Chapter Text
Demacia and Piltover were more alike than Lux realized. They were both founded as safe havens in the wake of the global devastation wrought by the Rune Wars, and so they were both anti-magic at their cores. Piltover's regulations had at least relaxed somewhat in recent years since the development of Hextech, but outright magecraft was still considered a "violation of the ethos," or some equally bullshit excuse for prejudice.
So Lux was thrilled to learn that despite Piltover's oppression, a mage had not only survived but flourished in Zaun. Her name was Zeri, and she had earned a reputation as a beloved neighborhood freedom fighter, standing up for the weak and sticking it to authority. She sounded like she would have been right at home in Terbisia, and Lux couldn't wait to meet her.
Ekko arranged for them to meet at noon by the Firelight mural. "You'll know her when you see her," was all he said, and he was certainly right.
Zeri's electric green hair stood out even in Zaun's colorful crowd, but what really gave her away was the invisible magical energy that radiated from her. She was a veritable tempest of power, cheerfully making her way through the crowd. Lux felt her coming long before she saw her.
"Hoy!" Zeri called as she emerged from the crowd. "You must be Lux?"
"Zeri, hi," Lux said.
She slipped into the teacherly smile she always adopted when meeting a new student, and Zeri returned it gladly. She bounded over, oversized puffy jacket bouncing with each step. Now that she was up close, Lux realized just how huge that jacket was on her, actually.
"So, Ekko said you wanted to meet me?" Zeri said.
"Did he tell you anything about me?"
"Just that you're a friend of a friend from out of town," Zeri said. "Why?"
"I'm a mage," Lux said. "I'm from-"
"Ohmygosh no WAY!" Zeri sparked with excitement. "I'm a mage too!"
"That's-"
"Wow, I've never met another mage before! What do you do? I do lightning!"
Zeri snapped her fingers and a crackle of green lighting leapt erratically from her fingertips; low control, high power, the usual marks of an untrained mage. Unique color though, likely a result of her upbringing in Zaun.
"I control light," Lux said.
She conjured a ball of light and Zeri's eyes got somehow even bigger. Lux shifted the light through the visible spectrum and then hardened it. She tapped it with the end of her staff and it shattered on command.
"That's AMAZING!" Zeri said. "How did you make it solid like that? All I can do is zap things."
"That's why I wanted to meet you, actually," Lux said. "I'm from Demacia. I live in a city of mages and I help teach young mages how to use and control their magic."
Zeri's eyes became even larger still. "Are you here to teach me?" she said with breathy excitement.
Lux nodded. "I'd be happy to tutor you while I'm in town, if you're interested."
"YES!" Zeri said the instant the words had left Lux's mouth. "Yes yes yes yes! I've been waiting my entire LIFE for this!"
Lux smiled at her enthusiasm. She could only imagine how happy she would have been if a mage had offered to be her tutor when she was younger. A tutor who wasn't locked up in a secret mage dungeon, that is.
"It's my understanding that you've never had any formal magical training, correct?" Lux asked.
Zeri nodded. "That's okay, most of my students haven't either. I mostly teach children, so this will be a new experience for us both."
"What's first?" Zeri asked. "Magic duels? Summoning lightning storms? Ooh, or maybe just some target practice!"
"First," Lux said with measured pace, "I need to get to know some more about you and your magic."
"Right, yes."
"My first question is: what is your manifestation," Lux said.
"A mage's manifestation is what we call the form that their magic naturally takes. I can see that yours is electricity, but is there anything else that isn't immediately obvious?"
"Uh, no, not really," Zeri said. She was suddenly sheepish. "I just kinda, shoot lightning, I guess."
"That's perfectly alright," Lux said. "I've taught plenty of lightning mages before.
"Moving on, most mages have what we call a spark," Lux explained. "A mage's magical powers usually lie dormant until a significant event draws them out, often but not always triggered by trauma. For example, my spark was as a teenager, when I was beset by wolves on the road. I used my magic to defend myself. Before then, I had no idea I was a mage."
"I don't think I ever really had anything like that," Zeri said. "I pretty much always knew I was a mage, I just didn't have a word for it until I was older."
"How did you know?"
"Well for one thing, I've been shooting sparks since before I could walk. I was a nightmarish baby."
"Very interesting," Lux said. "Mages born with their powers already awakened are rather rare."
"Is that bad?"
"No, not at all. It's usually an indicator of an exceptionally powerful mage, actually. Although, mages who have had their powers since early childhood often have more difficulty than most with controlling their magic."
Zeri averted her eyes and twiddled her thumbs.
"Third question," Lux said. "What spells, if any, do you generally use?"
