry off the pink frills of her uniform (I didn't even see her eat it-) before turning back to me. "Then, would you like to help me confront her?"

"-Why not. I've got a few hours to burn-" I start.

Quinn nods, not even letting me finish. "Good. I'll see you at the corner market, down on Sixth Street. We'll be waiting for you there. Valour! To me!"

With a burst of pink starlight, Valour swoops down off his perch, just in time for Quinn to make a perfect vault off the side of the rooftop, disappearing from view. A second later, Valor swoops off the side, diving down towards his fallen Guardian in hot pursuit. I barely have a chance to rush to the side and peer over the edge before I see a familiar set of wings whoosh forward, twirling in the air before disappearing off into the horizon.

...What a show-off.

Sinful Succulence, for as suggestive and fun-sounded as the name might be, was in fact not a S & M place, or some other seedy backroom store with low lighting and delightful electronic toys to play around with, provided you were a legal adult. No, the place was instead a neat little bakery nestled in the corner of 6th Street that smelled of - chocolate, and the aroma of nicely rising bread. I had heard rumors about the place, mostly overheard from some other students during lectures and such, but never really gave it a look. Kai'Sa was the one with a sweet tooth; I preferred savory.

Quinn is already there, standing in front of it when I arrive, standing watch with Valour on her shoulder. A few people gawk at the eagle nesting on Quinn's shoulder, but most just give her a wide berth, something Valor seems to appreciate. It was Valoran City, after all; people have seen much, much weirder stuff.

"Good. You're here."

I raise an eyebrow skeptically. "And why are we here? For more hazelnut buns?" It did smell good, but I had expected something more. Quinn shakes her head.

"We're not here for food, Akali. Can't you sense it?"

I grunt. Sensing stuff was never really my specialty - compared to the others, at least, I was hardly a deft hand at probing out subtleties of the world, unseen or otherwise - but I knew the basics at least. I extend my senses outwards, letting starlight enhance my senses beyond the mundane.

From the outside, the bakery seems completely normal, beyond the business's obviously bustling storefront. There's the smell of chocolate, and pecans roasting, and wheat, and blueberry muffins-

But underneath the aroma of yeast rising there's a tang of darkness, sharp and bitter on my tongue. Dark magic. I exhale. "Yep. This is definitely the place."

The bell on the door rings loud and clear as we enter the shop. It's larger on the inside; much larger, almost as large as a full-on diner, with several booths and tables set up with cutesy noir decorations, a sort of family-friendly goth approach that worked surprisingly well with the bakery's desserts and bread.

"Sorry, we aren't-" Morgana's voice, clear and open, sound so different from our first meeting, clear of guile or intrigue.
I can tell the instant that Morgana recognizes me, as her eyes widen with surprise - before she notices Quinn with me, and her smile quickly disappears, replaced with an appraising scowl. She turns to her co-worker, tapping him on the shoulder with one black-painted fingernail. "Pantheon? Can you take over the front for a second? I have some - old friends I need to converse with."

Pantheon - probably a nickname - actually fits the name quite well, being a disgustingly handsome man with the frame of a Calvin Klein model, or some professional weightlifter, an impressive effect which is only somewhat ruined by the two massive oven mitts on his hands, his striped baking apron and the massive white, poofy pastry-chef hat on his head.
He nods eagerly, the hat bobbing frantically as it tries to remain upright and stable. "I'll make you proud, Mrs. Morgana!"

"Mm. I'm sure you will, Pantheon." Morgana gives him a soft, if genuine smile, before turning to me and Quinn. "He's a new hire. Very... enthusiastic, if not very experienced, but he has a willingness to learn, which I appreciate. He's also quite unaware of my previous association, though, and I'd like to keep it that way."

The threat is an empty one; even the Star Nemesis knew when she had been outmaneuvered. I feel just a little bit bad about that, but - well, she was a Star Nemesis. Threats to the galaxy and all that.

"There's a back room where we can chat freely-" Morgana offers. Almost immediately Quinn shakes her head.

"No. Out here, in the open." Her tone doesn't leave much room for negotiation - but it was non-negotiable. We were already taking a risk just confronting her in  the open like this, but I was willing to take the chance -and I had convinced Quinn to do the same. Morgana didn't act like a Star Nemesis would, so maybe there was a chance to negotiate with her. Quinn had agreed, with several stipulations. This was one I agreed with.

The Star Nemesis pursues her lips, an annoyingly distracting motion, before nodding curtly. "Fine. But we'll take the booth in the back."

It's an acceptable compromise, and Quinn nods, once, before motioning for me to go in first. Guess I'm the good cop, huh? Not a role I was used to playing, but I could see why Quinn did it. Unlike her, Morgana had sought me out personally, built a rapport of sorts, even if it was a single meeting. I could use that.

"So." Once we are all seated Morgan smooths down her apron - a tasteful Kiss the Chef embossed in front in white thread. She's still imposing, even in her normal getup of casual jeans and dress shirt - maybe it's just in the way she holds herself, like an anointed empress in her seat of power. Still irritatingly beautiful, though less intimidating in casual clothes than her previous uniform.

"When I gave you that card, Akali, I expected you to at least call me or make an appointment before seeking me out, rather than ambush me at my workplace."

She smiles - and oh, do I remember that smile, all loose and seductive like the zipper on the back of a sleeveless dress, her lips plump and enticing with a layer of purple lipstick on them, neckline a pale and smooth slice of perfection - I force my gaze upward to give Morgana a cool look. 

"We didn't exactly come to an agreement, no? Besides, you were the one who ambushed me first. I think I have the right to do the same." I counter.

Morgan shrugs, acknowledging the point. "I suppose. Though, I admit - you do seem a bit different, Akali." Her eyes narrow as she looks at me, her eyes tracing over my figure appraisingly and I force myself to stay calm. She couldn't tell, could she? The DDT was in my bag, still humming with whatever chronal-science Ekko had come up with - but there was no way she could tell I had used it, right?

“...I don’t think I’ve change that much in a few days, have I?” I bluster back. There was a second - a taut, tension filled second as her pale yellow eyes meet mine- before she chuckles, a low, rich sound that settles into my gut like a fine wine. 

“I suppose not. And you’ve brought a friend. How… delightful.” Her tone implies that it is anything but; the look she gives Quinn being about as friendly as a snake’s gaze is to a raptor, the sort of wide-eyed veiled aggression that made all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end.  

Quinn, to her credit, doesn’t flinch an inch, her grey eyes steely behind her Star Guardian mask. On her shoulder Valor stands, his gaze piercing as only a eagle can be. “Fiddlesticks has been hounding you for the past few weeks, ever since you appeared in Valoran City. whenever you set foot outside of your bakery. Why? Why are you here - and what do you want?” 

“And who are you, exactly?” Morgana’s eyes flicks away for a second to Quinn, to Valor, the familiar's eyes holding far too much intelligence to be a simple eagle- then back to me, the question unspoken but answer obvious.  “Oh. You’re the little birdie I’ve seen flitting around.” Morgana’s smile is cruel and capricious, and I’m once again reminded that this wasn’t some random, beautiful goddess - this was a Star Nemesis, a Fallen Star Guardian - one who was decidedly at odds with the First Star. “I’ve been meaning to have a chat with you.” 

The ranger's face is completely blank, a perfect mask of silence. I wish I had even half the composure of Quinn. For me, just standing here, face-to-face with Morgana sent shivers down my spine, in the same way that nails on a chalkboard grated on your hearing, setting everything on edge in a way that couldn't be just ignored. It was like that scene from Jurassic Park, where Chris Pratt had to stare down a pack of velociraptors. Apex predators can smell fear. Show no fear, and they'll walk away.  

"Well, here we are, and we have a few questions for you. Answer a few of ours, and we might answer some of yours." I say.

Morgana smirks, and - “I have a better idea. Now, Rigel! Blind them!" 

I twirl, kunai up and ready - but the familiar - her familiar - is prepared, and easily dodges my frantic swipe before letting loose a blast of eldritch darkness, swamping the bakery in a cloud of thick, cloying blindness. There's coughing, then cursing from Quinn - I can barely see her and Valor through the smog, and it takes me a second to realize that Morgana's missing- before I'm knocked off my feet and pinned to the wall by what feels like a charging linebacker, the force enough to bruise my chest and stomach and knock the wind out of me, stunning me briefly.

Screams of shock and terror ring out through the bakery as the patrons realize that their pleasant afternoon has just been ruined by a Star Nemesis, and the bakery is quickly vacated in seconds. As the mist clears, I see Quinn pinned the wall across from me, Valour stuck to the roof, all of us encased in a purple binding, tendrils of blackish-purple smoke-coils that wrap around my chest. Even as I strain, though, they don't budge an inch, still holding me in place. Only my right hand is somewhat freed, still pinned to the wall but flowing with my connection to the First Star - but the bindings seem to be interfering with my connection as well, as I can barely muster a trickle of starlight.

Quinn isn't moving, and my heart catches for a second - before she coughs, weakly. Still unconscious, but alive; just knocked out. That left me, Morgana, and-

Clang.

The baking sheet lands, the back of the metal deformed with a life-sized imprint of Morgana's head. Pantheon gingerly picks up the next cookie sheet, holding it menacingly like a bat as if expecting to go another round. It'd almost be comical, like one of those old Disney cartoons, except Morgana isn't even phased by the surprise attack by her co-worker. At most, she just seems annoyed, giving Pantheon a look of exasperation.

"And here I thought you had enough sense to run like the others. My fault, I suppose."

Fwish! A bolt of black void magic explodes out of Morgana's outstretched hand, shaping into a massive blast of darkness that swamps over Pantheon. The assistant baker struggles valiantly for a second against the Star Nemesis's attack before slumping to the floor, out cold.

Now it really was just me and Morgana. I flail, my legs pressing against the back wall in a futile attempt to free myself before Morgana snaps her fingers, and another tendril of smoke wraps itself around my ankles, preventing me from moving. “Ah, Akali." Morgana tuts, shaking her head disapprovingly. "We could’ve been such good friends. Truly a shame…” 

I blink, and she's there- right next to me, her fingers clamping around my bottom chin - she's so close now, close enough to lick - or kiss -

“We could’ve been so much more than that, as well.” Her fingers ghost across my lips, tasting faintly of plum and dark chocolate. I twist my face to the side, refusing to play along with whatever game the Star Nemesis is doing, and with a huff Morgana lets go of my chin, turning back around to the ruined set of her bakery.

"I suppose the patisserie schtick has run itself dry. A shame; it was almost entertaining for a while, and that's high praise coming from an immortal."

With a flick of her wrist the bakery begins to move, like one of those old Mickey Mouse cartoons with the brooms and buckets. Walls crinkle about and rotate to un-scathed sections, floorboards upend dirtied loaves of bread into the disposal, and bits of shattered glass slowly clink their way across the floor to the hole in the window. Even still, the casual display sends a shiver of chills down my spine as the dark magic being worked permeates the air.

"Now, what should I do with you-"

Creeeak.

I freeze, hands frozen in place trying to hide the bit of the starlight dagger I had managed to create. Morgana freezes as well - and for the first time I see something close to actual fear on her features.

“No, not now-” Morgana curses, whipping back around to face the front of the bakery - except it isn't there anymore.

No, it is there, but there's this - ripple, in the air, that blots out the light. It looks like a giant soap bubble - except it isn't a bubble, it isn't solid at all, the movement of the ripple like liquid, a singular bubble that coils - slowly, slowly, probing forward-

Until it whirls apart, ripping through whatever lingering space was there, and with a tear like metal being crushed in a trash compactor I see the edges of the bakery begin to churn.
Faded wallpapers and loose tiling too close to the distortion fluctuate into flowering, lush, inhospitably dense greenery, sprouting and dying in an extreme pace, then metal - rusted, chrome, stainless steel begin to clank out of the bubble like lines of pasta from a machine, folding over itself in a heedless rush of creation- until everything - the whole bubble - bursts, like wet paper in an maelstrom of technicolor transformations, the blister on the world opening up into an portal, and from it the checker boarded landscape spilling out across the room, out onto the sidewalk and across the buildings. 

Vaguely, I can see the tile flooring of the bakery flickering back into view against the checker boarded floor, as if valiantly trying to remain in existence - until a long, silver scythe tears through the flooring, quelling the flickering immediately.

Fiddlesticks. The monster hisses, then screams, mouth and head rippling from the kickback as it lets loose a harsh distorted sound like raindrops put in a blender, and Morgana is forced backwards as a deluge of darkened tendrils whip through the air, Fiddlesticks scythe cleaving through the other Nemesis's projectiles -

-but Morgana is hardly finished, as enormous pools of miasma manifest in the air before being flung towards Fiddlesticks. It's enough to force it back a pace and into an awaiting tendril of miasma controlled by Morgana- far denser than anything I had seen before, a solid claw of darkness that wrenches the elder entity out of the bakery and backhands it into the building across the street to us, an old Korean-run barbershop, smashing through the window and neon-red Welcome sign. More screams, more chaos, but for half a second I dare to hope that it's over until I hear the distorted whine of Fiddlesticks start up again.

Morgana sighs. "Well, this has gone rather poorly, hasn't it." She turns to me and Quinn, and I tense, trying desperately to break free of the bindings with my improvised blade -until the bindings disappear, suddenly, and I land on the ground with a thud. Besides me, Quinn lands, barely being caught by Valor in time, the eagle squawking as he tries desperately to hold up his unconscious Star Guardian.

"What's- why did you-"

"We don't have time for that, Akali."

For once the Star Nemesis seems serious. There's a palpable aura around her, the sort of presence that I had always suspected lie hidden within her - except now that it was fully unsealed I could barely even look at her without feeling minuscule. I felt like I understood my place within the galaxy; a speck of eternity, infinitesimally irrelevant within the grand scheme of the cosmos.

Her hair, formerly a dull grey was now a stark white, her uniform eschewed for a silvery garb that dips in a perfect v-shaped curve that envelops her perfect curves like the ripples of a moonlit lake, drawing in my eye in a way impossible to eschew.
More than that - her wings. Bold, purple, outstretched like the wings of an avenging angel, each feather impossibly pristine like melted glass-work frozen mid-smelt, embers of quiet twilight caught in a moment. They glow with a holy radiance that almost burns my retinas the longer I stare at them. Even tainted with the ivory glow of darkness, they seem - perfect, an understatement that still takes my breath away completely, my own gossamer wings a pale imitation of hers.

