Disclaimer: World of Warcraft and League of Legends are properties of Blizzard Entertainment and Riot Games respectively. I own nothing here except for the few OCs I create and the concepts and designs for character abilities and background information that I made.

How It Felt

Aeterna walked over a large root protruding from the ground, taking care not to trip or stumble. The earth was still a bit muddy after the rains earlier in the day, so the last thing she wanted was to fall and get a face full of muck. Now that she thought about it, it would have been better had she brought a torch with her so she could see her path more clearly, and to reveal any unwanted surprises that might be lying in wait.

A small sliver of fear crawled it's way up her spine, only for her to ruthlessly quash it. Whatever lurked within the darkness of these cursed woods won't be anything she could not handle. All except for one, of course. So she pressed on, straining her eyes to see through the dark as best she could. Though actually finding the person she wanted to speak to again might be just as troublesome. The man's entire suite of armor was pitch black in color, which would easily allow him to blend with his surroundings. So Aeterna tried her best to spot any twin orbs of light hanging mysteriously in the air.

She raised her foot once more and walked gingerly over another large, protruding root. Only for her foot to land within a slightly deeper patch of earth that she had not expected, thus making her stumble. She bit back a curse as she quickly fought to regain her balance, and making sure not to drop the small bundle of food and wineskin in her hands.

She shook her head in annoyance as she looked around her, trying to spot any signs of her not-so-noble leader. It had been nearly an hour since she started walking around in these dark woods looking for him, and yet she was still unable to find him. Oh, what she would give just to have a pair of eyes similar to a Night Elf's. The only sources of light available came from the moon and some stars up above, which oddly, had finally decided to reveal themselves in this region. A thing that had not happened for as long as she could remember.

She pocketed that small bit of information for now and resumed her search for Mordekaiser, skirting around another large, dead tree and taking careful steps.

"Who knew trying to find a giant man in armor would be so troublesome" she muttered under her breath, feeling her frustrations rise. Which soon turned into one of anger and surprise when she bumped into something rather big and hard.

"Light damn it!" she cursed, lifting up her visor, her face now twisted in anger as she glared at the spot she collided with. "Stupid tree"

"The only one who is stupid here is you"

Startled by that familiar, scathing voice, Aeterna quickly looked up and stared at what she had bumped into with more focus. It was not a tree, but the back of a suit of armor. All very big and black, with the tattered remnants of a cape hanging by the back of each pauldron. And the horned helm that sat upon the very top of this suit of armor emitted an eerie crimson light that shined from a pair of red eyes. And they were looking back at her, with clear annoyance inside them.

"Oh there you are!" the young Knight exclaimed with feigned anger, but glad to have finally found him. "I've been looking everywhere for you! For someone so big, you are rather tough to find"

"If you had the good sense to bring a light with you, then you would have found me sooner, instead of bumping into every tree along the way" was the much larger man's retort.

She felt her cheeks redden a little, not having much of a counter for that. She knew she should have brought a torch! But then another thought came to mind. Aeterna quickly rounded the hulking mass of iron and stood in front of him, piercing him with her vibrant emerald orbs.

"Wait, does that mean you already knew I was nearby, looking for you?" came her rather accusing question.

"Yes" he said almost disinterestedly.

Aeterna bristled at that. "Then why didn't you say something? You could have just called me over and spared me all the trouble!"

"Simple. I enjoyed watching you make a fool out of yourself as you stumbled blindly everywhere you went" was his even reply. Though his face was hidden from her, she just knew that the enormous prick was smiling at her right now.

Aeterna scowled at the man in iron, now feeling genuinely angry. "You are such an arsehole, as always"

"And you are an annoying little child, as always" The Revenant replied coolly, not deigning to look at her as he maintained his constant vigil.

"Humph!" Aeterna grunted in annoyance, frowning at him. Which soon morphed into a smile, pleased at was happening. Their little banter was good, for it meant he wasn't simply ignoring her like he normally did. This provided a good opening for her. Now she only needed to widen the gap a little bit more. If she played her cards right, she could get the man to start talking just a bit further and reveal more about himself. And who knows? She might even succeed in getting him to take off that ugly looking bucket that always covered his head.

"Well, fortunately for you, your not-so-charming lordship," she said to him with a teasing smirk and tone, amused at the way it brought an annoyed twitch to the Revenant's eye. "This annoying child was kind enough to bring you dinner"

She then held out the small bundle of food and wineskin in front of him and gave him a most charming smile that she knew would have been enough to make most men blush. And even rouse some hidden desires within them.

