Hey guys! Guess what.
FINAL CHAPTER BIZNITCHES!

So yes, enjoy this chapter.

Word of caution though. I felt like I sucked on this chapter because the Finale gave me alot of pressure and I was really nervous and I think I fucked it up a bit ;_; pls excuse my horribad writing.

kthnxenjoi

For Koneko-Chan, who gives me purpose in this forsaken life I lead.

Darkness Rising

Chapter 22: The Crescendo

Katarina gaped at the huge cavernous room as she slowly walked into the threshold. She had lived in Noxus for so long, worked under the Noxian High command for equally as long yet she had never seen nor heard of this giant room. Hearing a sound, she quickly ducked under a nearby rock formation, peeking around it. Her emerald eyes got even wider with shock and surprise.

In the center of the room was a large circular platform, raised from the floor with multiple steps all around. Upon the circle, stood Swain, Leblanc and a dark masked figure that she could only identify as the one called The Arbiter. She also saw a familiar crescent shaped blade; Diana's sword. A glowing, orange sword was opposite to it. And at the end of the circle…

Katarina put her hands over her mouth to stop herself from making a noise in surprise. Lux lay on her knees at the end, silently sitting there with her head hung, completely hopeless as her wrists were bound to the platform by ethereal chains. Katarina pressed herself against the rock, straining to hear them.

"Hey, Arturus. Remember what happened 60 years ago?" LeBlanc asked as the Arbiter stayed silent. Swain was busy inspecting a large tome, perusing the pages as he flipped through. LeBlanc walked closer to the Arbiter, as his finger twitched once.

"Surely you remember the finest night of your life, huh?" She asked as the Arbiter closed his eyes behind his mask, unwanted images of the past flashing across his mind…

A cause worth fighting for… Justice is flawed, righteousness cannot withstand… Lost, wandering, unable to find a path… A woman he loved. A woman he didn't. One who loved him back. One who used him for her own ideals. Emelia LeBlanc, a beautiful and lovely woman. Taught him a lot of things that he knew today. Guided him. Was his teacher. Became more than his teacher. Snuck up onto him. A night they shared, of lust and desire. A night he did not ask for. A night he did not want.

"Step. Away. LeBlanc." He said, emphasizing each word with a small pause in between his monotone speech.

LeBlanc was about to make another quip, but just then, an wave of cold spread throughout the room. Katarina froze, looking to her side to see a black, armored man standing at the entrance of the room.

The Hybrid seemed to darken the very room with his presence as he stood there, staring at Swain, Leblanc and at The Arbiter.

"Swain. I've been wanting to meet you again." The Hybrid said, walking into the room with slow, purposeful steps. Each step he took, a small circle of black fire spread from his feet when they touched the ground, fading as it spread until it faded to nothing just a few inches away.
" You tried to kill me. I've been dying to return the favor." The Hybrid said, pausing as the Arbiter stepped into his path.

"I do not think so, Nocturne." The Arbiter said as the Hybrid tilted his head.

"Oh…. What a curious dilemma. A man who cannot die has stepped forward to stop a man who cannot be stopped." The Hybrid said, cackling with malice as the Arbiter slowly drew his blade.
"That's where you're wrong. You're not a man, you're just a filthy parasite feeding off of the fear of the weak." The Arbiter said, brandishing the black sword known as Retribution.

"Hahahaha, do you not fear me, dear Arbiter?" The Hybrid asked, a blade of darkness extending from his right arm.
"I fear nothing." The Arbiter said as they both dashed towards each other.

Their blades met with an almighty clash as they begin duking it out, black blurs of death flashing across them as sparks exploded with each meeting. They moved, a lot, jumping and dashing in different directions as they fought until they were nothing but a pair of black shadowy blurs, moving across the vast expanse of the room randomly in every which way, even jumping and ricocheting off the cavern walls.

Meanwhile, Swain calmly perused his tome, memorizing the spell that was within. Katarina felt dread as she looked at the Hybrid… He didn't feel like Talon anymore. A curious weight seemed to feel even heavier in her pocket as she moved, striking her interest. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved a small box. A flash of memory went across her mind…

A secret chamber in the walls of her room, with her Father's armor decorating the wall, the Du Couteau sigil displayed proudly. Under it, was a small chest. Opening it, there was a note from her father, yellowed with age, and a small box. The note read; "Dear Katarina, If anything ever happens to me, please keep this box safe. It is my most prized possession and I advise you to keep it with you at all times, especially if you ever find the need to flee your home. But more strongly, I advise you not to open it. Ever. Your Father, Marcus Du Couteau."