Inside, I can feel the First Star react, a slow and visceral reaction of want and need I can barely separate from my own feelings-

All of that was but a fraction of the whole, as Morgana seemed - unleashed from her shackles, vibrant orange and and blue chains whipping across the air like a great tentacled beast. Where she stepped, the ground rippled out of the checkerboard pattern, forming a spiral of darkened ground that pulsed with an eerie silver glow like an anointed earth begun anew. Her eyes find mine, burning with the light of her own power so intensely everything else seems to fade out of existence.

"I can hold Fiddlesticks off for a few hours, at most, but then I'll be subsumed, and she'll have access to the Key. If she has the Key, then there's no telling what havoc she could wreck on reality before your Guardians get her under control - and I happen to be quite fond of this world, and of my life. That means it's up to you, Akali, to turn back the clock and try again."

The Star Nemesis smirks at my expression of surprise. "When someone has lived as long as I have, one tends to notice a bit of misplaced time. Still, I hope this is enough to convince you that next time we meet I'm worth trusting." She waves a hand, and a portal opens behind us - Valoran City hospital.

I hesitate, and it must show on my face as Morgana smiles - a real smile this time, without any pretenses or fear. It's as breathtaking as it is beautiful.

"Go, Akali. As long as you live, there might be a reality left to protect - and isn't that what you Star Guardians are about?"

I don't have time to say anything else. There are so many things I could do - could say - could fight, alongside her -

But instead, I grab Quinn's shoulder, hefting her up before giving Morgana one last look. "I'll save you. I promise."

The last thing I hear before I step into the portal is Morgana's rallying cry- and the scream of Fiddlesticks as the Star Nemesis begin their battle.

Chapter Text

The cool afternoon breeze swirls overhead in a gentle rush of air as I step out of the portal, landing on the reassuringly solid ground of the street plaza. It's so peaceful, so reassuringly mundane that I can almost believe that the earlier chaos was just a momentary blip of horror, like waking from a sudden nightmare-

-Until a silver tendril whips out of the portal from behind me, pointed tip gleaming in the sunlight as it scythes towards me in a vicious arc.

Desperately, I parry the strike with a hastily summoned kunai but the force behind the attack throws the three of us - me, Valour, and Quinn - back several meters, tumbling over the brick and stonework stairs to land painfully on the ground, my back lighting up with pain. Quinn lets out a groan, but doesn't stir, still unconscious. 

The tendril wavers, clicking in the air like echolocation menacingly before splitting into three prongs like a velociraptor's claw - I grimace, rolling to my feet protectively in front of Quinn, Valour hovering in the air above me to form a avian shield against aerial attacks.

With a screech, Fiddlestick's claw lunges forward, three claws scything from every direction - left, right, and center - before suddenly, with a snap, their forward momentum is halted instantaneously, like a dog stopped on a short leash.
Then,  the tendril twitches, before being dragged back, the metal claw scraping against the stonework in a grinding scream like a demon pulled from hell until - with a final screech, Fiddlestick's cry cuts off abruptly as the portal snaps shut, leaving only the final severed, still-twitching limb of the Star Nemesis that rapidly disintegrates after a well-placed kunai.

Still, the attention is enough to draw the attention of a few passerbys close enough to hear the commotion, and I wince. Both of us- Quinn and I - were still in costume, in broad daylight no less.

"Psst. Wake up, Quinn." I hiss, patting the still-unconscious Star Guardian on the cheek none-too-gently, before shooting Valour an apologetic look for manhandling his Guardian. The eagle chuffs, looking only slightly annoyed before waddling over to Quinn and jabbing his beak into her ear.

At that, the ranger stirs slightly, one hand coming up to weakly bat away at Valour's bright brown plumage. "-lour, stop..." Quinn groans, her tone still half-asleep.

The eagle caws, an insistent, ear-piercing noise that makes most listeners wince, before giving the tip of her earlobe a quick nip. That gets Quinn up, her brown hair mussed and eyes ablaze. "Ow! Valour, you can't do that-"

She stops, taking in the gathering crowd of onlookers with a sense of sudden guardedness and apprehension, one that only slightly fades when she notices my presence. "Akali."

"Quinn."

"What happened?" Quinn asks softly, blinking away the drowsiness and glaring daggers at any of the onlookers who got too close for comfort. On her shoulder Valour stands sentinel, a watchful guard-eagle, claws and wings flexed aggressively.

"Stuff happened, Morgana's a good guy now, Fiddlesticks is a bit out of our league, and the end of the world. Nothing much." I reply, grimly.

To her credit, Quinn absorbs the news without even a mote of panic in her expression, only paling slightly at my re-telling of Morgana's predicament. "I need to find my father, make sure he's safe."

"Wait! Quinn-"

"I'll be fine. You make sure that Rell and Taliyah are safe, alright? I leave them with you." Quinn says, giving me a terse nod. She doesn't wait for me to answer before transforming in a burst of starlight and launching herself in the air in a motion that has most of the crowd gaping in awe. Some of them even whistle, like it was some kind of party trick-

Goddammit.
We were supposed to try and keep Star Guardian stuff secret - whatever. Even if people learned about Star Guardians, it wouldn't matter. Another six hours and everything would be reset again. All of this didn't matter. All of this would be reset once the DDT finishes. The DDT was still sitting in my bag, still silently ticking away in its poignant countdown. 
I clung to that fact like a lifeline, even as emergency alarms begin to blare across Valoran City and people begin to mill about, murmuring to each other in low voices taut with uncertainty.

I clap my hands together as loud as I can. The crowd falls silent, quiet enough that I can hear the alarms blaring louder and louder as Valoran City moved to lockdown, like an unnerving heartbeat pounding away in the background. 

"Alright, everybody! There's a big, bad, scary monster on the loose, but the Star Guardians are on the case! Just - make your way to someplace safe, like a shelter, and make sure your family is safe as well, alright?" My voice cracks for the last bit and I cough, hoping that nobody caught that. That was a bit embarassing- 

"Any questions?"

"Are you even a real Star Guardian?" One passerby asks, his face full of skepticism. Instead of answering I simply flare my wings, black-purple gossamer butterfly wings opening with a thrum of starlight energy that has the crowd nervously pacing back a few steps, before launching myself into the air to scattered applause.

I don't bother going through the front; it's too crowded, filled with worried patients and their family members all jockeying against one another in a mad dash to the doors. Instead, I fly; up, up, up into the sky, to the north side of the building. Room 306; the window is already open by the time I get there, with Rell, Taliyah, and Kai'Sa standing in a semicircle. I land on the outside ledge, sliding open the glass porch door and walking inside.

"Akali!" Kai'Sa says, the relief evident on her face as she strides over, giving me a quick hug. I sink into the embrace gratefully, squeezing back for a half-second as if that could convey how happy I was to see her before relinquishing my grip and stepping back a safe half pace. "Where's Sona, and Ezreal?"

"They're with me." Another voice says. The door swings open, and Sona and Ezreal walk in, followed shortly by Soraka. She was the owner of the hospital, and a Guardian as well, albeit one who wasn't associated with our team. Her team was with Miss Fortune and Ahri, who were still off-world - she was one of the few Guardians who had chosen to stay rather than leave, and for that alone she had my respect. The green-haired Guardian nods her head, her horn dipping as she did so.

"Most of the patients have been evacuated. Ezreal and Sona have been a great help in moving the infirm. I assume that all of you can feel the disturbance, no?" At our nods, Soraka continues. "Communication with the other Guardians have been disabled as well. Perhaps there's a chance that some Guardians will be able to make it in time to help, but assume that we're on our own. Your orders, Kai'Sa?"

Kai'Sa nods, her face in a calm mask that was tinged with a bit of desparation. "Alright. Kai'Sa, any news from Quinn or Ekko?"

"Quinn was heading out to make sure her dad was fine, but I'm sure she'll be back soon." The scout was fast, probably the fastest Guardian out of our group; and I was sure she wouldn't take long to locate her father. I feel a pang of regret at not being able to tell my Dad or Shen where I was - I was sure that both of them would be looking for me, but with everyone in Valoran City using their phones it would be near impossible to get a signal out. I see Kai'Sa thumb her phone worriedly, before turning back to the rest of the Guardians.

"And Ekko?" She says.

"He says he's on his way now, with something that will help." Ezreal says helpfully. "I think he was at his workshop, tinkering up something. You know how he is-"

As the rest of the Guardians begin their discussions about the growing chaos, Soraka helpfully chiming in on Kai'Sa's growing plans of evacuation and safety, I find myself drawn to the window for some odd reason. There was something I could sense- some sort of power I could feel emanating from the outside, but- 

Plink.

I blink. There was a... bubble, floating outside, bobbing gently outside the window as if beckoning me to touch it. It's such a hilarious oddity - a bubble, unpopped in the middle of a city-wide crisis - that I almost pop it myself, but there's something odd about it that makes me just study it from the other side of the glass.

It's not the only bubble I can see. Now that I was looking for them, I could see them everywhere; drifting about the various roads, atop streetlights and alongside abandoned cars, drifting over garbage cans and bicycles as if following some unseen current. All of them gleam translucently with a shadowy light - I squint at the one closest to me. It almost looks like there's a pattern in them, some sort of butterfly or other insect bobbing about as if trapped in tar.

The bubble drifts closer. And closer. And - before it touches the glass, I have the sudden presence of mind to back off-

Pop!

The bubble explodes with a force I didn't even expect, transforming into a pile of blackened sludge that slides down the window. Where the liquid touches the glass, it hisses - and my stomach churns as I see the glass begin to melt, pooling together with metal and plastic to form a lava-like sludge - and then a face? 

I stare at it. The face blinks back, the features seen like a mirror in the reflective substance of the bubble-liquid, opens its mouth - before I stab a kunai through it, the liquid disintegrating with an arid hiss of steam leaving only the warped metal and glass there, like a neo-contemporary art sculpture. 

"Akali, what was that?" Kai'Sa says, sharply, turning to face me. The rest of the Guardians turn as well - those close enough to hear the sound of the pop survey the window warily. Ezreal's mouth opens in a silent o as he sees the ruined window, throwing me a questioning look.
I shake my head, turning back to my friends. "Nothing good, if I had to guess. It was- some kind of bubble? And it had a face in it."

Soraka pales in realization. "It didn't see us, did it?"

Then there's a pop, and a hiss of air and wind; like a can of soda was being opened, cracked a block away - except it was loud enough that I could hear it, everyone could hear it, and it was getting louder each second like it was approaching- 

"Down!" Soraka cries, a tone of panic present in her voice that I had never heard before from the stoic Star Guardian. Starlight flares in her hand in a perfect purple pattern like an ornate disc, large enough to stack three people across it length-wise and suddenly the room is permeated with starlight so dense and powerful it makes the pit of my stomach roll. Equinox, Soraka's strongest protective barrier swirls into existance - and is swfitly tested, as there's a rumbling slam that crunches into the top of the barrier, the walls and ceiling shuddering from the force.

Soraka grunts, falling to one knee - I see Sona and Ezreal springing into action to try to reinforce the barrier, Rell and Taliyah reinforcing the crumbling walls with bits of stone and iron - Kai'Sa is shouting commands, trying to keep everything under control as the building begins to careen to its side with a low lurch that rumbles in my gut -

Crash.

There's a burst of pain in my upper temple before everything rushes to black.

"Hello."

"-Gack! Ah, ahh..." I cough, hacking up air and dust out of my sore lungs before rolling onto my back. It felt like a herd of elephants had just trampled over my sternum and chest, all of them kicking me in the ribs while I was down. My head ached with the worst migraine I had ever felt in my life-

What the hell had happened? Where was I? The last few moments were a blur; I could vaguely remember Kai'Sa had been barking out directions, keeping everything together, but there had been a chunk of rubble tumbling towards the back of her head that she hadn't seen, and-

I remember knocking Kai'Sa aside, the faint blossoming pain in my temple as the chunk of rock hit me squarely in the temple before everything went black.

My eyes crack open.

Kai - and the others - what if they were in trouble? What if they still needed my help-

I stop.

A blue, drowsy sky that gleams like dark tropical waters.

Ruins of old, sand-worn stone pillars that lie half-buried in the ground around me like half-bitten tombstones, and a ground that shivers when I press my hand into it. I stagger to my feet, unsteady as a drunk. I... I remembered this. This place - this was that nightmare, the one that I couldn't remember. Everything was flooding back; the shadow, the darkness, the feeling of tranquility that had been so suddenly replaced by terror-

And her.

My shadow sits on a large outcropping that looked like the bottom half of a stone pillar, long since worn away by years of decay. She looks surprisingly spry for a dead woman; twirling about a kunai that mirrors my own, flipping it finger-over-finger in a hypnotizing motion until she drops it point-first, into the stone with a crack. Her chest glows with an erratic pattern, like the back of a moray eel folded over itself, but other than that it's like looking at a darkened mirror of myself.

"I... I killed you! You're dead-" I whisper. Was that a dream as well?

"Oh, yes. You killed me, Akali. I remember that as well. But things don't seem to stick, here-"

My stomach rolls as my shadow twists its head back with an inhuman crunch, giving me a first-hand look at the jagged, black-and-white wound stretched across the back of its neck. I can still remembered the way my kunai sliced through the black, liquid-like flesh - I shudder. The shadow smirks, twisting its head back into place with a snap, seemingly reading my expression and the thoughts behind them just as easily as before. 

"Why are you here. What do you want from me?" I demand, voice taut with anger. It felt like everything had started to go wrong the second it had appeared in my dreams-

"Well. A few reasons, really; this time it isn't just for fun. You and I are still linked, you know; so I have a... vested interest, let's say, in your survival."

"You tried to kill me." I say, disbelieving. And nearly succeeded - that fight had been the closest fight I had ever had. If I had lost the fight - would that same thing happen to me? I shudder, hands unconsciously tracing the nape of my neck as if reassuring myself it was still connected.

