It is the end...

V

It was cloudy outside...

It had been cloudy yesterday...

It had been cloudy the day before yesterday...

And the day before that as well...

It had been cloudy...

The sun refused to show himself...

It had been five days since the Radiant Dawn left to never come back...

Five days were no champion participate in any match...

Five days of absolute silence...

Five days...

But for some... Five days felt like an eternity...

No one dared to approach the Tiny Master of Evil, not even the always positive Lulu... A dark aura followed his every move... But the champions were not alien to his feelings...

It had been a tragedy...

On that day, none of them could believe when the Scorn of the Moon returned with the limp body of Leona, none could stomach to see the Radiant Dawn devoided of life... With a spear piercing her heart... Soraka with the help of the other healers had tried everything... But the Radiant Dawn was gone... Diana simply brought her body to the only place they both have called a home... The Institute of War would be her resting place...

No one dared to ask for the spear... Everyone could recognize who was the owner of such weapon... But the cruelty of the truth was enough to keep their questions at bay... And since the Artisan of War didn't return... They could only guess the Scorn of the Moon ripped his head out of his shoulders...

It had been a big but quiet ceremony on the grounds outside the Institute of Justice, every champion that wasn't imprisoned in the cellars attended dressed with a black cloth and a sunflower in their hands. The Maven of Strings played a beautiful song as the coffin made its way into a new part of the garden, the summoners had simply designed that place as some sort of playground for the Shepherd of Souls and the other Denizens of the Shadow Isles as they would find solitude and peace, a graveyard filled with nameless tombs... Now, there was a name on one of them.

Vessaria watched the gray sky with tedium, sitting in her office and holding an empty cup of tea in her hands, her eyes were surrounded by dark shadows and she breathed slowly while her empty eyes tried to make some senses in the misshapen forms of the clouds. It had been a terrible week for her, she had lost it during the ceremony and had cried while she was giving her farewell speech, ever since then, she had been secluded in her office as she read Leona's records, again and again, hoping to find a way to fix the bottomless pit in her heart... With no result at all... Only making her feel more miserable than she already was...

"Miss Kolmyne!" Came the annoying voice of her companion.

Despite the pain and suffering she was going through... She was still Vessaria Kolmyne, the leader of the League of Legends... And it was her job to be here listening to this disgusting man and his bantering.

Ah...

She wished she could just kill him and be done with this annoying matter...

But that would be unprofessional... And Leona did hold some sort of bond with him anyways...

Vessaria sighed and averted her eyes from the gray sky to look at the man in question, a man with bronze skin and dark hair, wearing a white and golden robe. Vessaria could see he was quite pissed and annoyed... But if he could see just how powerful her own annoyance and anger was, he would be on the ground crying, pissing himself and asking for forgiveness... Cleaning would be a pain in the ass, but such image brought a small smile to Vessaria and encourage her to continue this painful appointment with the elder of the Solari.

"Yes, Mister Nero?"

"Could you please stop trying to stall this process any further?! I have already told you all the reasons and every argument I have, I believe I have and hold all the reasons to take what rightfully belongs to the Solari. You and your organization have no right to keep the Solari treasures and exhibit them as some sort of show on the gardens!"

The nerve... Vessaria could feel how the cup began cracking in her hands... How dare he...? How could he even dare to claim those treasures belonged to a bunch of pigs like the Solari elders? How could he even dare to insult the monument that she herself erected in the graveyard for the Radiant Dawn? Vessaria knew the Solari were a bunch of stupid and idiotic fools... But this man was beyond anything she could handle, her blood boiled in her veins like magma under the ground, her fury roared in her head as it demanded to split this man in half... She could do it... Only Ayala and the Master Summoner were above her when it came to power...

But she wouldn't... Because no matter how much she hated to admit it, Vessaria knew he was right... The Zenith blade and the Shield of Daybreak belonged to the Solari, he could take them if he wanted...

"The body will remain here," Vessaria said with such a sharp and cold voice it made Nero tremble a little "This was her home, in this place she began to live the way she wanted... And in the end, She left this world as Leona, The Radiant Dawn... A champion of the League."