Somewhere along the line, she had put both of these into her pocket, though when she had done so, she could not correctly remember. She could remember taking it from her home when she fled with Talon… But with all the hectic things going on, she must've put it into her pocket for safe keeping. But what use would it be seeing as she could not even open it?

A loud sound, like an explosion, as Katarina looked up to see a burst of black energy, the Hybrid begin flung from one wall into the other on the other side of the cavern, slamming into it. As the smoke cleared on the origin point, the Arbiter was gripping the wall with one hand and his feet, his other hand holding his sword, looking towards the Hybrid. A second later, he jumped off, almost flying across the span of the room and slashing towards the Hybrid. The Hybrid managed to recover only a second before the Arbiter stabbed him, clashing their blades once more.

A thud echoed through the room as Swain closed his book. "It is time. Tenebrae Audite vocem meam, et humiliare." He said, his voice ringing with power as The Hybrid suddenly went rigid. The Arbiter took a few more moments, his blade pressed against the Hybrid's blade, before he stepped back and dropped his stance. The Hybrid stayed frozen.

"Bring him to me." Swain said as the Arbiter sheathed his sword onto his back, grabbing the Hybrid, who was still stuck in the same posture like a statue. Jumping off of the ledge on the wall they were fighting on, he landed on the ground and began walking towards the platform.

Katarina's mind went on overload, but one thing was foremost in her mind. Talon.

Katarina jumped out of her hiding place with a cry, throwing multiple knives at various targets in the room. LeBlanc was caught by surprise, the dagger punching into her left forearm as she raised it to try and block it, uttering a small cry of pain. Swain did not even flinch as the 2 knives embedded themselves into his chest guard. One dagger flew towards the back of the Arbiter, who turned around just in time to see it, but it was too late.

CLANG

A large section of the mask was chipped off, falling into the ground with few drops of blood. The Arbiter stood there, his face lowered so his hair fell over his face. He had already dropped the Hybrid onto the ground, and as he slowly looked up at Katarina, she saw that she had broken off the top right side of his mask, revealing his newly cut cheek and his right eye. When it opened ,she saw that it was a vivid shade of red. It was glowing in a predatory way akin to Zed, but that man was not Zed . Rather, he gave off an even more intimidating presence than the master of shadows.

"Katarina… So glad you could make it." Swain said as the Arbiter dashed towards her, Katarina too frozen with fear to react in time.
The Arbiter came in with an elbow strike into Katarina's stomach, instantly spinning away to her side as she doubled over, retching dryly as her empty stomach convulsed from the impact. A reverse spin kick slammed into the back of her head, sending her flying into the ground, right at the base of the small flight of stairs that led onto the platform.

The Arbiter lowered his leg, staring at everyone. Swain was dragging the Hybrid up onto his spot. LeBlanc was dragging Katarina into the center of the circle by her hair, cursing the assassin for the wound she inflicted. Lux stared at him directly into his visible eye, her own eyes wide with shock. His eyes, although he always maintained an indifferent outlook, narrowed almost imperceptibly, as if displeased by how Lux was afraid of him.

"You see, Katarina. I had attempted this same ritual many years ago. A ritual to command the deity known as Nox, who is darkness itself. Nocturne is just a fragment of the deity, and by using him as a link, I can control the very shadows itself to finally conquer the world. Coincidentally, this ritual requires something with a connection to the Sun, the Moon, Light and Darkness. As you see, we have all those." He said, gesturing around him as Leblanc pulled up a pillar from the center of the summoning circle, dragging the dazed, weakly struggling Katarina onto it. "We also require a blood sacrifice… A very peculiar one, as it demands the blood of a specific bloodline."

Katarina absorbed what he was saying, as realization hit her. "You… fucking bastard. You Killed… YOU KILLED-"
"Yes Katarina. Marcus Du Couteau was the first blood sacrifice, yet that ritual did not end very well. This time, however, we have proper artifacts and proper catalysts… And the proper blood sacrifice." Swain said as Katarina tried to scream obscenities at him, but her sore throat and broken voice only managed broken hisses of curses.

"Arbiter. I assume you can take care of our visitors?" Swain asked as footsteps echoed down the hallway leading to the entrance of the cavern.

The Arbiter turned around, facing the entrance. Through the darkness, two figures ran towards them. As they reached the threshold, they stopped running, caught in the surprise of witnessing this room and all within it.

