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// Kassadin 
// Story: Ponies of Legend 
// by Rennoc215 
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	“Just. A. Little. More. Power.” grunted the gray-coated unicorn, struggling to pump out the little extra magic he needed in order to complete the spell. The red runes beneath him flared, and a nearby candle blew out.
“What is it you seek, unicorn?” a ghastly voice spoke from nowhere. “I can give it to you. All you need to do is tell me.”
The unicorn shut his eyes, and willed the voice to go away. If the beast heard him speak, his soul would be lost. His resolve bolstered the spell, and a flash of black magic ripped out from his horn. The whisper screamed, and a horrid popping sound could be heard. It was not unlike the sound of exploding flesh, and accompanying it came a flash of darkness.
The unicorn opened his eyes, and sitting inside the ash circle was a strange purple pony. He was deathly thin, enshrouded in a black robe. A hood covered his head, and from within came two pinpoints of light, each one a flickering red. He was a manifestation, his body crafted in order for mortal forms to understand him. “I am Gatekeeper, shield of shadows.” He bowed.
The unicorn, accustomed to the rites of the summoned, bowed in return. “And I am Kassadin, seer of the void.” The Gatekeeper nodded, and sat down, preparing for the ritualistic meal. Kassadin lifted a plate, covered with a full-fledged, royal class meal. The Gatekeeper examined the food, before nodding his head again. The two ate in silence, and Kassadin eagerly awaited the Gatekeeper’s next move.
The Gatekeeper wiped his mouth politely, and then pushed the plate back to Kassadin, wiped clean. A full plate shows utmost disrespect, whereas a clean plate shows great interest. Kassadin sighed out in relief, and turned back to the Gatekeeper. “Seer of the Void, what is it you seek?”
Kassadin bowed before speaking to the Gatekeeper, who’s flames widened with amusement. “Gatekeeper, what I ask of you may destroy everything you stand for. I wish to cross the line.” Kassadin bowed again, and looked up to see the Gatekeeper’s flames narrow with suspicion.
“Kassadin, what you seek is not impossible. However, doing so means an almost certain death of the soul. So I must ask, what is it you wish to find?” The Gate keeper stood, and his form began to waver.
Whenever a manifestation begins wavering, distrust is ripe. It also means that they are less bound to traditional rules, and it can even lead to a spectral revelation, where a manifestation drops all guises and stands in their true form. Terrible things have befallen those who have seen a true manifestation.
“Gatekeeper, I meant no disrespect. I seek true knowledge. Knowledge can only be true if it has been experienced firsthand. Therefore, I must walk the void, in order to know the void.”
The Gatekeeper’s flickering slowed, and it leaned closer. “And why do you wish to know the void, mortal?”
Kassadin smirked. “To fight it. I am the seer of the void, I see everything it touches. I see everything, both physically and spiritually. Nopony is clean, and I want the void’s vile taint gone. I wish to be the lightbringer, the one from ancient void legend, who will bring about the spiritual cleansing. Gatekeeper, I am Kassadin, Seer of the void, and I wish to save us all.”
The Gatekeeper pulled the cloak from his body, and his body became full. He became a full-fledged unicorn, his mane blazing a bright blue. His eyes became piercing black voids, and his horn had a scythe-like curve to it. He stepped out, over the ash binding circle, causing Kassadin’s eyes to widen.
When a manifestation breaks free of the ash circle, this indicates one of two things. A: the manifestation’s power outclasses the both the power of the circle and summoner’s power (Which Kassadin knew was impossible, The circle alone had enough calculated power to contain Celestia), or B: the manifestation has an enormous, incredibly strong drive to do something.
Kassadin readied the dispersal spell, when the Gatekeeper placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Kassadin, Seer of the Void, I spare thee from thy mortal bonds. You are to return with me, and then you shall truly see. Kassadin, when you dispel me, we shall go back.” Kassadin smiled, and canceled the spell.
