//------------------------------// // "My Profession.... // Story: Quest for the Past // by Ekhidna //------------------------------// Chapter 3: “My Profession….. The Institute of War, Day 3 The human male, Pantheon, retrieved my research material and has given me a good amount of supplies for my stay, he said I would be staying with him for a couple of weeks, until the monsters all around this place calm down again, then he will lead me to a safe route that will, at the very least, put me back in the Everfree Forest. A known part for me I hope. In these past two days, I have learned so much from him, just by our little tour yesterday and our encounter the previous day. I think it’s strange but, I feel very sorry for him, not because he is alone or because he seems so happy to have me around, no, I feel sorry because I can see a pain inside of him, a pain I can’t even hope (nor wish) to comprehend. I will use the following week to study and learn as much as I can... and I will also try to befriend Pantheon. He may look strong and intimidating but I can see, that under his armor and muscles, all he wants is a friend. *************------------------------- The Institute of War, Day 5 Today I have made an amazing discovery, the gardens outside, the flower garden behind the Institute, the metal sculptures, the fountains, the weapons, the armors and pretty much about everything aside from the Institute and the Champion Chamber was made or rebuild by Pantheon. Every.Single.Piece. I’m sorry if those who read this diary can’t understand the sheer incredibility I am now experiencing, for you see just imagining how long it must have taken him to build them, care for them, to actually learn how to properly do it sends a terrible shiver from the base of my tail to the tip of my horn. I have also noticed that, while Pantheon doesn’t have a routine there is something he seems to do every day exactly at 4:00 past midday. Give his respects in the Champion chamber. I must investigate further. ************------------- The Institute of War, Day 9 The Institute of War is beautiful, what remains standing that is, but nevertheless beautiful, I can only wonder how humans and those other strange beings were capable of doing such things. As a side note I just confirmed my theory that humans are, in fact, omnivores. ***********--------------------- The Institute of War, Day 15 Pantheon has beginning to warm up to me, normally a day goes by with me waking up, meeting up with him just when he is about to do something, go explore the Institute, the nearby structures, check on the books (which I can read perfectly. Sadly all they contain is magic theories, restrictions, power ups, rules for battle, and other topics I don't really understand so far), have something to eat, watch him tend some of the gardens and help if he needs it, go with him when he offers his respects, , watch him train, have a little chat, mostly tales of his experiences in the League of Legends (which might be spectacular, sad, funny, thrilling, creepy, gross and in some weird cases, all of them combined), eat dinner and go to sleep. This time whoever, he told me about himself, where he came from, his friends, his enemies and some of his battles previous to the League of Legends. I always knew he was a warrior, and I had a feeling he was a great one, but him capable of fighting twenty-seven enemy soldiers, all by himself and win? Oh, and the best part was when he told me THAT was just the warm-up, I don’t know if he was joking or telling me the truth, but I felt fear nonetheless, he really was, and probably still is, a force to be reckoned with. **************-------------------------- The Institute of War, Day 20 Today we were working on making a map of the known world today, compared to his. Turns out that Valoran, in his day, was an island and that Runeterra was a mass of small islands around the planet, Valoran being the biggest and most powerful one of all. Today, in contrast, only sixty percent of the planet was covered in water and three continents conformed almost the entire land mass. Pantheon was silent for almost ten minutes, doing nothing but look at the map, then he pointed several places: The Shadow Isles, Bilgewater, Piltover, Freljord, Bandle City, Demacia, Noxus, Shurima, and many more, the only place we stumbled upon to be in the same exact location was The Crystal Empire or as he calls it, The Crystal Scar. He told me the sad tale of Skarner, The Crystal Vanguard, much like himself, the people of Skarner were just a legend, until the Summoners (the powerful mages who founded the Institute of War) awoke him by accident and his time in the League of Legends, until he suddenly stopped talking. I asked him what was wrong, Pantheon simply told me ‘It’s time, meet me tomorrow at sunrise outside the Champions Chamber’, then he left me alone with my thoughts. I can’t wait for tomorrow! ************------------------- Lyra awoke in her makeshift bed just as the sun rose from the window, getting down to the floor she used her magic to brush her mane slowly, she still had some time before meeting up with Pantheon, there was no hurry but yet the smile on her face simply didn’t go away. She was eager to hear what Pantheon had to say. Making her way to the entrance of the Champions chamber she sat as she waited for Pantheon to arrive, her waiting was short as the human male landed a few meters away from the stairs leading to said chamber. He walked calmly; using his spear to support his steps, once he reached the entrance Pantheon opened it and went inside, not saying anything to Lyra. Lyra was already used to him and followed behind, marveling herself once again at the storytelling sculptures in the walls and hallway, reaching the end of the hallway Pantheon touched his own figure in the metal picture, making a hidden door open at the left side of the metal picture. Pantheon entered it, motioning Lyra to follow him. Behind the hidden door there was another hallway, much smaller than the previous one, she soon noticed the hallway was illuminated by small blue flames hanging from the walls and she could also see more metal pictures, again, telling a story. A story she didn’t like, at all. “There were one hundred and thirty-nine Champions when the void came.” Pantheon said as he looked at a small white looking table at the