Yasuo and Riven were shocked further when they saw the circular platform and all that was upon it. "KATARINA! TALON!" Riven shouted, trying to run forward.

A flash of black. A gust of wind.

Yasuo stood infront of her, his blade drawn and pressed against the black blade of the Arbiter. Riven gasped upon seeing the glowing red eye that belonged to the leader of the Midnight Blades, as he glanced at her, then back at Yasuo. With another sound of scraping metal, they disengage, Yasuo pushing him off. "Riven, leave him to me." Yasuo said.

"You make the mistake of thinking you can hold me by yourself." The Arbiter said as he faded into a black blur. A moment later, he struck both Riven and Yasuo at the same time, stepping into their midst with a spinning slash. Riven drew her own blade as they both blocked the slash with their swords. Then, the Arbiter began engaging both of them in a deadly dance. His black blade was a fluid shadow, moving in a liquid-like way as it spun and weaved in the space between them at unbelievable speeds. Slashing at Riven and Yasuo both while meeting their own attacks equally as fast. She couldn't even follow his movements, his sword kept spinning in one direction then the next then in another way. Multiple times she saw him switching hands, catching the blade's handle with his other hand then back again. He was truly a godlike swordsman.

As unbelievable as it was, they were actually losing against him. Riven slashed down, her slash parried off by a flick of black. Yasuo thrust forward as the Arbiter suddenly sidestepped and dashed towards Yasuo, low to the ground. He slammed the flat of his blade against Yasuo's feet, tripping him as he almost lunged forward due to his previous thrust.

Stab.

Riven had closed her eyes from the impact of her sword being parried away. Everything was curiously silent. She opened her eyes, seeing the Arbiter walking away from them. Then she saw Yasuo, who was very close to her, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape in shock, his eyes showing remorse and fear. Not understanding why the Arbiter was walking away nor why Yasuo was making a face like that, Riven feared that Yasuo had been struck fatally.

"Yasu-Ugh…?" Her word was cut off by blood as it erupted out of her mouth. Confused, she looked down to see Yasuo's arm extended towards her... holding the handle of his sword, which was sunk hilt deep into the right side of her chest. She looked back up at his face to see tears threatening to break out of his face as he let go of his sword. Riven realized him holding his sword was the only thing holding her up, because as soon as he let go, she fell to her knees, looking up at him in shock.

"I'm sorry… Riven… Oh gods… I'm so sorry…" Yasuo wept falling to his knees infront of her as Riven realized what had happened.
"It's not… Your fault… Go finish… it…" Riven said, feeling the cold numbness spreading through her as she weakly handed him her sword. Yasuo's grief slowly turned somber as he nodded, taking her sword from her bloody hand. He stood up, turning his back to Riven, who looked down at the handle of his sword protruding from her chest.
It's so… ornate… She thought as she inspected the guard. She did not even realize when she had fallen to her side, as everything began blurring away…

Yasuo's face morphed into rage as he shouted, "ARBITER!"
The Arbiter paused, almost at the bottom step of the platform. He slowly turned around, facing Yasuo with his one visible red eye. His eyes were emotionless, showing no remorse nor regret for what he had just done.

"YOU WILL PAY!" Yasuo shouted as he ran towards the man.

…

Along the way, Ezreal had bumped into a very unexpected guest.

"Fiora?! What are you doing here!?" He asked as Fiora narrowed her eyes at him. "Finishzing what he started." Fiora said as they both heard the sounds of swords clashing against one another. Running towards the sound led them into a dark, long hallway with a light at its end.

As they reached the light, they found themselves at the edge of a very large cavernous room. In them middle was a circle, glowing with blue light as LeBlanc and Swain read from two different spell books. At the base the stairs leading up to the platform, Yasuo and the Arbiter were dueling, their blades flashing inbetween them as they fought. Yasuo was using Riven's sword, which confused Ezreal for a few moments until he saw Riven lying nearby in a pool of blood, Yasuo's sword sticking out of her chest and back. Then, he looked back at the circle and saw Katarina lying upon a pillar and…

"LUX!" He shouted, running into the room. He shot a bolt of energy at the Arbiter as he neared. The Arbiter turned around to look at Ezreal, his visible eye widening a moment before the bolt slammed into his face, shattering the mask entirely. A second later, Yasuo stabbed the jagged point of Riven's broken sword into the Arbiter shoulder, shoving the Arbiter away. He reacted right after, however, spinning around to wrench Yasuo's hand away from the handle of the sword while slashing at his stomach. The Arbiter's black blade left a crimson spray in its wake as it slashed Yasuo, who was spun around by the force of the slash, falling onto his side. Right after, the Arbiter raised his sword to meet Fiora's sword as she blurred towards him.