"Time to eat!" she said merrily. Mordekaiser merely gave her little offering one brief glance, before turning his gaze away.

"No" was his simple answer,utterly disinterested.

"No?" she said with equal parts shock and dismay.

"Yes" he reaffirmed his answer.

Aeterna grinned impishly. "Yes, meaning, you will eat it?"

"Yes, meaning, I will not eat it. And don't twist my words, you little redheaded eyesore!" was his angry reply, casting the young Knight a harsh glare.

"And why not?!" She bit back, annoyed and frustrated at his continued denial. If he was going to be this difficult and rude, despite her repeated efforts at kindness, she would need a good explanation.

"Because I do not need to eat" came his straightforward answer, narrowing his eyes at her for her continued pestering.

"Nonsense! Everyone needs to eat" she immediately disagreed, determined to get this big fussy boy in iron to eat her hard earned food and drink. And to take off his damned helmet in the process.

"Look, I know that as a powerful, godlike man from another world means having nigh limitless reserves of strength and stamina, which I personally consider attractive in a man by the way" she began her little exposition with a knowing smile, adding a bit of a teasing tone as she said those last bits, earning an amused snort from the large, armored man as a result.

"But even you need to eat at least sometimes. It is not considered good practice to starve one's self. And you won't be able to battle the Legion properly with an empty stomach" she finished, now smiling rather proudly at him.

Aeterna knew that this man was quite pragmatic and practical by nature. And so she would prey on either one by presenting him with a rather strong and valid reason. That, and by appealing to his masculine pride. He may be not be a normal man by any definition, but a man he still was. And from Aeterna's experience, getting a man to do something you want is made easier by stroking his ego.

Although that was as far as she was willing to go with her little manipulations. She was never one who was willing to take that one extra step, where the stroking becomes much more physical. Not that she expected the Revenant to want something of that sort from her. At least, she didn't think so. That would be quite awkward. And painful.

"Ha!" A cold, derisive laugh was her immediate reply from him, making her frown in turn. He turned his harsh gaze fully towards her, his voice thick with derision and practically oozing with pride. "You mistake me for some pretentious fool who fancies himself a god. I am one who is far more. And I am one who is free of all mortal constraints. Death itself has no hold over me, least of all something as trivial as hunger or thirst. So save your meager offerings for someone else, I have no need of it!"

Aeterna could feel her face fall with each word spoken, her disappointment mounting. She let out another tired sigh, her shoulders slumping a little in defeat. It would seem there was just no getting through this man, he simply did not want to eat the meal she prepared for him. And so it meant that he won't be taking off his helmet anytime soon. And she could not exactly force the issue nor she could just climb up the towering brute and pull off his helmet. She knew full well that would just result in a lot of bodily harm and humiliation.

She walked towards a nearby tree and leaned her back against it's trunk, wearing an almost childish pout on her pretty lips as she stared at Mordekaiser, frowning at him. A long moment of silence happened between mortal and immortal as the young Knight quietly assessed him while he pointedly ignored her, resuming his quiet vigil.

A wry smile soon graced Aeterna's lips as she shook her head a little. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you don't want to eat. What with you being undead and all"

"My, it seems I have finally been found out. What gave me away, I wonder" he said with mock surprise,every word dripping with sarcasm and eyes rolling with disdain.

Aeterna could not stop from giggling, finding humor in his ways. Yes, she guessed it right, he was undead. But he was far from the typical undead. He had too much personality and attitude than the usual shambling corpse. Which made interacting with him rather fun. And she could see that she was finally making some new progress, and so she pressed on.

"Well, it wasn't really difficult to guess. I mean, I'm no expert, but last time I checked, the only ones capable of raising the dead are those who already happen to be dead themselves. But are simply too stubborn to accept it. Like you, perhaps?" she calmly pointed out, gauging his reaction all the while. And she was a little surprised, and also a bit wary, when he started chuckling, coldly and amused.

"Oh, if only you knew…" he said with a low growl, angry and bitter.

"Tell me something" she said firmly, now more serious. It was time for a more direct assault. And Aeterna will have answers.

"What?" was his testy reply.

"Your name, 'Mordekaiser'. Is that actually your name, or is it a title?"

"And why, pray tell, do you wish to know?" he slowly turned his eyes towards her as he spoke to her in an eerily calm voice, devoid of the usual irritation and anger. And this she found to be more unnerving.

"I just want to know more about the man behind the armor" she said solemnly after a long pause.