end of the hallway, Lyra just stood there, looking at the metal pictures and listening to his story “At first it seemed like nothing we couldn’t control, and it was. For six weeks we fought against the creatures coming from the Void, every encounter ending with our crushing victory. We grew cocky, arrogant and felt invincible, then… then the first of us died. Gragas, The Rabble Rouser, was consumed and devoured by dozens of Void creatures in a moment of carelessness. Then the second Champion fell, a force of nature and magic itself, Maokai, The Twisted Treant. Then a couple of summoners were killed by Voidlings,” his voice was low and raspy, almost choking on his own words. “More and more of those monsters came through the portal; each time bigger, deadlier, smarter, and faster, it soon became too much for us to handle and the one tall and mighty Champions began to die one by one. Desperation began to grow, the summoners, including the three most powerful ones, tried to close the portal with the aid of the most magically blessed Champions... but it was futile. The monsters continued their advance, killing, devouring and destroying anything they came across. Cities began to fall, the monsters spread around all of Runeterra, and then entire islands fell one by one. For several weeks this went on until only the great city of Demacia, The City of Legends and The Institute remained standing.” Pantheon clenched his spear. "Noxus, Piltover, Bandle City, Bilgewater, Rakkor, Zaun, even Shurima... all of them fell." Lyra listened to his story as her eyes managed to look at the metal pictures in accord with his story, making her imagine the unspeakable horrors he must have seen in person. She never noticed him raising a hand before snapping his fingers, letting a brighter blue light illuminate something behind him, another metal picture, similar to the final one in the previous hallway, but this one only had seventeen champions, they themselves surrounded by monsters while the one in the center, Jax, if she recalled correctly, was holding something up to the skies. “The surviving champions went their own ways, some went to the City of Legends, others to Demacia, only seventeen remained here. By the time Demacia and the City of Legends fell we had one last hope, the orb Jax is holding there is the ‘Sealing Orb’” “Sealing… Orb” Lyra repeated amazed by the detail of the picture. “The last summoners made it, if it was impossible to seal the portal then they would seal our world away from them and every other world linked to ours.” Pantheon went silent for a second before removing his helmet, showing his face to Lyra for the first time, tears falling from his eyes. “We decided to give the summoners time to prepare it when they were done those damn monsters arrived at our doorstep. Jax,” he said pointing at him with his spear “Our leader, went to face them head-on, the rest of us followed him, tell me, Lyra, do you recognize the Champions in this picture?” “Yes… I do, Jax, Hecarim, Lux, Diana, Teemo, Irelia, Aurelion Sol, Leona, Udyr, Ao Shin, Skarner, Sona, Swain, Lucian, Jinx, Ryze and… yourself.” “Very good,” he smiled at her before looking at the picture, more tears falling from his eyes. “It was a fierce battle, all of us fought like demons against those abominations. Lux fell first, then Swain, Teemo, Ryze, Hecarim, Lucian… one by one died.” Pantheon closed his eyes, his face trembling as memories returned to him. “In a desperate move we retreated, Udyr, Diana, Aurelion Sol, Ao Shin, the only one amongst us who wasn't a recognized Champion, and Leona stayed behind to give us time to prepare our last defense.” Lyra was trembling. “A scream of pain came from inside the room the summers were. Irelia charged in and retrieved the Orb, a monster had made its way inside past our guard and had killed the summoners, but the Orb was ready, all it needed was time to cast itself.” Pantheon opened his eyes and looked around. “The remaining six of us ran and ran across the hallways until those abominations caught up with us. Those monsters had bested our companions outside the Institue. We mounted our defense and Jax took the Orb to protect it, I… I don’t know how long that battle was, they swarmed us but we fought back with everything we had left, we had nothing more to lose at that point. I was already exhausted when I felt one of those damn things bite me in my left leg.” Lyra looked for a split second at the scars on said leg. They didn't look incredibly awful... but then again, those had been done several millennia ago. “Everything slowed down, I saw Jinx being ripped apart by them. Irelia having her head smashed into the ground by another. Skarner being turned into dust just in front of me. Sona doing her best to protect Jax and the Orb as the monsters devoured her alive. And Jax holding the Orb high, away from the damn monsters, I roared and took my spear, impaling it against the head of the one that had bitten me. I ran towards Jax to aid him,” Pantheon closed his eyes again, letting hot tears fall from them freely. “The last thing I remember was seeing a tail pierce his cloth-covered face before the blinding light of the Orb erupted in front of me.” Silence reigned for untold moments. “When I woke up the monsters were gone, all of them, the corpses of my comrades and those I had come to call friends scattered on the floor of the room we had put our glorious last stand... this very room.” Pantheon opened his eyes and looked directly at Lyra, who was looking at him frozen in place. “My only regret is that I could only bury five of my friends, I made one private garden, one for each Champion of the League in their honor, except for myself.” Pantheon chuckled. “I was allowed to live. Why? I do not know but I will embrace this gift, I have embraced it already, I can leave at any moment I want but I will never leave, for if the monsters ever return I will be here, ready to stop them before they even have a chance to strike, that’s why I’m here, Lyra, The Truth Searcher.” Lyra said nothing; she simply stared at him for several minutes, unable to comprehend his words and his story, then she got up and left with slow, stumbling steps. ******************------------------------------------- The Institute of War, Day 21 Today I’m going to cry myself to sleep. Sorry for the stains. Chapter 3 end.