His face was visible now. He had very pale skin, with somewhat handsome features, high cheekbones, narrow jaw and vividly glowing red eyes. Blood was pouring from two cuts on his face, covering a portion of his face in red. His eyes widened when he saw Fiora wielding a different sword. It was black in color, with a thin and long blade.

"Yes. It is his blade. AND I WILL USE IT TO KILL YOU!" Fiora shouted as she began her assault anew, the Arbiter beginning to move just as fast to catch each of her strikes with his own sword.

Meanwhile, Ezreal was running up the stairs, crying out with effort as he saw Swain raise a knife… And stab down into Katarina's chest.

Katarina let out a surprise and pained gasp as the knife cut into her chest, blood spurting out as Ezreal shouted, "NO!"

There was an explosion of white light from the center of the circle, causing Swain and Leblanc to fly out with a cry of surprise. Ezreal stopped, watching with shocked, wide eyes as Katarina's entire form was covered in a white glow. As the glow receded, Katarina blinked in surprise, finding herself alive and completely uninjured. Her pocket felt warm and as she reached into it, she pulled out the box her father had given her. It had burned away in places, revealing something shiny inside…

Opening the box, she brought out a purple colored crystal as everyone stared at her, Leblanc gaping and Swain shocked. "That is… An Icathian Relic shard… How did you…"

"Katarina, give it to me." Lux said suddenly, reaching out for the crystal as Katarina blinked at her. "Wha-"

"Give it to me. Quickly. It's a crystal of immense power… and if I can do It right, I think I can undo all this madness." Lux said. She had been freed of the magical bonds by the explosion from Katarina, which seemed to have dispelled almost all other spells in the room as well, because the Hybrid was growling, stirring.

Katarina gave it to her and Lux nodded, suddenly shoving Katarina out of the circle. Katarina cried out in surprise, falling off the edge and down the stairs, but before she could hit the stairs, she landed onto Ezreal, who caught her and looked at Lux. "LUX. WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"Ezreal…" Lux said sadly as she took her place in the circle again, holding the crystal. She began channeling her energy into it as the circle began glowing. "I'm sorry Ez… But I have to do this."

"NO. YOU FOOL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Swain cried out as he began limping towards the circle, only to be stopped by Fiora, who suddenly slashed at him with her sword. She looked worse for wear, having taken a lot of hits from the Arbiter. Swain growled violently, becoming engulfed in green fire before emerging in his true form, a very large bird-like beast. It roared at Fiora, who simply raised Stryker's sword and began landing multiple slashes and stabs at the beast in quick succession, too fast for Swain to even follow.

"SWAIN!" LeBlanc shouted, standing up and preparing a spell to aid him, when a hand suddenly grasped her from behind, clasping itself over her mouth. The Arbiter whispered into her ear, "Justice be dealt."
She screamed in pain as his blade went through her back and out of her chest, stabbing her completely. The Arbiter took a satisfactory moment at her death pulling the sword out and watching the body drop. He then noticed that her arms weren't cut… Didn't LeBlanc get hit by one of Katarina's knives?

"You never learn." A voice whispered in his ear as he turned around, slashing his sword. Leblanc, ducked under his slash, suddenly stabbing him with the knife that had come from Katarina. The Arbiter gasped in pain as he felt the knife dig into his chest, but he grabbed onto her arm before she could scurry away, slamming his head into her face, breaking her delicate nose as she cried out in pain. He kept an iron-like grip on her hand.

"No more running, LeBlanc." He said, spinning his sword around as LeBlanc let out one last scream of anger. This time, he knew his blade stabbed through the correct one.

"Ezreal…" Lux whispered as everything in the circle was covered in blue light. Lux began floating in the air, glowing almost white. "I love you."She whispered, closing her eyes and releasing the power she had been manifesting.
"LUX, N-"

And explosion rocked the entire building, sending Katarina and Ezreal flying back off the stairs and onto the ground. As Katarina looked up at the large pillar of white energy that was in the center, she saw a black figure wrenching itself out of the Hybrid's body. After it finally managed to free itself, Talon's body fell onto the circle. The black figure slowly brought on its features, as it took a humanoid shape. A chalk white face, with blue eyes and black hair, wearing black clothes.

