There were little to no records in the history of Valoran that told of all races banding together against a common threat. Humans had no natural enemy, therefore they had no need to develop weapons greater than that of their own capabilities. The yordles held their ground against creatures from the Kumungu Jungle. The ghosts of the Shadow Isles were predators themselves, and so they had no reason to develop defenses against their prey. As such, only those with great knowledge and immense arcane skill were able to prepare for the Void invasion. Thousands have died in Demacia and Freljord. Noxus was razed to the ground, with over a dozen ships of refugees retreating into Bilgewater. The Institute of War's magic is mysteriously negated, and without their support, champions fell. So far, Ionia was the only nation that did not have a champion gravely injured, or killed. The nation was well known for fending off the Noxian war machine at their capital, a feat previously believed to be only achievable by the Demacians. Noxus has lost it's Sinister Blade, as well as it's Hand. Darius died protecting the harbor as his countrymen escaped on ships to Bilgewater. Demacia has not been considered to have lost a champion, as the mysterious return of Garen infused hope in Demacians, and the same is true for Tryndamere for the Freljordians. It was then and there that the two individual's effect on the morale of their nations were proven. It seemed like they had been over the rough patch. It seemed like it will only get better from here on out. Good news all around. Though, for Garen, the bad news that he'd be given when he would awake in the Institute's gardens would not be pleasant…

At first, there were only fuzzy figures dancing about in Garen's view. He couldn't make out their faces, but their voices rang true in his ears. They seemed to be calling out to him, and the harder he tried to focus his eyes, the more excited they seemed to be. Garen felt weak, and he tried to swallow, and found his mouth dry, his throat parched, and his lips chapped. Upon trying to get up to find water, Garen was immediately pushed down, but a caring hand reached behind his head and lifted it slightly as he felt some sort of straw being put into his mouth. On instinct, he sipped despite the pain from his lips, and the gushing of water into his mouth invigorated the vanguard, making him some more. He never thought he'd be so happy to taste water again. At first, with his zealous sipping, Garen thought he'd run out of water, but the supply didn't run out. He indulged himself with the invigorating liquid as he felt it flow down to his stomach. If his eyes could produce tears, then it would surely flow down his cheeks due to the overwhelming happiness to know he was alive, and for some reason, water gave him comfort. Minutes later, he regained strength to lift his arms, and he was able to hold bottles of water by himself. He found it rather uncomfortable that he didn't recognize sooner, but he was in the Institute's gardens, and summoners were now forced to accommodate the injured that were housed there. The summoners' robes were tied in a way that it would not get in the way of their work, and for the first time, Garen was able to see the faces beneath the hoods. Time seemed to stand still, but as the sun peaked the mountains in the horizon and the warmth of it's sunlight splashing onto Garen's skin, Garen was visited by Kayle who sat down beside him on his cot. The graveness of her facial expression signified that things were not going well around the Institute, let alone everywhere else.

"Do you want the good news first, or the bad news?" Kayle asked, her blue eyes piercing into Garen's.

"The good news," Garen replied, taking a sip from his water bottle, trying not to look directly at Kayle's eyes for too long. Her gaze had the same pressure as the one who made him a dreadknight.

"Our researchers have discovered some of the secrets of the artifacts. The two housed in the main building are pieces to a three-part circle that controls the Void's realm boundaries. It was thought to be lost during the first Rune War, but it seems the pieces were scattered instead. The first piece, the one you found at the Ironspike Mountains, attracts Void creatures. That's why Cho'Gath knew where to look for it, because it resonates to them like a beacon. The second piece, given to you by Tryndamere, shatters the barrier between our realm and the Void when it senses that the first one has been moved or activated. The third negates magic caused by the first two pieces, and emits some sort of magic pulse that manipulates time slightly about the void creatures… our research team leaders theorize that they basically march back into portals to the void." Kayle explained.

"So, it's like Zilean's abilities?" Garen asked.

"Yes. In fact, he was rather shocked when I told him that we had the artifact pieces. Such a strong artifact should never be used again, he said. To do that, we'll have to find the third piece, complete the artifact to save this world from the void's destruction, then sealed away."