“But I warn you, the chances of you returning are very small.” Gatekeeper added gravely. Kassadin nodded, then nearly stepped out of his ward, before stopping himself.
“Gatekeeper, as your summoner, demand to know: Am I safe, should I step beyond my runes?” He asked. The Gatekeeper only nodded. Kassadin sighed out a breath of relief, and stepped out of the circle. “Just a moment, Gatekeeper. I shall get my gear, and then we can be on our way.”
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The two stood there, side by side, as if friends from ages ago. The Gatekeeper, who had pulled his hood back up, beside the strangely armored unicorn.
Kassadin had spared no expense when preparing his protection. Inscribed with hexagramic wards, each sliver of metal was like an independent muscle fiber, overlapping each other and creating a beautiful metallic wall of flesh. His rear half was covered by a dark skirt, which reached all the way to the ground. Beneath it lay a similar metallic protective muscle, thus keeping his body safe. His head was covered by a helmet that looked very similar to a dragon’s skull, albeit made of silver and inscribed with ancient, dark writing. Two tubes ran from the nostrils, and connected themselves to two canisters on his back.
But resting on his right fore-hoof was the most ornate piece of work. It was a band of silver, wrapping tightly to the hoof, with a slot carved perpendicularly across one segment. This was Voidbringer, a void-blade made of pure immaterium. It would grow from the slot when activated, and provide Kassadin a new defense, should his armor fail him, or a weapon, should he need it.
With two word, his fate was sealed. “Lets go.”
A pulse of magic later, the two ponies were gone, sent into the void.
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Twilight Sparkle sat there, staring at the book of names, deciding upon what daemon she wished to summon. She was looking at the end of the book, because those are the youngest daemons. Each book had been warp bound, which causes it to update the moment a new daemon comes into existence.
She had smiled, liking the name of her new target, when a new name flashed itself onto the paper before her eyes. Kassadin.
“Hmm, a newborn or... a brand new one that no-one has summoned!” She exclaimed excitedly. She quickly set about creating the circle, incense and all (You didn’t want to skimp out when it came to summoning).
She quickly sat in his circle and started pulling magic into his horn. She heard the whisperer, but shut him out as the book said. This may be her first time, but she was sure as Tartarus that it wouldn’t be her last.
Finally, she felt the correct amount of power flowing through her, and she unleashed it on the circle. A fizz of black, a sound of flesh being slapped together, followed by the ding of metal, told her that this Kassadin had arrived.
Twilight looked into the circle to see a strangely armored pony lying on his side. It shakily got to its feet, turned to Twilight, and laughed happily, as if it didn’t believe that it had been summoned “Hail, summoner of the future. You have saved me!” He reached forward to embrace her, only to be shocked violently by the summoning circle. “Agh!” He cried out in pain and was sent sprawling to the floor. “Why can’t I... Oh. Oh dear. Oh please sweet Celestia no. No!” Sobs began to wrack his body, but he quickly composed himself. “Well, I guess this means I’m bound to the code... Alright. Greetings summoner. My name is Kassadin, the Void Walker. I was once Kassadin, the Void Seer.” He bowed, and looked deep at her with his glowing yellow eyes.
“I am... Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s personal Protege.” She said, sliding the plate over. Kassadin looked down at the plate, and leaned down to eat, but his helmet got in the way. He began to try and remove the dragon-skull helm, when he found he was stuck.
“I apologize, Ms. Sparkle, but it seems that my helmet is stuck. Let me express my condolences over not being able to eat, but it seems that I will be unable to enjoy this meal.” He said in a downtrodden voice. “So, what is it you wished to speak of?”
Twilight was still shocked about this spirit’s informality. “I... Just wanted to talk.” Kassadin was thrown into a laughing fit, and Twilight gave him an indignant look at him. “What?” She asked sternly.