My shadow shrugs, a casual motion that seems unnervingly disconnected coming from the shadowy figure, like a doll impersonating human accessories. "A necessary evil. You wouldn't have taken me seriously otherwise."

"I come with advice. Shadows don't exist without a light. There's a reason for everything; it's up to you find to it."

The shadow pauses, tilting its head to the side as if listening for some sound at a frequency only it could hear. As if on queue, there's a low rumble that permeates through the quicksand-like ground, then a shudder, pillars and rubble trembling around me as the entirety of the dreamscape begins to quake, the motions violent enough to send me toppling down on one knee-

"Ah, there you are. Finally waking up. Seems like that's my signal to exit stage left. Why not take a look next reset, think about what I said? Maybe this time it'll save your precious Kai'Sa."

"...What?"

The shadow smiles, revealing a maw of sharpened, jagged teeth reminiscent of a deep-sea leviathan. Her body flickers - once, twice, like an afterimage under a fading streetlight, before fading completely, sinking into a pool of shadows that disappears into the ground-

"I'll see you on the other side, Akali."

And I'm falling again.There's a push, like a firm hand pressing down against my shoulder blades before I feel the ground disappear beneath me. Legs, then torso, then chest- I can feel myself being pulled, dragged downwards into the ground, rocks and rubble coalescing into liquid weight around my shoulders, around my eyes and arms until I can't feel myself anymore, still stuck in the tar-like darkness around me. I felt like I was at the bottom of a well, too deep to even scream-

"...kali! Akali, please, you need to wake-"

"-up!"

I open my eyes, still shivering and shaking from the unnerving sensation of being buried in darkness. It's fine; there's Kai'Sa, standing next to me, her face blurry but still recognizeable in the post-slumber haze, features scrunched with worry. I take a deep, shuddering breath in, savoring the rich quality of fresh air.

"Kai- I thought you were-"

Dead, is what I want to say, except, as my vision returns, I know that something has gone terribly wrong.

Just by our surroundings - the fact I was propped up on one of the spare hospital beds in what seemed to be a makeshift hammock, white sheets strung up like a canopy- or by the way the lights were flickering, their bulbs knocked askew or broken, some of the panels even knocked halfway out of their sockets. One of the glass jars resting in an open cabinet seems to have toppled over and shattered, spilling shards everywhere which someone brushed into a little pile alongside a medley of fallen medical tools I could identify by sight. To the right of that was my bag, which seemed a bit worse to wear but thankfully seemed fairly intact.

And then there was Kai. She looks like she's been through hell; her uniform torn, matted with dirt, rocks, and scrapes, as well as a growing red stain on the right side of her abdomen that only seems more serious the more I stare at it. "Good. God, I was worried you weren't going to wake up - you were out for so long, and it seemed like you were in some kind of nightmare-"

"Kai-" I can't help the note of panic that seeps into my words. "That stomach wound-"

Kai'Sa shakes her head, eyes flashing as she fixes me with an insistent stare. "Just a scratch, I'll be fine."

"Kai, you're bleeding out on the goddamn carpet- and I know that's worse than you claim it is, I'm a med student for god's sake-" I say, desperately. Even if Kai'Sa claimed she was okay, I knew she would say that even if the pain was nigh-unbearable- it looked like she had gotten run through by a telephone pole, the way the blood-soaked fabric of her shirt clung to the right side of her abdomen.

I try to get up only for Kai'Sa to push me back, her eyes filled with a grim determination. "...We've lost this fight. Ezreal got batted through a storefront a few blocks away, so he'll be out of commission for a while - and Soraka is too overwhelmed working as emergency care to assist us in our fight. It's down to me, Rell, Taliyah, and Quinn, with Sona playing support for all of us, and we're spread too thin to do anything more than hold the line."

I exhale. Fuck. That was - well, I couldn't know for sure, but it sounded grim. "How bad is it?" I shuffle out of the hammock, grabbing my bag from the floor and standing up, legs still shaky from being stuck in place for so long.

Kai'Sa gestures to the window. "Why don't you see for yourself."

And Valoran City is ablaze.

I had seen Valoran City like this before, once - during in the height of Zoe's incursion, I had seen the absolute terror wrought by a Star Nemesis almost-fully formed within the world. Buildings, people, reality was all one giant piece of clay for the Star Nemesis to sculpt, only limited by time and her imagination. Only the power of the Star Guardians and Kai'Sa, a newly-christened Star Guardian, had been enough to defeat Zoe - and even then, it had taken the sacrifice of Rakan, Xayah's lover to finally seal the darkness away once and for all.

This was reminiscent of that level of destruction; the world around me being so utterly torn and annihilated by the ensuing battle that it felt like the beginning of the apocalypse, a natural disaster that fully rended the world around it to pieces like a hurricane of absolute destruction. I can barely recognize the plaza I was just in; it had been reduced to rubble so finely that even the starched asphalt and concrete of the road had been torn away to reveal the inner layers of pipiing and sewage systems, like skin tearing to reveal the inner circulatory nerves.

And in the center of all the destruction, stood amidst the chaos like a gargantuan kaiju of movies, I could see Fiddlesticks, in all its horrifying glory. Before, in the nightmarish realm of the Incursions, I was obstructed from seeing the true form of the Star Nemesis by the endless fog and shadows that crept across the ground like silent killers. It had stayed hidden - always hiding, always moving, little more than a terrifying shadow stretched across the wall. I had never seen its full body before. 

Now, I almost wished that I couldn't, because in the full light of sun it looked that much more twisted. Fiddlestick's main body looked like a gargantuan birdcage, pulsing with an eerie light that thrummed heart-like with a thumping pulse. Instead of steel for bars, though, Fiddlestick's body was made of a solid mercury-silver, the bars twisting inwards like bitter claws tearing apart its very chest, the outer ends fused together like the branches of an unholy tree. Spouting out from its ribs of silver were tendrils - like before, except they seem to have grown exponentially in size and function, from slithering tendrils as thin and razor-sharp as a knife to gargantuan, vehicle-sized pillars, covered in thousands of smaller grasping hands that peeled from the outer edges like a perpetually fraying scab.

The upper part of its "core", the part above the endless rib-cage of blackened iron and steel - was an engorged face and jawbone, stretched out in a horrific parody of the Star Nemesis's form, jaw elongated like a wolf's and looming. It couldn't even move its mouth anymore, besides maybe the slightest twitching of its chin I could barely make out. Instead, it screamed- a harsh, horrific scream louder than any siren could be, one that made my ears sting even from miles away. And its eyes- 

With a shudder, I realized that they weren't eyes - they were jewels, taken from Morgana or other Star Guardians, twin cores of gems sculpted together to form a hexagonal-golf-ball, like eyes of a gargantuan fly. It was like a treasure trove of horrific trophies, a testament to the endless voracity of the monstrous Star Nemesis. 

With another ear-piercing screech, the monstrous Fiddlestick swings a cluster of gnarled silver tentacles, toppling another row of bright chrome skyscrapers into nothingness. The wail of the sirens drowns out any screams that could be heard, but I knew there would be casualties, from the blow itself or from any aftershocks of the strike. I only hoped that most had gotten to one of the many underground bunkers that had been constructed in the wake of Zoe's Incursion. 

Flashes of light, steel, and stone pepper Fiddlestick's body, shot from tiny specks of light I could barely sense were my teammates, and the monster roars in pain - but the attacks are minuscule in comparison to the monstrous Star Nemesis, and seemingly ineffectual. Bits of the Star Nemesis fall, severed or cut apart like the pruning of an overripe vineyard - only to be replaced by two, three, four more spiraling tentacles that throw themselves outwards hungrily, multiplying like the many heads of a hydra until the lights are forced to disengage against the onslaught of appendages. 

As I watch, I see a silvery tendril from the Star Nemesis's now-enormous body touch a piece of fallen skyscraper - before that chunk of reality vanishes, as if torn out of the sky into nothingness, disintegrated into ashes in an instance.

"The hell...?" I breathe.

"We don't know what's causing it, either." Kai'Sa says, solemnly. "Only that it's new... and that nobody knows what happens to whoever or whatever it touches."

The Key. Morgana's words echo in my head. Was that the power that was inherent in the Key? Could the Guardians even defeat Fiddlesticks? Right now it seemed unstoppable - but it must have a weakness, right? Everything did. It was just a matter of finding it. I clung to the hope even as my heart and mind struggled to comprehend the situation I found myself in. Less than twelve hour ago, everything had been peaceful; how did everything go wrong so quickly?

I force my gaze downwards, away from the gargantuan shadow of the Nemesis. There was another battle going on, one I had just realized was happening, so distracted by the chaos of Fiddlestick's rampage.

Flashes of light burst across the landscape as two figures battled it out across the skyline. One was someone I didn't recognize; a woman, with a long mane of shimmering purple hair, and a flowing pink whip that seemed to twist impossibly around her body like water, a constant stream of movement as she weaved through the detritus of the fallen skyscrapers, dancing across the rubble with the grace of an acrobat. She's saying something I can't hear, but I can see her face, her mouth stretched into a fearless smile. The starlight within me resonates, signaling the presence of another Guardian.

The other one, though-

"Zoe." I breathe. "But we defeated her! Didn't we-?"

The Star Nemesis had been a terror to defeat;  pint-sized monster that had warped reality with a callousness and cheery cruelty unmatched by any other monster, like a child joyously ripping the wings off of insects. She had been a Star Guardian until she had fallen, and with her fall she had gained unmatched strength and freedom, committing to a lifestyle of anarchy and chaos across the galaxy. Xayah and the other Guardians had helped us defeat her, banishing her back into the Void, but-

"Not well enough, apparently. Ggh-" Kai'Sa grunts, letting out a wet cough into her balled-up fist, her face twisting with pain before she brushes my worried hand off her shoulders. "I'm fine. I'll get Soraka to help me - later."

"...And when, exactly, would that be?" I can't help but ask.

Her silence tells me all I need to know. I shake my head, slamming my hands onto the table. Kai'Sa flinches, but turns to meet my gaze, eyes resolute in her decision.

"Kai. No. You're not - sacrificing yourself - just because you're hurt, and you think being Fiddlestick's chow toy for a few minutes will help us save -" I choke out a laugh, only for Kai'Sa to grimace, turning away so I can't see her face. I grab her shoulder. "What about Kassadin - your dad? What about Rengar, and the animal shelter, a-and-" I swallow. "What about your own hopes and dreams? Kai-" I whisper.

"You think I haven't thought about that?" Kai'Sa snaps back, spinning around to face me again. With a shock I realize that she's crying - flecks of tears still stuck to her eyelids like tiny diamonds - and any words I might've said dry up in my throat. She was being serious, I realized, about sacrificing herself. "But there are people down there, Akali. People we - as Star Guardians - have a duty to save. I can't just leave them there, Akali. They need us. They need me."

No, they don't need you. I need you- I can't say the words. I bite my lip, slowly unclenching my fist until I could feel my hand again.

"Then, it's a good thing that you have a good partner, to make sure you make it out of here, huh?" I scowl at Kai'Sa's expression of surprise. "Don't say anything to that, that was a rhetorical question. I'm not leaving you here, Kai." I say, hotly. "You of all people should know that. I'm not going to run away, Kai."

My best friend sighs. She must know that I'm not budging, as she slowly shakes her head, giving me a rueful grin. "...You know, this would be a lot easier if you weren't so stubborn, Akali."

"That's why you made me vice-captain, Kai'Sa. To stop you from making stupid decisions like this." I grab Kai'Sa's hands, squeezing it encouragingly. Her hands are cold as ice but I squeeze them anyways in a from of quiet, human comfort, trying to ignore the way Kai's fingers feel frailer than rice paper.  "Stronger together, right?"

"...Right." She exhales, a shaky exhale that comes out almost like a laugh. "Stronger together."

When Kai'Sa speaks again, it's with purpose, sounding less like a leader dedicating herself to a final sacrifice and more like a leader of the Star Guardians.

"Alright. New plan. Kick Zoe's ass, team up with whoever that new Guardian is to kick Fiddlestick's ass, and save the world. You with me, Akali?"

"Sounds like my kind of plan." I grin, clasping her arm in mine.  "I'll be right behind you."

"We do this- together."

In a burst of twin starlight, Kai'Sa and I launch ourselves out of the window, twin bolts of starlight alight in the sky as we chase after the retreating Zoe and unknown Star Guardian.

Zoe is the first to notice our arrival, the twisted Star Guardian tumbling backwards into a newly-created portal by their head. She blow a mocking raspberry at us before disappearing - only to be intercepted on the other side of her portal by the mysterious Guardian, Zoe having to burst away in flashes of light, chased through the sky by waves of spiraling starlight.

With a laugh, the mysterious Guardian continues her pursuit, dashing across the sky on waves of water in a motion almost like dancing. I had never seen this Guardian before, but their speed and power were undeniable - it seemed like she had Zoe on the back foot, and that was a Star Nemesis that all of the other Guardians had struggled to defeat even together. Who was she?

"Ah! The assistance is nice but unneeded. I was wondering when the reinforcements would arrive." The other Guardian speaks. She has a strange accent- a lilting slip of the tongue that makes every word seem slightly more upbeat. In fact, in general the strange Guardian seems upbeat, almost uninterested in the destruction around them. "The name is Nilah; Outer Guardian, wanderer, slayer of monsters. I saw the battle below and thought my assistance would be needed."

"It definitely is appreciated. Any idea on how to take care of that thing?" I jab a finger towards Fiddlesticks, the monster still continuing their lurching trail of destruction through the city.

Nilah nods. "I can deal with that Star Nemesis if you two can handle Zoe. She is a tricky foe, and one I haven't quite been able to pin down, but her purpose is to distract me by targeting the civilians. If you can keep her busy for ten - no, five minutes, that would be enough."

"And what if we defeat her?" Kai'Sa says with a grin. Nilah laughs; a rich and free sound that rings in the air for several seconds, clear as a bell. "Hah! You do have spirit. Very well; I shall endeavor to match it. Defeat her or keep her occupied, it doesn't matter to me. Five minutes is all I'll need for that monster." 

In a burst of starlight, Nilah takes off - and it's just me and Kai'Sa against Zoe. The Star Nemesis makes to intercept Nilah - only for Kai'Sa to shoot a blast of plasma starlight towards her that tears through the sky, the dimutive villain just barely popping into a portal to dodge the attack.

