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Chapter Text

Chapter (1):the rise part 1

Notes before you starting

The Arcane Cinematic Universe is the real timeline in League of Legends Everything that happens in the novel may never happen because the stories of the heroes will change

The League of Runeterra game is like a comic and the stories of League of Legends are like short films before they make a complete cinematic universe out of it

It's like DC movies where they match what happens in the cinema but with some minor or major differences

(Final note in the novel there will be some differences in the stories of the heroes and I'll add new things)

Chapter (1): The Rise - Part 1

---

In a room shrouded in darkness, an old man floated in the air. Around him were numerous clock hands.

" must be found... must be found... must be..."

The old man looked toward the reader, startled, and fell to the ground.

"Oh? I didn't notice your presence. Forgive me for what I said earlier; I was immersed in something else... Now, where was I... What? You want to hear a story from me? (He strokes his beard) Well, I have nothing else to do since I possess time itself."

"Let me tell you a tale of a people divided against themselves."

"Oh, of course, I'm not talking about the story of Piltover and Zaun. You know that tale... Well, part of it. I'll tell you the rest later. Our story is about warriors in a harsh, unforgiving land where gods walk among people, and I'll tell you the origin story of our champions."

"I am Zilean, and I am the narrator ,to this tale,tale of Freljord."

---

In Freljord...

Freljord is a frozen, harsh, and unforgiving land where survival is for the fittest. There is no other way; you either ride or are devoured by someone stronger than you. This is its law, binding everyone who lives there... Well, except for one person.

In an unknown place, in a frozen land where a fierce storm rages, a group of people trudges through the blizzard.

At the front, leading them, is a 15-year-old girl with snow-white hair, wearing a cloak and carrying a bow made of true ice.

This is Ashe, the reincarnation of Avarosa, the last of her tribe.

She walks through the storm, fearless of anything, but worried about the people she leads. They are the remnants of the Ebrataal
tribe, what's left after their village, Quchar, was burned to the ground.

They were attacked by Sejuani before Ashe fought her off and led them away. Sejuani would have killed the entire Avarosan tribe had Ashe not intervened. They agreed that the next time they met, they would be enemies, and Ashe would be treated as a traitor.

Ashe accepted this; she didn't want to become like those who destroyed her tribe and killed her mother before her eyes.

"Hold on a little longer; there's a forest nearby, and we'll find shelter there."

One of the Ebrataal men looked at her with fervor before speaking, "We will all stand with you, Reincarnation of Avarosa."

"No... I'm not..." Ashe glanced at the bow she carried, questioning.

"Do they truly believe I'm the reincarnation of Avarosa just because I carry this bow...?"

The bow Ashe carried was called Avarosa's Throne, the very bow Avarosa herself once wielded. She was one of the three sisters, and there was a cult dedicated to their worship, orchestrated by a certain individual.

"Does merely possessing this bow make me like Avarosa?"

"Would my mother, Grinda, be happy if she were in my place?"

"Look, there's a broken wagon!" one of the travelers exclaimed.

Ashe's thoughts were interrupted. She looked into the distance and saw a wrecked wagon at the edge of the forest.

"A wagon? There must be something useful inside," Ashe said.

They rushed over and searched the wagon for anything edible but found only weapons-swords, spears, and axes.

"Look at these weapons!"

"They're good weapons! Perfect for hunting game!"

"This must be a gift from Avarosa!"

While the Ebrataal people rejoiced at the weapons, Ashe was puzzled.

"Strange. Why would a wagon be wrecked at the edge of the forest? And why is there nothing left but weapons? Usually, there would be food or supplies for survival. Either the villagers are war-loving, or they're under pressure from something," Ashe thought deeply.

"Let everyone take a weapon! We'll head deeper into the forest!"

"Yes, Avarosa!" they all replied.

"I'm not... *sigh*," Ashe looked into their eyes and hesitated to tell the truth. "Let's go into the forest."

Ashe didn't notice this, but as they entered the forest, the snowstorm ceased. She noticed that there was little snow in the forest, and many trees were barely covered. The forest was vast, with rugged terrain. Ashe thought this place would be easy to defend and perfect for ambushes, keeping her on high alert for any incoming attacks.

Time passed, and nothing happened, which made her suspicious and uneasy.

After a while, she saw a village in the distance, but the fog made it hard to see clearly.

"It's the village!"

"Finally, we can rest!"

"Yes, let's ask them if there's shelter for us," Ashe said with some hope.

Ashe hid her bow under her cloak to avoid complications, fearing that Winter's Claw shamans might be tracking her.

As they approached and entered the village, they saw something strange. The guards were sitting, surrendering to them.

"What is this village?"

"Why are they sitting like this?"

"This is strange"

Ashe agreed with the Ebrataal, and when they went inside, she was deeply confused.

All the villagers were sitting on the ground near their huts, looking down with thin bodies, as if they hadn't eaten for days.

"What on Rhond, happened here?" Ashe wondered.

(Rhond:the magma serpent)

(Note: this from legends of runeterra)

Ashe saw that the villagers' spirits were broken, with dark circles under their eyes as if they hadn't slept for days, not to mention their poor physical condition.

In the distance, she saw an old man sitting and staring at her with sorrow and despair. Ashe approached him.

"Are you the village elder?" Ashe asked.

"Yes, I am the elder of Dahàa Village. If you've come to plunder us, take what you want. There's nothing left to take," the elder spoke bitterly, looking at Ashe's followers.

"No, you misunderstand. We're just asking and hoping to find temporary shelter to rest."

"What happened in the village? Were you attacked by another tribe?"

The elder looked into Ashe's eyes for a moment before speaking, "No, worse..."

"What happened?"

"We were attacked by the Ursine."

"The Ursine?" Ashe looked at the Ebertal people, and they shook their heads, indicating they didn't know. "I am sorry but I never heard about the Ursine?what Is this people"

"They're not people... Not anymore..."

"What do you mean?" Ashe asked suspiciously.

"In the past, they were respected shamans by many tribes for their weather predictions, control over animals, and ability to communicate with spirits."

"But one day, they became terrified and started speaking in a strange language."

"I tried to talk to them, but they said strange things."

"What did they say?" Ashe asked.

"They said Freljord would be swallowed by the abyss, and they needed to move quickly."

"They said they would go to Volibear to find a solution."

"I don't know what happened during their discussion with that god, but when they returned, they were no longer human."

"Their bodies had transformed, becoming more like Volibear, and they lost their humanity!"

"That's terrifying, but why are they attacking you?"

"Because we refused their offer," the elder looked toward the snow-covered horizon. "It happened on an ordinary day in our lives, but suddenly, they stormed our village without warning."

"We fought them, but due to the strength of Volibear, they were fierce and powerful, not to mention they controlled ice wolves."

"We thought they stopped after attacking us, but that wasn't their goal. They wanted us to do something."

"And they demanded something impossible for us to accept-something brutal and inhumane. When we refused, they left, but every day, they send ice wolves to attack us periodically."

The elder looked at her silently before speaking, "They do this at night or sometimes in the morning, to the point where I can no longer distinguish between day and night!"

"This is terrible."

(The elder placed his hands on his head) "Sometimes, they even appear in my dreams! They've driven me mad!"

"Roaaaarrr!"

"Now, I've started hallucinating and hearing their voices!" he spoke despairingly.

Ashe looked into the distance in horror. "No, you're not hallucinating. They're..."

"The Ursine!!"

All the broken villagers and the Quashar people turned toward a certain direction and saw a group of Ursine shamans approaching.

They were white-furred bears, moving on their feet, wearing clothes adorned with lightning symbols, and carrying metal weapons on their bodies. There were three of them, and behind them stood many ice wolves, waiting for orders about thirty meters away.

"Oh, Anivia, save us! Not them again!"

Ashe stared at the Ursine shamans in shock. She had never seen anything like this before. The face of one Ursine was like that of a merciless predator, with sharp eyes watching everyone.

Ashe held Avarosa's bow and spoke to the Ebrataal people.

"Hide among the crowd, wait, and watch the situation. Don't intervene until I give the order."

"Yes, Avarosa."

Ashe watched from a distance, observing the situation. She saw the elder with five warriors staring at what seemed to be the leader of the Ursine. It was a massive white bear, larger than the others, wearing Viking-style clothes with thunder and bear tattoos.

"What do you want this time? You've already taken everything we have," the elder said.

"You fools, why do you persist in defiance? You already know what we want," the Ursine leader replied.

"We will not kill half our people for your god!" the elder shouted angrily.

"I didn't tell you to kill half of them. I said you must eliminate the weak in your village."

"Lord Volibear does not accept the weak, especially the elderly and frail women. They must disappear. Freljord is no place for them," the Ursine leader said.

"I refuse this! We would rather die than do this!"

"In that case, I'll give you two options."

"The first option is to submit peacefully and accept Volibear's blessing, becoming one of us."

Most of the villagers looked at each other in confusion before one asked, "What's the second option?"

"You still have your children. Lord Volibear will welcome taking your children and making them part of us."

"What?!" a villager screamed.

"We will not hand over our children! Not over my dead body!" the elder shouted.

The Ursine leader looked at him coldly before speaking, "As you wish."

Suddenly, one of the Ursine warriors attacked the elder with his claws mercilessly.

The attack was so fierce that it shocked all the warriors, who backed away in fear. They saw their elder's body pierced by a bloody claw, and when it was pulled out, a pool of blood spilled, and the elder fell to the ground like a corpse.

"The elder!" the villagers screamed.

"Remember! This is the fate of those who oppose Volibear's will."

After finishing, the Ursine warrior looked at the frozen villagers in fear.

"Now, you will be tested by Volibear, and those who fail will be the will of Freljord."

One of the Ursine, with a blood-covered hand, stared at the villagers, deciding who to hunt first.

But suddenly, an ice arrow shot directly toward his head.

The arrow pierced the Ursine's skull, and when it did, the arrow exploded, spreading ice from inside the skull outward.

When he fell to the ground, everyone was shocked by what they saw.

Even the broken villagers were stunned by the scene. The terrifying Ursine shaman, who had killed the village elder so easily, died instantly from a magical arrow.

"Who dares?!"

Before the Ursine leader could finish, Ashe fired her second arrow without hesitation toward him.

The Ursine deflected the arrow using his armored arm, but ice formed heavily on his arm.

"Ughhh..."

"For Avarosa!"

Suddenly, one of the Ebrataal warriors charged at the Ursine, and soon, everyone followed, shouting, "For Avarosa!"

The Ursine also screaming, "Roaar! For the glory of Volibear!"

The village, once filled with silence and despair, was now filled with the sounds of battle and bloodshed. The gloomy atmosphere turned into one of chaos and movement.

The ebertal people fought bravely, and when an Ursine attacked, Ashe supported them with her arrows.

The villagers looked at each other in the midst of the chaos before shouting, "For Avarosa!"

Suddenly, the battle shifted from one front to two.

The Ursine leader looked at what was happening in shock.

These villagers, whom he had broken not only physically but also spiritually, were now attacking him at random times because he wanted to test them and choose who was worthy. But now, there was a strong glimmer in their eyes-a glimmer of hope.

"That girl... Did she cast a spiritual spell on them or what?"

Ashe fired an arrow at the Ursine leader, who deflected it using his armored arm, but his arm froze slightly.

The Ursine leader looked at the ice arrow and pulled it out of his arm.

"Enough!"

Suddenly, he unleashed lightning from his arms, striking both allies and enemies. Everyone was hit, and they all retreated from this beast.

But when he roared, the ice wolves, standing like statues, moved and responded to his call, charging toward them.

The villagers felt fear and anxiety about what was happening and retreated.

The area turned into a battlefield, with Ashe standing in front of the Ursine leader, drawing her bow, ready with an ice arrow.

This made everyone watching freeze in place.

"Who are you, shaman, to obstruct our path to saving Freljord?"Ursine leader asked in anger

"Me?"

When Ashe heard his words, she felt something inside her.

Ashe had always desired one thing: she didn't want to become a Warmother. All she wanted was for her people to live without hunger or war, to be united as one.

Ashe looked at her weapon, Avarosa's Throne, and remembered her mother, the burden she carried as a Warmother. She looked at the Ursine leader with determination.

"I am Ashe, daughter of Grinda, the Warmother! And I am Avarosa!"

When Ashe shouted, every villager on the ground looked at her with determination and hope, and their spirits rose. They charged at the Ursine warriors and ice wolves with renewed strength.

When the Ursine leader saw the scene and how this girl had reversed what he expected, his anger grew. But when he saw the ice bow, his eyes widened, and he roared, "That bow! Avarosa's Throne! Now I remember! You're the sister of that heretic!"

"And you'll die like an animal!"

"Let's see who the animal that dies will be," Ashe said coldly.

That day marked a pivotal moment in Freljord's fate, and at the same time, another battle was taking place in a different place.

Chapter Text

Chapter (2):the rise part 2

In the Winter Claw Tribe, within the Storm's Lair, the clan's hall...

The hall designated for meetings was a large wooden structure reserved only for important gatherings. However, it had fallen into disrepair due to the infrequency of meetings and the harsh cold weather. There were holes in the roof and walls, and cracks in the wooden table.

Despite this, the warriors of the Winter Claw had gathered in the hall, feeling a sense of dread and fear. They had assembled at the command of Kalkia, the War Mother, who sat on her throne made of mammoth bones.

The faint murmurs of the warriors mingled with the crackling of the flames from the torches. The atmosphere was charged with tension, as everyone knew that Kalkia was furious.

She was in no mood to hear excuses or weak explanations, not after what had happened to Quchar, which had been completely destroyed by unknown attackers a few weeks ago.

As Kalkia sat, she coldly surveyed the warriors, her expression as hard as ice. Her gaze swept over the faces around her, filled with anger. Her hand gripped the armrest of her throne tightly, and her tense body showed no signs of calm.

"Has the perpetrator been found yet?" Kalkia asked, her voice cutting through the silence.

A leader named Wujar stepped forward, kneeling on one knee respectfully. "Not yet, War Mother..."

"Curse it! Quchar was home to the most skilled Elnuk breeders! Who would dare do this? They were our allies! Who attacked them and tarnished my honor?" Kalkia shouted in rage.

"Forgive me, WarMother, but we still don't know. There were no witnesses," Wujar replied fearfully.

"Impossible!" she screamed, slamming her fist on the table, causing the wooden table to shake. "Someone must have seen something! No one just disappears like that!"

"Forgive me, WarMother, but we still don't know. There were no witnesses," Wujar repeated apologetically.

"But there are only two tribes capable of attacking Quchar during the celebration..."

Silence fell over the hall before Wujar spoke again, hesitating. "Either the frostguard did it, or..."

"Us," Kalkia interrupted coldly, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

The warriors exchanged glances before Wujar cautiously replied, "It's just a possibility, War Mother..."

"Are you saying there's a traitor among us? One of my people an attack without my knowledge?" Her tone carried a clear threat.

"It could be so. Perhaps they took advantage of our recent celebrations to move without us noticing," Wujar replied hesitantly.

Kalkia motioned with her hand, signaling him to step back. After he did, she rose from her throne and shouted, "Spread my word, Wujar! To whoever finds the perpetrator, I will give enough food to last a full week!"

Suddenly, the murmurs and whispers in the hall turned into heated and excited discussions. The reward for finding the culprit was substantial and enticing, prompting most of the warriors to decide to search for the perpetrator.

As soon as the meeting ended, Wujar left and informed every member of the tribe about the reward. Their sad faces turned to ones of joy and excitement as they left the gathering.

While everyone else went off to search for the culprit, Kalkia remained in her usual spot, sitting on the ground, sharpening her weapon in preparation for revenge.

"by name all the goddess, once I find who did this, I will kill them with my own hands! Even if they are of my own blood!"

......

Meanwhile, in the Sejuani camp...

Far from the stronghold of the Winter Claw, Sejuani sat with her men, who had raided Quchar and looted everything. They were now camped near a glacial river.

The camp was in high spirits after the raid. They had plenty of Elnuk meat to last for weeks and a large supply of wine.

Sigwani sat in the center of the camp, drinking with her men. She then looked toward a warrior approaching her. "What is it, Urkath?"