"I see. Do you know where it is?"

Kayle looked at Garen with worry, but she figured it was not right to withhold information from him, as he was most likely one of the most involved individuals in this whole incident. "It's inside your sister's body. How it got there is a mystery, but it may be because of her affinity for light magic. It seems the artifact uses light magic as a source of energy."

Garen was taken aback by Kayle's words, and he frowned. His mind would be clouded with worry as he thought of his sister. He wondered if she was dead, injured, or worse. Then, his thoughts wandered to the people that died before his eyes. Suddenly, piercing flashes of a red-haired woman appeared in Garen's mind. He blinked, then looked at Kayle with a confused face. She looked just as confused at his sudden change of expression, but Garen kept remembering the red hair, the black leather, the bouncing knives, the green eyes…

"Katarina…" Garen whispered.

Kayle felt a pang of sorrow as she heard Garen whisper Katarina's name, but what took her by surprise the most was the tears that fell graciously from his eyes. His face remained stoic, but the tears that rolled down his cheek uncontrollably spoke enough for the trauma and experiences Garen had run through in this whole Void war. Kayle never really minded other the Demacians and their claim to be veterans of war, but upon seeing the symbol of their might in tears moved her. Kayle's experience in war and it's stressful side-effects were greater than any human in Valoran, but when she puts the frailty of humanity in retrospect, she could understand how devastating this war has been on Garen. She nearly wanted to tell him that he had done enough, that he had proven whatever that needed proving, that they can take it from here on out. However, she knew Garen would be stubborn, and if there's anything that this war changed, it wouldn't be his zeal to fulfil his duty. She had seen the toughest of warriors cry like a child upon learning that their family or loved ones were no longer living. In all those times, she would take their hand and help them up. Garen was no exception now. He may have been a champion in the League, but he was just a soldier now. A broken one at that. She took Garen's hand, and Garen looked to Kayle. When she gave him a nod, letting him know that it was alright to weep, Garen nearly gave in.

Just when he was about to cry, Garen solidified his expression and grasped Kayle's hand.

"Can you teleport me to my sister?" Garen asked.

Kayle shook her head, "No, I cannot. The artifacts are shutting down the Institute's capabilities at the moment… but I can fly you there."

Kayle stood up, and put Garen's arm around her shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist as she flew up, and towards the direction of Demacia. Though not explicitly showing his agreement to this, Garen figured he was alright with being flown there. He always wanted to make sure his endeavors did not become a hassle for his friends and allies, but after all that he's been through, what the hell. From the sky, Garen saw burnt villages, crops, and death everywhere. The void creatures have rampaged all across Valoran, and there were nearly no signs of life except for the cores of the city-states. Demacia was nothing but a smoldering ruin, but the sight of the Elite Guard made Garen happy that there were still Demacians who survived. Kayle slowly descended, and assisted Garen with walking into the hospital. The surprised Demacians had no time to question how Garen was alive. They were confused and more focused on keeping an eye out on the perimeter, but they directed the champions to Lux's room. What Garen saw was not something he ever dreamt of seeing, and he rushed to Lux's side and grabbed her hand, rubbing it gently.

"Garen…?" Lux whispered. Her skin was pale, and her grip was not at all very strong.

"Yes. I'm here," Garen whispered to his little sister.

He grit his teeth at his inability to help his sister, but he knew what must be done, and he nodded grimly to the nurses and doctors inside the room. They all hesitantly removed whatever they had hooked into Lux to keep her alive, and now, Garen carried her in his arms out of the hospital. Many were opposed to his ideas, and started accusing him of many things, including the murder of his own sister due to taking her off of life support. Garen just glared toward the door and kept walking, his knees barely strong enough to hold his weight and Luxanna. As they reached the exit, the grayness of their surroundings and the smouldering remains of Demacian buildings surrounded them. Kayle was still standing there, and she approached the Crownguard siblings. She gently rubbed Lux's forehead, and used some sort of magic to ease her pain for a bit.

"You do know we have to get the artifact out of her, right?" Kayle asked.

With pain in his voice, Garen replied, "Yes, I do."