"Ooh! I know you-" Zoe squeals, popping up from another portal a few meters behind Kai'Sa before spinning in the air in a lazy upside-down cartwheel, the Star Nemesis's voice rattling like high-pitched headache. "You're that new itty-bitty Guardian leader I've heard about-"

She flicks her fingers and with a burst of ruined starlight an array of attacks whistle into being - burst of flames, stars, and meteors that flit around like tiny mosquitos, a homing stream of miniature projectiles that spill towards me and Kai'Sa. I make the mistake of charging past them and getting clipped by the edge of one of the pebbles - only for it to swell in size, transforming into a massive boulder-shaped meteorite larger than a minivan that crunches into my shoulder, sending me tumbling out of control towards the rapidly approaching ground below.

"Akali!" Kai'Sa shouts, swooping into a dive to try to catch me - only to veer sharply off at the last second as Zoe sends a stream of blackened bubbles out from the ground below, portals opening like vents mid-air to release their unsuspecting cargo at my best friend.

I grit my teeth, ignoring the swelling pain from my shoulder and forcing my wings to spread, righting myself from my tumbling fall and rocketing back into the fight, kama in hand. One swipe, and the bubbles are gone - torn through by the shard of sharpened starlight. Another swipe and Zoe is put on the defensive, a scowl now on her face as she weaves adeptly through the air like a seasoned dogfighter.

It's evident after the first few exchanges that Zoe is the better flyer, much to my irritation. She's fast, and agile, but more than that she's adept at attacking while in flight, flitting around like a butterfly - up, down, right, left, weaving through the tangled web of ruined girders and steel latices at reckless speeds, all while taunting me with her stupid bubbles and mocking laughs and raspberries. If I were alone, I'd be hard-pressed to keep up with her, much less avoid her endless stream of projectiles and bubbles.

But I'm not alone. Kai'Sa is with me, and fighting with her is something I've done a million times before.
I know Kai'Sa's thoughts and her movements almost as well as she does mine, and together we're able to force Zoe back into a corner. Kai'Sa is an unstoppable force, glowing with radiant starlight as she chases down Zoe, her movements sleek and supercharged. She must not have been lying about her wound, because it wasn't slowing her down at all - in fact, she seemed even faster than normal, practically overflowing with starlight energy. I can't quite match Kai'Sa's strength or speed but my kama and kunai make a deadly rain for Zoe, forcing the other Guardian to dip and dive in under ruined flooring and over the treeline in a desparate attempt to avoid my projectiles.

"Fine! You itty-bitty Star Guardians wanna fight in the big leagues, huh?" Zoe shouts, ducking under the another well-aimed kunai. "Then -"

There's this sense of sudden pressure, and I feel all the hairs on the back of my neck rise as Zoe reaches into a portal, and pulls - and the world splits, revealing the gaping, six-eyed monster of Baron Nashor. The purple void dragons leans forward, its massive, scaled head leering out at the two of us- before letting out a feral roar of anger.

Maybe this will be a bit harder than I thought.

"Fiddlesticks." Nilah tilts her head appraisingly. Standing on the upper observatory deck of one of the still-standing skyscrapers, she had a perfect view of the Star Nemesis's engorged body, the way it tore through the city as destructive and uncaring as the worst of natural disasters, a monster torn straight out of a child's nightmare.

Yes. Yes, this was a worthy foe for her to battle. An enemy as unending and as unyielding as the worst of Star Nemesis, strengthened by the power of a Fallen Goddess, and yet as primal and brutal as the Nemean Lion of legends. To defeat this creature would be to put it out of its tormented existence before it could wreck irreparable damage on this civilization.

That was the duty of Star Guardians, of course. Though -

Nilah's gaze slides over to the other battle. What were their names? Kai'Sa and Akali. Yes. The two worked well together; almost completely in tune with each other's actions and intentions, an admirable quality to have. Their dance with the fallen Star Guardian Zoe was almost impressive, in that their fledgling tactics and attacks complemented each other so perfectly. Any weakness in their singular form was addressed discretely by their partner, allowing them to stand toe-to-toe with Zoe as a single, flawless unit. Even the Baron Nashor was no match for the two of them.

A shame that the leader had not much life left within her.

She could tell by the way that the starlight ebbed within the girl, the flow of stars curling around her heart and finding its strength waning. In order to maintain her transformation, Kai'Sa was tapping into her very soul, burning away at the primal energy within in a reckless spending of life force. In response to this sacrifice, she was granted strength beyond a simple Star Guardian - not quite Nilah's level, but certainly stronger than any novice Star Guardian could ever expect to be.

Fading stars always burned the brightest.

Perhaps, one day, Nilah would count herself amongst the ranks of the fading stars. For now, however, she must be content to slay this foul demon, and lay to rest all those who have fallen.

The Outer Star Guardian rises, extending her whip outwards with a crack. She had observed the monster; seen its path manipulated away from civilians by the other Guardians, seen their efforts slowly but surely wear down the goliath. Now was the time to strike and finish this battle once and for all.

The monster - Fiddlesticks - was blind. Perhaps it had been blind before its transformation; perhaps it was blinded as a result of its gargantuan growth. Regardless, it seemed to use its scream as a way of mapping out the surrounding foes before striking out at them. Maybe there still was some sort of primal intelligence behind that thing - some level of strategy that had allowed it to adequately defend itself against those five other Guardians.

No matter. Nilah had been timing the intervals between the screams. It always screamed after five minutes of silence before striking out with its tendrils with pinpoint accuracy. After those five minutes it seemed to - subsume the inorganic matter it had ingested, fully revitalizing itself, or at least close to it.

Thus, all Nilah had to do was defeat it within those five minutes. A simple feat.

"I am Nilah, of the Seven Sages! Behold my power, monster - and let my waters claim your joy!"

Ashlesh, her whip, shone with starlight and cosmic radiance as the whip awakened once again. The bound Star Nemesis within must have realized that they were to fight one of their brethren, for they seemed - almost hungry, the whip's currents exuding an excited pulse of want, before calming once again.

Fiddlesticks shrieks. Glass windows tremble, then shatter; the frequency of the noise higher and sharper than a twenty jet turbines firing at once, at a higher pitch than even an opera singer's shrillest voice. No doubt dogs everywhere were suffering. Nilah disliked that; dogs were one of the few animals she still enjoyed the company of. Yet another reason to defeat this monstrosity.

The Star Guardian takes a deep breath, summoning the starlight within her - before dropping, tumbling off the ledge in a graceful dive and landing neatly on the outermost tendril, one which had just finished subsuming a large section of a nearby shopping mart. The silvery flesh was slick, almost chilly to touch, with no discernable handholds or grips to stand on - and yet Nilah simply laughed, sprinting across the mottled flesh with an effortless grace, her stride lengthening only to cross gaps on the mottled monster's titanic flesh. 

She had no need for her wings; water had no need to fly, for it flowed - and in Nilah's Slipstream she found herself in a state of zen. Harmony. No attack would find her in its reach, for that was the way of Joy; to follow the current of the world wherever it flowed, seeking out trials and tribulation until she found her own river's end. By her side Ashlesh thrums, calling to her, reminding her of her promised fate; subsumption of her soul when she finally expired.

A bargain struck and a bargain to be kept; Ashlesh could have her soul when she was through. But the saga of Nilah was not nearly approaching its conclusion - that much, she was sure of.

The waves of tendrils snake forward, unknowing or simply uncaring of the Outer Star Guardian gliding across their outer limbs. Fiddlesticks had not yet noticed Nilah; not yet taken any precautionary steps in warding off the Star Guardian save for a few clumsy strikes that Nilah had easily avoided. That would change, though, as Nilah strode up through the web of tendrils, silver slopes of liquid flesh parting until she reached the center; Fiddlestick's massive chest, a birdcage of steel and metal larger than a three-story hotel and just as broad.

From the corners of the chest's bars came a mist, dull and shadowed that crept about the corridors, and Nilah stopped.  Wariness was not something Nilah had expected; fear even less so - but it was fear that curled in her gut as she took in the shadowy mist before her. The mist seeped forward from the gaping maw of Fiddlestick's chest cavern, like a fog-bourne barrier to entry, and when Nilah tried to move forward, she found her feet paralyzed by fear.

Her mind was screaming to her that there was something in the mist that was dangerous, something terrifying, something she couldn't see but understood that it was horrifying, the type of monster beyond what a Star Guardian could handle. Her deepest, darkest fears made manifested as snarling ghouls, screaming her name in pain, fear, vengeance and betrayal-

Nilah almost laughed as she realized the Nemesis's base trick. Fear? She had left fear centuries ago, back when she was still a mere Guardian, still shackled by all the emotions of humanity. Hate, Fear, Scorn, Love - she had lost those alongside her teammates. Now, all she had left was joy, forever and unending.

"Begone, fear-bringer. Your tricks will not work on me!"

With a flury of slashes from her whip, Ashlesh, the darkened spirits disperse - leaving the path forward open once again.

Down, down, deeper into the hull of the Nemesis's monstrous body Nilah went. The next few rooms - more like tunnels, really or valves of an open-ended heart - were rough, and jagged, made of a material more squishy than firm, like the outcropping of an enormous maw. Some rooms were tall, but skinny, forcing the Guardian to slide along the narrow corridor. Others were long, but short, a tunnel-like hallway that reeked of claustrophobia. For the Keeper of Joy, though, these obstacles were second-rate and trival annoyances at best. Were she not on a time limit, she would have explored them more; but, she only had five minutes to go, and thus she spent only a moment at each intersection, relying on Ashlesh's senses to guide her path.

The further she went, the stranger the rooms seemed to be - distorting in shape and size like dented pears or vegetables, the surfaces rough and unsteady, reminiscent of outside textures. Bits of concrete walls with dusted graffiti on it, the half-broken sign of a Shell Gas station, cinderblook roofing, all of it melted together in a medley of plaster like scabs on the fleshy skin. Behind that, though - Nilah found only nothingness, like a dark cosmic well of power that shivered at Ashlesh's touch.

This was where all the matter had gone. This was where Fiddlesticks was putting all the buildings and rooms it had been consuming - pulling them into itself and blending it together in a nightmare-ish web of tunnels. More than that - Nilah could feel the difference in the air the further she went in. Gravity, force, weight, distance - all the laws of reality felt less substantial here, more loose. Even death, in some ways, felt more liquid, like waking from a pleasant dream in bed only to awake within a living nightmare. Nilah was not sure what dying here would do, only that it would not be pleasant, even for a Star Guardian.

Still, this world within Fiddlesticks respected strength, and Nilah had that in spades. With a gleam of starlight, Ashlesh swirls into action, ripping into the shadowy monsters that prowled around her with ease, dispatching them with a wave of aqua starlight. 

As she defeated the last monster, tearing it apart into a puff of blackened smoke, the ground began to quake, shivering in a wet, sponge-like way that reminded Nilah of wet cheese, perhaps - or a loaf of un-risen bread - before splitting apart like the end of an iceberg. Chunks of a looming abyss appeared below Nilah, the cracks along the ground splintering like an eggshell.

Inside the pit there was no sign of light at the bottom; no sign that there even was a bottom - and perhaps there wasn't, the faint starlight eminating from Nilah not enough to pierce through the darkness of the pit below. The gaps widen, forcing Nilah back as pieces of the floor disappear into the bottomless pit, leaving only the faintest of sharp, tendril-like stalagmites to hang across the massive ravine.

Nilah pauses, whip cocked and ready as she surveys the scene from one of the remaining platforms. Then, with a whirl of water, Ashlesh latches onto the cavern's ceiling, pulling Nilah across the cavernous expanse in three swift strides before safely depositing Nilah on the other side. The Outer Guardian smirks, giving Ashlesh a watery high-five before turning back to the cavern. 

"You will have to do better than that, monster."

As if hearing her taunt the cavern shudders, tendrils snaking out from the corners of the cracks - before they attach themselves to the sides, and begin to squeeze, the sound like the shattering of a great water-dam. 

"Perhaps, I shouldn't have said that." Nilah admits, before the walls begin to slowly grind themselves together, speeding up with every passing inch, and the Outer Star Guardian is forced to sprint through the rapidly-narrowing hallway before finally throwing herself through the other side - not a second too soon as the walls slam shut with a crunch, sealing the exit shut behind her.

No turning back now; the story of Fiddlesticks was about to reach its epic conclusion.

At the center of this nightmarish body was a cage, and that, perhaps, was the core of Fiddlestick's being. A cage for what? A container to trap or devour? No. This cage spoke of familiarity, of a dark secret within the Guardians, one which Nilah never hoped to verify - yet she pressed on, knowing just from the faintest glimmer of starlight sensed within the monster's inner core that her journey was coming to an end.

Fiddlesticks was panicking, now; throwing everything that it could to stop Nilah-  yet, its own titanic growth was its undoing. It had never had to deal with an intruder within itself, and thus its attacks were clumsy, improvised at best and unwieldy at worst. Tendrils sprouting out from the walls to pull at Nilah, darkened shadows creeping along the inner chambers, none of which were a match for the determined Star Guardian. That would not be enough to stop her, not when she had made it this far.

Nilah could sense when she had reached the end. As she whipped through another group of shadowy minions, Ashlesh tearing through the monsters like a radiant sunburst through utter darkness, her connection to the First Star within her was singing, reaching out to a fragment of its lost soul. The walls of silvered flesh shivered inwardly, as if sensing their demise - before slithering together in a motion that shakes the ground, curling together to form a solid blockade of steely tendrils, as if somehow that would stop Nilah. Hah!

"Joy, unending and forever!" Nilah cries. In her hands Ashlesh becomes a spiral of pure destruction, pressurized water slicing through the shadowy flesh of Fiddlesticks, tearing away at the flesh-like silver with a piercing scream as an unstoppable force met a straining barrier - until all was torn away and the central chamber was finally unblocked, Fiddlesticks letting out a feral howl of rage as their final defense was destroyed. Before Fiddlesticks can do anything else, however, Nilah was already inside.