"Hey, sejuani, I have some exciting news for you," Urkath replied.

"What kind of news?"sejuani asked, continuing to drink.

"It seems your mother is very angry. So much so that she's offered a reward for anyone who discovers the identity of the perpetrator. Maybe I should tell her. She promised a week's worth of food to whoever informs her," Urkath said sarcastically.

"Let her be as angry as she wants," Sejuani cut him off sharply. "This is just the consequence of her actions."

"And you've made a name for yourself. Some are even calling you the Ghost of Winter," he added.

Sejuani turned toward the distant horizon, where the snow stretched endlessly, and spoke thoughtfully, "Urkath, have you ever looked at the Afarosa tribe in the past?"

Urkath looked at her and scratched his head slightly. "No, I haven't been there."

"I went there once and saw the Afarosa people,They had things we don't possess, things we can't even dream of,Their WarMother, Grina, was a great and capable leader, able to guide her tribe forward. But us? Our War Mother has made our tribe weak and fragile with her poor decisions. I've decided to change that."

"So what will you do?" Urkath asked curiously.

"I will-"

Sejuani's words were cut off as she noticed something black moving in the middle of the frozen river.

"Wait, what is that?" Sejuani asked curiously.

"It's something black. Is it a dragon's corpse on the river?" Urkath asked.

"No, it's much bigger than a dragon. Hand me your binoculars, Urkath," Sejuani replied.

Sejuani took the primitive binoculars that Urkath rarely used and pointed them toward the glacial river. There, in the middle of the frozen river, was a massive ship cutting through the icy waters. Its color was a dark black, with edges painted in a deep red, bearing an emblem she couldn't quite make out.

"What is that?" Sejuani muttered in confusion.

Urkath took the binoculars back and examined the ship. "I don't know... It might belong to the Ice Guard, but the emblem on the ship is different from theirs."

"Wait a minute!" Urkath said thoughtfully as he looked closely at the ship. "I know this emblem well! It's the emblem of the Nosus Empire."

"The Nosus Empire? What is that?"Sejuani asked

"I don't know much, but it's like tribes united under three leaders. I heard about it from an old madman named Bjerg," Urkath said, still examining the emblem.

"I met him in a tavern run by a fat like bloated bear, He said many strange and crazy things, and as far as I remember, he mentioned an empire led by a demon. They conquer to possess the secrets of the world, and he even described the emblem of Nosus exactly as the old man said."

"I heard they have many resources, and there's rarely snow in their lands."

"What? Is that true?" Sejuani asked with interest.

"Yes, but of course, it was just the ramblings of a mad old man."

"Urkath, listen to me. Gather the men and recruit anyone you trust from the tribe. We're going to raid that ship tonight," Sejuani said as she stood up and walked in another direction.

"Wait! You can't do this. We don't have a map to know where they're headed," Urkath said.

Sejuani turned and replied, "But there is a map, Urkath."

Urkath looked at her in confusion. "Where?"

"In my grandmother's room," Sejuani said as she left.

Urkath looked at her in surprise. "You'll die."

"Yes, I know. But I have to do this to prove my worth to lead my people," Sejuani said as she walked away.

.......

In the Winter Claw tribe, the atmosphere was filled with excitement and anger due to Kalkia's words. It had become the talk of the tribe, turning the quiet situation into a lively one, much like when Ashe had returned for the first time.

But when Sejuani thought of Ashe, she could only grind her teeth in anger.

Ashe, the Iceborn, daughter of War Mother Grina, her idol, the girl she had considered like a sister, had betrayed her for what? A foolish belief in a peaceful land without war.

Meanwhile, Sejuani couldn't help but notice the remaining frostguard uard in her tribe.

The frostguard were shamans who wore strange clothes, and one of them wore an animal skull on his head as he treated a small child.

They had been here for three weeks now, and there was something strange about them. They treated every sick person who came to them, sometimes for a price, sometimes for free. All they wanted was their faith. Sejuani felt uneasy.

"Before they came here, there were only seven sick people, but now there are more than twenty sick children. This is strange," Sejuani thought.

"But that's not important right now. What's important is finding the map in my grandmother's room."

Her grandmother Hejian's room was in her mother's house, and her mother had blocked it off to prevent Sejuani or anyone else from entering. In the past, her mother had wanted to burn the entire house down as a sign that she was a worthy WarMother.

But she couldn't because the house was well-built and sturdy, unlike the other tents. So she decided to keep her grandmother's house and sealed off the entrance to the room by nailing wooden planks over it.

Sejuani had been beaten many times for trying to reach her grandmother's room, and her mother had discovered her attempts on several occasions. But Sigwani had found a way to access the room and had taken her armor, hiding it far from the tribe.

When Sejuani first reached her mother's house, she didn't find her there. Perhaps she had gone hunting and hadn't returned yet. Sejuani decided to use this as an opportunity and went to Hejian's room.

The door to the room was completely sealed with planks, but there was a slightly curved plank. She tilted it a little, went down, crouched, and moved forward, then saw a gap and climbed through it, entering her grandmother's room.

Hejian's room was almost completely dark, except for a faint light coming through cracks in the walls. The room was nearly empty, with only a few tables.

But on one of those tables, there were papers, and among them was the map Sejuani was looking for.

"Is this it?" Sejuani thought as she left the room.

She used the same route to exit and, after leaving, she put the planks back in place. As she was leaving, she saw her.

Her mother, Kalkia, was here, holding the carcass of a wolf she had hunted, and she was looking at her.

Sejuani felt a surge of fear, wondering if her mother had seen her sneaking into her grandmother's room or if she knew she had the map.

Kalkia looked at her with disdain, as if she were looking at something unworthy of her time. "What are you doing here? Have you finished camping with your beggar friends?"

Sejuani calmed her nerves and relaxed. Her mother hadn't seen her sneaking in, and this gave her a sense of relief. Then she thought of doing something. "I saw a ship crossing the river. It was a ship from Nosus. They carry many resources. It would be a good opportunity if we raided it."

Kalkia raised an eyebrow coldly. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"I told you, they have many resources. If we raid them, we'll have enough food to last us for weeks," Sejuani replied boldly.

"But you're not sure about it, are you? You're not just foolish, but also a dreamer. Oh goddess, why do you throw rocks at me? What have I done?" Kalkia lamented.

"But at least we'll try! They're crossing the glacial river. If we use Hejian's map, we can-"

Sejuani stopped speaking because she had said too much. Kalkia's expression changed for a moment, and then she slapped Sejuani hard across the face.

"Don't you dare mention that weakling's name, you wretch!" Kalkia shouted angrily. "That disgrace made our clan weak!"

"But at least she tried," Sejuani muttered as she left.

"Get out of my house! Run away, you coward! And don't come back!" Kalkia shouted angrily as Sejuani walked away.

......

Sejuani walked outside, looking at her people, who were still trying to search and ask about the perpetrator due to their hunger.

"You chose this path, Mother. There's no redemption for you, not anymore," Sejuani muttered angrily as she walked forward.

"Urkath, is everyone ready?"

"Yes,Sejuani,There are also some people who heard about what we did and wanted to join us," Urkath said, pointing to a few warriors who were a few years older than Sejuani.

"Good, because now we're going to attack them," Sejuani said as she pulled out the hidden map and showed it to Urkath.

"You really took the map! Now I'm impressed!" Urkath said excitedly. "So you know where they are?"

"No, but I know exactly where they'll stop..."

....

At a certain time on the glacial river...

The Noxus ship was moving forward, and there was a glacial strait with a sloping ice formation ahead. The ship slowed its movement and moved slowly, but it was still moving at a decent speed. As it moved slowly, Sejuani and her men lay on the ground above the slope, preparing to jump onto the ship.

"Do we jump now?" Urkath asked, who was near Sejuani.

"Not yet..." Sejuani muttered as she stared at the ship.

"What about now?" Urkath asked.

"Not yet..."

"Umm, Sejuani!"

Sejuani looked, and when the ship was close enough, she shouted, "Now!"

Sejuani jumped, and everyone followed.

All the Winter Claw warriors jumped with fervor after Sejuani. The scene was surreal for Sejuani. The feeling of the wind rushing against her face and body was intense.

When Sejuani landed on the ship, she rolled a few times before stopping. When one of the Noxus warriors noticed her, she threw an axe at him, killing him instantly. The second warrior looked at his comrade, grabbed a bow, and aimed at her.

"Raaaaah!" Sejuani screamed as she threw another weapon at him.

The warrior was hit in the shoulder and took two steps back before falling off the ship.

When she screamed, all the Noxus warriors on the ship noticed and came out, seeing Sejuani in the middle of the ship. She looked at them coldly as all the Winter Claw warriors reached the ship.

Sejuani took a spear from the warrior she had just killed and pointed it at the Noxus warriors.

"For the Winter Claw!" Sejuani shouted

"For the Winter Claw!" her warriors shouteds

Both sides charged into a fierce and chaotic battle. Some Winter Claw warriors threw spears at their enemies and stabbed them with their weapons, but the Noxus warriors were not idle. They used a defensive formation, with crossbowmen behind them firing arrows, killing some of the Winter Claw warriors.

When Sejuani saw this, she realized the threat they posed and understood that they were not easy prey but fierce warriors.

"Urkath, gather your men and come with me. We'll break their weak formation!" Sejuani shouted as she killed a Noxus warrior.

"As you wish," Urkath said as he beheaded a Noxus warrior.

"Raaaaah!"

The screams of the Winter Claw tribe shook the entire ship, which had been silent as it sailed through the frozen river. Their cries reached the skies of Freljord.

And this battle was tied to the fate of another...

Chapter Text

Chapter (3):the rise part 3

Zilean was in his usual place, a space-like dark void where floating clocks and time rings drifted around. He watched the events unfolding between the two estranged sisters.

"Astounding how things have come to this. It reminds me of an old saying that fits this very situation!" he mused.

"Just as they say all roads lead to Noxus, all destinies lead to one destination despite their divergence and differences. But that's not our topic, is it? In that case..." Zilean moved his hand, and the rings shifted, opening a different scene in Freljord. "Shall we return to the previous place?"

---

In the village of Dahàa...

Ashe stood tall and proud, her eyes fixed on the Ursine leader like an eagle. The Ursine leader stood, glaring at his partially frozen arm, then turned his furious gaze toward Ashe.

They stood in the middle of the snow, the battle between the Ursine and Ashe's warriors having inadvertently created a space between the two, turning it into a royal arena—a field of honor for their duel.

Time seemed to slow as they stared at each other.

The snowfall was slow, the movements of their feet pushing through the snow were slow, and even The moment the wolves ran towards the battle seemed to be moving in slow motion. The screams of Ashe's warriors and the Ursine were inaudible, as if time itself was documenting this moment.

After a few moments, time returned to normal, and the fateful battle began.

Ashe pulled the string of her bow, and several ice arrows appeared on it. She released them toward him.

The arrows, as if they had a spirit of their own, adjusted their trajectory, aiming for his vital points.

But the Ursine leader didn't stand still and watch his death. He moved, using lightning magic on his feet, and leaped high into the air, dodging all the arrows as he moved out of their path.

However, the arrows struck something, and Ashe stared upward.

The Ursine leader looked down while floating in the air before descending toward Ashe's position. "Avarosaa, killing you here will be the greatest honor I can offer to Lord Volibear!" He raised his claw high, charged with the power of thunder, and swung it toward Ashe.

When Ashe saw him coming, she didn't waste a second. She ran, dodging his attack while pulling her bowstring and aiming another arrow at him.

Ashe released the arrow just before he hit the ground. As he landed, it was as if a massive explosion occurred—the arrow shattered and was blown away by the force of the impact.

The snow, now turned into mist by the Ursine leader's power, obscured Ashe's vision as she aimed her bow at him. But he charged at her like a wild beast, his jaws wide open, trying to bite her neck.

Ashe instinctively moved, quickly stepping back. When his attack failed, he swung his arm with incredible speed, striking directly at her bow. The bow flew several meters behind him.

"Die, you traitor!" he roared, raising his arms high to strike Ashe and finish her off.

Ashe dropped to the ground at the last second and rolled under him. When the Ursine leader struck, the ground cracked, and snow flew everywhere. As he turned, he saw that Ashe had retrieved her bow and aimed it at his head. It was impossible for anyone to avoid that shot.

She looked at him for a moment before pulling the bowstring. "A traitor to my tribe is better than a traitor to all our people!"

Ashe released the arrow toward his head, but she had overlooked one thing—the Ursine leader was not just a man but also a shaman and a beast.

He dodged the attack, but not completely, and the arrow grazed his shoulder, freezing part of it. The pain only enraged him further, stripping away the last remnants of his humanity.

The Ursine leader crouched, using his front limbs as legs, and began moving on all fours. Now, he was like a frenzied bear.

"Raaaaaahhhh!"

He let out an inhuman roar and charged at Ashe with unnatural speed, his jaws wide open. Ashe used the only thing she could as a shield—her bow.

As he was about to devour her, Ashe used her bow to block his mouth, preventing him from biting her face. The bow became an obstacle between his jaws, unable to close fully.

But he didn't care and continued pushing forward, running on his front paws, trying to eat Ashe. However, he couldn't because of the bow, and Ashe was being dragged along with him.

He grew even angrier, becoming like a wild, crazed bear as he pulled Ashe with him, shaking his head left and right, trying to make her let go of the bow. But another problem arose—one he hadn't anticipated.

The bow itself was made of true ice, and anyone, no matter who they were, unless they were Iceborn, would not be able to resist its effects. The moment he bit it, his teeth began to feel cold, and suddenly, he lost sensation in his tongue. His brain began to feel like it was freezing. He almost forgot about the bow and acted quickly.

He turned his head seventy degrees and released her. After letting her go, Ashe rolled and aimed an arrow at him, hitting his shoulder directly.

"Arrrghhh!"

When the arrow struck, part of his shoulder froze, and he let out a painful, agonizing roar, screaming like a frenzied animal.

"You... stubborn... beast!"

"At least I didn't give in and become what you are now," Ashe said as she aimed her bow. "All your humanity is gone, and all that's left is your savagery. Tell me now, was it really worth it?" she asked, ready to pull the bowstring.

"You're right, but I had to do this," the Ursine leader said in pain.

"For what, then?" Ashe asked.

"For me, for Volibear! I am the thunder! I shaped Freljord itself!"

"You don't even know what you are anymore! Do you even remember your real name? Or have you forgotten that too?" Ashe asked angrily.

Ashe looked at the Ursine leader and saw him smile a sinister smile, which made her tense. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because you forgot something important too," the Ursine leader said coldly.

"What?"

"AAAOOOOOOOOO!"

Ashe turned to the right and saw that the wolves had joined the battle.

Ashe's allies had already finished off most of the Ursine warriors, except for a few. When they saw the remaining Ursine retreating, they thought they were fleeing and felt relieved, their morale rising. But when they heard the howling of the wolves and realized what was happening, they felt fear.

One of the Dahàa village warriors looked in terror and shouted, "Be careful! Don't let them get close to their leader! The moment that happens—"

"It's already too late," the Ursine leader whispered as the wolves joined them, forming a defensive line.

"Yes, for you," Ashe replied.

Ashe fired an ice arrow at him, but a wolf jumped in front, using its body as a shield.

"Did the wolf just sacrifice itself?" Ashe was shocked by the scene.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance," the Ursine leader hissed venomously.

"Now witness, Avarosaa! Your inevitable end!" He raised his uninjured arm, and it glowed as he chanted a strange incantation.

Suddenly, a fog appeared, covering almost the entire battlefield.

"What's happening?" one warrior asked.

"Where did this fog come from?" another asked.

"No, no! Not this hell!" one of the Dahàa warriors screamed in terror and collapsed.

"Hey, pull yourself together! We're still in the middle of the battle!" one of the Quchar warriors said to him.

"You don't understand this hell! When the fog appears, the wolves attack and devour you in the mist. We can't see them, and even they kill our men. It's over!" the Dahàa warrior cried in despair.

"And now, Avarosaa, this time you will die again!" the Ursine leader roared as the wolves moved through the fog.