Nero didn't say anything after that... He might have, but Vessaria ignored him as she got up and made her way towards the graveyard. Walking through the halls was oppressive and painful because Leona was a peculiar champion, most of the other champions avoided some places, like how Noxians never went to the Demacian wing, or how the Piltovians avoided the Zaunite rooms... But Leona had been in every corner of the Institute of War, from the infamous cellars were the most dangerous champions were locked up, to every single room and wing available, including the Summoner's wing, the Kitchens, the forest behind the Institute, the Gardens, the swamps, the haunted houses, the dark corners and alleys... Every nook and Cranny of the Institute held memories of the Radiant Dawn being what she always was...

The Sun...

Now those memories only lived as painful reminders of how the world had become gray... Especially for those how loved her... Like Vessaria and many more champions and summoners...

Outside was still the same. With the sun gone, the wind and the cold had taken place over the environment making the once cheerful and beautiful garden nothing but a sad shadow of what it used to be... Pitiful... Vessaria had fought so much to return the League to its glorious state, and she had lost everything in one night... Pitiful... But not eternal, the League had survived many tragedies before, Vessaria knew she could restore it once again... But it would take a while, she needed to heal her soul first and let go of the pain and guilt... It would take a long while... And she was fine with that.

She kept walking slowly until she noticed there was something strange, there were more people surrounding them, Vessaria never knew how they appeared, she could guess she simply didn't care enough to notice them before. But there was something out of place about them, they were wearing golden armors and they were heavily armed with long swords and heavy shields, the battalion of soldiers walked in unison making their footsteps echo through the empty grounds, dulling the howling of the wind and other sounds... Weird... Why would Nero need such strong unit by his side just to fetch a shield and a sword? Well, Solari were known to always be overdramatic for every little thing... A stupid ceremony in which Vessaria would have to take place, most likely...

What a pain...

Vessaria could see at the distance the entrance of the graveyard, the ark made of granite with the two elder dragons at the sides evoked the memories of that when she walked behind the coffin in her elegant black dress. It had been a gift from the master summoner, intended as some sort of joke or prank... It never passed through her mind she would use it for such thing... The metal bars of the gate sent shivers through her spine as she felt the characteristic aura of the Shadow Isles surround her being as she got closer... But there was something strange regarding the whole situation... It was probably the warriors whispering terrified around her, or maybe it was the sudden gale that hit them as soon as they got in... It was none of those... It was something Vessaria couldn't see at first, not because it was something so subtle or because it was hidden... She simply chose not to believe it was there.

Rusted swords, Broken spears, shattered armors, and corpses filled the ruined ground. Some of the tombs were bathed in some dark liquid and there was a strange smell of copper filling the air, she could see some fresh corpses with their tattered forms, some were missing limbs and some others were rotting on the ground... There was no scent of decomposition, only the dull yet suffocating smell of the dead... Shivers ran through her spine as she recognized such feeling, there was only a handful of champions who could cause such strange sensation... Only one could do it wherever they went...

It couldn't be...

"As you can see..." Came the annoying voice of Nero " We have sent our best warriors to retrieve our treasures, but all of them have been obliterated by your monsters! I hope you can control that beast and give us what we want! You promised you would help us!"

So that's why he came, Huh? Vessaria was sure she was forgetting something, maybe she completely ignored what Nero was saying since he had so little presence and importance for her, Vessaria simply accepted his request in autopilot... And now she had no other choice but to help him I his stupid request... Of course, even if she was the third strongest summoner in the League, there was no way she could alone control the fury of a champion who evidently tore apart these warriors with apparent ease... Besides, she didn't want to help Nero in the first place...

"More corpses..." Said a low and bored voice behind them "The common grave is already full... I suggest you come later after I'm done with the bodies..." The form of the Sheperd of Souls walked slowly and quietly towards them with his shovel by his side, a dark mist surrounding his back and the sound of small creatures creeping behind him. The Solari warriors raised their swords and prepared their shields for anything "Worry not, feeble humans... She will deal with all of you... I only came to clean the aftermath..."