"Nox…" Swain gasped as he turned back into his regular form, the birds attacking Fiora vanishing, leaving her badly scratched and pecked, who fell down from her injuries. Nox looked up at the top of the cavern, where it opened up into the night sky. The full moon was shining down as the white pillar seemed to shine up at the sky. A figure descended from the sky, down the white pillar, silvery in appearance. As she landed, her features became evident…

"Diana." Ezreal muttered as Diana turned around to glance at them, before looking at Nox.

"The love of the moon and darkness never fades… That is why the Moon only appears in the night… I do not hold my death against you, Nox… Take my hand…" Diana whispered, her voice echoing as Nox stared up at her with remorse and regret. Slowly, he reached out and took her hand.

A flash of white and they vanished, along with the white circle. There was no trace of Lux, but Talon was lying prone In the center of the circle. "TALON!" Katarina screamed, pushing Ezreal off of her as she ran up to the platform.

Reaching Talon, she fell to her knees next to him, quickly putting her head to his chest. A heartbeat, though very weak. He was not breathing. "TALON, STAY WITH ME!" She cried, grabbing his face and kissing him, breathing air into his lungs. Breaking off the kiss, she began pumping his chest, trying to get him to breathe again.

Meanwhile, the Arbiter slowly limped over to where Swain was standing. "Swain… It's over… It all ends now." The Arbiter said as Swain glared at him. "Even if I die, my legacy has been left behind. Someone else will come and complete what I could not." He said as the Arbiter raised sword. "You were planning this all along, weren't you?"

"To defeat evil, one must become the greater evil. Heroes do not win. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain… I chose to be the villain to kill the other villains." The Arbiter said as he slashed at Swain.

Swain's decapitated head fell to the ground as the body buckled, bleeding from the stump that was his neck. The Arbiter panted, injured in various spots and bleeding as well, exhausted. "The final song has been played…" He muttered, weakly walking to the entrance of the room and out. No one saw him go.

Ezreal sat upon the circle, mourning the loss of Lux as Katarina held Talon to her chest and cried.
"mffmf mff mff."
Katarina stopped crying, suddenly pushing Talon away from her chest and staring at him. "Talon?" She asked.
"I said… Get your large sweaty breasts off of my face." Talon muttered, weakly opening his eyes to look at Katarina. She began crying again, this time out of relief and joy as she muttered, "Oh god… I thought I lost you too… Talon…"

"I told you… I'll always be with you…" Talon muttered, coughing in pain as Katarina embraced him tightly again.

The sound of multiple footsteps echoed for a few seconds before the Demacian troops rushed into the room led by Garen and Jarvan. Upon finding no enemies to fight, the troops ran back out, some of the medics staying as they ran to look at Riven, Yasuo and Fiora. Garen ran up the stairs to where Ezreal, Katarina and Talon was. "Lux, where's Lux!?" Garen shouted, looking around as Jarvan came up as well, aiming his Lance at Katarina and Talon.
"It's okay guys… Nocturne is gone." Ezreal said monotonely, slowly standing up as Jarvan glanced at him skeptically and then back at Talon. Hesitantly, he lowered his lance while Garen went and grabbed Ezreal by the collar. "Ezreal. Where is Lux!?"

"She saved us… She saved all of us… She's… She's gone… I'm sorry, I could not save her." Ezreal muttered, his eyes dull and hopeless as Garen let him go, his face at a complete loss. Falling to his knees, he punched ground multiple times, screaming curses at the world as Jarvan lowered his face, somber.

"Ezreal… I'm sorry about Lux… But I think you can still save someone." Jarvan muttered as Ezreal looked at him dully. "We found her on the streets leading to the Noxian High Command. She was in bad shape, overdosed on a neurotoxin, but we managed to just barely save her. She's asked for you as soon as she woke up."

It took a few moments for the words to penetrate into Ezreal's head as he blinked. "Eraya." He said, his eyes clearing up.

…

Epilogue

…

A few months later

Lux had truly done what she had told. She had banished the being known as Nocturne and by doing so, she had also released one of the greatest cleansing spells ever seen on Valoran. It had completely cured all the of possessed summoners who were wreaking havoc within the League. The damage, however, was irreversible. The League was no more. But with Noxus' defeat at the hands of Demacia, there was no more reason for the League to exist other than as a memory. Now, where the ruins of the league stood, there was a very large memorial stone, with the names of all who had died during the 'Hybrid Incident' etched in to be remembered for ever.

