Chapter Text
Duty. A value that etched every man, woman, and child who lived in Demacia. It was a rule, not a suggestion. Loyalty was your duty. Defending your homeland was your duty. Refraining from the heresy of magic was your duty.
Justice was another value that stood in every building, every home, every heart in Demacia. Justice against the enemy, justice against magic. To be aware of Demacian history is justice enough.
Honor is a plague that sweeps the city of Demacia. High and mighty do these people stand, never to ever back down from a fight, as it would be dishonorable.
And insolence and ignorance would be the most common values of Demacian’s. Don’t say that to one of them, though, or else you’ll meet the back end of a fist. It’s better to keep one's nose down while walking the streets of this formidable kingdom. Its values are not what they once were, but no one dares to say that. Deep within these walls lies denial and isolation, with nothing but old, soon to be forgotten history to show for the kingdom.
And Lux wanted out.
Far in the Great City of Demacia sat The Circle of Illuminators, or as Lux would call it, The Circle of Hypocrisy. All across this hate-filled world did everyone know that Demacian’s despised magic. One could barely utter the word without an old granny gasping and holding her breath. Except there was a secretive guild that allowed mages, all within the kingdom's walls. Lux was told from a young age that it was for the greater good: the guild was made to protect their people. The borders were forever to be protected with magic, so no evil could reach Demacia. But what evil was there to be found? Lux heard story after story of the evil that bewitched their world, even seeing some of this evil for her own eyes. And yet, she still saw the good in people. She did not judge, for she had sinned. She did not assume, for she did not stick her nose where it did not belong.
Until recently.
Lux made more and more judgments by the day, and more and more assumptions by the hour. To uphold a lie from her people was not something she wanted to do anymore. She examined a map of all of Runeterra, and threw a dart at it. It landed on Piltover. Lux’s face brightened and her hands clasped together. It must be a sign! She squealed to herself. In her spare time she read up on the many cultures that made up her world, and Piltover was one that intrigued her the most. It was everything that Demacia thought it was: Progressive, cultured, influential, powerful. The people of Piltover valued magic, an ever growing development that was soon to take over every nation - except for Demacia. Lux nodded to herself, and she immediately went to her chambers to gather her things. If she could learn the ways of those in Piltover, maybe she could bring their system back to her kingdom and open their eyes to what could be.
She wondered what she should bring. She never ventured far from the kingdom, let alone the Great City. As sheltered as she was, she did not fear what possibilities lied before her. She gathered what money she had and stuck it in her boots. She grabbed her bag, which always had her mage books inside it. She contemplated telling her brother goodbye, wondering if she could even trust him at all. If she told him why she was leaving, would he send a troop after her? Maybe it was not out of the realm of possibilities for Garen to detain his own sister, locking her away behind castle walls, never to be heard of again.
She thought about whether she should say goodbye to Sylas. She always felt so bad for him, being locked away and such. She pressed her hand up against the cold castle walls, feeling each and every clast underneath her soft, baby-smooth palms. This is what he felt, day in and day out, trapped in that prison. She shook away the thought and went back to her getaway plan. She grabbed her wand, which unapologetically looked like a staff, the kind an old mage would use; she always feared someone would inquire about its peculiarity and the way it could remind old timers about what they had seen in the past. Her thumb rolled over the staff, feeling each groove that accompanied it. She stood there for a moment, her grip getting tighter around the staff with each passing second. Her blue eyes stared at the castle floors, and she could not stand to think about the discriminatory beliefs of her people and own family any longer.
With her leather bag slung across her shoulders, her staff in hand, and a determination that would fuel every part of her, she exited her room. She closed the door behind her, but immediately opened it once again. She longed for adventure, for thrill. But she also longed for her home to just accept her - to not fear what they do not understand. She walked inside her circular room, the very place she spent so much of her time. Her eyes scanned her bed, and she briefly wondered when she’d next sleep in one so soft and comforting while on her journey. She rummaged through her bedside drawer and picked up a map. It was an old map, one that she’s had since she was a little girl, even long before she found out about her powers. Looking at the handheld map, then looking at the new map that dawned the left side of her room, showed that despite its age, not much had changed between now and then. She stuffed it inside her bag and decided it was time.