"I see" he nodded in understanding, before turning his eyes away and looking towards the distance. For another long moment, he remained silent, considering her words. And then he finally spoke.

"To answer your question; Mordekaiser, is both my name and my title" was his matter of fact reply.

Now that she knew he intended to be more forthcoming, Aeterna continued with her queries. "And what does it mean exactly?"

"They are words taken from Ochnun, the language of the dead. In the common tongue, it would roughly translate as 'Murder Emperor'. But a more appropriate translation would be, The Lord of Death"

That little bit about the language of the dead was rather intriguing, and she would have asked him more about it. But the true meaning of his name caught her attention more. Despite herself, Aeterna could not help but swallow nervously at that. She tried her best to mask this however by speaking rather blithely. "That's a rather… ominous name for you to give to yourself, and a bit over the top. Don't you think?"

"I suppose it is. But a fitting one nonetheless" he said rather casually.

She did not speak immediately after that, as she went deep into thought once more, contemplating all the implications of this little new discovery. Murder Emperor? Lord of Death? Definitely ominous names for one to give to themselves. It would have struck her as funny or even ridiculous had someone else deigned to take up such names, thinking them as someone who was trying too hard to be dark and scary that it was comical. But not with this man, not with Mordekaiser.

Based on everything she had seen him do, and everything he had said to her so far, he simply struck Aeterna as someone who had rightfully earned their name. Many and many times over. The questions was, what did he do to earn it? Oh, she was not going to like this.

"Tell me, how did you go about earning such a name? What did you do?"

He turned his head slightly towards her, and she could see the look of cold amusement within his eyes. "An easy enough question, so think on it. How does one go about earning such a name?"

"By killing a lot of people" she said with a dejected sigh, confirming what she had been dreading earlier.

He nodded at her in acknowledgement. And with it, her previous image of him began growing cracks along it's surface, and her own heart broke just a little. But she quickly hardened her own resolve, not allowing this new unfortunate revelation to dissuade her.

He soon turned his glowing red eyes fully towards her, his gaze proud and challenging. "Now that you know what I am, and who I am, what do you intend to do about it?"

Aeterna calmly held his gaze for a long moment, contemplating her next reply very carefully. Before she simply shrugged her shoulders and spoke in a rather casual and offhand manner. "The same thing I've been doing so far. Guide you on your way and assist you to the best of my abilities, just as I promised"

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow at her, bemused. "You will not seek to cleanse the abomination in front of you? You would willingly work with such an unholy creature? Accept his tainted existence?"

He was taunting her, being purposely mocking and she could almost feel the derisive smirk she knew he was wearing at the moment as he fixed her with those red eyes so full of challenge. Again, Aeterna simply shrugged her shoulders as she gave him an innocent smile.

"Of course I will" she said in such a matter of fact way. "I mean, why wouldn't I? You may be undead, yes. And I am certain you have committed many crimes in the past. But I do not find you a direct threat. All your actions so far had only been to the benefit of the Alliance, and has lead to the salvation of many innocent lives. Why would I put a stop to that by giving in to my own prejudices, instead of doing what is needed?"

Her answer came as a genuine surprise to the Iron Revenant, though he did his best to hide it. But he did allow some of his approval to be known. "Hmm.. It seems I was wrong about you. I had pegged you for just a foolish, idealistic waif. But you are actually rather practical and smart"

Not entirely sure whether to be pleased or insulted by that comment, Aeterna simply settled for neither one. Since she was rather tired at simply standing about, Aeterna decided to make herself comfortable by taking a seat on a nearby fallen trunk. Placing the small cloth bundle to her side, she removed the cap from her wineskin and took a nice long sip.

As far as wines went, it was a rather poor vintage. Not enough to sing praises about, but enough to quench one's thirst and steady one's nerves, with the slight dimming of the senses as a minor consequence. Perhaps when they get to Darnassus, she could purchase a much finer drink to take with her on the road. She heard that Night Elven vineyards produced some of the finest wines in all of Kalimdor, and she looked forward to put that little rumor to the test. And maybe one of these days, she might even share a drink with the armored brute standing next to her. If he can even drink that is.

Turning her attention back to the Iron Revenant, who by now regarded her with a somewhat expectant look in his eyes. She gave him a rather pointed stare.

"First of all, I am no waif" she said to him firmly, and with a bit of pride in her voice. "Believe it or not, underneath all this plate lies a well nourished and properly developed physique, along with all the right curves that any man would find attractive"

"As you say" was his rather bored reply, not entirely convinced nor he cared.