Talon's fingers brushed over Cassiopeia's name, pain evident in his features as Katarina finished setting up the flowers at the base of the memorial.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked as Katarina took one last look at the memorial and nodded. They both began walking to the airship that had brought them here.
Ever since the fall of Nocturne and the League, everyone who had been a champion had gone their own ways. With Swain dead and the city of Noxus liberated by Demacia, Noxus had been renamed to New Noxia. And the new Viscount of New Noxia… Well, Viscountess, was none other than Katarina du Couteau, since she had played a major part in the fall of Nocturne.

As they sat within the airship, side by side, watching the world go by outside the windows, Talon wondered if everything was truly over. Lost in thought, he stared out of the window at nothing in particular. Katarina on the other hand, had other things in mind. She glanced at Talon. He was wearing a black suit and pant over a white shirt. His long brown hair had been pulled back up into a ponytail, with some of bangs falling over his forehead. He looked a lot better than he looked when she pulled him out of that infernal room. But ever since he had come out of that, he had been paranoid. He was still convinced Nocturne was inside him, or after him. He was jumpy and uneasy with everything, holding onto the past as it tormented him.

Katarina placed her hand ontop of him, causing him to jump and look over at her in alarm. "It's okay. It's me." She said gently as Talon slowly calmed down, gazing at Katarina. She had her beautiful scarlet hair up in an elegant bun, with tresses of hair falling from it artistically. She wore a black dress, and though it wasn't revealing or meant to be attractive in anyway, she looked absolutely beautiful in it. The sight of her calmed him as he returned her reassuring smile with an uneasy one.

…

"So. When iz he going to vizit?" Fiora asked as she took a small sip of her tea. Vayne mulled over her answer, sipping her own tea as she thought before answering, "I don't know. Since he's one of the only few influential people left in Zaun, he's trying to set a relation with Piltover. With Piltover's clean technology and Zaun's advancement, they could very well create a much brighter future for Valoran together… Atleast, that's what Vlad thinks." She said as Fiora raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Oh? I never really thought of Vlad as such a visualizt." She said as a small smile of amusement crept onto Vayne's face as well.
"Yeah, he's actually quite a nice guy… Smart and intuitive. A cocky smartass, most of the time."
"Sounds like a certain night huntrezz I know." Fiora added as she chuckled, Vayne rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses as she stared up at the blue sky, enjoying the open view that the balcony provided. "I'm not cocky. Besides, you're one to talk."

"Ah, I'z not my fault there iz no one who equals my skill." Fiora said, proud at first but the emotion slowly dying off of her face as she was caught in a series of flashback images. His piercing blue eyes. His dark hair. His confident smile. The way he moved when he dueled, like he was dancing underwater.

"You miss him, don't you?" Vayne asked as Fiora nodded somberly, taking another sip of her tea. There was a knock on the door of the balcony as Fiora looked over to the door to see a maid standing there. "Miss Laurent, Carlos du Puis has come for the duel he arranged?" The maid asked as Vayne scoffed, smirking.
"That lecherous hypocrite still after you?" She asked, taking a sip of her tea. Fiora took another sip as well, before putting her cup down and standing up. "Indeed. He insists on marrying me if he defeats me in a duel. Problem is, I don't want to marry him nor do will I lose." Fiora said, grinning as Vayne chuckled. "See, that's what I meant."
"Oh, shuz'it." Fiora retorted with an amused smirk as she walked into her room. Upon the wall, there was two swords mounted. One was her rapier, silver and shining, with its elegant needle-like shape, spherical hand guard and golden trims. The other, was a black sword with a thin blade, a hand-and-a-half handle with an elegant and sharp looking guard. She reached out and grabbed the handle of the black sword.

…

Ezreal groaned, loosening his tie as he sat in the taxi taking him back to his home. He had been at Demacia for the last few hours, attending a ceremony for the month-versary of Nocturne's fall. He had also visited Shyvana, who lived with Jarvan now, and Jarvan. Though Shyvana could not walk, she was still the same and seemed a lot happier now that she was with Jarvan. She could move her legs, and barely stand but she couldn't keep balance to walk. It was a major improvement and Jarvan said that by the end of the year, she'd be back to walking. Ezreal smiled a little at that. Magic was such a blessing at times. He had spent all day there and now it was nearly midnight.