Fiddlestick's inner core is quiet. Dark, but in a way that was almost natural, untouched and unburdened by magical shadows, like the abandoned wing of a great manor. The walls of this inner sanctum were covered in darkened oil paintings, one for each of its eight walls, all stained black and faded by ashen grey smog to the point where only the faintest of features were visible, and yet they told a story, one which must had ended in tragedy. 

All people had stories within them, buried deep within her soul. Nilah touches the painting softly, carefully brushing off some of the darkness clouding the frame. A girl; a chessboard, a friend, a promise broken. It - she - was once a Guardian; one born many moons ago, who had fallen to the darkness and been lost forever. 
Harp, the portraits sing. Harp, Harp, Harp. Her name.
This was the true depths of Fiddlestick's soul, the last bastion of humanity left within this monstrosity.

And in the center of the room was a table, upon which a lonely shard of moonlight stood, barely visible through the many tendrils of darkness stuck to it.
With a single slash from Ashlesh, the tendrils disperse and the cage is shattered, falling to the ground in pieces.
The spirit shivers. Faint, fluttering wings emerge from its back as it lifts itself hesitantly as if preparing for Fiddlestick's inevitable retribution. Nilah nods.

"I release you, shard of the stars. May you find joy in the world beyond."

The spirit - no more than a pale husk of a familiar at this point - lets out one final, plaintive cry of relief before slowly fading away, disappearing into motes of light that drift away. As the familiar disappears, so does Fiddlesticks; the gargantuan tendrils dropping off like overripe fruit, disintegrating in the sunlight, the outer cage of his ribcage rusting into shards of hollow bone before clattering to the ground. Outside, Nilah can feel the tremors beginning to destabilize the world, as Fiddlestick's dying power faded from this world.

"Now, how should I get out of here?" Nilah gazes around the room appraisingly. Fiddlesticks was probably not considerate enough to allow her to exit, no? And it would truly be a sad end to her saga if she were to expire here, alone, after vanquishing the beast - she was about to contemplate the simply using Ashlesh again to burrow her way out of the beast's inner sanctum when - with a burst of light - there's a split in the upper right corner of the sanctum.

It was Ekko, and Ezreal, standing on the jagged edge of the upper sanctum's ruined wall, the faintest motes of sunlight trickling in from the outside. Behind them was Sona, harpsicord in hand, and Taliyah - all of which were bruised and weary but still standing. Ekko grins, extending a hand down from the upper wall to Nilah.

"Need a hand?"

The moment Fiddlesticks was defeated, I could feel the change. It felt like a quiet sigh, the sort of long-awaited unveiling of tension as before my very eyes Fiddlesticks began to crumble, tendrils shriveling into shrunken roots that dangle lifelessly on top of ruined buildings and roads, Fiddlestick's inner cage melting like a lump of glue on a hot day into streaks of ruined black-and-silver dust. The all-encompassing pressure and weight I wasn't even aware existed had disappeared completely, leaving in its place a sense of hollow emptiness.

"Hmph." Zoe seems to realize this as well, as with a final snap of her fingers Baron Nashor disappears, retreating back into its hollow nest before the portal closes fully. "Well, that's no fun. Oh well."

There's the slightest bit of melancholy in her words as the Star Nemesis gives one last look at Fiddlestick's still-crumbling corpse before - with a pop as sharp and acrid as opening a can of grape soda, she disappears fully from the world again.

Finally, it was all over. I pant, letting out a final heady exhale before dropping down to the rooftop below and letting my transformation disappate with a burst of starlight. Kai'Sa drifts down slowly to land besides me, her wings flitting slowly before finally coming to a stop.

"It's...over. Kai, we won!" I cheer, giving Kai'Sa a wide grin of relief and exhilaration as I leaned back onto the ground, too exhausted to move another inch. It took a few seconds for everything to fully sink in, but- 
"We did it. We saved Valoran City."

"We did, didn't we." Kai'Sa's smile is more melancholic than I expected, her gaze flicking downwards from the ruined body of Fiddlesticks back to me. Her wings flutter weakly with a flash of starlight before she lowers herself to the ground next to me, and for a second it's just peaceful, as the two of us sit together, basking in the moment. A cool overhead breeze washes over us refreshingly, wiping away the scent of blood and dust that had permeated the air.

"Right! We need to get Soraka to take a look at you, make sure that everyone else is fine - and we should have a party, when this whole thing is over." I babble, too tired to hold in all the words.

"Mm. You should do that, Akali." Kai says, quietly. I frown, turning to look at her.

"What? What do you mean? You're gonna be there as well -"

I stop, my gaze finally taking in Kai'Sa again.

She was... glowing.

No, that wasn't right. When Kai'Sa was transformed, she glowed. Her glow was like a warm flame, calm and lulling with a radiance that held a stable pulse of starlight, like a planet's quiet heartbeat.

This was- this was different. This was like the last gasp of life, like the last spark traveling through a bulb's fillament, so bright and pure before it was snuffed out entirely. She looked - human, even transformed as she was - the sort of weakness that seemed far too mortal to be correct, even as the starlight surrounding her took on a brilliant white gleam that bathed her in a quiet light.

Motes of starlight were peeling off of Kai'Sa's aura - except they weren't disappating back into light like they normally did, they were-

Fading. Disappating entirely. Kai'Sa's whole body was fading - and I could sense her starlight becoming weaker and weaker, going from a blinding, supernova-esque light to a dull, sickly glow - and even that was vanishing, her starlight's pulse weakening with every second like a drum weakly tapping out its final notes.
Faintly, I could see the sunrise behind her, flickering in from the edges of Kai'Sa's body like golden halo. As I watched, her wings crumbled away behind her, disappating into faint particles of starlight that whisper as they fade away into the wind.

"...Kai? Kai-" I scramble to my feet, racing to the edge of the rooftop, searching for Soraka or Sona or Ekko or somebody that could help me-
"Medic! I need a healer! I need someone-"

My voice cracks at the final word but there's nobody, nobody to answer, nobody to help-

"It's fine, Akali." Kai'Sa says, gently. Her tone is comforting, like I'm the one disappearing, I'm the one dying, and somehow that's what pushes me over the edge.

"Fine? Fine? Kai'Sa, you're-" I can't finish the sentence - my hand reaches out to grab Kai'Sa, hold onto her as if somehow that could keep her from disappearing - but my hand goes straight through hers like it wasn't there at all, and I stagger back, stunned. "Kai-"

"-Sorry. I... I think I always knew this was going to happen." She gasps, and I watch in horror as Kai'Sa's body flickers - fading out of existance for a horrifying heartbeat before reappearing back on the rooftop.

"...Tell my dad that I loved him, alright? Don't - don't lie to him, otherwise he'll have hope, and-" Kai'Sa stumbles on the words but keeps talking, her words spilling out carelessly as if she was somehow aware of how little time she had left- "-and he'll keep looking for me, and it'll break him, just like it did when Mom disappeared-"

"No, don't you say it Kai'Sa, you are not dying- you are not going to disappear-" I warn Kai'Sa, words both of us knew was just an empty threat-

"-And, uh. Keep them safe, alright? I know you'll be a better leader than me. You'll be the best, Akali. I know you will; you have such a wonderful heart, and I'm so, so sorry for being a terrible friend to you-"

"Don't." I'm crying now, tears spilling forth from the edges of my eyes in an uncontrollable stream of wetness, my vision blurry and shiny as I shake my head. "Don't say sorry, don't apologize. It's - it's not your fault. I forgive you, a thousand times over, just-"

She laughs, a hoarse, hollow laugh, her voice just as choked as mine with unspent emotions. "I... I always thought I'd have a bit longer, y'know? Be able to settle down, get married, have a kid - I always wanted to be a mom, and have a daughter, and finally build that family before I finally disappeared-"

"But for what it's worth, I'm glad my last moments were with you, Akali."

"Kai, I-"

Kai'Sa smiles; one last beautiful, awful smile, her cheeks stained with trails of tears and I know I'll remember this moment for the rest of my life. Like the world just stopped, for one impossible, perfect moment to capture Kai'Sa one last time-

"I know."

And then she's gone.

"No, no, no, no-"

I barely even register the soft wingfalls behind me as Quinn lands behind me. The ranger has seen better days; one arm is crooked at an awkward angle, like it had been broken then hastily set again, while Valour seems exhausted, the familiar's normally bright eyes dulled to brown orbs, both of them battered and scarred - it doesn't matter to me. Nothing matters, except the fact that Kai'Sa - Kai'Sa was here, and now she was gone, and it didn't make sense. Like one plus one had suddenly stopped equaling two. That wasn't- she couldn't be gone. She was just here, and I could still smell her faint perfume, like peaches, and-

“Akali…” Quinn tries. It sounds like it's coming through a fishbowl; the words soft and distorted like she was speaking in Swahili, words unrecognizable and indistinguishable from static that didn't matter, couldn't change the fact that Kai'Sa was gone-

And I can’t breathe , or move, or speak, or even look away, still fixed on the spot where Kai'Sa was, my body locked in place like a statue.

She couldn't be gone. She couldn't be gone. There was no way that - I could have -

No- no-no-no-no-no-no-no

My gut feels like it’s churning myself into butter. I stagger forward, my hands landing on the rough cinderblock and scraping, mindlessly, at the place where Kai used to be - Quinn's trying to stop me but I can't - I can't stop. I push the ranger away and keep digging, my nails pressing into the stone and scraping into the dull grey flooring. She had to be here, she couldn't be gone, she couldn't be-

“Akali!” I hear a voice calling out from behind me - Ekko's voice - before it echoes, distorting into a mindless repetition that bounces back and forth between my ears in a tuneless melody, the world fading away into a vibrant spiral of blue light and warped images - faces - Guardians - everyone but Kai, Kai, Kai-

And I’m back, back in the laboratory floor, Ekko’s laboratory as the DDT yanks me back into the present.

Chapter Text

"Akali! Akali-"

"Akali-!"

I gasp, letting my lungs refill themselves greedily with lukewarm, fresh oxygen, the feeling not unlike the last gulp of air after a deep-dive into the depths of the swimming pool. 

It felt like I was just driving fifty down a highway and crashed to a sudden stop in the middle of an iceberg, all the adrenaline and fear and emotions swirling around me with no place to go but -out, out of my limbs, out of my body into the floor in a jittery, awful mess, everything just going numb. Even knowing that it hadn't happened yet, could still not happen, all of that was second to the now-overwhelming terror that I could now clearly visualize. Kai'Sa, fading away in a burst of starlight, tears in her eyes.

It felt like everything was collapsing on me, everything at once. I had seen Valoran City in ruins, Fiddlesticks rampaging through the skyline, Zoe's return - and Kai'Sa.

Kai had disappeared, Kai had sacrificed herself, and it just - 

I don’t even notice that I'm shaking until Ekko grabs me by the shoulders firmly, his brown eyes wide with concern.

“Are…are you alright?” 
He must understand that it's the most trite, useless thing to say in this sort of situation, but I force down my anger. He didn't know, and this was just another one of my shitty self-defense mechanisms. Getting mad at Ekko wouldn't solve anything. I could feel the phantom heartache and pain smoldering around my shoulders, whispers of my mother's disappointed tirade lingering in my ears, all of it coalescing in a category-5 tornado centered directly in my heart. 

Inhale. Exhale. Clench my jaw tight with tension and feelings I didn't dare vocalize. Force my arms to stop trembling even as I pull myself off the ground, Ekko hovering nearby, the Boy Genius's gaze a potent mix of caution and worry. 

“...No. I’m not.” I admit, my voice coming out as slightly more than a rough husk.
The Boy Genius winces, pulling up a chair and sidling into it. I follow suit, more out of habit than conscious movements, sliding into the seat next to him and just watching, numbly, as Ekko runs both hands through his frazzled hair, pushing it into a clump before he turns back around, as if making sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. When it became obvious that I wasn't faking my reaction, Ekko's expression slid into a disgruntled grimace. 

“Shit. How bad was it?”  

How bad was it? Just thinking about it is enough to send another wave of nausea coursing through my body. I taste something salty, like a fistful of gritty gravel sinking into my molars, and it takes me a second to realize that I was biting down on my lip hard enough to draw blood. 

“...Bad. Really bad. Like, Valoran City destroyed, Zoe brought back into existence-level bad.” I rasp. My voice is almost unrecognizeable even to me, pulled tut with the twin strains of stress and repressed emotion like an overstrung violin. Deep breaths, Kali. Deep breaths. I try to follow my own advice but it's hard to do it when it feels like there's a vice still strapped over my chest. 

“How the hell did that happen - actually don’t. I don’t want to know.” Ekko scowls.

He tosses whatever scrap he was fiddling with on the table to the side - some sort of skateboard-like plank with double circular rockets attached to a bottom like miniature UFOs, before trotting back into the garage part of his workshop, the door closing behind him with a slam. I'm too tired to do anything but slump downwards, sagging against the chair-seat and sinking into the haze of exhaustion. 

I don’t even have enough time to ask Ekko where he’s going before he’s back, holding in his hands a nondescript brown-glass bottle and two shot glasses, one of which he slides across the table to me. “Here.”   

“Alcohol?” I give him a raised eyebrow but take the proffered glass anyways. "I don't think the answer to this problem can be found in the bottom of a Jim Beam's."

“Hey." Ekko chides me gently, reaching over towards my shoulder.
Maybe it's just nerves - maybe it's just instinct, but I flinch back at the motion, expecting some sort of rebuke, physical or otherwise. Ekko freezes, before lowering his hand back onto the table and giving me an awkward nod instead. Good job, Akali. Way to look like a fucking weirdo- 

"You just saw a fucking nightmare. I think anyone would need a drink after something like that.”

His words are comforting. Too comforting. Too understanding, in the way that made me want to shrivel up like a raisin. Rather than meet Ekko's gaze I give a skeptical look and sniff towards the bottle of alcohol sitting menacingly on the table. I crack open the top and wince; it smells strong, like a bottle of Everclear or some Russian whiskey with 90% vodka. Before I can stop myself I'm pouring myself a small shot. It looks about as appealing as a fist to the liver but I down it anyways before I can really think it through. The regret hits almost instantaneously just as the drink hits my taste buds.