"What is the meaning of this, Yorick?" Vessaria asked putting herself between the Gravedigger and the Solari warriors "Who did this?"

"She did it..." Yorick simply answered "These idiots have been coming to steal what is hers... She had slaughtered every single one of them... But the fools never learn... So many bodies, not enough coffins..."

"Where are our warriors, Monster!" Nero roared in fury "Give us the body of our fallen brothers!"

"They no longer belong to you, human... They do not deserve to rest in this sacred ground... Forever they will follow a sinister will... Like the cattle follows the herd until they fall into the abyss..."

"You...!"

"Halt!" Vessaria ordered with severity "He is doing his job as the guardian of the graveyard, if your warriors were stupid enough to fight a champion of the League by themselves, they are better dead than alive, that way their stupidity won't be passed to the next generation."

"How dare you?!" Nero voiced in fury as the other warriors growled in fury.

"Let's just get over with this, I do not wish to be in this place any further than needed, keep doing your job, Yorick" The shepherd bowed slightly and walked to the side "Let's go," Vessaria said walking and ignoring the protest and insults of the Solari.

Vessaria wondered if she had neglected her duties for far too long. As she made her way to the center of the Graveyard, dozens upon dozens of corpses littered the ground with their broken swords and armor... She couldn't believe these men were allowed into the grounds without her consent, she couldn't believe they were stupid enough to even try again and again a futile mission that only resulted in more losses... A shield and a sword were not worth enough to sacrifice so many lives uselessly... But Solari had never been that bright, to begin with... In a way, it was beneficial for the idiots to just die a pointless death that couldn't harm Runeterra in any way... If Yorick was indeed doing his job, then there were probably more corpses somewhere in the area, being used for dark arts or other purposes... Vessaria didn't care, though, Yorick had proven to be not that dangerous... At least not for the Institute.

The tombstone continued to become even more darkened as they proceeded forward, the smell of copper became even more noticeable and Vessaria was able to see some fresh traces of the recent massacre...

What was this man trying to achieved anyways? Were the sword and the shield so valuable he had to sacrifice many lives? Or was he so stupid he couldn't see that those treasures no longer belonged to him and his people? Vessaria couldn't tell and she didn't want to even think about it... She just hoped she wasn't there waiting for them... As much power as Vessaria held within the champions, they could still do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't interfere with any of the City-States or the balance in Runeterra... And a sword and a shield were not enough reason for Vessaria to take action against the well being of the champion, especially since she was by their side.

"What is she doing here?!" She heard Nero spat in disgust, the other warriors shared his anger as their whisper became loud roars of fury.

A lone silver figure was kneeling in front of the monument dedicated to the daughter of the Sun, a big obelisk with the shape of the Radiant Dawn holding her weapons as she called for the solar flare upon her enemies in the Fields of Justice, Vessaria couldn't remember that night when she had created that statue, nor could she remember how she did it... But that was definitely her creation, the last tribute she gave one of her favorite champions in the League, by the sides she could see the celestial weapons shining with the power of the Sun despite being a cloudy and gray day.

The king of the sky still remained by the side of his daughter... Even if she no longer was there...

"What are you doing here, Heretic?!" Nero screamed in fury followed by his warriors "Trying to steal the legacy of our people?! I knew it was you who had killed our brothers! Only the brutish Lunari could do this kind of horrendous act!"

The Scorn of the Moon didn't react at his words, she remained where she was... Kneeled in front of the tomb, praying in silence with her eyes closed and her forehead with the Lunari symbol touching the cold stone of the obelisk. She then got up slowly and looked at the Solari... There was nothing in her eyes... Not even a single shadow of anger or wrath, there was only pitiful and painful emptiness accompanied by exhaustion and melancholy. Vessaria had heard rumors of how Diana had remained by the grave even after the ceremony had ended, she had heard several champions speaking of how she never left its side, she would sometimes move to bring flowers or clean the grave... But she refused to leave...

Pitiful, indeed...