Her eyes soon hardened, a determined look within them. She did not know why, but for the briefest of moments, she was actually tempted to prove her point by undressing in front of him. To make him hunger for her naked form, render him hard with arousal as his eyes roamed across every sensuous curve and valley, tempt him with her womanly fruits, make him mad with thirst for the delightful pleasures they could offer. Only to deny him.

That would be quite fun, she thought, and rather satisfying. She immediately quashed that idea though, thinking it too much of a hassle. And she figured, it probably would not work, what with him being undead and all. Can he even get it up?

"And secondly" she continued her little exposition, trying to forget her rather risque ideas regarding The Iron Revenant. "I have to be smart and practical. One does not last long in my profession otherwise. As a Knight of the Alliance, I had sworn an oath to serve and defend all it's peoples. And I have not broken that oath by working with you to defeat the Legion, and so I would gladly continue to do so regardless of your origins"

And then a rather mischievous glint came into her vibrant green eyes as she gave him a knowing smirk, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Although, if for some reason you decide to use your powers to harm the innocent, then I'm afraid I will have to shoot you" she patted the grip of her repeater holstered at her hip for emphasis.

"As if your little toy could do anything to harm me if I did" was his derisive remark, turning his gaze away from her.

The young Knight shrugged her shoulders, still smirking. "Probably not. But I will stop you nonetheless. I don't believe it will be easy, and I probably will be doing it alone even. But I will stop you"

"Oh?" Mordekaiser glanced at her, one hidden eyebrow raised up in amusement. "Is that a threat I'm hearing girl?"

"No, I do not threaten" was her casual reply. And then her lovely and flawless visage turned hard, with her vibrant green eyes full of fiery determination, stared intently at The Iron Revenant. "I promise"

Mordekaiser calmly held her gaze as he quietly assessed her, betraying no emotion. Until finally, he nodded and turned his eyes away.

"I see. Then for your sake, I hope you possess both the strength, and the will, to keep such a promise" he calmly spoke to her, both as an advice, and a challenge.

Despite her calm and confident facade, Aeterna was actually fearful at the moment. In hindsight, it was probably not a good idea to outright challenge someone who could so easily crush her in a heartbeat, or could destroy entire armies all on his own. But she had to make one thing clear to him, draw the line in the sand. Duty and honor demanded it so.

Aeterna unwrapped the small cloth bundle, pulled out one of the cooked and salted meats, and ate quietly. Minutes passed by in silence as young knight and hulking warlord remained as they were; one enjoying the relative calm and quiet of the night, the other remaining constantly vigilant and watchful. Mordekaiser thought that perhaps the girl had finally lost interest.

But in truth, Aeterna was simply biding her time, considering her next course very carefully. As well as searching her own heart for the reason why she was now developing some not-so-innocent feelings towards this enormous walking corpse encased in iron.

She began putting more thought into the more positive side of her not-so-innocent feelings.

Perhaps it was because he saved her life. Or perhaps it was because of the mysterious dreams she continued to have. Or maybe it was simply due to the words that Vala said to her regarding Mordekaiser a few days past, and of the look of obvious desire she had on her face as she spoke about him, which might have roused her more competitive nature.

Or maybe she was slowly becoming desperate for intimate male attention, that she was seeking to obtain it from the only man she could find within a hundred leagues, regardless of the fact he was already dead. Who knows, she wasn't entirely sure herself.

Although she hoped it was not due to that last reason. Aeterna was a Knight after all, not some love-starved slattern. And necrophilia was not exactly her cup of tea. But whatever the true reason may be, Aeterna was positive about one thing. She was fond of Mordekaiser. Very fond of him.

She snuck a quiet glance towards him, rather demure, her cheeks flushing. Aeterna came here tonight to learn more about him. In the hopes that the knowledge would not only help her better understand this man and her dreams, but also her own feelings towards him. She had been giving it quite a bit of thought, and Aeterna knew that there was somehow a connection between this sinister-looking, undead warlord, and the kind and loving man whom she had spoken to in her dreams. She even suspected that they were actually one and the same, and that the dreams she had were actually memories. Memories of a time long past. Whether it was her memories or that of someone else, she knew not. And so she was hoping to shed further light upon it by speaking to him.

This great lord of the dead who she thought of as her hero and champion. And maybe more.