"Are you sure you want to do this now? We may be able to take the artifact out when she has stabilized," Kayle bargained, not wanting to put more stress and pressure on Garen.

"There is no time. Have you seen the land, Kayle? We will not survive if we do not act quickly. You can, and so will others, but the humans will no longer exist in this world if we wait. We have to act now."

Kayle merely gave Garen a solemn nod and she carried both him and Lux back to the Institute, surprising Garen with her strength. The closer they got, however, the more Luxanna complained about the pain, and eventually, she was screaming in pain. When they landed, medical summoners rushed to their aid, but Garen shook his head at them and marched into the hall where the artifacts were held. Lux screamed loudly, begging Garen to help her, but Garen just lay her on the floor by the platform where the artifact was held, and he saw blood trickling out of Lux's stomach. It soon soaked her clothing, and she would clutch at Garen as she tried to endure the pain.

"I know, I know… It hurts, but we're going to have to pull it out, okay?" Garen said, holding Lux's blonde head close and kissing it to comfort her. She was crying, and screaming as the artifact slowly rose out of her stomach. Garen pulled the artifact slowly, feeling the agonizing pain his sister had to suffer as his hands were drenched in his sister's blood. It felt like he was pulling the life away from her, all her dreams and ambitions and things yet to be done. He was pulling them all out. Once the artifact was free from Lux's body, she became quiet, and the bloody piece flew out of Garen's hand, leaving him with a cut finger, and into the platform. Garen cringed at the cut, but he still held Lux tightly and looked towards the platform. Once the artifact was completed, the ground shook, and he heard from outside the sounds of battle and death. The Institute was under attack. Void creatures, left and right, sieged the Institute and clawed through it's defenses quite easily, with the summoner's magic still being negated by the artifact. Lux breathed slowly in her brother's arms, but she spoke weakly.

"Brother…?"

"Yes, I'm here. What is it?" Garen asked.

"Is it winter…? It's feeling rather cold…" Lux's color became paler by the second as her life drained out with her blood. The shaking of the ground and yells of the people dying outside trying to protect the Institute was muted for Lux.

"...Yeah. It's snowing outside," Garen lied, but he knew it was better to comfort his sister in her last moments than tell her the grim truth. She's had to endure pain she did not deserve, he was not about to subject her to more of it. Never before did Garen think that the day would come where his heart would feel so much pain. As much as he didn't want to, as much as he wanted to stay strong for his sister, he cried. He sobbed uncontrollably, yet silently.

"...Are you crying?" Lux asked weakly.

"No… It's just cold… I'm shivering…" Garen said, trying to hide the quivering of his voice.

"Brother…"

"Hm?"

"Good night…"

"Good night… I'll see you tomorrow…" Garen said with pain, knowing full well that his sister was leaving forever. He wanted to tell her much more, but with her farewell, he couldn't. He wouldn't dare. When Lux no longer breathed, he let out his emotions free and mourned loudly for his loss.

He cried and hugged the dead body of his sister, and one of the walls collapsed beside him, with the body of a summoner flying through just moments later. He slammed into the wall and painted it with his blood before he faceplanted into the floor, motionless. Garen peeked to the other side of the wall, and saw that the summoner retrieved many of the fallen champions, including Katarina. Her body seemed to have been preserved by some sort of magic before she was brought to the Institute to ensure her body did not decay. He would carry Lux's body with him, grunting from the effort as his sadness took away his strength, then made his way to Katarina's body, hugging the two tightly as he leaned his back against the crumbling wall. The intensity of the ground's rumbling indicated that the enemy is nearing his position. The end was here.

Line break

"When the three pieces of the artifact are put together, all hell breaks loose," a voice said. It sounded like an old, wise man.

"All of it's power is expelled and the void creatures come into our realm," it spoke again. Garen looked up to see bright golden lights flowing around the room, the bodies of Katarina and Lux not in his hold any longer.

"And the very last thing it gives, is hope."

The rumbling of everything stopped. The golden light surged outward and engulfed everything. The damage dealt by the void creatures began reversing. The buildings, the environment, the livestock, the people. It just began to reverse. Garen, alone in a room completely white that he could not tell if he's standing on the floor or if he's standing on some magic invisible platform, was approached by the voice.