Ashe was unable to see anything because of the fog, but she saw many red eyes staring at her, eager to devour her. It made her sweat in fear.

It seemed the real battle had just begun.

---

At the same time, aboard the Noxian ship...

"Charge! Crush them all!" Sejuani shouted angrily as she advanced forward with her warriors.

Sejuani had gathered a group of men, raised their shields, and formed a defensive dome, but they had adopted a different approach—a more brutal one. They charged forward like a raging bull crashing into a tree trunk.

A loud crash echoed as the Noxian defensive line was pushed back a few steps, but they still held their formation firmly. Seeing this, Sejuani couldn't help but acknowledge that these were unlike any warriors she had faced before. They seemed fearless in the face of death, confronting it without hesitation.

"What warriors!" Sejuani thought to herself.

They continued to charge, and the situation resembled a sumo wrestling match—the side pushed back first would lose.

But there was one problem the crossbow archers were firing arrows at her warriors, but that wasn't the only issue. Some of the Noxians had started grabbing torches he must ended them quickly before to late

"Urkath, take care of those cowardly archers!" Sejuani shouted.

"I was going to do that even if you hadn't told me," urkath replied.

Urkath hurled his axe at one of the archers, piercing his body and sending him to the ground. But this didn't change their situation, as another archer immediately took his place.

"Damn it! What's wrong with these people?! They didn't even flinch at the death of one of their own right before their eyes! Are they fanatics or what?!" Urkath shouted angrily as he continued to push forward.

"Keep fighting! Show them the mettle of the Winter's Claw!" Sejuani raised her shield and pushed forward with the rest of her warriors. While her side tried to advance and attack, the Noxian army skillfully repelled them with their unified actions. They were like the gears of a clock—extremely organized and well-trained.

"Damn it! We need to find a way to turn the tide, but how—"

Suddenly, the ship shook and tilted to the right.

"Whoa! Whoa! What the hell is happening?!" Urkath screamed in terror.

Everyone on the ship lost their balance and fell to the ground. People were sliding downward, some using their weapons or feet to stop themselves from slipping further. A few nearly slid off the ship, and they saw a floating block of ice—the cause of the ship's imbalance.

As Sejuani got up, she realized this was their chance.

"Warriors of the Winter's Claw, this is our Chance! Advance! Don't give them a chance to retaliate!" Sejuani shouted.

The Winter's Claw warriors pushed forward, and the tide began to turn in their favor. They could succeed now...

"Now, all that's left is to take out the people inside—"

Suddenly, as they advanced, the head of a Winter's Claw warrior flew off.

Sejuani was stunned. When she looked ahead, she saw an open door. Something was moving behind it, and when it emerged, she felt a wave of terror at what she saw. A massive warrior, larger than any Winter's Claw fighter, wielding a huge hammer, aimed it at Sejuani and the rest of her warriors.

The giant warrior spoke to Sejuani in a language she didn't understand.

"I don't know what you're saying, but death to you!" Sejuani shouted as she charged forward with her warriors.

A few other warriors advanced with her, but as they approached, the giant warrior swung his weapon with expert precision, swiftly decapitating them. When Sejuani saw the weapon about to strike her head, she ducked at the last moment.

Sejuani swung her weapon at him, but he moved his feet back and dodged her attack skillfully. He moved his hand quickly, grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her high into the air, staring at her coldly.

As he held her in the air, Sejuani dropped her weapon and tried to pry his hands off, but it was futile—nothing worked.

"Gah... you monster..." Sejuani stared at him in fear.

The warrior looked at Sejuani coldly before throwing her back into the ship. As he threw her, the Winter's Claw warriors charged forward in anger. The warrior shouted something, and the Noxian warriors advanced, clashing with them.

Sejuani struggled to stand, staring at the axe-wielding warrior. He might have been the strongest opponent she had ever faced.

Chapter Text

Chapter (4):the rise part 4

In the village of Dahàa, shrouded in fog, nothing could be seen from above. In the midst of the fog stood Ashe, looking around anxiously.

Ashe aimed her bow at her enemies, but the fog surrounding her prevented her from seeing anything. She couldn't shoot her bow randomly, or she might hit her allies. But that wasn't the only problem.

"Ughhh! Watch out for the wolves!"

"Graaahhh!"

"The ursine!"

"Gather together, don't scatter!"

"Watch your backs!"

"Wooooo!"

"Hahahaha!"

Ashe could only hear the sounds of chaos that had erupted. The battlefield had suddenly turned against them. The brave warriors had turned into panicked individuals.

The fog covered the entire village, and they couldn't see anything. There were only silhouettes of them being attacked by the ursine and wolves.

"What's the matter, Avarosaa? What happened to the confident woman? In the end, I saw your true self, just a mortal before the pool of our god."

Ashe clenched her teeth as she aimed her bow. In the fog, she didn't know where the enemy was.

Suddenly, a wolf came up behind her and tried to bite her neck. Ashe ducked at the last moment and shot an arrow at it, but it dodged and disappeared into the fog.

"Damn it! I can't see anything!" Ashe shouted angrily.

While Ashe was struggling, her bow began to glow, and she felt her arms freezing.

"Ugh! Is this the true power of ice starting to work?! Of all times, now!!" Ashe spoke angrily.

But that coldness felt familiar, as if it was trying to tell her something, and an old memory came back to her.

.........

Years ago...

In the harsh snow, there were two figures trapped in the middle of a snow-covered forest. It was Ashe and her grandmother, Grina. This was before the tragedy that befell them.

Ashe was walking, carrying a small bow suitable for her, as she walked through the forest. Ashe's goal was to hunt a rabbit in the forest, and this was a test from her grandmother, Grina, because she knew that rabbits were the hardest prey in Freljord due to the nature of Freljord's harsh winters and snow.

Only the most skilled hunters could do this, and that's what she wanted. She wanted to test Ashe and train her to become a strong warrior.

Ashe was a complete beginner. She aimed her bow at any sound, and when she saw a tree branch move, Ashe aimed and shot her arrow, but she missed completely, and the rabbit ran away.

"Stop, Ashe," Grina spoke angrily.

"But I almost did it!" Ashe spoke confidently.

"(Sigh) What you're doing is wrong, Ashe. Don't aim your bow with your mind, aim it with your heart," Grina said.

"What does that mean?" Ashe asked curiously.

"It means use your intuition and instinct to hunt. Use your eyes and trust your instinct to focus your aim on the best spot to finish it," Grina explained.

"Now focus and try again, my child."

Ashe moved and focused her hearing, aiming her bow at a specific tree but found nothing. She waited and stood still like a statue, waiting and focusing all her senses on her surroundings.

(Rustle)

The moment she heard the sound, she turned her bow and aimed directly at the sound, releasing the arrow. This time, the arrow hit the rabbit and finished it instantly.

"Yes!" Ashe shouted with joy.

"Well done. You will one day be like Avarosaa," Grina spoke proudly.

"Who is Avarosaa? Is she a goddess?" Ashe asked curiously.

"No, she is a great woman who united the tribes of Freljord under her banner. Using her will and her bow, she was able to unite them," Grina replied.

"Is this bow the same thing you're looking for with my fathers?(Oathfather)"

"Yes, it is her bow, called the Throne of Avarosaa."

"Is it a powerful weapon?" Ashe asked curiously.

"Powerful? Hahaha! My little child, this bow is considered the most powerful weapon found in Freljord. In the past, the tribes fought to obtain it. This weapon was made of true ice and shaped by Avarosaa's will, and that's how it became what it is," Grina spoke proudly when mentioning this.

"Why isn't it hard to get a weapon made of true ice?" Ashe asked curiously.

"Because no one has been able to find it. They say that whoever finds the bow will receive Avarosaa's recognition, and legends say that her spirit resides within the bow."

"Wow, will you find it one day, Mom?" Ashe asked.

"I hope so, and then we will receive recognition from the other tribes, and the glory of our tribe will rise," Grina said.

"Sometimes I wish I could get it, for whoever possesses the Throne of Avarosaa will have eyes that see everything," Grina said as she took her daughter home.

..............

In the present, as Ashe stood looking into the fog, she closed her eyes and focused on the bow she was holding. She felt something creeping inside her through the bow, as if it was whispering to her.

"Have you finally decided to accept your fate, Avarosaa?" shouted the leader of the ursine.

Suddenly, she raised her bow and aimed it into the fog.

"Are you stupid? Regardless of being an archer, it's impossible for you to aim and you__"

Whoosh!

Ashe released her arrow, and it flew straight through the fog. There were silhouettes of people fighting and battling in various places.

There was a group surrounded by wolves while fighting them. A wolf approached the group, and they were scared. It jumped towards them and was about to pounce on one of them, but suddenly, without warning, an icy arrow hit its body in mid-air.

"Aaooo!"

The wolf screamed in pain for a second before turning into a block of ice and shattering into pieces when it fell.

"What?! How?!" shouted the ursine.

But that wasn't what would shock him, because when she pulled the bowstring, a group of icy arrows appeared, and she shot them into the fog, hitting all the wolves that were trying to attack or were in the middle of fighting the warriors.

When those wolves died and turned into frozen pieces, the warriors felt a glimmer of hope, and Ashe decided to take advantage of this.

"Listen to me, warriors! Do not be afraid, gather together! Despite our difficult situation, I am here with you! Avarosaa is with you!" Ashe shouted.

"Ahhhhh! For Avarosaa!" the warriors shouted, and their cries echoed through the fog.

"Damn you, Avarosaa! Men, servants of Volibear, slaughter them all!" shouted the leader of the ursine angrily.

"Raaaahhhh"

...............

On the ship of Noxus...

The warriors of the Winter's Claw were fighting the warriors of Noxus, engaged in a battle to the death. Blood and sparks flew from the deck of the ship.

But inside the ship, an even greater battle was taking place between two individuals.

The interior of the ship was filled with supplies, weapons, food, and even cages of animals from Freljord. There were also some chains hanging between the shelves inside the ship, and somewhere in there was Sejuani.

Sejuani, holding her axe, stood panting heavily as she glared at her enemy.

The Noxian warrior stood calmly, staring coldly at her through his helmet, holding his flail. On his weapon was an emblem resembling a hammer and an axe.

Sejuani had faced many warriors before—people her age, older, or seasoned veterans. She did this to prove her worth, even though she had lost some battles. She had proven herself to be a proud warrior of the Winter's Claw, despite her mother's neglect and denial.

But it was enough for her, because the Winter's Claw was a tribe for the strong, and she would prove that by raiding the ship. However, it turned out to be something she would deeply regret.

Contrary to her expectations, the Noxians did not panic when she and her warriors boarded the ship. Instead, they fought bravely. Just when she thought she had finally won, she faced the reality of encountering the strongest opponent she had ever fought—perhaps even stronger than her mother, Kalkia.

Sejuani gritted her teeth and let out an angry roar.

"Raaaaahhh!"

She swung both of her axes and charged at him with all her might.

When Sejuani swung her axes at him, he deflected them using his flail as a weapon, pushing her back. When he swung at her, she awkwardly dodged the attack and attacked again, but he blocked it with his flail and retreated slightly, changing his stance while still using the flail.

"What is he doing? Why is he using the flail in such a strange stance?"

Suddenly, Sejuani felt an instinctive dread as she stared at the spearhead on the flail. If she didn't dodge it, she would die—and she did.

When the warrior suddenly moved, the spearhead shot out with terrifying speed, piercing through the air. If not for her instincts and a timely dodge to the right, the spear would have pierced her heart directly.

Sejuani felt terror but seized the opportunity to attack him as he left his defense open, and she succeeded.

When she swung her axe, she wounded him in the gaps of his strange, body-covering armor. As he felt the pain, he moved and turned, kicking her in the stomach with such force that she was sent flying.

"Kyugh!"

Sejuani crashed into a shelf, and several items fell on her. She stared as the Noxian advanced with heavy, confident steps.

"Damn it! In a contest of raw strength, he's much stronger than me. I'm not foolish enough to think I can win against this damned giant! He kicked me like I was nothing!"

"But despite his strength, he's not smart. We're inside the ship—it's a tight space for his weapon and his massive body. This guy is either stupid or overly confident in easily defeating me."

"Wait, no! The opposite! This guy knows I'm the leader of this raid somehow, and he knows well that if he kills me, the morale of my warriors will drop! That's why he took me inside, to prevent anyone from interfering with his path to killing me. This warrior is actually very clever!"

"I'm the one who underestimated him! I need to focus and—"

Before Sejuani could gather her thoughts, the warrior lunged and swung his flail at her. She dodged, and when the warrior's flail missed, it cut the shelf behind him in half.

"What the Rhond! He wasn't this strong before! Was he not using his full strength earlier?"

Sejuani retreated to the right, but the warrior didn't give her a chance and attacked again, swinging horizontally at her.

"What? He's gotten faster!"

Sejuani used the speed of her axe to block the attack, and when his flail collided with her weapon, a violent clash occurred.

"Crack!"

Sejuani's axe shattered into pieces before her eyes, and she stumbled back a few steps until her back hit the wall of the ship.

"Oh fu"k!"

"I have no weapon—"

Before she could continue thinking,

But the warrior saw something coming at him and used his armored arm to block.

"Bonk!"

"????"

There were wooden and stone objects being thrown at him, and he saw Sejuani throwing anything she could find from the shelves around her.

"Damn it, I'm not coming here to die in a place like this! I will  survive!and"

Sejuani saw the warrior charge, seemingly having grown impatient and decided to finish her. He grabbed her by the shoulder and threw her to the ground.

"Ughhh!"

Sejuani tried to get up but saw the warrior's foot on her chest. She looked up and saw him raising his flail high to end her.

"No, I won't die in a place like this!"

"*************Veteran***************"

Sejuani didn't understand what he was saying, but she had accepted her fate and felt regret for it. But then, a glimmer of hope appeared.

"Hey, you big bastard!"

Suddenly, someone came from behind the Noxian warrior and pushed him away, freeing Sejuani from his foot. She knew exactly who it was.

"Urkath!"

"Sejuani, I didn't know you were such a weak girl? Aren't you the one who led the raid on the ship?"

Before he could finish, a massive hand grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air.

"Ughhh!"

"Urkath! You bastard!"

Sejuani saw the warrior lift Urkath and throw him toward a shelf, causing a box to fall on him.

"Kyugh! What the—?"

Sejuani saw something glowing blue and was shocked by what she saw.

"Is that a real ice weapon?"

Sejuani stared for a moment, swallowed hard, and grabbed the weapon inside the box. When she held it, she felt an intense cold she had never experienced before—a cold that froze her blood and bones.

She felt she couldn't endure it any longer, but when she saw the warrior choking Urkath to death, she decided to hold on with all her determination.

"If Ashe can do it, so can I!"

The Noxian warrior was staring at Urkath with curiosity as Urkath fought for his life.

"********"

Urkath didn't understand what he was saying, but he was shocked by something behind the warrior. The Noxian warrior felt strange about the look in his eyes, but suddenly, he felt something sharp hit his armored shoulder, causing him to release Urkath and throw him aside. He looked at the attacker and was stunned by what he saw.

Sejuani stood before him, her hair turned white, her eyes blue, and she was holding a spear with a real ice blade at its tip. She looked at him and smiled.

"Hey stupid giant, are you ready for a rematch?"

That was the beginning of the rise of the two stars.

Chapter Text

Chapter(5):the rise part 5

In the room of Zilean

"The stars, you see them clearly and try to reach them, but you will never be able to grasp them. Yet, you can always see their sparkle in the sky."

"It seems fitting, for those two girls, warriors with different values, fighting for different reasons. Despite their differing paths, they share the same goal: to prove themselves to their people"

"Oh wait, where were we?......Oh right! You're correct, let's get back to the story!"

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.
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.
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On the Noxian ship.....

Sejuani stood, pulling her whip and focusing her gaze on the Noxian warrior.

"Are you ready for a rematch?"

But while her mind was in chaos...

"Did I succeed? Have I become an Iceborn noble now?"

Those who wielded true ice held a high status among the Freljord people. Sometimes, the Warmother was one who used true ice, or the most confident and worthy warriors. Only a few among the Freljord people could wield it.