It was not unreasonable to think, that Aeterna had developed a somewhat romanticized view of Mordekaiser lately. She saw him as a man with a tragic past, who was inherently good but was forced to be cruel and violent because of an equally cruel and violent world. She saw him as a poor and unfortunate soul, who had somehow been cursed into a state of undeath in return for great power. And she saw him as someone who used to be kind and loving, most likely a good husband and a great father, but fickle fate had conspired to take away all that he held dear, thus becoming a dark spectre of his former self, spiteful and vengeful.

For Aeterna, this was Mordekaiser. This was what she saw as The Iron Revenant. And it was those good parts about him, the human parts, that Aeterna sought to bring out more into the surface. That, and she derived some hidden pleasure whenever she poked and teased the grumpy warlord.

She soon turned her eyes away from him and stared quietly into the distance, worry creeping up her face. It was also possible, that the opposite of these things she saw in Mordekaiser were also true. That he was simply a monster underneath all that armor, that the man he once was died long ago, and only The Iron Revenant remained.

What if the man whom she saw as kind and loving, might have also been responsible for so much suffering and death. What if, during his life, he was actually someone who had been up to his knees in blood, and innocent blood at that, all for the sake of power and glory.

And that brought her to the more negative aspects of her not-so-innocent feelings towards him.

Just as how she had developed some rather romantic interests for him, and would dearly like to pursue it, she also knew that the man was a potential threat. Not just to the Alliance but to all of Azeroth. He was not her enemy, at least, not yet. But there might come a time when she would have to draw her sword against him. And when that time does come, could she do it? Would she succeed?

It was just as he said, did she have both the strength and the will to keep her promise? To stop him if needed?

She quickly shook her head, and banished such depressing thoughts out of her mind. She needed to focus on the positive, on what was good. And how to keep it that way.

"Why are you still here?"

She was startled out of her deep musings and immediately turned her green eyes back towards the object of her thoughts, who now regarded her rather disinterestedly.

"What?"

His sudden query had caught her off-guard, so deep in thought as she was.

A rumble of discontent rang from him and he repeated his question. "I said, why are you still here?"

Her lips soon formed into a cheery smile, eyes glinting with mirth. "Nothing much. I just want to"

"You should be back in camp along with the other two, resting" he pointed out, more of an order than a suggestion. One that Aeterna did not want to follow.

"I don't think I need to sleep just yet" she casually said, shifting upon her seat and stretching out her arms. The weight of her armor was rather uncomfortable. Had she been somewhere else safer, she would have taken it all off by now. And a bath would be quite nice as well.

"And no offense to Lightspear or that Blood Elf, but I am not looking forward to listening to another round of their arguments" She said with laugh, eyes twinkling with mirth as she recalled with no small amount of amusement all those times that Lightspear and Vala sparred with words. "Honestly, who knew Elves would have such a pair of lungs within them? And their suppose to be all calm and graceful, yet they're always screaming and bickering like a pair of fishwives".

A simple grunt from him was her only reply before he turned away. She smirked at him for this, her eyes gazing up at him with playfulness. "And besides, I think you could use a bit of company right now"

"I have no need for company" he said all too stubbornly.

"Oh I think you do" she spoke suggestively. "Everyone needs a bit companionship every now and then, even those of us who usually prefer to be alone"

He scoffed at that. "Mortals do. But not I"

"You were mortal once, were you not?" she countered, looking up to him expectantly. And The Iron Revenant growled menacingly in response, clearly not liking that little reminder.

"Yes…"

He acknowledged after a long pause, the bitterness and anger in his voice quite palpable. He clearly did not like being reminded, of the little fact he was once a normal man. She wondered why that is. She would have to press further, keep probing for answers. And perhaps, succeed in bringing out more of the man he once was.

"Then surely you remember how it all felt, all the things that mortals feel" she spoke to him softly, but heartfelt and somewhat pleading. "The joy from a victory, the sorrow from a loss. Dread, as you faced a seemingly insurmountable foe. Relief, as your friends and allies came to your aid. Even something as simple as tasting a hearty meal, or quenching your thirst with good wine after a long battle"

Mordekaiser remained silent and unmoving, still looking towards the distance. But Aeterna knew he was listening to every word she said, and perhaps trying to remember all the things he once felt when he was just a man. At least, she hoped so.

And then Aeterna's cheeks grew a light shade of red, smiling coyly as she continued. "And most of all, can you recall what it felt to hold someone close to you, someone dear to your heart? I know it must have been so long ago, but surely you can still remember what it meant, and what it felt, to love? And be loved?"