"You have succeeded in placing the final piece; completing the artifact, my boy," Zilean said.

"Yes… but what is happening?" Garen asked.

"The magic from the artifact is potent. I am able to use stronger and wide-scale time magic from the energy it's leaking. The damage done by the rampage of the void is being reversed by time. Instead of fighting this war, people would remember what they were doing prior to the void invasion, and they will proceed to do the consequences of their actions if the damage and loss from the war did not happen."

"What does that… mean?"

"It's quite simple, my boy. If a farmer harvested cabbages prior to the void invasions, he will now sell those cabbages now that his crops were never destroyed by the void. Life continues."

"Does that mean they forget about the void war?"

"Hmm..." Zilean rubbed his beard, "No, no. You will remember everything. Should this kind of event happen again in the future, there will be people to lead them. You've shown the capability to lead the people of Valoran against a common foe, despite some of them being your former enemies. You have advocated for peace. Now, you know it's price."

With his last words, Zilean vanished. The white room would dim a little, and slowly it would show Garen scenes of what his life would be like. Dressing up for a ball, giving Lux's hand to Ezreal for a dance, and dancing with Katarina soon after. Going to Noxus and declaring the official relationship between him and Katarina, dealing with the backlash, and pulling through the hardship. The question, the ring, the tears of joy. The bride and groom, the kiss, the honeymoon. Everyday life with Katarina as his wife… and the room slowly vanished as he was seemingly plopped down into the "present". As if the scenes of his life had the war not happened was a sort of recap to this alternate path.

Katarina laid on the bed clutching Garen's hand. He would take a moment to realize that he was standing next to the bed, and this was now reality, so he gripped Katarina's hand back with as much love as he could. Her belly was large and round there were doctors around, and her legs were spread. Soon enough, Garen caught up to what was happening. Katarina was in labor, about to give birth to their first child. "Garen…!" Katarina would mutter between her moaning and screaming. There seemed to be a midwife assisting Katarina, and Garen would grasp her hand with both of his.

"I'm here. Just breathe, honey, I'm not leaving."

Then Garen's mind entered a narration of it's own.

'Katarina lost consciousness over and over. Afterwards, awakening to pain. It was such a cruel scene, I almost covered my eyes. It took forever… I thought this would be an eternity, and we'd never see the end of it. Even I felt like I'd lose consciousness. Maybe my mind wouldn't take it anymore? Maybe it'll all be for naught?' His trance was broken when the loud crying of an infant rang in his ears. He would look dumbfounded in front of him, and then a bundle of joy was handed to Garen. He would take it in his arms and look at it's face, the crying now focused instead of echoing all over the place. He would turn to look at Katarina, wondering if she'd know what was going on.

"Katarina?"

There was no answer, and Katarina had her eyes closed.

"Katarina?" Garen asked louder then took her hand in his. This prompted the redhead to wake up.

She would weakly look side to side before focusing her green eyes on her husband, "Garen…"

"She's here! Katarina, she's here!" Garen said excitedly with tears filling his eyes.

Katarina would merely breathe, trying to look for who Garen was referring to.

"You can hear her, right? Our baby's crying!"

"Yes…"

Garen would tilt the baby ever so slightly so Katarina would be able to see, "Look. I'm the first to hold her...!"

"Yes… she's cute…"

"Our baby… Hope."

Garen, knowing Katarina might have not picked up on the baby's gender yet, decided to declare it once more, "She's a girl. A healthy baby girl!"

"I see… I'm happy she was born at home… I thought it might be dangerous for her…" Katarina said, her voice breaking every few words.

"You really pulled through…" Garen's tears would stream down his cheek.

"I feel a little tired… Would you… let me rest…?"