“Gah. This tastes like… salty mouthwash mixed with jalepenos. Who the hell drinks this stuff?” I gag, before squinting at the label on the side, but it's too worn and faded to be clearly read. Some sort of logo of a man wearing a yellow hat is embossed on the side, but apart from that it's pretty unreadable. Ekko smirks, taking a metal shot glass as well and pouring himself a drink, as well as a refill for me.
“It’s my old man’s. He doesn’t drink much anymore, so I, uh, liberated some from his stash.”

We clink cups together, Ekko giving me a mock salute. “Bottoms-up.” 
In one smooth motion the glasses is tipped up, swallowed, and thumped back onto the table.

“Bleh.” Ekko makes a face, sticking his tongue out as if to wash the taste from it. “Yeah, you’re right. It really does taste like mouthwash.”  

The sound I make is much closer to an aborted chuckle than a full-on laugh, but it’s a start. Another sip of drink down my throat - I’m getting used to the taste. It’s definitely not anything fancy - hell, it tastes like what a fistfight feels like, just in my mouth, but the drink burns on its way down, the sort of pleasant burn precluding a nice buzz. 

There's silence for a while. Then, I hear the screech of the bar seat sliding across the floor of Ekko's workshop as the inventor sidles closer to me, maintaining a comfortable distance but close enough to bump elbows accidentally. “So. You wanna talk about it?”

I tilt my shot glass around, swirling around the golden drink in lieu of a response. Not yet, was what I wanted to say, but - well, I really didn't want to talk about it, at all. The alcohol helped a little, but it was still too raw to even consider talking about it with the Boy Genius. 

“I mean. If you don’t wanna, that’s fine. There are… a lot of things that happen during time travel like this. It’s why I stopped using this thing in the first place, after all.” Ekko continues as if he hadn't expected a response at all. He takes another sip of his drink, his eyebrows scrunching up in distaste, though whether it’s due to the drink or some other unspoken memory of his time-traveling hijinks, it’s hard to tell. “Too many timelines, too many variables. Things get - mixed up. Messed up.” 

"That's one way of putting it." I sigh, the words escaping me in a rush. Before I can talk myself out of it I'm snatching the bottle and pouring myself another shot, downing it in a single gulp. I catch Ekko's look of concern and roll my eyes. 

"I'm not a lightweight, you know." 

He lets out a snort of disbelief. "Not a lightweight? Pretty sure last time we went drinking together Sona and Ezreal had to haul you back to their house, you were so trashed." 

"I also had, like six drinks." I counter. Five, maybe. After the fourth one things started to get a bit fuzzy. Still, it's another sobering reminder of the other, pertinent problem in the room. I glare at the half-drained bottle of alcohol beseechingly before exhaling, letting Ekko take the bottle back again. At this point, one more drink would do more harm than good. The Boy Genius wiggles the bottle appraisingly before pouring the rest into his shot-glass, discarding the bottle back into a nearby wastebin. 

For a while, there's silence. Ekko's twirling around a piece of warped metal around his fingers, fiddling with it every-so-often, shot-glass ontouched on the table. I close my eyes and slump forward, content to let the quiet spill out around me, even as it left me ample opportunity to wrestle with my own, obtrusive thoughts. 

"A bit of advice, Akali?" I crack open one lazy eye to glance at my teammate. Ekko twists the metal one last time, fashioning it into a tiny knot before tossing it away, the metal clanking as it lands into the corner wastebin. His brown eyes find mine, and there's a sort of seriousness in them that I wasn't accustom to seeing. I straighten up, giving my friend my full attention. 

"The longer you let these things go, the more they eat away at you. Take it from me; if it's the sort of regret that's important... time will only make it worse." 

Unexpectedly sage advice from the Boy Genius - not that it was too applicable in my situation. Not really, at least. 

My eyes flick down to my bag lying on the ground by my side. Inside, my phone is- still charged, surprisingly. No new messages from Kai'Sa - though, the green dot at the corner of her portrait did indicate she was online. My finger hovers over the green messaging app questioningly, fixed in place a centimeter above the call button.  

Inhale. Exhale. Somehow the creeping monster on my chest has been replaced by another beast entirely. I palm my phone, standing up out of the chair with a screech.  "I, uh, gotta take a call. You have, like-"

Ekko jabs a finger down the hall. "Down the hall, third door on your right if you want some privacy. I'll be out here; just let me know when you're finished." The Boy Genius nods. "Take your time, Akali." 

I flash him a quick smile which the other Star Guardian easily returns. "Thanks." 

Ekko's room is cleaner than I expected - both considering the proximity to his workshop and the fact that he was a teenage guy. I had seen some of the dorms on campus before, so I knew how messy some guys could be. Perhaps it's just Ekko, though; the time-leaper was practically neurotic when it came to organization of his stuff, putting each piece of equipment in its special place. His room is no different; the bed neatly made, sheets folded over twice - a folder of classwork and lecture notes draped out on his desk next to his laptop alongside a few pictures of his friends and family. There's one for every Star Guardian - Rell, Taliyah, Kai'Sa, Quinn, Sona.
Mine is one snapped at Noodle Bill's bar, slurping down a spoonful of udon noodles. Out of all the pictures, he chooses that one? What a weirdo. I cant help the rush of familial affection that springs up in my chest, though.

Besides the photos lining the dresser and the table, Ekko's room is kind of bare-bones, built with the sort of oddly steampunk-retro feel that seemed to make up most of Ekko's aesthetic. An old guitar and pick hang on the upper corner of the room, next to twin black laundry hampers, one for lights and one for darks. There's a poster of Pentakill draped on the wall - Lost Chapter III, with the lead drummer of Olaf posing in his cowboy-western style, Mordekaiser and Kayle filling up the space besides him. There's also one of those posters for 100Thieves's pro Valorant team, Stellar and bang posing back-to-back - I was more of a TSM fan myself. 

I settle back onto the corner of Ekko's bed before tapping on Kai'Sa's profile, pulling up her linked bio and her portrait.
Her profile picture is old; probably taken back in middle school or even earlier because her mom is featured front-and-center, caught in a laughing pose with Mr. Kassadin. Looking at the three of them together it's obvious that Kai'Sa takes after her mother more than Mr. Kassadin; her hair and cheekbones are almost identical to her mother, though her eyes and nose seem more similar to her father's. I wonder how Mr. Kassadin feels about that. Being reminded of the wife who disappeared every time he looked at his daughter must be quite an unpleasant experience... 

Now I'm just distracting myself. I shake my head, letting out a wry exhale. Before I can psyche myself out too much I tap on the "call" button.

The phone rings with that familiar ringing jingle like electronic echolocation. Once. Twice. Three times. I'm about to chicken out and end the call prematurely before there's a crackle of static as the other side is picked up.  

"Hi! Sorry, I, uh, left my phone in my bag." Kai'Sa sounds slightly out of breath, like she had just sprinted across the room to pick up the call. "Akali? Is everything good?" 

"Hi." I bump the phone up to a slightly more comfortable position, sitting back onto the corner of Ekko's bed. Already I feel better; just hearing Kai'Sa's voice, even through a phone is enough to calm my frayed nerves just a bit. It was a - well, it was an irrational, primal fear that had gripped me before in the moments after seeing Kai'Sa's sacrifice, that somehow my Kai'Sa - this Kai'Sa - had disappeared as well, and the relief I felt was stark.
"I'm fine. Was I interrupting something? I can call back later-" I add, quickly. 

"-No, no, no, you're good. I was just helping out one of the patients." Kai'Sa replies. There's a clatter in the background, before Kai'Sa's voice is suddenly much clearer. "Mrs. Chen just wanted someone to peel some persimmons for her, so I helped her out. She's really sweet, you know?" 
I snort, ignoring the warm burst of affection that sprung up in my chest. Trust Kai'Sa to be a goody-two-shoes overachiever. She was the type of girl to help old ladies cross the street, or give up her spot on the bus for a pregnant woman.

"So, what's the reason for this call?" 

"Do I need a reason to call you? I was just - y'know, wanted to check if you were okay, and check up on you." I reply, cradling my phone against the right side of my head. 

"Aww. Thanks."

My best friend laughs, and I felt a sudden bloom of warmth from my chest, as warm and comforting as being wrapped tight by a hand-woven quilt. Any sort of guilt I might feel about my feelings I pushed to the outer corners of my heart, far away from any probing feelings of shame. For one day, at least, I would allow myself to fully fall in love with Kai'Sa.

"I missed you too, you goof. Any luck on your end with meeting up with Ekko?"

Oh, yeah. I had almost forgotten about that. It felt like it had happened so long ago, when in reality it had been less than an hour since I had arrived at Ekko's place. The DDT was one hell of a machine.

I shrug, my gaze drifting across the room to settle on the line of photos, my eyes landing on the framed photo of Kai'Sa. That photo had been taken - a few years ago? During the New Years party Rell had thrown at her place.
In the frame Kai'Sa's is face flushed red from a rosy mixture of overbearing enthusiasm and alcohol, caught mid-laugh.
I was there as well, sitting to her right, my right arm wrapped securely around Kai'Sa's waist, my body pressed against hers on the couch. That was back when I was still in the throes of denying my attraction to Kai'Sa, but even then it was impossible for me to not crave her warmth, her attention, like a sunflower to a star. Now, though, with the benefit of hindsight it's obvious (to me, at least) how caught I was in her orbit. 

"Things are good! Met up with Ekko - and yeah, he was there at the mall as well. You were right." I say, offhandedly twirling a lock of hair around my pointer finger. 

Kai'Sa chuffs, the sound coming out vaguely amused even through the phone. "I figured. And? Did he find out anything useful?" 

"A bit." I don't mention how Ekko's real plan was using the DDT, nor how I had volunteered as a test subject; no doubt Kai'Sa would protest or offer herself instead, both of which were options I wanted to avoid. 

"Got a bit of intel. Just, uh-" I don't wince, but I do stumble a bit at the mention of the DDT-spawned memories. Not the most pleasant thing to be remembering. "-it's on a need to know basis." I finish, lamely. "I'd tell you, but I'd have to kill you." 

...What was I even saying? "I'd have to kill you-" How cringe-inducing was that? 
I wince, preparing for the awkward silence to descend upon the conversation like an unsavory verbal vulture, but Kai'Sa just laughs - the cute little snort of laughter she did when she couldn't help herself, and I feel my lips twitch themselves into a smile. Trust Kai to find even my dorkiest moments endearing. 

"Mm. Well, thanks for not killing me." Kai'Sa says, teasingly. "Secret agent, med student and a Star Guardian? And they call me an overachiever." 

"You are an overachiever, Kai." I retort, relaxing slightly as I sit back on the foot of Ekko's bed. "Dont lump me in with you."

For a while we just chat about things - about whatever inane topics we could think of. It's... nice, just as a change of pace, and I savor every second until it's time to talk about business once again. 

"Have you heard of someone named... Nilah?" My forehead scrunches in concentration as I try to remember what her full title was. "A Star Guardian, who used water, and - she had some thing about being the Seventh Sage or something? Tall, with one of those crown - things, on her head." I snap my fingers as I try to remember what exactly the word was. "A tiara." 

That Star Guardian had quite the distinctive appearance - and no, it wasn't just because I was a raging lesbian that I remembered her appearance. It was just - that combination, of power and her fair skin and poise, made her striking - like an odd combination of a ballerina and Indiana Jones. That wasn't even talking about her accent, which had a distinctly exotic feel. If I had met her before, I was sure I would have remembered her. 

Kai'Sa hums neutrally. "Not that I can remember... Are you sure they're from around here? The stars are a vast place, Kali." 

"I'm almost positive." I say, frowning. Kai'Sa was the one who always remembered the names of the other Guardians during any of the meetings with the other groups - she was the people-person, not me. The fact that Kai'Sa didn't recognize the name was - odd, to say the least. 

More than that - Nilah seemed to know Fiddlesticks, or at least familiar enough with the monstrous Star Nemesis to recognize it on sight, and formidable enough to defeat Fiddlesticks and match Zoe in single combat.
One of the things I had learned from my years as a Guardian was that age generally correlated to strength. For Nilah to be that strong - perhaps she had been around as long as Zoe and Fiddlesticks, and that was how she knew them? Either way, that was something I would have to ask her the next time I saw the Star Guardian - if I saw her again. 

Another thought appears in the periphery of my mind as abrupt as a car crash and dislodging my train of thought entirely.
"Wait. Maybe she's one of those roaming Guardians! Y'know, one of those ones that travel the galaxy to help people in need!" I exclaim. "That's why she would show up-" 

"...What?" Right, Kai'Sa didn't know about the DDT.

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. Just, uh - I'm almost 100% sure that Nilah is a Guardian, who's really strong, and is coming to help us." 

To her credit, Kai'Sa doesn't even question me for a second, something that I'm quietly grateful for. "And you're sure that this - Nilah is in the area?"  

"I'm positive." I say, firmly. "If we can get to her, then-" 

"Then maybe she can help us fight off Fiddlesticks. That's amazing, Akali! You're a genius!" She finishes the thought excitedly. I feel my cheeks flush with warmth at Kai's praise. For once I'm thankful for the fact Kai'Sa wasn't here to see me blush like a flustered schoolgirl. 

"Once every few years I stumble upon a good idea." I mumble.

"You're severely underestimating yourself. Once every month, at least." 

"Flatterer." I tease back. If I closed my eyes I can almost see Kai'Sa smiling back at me, light and teasing. God, how I missed her. Just talking to her lightened the burden I didn't even know I felt. The cold tendrils of memories slowly recede away from the grips of my heartstrings, fading away like shade at dawn. Kai'Sa wasn't dead. She wasn't going to sacrifice herself, not if I could do anything about it.
That's right. The future was always changing. 

I take a look at Ekko's alarm clock and jolt upright. It had been half an hour already? "Shoot. I got to go-" 

"It's fine, Kali. I'm just glad you called." Kai'Sa huffs out a laugh, the sound crackling through the phone, light like static. "I, uh, know it's not something you're used to doing, so it means a lot that you're doing it now." 

"-Kai." I stop. 

Say it. Say it now! Say it, say it, you big dumb idiot- 

"I just wanted to say... I..." The words falter in my mouth. Kai'Sa is silent, but I can practically hear her curiously anticipating my next words. Come on, say it! 