At those words, Aeterna saw the only outward reaction that she could find from this ever stoic man in the full suit of armor, and that was the change within his eyes. All the hate and the coldness and the malice that were always present within those glowing red orbs, were gone. And in their place was sadness and longing. And if Aeterna's own eyes were not deceiving her, regret.

She felt her heart ache for him then, and guilty for what she had just done, unknowingly dredging up past memories, many of which must have been quite painful or tragic. She silently berated herself for being so thoughtless and careless. And so she would put it to rights.

Aeterna slowly rose to her feet, her eyes still locked on to him, longingly. She wanted to offer him comfort, ease whatever pain and sadness he must be feeling right now. Aeterna was willing to do anything for him, anything he needed to make all that hurt go away. All he needed to do was simply allow her to do so. Accept her tender offer.

But before she could step forward and make that offer, the sadness and regret that had made it's way into The Iron Revenant's eyes had finally disappeared, hardening once more. He then turned his gaze towards her, a rather dangerous and predatory quality now within them as he stared straight into her own vibrant greens. And despite herself, Aeterna could not help but feel somewhat nervous, her heart beginning to race as heat rose within her core.

"Is that why your here girl, offering yourself to me in return for love?" even though his face was hidden, she could almost feel the malicious grin she knew he was wearing at that moment. "Or perhaps you are simply in heat, and desperate for a good rutting. You wish for me to give your young and fertile field a good plowing, is that it?"

And just like that, the warm and tender moment that Aeterna was trying to build was shattered. The young Knight grew a shade of red as fierce as her fiery red hair, her eyes widening like saucers, so full of shock and embarrassment was she.

"What?! NO! That's not what I-! I mean wouldn't-, I-I couldn't-!" she started stammering, unable to properly give voice to her rather jumbled thoughts.

"Good. I still have much use for you. And I would rather not change that by injuring you through coitus" " he cut her off, chuckling in amusement at her antics.

He turned his eyes away and spoke rather coldly next. "And do not even seek love from me, for you shall find none"

An indignant growl emanated from the young Knight's throat as she scowled fiercely at the much larger man, still blushing furiously, her heart a turbulent mix of anger, frustration, embarrassment and disappointment. She let out a huff before bending down to pick up the food and wineskin. She then turned around and started walking towards the direction of their camp at a brisk pace.

"I'm heading back. You're on your own you big arse" she said to him as she stormed off.

Mordekaiser merely gave her retreating form one brief glance, and shook his head a little, before he turned his eyes away and began walking off as well.

Aeterna continued on her walk, taking long and angry strides through the forest as she quietly fumed. She came out here because she wanted to bring out more of the man he once was, and she had succeeded.

Unfortunately, it would appear that man just so happened to be vulgar and crude and insensitive and disrespectful. And to outright insinuate, that she came to him tonight simply because she wanted him to shag her like some back alley whore?! Give her fertile field a good plowing he said?! The nerve of that man!

As if she would simply allow any man to touch her in such a way, especially if he happened to be a walking corpse fueled by dark sorceries. The amount of heresy and immorality in such an act would be enough to damn her soul for an eternity. If only he wasn't encased in a full suit of plate nearly five inches thick, she would have kicked him in the shin real hard as punishment.

Moments passed by until Aeterna soon halted her steps. She willed her furious emotions to calm, taking long deep breaths. She turned and looked toward the direction where she left Mordekaiser, glaring rather heatedly before her face softened, and a wistful smile made it to her lips.

In all honesty, though she found his crude statements earlier as rather insulting and more than a little shocking, that hadn't been what drove her off. The Light knows Aeterna had suffered worse from more unsavory individuals in the past. No, what truly made her walk away was how he said that she would not find any love from him. That hurt her a lot. Much more than she thought actually.

She considered going back to him, but discarded that thought. She slowly turned around and continued on her way back to camp. She had already accomplished quite enough this evening.

Even after being dead for so long, the man he once was could still be found. And Aeterna was determined to bring that man back to life. She did not know how she would manage that, but somehow she would do it. And once she accomplished this, she would then prove him wrong.

That even one such as he could still be capable of love. And once she had managed this as well, then Aeterna would start giving him all the love in the world. Along with everything else she had; body, heart and soul.

Mordekaiser stood quietly as he glared at the trees in front of him. Just like all the other ones, they were large and thick with gnarled branches and very much dead. The ground beneath them were just as lifeless, all dried and cracked. There was nothing different about them. Save perhaps the slight shimmer in the air in front of them, and of the corruption pulsating from them like the beatings of some dark heart.