Zeri perked up again. "Usually I zap things," she said. "Shoot lightning bolts, that is. With this!"
From within her jacket she produced an oddly shaped red gun with no trigger. She raised it to demonstrate, but thought twice about it when she remembered the crowd.
"Anything else?"
"Uhh, sometimes I can explode," Zeri said.
That's not exactly a spell, Lux wanted to say, but she didn't want to kill her enthusiasm.
"Oh, and if I run really fast, I can kinda like, ride the lightning."
She shuffled her feet in place and quickly built a charge. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear and began to run. She skated on the lightning, gliding over the ground and even up the wall. Lux noted how errant sparks shot from her feet; she was barely keeping the lightning contained to herself.
"Very good!" Lux said. "I've never seen lightning magic used like that before. Creativity is the mark of a great mage."
Zeri beamed proudly at her as she skidded to a halt. She twirled her gun in her fingers and hooked it back onto her belt.
"That brings me to my last question," Lux said, "which is if you use a focus or not.
"A focus is a tool that a mage can use to channel and empower their magic," she explained. "It's not strictly necessary, but it can be very helpful. My focus, for example, is my staff."
She offered it for Zeri to inspect. She looked surprised and carefully took it in her hands. She ran her fingers across it and traced the runes carved into the wood. Each one briefly surged with power as her fingers passed over them.
"It's made from the branches of an elderwood tree," Lux said. "It's engraved with enchanted runes that help me use my magic easier than I could without it."
She held out her hand and Zeri returned the staff.
"For example, with the aid my staff..." Lux concentrated for a second and turned invisible.
"Woah! No way!"
Zeri stood on her tiptoes and looked left and right through Lux. After a moment she reappeared and Zeri leapt back an inch.
"That spell is very complicated and very taxing," Lux said. "Without my staff, I wouldn't have the control or the stamina to continually bend the light around myself like that."
Lux nodded to Zeri's gun. "Does your gun do the same for you?"
"Not really," Zeri said. "It kind of does the opposite, actually. It helps me guide the lightning blasts, makes them less explosive."
"Interesting. Is it magical at all? Any enchantments or special materials?"
"Nope, it's basically just a big conductor."
"It's a brilliant design," Lux said. An unenchanted focus was a rare thing indeed. "Did you make it yourself?"
"My mom made it for me," Zeri said. "She was a genius."
"That's good," Lux said. "Having an emotional bond to your focus helps it work smoother. Just a few runes could really give that gun of yours a boost, if you're willing to learn."
"I dunno," Zeri said, suddenly uncharacteristically shy. "I want to control my magic, not make it stronger. It's already too much for me to handle most of the time as it is."
"What do you mean?"
Zeri turned around and showed her jacket. A large metal device was sewn into the back, and it was absolutely brimming with power. Lux realized as well that the tubes along the center seams of the jacket that she had thought decorative were also hooked into the capacitor.
"I made this jacket when my powers started becoming stronger, around thirteen or fourteen," Zeri explained. "It's like a dampener. It absorbs the extra energy and stores it. At first I only wore it when I went out. Now I can't even sleep without it most nights."
Realizing Zeri was constantly repressing her own magic broke Lux's heart, but she understood. She would have done anything to hide her magic when she was younger, and Zeri's magic was innately much more dangerous than hers. She could only imagine how many fires she had accidentally started.
"We can work on that," Lux said. "I'll meet you here tomorrow at say, an hour after sunrise, if you're still interested?"
Zeri's enthusiasm returned quickly. "Yes, of course! Thank you so much!"
"I'm always happy to help a fellow mage," Lux said. "Before we meet again, I want you to work on some breathing exercises. Have you ever meditated before?"
Zeri frowned, confused. "No. Should I?"
"Magic is highly connected to your emotional state," Lux explained. "A calm state of mind makes it the easiest to control your magic, and the easiest way to regulate your emotions is through your breath."
Zeri's green eyes were wide as she absorbed every ounce of wisdom.
"I want you to practice some deep breathing tonight. Breathe in, slowly and deeply through your nose. Breathe with your stomach, not your chest."
Lux rested her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath, demonstrating how her stomach rose with her breath. Zeri followed her example.
"Hold it for as long as it feels comfortable, and then breathe out through your nose."
Lux and Zeri exhaled.
"Make sure you exhale slowly as well. The goal of this technique is to center your mind and calm your emotions, mentally preparing you for spellcasting. It's also just generally good for you, magic aside."
Zeri nodded along.
"Practice for at least ten minutes, three times a day."
"Ten minutes, three times, got it."