"It must be a message from my grandmother, Hejian! She's telling me now to go out and claim the title of Warmother. Grandmother, you've finally acknowledged me, haven't you? You couldn't bear Kalkia anymore."

"But despite this, there's still a problem..... I need to find a way to kill this huge barbarian and end this once and for all."

"Cough! Cough! Damn this bastard!"

"Urkath! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but look at yourself. Have you become Iceborn? Have you been acknowledged by the ancestors or something like that?"

"Something like that. Can you fight?"

"Yes, I can fight and die happily with the new Warmother, but there's still a problem ahead of us, a big one!" Urkath pointed towards the Noxian warrior.

That warrior was looking at them menacingly, emitting a terrifying aura.

"This warrior is a pure beast, no joke, Sejuani, and I really mean it this time."

"Yes, I know that well. I've clashed with him before."

The Noxian warrior was removing his shoulder armor because it had rusted and frozen, affected by the power of true ice. He felt a great cold and decided to remove his shoulder armor.

"Did this fool leave his shoulder armor? He couldn't withstand the true ice for a second before leaving it. It seems things have become easier now," Urkath spoke confidently.

"Be careful of him! Contrary to appearances, he's very clever."

"Really? Are you sure about this? I mean, who__

Before Urkath could finish his sentence, the Noxian warrior kicked the shoulder armor he had thrown on the ground, making it fly and target Urkath's head directly.

"Ugh, my head!

Urkath! You bastard!"

Sejuani rushed forward and attacked him with her whip in anger. Her whip moved like a nimble snake, heading towards the right side of his body. The Noxian warrior dodged just in time and advanced towards her, swinging his mace at her.

Sejuani instinctively retreated and took a brief rest. Seeing him like this meant he feared her, giving her a chance. But this was replaced by fear when she saw him attack again, not at her, but at Urkath. She realized he wasn't reckless but was planning to kill the weaker one first and then focus on her as the real threat.

"No, I won't let you!"

Sejuani swung her whip and deflected the attack just in time, making him miss his target. Urkath attacked him directly and wounded his chest, causing the Noxian warrior to step back a few paces.

"You bastard, first you freeze my head, then you try to kill me. It seems you have a habit of fighting dirty!"

"************************Noxus"

"I still don't understand what you're saying, you bastard!"

The Noxian warrior looked at them with mixed feelings.

He never understood the language these invaders were speaking, but he focused his gaze on the warrior who had defeated them some time ago with a strange expression. He saw that she had changed; her hair had turned white, her eyes were glowing blue, and what caught his attention the most was the weapon she held in her hands.

"***** Iceborn"

The Noxian warrior remembered one of his campaigns where he invaded a village that possessed weapons of true ice. They had magical power and a primitive way of use. After a tough fight with their leader, he succeeded in taking her head and decided to loot the village, but none of his men could withstand the cold of the weapons. Even he couldn't bear their cold and gave up, deciding to take these weapons as war spoils, taking them with him after looting the entire village and deciding to return to Noxus.

The Noxian warrior looked at Sejuani for a moment before raising his weapon and pointing it towards her.

"Oglas*******************veteran"

Sejuani wouldn't understand what he was saying, but she knew he was asking for her name. It was a warrior's request, and Sejuani wasn't rude enough to refuse.

"Sejuani of the Winter's Claw."

After she finished speaking, he charged at her with full seriousness, carrying every intent to kill within his body towards her, and both Sejuani and Urkath attacked him.

Urkath attacked first, but his strike was blocked by an axe. Sejuani took advantage of this and attacked with her whip, but the Noxian warrior moved and directed Urkath's body towards the direction of the whip, causing him to be struck by the cold of true ice.

Ughhhh!

After Urkath was injured, the Noxian warrior grabbed him by his shirt and threw him away, some shelves fell on him and focused his gaze on Sejuani.

Sejuani looked in shock and saw that he was aiming his halberd to finish her off quickly. Sejuani dodged the attack and attacked him with her whip, and because her weapon was a day, the Noxian warrior could not dodge most of her attacks.

He attacked and every time he attacked, Sejuani retreated and attacked him, but sometimes she failed.

Sejuani decided to take some risks, she grabbed the small blade attached to the whip, and used it as a dagger.

The moment he attacked her, she blocked his attack for

When he touched the ice blade with the halberd, cold snow and ice seeped into the weapon, that warrior felt the power of real ice on his swimmer and decided to give it up

He used his fists to fight and hit Seguani directly in the face, Seguani took two steps back but she attacked him and hit him with the whip, he felt pain and coldness and took a step back and rushed again and fought

And in the fight, that Noxian warrior remembered the memories of the past, buried memories

He remembered that he was kneeling on the ground and staring up at a young Freglolord warrior, holding a fang-shaped sword, and he was staring at him with his green eyes, he would never forget that day, the day he was defeated by a younger man than him, when he remembered that feeling.

The feeling of defeat, a feeling he will never forget and now this feeling comes over him against a young warrior, it made him feel frustrated, angry at himself

While remembering the past, he sees that warrior girl looking at him in the same way, which made him lose everything

Suddenly, he abandoned all clean fighting and rushed towards her, colliding with her with his huge body and making her fall to the ground

"Uuuuuu! You bastard!"

Sejuani couldn't finish her words because the warrior strangled her with both hands and finished her off once and for all

Sejuani struggled and tried to grab her weapon but her whip was out of her reach as she desperately tried to reach it

She tried to free herself and tried to kick him but nothing happened

While Sejuani struggled for her life, the Noxan warrior looked at her angrily

"*******"!"

Sejuani looked angrily and hated to end up like this after all she had done

"Ugh?"

The Noxan warrior saw a spear pierced through his body and when he turned in his final sorrows he saw that Urkath was the one who did this

"This is to repay you for using me as a human flesh shield you bastard!"

When Urkath pulled out his spear, the Noxan warrior fell to the ground and Sejuani broke free from his grip

"Cough! Cough! Thank you! Cough Cough! Urkath"

"Sijwani! Don't take on more than you can handle. It was close!"

"But I didn't win the fight, I didn't win a battle against him, I'm weak, like my grandmother's rage"

"Does it really matter, Sijwani? Look around you! Battles worth dying for, and spoils we won't dream of! All of this wouldn't have happened without you, Sejuani! The Winter Claw are still waiting for you, I'm waiting for you, mother of war"

"Thank you, Urkath, but there is one last thing I need to do"

As Sejuani stared at the dead warrior, she picked up the axe that was in the distance and cut off his head and carried it outside

Urkath looked curiously, wondering what she was going to do

As Sejuani came out, she saw that the surviving warriors of Winter Claw were mostly covered in blood, there were wounded and there were dead warriors as well, this was the fiercest battle they would ever fight

Seguni picked up the head of the Noxian warrior that Urkath had killed and held it high before she shouted loudly

"The captain of this ship! Their leader! "He died by me, Sijuani! Noble iceborn"

Sijuanai threw the Noxian warrior's head and there were cheers of admiration when they saw that Sijuani had become iceborn

"There is spoils inside the ship waiting for us, waiting for us to claim our names!"

"Now you have a choice! Either join a mother of war who would rather run away than fight the real thing or join me, I promise you will never feel weak and majestic again! And I will claim the position of mother of war! Who is with me!"

"I am with you!

"And me too"

"Yes, and me"

"And me"

"Long live mother of war, Sijuani!"

Sejuani looked at the warriors and smiled, her prestige and influence over the tribe had increased

"Oi, what about the loot, men! There are so many food supplies and items that even I don't know"

When Urkath mentioned food, all the warriors rushed inside the ship and started looting, Urkath also looted the ship

Sejuani entered the ship and looked at the warriors who were looting everything from food and weapons and everything that seemed usable and carried it with them for their tribe

Sejuani looked at the corpse of the Noxan warrior and ignored him and focused her eyes on the loot, enough food for weeks, but she found a box full of weapons made of real ice and took it with her, she saw that there were many cages holding many creatures of Freljord

"What a strange group of invaders? Why would they even capture the Boro?"

Weeg!

Sejuani heard a strange sound from one of the cages, a sound she recognized well.

When she looked closely she saw a small Drüvask creature in chains, the pig was still small but the ferocity of his eyes told a different story

"Is that Drüvask? They catches him too"

Sejuani looked at Drüvask and he in turn stared at her curiously.

And that's how Sejuani met Bristle, her most royal horse.

Chapter Text

Chapter (6):the rise part 6

In the village of Dahàa.....

A storm was brewing under the circumstances surrounding it. There was a clash between warriors against forgotten beasts in the midst of the fog.

"Raaaaaah!"

In the village, a strong warrior wielded a sword that cut through the stomach of an ursine warrior with force. Blood gushed from his body, bleeding heavily, but the ursine warrior ignored the pain and lunged at him with his teeth. However, a spear was thrown at his head, causing him to step back before collapsing to the ground and dying.

The warrior turned and saw that one of his allies had done this. They did not speak; they nodded their heads and set off in a different direction.

There were warriors fighting the remaining snow wolves with their spears, and when their spears failed, they used their bodies to bring the wolves down so that others could kill them.

Elsewhere, there were ursine warriors fighting fiercely, one of Ashe's allies while someone was desperately trying to help him in the midst of the fog, but to no avail.

The snow was being dyed red in the midst of the fog.

But the main battle revolved around only two people, an archer against a massive beast. Anyone witnessing what was happening would say that a mythical tale was being embodied on this land.

Ashe closed her eyes and drew her bow, preparing to shoot while the ursine leader waited silently towards her. Ashe knew where he was but did not listen to the sounds; instead, she felt him. Her instincts told her where he was, and she released the arrow directly into the fog.

The ursine leader was surprised by the attack and managed to dodge, but suffered a minor injury. He looked at Ashe in terror and saw three arrows coming towards him, deciding to evade and charge at her.

"This mortal is becoming just like Avarosa! This means the legend is true! The bow carries her spirit! I must end her quickly! Otherwise, it will be too late!"

Suddenly, the ursine leader jumped high and raised his intact claw high to strike her down immediately, but Ashe jumped and moved away at the moment he also jumped, releasing an explosive effect on the ground, turning the snow into fog, making Ashe even harder to see than she already was, but she managed to see his face again.

"You! You will be the cause of Freljord's bloodshed! I must destroy you here and now!"

"You are the one who will destroy everything, you beast!" Ashe shouted and shot arrows directly at him.

The ursine leader retreated and disappeared into the fog, but Ashe could feel where he was now and shot arrows at him.

The ursine leader moved, and Ashe heard his footsteps and shot more magical arrows at him.

"Damn it! Is there no limit to the number of arrows this mortal can shoot?!"

"Damn, I feel my vision becoming foggy. I feel like I can't see well. Does using Avarosa's throne continuously make me suddenly feel tired? But I can't give up here! Not yet!"

Their fight continued, and the wounded ursine leader noticed that her arrows were becoming fewer and slower, and Ashe began to miss her shots at him.

"She's weakening! This is it! This is my chance to end this abomination!"

Suddenly, the ursine leader rushed towards her and attacked. Ashe noticed this and shot three arrows at him, but instead of dodging, he used his frozen right arm as a shield, sacrificing his arm in the process, but he managed to hit Ashe hard.

"Die!"

"No!"

Ashe screamed when she was hit and flew a few meters through the air. She saw that her vision had become foggy, and in addition to the fog around her, she felt completely blind.

"Hahahaha! Look, Avarosa, look towards your end, and hear the voices of those who believed in you. Soon, all of them will follow you!"

As he was about to strike her down, Ashe felt time begin to slow down, and a ghost appeared, or rather, that's what Ashe thought when she saw it. It was the ghost of an older woman with a transparent appearance, pointing her finger towards an unknown place in the fog.

Ashe did not know what it was, but in those moments, she drew the bowstring very quietly, ignoring everything around her and focusing on the arrow she was forming. Suddenly, the bow intensified, and the arrow she was forming became larger than any arrow she had ever formed with her bow.

The ursine leader was shocked by this sudden change and tried to finish her quickly, using his magic and casting thunder magic around him to distract her. But as he was about to strike her from behind, Ashe turned and looked at him coldly for a second before releasing the bowstring, and a white light shot out like a meteor directly at him.

The ursine leader was shocked to realize that Ashe knew his location and could do nothing but receive her full attack.

Here is the translation of the provided Arabic text into English, preserving the spacing and structure:

---

Aaaaaavvvvvaaaarooooooosssssaaaaaa!"

And that was the last word he said before he was breached and his body was pulled away by the force of the arrow, disappearing in another direction.

As he flew away, the fog split into two and cleared at an incredible speed. The mist dissipated, and Ashe's allies could see clearly. They saw the remaining Orcsin warriors, severely wounded, but everyone froze when they saw this. They saw the Orcsin leader, their chief, turned into an ice statue in a pitiful position at the end of the village.

In the opposite direction, Ashe stood and looked around. She saw that all the wolf warriors had fallen, and only a few remained, but they were in a wretched state. When they saw their leader dead, they decided to seek revenge and glared at Ashe with hatred.

But before they could utter a word, numerous spears and various weapons were thrown at them, piercing different parts of their bodies, and they fell to the ground. This was the work of the Ebrataal people from the Quchar tribe, who had decided to follow her.

When she saw that all the people who had fought beside her were staring at her, she raised her bow high, signaling the end of all this.

As she raised her bow, everyone in the village cheered enthusiastically.

"Avarosaa! Avarosaa! Avarosaa! Avarosaa!!!"

"This is good, and now I can rest a little."

That was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep and lost consciousness.

..
.
.
.

In the Winter's Claw tribe...

Kalkia was sitting in the war room when someone came to her and spoke about something.

"What? Sejuani attacked the Quchar tribe? Are you sure of this?"

"Yes, that's what I heard, my lady," replied the servant, kneeling.

"I knew she would turn against me one day! So, she's trying to prove herself worthy in the Winter's Claw? What a fool!"

"My lady, there's another matter..."

"What is it?"

"It seems she has returned with many spoils."

"That wretch! Not only did she raid Quchar, but now she's plundered another village?!"

"Vogar!"

"Yes, warmother!"

"Summon the others to the square. I will go myself and show everyone what happens when my words are disobeyed."

Kalkia went and prepared her golden armor, then headed outside to the square. From a distance, she saw Sejuani, who looked different, and realized she had become a true Iceborn.

"So, she's become a noble? Hah! But that won't change the fact that I will make an example of her!"

Kalkia could see many spoils. These spoils would be enough to sustain the tribe for two months. She also noticed behind Sejuani a small Drüvask creature standing near her feet, looking around.

"Is that a Drüvask? She must have been lucky to find one."

"Mother... it seems you're wearing your armor. Is there a special occasion?"

"Nothing special, except that my disobedient daughter has raided villages and broken the bridge of peace I worked so hard to build! You know the consequences, even if you are my daughter."

"Yes, I know."

Sejuani looked around and noticed that many Winter's Claw warriors were gathering. But there was something strange-a few shamans from the frost Guard were here behind Kalkia. This was unusual; the frost Guard wasn't supposed to come to a Winter's Claw gathering. But she ignored them for now and focused on her mother.

"I am here to challenge your position as warmother!"

When Sejuani shouted this, everyone present in the square was shocked. Sejuani's allies stood straight without any expression, while the frost Guard looked at each other and whispered among themselves.

It was unheard of for a Descendant of the warmother to challenge her position. This was one of the laws Avarosa had established before becoming the warmother

"My daughter, you're not just a dreamer anymore, but delusional! I am disappointed in you. I will try to bring you to your senses before I kill you."

"Didn't you also challenge my grandmother before becoming the warmother? Or should I thank you for the time you killed my father?"

The tension escalated, and the people of the Winter's Claw watched the situation nervously. Both Kalkia and Sejuani prepared their weapons.

In the next moment, they charged at each other and fought fiercely. Their battle was filled with anger and hatred, as if they were not bound by blood at all.

Kalkia threw one of her axes toward Sejuani's head, and Sejuani countered with her whip, attacking her. Kalkia couldn't defend herself because she had never fought someone using a whip before and was struck in the stomach.

"Ugh! You weakling! Coward! How dare you!"

Kalkia screamed as Sejuani punched her in the face with force. Sejuani kneed her, and Kalkia moved away, readying her weapon to block Sejuani's next attack.