The Taxi stopped outside his home as he paid the amount due, exiting it. Walking over to the door, he opened it, stepped in and closed the door, finally pulling his tie off. His house was small, but it was quaint and cozy. Taking his shoes off and hanging his coat onto the coat hanger, he walked into his living room, past all the various maps and notes strewn all across the room, heading straight for the bedroom.

He opened the door, looking in as his blue eyes met her onyx eyes. "I'm home." He said, as Eraya sat up on the bed, her eyes beaming at him. "Welcome home." She said, smiling at him as he walked over to her, giving her a small kiss, which she returned happily. "Did you remember to take your medicine?" Ezreal asked as Eraya huffed, indignant. "I'm not a child, Ez. I can remember to take my medicine."

"Did you?" Ezreal asked again as Eraya's strong front crumbled, looking away as she pouted in embarrassment. "…No…."
Ezreal rolled his eyes, walking over to the bedside table where the half-filled flask of medicine and a spoon was. He took the flask and spoon and sat down on the bed next to her, pouring some into the spoon. "Open wide." He said as Eraya opened her mouth, allowing him to pour the medicine in. She shuddered; she never liked the taste.
"Did you intentionally not take the medicine so I'd feed you?" Ezreal asked, raising an eyebrow as a mischievous smile came onto Eraya's face, her eyes looking at the ceiling innocently as she said, "No, how ever could you think of me like that?"
Ezreal shook his head, chuckling as Eraya joined him. As his laughter ran out, he looked at her again. Now that the mischief was off of her face and she was smiling sincerely at him, Ezreal had to admit that she was quite a beautiful young woman. He stared at her until she began leaning closer and closer to him… And then they kissed. And then-

"UGH." Ezreal stumbled back, sputtering as Eraya laughed. "Ew… That medicine DOES taste horrible." He muttered, his face scrunched up in disgust as Eraya laughed at him, pulling him down onto the bed and laying her head on top of his shoulder. Although the Demacian medics had saved her from death back on that fateful day, the poison had still done a number on her. She was confined to the bed for a long time and even now she rarely left the bed. But Ezreal was happy to take care of her and in the time they spent together, Ezreal had learned to move on from Lux and her death, finding solace in Eraya's company. His hair was also beginning to return to their natural golden color now that he hadn't been using his powers for a while.

"Hey, Ez?" She asked as Ezreal glanced down at her, stopping his hand, which had been unconsciously running its fingers through her hair. "What's up?" He asked as Eraya's hand, which was on Ezreal's chest, gripped down gently on his shirt. "Can we please… just… stay like this? For the night?" She asked as Ezreal stared down at the top of her head for a few seconds. Finally, he adjusted his posture into something more comfortable on the bed and said, "Sure… Why not? I'm beat anyway."

Eraya smiled, burying her head into the crook of Ezreal's neck as she extended her arm over his body, embracing him loosely. She sighed, falling asleep quite fast as Ezreal lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He thought about Lux, and felt no guilt or longing. He simply felt sad, as he should, about her death but he was sure that, wherever she was, she would be happy to see him having moved on. So, with a flick of his hand, the lights in the room turned off and he closed his eyes, breathing Eraya's sweet feminine scent in as he relaxed, slowly going to sleep.

…

He slammed the glass down on to the counter, exhaling a warm breath of relief as he said, "Bartender… Another."
The Bartender walked over and said, "You've been drinking a lot… Got any problems?" He asked as he filled the glass with more Fire Ale. Yasuo looked up at the Bartender then back at the drink as he grabbed the glass. "Yeah… Girl problems."
"Ah… We've all been there. Trying to forget her? Or Maybe get over her?" The Bartender asked as another patron next to Yasuo slammed her own glass down.

"Forgetting her doesn't really work when she's right next to him, now gimme another!" Riven said as Yasuo grinned. "Nah, not those problems. I just feel belittled that she can drink more than me." He said as Riven chuckled.
"Damn right, I can, Yasuuooh." She said, slurring as she hiccupped. Yasuo rolled his eyes, feeling quite buzzed himself as he raised his glass. "To good health!" He said loudly. Everyone in the bar echoed his toast, Riven clumsily doing so, before they all drunk deeply from their glasses. Yasuo enjoyed the burn of the drink as it travelled down his throat.
"Hey… Yasooh…"
Yasuo looked over to his side to see Riven take a hearty drink from her mug. Then, she suddenly grabbed the back of his head and pulled his face close, kissing him. This raised many catcalls and whistles from the bar as they kissed, Riven transferring some of the drink in her mouth into his mouth. As they broke the kiss and Yasuo swallowed, he stared at Riven.
"That was… odd… and surprisingly good…" He said, feeling the aftertaste of the drink being amplified by a unique taste that belonged to Riven. Riven grinned as Yasuo grabbed her and kissed her again, the couple beginning to almost make out right there on the counter, much to the pleasure of the tavern's guests as they cheered.