"Do you have any questions for me before we go?" Lux asked.
Zeri considered for a moment and said, "You said being calm makes magic easier, but my magic is always the strongest when I'm emotional. Especially when I'm angry."
"Intense emotions absolutely can be used to fuel your magic," Lux explained, "but it's dangerous and unpredictable. For example, in a moment of extreme desperation, my heightened emotional state allowed me to cast a spell far more powerful than I otherwise could have. However..."
Lux rolled up her right sleeve and drew attention to the scars that covered her hand.
"I overloaded my staff and it exploded, breaking every bone in my hand. The doctors said it was a miracle I still had all my fingers, and it will never fully heal. The spell worked, it saved my life and the life of my partner, but at a cost. It's best to avoid casting with your emotions except in truly life-or-death situations."
Zeri looked a little stunned. That lesson always scared the students good, which was its intended effect. As joyous and beautiful as magic can be, it's also important to emphasize that it can still be very dangerous.
"Anything else?" Lux asked.
Zeri blinked and said, "Uh, no. I think that's all."
"Great, I'll see you tomorrow."
Lux smiled and waved goodbye and started making her way back towards Piltover, the beginnings of a lesson plan already starting to take shape in her mind.
-
Zaun was weirdly lethargic in the early morning. Lux was used to cities waking up after sunrise, but Zaun it felt like was finally going to sleep. The birds at least still kept to their usual morning routine. The Firelight mural was probably the one of the only places in either city that you could hear the morning chorus of birds, Lux mused as she walked. She had just before dawn and enjoyed her morning walk, and she still ended up a bit early. Zeri for her part was right on time.
"Good morning," Zeri said with a yawn and a stretch.
"Good morning," Lux said. "Did you sleep well?"
"Not even a little. I haven't been this excited, like, ever, I think."
Lux chuckled. "That's great. The excitement that is, please do be sure to sleep."
Zeri nodded, suddenly serious, and Lux could see on her face how she silently chastised herself for it.
"Well, come on," Lux said. "I found the perfect place for practice on my way here."
Lux retraced her steps while Zeri followed like an excited puppy. She brought them to an alley nestled between buildings, quiet and out of the way, and most importantly, not made of anything flammable. She set out a pair of small blankets and sat down.
"Let's begin with some breathing," Lux said.
Zeri frowned and failed to hide her disappointment.
"Don't worry, nobody in Demacia likes it either," Lux said. "But it's important to be in the right state of mind to practice magic."
"Right."
Zeri sat cross-legged. She pinched her fingers together at her knees, which wasn't strictly necessary, but Lux appreciated the commitment.
Lux never had an exact duration for beginning breathing, rather she watched the students to determine when they were ready. Zeri was obviously very excited, but she kept her composure admirably. About ten minutes should be fine, in this case more for the sake of practice than anything else. Lux did her best not to cough, but alas she still wasn't quite accustomed to the Zaunite atmosphere. Fortunately, Zeri didn't seem to notice.
It was almost quiet. Zaun wouldn't begin to wake up again for hours, and the animals that thrived in the Firelight sanctuary were sparse this far out. Besides the odd seagull or distant shout, the most sound came from the pipes creaking in the walls. Lux could almost even hear the ocean, if she listened hard enough.
"Alright, that's enough for now," Lux finally said.
Zeri slowly exhaled once more and opened her eyes. She nodded with determination and rose to her feet with Lux.
"Breath is the foundation of magic," Lux explained. "Your emotions and your state of mind influence your magic, and your breath influences your emotions and state of mind. The goal is that with enough practice, you'll breathe like this all the time, without even thinking about it. Not necessarily this slowly, but breathing deeply through your stomach. Remember: control over your breath is control over your magic."
Zeri nodded along and Lux could see her mentally taking notes.
"Getting started now, the first thing I want you to do is to remove your jacket," Lux said.
Those ten minutes of relaxation were out the window in a heartbeat, replaced with crackling anxiety.
"Are- are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Lux said. "If you want to learn how to control your magic, you have to embrace all of it. It's impossible to control something that you're hiding from."
Zeri bit her lip and glanced at the humming pipes in her collar.
"Furthermore, as we established, magic is innately linked with your emotions. All of the fear and shame that you feel about your magic is making it unstable and unpredictable. The more you suppress your magic, the more your anxiety will grow, and the worse it will become until you finally explode."
Zeri's eyes widened. Lux inwardly winced; she should have left out the part about exploding.
"The only way to overcome your anxiety is to face it."
"I- I don't know," Zeri said. "Every time I take it off, I break something, or hurt someone. I'm like an exposed wire without it."