Anyone witnessing the fight could tell that Sejuani was the one who would win, but there were some who couldn't accept it.

"Stop this cursed"

"What?"

Sejuani saw a few shamans from the Ice Guard supporting Kalkia and attacking her with their mysterious magic.

"What are you doing?"

One of the frost Guard looked at Sejuani before shouting, "You are cursed! I can smell death on you!"

"I don't know how many innocent lives, but I won't let you kill my compassionate mother over my dead body___"

Before the Ice Guard could finish speaking, he was struck by the whip, and his head was severed instantly. The rest of the frost Guard looked on in shock.

"As you wish."

The Ice Guard gasped at what happened and charged at Sejuani in anger.

"Kill this madwoman!"

Orkath looked at the Ice Guard with rage and shouted, "How dare they interfere with the challenge of the Mother of War! Come, men, support Sejuani!"

As Orkath and his men rushed to support Sejuani, Winter's Claw warriors came to stop the situation before it turned into chaos. Kalkia looked around and was furious with the Ice Guard.

"Wait, what are you doing, you fools!? This fight is between me and my daughter! Do not interfere!"

Kalkia screamed and attacked everyone around her until she reached Sejuani, but...

"Wait, don't rush like that, or!.."

Before he could finish speaking, a mysterious black lightning bolt struck and pierced her heart directly.

"Ugh..."

The Ice Guard looked at who had done this and saw that it was one of the shamans behind them. They saw the staff pointing in the direction where Kalkia had been standing a moment ago. The shaman dropped his staff under their accusing gaze.

"Nooo! Kalkia!"

Sejuani was furious and screamed, not because they had killed her, but because she couldn't end her life with her own hands.

"How dare you do this! This was a duel! You have violated all the laws! I will kill you all___"

"Sejuani......"

Sejuani turned toward the source of the voice and saw her mother, Kalkia, on the ground. Sejuani crouched down, her face close to her mother's, who was trying to say something.

"Is there something you want to say, Mother?"

"I curse you, my daughter. I wish the demon Avarosa would come to reap... your soul."

"We'll see about that, Mother, and you will see that what I am about to do will change the future of the Winter's Claw."

"Heh... a dead future... I regret not killing you with Hjorn..."

And on this day, at this time, Kalkia, the 199th warmother of the Winter's Claw, died.....

He stood.

"What did she say?" asked one of the Winter's Claw warriors.

"She said... she admitted defeat."

"Wait, does that mean?"

"Yes, I am the warmother.....

"And people of the Winter's Claw, listen well to what I have to say...."

..........

In the village of Dahàa, somewhere at night......

Ashe was on a fur bed, suffering from something.

"No..... Mother..... don't leave me... Grina!"

Ashe gasped as she woke up and opened her eyes, seeing that she was inside a tent. She saw a woman in her forties placing warm bandages on her head.

"Oh, Avarosa, you're awake."

"Wait, what happened?"

"You lost consciousness when you defeated him."

"What?..... Outside! The village is burning! Have they returned again!"

"No, the village is not burning, Avarosa! Just take it easy!"

Ashe did not win and quickly left her tent. When she stepped out, she was shocked by what she saw.

The village was not burning; instead, it was celebrating. They had lit several campfires and were roasting wolf meat after killing them in battle.

Ashe looked around at the people. The Quchar tribe had blended with the Dahàa tribe, smiling, laughing happily, and crying as they ate.

"We haven't eaten in months. I don't know what to say to thank you, Avarosa."

"How many died?"

"What?"

"How many died?"

"Four of the Dahàa people died, but it wasn't your fault, Avarosa."

"But they died because of m___"

"Avarosa! Look, it's her, Avarosa!"

Everyone looked at what one of the people eating was saying and saw Ashe, cheering enthusiastically.

"Avarosa! Our savior! Avarosa!"

Ashe looked at the crowd cheering passionately for her, closed her eyes, and bit her lip for a second before deciding what she was about to do.

"Listen to me well, my people, for there is something important I want to tell you."

.........

In different places but at the same time, as if by fate, Ashe and Sejuani were being watched by their people, who were curious to know what they would say.

Ashe: "My people, I am not the Avarosa you believe in. I am Ashe, the last member of the Avarosa tribe! I admit that I may not be qualified to become the warmother."

Sejuani: "Brave warriors, you have just witnessed how these outsiders (the Ice Guard bound in ropes) have desecrated our honor! These are the ones Kalkia allied with!"

Ashe: "But I promise you that I will lead you to a better future. I know you want revenge and retribution, and I do not blame you for that, but is this what they truly wanted?"

Sejuani: "Is this what you want?! To be belittled?! No! Do you want to become weak?! No! We, the Winter's Claw, will rise again!"

Ashe: "We will build a future together! Where we are all one people! We will plant seeds to grow crops, raise livestock to feed us, and build an alliance. We will become one people!"

Sejuani: "We will plunder! Conquer! And kill anyone who stands in our way! We will take in those who want to be like us and plunder those who refuse!"

Ashe: "I am Ashe, and I am not Avarosa but the reincarnation of her desires. I am here today to lead you, the new Avarosa people, toward a better future! Let us make the Freljord one people!"

Sejuani: "I am Sejuani, and I am here to lead you to a long history of conquests. I will conquer lands to the point where you will never feel hunger again! I will make everyone fear the Winter's Claw!"

Ashe:I
Sejuani:am
Ashe & Sejuani: "Warmother!"

And that was their beginning, the beginning of the queens.

Chapter Text

Chapter(7)The price to be a king part 1

In Zilean's room...

"Hohoho... What an intriguing beginning, isn't it? Those two sisters, like two sides of the same coin, despite their different paths, they share the same motives..."

He paused for a moment, then continued in a calm voice:

"But enough about them, let's now talk about two others... Yes, I'm talking about the story of a monster who crowned himself king and lost the trust of his people, and now must pay the price to become king again.

---

Somewhere in the Freljord mountains...

There was no sign of life around the mountain, except inside one of the vast caves where some massive tribal buildings were gathered, but they were crumbling as if they were the remnants of a giant's ruined village.

Amid these buildings, massive creatures with blue skin, over two and a half meters tall, moved around. They wore tattered clothes despite the freezing cold of the icy ground. They were fiercely fighting among themselves. They were the Ice Trolls.

As the fighting continued, some noticed a troll approaching, carrying an icy staff. He had red hair and wore tribal clothing better than the others, but he wasn't alone, as he was dragging something massive behind him with his other hand.

"Look! He's here!"

"Trundle has returned!"

The trolls gathered, their eyes fixed on what he had brought with him. With all his strength, Trundle threw the corpse of a great dragon onto the icy ground, then looked around with his dark blue eyes.

He raised his icy staff high and said in a booming voice:

"Trolls! Look closely! I have slain this great dragon, the one who ruled the skies! But he was no match for the King of the Trolls, Trundle!"

The trolls' eyes lit up with excitement, and cheers began to rise.

"Amazing! The king is strong and fierce!"

"He killed a dragon!"

"We will rule the skies!"

"Long live the King of the Trolls!"

"We will dominate the Freljord!"

Trundle stood among his followers, enjoying the echo of their words. This was what he wanted... to be recognized as their king.

But suddenly, another voice cut through his.

"But... what if this is one of his tricks?"

The cheers stopped, and Trindle's angry eyes turned toward the speaker.

"True! I thought the same!"

"He previously claimed to have defeated an army of humans and made soup from their bones! But now he was defeated by a single human!"

A heavy silence fell, before another troll stepped forward, pointing at Trondle with his finger:

"Are you really a troll? Or a half-troll?"

He didn't get to finish, as Trundle lunged at him with a sudden strike from his icy staff, knocking him to the ground with force.

"You ungrateful wretch! Have you forgotten who raised you from your lowly state? Have you forgotten who gathered you together? Who made you dominate the Freljord mountains? Who built this place!? It was me!"

Some trolls looked at him with regret, while others remained skeptical, igniting a raging fury within him. In a moment, the ghost of that defeat returned to him. The image of the warrior who had overthrown him came back to haunt him.

Trjndle gripped his staff tightly and shouted in anger:

"Curse it!"

He rushed out of the village, ignoring the calls of some, as only one thing was on his mind.

"All of this is because of him! Because of that damned warrior!"

He stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, then muttered:

"I must... visit her... I must visit the Ice Witch."

...

Trundle carried his staff as he pushed through the harsh snowstorms, moving with force and reaching his hand forward. This was the third storm he had passed through. Three days had passed since he left. Trundle was now in the far north.

Finally, he reached the place. He looked through the fog that was trying to hide what lay beyond: the Frostguard Citadel.

The citadel was built of black and dark blue stones, covered in thick layers of shimmering ice under the moonlight. Its towering spires resembled giant teeth, reaching into the sky as if guarding the entire region. The outer walls were adorned with icy decorations and ancient magical runes.

Trundle looked around the hall as he approached and saw that around the citadel were deep trenches of frozen ice. The only safe way across was a massive black stone bridge, carved with mysterious symbols.

Trundle moved forward, and as he approached the bridge connecting to the hall, he saw the Frostguard soldiers preparing to fight him. The guards wore armor made from strange horned beasts resembling long-horned bulls.

Trundle expected a warm welcome as soon as he arrived here, but he didn't have time for that.

"I am here to meet the Ice Witch!"

The guards looked at each other with suspicion and anger before shouting at him:

"You don't even deserve to utter her name here, you ugly creature!"

"I would accept this, but I don't have time! I want to meet Lissandra, the ice witch!"

"How dare you! Guards, come and___"

"Let him enter....."

Five warriors appeared, wearing different clothes and more robust armor. They were different from the regular guards, and in their midst was a person carrying an axe, unlike the four who carried swords. There were shards of real ice embedded in the weapon carried by this warrior.

These were the Draklorn Inquisitors, her most loyal servants. Trindle remembered them well. They were with her when he first met the Ice Witch and thought she would kill him.

When they appeared, all the regular guards bowed and stepped aside to make way for them. The axe-wielder, who seemed to be the leader of these Inquisitors, spoke:

"The Lady of Ice and Darkness has been expecting your arrival."

"Good, that makes things easier! I want to speak with her!"

"(A moment of silence)........Come with us."

Trundle stepped forward, crossed the bridge, and entered the citadel. The citadel was different from what he had imagined at first.

Inside the citadel, the corridors were wide and dark, with smooth icy floors and walls covered in layers of frost.

As Trundle looked around the citadel, he saw that throughout the citadel were ice statues of Lissandra's enemies, preserved in poses expressing pain or fear, as if a warning to anyone who dared to challenge her. He felt tense because he was on the verge of becoming one of them if he hadn't allied with her.

Finally, they reached the main hall, the heart of the citadel, where Trundle was waiting for her. The Ice Witch, Lissandra, sat on her throne, a massive block of shimmering black ice. Lissandra stared at Trondle (through her ancient magic, as she was blind and couldn't see the features or shapes of things) with an unreadable expression on her face.

Then she looked at the Draklorn Inquisitors and gestured with her finger, and they left, leaving Trondle and Lissandra alone in the throne room.

"Ice Witch, I am here for___"

"To fix your error?"

Trundle looked at Lissandra in shock, feeling tense and afraid before answering again:

"Did you know?"

"I have eyes almost everywhere in the Freljord, including your humiliating defeat at the hands of that Noxian."

"Then I'll get straight to the point. I want power! Please, grant me power!"

"Then You want to become stronger?"

"No... not that kind of power."

"Hmmm... interesting. Then what kind of power do you want?"

"I want the power to influence all trolls. I want the power to command their absolute obedience, so they never rebel against me! I want them to regard Trondle as their one and only king!"

Lissandra clapped her hands warmly, as if she was enjoying a circus performance, and rose from her seat.

"Good! Now that's real power! Not in physical strength, but in the mind! Very good, I would have been disappointed if you asked for something trivial and stupid."

"So does this mean___"

"But of course, everything has its price in return."

Trundle looked at Lissandra and understood what she meant. "I understand that. What do you want me to do for you?"

"In a place far to the east, there are people from a distant village called Hartsir who have recently started worshiping a spiritual god called Haestryr.... and I want you to do something about them."

"What exactly?"

Lissandra smiled, and this was a rare occurrence, especially since the witch had lived for over 10,000 years (this is information known only to me and a few others in the entire world of Runeterra: Zilian).

"I want you to___"

...

In a distant place where there is a remote village building a large statue of a suspicious-looking deer in the center of the village, Trundle was there with the trolls looking at the village with happy expressions.

"I can't believe my eyes!"

"Look, they're even offering food to this stone!"

"There are so many livestock too!"

"My king, you were right! This village is rich and delicious!"

"Yes, when have I ever been wrong, you fools? Now listen to me before you enjoy looting everything. There's one important thing you must do."

"What is it, my king?"

"I want you to exterminate them all!"

"Oh, are we going to eat all the warriors?"

"No....."

All the trolls looked at Trundle with a puzzled expression.

"I want you to......"

...

"I want you to kill them all without exception."

"All of them? You want me to kill all the warriors of that village?"

"I think you misunderstood something."

"What?"

"Elders, women, and children. I want you to kill them all. Leave no one ALIVE."

"Why? This seems unnecessary. I don't mind killing them all, but what will you gain if I do this? No one will witness what I've done?"

"That's what I want."

"Hmm?" Trundle tilted his head curiously.

"I must teach these heretics the price of betrayal. These people used to worship the Three Sisters, but as soon as they found some book, they destroyed all the statues and books. That's why I'm doing this to teach them not to worship idols again."

"And whoever sees the destroyed village will think that this deer is a sign of black and cursed magic! And they will never think of worshiping it again!"

...

"I......want you to exterminate them to the last one! No children, no elders. I want you to kill them all. No exceptions. All humans must die!"

All the trolls looked at him with suspicion and doubt.

"You will have a feast that will fill your bellies!"

Suddenly, the looks of suspicion turned into excitement.

"Let's kill them all!"

"Leave no one alive!"

"Yes, we will kill every human!"

"I will kill every human in my path!"

Trundle looked at the trolls with satisfaction, smiling wickedly.

"Yes, that's it! Now go and kill them all!"

Chapter Text

Chapter (8):the price to be a king

In a certain village,

The villagers were performing some worship rituals, and as they offered sacrifices to Haestryr, a certain little girl noticed something and asked her mother, "Mom, what is that?"

The girl looked and pointed her finger toward a certain mountain. The mother turned to look and was filled with terror.

There was an entire horde of massive creatures, and the mother recognized them immediately. She screamed with all her might:

"Trolls!"

All the villagers turned toward the woman, following her finger to where she was screaming, and as she grabbed her child to flee, they saw the trolls and panicked instantly.

"Trolls!, run! Hurry! Hurry!"

The trolls were charging like a tsunami, heading toward the village like an unstoppable tide. The thunderous sound of their footsteps echoed like war drums as they approached.

When the trolls reached the village, the first to confront them were the warriors.

From a distance, Trundle saw an old man with a long white beard carrying a staff.

Trundle felt something familiar about him and knew exactly what that feeling was-it was the same sensation he got when near one of the wandering Ice Guards. This man was...

"A shaman! That man is a shaman! Everyone, fall back... He's casting a spell! Retreat!"

None of the trolls listened to Trundle, despite his shouts and warnings. Just as they were about to rush the village gate, the shaman completed his incantation.

From nowhere, icy spears erupted from the ground, impaling many of the trolls. The attack completely shattered their momentum, forcing them to retreat a few steps. After a moment, the spears vanished, and the dead trolls collapsed. But before they could recover from the sudden assault, arrows rained down on them from afar.

The trolls were being pelted by arrows, though the projectiles didn't deal significant damage due to their regenerative abilities. However, the arrows piercing their flesh and getting stuck due to their healing nature caused excruciating pain-equivalent to three arrows striking the same spot.

"You foolish trolls! Use the bodies of these dead bastards as shields! That's an order!"

This time, the trolls obeyed Trundle. They used their fallen comrades' bodies as shields, blocking the arrows while slowly advancing.

The village warriors shouted and prepared for close combat.

"Kill these weakness!"