As she made her way down the long hallway, she thought of all the people she’d meet on her journey. Some close-minded, some open-minded. Some nice, some not-so-nice. She didn’t really know what kind of people to expect once she made it to Piltover, though. She couldn’t recall ever meeting anyone from there, which was to be expected. She knew of some individuals in Piltover, such as Mel, whom Lux admired for her benevolence, leadership skills, and her good attitude toward magic. She also knew of an odd little guy called Heimerdinger. The hamster look was a weird choice, but she couldn’t deny his genius. Her skin got goosebumps at the thought of possibly meeting these characters once she made her way to the esteemed city, but there was one person she desired to see most.
Her voice was mesmerizing. It would gently capture you, cradle you in its arms, and lull you into a gentle rest. Other times, it’d send a shock through your veins, making you get up and dance like your life depended on it. There was no denying her talent; or her beauty, for that matter. Her voice was just the cherry on top of what was the most gorgeous thing Lux had ever set her eyes on. Seraphine was who Lux desired.
She thought back to the small tiffs she would have with friends over who was better: Seraphine or Sona? Each time, Lux would over explain and conglomerate idea after idea of why Seraphine was much better (and hotter) than Sona. But, since Seraphine “advertised” magic with her career, Lux’s obviously correct opinions did not sway her people’s minds. Demacia’s taste in music was, in Lux’s words, archaic compared to the rest of the world’s. Sona uses her instrument instead of her voice for her music. It wasn’t electric and poppy like Seraphine’s.
She kept her head down as she walked, trying not to draw any attention to her or why she was walking so briskly. So briskly that one of her fellow mages attempted to make conversation with her, wondering where she could be going in such a hurry, and as briskly as she walked, she shut the conversation down with couth haste.
She exited the building, and great white light met her eyes. Everything was so bright in the kingdom, a reflection certainly not of its residents. Tall, sharp spires reached to the sky, striking through the white clouds that dared to enter its domain. The kingdom was vast and expanded for miles. It’d take her a little while to properly leave its walls. Without waiting another second, Lux marched to the stable. Thankfully it wasn’t that long of a walk, as the Illuminator’s building was dead set in the middle of the city, making access to everything easy. It was a quiet morning, so Lux didn’t fear being caught in a conversation she did not desire to have. It was always devoid of natural life in the walls of the Great City. It was rare to ever see a bird, let alone hear its chirp, and the scuttle of a squirrel or mouse was next to none. The city prided itself on its cleanliness, but traded away nature’s greenery with the sound of human chatter and white buildings that put the sun's luminosity to shame. Lux couldn’t wait to get out to the countryside, to bask in a natural landscape.
Before leaving, though, there was someone she wanted to say goodbye to. She decided to not say anything to her brother, as it would only make things (not just between them, but the whole family) complicated. There’d be a million questions: Why? Where are you going? Who’s going with you? Is this because of your powers? Are you going to do something bad with the very thing you were born with and had no control over? Will I ever see you again?
Lux didn’t want to bother with it. She still didn’t understand why she had her powers, and to have Garen ask her a million and ten things about it would only send her into a rage that only he was capable of producing.
As she was considering writing a letter to him and the rest of the family, she realized she made it to the gates of the city. This was where she was to depart her home, her life. She didn’t bother looking back as she exited the city. Her heart, despite her protests, began to ache. It was dull at first, like a hard punch. Then it moved to a jab, like a sharp sword tearing square into you. She had a remedy for when emotions got hard, and that was: to ignore it. Just as she did with everything else that was hurtful in her life. Her heart began to go gentle on itself as her eyes met the stables. She quickly picked up her pace, her legs churning into a deep run without her realizing. She barged through the stable doors and made eye contact with her beloved companion, Starfire.
Starfire was a mare whose bravery knew no bounds. Her coat was a dappled light silver that made themoon’s glow look like an afterthought. Her mane was jet black with streaks of sun-kissed hair that trailed down to her powerful shoulders. Starfire’s black eyes lit up at the sight of Lux, whinnying and raising her front hooves as a greeting. Lux dashed to the thoroughbred, wrapping her snout in a tight hug.
“It’s time we go,” She muttered to Starfire. She saddled and bridled her, and gathered as many carrots and apples as she could from the stable. The thought of Starfire going hungry on this journey made Lux reconsider going on it at all, but she remained confident in her independence to get them what they needed, and to get them to where they needed to be.
With haste, the two were out of the stable and on their way.
But before her journey could really start, she still had someone she needed to say goodbye to.
And he was all the way over on Memorial Road.