"I know what it's like to suppress your magic," Lux said. "In Demacia, magic was outright illegal when I was younger. They would round up mages and imprison us, or worse. I was only protected by my family's status, and even then, I had to hide who I was every second of every day.
"I was one big ball of anxiety, which made my magic nearly impossible to control. I had constant outbursts, and every time I did try to use my magic, it just blew up in my face. I used petricite, a magic absorbing stone, to try to control it, but it just made the outbursts even more unpredictable. Worse, using it made me ill. It was like I was killing a part of myself.
"Eventually, I was forced to reveal that I was a mage. I ran away from home and went into hiding, and it was the most terrifying thing I have ever done. But once I overcame that fear and began to embrace my magic, it was..." Lux laughed. "It was the greatest catharsis I have ever felt. It was like I had been living with a hole in my chest, and then, for the first time in my life, I felt whole."
Zeri nodded slowly. Her hand moved to her chest.
"I know it's not quite the same for you. You're not hiding the fact that you're a mage, but neither are you fully embracing it.
"It's scary to stop hiding. It's like unmooring your boat from the harbor. It's held you down and kept you safe through rough seas, but now it's just holding you back, and to move on, you have to let go."
Zeri was silent for a long moment, then quietly said, "Okay." She took a shaky breath. "Okay."
She shifted in her jacket. "Just, be alert. In case I hurt you."
"I am more than capable of protecting myself," Lux said. She summoned a shield to demonstrate.
"Right. Okay." Zeri took another breath. "Here goes."
She slid the coat over her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. Immediately, her skin was crackling with anxiety. Her eyes sparked erratically and her hair stood on end.
"Breathe," Lux said. "You can do this. You're okay."
She held eye contact with Zeri. "In... and out."
Zeri's hair rose on the inhale and electricity arced to the cobblestones as she exhaled. She glanced anxiously at the blanket that had singed.
"Look at me," Lux said. "Keep your focus on me. Breathe, in... and out."
Determination was winning over anxiety in Zeri's eyes, but she just couldn't gain control. Sometimes the sparks would wane, only to violently reignite. Breathing alone wasn't enough, so Lux decided to try some guided meditation.
"Feel the magic inside of you," she said. "As you breathe in, feel it flowing up your legs and into your chest. As you exhale, feel it flowing down through your arms and out through your fingers. Feel it-"
A bolt of lightning shot from Zeri's hand. It arced towards Lux and deflected harmlessly off the shield she raised. Zeri yelped and retracted her hand, and more bolts arced from her body. Lightning leapt into the walls and sparked through the machinery buried within. No, Lux realized, the electricity was arcing into Zeri.
"Of course!" Lux said. "Oh, I don't know why I didn't see it sooner."
Zeri hastily pulled her jacket over her shoulders. The sparking slowed and the capacitor on her back whirred as the magic was redirected and absorbed. She looked around anxiously to check for damage.
"I'm so sorry," she said.
"No, you're okay, I'm okay," Lux said. "This is my fault, I should have realized what was happening."
Zeri tilted her head in question.
"There is electricity everywhere in this city!" Lux said triumphantly. "It's no wonder you have so much trouble controlling your magic, you've practically been living in a thunderstorm your whole life!"
"And it's, what, supercharging my powers?"
"Exactly! You've been surrounded by electricity your entire life, you're being constantly overwhelmed! The fact you have as much control as you do is nothing short of amazing."
Lux began pacing with excitement.
"That also explains why you never had a clear spark. You've been surrounded by power since before you were born, your magic never had a chance to be dormant to begin with."
She paused and took a breath. Zeri was overwhelmed and still trying to process all of this.
"Have you ever left the city?" Lux asked, calmly this time.
"Nope. Never have, never will."
"Not permanently, I just mean for a little while. Gone camping or something?"
Zeri scoffed. "Camping is for rich people."
"I see..."
Lux was lost in thought for a second before she remembered she was still teaching.
"Right, great work today. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow?"
"Great work?" Zeri said. "I nearly electrocuted you!"
Lux laughed. "Oh, trust me, that was far from the most volatile lesson I've ever taught. Try wrangling a class of ten year olds who just learned how to shoot fire from their hands."
Zeri laughed and seemed to relax a little, which was good. Lux hoped she wouldn't dwell on today too much.
"Okay," Zeri said. "I'll see you tomorrow. And thank you again."
Lux smiled warmly. "You're very welcome. I'll meet you at the mural tomorrow. Until then, keep working on your breathing exercises."
Zeri nodded with determination and ran off the way they came as Lux gathered the (slightly singed) blankets.