Trundle leaped forward, charging at the front-line warriors, and the other trolls followed. Their frontal assault was slow and weak, not to mention the arrows still raining down. But Trundle focused on something else.

He saw the fleeing villagers-children, young men, women, and the elderly. The sight of them escaping enraged him, and he barked an order to the trolls:

"Those enemies are running away! You there-go and kill them!"

As soon as Trundle spoke, a group of trolls broke off to chase the fleeing villagers. The shaman witnessed everything and, consumed by fury, unleashed a barrage of vicious ice spells at Trundle.

Trundle cursed his luck and tried to dodge, but he was wounded in several places. He glared at the shaman, who shouted at him in rage:

"You vile creature! You kill woman and children?! How low your level?!"

"low as killing you!"

"I will show you the wrath of Haestryr!"

The shaman unleashed every ice spell he could summon to kill Trundle.

Trundle ran for his life, dodging every spear aimed at him. He weaved closer to the shaman, just enough to-

He lunged, swinging his club, but an ice wall blocked his strike. Shocked, Trolndel smashed the wall a few times, shattering it.

The broken shards transformed into flying daggers aimed at his face. Trolndel barely managed to block them with his arm, protecting his vitals.

"Damn it! What's wrong with this human?! Why is he so absurdly strong?!"

"Every time I try to get close, he pushes me back or shields himself with that stupid wall! Am I going to lose... again?"

No! Not again!

"Grrraaaahhh!"

This time, Trundle charged recklessly, ignoring everything coming at him, focusing only on killing the shaman. He ignored the spears, the wall-everything. His body was riddled with wounds, but just as he was about to strike the shaman down-

Suddenly, ice chains materialized, binding him completely. He felt helpless and stunned. Then, he saw multiple ice spears appear behind the shaman. In that moment, Trundle knew it was over.

"This is for the death you've caused, troll!"

The spears flew toward him. Trundle desperately struggled against the chains as the spears came within a hair's breadth of impaling him. He closed his eyes, expecting death-but nothing happened.

When he opened his eyes, he was stunned by what he saw.

The shaman was coughing up blood, clutching his stomach as if in agony. He knelt, then collapsed, motionless. As he fell, the ice magic dissipated, freeing Trundle.

Trundle approached the shaman, shocked by what he discovered. Upon checking:

"He's dead? But I didn't even hit him! Then how...? Did... Did his time just run out?"

Trundle should have been overjoyed that the shaman was dead. He would join the other trolls, finish off the remaining warriors quickly, and get what he wanted.

But the fact that the shaman had died of old age left the worst taste Trundle had ever experienced-worse than the bitterness of his defeat at the hands of that Noxian warrior.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Trundle seethed with rage as he looked around the village, now a devastated battlefield. Despite outnumbering the villagers, the trolls were being outmatched-warriors fought valiantly, taking them down one by one.

Trundle cast a final glance at the warriors before joining the fray to end it...
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Meanwhile, Lissandra sat on her throne-a massive block of shimmering black ice under the moonlight-deep in thought.

"My lady."

"What is it? I did not summon you, Inquisitor."

"I do not doubt you, Lady of Ice and Darkness, but... is it truly safe to entrust such a important mission to a troll?"

"Because I want to see if he will be a useful tool or not."

"You could have at least sent a few of our loyal warriors to hunt down any escapees."

"And that is precisely what I'm counting on."

"?"

"I expect him to fail. It's impossible for trolls to slaughter every villager. But their escape from the trolls will prove that the god they worship is nothing but a false deity-not even a half-god of any real power."

"As you wish, my lady."

With those words, the Inquisitor left, leaving Lissandra alone in the throne room to plan her next moves.

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Meanwhile, far from the battlefield of destruction, Trundle looked upon the village, now completely ravaged by the trolls. They carried the corpses of livestock they had hunted. He glanced around-warriors and trolls alike lay dead, their bodies covering the snow. A heavy snowfall had begun, signaling an approaching storm.

This massacre had been unnecessary. Many trolls had died in the raid. Trundle didn't care about them-fewer mouths to feed. But his military strength had weakened. The largest trolls had fallen in this battle.

Then he remembered something and turned. His eyes fell upon a strange crown shaped like a stag's antlers. He recalled Lissandra's last words before he left:

"And, Trundle... the power you seek lies in this crown-the Crown of Haestryr. Once worn, it will grant you the strength you desire."

He stared at the crown with a strange expression, then placed it on his head. The crown resized to fit him, and a surge of power coursed through his body. He began to transform.

His body underwent bizarre changes-he grew taller, leaner, his muscles reshaping. His hair lengthened, and his facial features sharpened. The other trolls watched in awe.

"Look! Trolndel is growing taller!"

"He's becoming stronger!"

"His body is more refined!"

Trundle examined his new form, feeling power surge within him. His mind grew sharper, his thoughts clearer. Without realizing it, he had become more intelligent.

"Trolls, behold! The Troll King has bestowed his power upon me! I am the rightful heir to the throne!"

That was what Trundle wanted to say, but after his shameful, luck-driven victory, he no longer had the energy to spin tales for the gullible trolls.

"Hey, where are the other trolls I sent away?"

The trolls looked at him and said they hadn't returned. Trundle headed in the direction they had gone. It didn't take long before he found them.

Every last troll lay dead-brutally dismembered as if by a massive, sharp weapon. Their faces were frozen in pure terror. Seeing this, Trundle felt a pang of unease.

"Damn it! First the shaman, now this?!"

He searched the ground for tracks, but the snow had covered everything. There was no way to tell where the villagers had gone.

"What do we do now, my king?"

Trundle looked at the snow-covered ground, the approaching storm, and made his decision.

"We return home. Our work here is done."

He chose to abandon the chase. There was no point hunting down weaklings. Besides...

Only the gods knew what had done this to his trolls. He didn't want to find out. Hell, he didn't even want to think about facing whatever it was.

Trundle stared into the distance, watching the storm approach the village with a bitter, inscrutable expression...

He would tell Lissandra he had done as she asked. Now, their alliance would be more secure. He needed her to trust him enough-so he could eventually dispose of her. But that was a matter for another time.

...

In Frostguard Citadel... in the throne hall...

"I have some news for you, my Queen," spoke one of the Frostguard, kneeling on one knee. Lissandra gestured with her finger for him to continue.

"We... have failed, my Lady."

This time, Lissandra looked at him with frustration before asking, "I sent nearly 120 warriors, and yet you all failed?" She glanced at the Frostguard in disappointment. "Where are the others?"

"The others... are not here."

She looked at him with an inscrutable expression behind her helmet. "Why?"

The Frostguard lowered his gaze. "Because... they are dead."

"What? Dead? Did the warriors from this tribe do that?"

"No, my Lady... A single warrior did this," the Frostguard spoke in a fearful tone.

"Are you telling me that one warrior managed to kill 50 Frostguard soldiers? Who was this person?"

"It... was not a person, my Queen."

"Then what was it?" Were it not for her helmet, Lissandra might have raised an eyebrow at the strange response.

"May I... describe it frankly, my Queen?" The question only deepened Lissandra's interest, especially as she noticed his body trembling. "You may."

"It was a demon... That thing did not belong to this world!" The Frostguard spoke in horror as he recounted the events. "Its sword cut through our men like paper, its body was harder than iron, and its red eyes... like those of a predator... It was-! I... Forgive my rudeness, my Queen."

"I understand. How did you survive it? Did you flee?"

"I wish I had," he muttered, recalling the terror. "After the slaughter, it chose to spare me... to bear witness. And... it said... something heretical before leaving me."

"Heretical?" Lissandra looked at him with curiosity. "What exactly did it say?"

"It said... Forgive me, my Queen, but its words alone are blasphemy."

"I grant you permission. Speak."

"It said... 'The Goddess will awaken. The Darkness will break free from its icy prison. And the mortals... will either die or become part... of Avarosa.'"

The guard finished speaking and looked at Lissandra one last time before she motioned with her finger, signaling his dismissal.

"I see," Lissandra replied with a smile.

"Then I shall take my lea-"

Before he could finish, his head was swiftly severed by an Inquisitor-so fast that he didn't even realize the Inquisitor was there.

"Inquisitor..."

"Yes,my queen"

"Send all your men to find them. Learn everything about this... being, and how it knows such things. Then kill it. Quickly."

The Inquisitor left without uttering another word, leaving Lissandra alone on her frozen throne.

"I do not know who you are... but you have just condemned your bloodline to a gruesome death."

Chapter Text

chapter (9):First steps

"Well, well, this was an unexpected trip. You think it was violent for them to do these things, right?

"The world isn't black and white, it's gray. Despite their brutality, they have their own reasons. Each of us has our own reasons. This is the nature of our world, the world of Runeterra."

"Although their consequences will haunt them in the future..."

Okay, back to the story! Let me remind you where we were... Oh yes, we were in The Tale of the Two Sisters! Let's get back to them...

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In an unknown place...... Ashe was walking through a field shrouded in fog.

She didn't remember when she arrived here or how long she had been walking in this place. She felt confused-the last thing she remembered was the feast celebrating the people of Dahàa at the bottom of the Ursine's lair. She had joined them as a sign of being a War Mother, standing with them in good times and bad.

She remembered being utterly exhausted, yet she had tried to stay composed as much as possible. Just as she was about to sleep in her tent, she saw Avaros's Throne glowing blue. She touched it... and found herself here-literally in the middle of nowhere. She wondered why she was walking forward automatically, without any destination.

But in the distance, Ashe could see the shadowy figure of a woman. The fog obscured her features, but something about her felt familiar.

"Mother? Is that you?"

But the woman didn't respond. She turned and walked away, fading quietly into the fog as if she had never been there.

"Wait! Mother, stop! Where are you going?!"

Ashe ran, trying to catch up with all her strength, but she couldn't follow her. She sprinted with everything she had, but the fog surrounded her from all directions.

She felt lost and desperate until, exhausted from running for hours, she collapsed. Breathing heavily, she looked down at the snow, watching sweat drip from her face onto the ice.

"Mother... please don't leave me. I won't fail you again. Just... please... I just want to see you. (Crying) I'm sorry... I promise I'll be better."

"When have you ever failed me, child?"

When Ashe heard her mother's voice, she lifted her head and turned toward the sound-but found no one. Only the wind and snow in the distant frozen fields.

"Tell me, Ashe... what scars do you bear?"

This time, Ashe tried to find the source of the voice, but no matter how hard she searched, she found nothing. She gave up and decided to speak, even though she couldn't see her mother.

"Mother... I... I found it. I found Avaros's Throne! It was real! Your suffering wasn't in vain, Mother... you were right. Like you always were. But... our tribe was destroyed by the person I loved."

"Sejuani... she raised her weapon against me. I met her in the village-she had become cruel. She was about to wipe out an entire village... I couldn't let that happen. We parted ways... and the next time we meet, we'll be enemies."

"I took those people and led them far away, to start anew. I fought the Ursine using Avaros's Throne... and... and... I still don't know what to do. I saved a tribe. I became a War Mother-for the new Avarosa. But I don't know what future awaits me... Am I truly worthy of being a War Mother?"

"You don't need my help... not now, not ever. You can lead your people on your own. You are more than capable, my daughter."

"But... I don't know..."

"Child, do you remember the first thing I ever told you about the Freljord?"

"It is a place of survival. A battleground where only the strongest endure."

"Yes. But it is also a land of honor and worth. If you want something badly enough, you must prove yourself worthy of it."

"Because the Freljord will test you, my child. Every trial is a battle-proof that what you desire can become reality... or not. Whether you fail or succeed, it all rests on your shoulders."

"And mine as well."

As Grena spoke, another voice joined-a woman's voice, majestic and commanding. It made Ashe feel small just hearing it. When she looked in its direction, she saw a blue, shadowy figure and felt a shiver of awe.

"Who... are you?"

"Time will tell you. For now... it is time to wake up."

"What? (⁠☉⁠｡⁠☉⁠)!"

Suddenly, the world went dark. She couldn't see anything-and in the next moment, she felt a hard impact. Her eyes snapped open.

"(Gasp)... Hah... Hah... Where...?"

She looked around and realized she was back in her tent, just as she had been before. She noticed she was gripping her bow tightly.

"Was... all of that a dream?"

"I can't believe it... It felt so real... That can't be... Unless... (Looks at her bow)... Is this a message from her?"

"... (Sigh)... No use thinking about it now. I need to see what's happening in the village."

Ashe stood up.

The refugees she had brought with her had integrated well with the people of Dahàa, who had now become a single tribe under the name Avarosa-founded just yesterday. She was still exhausted.

The villagers looked at Ashe, their eyes widening in joy at the sight of her.

"Avarosa!"

"The War Mother has awakened!"

Five tribesmen gathered around her, greeting her with concern. She noticed some of their clothes were torn and felt a pang of confusion.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. But... what happened to your clothes? Why are they torn?"

"This was because of the Ursin siege. Hunting animals had become difficult and we needed new clothes for our children, so we tore our clothes for them"

"This is terrible, I didn't know you guys went through such a tough ordeal, you people held on strong for your children you're the real warrior's"

"Thank you avarosa"

"But there, the wolf pelts from yesterday's hunt. You can make coats out of them. Why haven't you?"

(The villagers exchanged glances) "We... were worried you might need them for something else. So we kept the pelts in reserve."

"Don't worry. I iceborn-the cold doesn't bother me. Use them to keep warm before the storm hits. We don't know when it will come."

"Thank you, Avarosa."

"Long live Ashe!"

After she spoke, they left happily to craft their coats. Ashe felt a little embarrassed-she had become their leader, even though many of them were older than her.

She decided to walk around the village and assess the situation. As she wandered, she saw sturdy houses and tents, people preparing a pyre to burn the Ursine corpses, and families gathering around the bodies of fallen warriors.

A heavy atmosphere weighed on her. She felt sorrow and pain.

"This is my fault... They died because of me. If only I were stronger... If only I-"

"Hey, try and catch me!"

Her thoughts were interrupted by something that caught her attention. She stopped and looked.

Children were playing-but that wasn't what stood out. What truly caught her eye was that among them were children from the Quchar tribe.

The refugees had brought children with them, but they had hidden behind the villagers during the battle. These were the children Sejuani would have slaughtered if Ashe hadn't stopped her.

She watched them playing tag, throwing snowballs, or helping the adults-smiling as if they had already forgotten the harsh world around them.

Ashe felt a pang of nostalgia. She wished she could return to those days-when she, Sejuani, and her mother, Grena, were together. But she knew those days were gone. The next time she and Sejuani met, they would be enemies.

As she reminisced, Ashe noticed two elderly villagers who seemed anxious.

Curious, she approached them and saw they were discussing something urgently.

"Excuse me... Is something wrong? Why do you both look so pale?"

The two villagers exchanged nervous glances before one spoke, his voice tense.

"Greetings, Avarosa. (Bows) I am Ugar, and this is Dago. (Dago: bows) We are responsible for supplies and housing in the Dahàa tribe."

Ugar was a thin man wearing ordinary coats and clothes, holding a book-a rare sight in the Freljord. Beside him, Dago was a short man carrying a hammer and a backpack.

They looked at Ashe with a familiar expression-one she had seen before. It made her tense.

"What's the matter? Tell me."

"We have... some problems, War Mother."

Ashe stiffened as they stared at her. It was the same look the old Avarosans had given Grena-a look of need and helplessness.

Grena had told her that becoming a War Mother meant entering a new world-one she was now stepping into. She looked at them calmly.

"Problems? Please, tell me what we're facing."

"First, the houses. The Ursine destroyed most of them. We have tents, but... I doubt they'll hold against the storm."

"Why not use the trees around us? There are plenty to rebuild wooden houses."

"We could... but the wood here takes too long to dry."

"Then use the wolf pelts for temporary shelters or have some families share homes until the wood is ready. Once it's dried, rebuild quickly."

"Understood. There's another issue-the funeral rites."

"We planned to bury them where their ancestors rest, in the heart of the forest. We thought to hold the ceremony at midday-"

"No. We'll hold the funeral at night-to honor them. The villagers shouldn't be reminded of that calamity. They shouldn't have to relive their scars."

"As you command. There's... another problem. Food."