These little details were of course, unnoticeable to the untrained senses. And even mortals who were quite sharper than most, would likely not give it so much as a passing thought even if they did perceive the difference.

But to someone who had ample experience in dealing with more complex illusions and glamours, courtesy of a certain Black Rose and one particular Yordle mage, this little parlor trick was nothing in comparison. Easily overcome. And if there was just one thing that magic could not fully hide, it was the soul.

He gripped Nightfall with one hand, holding it's long and thick haft near the base of it's massive and wicked-looking head. His posture all relaxed, content to wait just little while longer.

His mind briefly went to the girl and the words she spoke to him. And such foolish and ridiculous sentiments she tried to fill his head with. Though she was not exactly wrong. He still, in fact, remembered everything about his past life, and what it once felt to be mortal. All that was good and all that was ill. Every pain and every pleasure. Every sorrow and joy.

And yes, even something as nonsensical as love. Along with all the dreadful things that came with such a bond.

But that was all in the distant past. All those things she mentioned no longer mattered. He had no more time for such petty feelings enjoyed by mortals. He could not afford such distractions. Not when his grand quest has yet to be fulfilled. Not when all that was rightfully his was under threat.

He turned his attention once again at the trees standing in front of him, and narrowed his eyes at them threateningly. And he most certainly could not afford to indulge that girl in her foolish desires of love, when the enemy was barely ten feet from them.

He had waited long enough. It was time to end this.

"How long do you intend to continue with this farce?"He called to seemingly no one.

There was no response of course. But just as when he thought he might have to force this serpent out of it's indecision with a simple application of force, the slight shimmering in the air began to outright ripple. And the group of trees in front of him began to slowly dissolve into thick pools of inky darkness.

Mordekaiser watched with mild interest as the pool of darkness began to slowly rise up and change shape.

Hooved feet were the first to form, each one as thick and solid as anvils and wide enough to flatten a regular man. Huge, trunk-like legs were next, each one as long as Mordekaiser was tall and protected by heavy greaves. The arms, shoulders and torso soon materialized, bare and unadorned, except for the countess scars that crisscrossed it's massive form. It's hands were nearly as large as boulders, possessing four thick and clawed fingers. Leathery skin, dark-blue in hue, visibly strained as thick slabs of corded muscle bulged underneath it. A pair of enormous wings similar to that of bat's hung proudly from it's back, serving to further enhance this creatures already imposing stature as well as allowing it to fly.

Finally, the head came into view, sitting on top of a thickly muscled neck, long curved horns adorning it's skull. Sickly green eyes glowing with malefic powers stared straight into The Iron Revenant's own crimson orbs, as it's terrifying, mishapen visage twisted into a mad grin, revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth.

This demon did not possess any weapons on it's person from what Mordekaiser could tell. But considering it's impressive size and formidable physique, it probably did not need a weapon to maim and kill. And based on the aura of dark power that this creature radiated from it's form like a furnace, it was far from being weak either, a stark contrast from all the pathetic riffraff The Legion had been keen on throwing at him.

Yes, he had been right to send the girl away earlier. Protecting her skinny hide whilst fighting this monster, though definitely feasible, would have still proven troublesome.

"So, you were aware of my presence?" Boomed the mighty demon, it's voice like bellowing flame and hot ash to Mordekaiser's ears.

"Since this morning actually"was his even reply, not at all worried at the sight of this towering demon.

"Then why did you not seek me out? Afraid I might bite?" the demon taunted.

"Hardly. I was simply waiting for you to finally grow a spine" And The Revenant did not miss a beat.

But instead of becoming angry at his insult, the enormous demon simply chuckled, clearly amused by him. And Mordekaiser could spot the dangerous glint within this monster's eyes. So he prepared himself for any sudden attack. Nightfall sensed it's master's alertness, and so it began to glow with an ephemeral green, ready to be unleashed by him.

"Then tell me," the demon spoke again, all calm and collected as it crosses it's arms in front of it's chest. "Why did you send the girl away? Scared of losing your little pet?"

Mordekaiser simply shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unconcerned. "She was a source of inconvenience and annoyance. And I could do without the pointless distractions"

Though that was only half the truth. The Knight would have been a mere distraction, and she certainly annoyed him. But he also did not want to risk letting her come to harm. Not only because of an oath he swore, but also because he had begun to find her worthy.

The great demon however begun to chuckle darkly. The mad grin it wore widened slightly more and the dangerous glint within it's eyes intensified. He leaned slightly down and glared intently at The Iron Revenant.