"...I really care for you." 

Fuck. I wince, just barely stopping myself from facepalming. What kind of lame-ass confession was that? Jesus- 

"Aww. Thanks." There's a short pause - short enough for me to hear the gears turning in her mind before Kai'Sa responds. 

"-Love you too, Akali."

Click. 

"You ready?" Ekko says when I return back to his workshop. The inventor rises from his seat, giving me a once-over before nodding approvingly. "You look better, now. More like a Star Guardian, less like a Tim Burton spinoff character." 

"Nerd." I punch him playfully on the shoulder. "C'mon. We have Star Nemesis to beat, yeah? Let's get this on the road."

Hang on, Kai. I promise, I'll save you. I held the words close to my chest like a promise. No matter what, I wouldn't let Kai'Sa sacrifice herself. 

"Zoe." Ekko taps the board questioningly. "And Fiddlesticks." 

"Yep." 

I had wanted to go with one of those murder-boards, with the pins and ropes, but Ekko had veto'd my decision. Instead, the two of us were standing around an old whiteboard Ekko had pulled out from the corner of his workshop, scribbling down everything and everyone important. Already the board was chock-full of everything I had thought pertinent to include in the discussion, from any information we had scraped together on Fiddlesticks and Morgana, to a handful of sketches we had pieced together, and a few notes on what the various things could be. Most of the notes were centered around Zoe - both of us had ample experience with her - and a handful of notes surrounded Morgana, most of it being things I gleamed from our short conversation together. Fiddlesticks had the least; just a few drawings and sketches from our memories. 

"So we're dealing with a buffed-up Fiddlesticks, and Zoe as our adversaries. On the other hand, we have an unknown Star Guardian and possibly Morgana as unknown allies. Is that right?" Ekko taps the board warily, scanning the corners for any tidbit of information he might have missed. 

I nod, chewing my lip thoughtfully. "I...think that Morgana might listen to me."

"On one hand, I shouldn't trust her, because she's a - Star Nemesis, y'know? But on the other hand-" I continue. 

She had sacrificed her life fighting Fiddlesticks to give us a fighting chance. If she hadn't done that - I winced, feeling a shiver creep down my back. Fiddlestick's monstrous form was something that was sure to haunt my nightmares in the weeks to come. Even the slightest reminder of the gigantic, engorged body of the horrific Nemesis was enough to set me on edge, feeling the shadows and harsh edges of the room turn sharp like knives. I push the (irrational) fear aside. Morgana was an ally, or at least a potencial one. She had a vested interest in keeping Fiddlesticks down, for one, and she didn't seem as inherently malicious as the other Guardians. She wouldn't have gone and made a whole bakery in a city she disliked, nor would she have put so much effort into it. 

And there was- something else. Like a - connection, that I could just feel bubbling beneath the surface, like fractured starlight and tension that curled up under my skin whenever I saw her. I didn't know whether it was just - attraction, because Morgana was undeniably beautiful beyond compare - or if it was something else, even. It felt- 

I bite my lip as I try to pin down that elusive emotion. It felt like... it felt like a feeling of deja vu, except intensified by a thousand, and tinged with regret, or loss, something harsh and bitter like a too-steeped tea. Whatever it was, it made every conversation with the Star Nemesis feel like I was on the edge of a delicate little dance, inches away from toppling off a precipice into which not even I knew what lay at the bottom of. 

"I know where she works as well." I continue. I finger the business card she had given to me, idly turning it over in my pocket. "And she did give me an open offer to talk to her. I... didn't want to take her up on it, for obvious reasons, but..." 

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Ekko says wryly. His expression turns pained as he seems to come to some other conclusion. "I could go with you-"

"Nah. It's fine, Ekko." I shake my head. Even I can tell that the offer is halfhearted at best. "I'm pretty sure that if someone other than me shows up, it would be bad." 

"...Right. Okay, I'll leave you to your hot date, then." He says, looking clearly relieved as he shoots me a knowing, teasing look.   
I flush, unwilling and unable to fully deny his implication because, well, it wasn't exactly false, was it? Morgana was an extremely attractive woman, and I was - well, I was a sucker for the reformed villainess type, especially one who looked positively sinful in a dark dress fueled by cosmic magics. Hopefully this time it was I who would be doing the seducing, though, not her.

"And Zoe? Fiddlesticks?" 

"Zoe... I don't know. I feel like when we fought her, she was - weaker? Maybe not... or maybe we had gotten stronger..." I muse. It as hard to tell; Kai'Sa had definitely been stronger, for one, but Zoe was still a formidable opponent. It had been a few years since Zoe's first incursion, after all, and she wasn't terrorizing a bunch of newly-pledged Guardians; all of us had grown since our first encounter. 
"But yeah, if you can try to track her down, that might help."

 "What about Fiddlesticks?" Ekko says, hesitantly. I understand his hesitance; while Zoe was an intimidating opponent on her own, I was confident in Ekko's time-powers helping him fly below the radar. Against Fiddlesticks, though, he might try to single out Ekko instead- and, as strong as the time-traveler was, I couldn't help but feel he would be a bit outmatched by the sinister Star Nemesis, especially if he was on Fiddlestick's home turf. 

"Don't bother with him. We don't want to spook him, not now." A sudden thought pops into my mind. "Actually, can you take care of Quinn for me? She'll be doing a stakeout up on a rooftop - if you can get to her in my place, that would help." I didn't mention the bodega or anything, though I probably should have - it would take too long to explain, and honestly, we had bigger things to worry about than an eagle's indigestion. 

"Gotcha." The brown-haired Guardian grins cheekily. "God, am I not the best wingman or what? Helping you score a cute date-"

"Shush." I throw back, before striding over to where the DDT lay innocently on the table. 
With a hum of electricity and a whir of gear and noises, the DDT sparks to life. I can hear it ticking away, like a runaway clock, ramping up its processes in a way that sets a low rumble in my bones. Gingerly, I adjust the DDT on me before giving Ekko one last piercing look. "Alright. We've got our plans together, yeah? Let's do this thing." 

I raise my fist, and Ekko bumps it approvingly. "The future can change, Akali. Let's make sure it's for the better." 

And with a final click of the DDT, I'm thrown back in time to tomorrow. Again.

The Second Loop Begins:

Chapter Text

"Brr..." I shiver, feeling the cold air of the evening brush across my bare arms. Standing in the middle of the street on the intersection of 4th and Main, it was surprisingly cold and I had forgotten to bring a jacket.
It was a bit of a shame that I wasn't going to be able to recruit Quinn and Valor this round, but it couldn't be helped. I had sent Rell a text explaining that much, and promised that Ekko would meet up with her as soon as possible. She didn't sound particularly enthused about the idea but she had accepted it nonetheless. As much as I enjoyed working with them last loop, it seemed they didn't trust Morgana. Bringing them along would only make my job more difficult. 

Sinful Succulence, on the other hand, looks about the same as I remember. The same smell of roasting bread and pastries, that same underlying tinge of darkness hidden behind the veil of sickly-sweet chocolate. I push down my trepidation as I approach the bakery. Whatever Morgana's reasons were - whatever her objectives were - she had sacrificed herself so that our world could have a fighting chance.

So that I could live.

I swallow, taking a deep breath in before exhaling it all at once before pushing my way into the bakery. 

Ding-a-ling! 

"Welcome to Sinful Succulence. How can I-" Morgana stops abruptly, her tongs almost falling out of her hands as she does a double-take at my appearance - before giving me a delighted smile, lips upturned and eyes twinkling. She's still wearing her pastry chef outfit, complete with one of those big goofy white hats from those French bakeries, and it gives her a charmingly carefree appearance. "Akali. I didn't expect you to be here so soon."

I shrug awkwardly. "Yeah, well, some of the things you said made sense." 

And you saved my life. Why? I study the Star Nemesis in disguise closely. If Morgana is perturbed at all my staring, she doesn't show it, instead giving the burly man behind the counter a gentle tap on the shoulder. 

"...Atreus? Can you man the counter for me? I have some personal business to take care of." 

"Of course! I shall do you proud, Ms. Morgana." The man salutes, taking point at the desk with renewed fervor. 

"I'm sure you will." Morgana turns to me, a hesitant - hopeful smile on her face. I hate how human it makes her look, despite her obvious inhumanity. "There's a room in the back, if you'd just follow me..."

Before, I might've been a little bit more hesitant about following Morgana into the back room - who knows what this mysterious, enigmatic Star Nemesis could do to me?
After meeting her again, though, I felt a little bit more confident, and so I follow her past the tables and chairs of the bakery into the blue door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY. 

As I push my way through the blue door, following Morgana inside, I find the inside is not what I expected, at all.

The room is charmingly quaint, the only sign that it was magical whatsoever being the odd sense of scale in the room - the walls being just a bit too large, the floor feeling a bit too long - a usual side effect of twisted dimensions. There's a single white table armed with three plastic chairs, the sort of decorations that you might find in an employee's lounge room, as well as a small kitchenette towards the corner, with a sink, several drawers and cabinets, and a kettle of boiling water. Morgana strides towards that first, turning the kettle off before rummaging through the cabinets for - something, obviously, though I hadn't the faintest what she was looking for. After a second, I awkwardly pull out a chair and settle down at the table. 

"So, why the change of heart?" Morgana calls out, startling me from my reverie. She's still fiddling around with the cabinets over there- 

"I... uh, I wanted to ask about Fiddlesticks. Learn more about - the other Star Nemesis. And- you mentioned something about the Shadow?" 

"Mm. You must be having some troubles transforming, by now... or perhaps it's started leaking into your other self. I can sense - reconciliation being needed, a sort of duality in your shadows as they are irreparably in conflict with one another." She smiles, a wry sort of smile that makes her look shockingly human. "Trust me when I say that's the clearest I can be, when talking about these sort of problems."

"Hm. Well, that's a start, I suppose." Morgan slides back, and I startle as she places down a small mug in front of me. It's a charmingly floral cup, with a little chibi figure of a sunflower on it holding hands with a teapot. The Star Nemesis meets my amused gaze with a shrug, holding her own, matching mug.

"Tea. I find that most discussions are made a bit easier with some tea." 

With a flick of her wrist, my cup is suddenly filled with a soft, jasmine tea, the floral scent filling the room quickly. I take a cautious sip, wincing at the heat but soldiering through. The tea is good; warm enough to heat my body through and just the right amount of fragrant to make me relax slightly. Morgana stirs her tea softly with a fingertip, looking completely unperturbed at touching the scalding-hot liquid with her bare finger, and for a while the two of us just sit there - me sipping at the cup of tea, her stirring it with nary a glance at me. 

"So. Questions." She says it more like a statement. I nod, taking another sip of the tea. 

"Yes. Fiddlesticks- it's-" 

"Ah, ah, ah~" Morgana tuts, placing her own mug on the table."Serious matters after tea, Akali. Right now we're just trying get to know each other better, no?" 

She flashes another brilliant smile at me. "Isn't that how dates normally go, hm?" 

I flush despite myself. Morgana was gorgeous, but- Wait. Was this a date? I mean, she gave me her number - I showed up - we're drinking tea together- NO BAD AKALI! She was just trying to psyche me out. I shake my head, consciously ignoring  "Fine. Then my first question is - who are you, Morgana?" 

She shrugs. "My name is Morgana. Officially, I'm a lecturer at Valoran University - I teach mathematics and philosophy to undergrads. I work part-time at Sinful Succulence as a baker, though it's more of a hobby at the moment. I'm an immigrant from Demacia. No parents, no brothers, and I... had, a sister." Her eyes darken, though whether that's from anger or grief, it's hard to tell. "Once." 

I don't know what to say to that, so I keep quiet. Morgana nods. "But I'm assuming that's not what you were asking about, correct?" 

"...Can I ask?" At her nod, I tentatively ask. "You're...a Star Nemesis, yet you're not as - evil, as the others. I meant more that you're not as obviously dangerous or unhinged as Zoe or Fiddlesticks." 

"Interesting." Her gaze scrutinizes me closely, as if peering through the cracks in my true self. I shift uncomfortably. "What?" 

"Last time we met, you were downright hostile to me. Why would you assume my innocence, then?" 

Shit. I never explained that, did I? Thankfully, Morgana moves on before I have to pull some bullshit out of my hat. 

"Hm. Well, to answer your question - I don't know." Morgana tilts her head curiously. "To be honest, I never was a Star Guardian. In fact, I - as a concept - far outdate that of Star Guardians. Calling me a Star Nemesis is not quite incorrect, but it's not quite accurate."

Far outdate... I reel back, trying to rationalize this startling new piece of information. "Does that mean - Star Nemesis came before Star Guardians? But - that doesn't make any sense! The Guardians are the ones that protect the universe. If Star Nemesis existed before Star Guardians, then-" 

"Is darkness truly evil?" Morgana smirks. "Mm. Who decides good and evil, Akali? The law? The jury? Personal opinion? Is there a point of no return in which someone is automatically considered evil, or is there nuance? If one is evil if they commit evil, then what is the point of forgiveness?" 

"Light is often seen as good, and just - but people forget the dangers of the light as well. It can be... Blinding." She rubs her wrists almost unconsciously, as if scratching at some invisible scars. I'm not even sure if she's aware she's doing it. "Burning. Hateful. So terrifying and awe-inspiring, it leaves wounds riddled on flesh and mind."  

"The dark is dangerous, yes, but it's also - freeing. Soothing. Cold." Morgana says, stirring her tea quietly. "Haven't you felt that before, Akali? The freedom of the night?" 

"...Yeah." I whisper. 

I felt that every time I was out on patrol. Every moment with the moon's dappled rays shining down on me, with the cool night air swirling around me, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. At times it felt like the night was my sole indulgence, a way to escape the daylight, in which I could forget all the problems that troubled me so. 

Morgana smiles - this time, a more genuine smile, and it's just as stunning as I remember. "Mm. Better. Then, to answer your question - I am neither good nor evil. I simply - am." The white-haired Nemesis nods. "Once, I was known as the Veiled One. A being of great power. Me and my sister fought each other, for our philosophies and ideals clashed - and yet, I still held hope that she loved me, as I still loved her."  