"We have wolf meat, but it'll only last a week or two at most. We need a stable hunting ground if we're to survive the winter."

"Don't you usually have hunting areas?"

"It was there hunting lands."

"Was?"

"We used to hunt elk near the river or in the forests. But because of the Ursine, they've nearly gone extinct or fled far away."

"Is there a fishing lake?"

"There was, but..."

"When we went to check, the lake had completely dried up. I don't know how... but I'm sure the Ursine did it.those monsters!"

"What about other areas?"

"Where do you suggest we go, War Mother?"

"Do you have a map?"

"Yes, of course. Here."

Ugar handed her the map. Ashe studied it, noting the X marks where the elk and fishing spots had been. There were too many-finding food would be difficult.

"This is really bad issue... Hmm?"

As she examined the map, she noticed a strange drawing-a tree with oddly shaped fruits.

"What about this area? What's here?"

"That? It's just a place with short trees bearing strange fruits."

"strange fruits? Can I see them?"

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Elsewhere...in the Winter Claw Tribe

Sejuani was sitting on the new throne, having taken it from her mother. She was in the meeting room. Behind her were our men. She was staring coldly at about five people standing and bowing. They had faces and looked at her, assessing her usefulness. They were acting arrogantly as if they owned the place.

Sejuani felt angry and wanted to kill them now, but she was patient, endured, and wanted to see what they were planning.

"Little girl, are you the new WarMother in winter claw??"

"..⁦╬ಠ_ಠ⁩...Yes...and you are?"

"I am ////// of the Winter Fang Tribe and them is......"

" ////// From the Winter Foot."

" /////// From the Winter Spear."

" /////// From the Winter Sons."

" ////// From the Winter dagger."

"What are people like you doing in my tribe?"

"We heard about the unfortunate incident that happened to former WarMother"

Sejuani stared sharply at the person who had said this. He hadn't mentioned her mother's name or that she was her mother. She knew full well that he knew she was her daughter, but she had deliberately overlooked it.

"So what did you come for?"

"The former Mother of War was a brave and strong warrior. She allied with us and became a friend of our beloved Mother of War, leading us on great journeys."

"It was truly unfortunate that she ended up at the hands of the these Frostguard. No one expected them to be so cunning."

"What happened to her was unfortunate, but she owed us many supplies of food and weapons, and I see you have plenty, so that's why..."

Sejuani ignored everything he said, because it was all nonsense.

Sejuani remembered, but her mother had never gone or owed them anything. Her mother had done everything herself.

When she saw some of the envoys nodding their heads in unison, she understood that they had agreed. She felt a sense of revelation and knew what was happening.

They had come together, wanting to unify their stance toward each other and create a situation for her where she wouldn't be able to refuse, so they could control her influence as the new Mother of War. They hadn't come to offer condolences; they had agreed to take a piece of Winter's Claw.

When Sejuani understood the situation, it was as if she had gathered everything. The puzzle pieces came together and I understood what was happening. I smiled sarcastically.

"Ah... so that's it, I get it."

"Then it's good that you understand. We need at least__"

Sejuani swung her whip, and the head of the envoy flew off quickly and fell to the ground, becoming a lifeless corpse. All the envoys were shocked and wide-eyed.

"What the?!"

"Sh*t!"

"Oh, Kendred!"

All the envoys quickly recoiled in shock at what had just happened. She had just killed the envoy, something no War Mother should ever do.

"Since you want to act this way, well then, remember, or I'll say it one time."

I, Sejuani, daughter of kalkia and WarMother, sever all ties and alliances with the tribes starting today. Give them a clear message!"

"To all who will not submit to the Winter Claw Tribe, face our wrath and fangs! Tell them! Tell them that I am coming for those who will not submit to me, because I will be their end! I am the Wrath of Winter!

Chapter Text

Chapter (10):the stormraptor

In a certain place in Freljord, in a certain forest...

Ashe was leading her people through the forest... but she wasn't alone. Dago and Ugar were near Ashe, accompanied by four warriors moving forward.

They walked with confidence because the War Mother herself was with them. Yet the atmosphere around them was as silent as ghosts in the forest. There was no sound of birds, no flowing water - as if the land itself was cursed.

As they moved forward, Ashe sensed the awkward and silent air surrounding them. She felt they were still weighed down by the pain of loss. Even though they had won, they had lived in fear and dread for a long time. Had Ashe not come with the nomads, they may not have survived at all.

Ashe: "So, Dago? Can you tell me what your lives were like before the Ursine came to you?"

Dago: "Well, our lives weren't anything special, War Mother. We just hunted, tended livestock, ate, and then slept and start my day again."

Ashe: "Didn't you have any stories?"

Dago: "I feel a bit embarrassed, but I don't have any stories to tell you. Nothing ever happened worth mentioning."

Ugar: "Oh wait, Dago! What about that time we saw the beast?"

Dago: "Ah, you mean the big poro?"

Ashe: the big poro?"

Dago: "Just something strange, not worth mentioning."

Ashe:Actually, I'd love to hear that story."

Ugar:Come on, tell her, Dago. No need to be shy."

Dago: "Since you're insisting, I'll tell you, Avarosan."

Dago:I remember we were out hunting, looking for deer, and we stumbled upon a raging yeti."

Ashe:A yeti? My mother told me about them. Are they real?"

Ugar:Yes, they're real, Avarosa. More real than you think."

Dago:It looked like a mix between trolls and poros."

Ugar:He means the yeti was like the Ursine we fought, but with a primitive troll face."

Ashe:Do you mean they're with Volibear?"

Ugar:No, Avarosan. The yetis are extremely aggressive creatures. They attack anyone they see. I doubt they'd worship their god - they'd probably attack Volibear on sight."

Dago: "But don't forget, when they're young, they're cuter than poros."

Dago: "Haha, true! Don't forget how we saw that yeti hugging a poro the first time. I was hoping to get one as a pet."

Ugar: "Sigh My friend, one day you're going to get in real trouble."

Dago: "That's right! Let that yeti come - my axe is ready for it! Hahaha!"

Ugar: "As you wish, you dwarf."

Dago: "You scoundrel! I'm not a dwarf! I'll show you who's a dwarf!"

Ugar: "Hahaha, you're still short enough to grab my hair."

Others: "Pfft! Hahaha!"

When everyone saw Dago jumping at Ugar in a funny way, they all laughed and smirked.

Ashe watched them laugh and smiled along with them, feeling like she had returned to the happy days of home.

Ashe: "And what happened when you met it?"

Dago: "Well, while it was raging and attacking wildly, it seemed to be chased by the Frostguard. They chained it up and captured it."

Ashe: "Why did they capture it?"

Dago: "I don't know... Maybe to make it a war mount? I heard they've been doing that for a few years."

Ashe: "That... is a bit strange."

Ugar: "Well, there was something else strange. When the shamans (the former Ursine) came across them, they were discussing something."

Ashe: "What were they discussing?"

Ugar: "I have no idea. But the weird thing is, this happened just a month before the Ursine siege. It started..."

Dago: "Very suspicious."

Ugar: "Yeah, you're right. It was really suspicious."

Ashe: "Are you saying the Ursine and Frostguard are allies?"

Ugar: "Not at all - quite the opposite."

Ashe: "Huh? Aren't they all mages?"

Dago: "Yes, but not all mages worship the same deities. Each has their own tendencies and different goals."

Dago: "While the Ursine worship Volibear, the Frostguard worship the Three Sisters. These are opposing yet intertwined forces."

Ashe: "How so?"

Ugar: "Volibear represents war and conquest, while the Three Sisters - Lissandra, Serylda, and Avarosa - embody conflict, but in different ways."

Ugar: "Serylda and Volibear are very similar; both symbolize war and power. They're closer to each other."

Ashe: "Then what's the difference?"

Dago: "It's a difference of origin."

Ashe: "Origin?"

Dago: "Volibear is a spiritual deity that existed since Freljord's beginning with his siblings, while the Three Sisters were humans whose achievements made them seem godlike - almost impossible in people's eyes."

Ashe: "Wait, siblings? Volibear has siblings?"

Dago: "Yes, according to the Notai tribe, he has a brother and a sister: Ornn and Anivia."

Ashe: "Really? That's surprising - I didn't expect Volibear to have siblings."

Dago: "Neither did I."

Ugar: "Yeah, those Notai were really something else."

Ashe: "You mean the nomads?"

Dago: "You know them, Avarosan?"

Ashe: "Just a little. They came when I was nine years old. They stayed in our tribe but not for long before they left."

Ashe: "But they talked about Volibear and Rhond. What were they like when you met them?"

Ugar: "That was three years ago when we were hunting and they came to us. They were a nomadic tribe moving from one village to another."

Ugar: "They had many songs and stories about other deities - ones I didn't even know existed."

Ashe:Like what?"

Dago:Let me think... They had a song about Ornn, one about Anivia, and also a story about Janna and some watcher-like beings... and what else..."

Ugar:They mentioned stories of many gods. We don't know if any of them were real or not."

Ashe:That's really amazing."

Dago:Yes, it truly is."

Ugar:Oh, looks like we've arrived."

When they arrived, Ashe saw the strange fruit trees they had mentioned.

They looked like dragon fruit but were blue. There were many such trees, and the farther you looked, the more of them you could see. When Ashe saw them, she recognized them instantly.

Ashe:This... it's... dragononge."

Dago:Dragononge? Do you know what this fruit is?"

Ashe:Yes, my family and I used to trade it in the past. It grows quickly in winter and in the harshest places, but it's incredibly hard to cultivate because it needs just the right soil and climate."

Ashe:But once it sprouts, the seed turns into a tree in just a few months."

Ugar:Is it edible?"

Ashe:Yes, it's edible and can be used in recipes."

Ashe:Seeing this many, it looks like there's enough to feed the village."

Ashe: But this is strange. If there are trees like this here, why didn't you harvest them before?"

Ugar: "Ah, that's because of the elder. He told us never to go near that area under any circumstance."

Ashe: What? Why?"

Ugar:I don't know. But the elder kept warning us not to go there... He said it was because of the stormraptor."

Ashe: "Stormraptor? What's is that?"

Ugar: "I don't know. When I told the others, none of them knew what a stormraptor was."

Ashe: "What about you, Dago? Do you know anything?"

Dago:no clue, Avarosa. Even though I've known the elder for years, I have no idea what that stormraptor is."

Ashe: That's strange..."

While Ashe was speaking, the sky suddenly shifted. A strong storm struck Ashe's group, flinging them away with force.

Woooosh!

Ashe:Ugh! What strong winds - everyone, hold on!"

Zzzzing!

Dago:Was that thunder?! Where did this cursed storm come from? There weren't any clouds just now!"

Ashe:Everyone, take cover!"

Ugar:Grab the trees tight and tie ropes between you so you don't lose anyone!"

After everyone followed Ugar's orders, they clung to the trees and tied themselves to each other to keep from flying away. After a short while, the storm disappeared - but the sky had gone dark with clouds.

Dago:That was a smart idea, Ugar."

Ugar:I didn't become the construction lead for nothing."

Ashe:Just what was that? A storm appeared and vanished just like that - what happened?"

Krrrraaaaak!

Ashe: Was that a bird's sound-?"

When Ashe looked up, she was shocked. In the middle of the clouds, a comet-like object was approaching rapidly. When it stopped descending and hovered mid-air, they saw it clearly

A massive creature - a bird-like beast with four large wings, crystalline spears jutting from its wings, head, and whip-like tails. Real ice adorned its head like horns and also covered much of its chest. It stared at Ashe's group with contempt, as if looking at insects, while lightning roared in the clouds above.

(Crystalline Stormraptor: from Legends of Runeterra)

Ashe:W-what is that creature?"

Ugar:Dago, I think we just found out what the stormraptor is."

Dago:Oh, Janna help us..."

Krrrraaaaak!

When the stormraptor roared, it flapped its wings and launched those spears at them - they fell like rain.

Dago:Oh, damn!"

Ugar:Everyone, move and get down! Take cover behind rocks - not trees! That'll only make it worse!"

Krraak!

Ashe:Is everyone alright!"

Dago:Yes, we're fine.but What we do now, Avarosa?"

Ashe:Stay here and take cover."

Dago:And what about you?"

Ashe:I'll try to take it down."

Dago: "No! That's too dangerous! Let us help you! I don't want to lose anyone else - we've already lost too many!"

Ashe:No,My weapon is the only one that can hurt this thing. We can't take the risk. Once I distract it long enough, go warn the village about it."

Dago:but!

Ashe: "That's an order from me - as Avarosa."

Dago: "...Roger...

After Ashe's group took cover...she dealt with him

Ashe fired three arrows at the stormraptor, but it dodged them easily and glared at her furiously, then launched bolts of lightning her way.

Ashe:sh*t! sh*t!

Ashe dodged the incoming lightning thanks to luck and survival instinct. The bolts struck randomly - one in front, one behind, hitting like falling bombs. Ashe rolled while trying to shoot, but failed miserably.

Ashe: "At least I got its attention. Now all I have to do is keep it distracted long enough for them to warn the villagers."

KREEEEK!

Shut up, you darn chicken.

The fight between Ashe and Stormraptor turned into a game of cat and mouse. Ashe was dodging and avoiding every attack thanks to the cover of trees, mist, and smoke rising from trees set on fire by lightning strikes.

While she was running, Ashe kept firing arrows. This time, one of her arrows hit one of his wings, but the wing didn't freeze. He looked at Ashe angrily and charged at her with his massive beak.

When he hit the ground, it felt like a small earthquake had happened. He was shocked. When he pulled his beak out, he saw Ashe had shot five arrows at him.

GgggkrreeekK!

After being struck by five arrows, he flew a few meters into the air and landed far from Ashe, staring at her furiously. On the other side, Ashe was panting heavily, her body clearly scarred.

"Haah, haah... ha, how ridiculous. I became a WarMother for one day, and here I am, on the brink of death again. How many times has it been? I think this is the third time."

"I should have run away, but... I don't want to let them die. I ran away once. I don't want it to happen again. I don't want them to suffer like I did."

"I might not be the WarMother they want, but maybe I'm the WarMother they need."

KRRAAAACK!

"Shut up, chicken! Come at me, if you dare!"

KREEEEK!

He charged at her again with his long legs, same attack, and Ashe braced herself for the next blow.

HAAAA!

They both fought fiercely. Ashe used her arrows, while the beast used thunder and crystal spears. The fight looked like something from a fairy tale. But Ashe's body was full of scars, and she was barely breathing. She looked toward Stormraptor, who was charging to devour her and end the fight. Ashe had accepted her fate.

"Now! ___"

Without warning, just as he was about to eat Ashe, a rope was thrown and wrapped around his neck, pulling him backward.

KREEEEK!

But it didn't end there-more ropes were thrown, tied to trees, and pulled together. Dago jumped onto a tree near Stormraptor, climbed on his back, and started stabbing him.

KRRAAAACK!

Stormraptor screamed and tried to shake him off, but Dago tied his beak with a rope and pulled it hard downward.

Dago:Come on, guys! Pull with all your strength! Don't give him time to breathe!"

Ashe:What are you doing? I told you to leave!"

Dago:Yeah, you did say that..."

Dago: "But what's the point of warning the village if our mother dies here? When you dead, he will head to the village, and there'll be no one to stop them."

Dago:So we decided to help you. We live together or die together! Isn't that right, boys?!"

Others: "Yeah!"

Ashe: "You guys really are unbelievable...⁦ಠ⁠‿⁠ಠ⁩"

Dago: "I'm just tired of seeing others die. I won't stand by anymore. We won't let anyone else die!"

Ashe: "...You're right."

Ashe looked at Stormraptor, then looked at Dago. They nodded at each other. Ashe unleashed everything in her quiver at the beast while the others held him down. Stormraptor was immobilized-his legs, wings, and beak all tied. They used trees like pulleys and pulled with all their might. Before long, he had bled heavily from the sheer number of arrows stuck in him and began to go into delirium.

KRRAAAACK

Stormraptor flailed his tail, attacking anything he considered a threat.

Once one rope snapped, the rest followed, and he was freed-except for one. Dago was still holding the rope tied to his beak, and he kicked the beast so hard it crashed into a tree.