Vessaria could see a bouquet of fresh sunflowers at the bottom of the obelisk... By the quality of the flowers, she could guess they belonged to Zyra's garden, sunflowers hadn't bloomed ever since Leona's demise. Diana walked slowly towards the group, with her silver hair swaying with the wind and her eyes focused on something Vessaria couldn't see, the warriors readied themselves but Diana simply passed through the as if they didn't exist in the first place... Although, she did whisper something to Vessaria when she was close enough.

"Do not interfere... The hunters are angry... And even you can become prey for them..." She said before she disappeared behind all of them.

"Hmph! I suppose that heretic trash wouldn't dare to do anything with the presence of her leader, after all, I would have liked to see her try something so you can see just how devious she really is, Miss Vessaria." Nero spoke with arrogance, but Vessaria couldn't quite understand him as she was trying to process what was going to happen "Either way, we thank you collaboration with us, Miss Vessaria, we will take it from here" He said before he walked with his soldiers towards the obelisk.

Vessaria tried to scream, shout, warm him, insult him, beg him, speak to him... But she couldn't do it... The words were stuck in her throat and refused to leave her mouth. She tried to grab Nero's hand, push him, punch him, shove him but she couldn't even close her eyelids... She could only breath in silence and watch as they touched the golden weapons from their place... She could only breath in silence and watch as the demons were unleashed and the hunters made the act of presence in front of the obelisk... She could only breath and watch in silence...

...

...

...

In silence...

It was faster than Vessaria had anticipated...

It was deadly silent around her...

Only her breathing... And the panting of the beast...

She could feel the drops of blood that managed to land on her face running through her cheeks and falling into her robes... At her feet, she could see the shattered form of a shield that managed to land near her feet, completely obliterated by a set of fangs that easily pierced the metal and torn it apart like wet paper... Around her, the broken forms of the corpses lay in disorder and chaos, all the other graves bathed in the blood... All of the except the obelisk that remained pure and pristine like the weapons of gold metal by its side... She could see the eyes of Nero focused on her as his twisted visage was the testament of the last feelings he had before his soul left his body, Vessaria watched those empty windows before his head was severed from the rest of his body by the fangs of the beast.

She was as white as the freshly fallen snow of the Freljord, her soft wool seemed to shine with an unnatural glow as she remained motionlessly watching Vessaria. He was as dark as the shadows that ran during the moonless nights, his maw tainted in the crimson blood of his last victim as he chewed the last remainings of the poor bastard that dared to touch the gifts from the celestial vault... The Kindred that would remain stoic and apart from the rest of the world were now in front of the grave of the Radiant Dawn, protecting her legacy from the hands of those who were unworthy of her might... Through the sapphire glow of their mask, Vessaria could see the shared pain, the shared anger, the shared guilt... And the last promise they made to the one they loved the most.

"I'm sorry..." Vessaria muttered slowly "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect her... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"It was not your fault... It was nobody's fault..." The Lamb whispered as she faded with the wind.

Vessaria couldn't have known the Denizens of the Shadow Isles were planning an ambush against the Kindred, it wasn't her fault...

The Kindred were reckless enough to get themselves caught in the ambush, it wasn't their fault...

Leona had chosen to protect them despite knowing she could not win, it wasn't her fault...

The Solari believed it was safer for them to protect their avatar of the Sun at Mount Targon, It wasn't their fault...

Diana only wanted to set her friend free from the claws of those tyrannic people, it wasn't her fault...

Pantheon only wanted to protect the woman he loved, it wasn't his fault...

The Kindred...

The Kindred only wanted to walk into the light for once and enjoy the warmth of the Sun... It wasn't their fault...

...

...

...

It was nobody's fault...

"I have to give it to them" Wolf spoke as he chew on something "Those bastards sure are persistent"

"It doesn't matter... In the end, they all die the same way... By my arrows or..."

"By my Teeth! But still... That Shepherd sure has a lot of work to do now thanks to us... Poor guy."