"Then I suppose you would not mind if my colleagues and I decide to 'borrow' her for a while?"

No sooner did those words leave the demon's fanged maw when Mordekaiser sensed the familiar surge of power from teleportation magic. And with it, came the sudden arrival of many more demonic souls. Many of them arrived near his location, but many more winked into existence much further away. Close to where he last saw the young Knight.

"Damn it all!" He inwardly cursed, and berated himself. Of course their cowardly foes would stoop to something so low, all just to gain an advantage over him.

He quickly turned around and headed towards Aeterna's direction. A silent word of power already within his mind and his left hand now aglow with potent necromantic sorceries, ready to call upon his warriors to protect his mortal companions.

But a pair of large clawed hands grabbed a firm hold of his armored bulk, and then hurled him backwards. A feeling of weightlessness came upon him, shortly before he crashed to the earth many yards away.

"Oh, your not going anywhere, little iron man!" the demon roared out to him.

Mordekaiser grunted in annoyance as he picked himself up, none too pleased by that little manhandling. He glared harshly at the enormous demon who was slowly striding towards him, all haughty and proud.

"Your fight is with me!" The demon belowed out once more before he swifty leaped towards the The Iron Revenant, eyes glowing even brighter with Fel green, fists raised to crush him.

Author's Notes: Just the other day, I finally saw the latest cinematic that Blizzard made for the WoW Shadowlands expansion. And to properly convey my sentiments towards that whole cinematic, especially the battle between Sylvanas and Bolvar, I would need to write up a 5000 word rant. But instead I will just sum it all up in this short little paragraph, which will culminate with one word. And that word is… BULLSHIT! If any of you want to know why I think that is, hit me with a review or PM me.

End of rant.

Anyway, few points about the chapter. Not much happened, other than a bit of character development and some slight foreshadowing of some future events. And to set things up for another big fight that would probably take at least a couple of chapters. There was one more scene I wanted to add at the very start of this chapter but I decided to post this now since I've made you guys wait far too long.

That and I just wanted to finally get this chapter over with so I can go and finish my next chapter for my other story.

Review Replies:

The Normie: Then let me compound the problem with another update. :-D

VGBlackwing: Funny you should mention Sion. I've always found that particular matchup to be one of the easier ones, even way before Morde got reworked. The thing is, Morde excels in punishing immobile tanks and bruisers like Sion, him standing there for a second or two just to charge up his Q is more than enough time for Morde to land a perfect EQAuto Attack combo. And then a simple W later to tank whatever damage Sion can give in return. Now, obviously Morde players can't straight up kill Sion in the very early game (levels 1-2) because Sion is just much more tanky so they'll have to play it safe. But beginning at level 3 and up to level 5, things begin to go even for either of them. When Morde finally hits 6, that's when he starts to dominate Sion. And when Mid to Late game starts, Mordekaiser simply beats Sion hands-down because Morde outscales him real hard, provided the Morde player did not feed the Sion 10+ kills that is, haha. Oh and, I wouldn't recommend building Frozen Heart solely for Mordekaiser. You need to remember, Morde deals mostly magic damage, not physical, and the majority of which comes from his abilities and his passive, not his auto attacks. So stacking Magic Resist is the best way to go. Bramble Vest would be the better option if you want Armor, cuz the Grievous Wounds effect it gives cuts down Morde's healing.

So yeah, Sion in my opinion is not the best Champ to use when laning against Morde. If you want the tanky option, go for either Darius or Renekton. A more mobile bruiser option would either be Jax or Fiora. These four Champs I listed are the ones with the best chance of beating Mordekaiser in a 1v1. I could also throw in Kayle into the mix, but that requires you to be really good at farming and have a ton of patience, because the sad truth is, Morde simply wrecks Kayle during the Early and Mid game. Late game though, she just rapes him. Hope this helps. :-)

Mr. Almond Brown: You just might get to see something like that later on. Now, this is mostly my take on what he was before he died. I could be wrong when Riot decides to update his current lore. And speaking of dominatng Elves. Well, he might just start doing that later on, though not exactly in the way you're thinking. XD

PatrickAndre: Morde will be sending quite a few big bads into the Death Realm later, that's for certain. But with Kruul in particular? Who knows. He might or just might not.

Guest: And Morde might get to see him when he pays him a visit. Maybe. :-D

And that's it for now. Leave a quick review or comment down below and let me know all your thoughts.

Next up! LeBlanc and a big 1v1 between Mordekaiser and Kruul.