The Veiled One. I had heard of that before - mostly mentioned in passing in some of the old history books, but to know that it was Morgana all along... I study the Star Nemesis for any hint of deception, but Morgana seems remarkably honest. After all, she had no reason to lie about that. 

"So you were..." I shake my head, trying to sift through the lingering disbelief I felt at Morgana's revelation. For a second I briefly considered if she was lying, but - no. It didn't make any sense, and, as confusing as it was, it did make some sense. "A god? A - some kind of cult leader, who used the power of Starlight to come to power?"  

"Gods are idols to be worshiped, Akali." Morgana says, chidingly. "I prefer to think about myself as a... beacon, for like-minded individuals. People who felt their way of life was- stifling, and sought comfort in the darkness. Criminals, naysayers, innocents - be they rich or poor, man or woman or neither - I gave them all my blessing. I gave them all sanctity in the darkness, rather than let them languish in the light."

"...So, a cult." 

The look she flashes me is one part annoyance, one part begrudging amusement. "Not everything is part of your silly Star Guardians, Akali." Morgana chides me. "There are other forms of power. Before, Aspects like me and my sister roamed Runeterra... and now, there are precious few of us left."

The way she talks about it seems almost - ominous, like there had been some great purge or hunt that had expunged all traces of these Aspects from the history of this world. It makes me want to ask, but the way she talks about it, and her sister... it was obviously a sore spot, and one I wasn't quite comfortable asking about yet. Even for these Aspects, family was complicated, huh?

Morgana shakes her head. "My turn, now." She leans forward, exposing a tasteful amount of cleavage, her amber eyes twinkling in a way that felt vaguely - threatening, albeit unintentionally. Like staring down a lion, or some other large apex predator. 

"Who are you, Akali?"

"I'm...Akali." I start, carefully. "I'm a pre-med student. Work part-time at Ramen Shack, and a full-time Star Guardian."
Saying that out loud felt - weird. But not in a bad way. It felt... liberating. I had never been able to tell someone that before. The only people who knew that I was a Guardian were my team and Kai'Sa, all of whom were also Guardians themselves... and it wasn't like I could put that on my Scissr profile either. 

"I have an older brother who's a doctor, and... that's about it, really." I shrug. "I'm not that interesting, really." 

"I digress. You're more interesting than you think." The Star Nemesis replies coyly, pressing her arms together in a way that did interesting things to her chest. 

"Hah. That's pretty high praise, coming from a former goddess." I throw back, leaning back against the plastic chair with a cocky smirk. Was this flirting? Maybe a little bit. Just around the edges, really -

Morgana smirks, the motion surprisingly cat-like. 

"I prefer - fallen goddess. As in, I think I've-" 

"Right!" I had almost forgotten! I slam the table, startling Morgana slightly. "Nilah. Do you know her?" 

"Are you doing this on purpose, or..." Morgana shakes her head, looking slightly annoyed, her pale eyes narrowed to slits. "No matter. I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific than that, Akali. My memory is - questionable, when it comes to the lives of individuals." It seemed more like she was irritated at something I had said, which I had no clue why. 

"Ah, a... Star Guardian, with a whip of water, that-" I start. 

"Oh. That." Morgana pulls a face, moodily stirring their tea. "They never last that long, so I never bother to remember their names. What about the user of Askarr? I've no time for those beasts, and they have no need for me. All they feel is joy - no choice, no contrition, no chains holding their heart down save for their self-imposed ones. Honestly, if they weren't so persistent, I would've forgotten them altogether." 

"...So you do know them." 

"I knew one of them." She corrects me. "The original - a long, long time ago. Perhaps it is one of her reincarnations; that would be a bit amusing, though sadly par for the course with them.  They're borne to avert a great tragedy, blah, blah, blah." She waves her hand dismissively. "By the end they normally end up consumed by the demon or otherwise sacrificing themselves to stop a great evil."

A great tragedy... 

"So... they're the reincarnation of a hero? Like some sort of - descended hero, or something?" It sounded a bit like one of those isekai stories that I secretly enjoyed - the ones about a hero being transported to a different world in their time of need. 

"Yes. They're- oath-takers, seal-breakers, descendants of an ancient bloodline, etc cetera. They swore to use Askarr's power to avert tragedy, trading their life force for immediate power. It's generally never a good sign for them to show up, but I suppose the alternative is always worse. They're janitors - they never fix the problem, but most times they simply remove it, before setting off on their merry way across the galaxy." Morgana says petulantly before something seems to click. Her eyes narrow.

“The last time Askarr’s chosen descended here was over a thousand years ago, in a period of time not recorded by humanity. And if someone of Askarr’s power was here, I would’ve at least sensed their arrival.”

I freeze. Morgana nods, slowly. "...This is not the present, is it? Rather - I sensed something about you when you came in. You're - not from here, are you? You are Akali, but - you're not the Akali I should be meeting here." 

Well. This cat was out of the bag. 

"No." I swallow. "No, I'm not. I'm from - well, yesterday. I jumped a day ahead to try to stop Fiddlesticks. And... last time, you saved my life."

Morgana purses her lips. "Well, that doesn't sound like something I would do - don't be mad, Akali, it's the truth - but, then again, I must've understood that it was too late for me. And - judging by your expression, one of Askarr's chosen showed up?" 

"Yep." 

"Mm. I see. That certainly doesn't bode well for this world." The Star Nemesis seems to be debating something for several seconds, her face undergoing a series of complicated expressions before she pushes her chair back, her tea still untouched. I hastily slurp up the rest of my tea before standing up as well. 

"You're lucky I have a vested interest in the survival of this world. Akali, follow me." 

 “Geez, how far back does this place go?” 

The back of Sinful Succulence was far more than a simple break room as I suspected. Instead, Morgana had done- something, with her hands, and the simple room had turned into a hallway, into another hallway, into another room that stretched deeper and deeper. Walls shifted gradually than all at once, from a simple black design to a shifting grey linoleum, then to a vibrant hue of purple that seemed to pulse with blackened stars. It felt a bit like I was walking through the darkened tunnel of an aquarium, except without the emergency lights to guide me, and only my Guardian-enhanced senses let me follow Morgana. 

"It goes as far as I need to go, Akali. My domain enjoys the vastness and freedom of the night.” Morgana says. 

Her appearance has shifted as well- the odd chef’s hat and uniform melting off like shadows, replaced with a solid black-and-white gown that pooled around her hips and feet like a tailcoat. Her hair and back both sported a pair of shining purple wings, both of which I was fairly sure were functional. I, of course, was in my classic Guardian outfit, wings and all, my knives by my side. 

“And where, exactly, are we going?”

Morgana doesn't answer at first. Instead, as the hallway widens and the walls slowly open up to a cavern, she simply stays quiet as I marvel at the room she had lead me to. “Whoa…”

The room was a mixture of ornate and ancient. I could tell the place had not been touched in years, the way the shadows and darkness stuck to the walls like peeling paint, the chairs bent in a Victorian-era style that made me feel out of place in my Guardian guise - and yet, it retained a simple majesty that echoed in its simplistic statues and offerings. It reminded me of a shrine to an old god, with a central altar large enough to fit several platters of food on it comfortably, alongside a series of darkened portraits that depicted various figures in motion, though the details were blurred from time and decay. 

Still, the place was impressive, up there in my top 10 of most impressive places I had ever been, and that was even excluding the odd aura that surrounded the place - a feeling of solemn weight not unlike treading in a temple or mosque. It felt like whatever I did here would be observed by a higher power, if they did exist. 

"...This was a place of worship, once. I have never had many places of worship - as a goddess of the shadows, I held no ornate shrines in my honor, nor any temples to bequeath my blessings to. That was always my sister's area of expertise. But... I had followers too. This was once the innermost sanctum of my land, a place where I could meet and bless my followers, the followers of the Veiled Lady." Morgana whispers, running a soft hand across the walls. "Now... it's just me." 

I don't know what to say to that, but it felt wrong to let the silence sit like that. "And me as well, now." I cough. "I mean, I'm here too." 

"...Yes, I suppose so." Oy, what's that smirk for? Morgana seemed at least a little cheered up, though, so at least my dumbass comment was useful for something.

"A-hem. Now, for the reason that I called you here, into the heart of my power."

The Star Nemesis waves a hand, and the temple shimmers, the years of disuse fading away in a wash of violet light, a patchwork of twilight molding against the walls and steps to form a facsimile of a projected image, like a line graph or lecture chart. It was so very teacher-like that I nearly cracked a smile.  

"Imagine relative time as an axis. On one side, physical reality. Reality hinges on this axis; it keeps it balanced, grounded. It's what most people are used to - what you Star Guardians are out to protect. But there are some things unbound by time. Other axises unrestricted by reality. Fallen Star Guardians and people like me, Aspects, are drawn to these ideals because they represent the antithesis of the First Star’s foundation, and are thus out of the First Star's domain." 

She smiles, more of a cocky smirk than anything and one that makes my stomach curl with the warm buzz of attraction. "For me, it was darkness. Nightfall. In the darkness, I am unbound, and it empowers me in turn. For Zoe - dreams. If you’ve ever fallen asleep during these times, I’m sure you’ve realized that your dreams don’t repeat themselves through your time looping, no?” 

“And what about Fiddlesticks? No, don’t tell me, let me guess. I think I know what his realm is. Fear.” I finish. It made a lot of sense, really. The constant fear that I felt in his domain, the way reality seemed to warm and lengthen like a nightmare - the way I kept waking up in a cold sweat in the bedroom, even-

The Star Nemesis nods. “Correct.” 

The walls change again, this time fading into a dull purple glow that thrums slightly with the potent smell of power. 

“Now, much of what we do will not matter due to your… meddling with the timeline.” Morgana says. “However, there is one such thing that we can change, that will have affects on the current day when you return." I had filled Morgana in on the way to the sanctum, about Ekko's DDT and how it worked. She had been quietly interested and intrigued by the possibilities, as well as Ekko's genius. 

“You.” She pauses. “Or, more specifically, your soul. Fiddlesticks may have given you a shadow to haunt you, but in doing so she's also overplayed her hand a bit. Should I interfere, I believe that it would give you quite an advantage against Fiddlesticks in combat."

“So we can remove it?” I can’t conceal my excitement. That… thing had been sapping away my powers and only adding to my stress. 

“Not… quite. Restrain it, perhaps.” Morgana corrects. “My magic is not the type to remove such things. My sister, perhaps- but no. I also do not think that such a thing is good to be removed, at least not permanently.”

“Now sit, Akali.” One black-gloved hand presses down onto my shoulder, and I find myself pushed down into one of the threadbare seats, finding it far more comfortable than it appeared. The walls pulse again, and I feel my eyelids begin to tug downwards by a force I vaguely recognized as Morgana's magic. Morgana settles in next to me, looking like a sexy therapist interviewing her client, her eyes catlike with amusement. 

"Oh, and try not to resist falling asleep, alright? The spell should be kicking in any minute now..." 

"Mmm. Do I get a-" I yawn, leaning back into the seat, letting my muscles relax into the chair. "-goodnight kiss?" 

"Only if you're a good girl, Akali~" 

Damn. She was good. 

With that last thought falling through my mind, I finally feel myself slip away into unconsciousness...

...And wake up in the dream, the transition nearly instant, like slipping under the water as I feel my mind drifting into slumber. The world is just as I remember it; the shifting grounds, the chaotic fog drifting across the checkerboarded ground- 

And my shadow, airily sharpening a Kunai in the center of the chessboard, looking no more surprised than before. 

"Oh? You're back early, Akali." My nightmare says, airily, before something in her tone shifts as she takes the figure on my right. I sense her a second later, the feeling of darkness and shadow draping across the board like velvet, the feeling unmistakeable. Like feeling a brisk winter wind sweep in from a newly opened door, the sensation sending shivers and goosebumps up my skin. 

Morgana. 

"And you brought a friend. How... wonderful." 

In the real world, Morgana had taken a more human guise, with an ethereal suit and dress that made her shimmer like the dawn and yet kept her recognizeable as a human - fragile, squishy, charming and mortal. It was a careful disguise, one which blended together her willingness to use deceit and trickery with the shadows she called home.

Here, though, she had no need for disguises, and so I could see her in her full majesty. A full body dress that stretches across the ground, gleaming with darkened pools of shadow that draw in any and all light around it - marked only by streaks of silver that curl around her elbows and chest like bands of moonlight. Morgana stands - no, she descends upon the dreamlike world like a goddess of darkness, and I feel her presence warp the world around me, shifting pieces out of place as my dreamscape struggles to contain the Star Nemesis. Any doubts I had about her divinity were quickly forgotten in the face of her true power, constrained as it was. 

"Shade of the Ancient Fear, terror and darkness, I name you. I bind you." Morgana chants. 

Before I - or my shadow - can react, mystical chains whirl into existence, slamming around my shadow's limbs and dragging her to the ground. Another twist of the fingers from Morgana, and my shadow is brought to a knee, knives and weapons discarded as the shadow is bound in dark, shadowy chains. Now, though - instead of the impassive or mocking grin she had before, it felt like she was actually panicking-

"You fool. You don't even know what you've done, have you, Akali? You've invited her into your very soul - our soul." 

Another chain creeps forward, and I feel whatever binding Morgana is constructing begin to solidify - like a solid black mass weighing down upon the shadow, turning the once-ethereal dreamscape into solid. My shadow speaks again, the words coming out faster and faster- 

"We exist as a pair for a reason. I exist for a reason, Akali. To bind me- without knowing the consequences-?"

"Silence! I am Morgana, Aspect of Penance. You have haunted Akali for long enough." Morgana decrees, and her eyes burn with shadowy light. "I sentence you to an eternity of penance. Let those who haunt you find peace within these chains." 

A final chain whistles forward, sliding and piercing the shadow's heart with a crunch, before disappearing into the mass of chains. My doppelganger lets out one final grunt of exertion before the chains bind even that, curling around her body and face until all that is visible is the top half of her mask, eyes that stay locked onto me even as the last chain vanishes. 

For a moment, silence hangs heavy in the air, broken only by my own ragged breath. The spot where she stood shudders, the chains sinking into the ground as if dragging her into the abyss itself. And then- 

Silence.