Lamb watched the landscape from the tree they were currently in, it had been a few days since the Solari had come with Vessaria Kolminye in order to retrieve Leona's sword and shield, ever since then, Lamb hadn't seen anybody else aside from the usual visitors of the grave. The Scorn of the Moon would come very often and even remain complete days kneeled at the grave, praying and sometimes crying while her mother hugged her in the middle of the night. The Tiny Master of Evil would also come to speak with the grave and share the many experiences they had shared in the past, those meeting would end in hi crying himself to sleep, the Shepherd would come to fetch him and deliver him to The Fae Sorceress. Many other champions would often come to show their respect to the fallen hero that the Radiant Dawn was... Demacian, Noxians, Ionians, Piltovians, Zaunites, Yordles, Pirates, Ninjas, Yordles, Denizens of the Shadow Isles and even the Voidlings would come to watch the grave of the Daughter of the Sun... Sometimes even Summoners would show up to leave gifts like Sunflowers or lockets with her symbol on them... A shared feeling among them.

Lamb could recognize their intentions and she would decide whether they could pass or they would die by her arrows of Wolf's teeth. Aside from the annoying Solari, she allowed everyone else to visit the tomb and paid their respects... She knew there was no point in protecting her grave and her treasures like this... But she could feel it in her heart, she could feel something driving her to stay by Leona's side even though Lamb knew she was longer in the land of the living... She simply had to stay and protect her... It was the least she could do for everything Leona had done for her.

"There's another one." Wolf said in her ear "A summoner, it seems."

A lone figure wearing a purple robe with Sunflowers in his hands walked slowly to the grave. It was unusual because Lamb knew the League was operating normally once again, the mourning period had ended and the world continued to move forward without the light of the sun, the gray clouds refused to leave their place and only disappeared at night when the Moon shone on top of the sky... The Father was not ready to gaze upon the world that had taken the life of her beloved daughter just yet...

Perhaps, he would never be...

Lamb studied the figure with interest as they placed the flowers at the grave and joined their hands in a silent prayer... There was something incredibly strange with the summoner, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was... Ayala and the Master Summoner were indeed weird, but you would expect that much from that unusual family, Badger was an idiot and Mercedes acted like the old man he was... But this summoner was quite different... Strange, unusual, different... Almost as if he didn't belong to this world or something like that... It was...

" 'It's nobody's fault', huh?" He said slowly as he raised his head to look at her. "I believe that statement has always been wrong, but I suppose arguing about such philosophical matters are not of any concern at the moment, seeing as there are more pressing problems we have to deal, dear Lamb." He said with a small grin on his face.

"Lamb... I don't like that guy..." Wolf said carefully as he glared at the summoner.

"I can't deny I usually I have that sort of reaction on most beings..." The summoner admitted with a bit of shame "But I can assure I mean no possible harm to either of you in any existing way in this realm or any other known worlds."

Lamb was right... There was something wrong with that man. She gracefully jumped from a top of the tree and landed behind him, Wolf growled at him but remained behind Lamb... Lamb studied the strange man that was in front of them, he was quite average regarding his height and body... But there was something about his concealed face that unnerved her the most... It was his eyes... His Dark and Bottomless eyes...

"What do you want, summoner?" Lamb asked with more aggression than she had intended.

"I just have curiosity over what you said to dear Vessaria Kolminye. 'It's nobody's fault' if I remember correctly... But you see, your statement is both wrong and right depending on which point of view you choose to see it from."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It's pretty simple. The Dead died so they are dead, the Living lived so they are alive. It is an undeniable truth that reigns over the rules of cause and effect in this realm... But sometimes those rules do not apply to every case and scenario that could exist in other realms... Sometimes... The Dead died so they are alive and the Living lived so they are dead..."

"You... What do you mean?"

"The Sun always rises in the end."

"You... What are you...?"

"Oh, My! How rude of me to not even introduce myself! I suppose I do own you an apology... Allow me to introduce myself then..." The summoner said as he took off his hood revealing the face of a young man with dark eyes and a wide smile on his face "Kindred... I am the Outsider, the Master of the Void... And I have a question for you, Eternal Hunters..." Suddenly, the space around them cracked as several boundaries opened at once, bringing forth whispers of things that were, are, will be, and could have been "Would you like to make a deal with me?"