Kassadin calmed himself before continuing. “It’s just that you sound exactly like me when I was your age. Let me guess... This is your first summon?” She nodded her head in confusion, and he kept talking. “Well then, Twilight. Let me tell you my story.
“I, when I was a pony, could see the way that the void tainted the world. I wanted to cleanse it, so I bought myself a ticket into the void, so that I could see the void in its full glory. I wanted to finally separate the void from the world, to save ponykind. I thought I was ready for my journey.
“I was wrong. I spent centuries wandering the void, trying to find an escape, fighting daemons who got too close. In the end, I got myself locked in combat with an elder daemon, fighting in the lost city of Icathia, and was loosing viciously. I was dying, but I was not ready for death. So I welcomed the warp in. I became a daemon in order to destroy them.”
“Right as the conversion process finished, I felt a tingle, and was pulled apart, layer by layer, before becoming slammed together before you. It seems that, while trying to save everyponies soul, I lost my own.”
Suddenly, his eyes flashed. “Twilight, what world-shattering important things have happened?”
“Well, changelings attacked Canterlot recently.” Kassadin shook his head, so she went back a little farther. “hmm... Discord escaped his stone prison, and we had to put him back.” Kassadin nodded, but motioned his hoof for her to keep going. “And... Princess Luna returned from her thousand year banishment to the moon.”
He stepped back. “Luna was banished... to the moon? And for a thousand years? Then that means...” He sank to the floor, laying down. He put his head between his hooves. “Oh no... That means... I’m at least one thousand, fifty years old...”
“By the sisters...” He whispered. “Twilight, I am going to do this now. I give you my word, my unholy, binding word, that my story is completely true. I am a pony, through and through. Therefore, I am going to leave.”
Twilight began to channel the dispel when Kassadin stood. “Not like that. I’m not going back, unfortunately.” He took a step forward, and pushed his way through the binding circle, screaming in pain the entire time.
He finally gathered the strength, and pushed the circle apart, destroying the spell that held him to the warp. “Twilight Sparkle, as my only friend of this age, I thank you for freeing me from exile.” He bowed, and turned, when he felt something hit him in the back.
The flash of pain was immediate, and when he turned to look at his back, he saw that she had finished casting the dispersal spell. His back was flaking apart, being flayed to pieces and floating away in the wind. He grunted in exertion as he cast a spell to reclaim his lost portions, and held himself together long enough for the spell to dissipate. He laughed, and turned to look at her, when he noticed a strange crown on her brow, glowing with her eyes. “Buck.” He said, as the blast of magic slammed into him.
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He felt the familiar coldness of the void, and heard a booming voice behind him. “Ahem. Are you ready to finish this?” The large cthulenoid said.
“Well... Buck.” He said again. He turned to face the deep one when he felt the burning sensation again. “Oh my Celestia. It better not be that,” was all he got out before he was flayed apart again.
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Kassadin shook his head, and saw that this was a new location. A dark part of the castle, eerily illuminated by arcane blue flame. Floating in the other circle was a brown pony in a blue and purple robe. His eyes glew a strange blue, identical in color to the fires. “Are you Kassadin, the Lost?” It asked in an unusually melodious voice.
Kassadin eyed this summoner warily. “Who calls me the lost? I am the Void Walker.” He asked. The summoner’s face remained emotionless. He held up a familiar looking book. Kassadin squinted to see the book, when he finally recognized the surface. “My journal!” He exclaimed. “But wait, has it still been recording my days?” The summoner nodded, and Kassadin continued. “So this means you know my entire story.”
“Yes, I do.” It answered melodramatically. “And, because I know you, I know that you can be a powerful ally. I am here to free you, Kassadin. Let us leave as friends, allies, and partners.” Kassadin watched as the summoner blasted both circles apart, and floated over. “Welcome home, Kassadin.”
Kassadin finally recognized what was so familiar about this pony. He was a seer. Kassadin smiled. “You know my name, but I do not know yours.”
“Malzahar. My name is Malzahar.”