Garen looked at Katarina's tired eyes, and he would give her hand a squeeze as he bargained for more time. "Hold on, Kat.. L-Let's talk for a little more, alright? You don't have to talk, just listen to me." Katarina just looked at him with a faint smile. "It's our child… I'll call out to her, alright?" Garen looked at Hope, "Hope… I'm your dad, Hope," he said, but the infant kept crying. "That's your mom," Garen added, looking towards Katarina. The tears welling up in his eyes threatened to fall, and so he wiped it with his shoulder and sniffled loudly before letting out a shaky laugh, "She ignored me," he said, his voice wavering. "Well, of course, she doesn't understand what I'm saying…" Katarina would open her eyes, which closed for a moment, and look at Garen lovingly. The image of him doing as much as he could on the happiest day of their lives was heartwarming, and yet, she was too drained to even talk. Garen would give Kat's hand another squeeze as he looked into Hope's face, then said, "I'm sure she'll grow up fast, enter elementary school… then we'd go to PTA meetings and sports day together…! No matter what anyone says, we'll be a family. I used to be the one that scoffed at these things the most…" Katarina didn't respond, and Garen worried. He would call out her name. Even place Katarina's hand by his face, and bit on his lower lip and shut his eyes closed. "Katarina…" he whispered, as he cried, only to be met by a simple caress on the cheek. Garen opened his eyes to see Katarina's jade orbs looking into his eyes, and she parted her lips to speak to him, "I told you I was tired… can't I take a nap or something…? I just gave birth for crying out loud," she said. Garen chuckled and would kiss the back of Katarina's hand and nodded.

Garen, Katarina, and Hope's lives would continue like any other family. Starting with their first day out the hospital, to going on walks around the neighborhood on a stroller to go about their daily lives, or visit uncles and aunts. Then heading to Hope taking her first steps. Hope seeing and petting the first dog she has seen, to which she'd fall down on her behind after the dog nuzzles her. The time moves on to Garen, Katarina, and Hope dressed in Ionian traditional outfits for a festival in Ionia, having their picture taken with hextech technology from Piltover and Zaun. As the ever-flowing river of time continues, Hope would begin to start feeding herself, using a spoon to eat her food messily. Onward to Hope blowing out the candles on the cake of her 5th birthday. Hope trying out a game similar to baseball with Papa Garen and uncle Jarvan, the latter obviously not pitching too hard towards the young batter, and the girl missing her swing. Then times goes on, where Garen and Katarina hold Hope's hands as they walked from their home to Hope's school, Hope dressed in her uniform and carrying a small bag on her back. More time passes by, and Hope along with her parents would take a trip to Piltover for a quick vacation, where they'd have a picnic in a flower garden. Garen and Katarina sat side by side on the picnic mat as they watched Hope chase butterflies in the flower garden, Lux and Ezreal standing nearby, also watching the child with happiness. Lux held her bulging stomach and smiled at Ezreal. Parents to be. And soon afterwards, time would stop by the moment when Garen, Katarina, and Hope stood by the gates of Noxus, Jarvan and Shyvana behind them. Hope waved happily towards the gates, where Cassiopeia stood next to Talon, and behind them were Swain and Darius. Hope rushed with glee to her aunt and uncle on her mother's side. Talon would frown, but give the child a thumbs up since he wasn't much of a hugger, but Cassiopeia gave Hope a pat on the head, and a ribbon she made for the girl. Cassiopeia smiled faintly, then looked at Katarina. She was smiling genuinely. Talon looked at Garen. Despite their differences, Talon knew Garen would keep Katarina safe. He gave him that.

From the sidelines, Jarvan and Swain each locked gazes. Jarvan would smirk and nod towards Garen and Katarina, and Swain would merely sigh and gave a nod. Darius came beside Cassiopeia and knelt down to look at the Hope.

"You better grow strong, girl. Be stronger than your mother and your father," he said, almost spitting out disgust at the last word. Garen took a step, but Darius held up a hand. "You're a new generation, kid. If you bring the strength of Noxus together with our damned rival's capabilities, then I have no problem with that." Darius would nod to Hope, before heading out back to Swain's side.

"You going soft on me, General?" Swain asked.

"No. Just thinking, a child with parents from both sides? I'd be excited to see her progress."

Garen and Katarina embraced each other as Hope climbed Talon's shoulders, much to the dismay of the latter, but he indulged the young girl and let her stay. "I could get used to this," Garen said, leaning his head against Katarina's. Katarina looked from Talon to Garen and smiled brightly and warmly at him.

"Me too."