…

The Airship was quite fast, but they were still travelling well into the night as it flew. Talon was dozing off until a small jerk woke him up. He jumped, reaching for his knives inside the sleeves until he realized Katarina had woken him. "Easy now… We're nearing New Noxia." Katarina said as Talon calmed down again, sighing, hating himself for being this way. Katarina looked conflicted with something as Talon watched her for a couple of seconds.
"What's wrong, Kat?"

"Well… I've been wondering… Maybe, after we get back… After a few days or months… We could… Take our relation to the next step?" She asked as Talon frowned, trying to decipher what she said before his eyes widened.
"Katarina… Are you saying what you think I'm saying?"
She nodded.
"But… With me? I'm not even a noble."
"I don't care."
"So you would really… With me?"
"Well, I'm not going to ask, obviously. It's the guy's job to do the whole down-on-your-knees-and-bring-out-a-ring thing. But, if a certain brown haired assassin were to do it, It'd be very hard to say no." Katarina said with a sly smile, rolling her eyes.

"Well then, that brown haired assassin is quite the lucky man." Talon said as Katarina turned around to look at him. She leaned forward, kissing him deeply as he sunk into her kiss, their tongues dancing with each other as their tastes intermingled. Breaking off the kiss, Katarina said in a husky voice, "He sure is…"

A jerk brought them out of the moment as Talon stiffened. He never liked the landing of the airship. Gripping the armrests of his seat, he looked out of the window at the night sky. He couldn't see anything outside, so it was more like staring into a mirror. His reflection stared back at him, looking just as rigid as he looked. And then…

…The reflection smiled maliciously.

Welp, that's it folks! That's the end of Darkness Rising. I hope you all enjoyed this story and I would like to thank you all for sticking with me throughout this epic of a journey.

I hope you stick around to see more stories from me, eh?

Love you all.

-Wings

For Koneko Chan, because of whom I believe in new beginnings and old endings.

Bonus Segment

He stood on the edge of the cliff, his hand holding a poster with his masked face on it.
The Arbiter

Wanted for various crimes. Is considered armed and extremely deadly.
Reward : xxx

He crumpled the paper up, holding the crumpled paper in the middle of his hand. A second later, it caught on fire, the dark purple flames burning it into ashes that flew away into the wind. The flapping of large wings indicated her presence to him as he stared off into the distance, watching the moon and the reflection of the moon upon the lake.

"They all think you're behind all of this." She said as The Arbiter lowered his head. "That's just how It should be… All of their hate… All of their anger. Focused on me."

"How is that going to do anything?" She asked as the Arbiter reached up to his face, brushing his gloved fingers on the skin of his unmasked face. "Because I'm a ghost story. And when I disappear, their hate and anger will disappear with me. No more wars. No more fighting." He said as she hugged him from behind.
"You took the hardest path a man could take… I only wish you can reconsidered…" She said as he lowered his head, his hair hiding his eyes. "Someone had to walk this path. If I didn't… Who would?"

They stayed like that for a long time, silent, enjoying each other's company. Then, he broke the silence.
"Kayle…"
"Yes?"
"Could you… please…?"
"Yes… Arturus vi Avalon… He who has chosen to walk the path of the Arbiter… You are hereby… Set free."

He sighed, blood slowly trickling out of the corner of his mouth. He looked down to see Retribution's blade sticking out of his chest, before it was pulled out. Turning around, he looked at Kayle. Her golden eyes. Her ethereal beauty, more beautiful and regal than any he had ever seen. Her shimmering blue eyes as tears cascaded down her cheeks. He grabbed her hands, the ones holding his sword, and together, they turned Retribution around and stuck it into the ground, at the edge of the cliff.

"Justice… Has been dealt." She said, leaning forward to kiss him. He kissed her back and even though their kiss lasted only a few seconds, those seconds were worth eternity for both of them. And after those seconds ended, she pushed him gently, and he complied, falling backwards, off the cliff's edge.

Falling…

Falling…

Falling…

Then.

Nothingness.