Ashe:Dago!"

Ugar:Dago!"

Stormraptor looked at Ashe, opened his jaws wide, and charged at her, ready to devour her. That was his biggest mistake.

Ashe charged her bow with all the power she had and fired an arrow straight into his mouth. When it entered, he screamed in an inhuman way.

His veins bulged and exploded one after another like fast dominoes. Yet even in this state, he was still focused on Ashe, getting closer.

But before he could, an axe came flying straight at the back of his neck, cutting deep. Life left his eyes, and he finally collapsed.

Dago:Haah! Told you my axe would be ready, Ugar!"

Ashe:Is everyone okay?!"

Ugar:Aside from a few injuries, nothing serious, WarMother."

Ashe:That's good. And just call me Ashe, no need to be formal."

Ugar:If you say so."

Ashe:Let's harvest the fruit quickly and go back. I don't want to face another monster, I have enough today

Dago: I Agreed with that."

Dago:By the way, why did it suddenly appear and attack us? I know we entered its territory, but I know there are creatures way bigger than us around here, and given its size, I doubt we were a good meal."

Ugar:Maybe because of the trees? It only showed up when we got really close."

Dago:That might be it?"

When Ashe looked at the Dragononge trees, she saw they were perfectly intact. In fact, they were far away. At the beginning of the fight, Stormraptor was above the trees. But during the fight, it seemed like he was trying to push them away and focused on killing them.

Ashe:It seemed like he was trying to protect something."

Other #1: "Wait, there's something in the trees!"

When one of the men shouted, Ashe ran to them and saw something. An egg-like shape with a crystal hue, and something was pulsing inside.

Ashe: "lThis is... an egg?"

Ugar:Was the one we fought a female Stormraptor?"

Dago:Wait, wait! Does that mean there's another Stormraptor? Could it come back at any moment right now!?

Ugar:No, I doubt it."

Dago:Why you think that?

Ugar:Birds in freljord usually leave the female to care for the offspring. Once they have an egg, the male looks for another mate."

Ugar:That means we're completely safe."

Dago:So what do we do with it? Kill it? Or raise it?"

Ugar: "Raise it? After what we just saw it do?"

Dago: "Yeah, I'll admit-fighting that thing was insanely dangerous. But think about the benefits. If we manage to tame it, it'd be like having our own war beast-like the Frostguard. We'd have our own beast!

Ugar:well in that case,That's WarMother decision.

Ashe:.....

Ashe:We will......"

Chapter Text

Chapter (11):wrath of north part 1

Oh we haven't seen each other in a while, right? Well looks like Ashث has set her own path, oh she wants to know about the other one, well let's not wait let's get started!

After a certain period in the clouds...

There was a falcon soaring high above, staring down at the snow-covered land of Freljord. Its eyes were fixed on a particular village near the outskirts. It glided quietly among the buildings, where warriors hammered weapons on anvils, smelted iron, and dragged ships with chains, tying them down. The ships bore the emblem of a spear. When the bird reached the center of the village, at the tribal hall, it landed on the roof.

It slipped through a gap between the pillars and entered the hall, perching high up in a distant spot, gazing at what lay inside. Within the hall, people sat on wooden chairs around a round table with a map.

These individuals were warrior women, clad in coats and bones, wielding iron weapons. They sat in the center of the hall, exchanging sharp and uneasy glances. The atmosphere around them was heavy. These were no ordinary warriors-they were the War Mothers of the five different tribes.

Muna, War Mother of the Winter's Dagger Tribe
Riran, War Mother of the Winter's Children Tribe
Zataya, War Mother of the Winter's Foot Tribe
Garia, War Mother of the Winter's Fang Tribe
Raga, War Mother of the Winter's Spear Tribe

They had gathered here for one reason...

"That new War Mother must be hanged today!" Garia shouted angrily.

She was referring to the new War Mother, Siguani, of the Winter's Claw Tribe-a thorn in their side.

"We must put her in her place," declared Zataya.

"No, we must make an example of her for the rest of the Winter's Claw Tribe," Muna retorted.

"An example? We should kill her and her entire tribe! This was clearly a declaration of war!" Riran yelled.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's gather our tribes and attack!" Garia screamed.

"Everyone, calm down," Raga interjected, trying to soothe them.

"I agree with Zataya on this. We must make the Winter's Claw know their place. We were already planning to eliminate them if they ceased to be useful."

"If it weren't for Kalkia's usefulness, we wouldn't be sitting around waiting."

"Then we must kill her!" Garia said furiously.

"But if we gather our forces and move against her together, Siguani will surely notice. She may be young, but she's not blind to our movements."

The hall fell silent because Raga's words were entirely true. No fool would fail to notice if all five tribes moved at once. Siguani would see it coming. Moreover, they knew that if five tribes united against one weak tribe, it would damage their reputation among the other tribes.

"So, what do you suggest?" Riran asked curiously.

"I propose that each of us sends our forces separately, then we regroup at that hill. Zataya, Muna, Riran, Garia-these are the locations each of you must go to before we all gather and attack without her noticing."

"This way, that fool won't know what hit her, and we'll wipe out the Winter's Claw Tribe completely. Each of you will get your share of them. What do you think?" Raga asked.

"Hmm... Your plan sounds good to me," Muna said.

"I'll agree to your plan only because I want that bit*h head," Garia growled.

"I agree as well," Zataya added.

"Wait! You mentioned where each of us should go, but what about you?" Riran pointed at Raga. "I don't see your tribe's location on the map!"

"Because I'll be heading here," Raga said, sliding her finger across the map. "This is an open field. She'll see me as the enemy and won't focus on you."

"Once she comes after me, I'll retreat and join our gathering point, and we'll finish her off directly," Raga said, staring at Riran.

"Hmph, fine," Riran snorted, dissatisfied.

"Oh, that's a clever move. She'll notice you but not us, allowing us to sneak up on her. I must say, you're like a fox," Muna remarked.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Raga replied.

"So, when does the plan begin?" Zataya asked.

"We'll all gather at that hill within the next two months."

"Good. I can't wait to see the look on that stupid girl's face when we come for her!" Garia said with a twisted smile.

"Well, since we've agreed, we shall-"

Suddenly, Raga fell silent. She looked up and saw a bird staring at her. Without wasting a second, she hurled her axe-made of True Ice-at the bird. It turned into a small ice statue and landed on the table, shattering like glass.

"Oho! What was that?" Garia asked.

"It was just a bird, Raga. Was it really necessary to use a True Ice weapon?" Muna said, adjusting her own True Ice daggers. "For a moment, I thought it was an intruder. You didn't have to be so impulsive."

"You're right. Maybe I overthought it," Raga admitted.

...............

In the Winter's Claw Tribe...

Inside the hall, Sejuani sat on Kalkia's throne, while urkath leaned against the wall. They both watched as a shaman knelt before them, coughing up blood.

"Ugggh!... That's all I could uncover, War Mother. The animal I was bonded to is dead," the shaman said, blood dripping from his lips.

"Wow!, you really have a talent for angering WarMothers," Orkath remarked, leaning against the wall with a smirk.

"I refuse to bow to anyone, urkath. Even if it means starting a war," Sejuani replied.

"Such confidence. I love that. But we still have a big problem," urkath said, his playful expression turning serious.

"Even if they split up across different territories, their numbers are still vast. This isn't like the ship raid-this time, we don't have the element of surprise. They'll be prepared, not to mention they have shamans on their side."

"You're right... By the way, where did you find this shaman?" Sejuani asked.

" Oh, this person, just a whim from me. saved him while hunting, and now he owes me," urkath said dismissively.

"Good. If he weren't your friend, I'd have cut off his head the moment he stepped into the hall. You can return to your Frostguard friends," Sejuani said indifferently.

"I'm not with the Frostguard, WarMother Sejuani," the shaman interjected.

"What? You're not with them? But you're a shaman?"

"Not all shamans serve the Frostguard," the shaman replied, lowering his head.

"I belonged to a tribe. They respected me, but rumors of my madness got me exiled. I wandered the wilds of Freljord until Orkath found me and gave me food."

"And it's not just me. There are many outcast shamans or those who left their tribes, wandering Freljord, doing their best to survive."

"...What's your name?" Sejuani asked.

"What?" The shaman was confused.

"I asked for your name," Sejuani repeated.

"My name is Floki, War Mother," he said nervously.

"Good... From now on, you'll follow me, Floki. Now leave."

"You're letting someone like me join your side, WarMother?" Floki asked in shock.

"Don't make me repeat myself,"sejuani said.

"Thank you... Thank you for your mercy, WarMother," Floki said before quietly leaving the hall.

Once he was gone, only Siguani and Orkath remained.

"So, what's your plan?" Urkath asked.

"What do you mean?"sejuani replied.

"Come on, Sejuani. I know you well. You wouldn't keep him around unless he was useful. The only useful thing is-"

"The other shamans he mentioned. We can recruit them to our side."

"Yes, but we still have a numbers problem. They have a massive army. We need to-"

"...urkath, do you know any warriors unaffiliated with them that we can recruit?" Sejuani asked.

"What? There aren't any... Oh damn, unfortunately, there is one."

"Tell me who they are."Sejuani speak

"I know a group led by a terrifying warrior named Scarthane Steffen."

"I've never heard of him. Which tribe is he from?"Sejuani said

"No, they're not a tribe. They're just warriors who live by pillaging. They don't have a War Mother and are led by their chieftain."urkath reply

"They don't have a WarMother? I've never heard of such a thing. Only weak villages lack a War Mother. Is this Steffen strong?"Sejuani asked

"Strong? Haha......ha! I faced him once, Sejuani, and trust me when I say you don't want to fight him while he's riding that ugly wolf. His attacks feel like being rammed by a mammoth's tusk. I barely escaped alive last time."urkath's hand trembled as he spoke.

"Where are they now?"Sejuani asked

"They usually stay in the Ramfarg Woods. No sane person would even think of going there." urkath said

"Interesting," Sejuani mused.

"Siguani, what are you- Wait, you're not thinking what I fear you are doing..." Urkath said with dread.

"Gather the men, urkath. We're going to meet these people," Sejuani said, putting on her helmet.

"Sejuani!" Urkath shouted.

"Call me as War Mother, urkath" she said coldly.

"Listen to me, Sej- WarMother! These people only understand the language of strength! They don't care if you're a War Mother or not! It's nearly impossible to reason with them!" Urkath pleaded.

"Then this will be even better," Sejuani said.

"Huh?" Urkath was stunned.

"People like this are the easiest to bring to my side. Trust me on this, urkath," Sejuani said, strapping her ice blade to her belt.

As Sejuani walked out, urkath was left scratching his head in frustration.

"Fine, let's go recruit those bandits."

"I knew you'd say that," sejuani said with a smile.

Chapter Text

Chapter (12):wrath of north part 2

Somewhere in Freljord...

Sejuani was walking through the snowy forest on foot, while urkath was ahead, kneeling on the ground, touching the footprint of some creature in the snow. He was tracking something.

"We're on the right path, WarMother," urkath spoke.

"Good," Sejuani replied.

Sejuani was with urkath and a large number of warriors-almost half of the Winter's Claw warriors-heading toward a specific destination.

"So, do you know anything about these people?" Sejuani asked.

"Well, there are many stories about them," urkath replied, scratching his chin.

"Some say they're thieves, others say they're outcasts, and some believe they're cowards exiled from their tribe," urkath answered.

"What do *you* think, then, urkath?" Sejuani asked.

"In my opinion, they're a bunch of troublemakers-especially their leader. Damn it! I still remember the feeling of his blows," urkath spoke angrily.

"How did you survive, by the way? Didn't you say they were a group?" Sejuani asked.

"Ah, let's just say I was lucky. They were focused on another target and left me after their leader beat me half to death," urkath said.

"What does their leader look like?"

"Like a bear riding a giant wolf. He's built like a fortress. I heard he was once considered one of the strongest barbarians in the North."

"Once?" Sejuani asked.

"Yes. I heard a rumor that a young warrior defeated him and slaughtered his entire tribe," urkath replied.

"What kind of warrior could perform such a feat?" Sejuani asked with interest.

"I don't know. It's just a rumor-might not even be true. I mean, one warrior wiping out an entire tribe? That's the biggest nonsense I've ever heard-more ridiculous than the Dry Lands where there's scorching heat instead of snow," urkath answered.

"Dry Lands? That *is* utter nonsense," Sejuani replied bluntly.

"See? That's exactly what I told that senile old man. But nooooo!, he insisted on it and even yelled at me while drooling. Damn old fool!" urkath ranted.

"I swear, if I see him again, I'll kill-"

"Wait..."

"What is it, Sejuani?"

Sejuani stopped advancing, and so did their warriors. They looked at her strangely, wondering what was happening. Sejuani was staring at the trees, her pupils dilating as she saw something glinting.

"Shields! Now!"

The moment Sejuani spoke, arrows suddenly shot out from nowhere toward the Winter's Claw. The arrows were deflected by shields as Sejuani barked orders, and the warriors raised their wooden shields, forming a protective dome. Sejuani used her whip to deflect incoming arrows, while urkath lifted his wooden shield to block those aimed at him.

"Ugh! You damned bastards! Show yourselves! We just want to talk! I'm a friend of Steffen!"

Suddenly, the arrows stopped, and a large group of warriors emerged.

These warriors wore primitive clothing and carried crude weapons-some had bows and quivers, others axes. From their midst, a figure stepped forward.

This person rode a massive, long wolf, moving with an air of majesty. He bore no scars and appeared young, holding a solid stone spear and wearing tribal garb. He looked down at Sejuani and her men with disdain.

(Scarthane Steffen from legends of runeterra)

(Note: he's now don't have any scars and he's younger from the image in the game)

"Is this Scarthane Steffen?" Sejuani whispered to Orkkath.

"Yes, you're looking at him now," urkath replied.

"You didn't tell me he was a young man. I thought he'd be an old warrior," Sejuani said.

"Wait, Sejuani, don't tell me you've fallen for him!" urkath joked.

"Not like that. I just mean this'll make things easier," Sejuani said confidently.

"(Sigh) Your and thought," urkath muttered tiredly.

Sejuani stepped forward. Scarthane Steffen, their leader, looked at her in turn, but he remained distant, and someone stood in front of Sejuani, blocking her path.

"Hey, you! What brings a noble Iceborn girl like you to our territory?" The rogue glanced at Orkkath before speaking again. "So, you finally decided to show your face, you cowardly rat."

"Yeah, yeah, mock me all you want. But we're not here to fight," urkath said.

"Then why *are* you here?" someone behind the rogue asked.

Orkkath looked at Sejuani before she spoke. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to ask something of you."

"Hmph, do you take us for dogs? To make *requests* of us? And where's your War Mother? At least *she* should be the one speaking," another man said.

"I *am* the War Mother," Sejuani replied coldly.

"You?" the outlaws asked in unison.

"Yes."

"..."

Pf...

Pfft...

"Pfft... Hahahahahaha!"

The outlaws burst into mocking laughter-all except their leader, who sat quietly on his wolf, watching Sejuani with curiosity.

"We've heard the Winter's Claw is a cowardly tribe, but we never expected them to be this weak leading ,by a child! A child!"

"The Winter's Claw really is something else."

"That 'little girl' has fangs sharper than yours," Sejuani retorted coldly.

"Oh, what are you gonna do? Attack me with your tiny paws? You're nothing but-"

At that moment, Steffen raised his hand, silencing his men. They immediately fell quiet and slowly stepped back, clearing a path for Sejuani.

"Why have you come here?... From your actions, you don't seem the type seeking revenge or driven by curiosity. You want something else," Steffen said.

"I came to recruit you. We need warriors," Sejuani stated.

"Ah, I've heard the other tribes are planning something," Steffen replied, stroking his chin.

"They're planning a war against me," Sejuani said.

"I see... That explains their strange movements," Steffen murmured calmly.

"Yes," Sejuani answered, clenching her fists in anger.

"You're fighting a losing war," Steffen remarked.

"You won't know defeat until you face it first," Sejuani shot back.

"You're young and lack the qualifications to be a War Mother," Steffen said, shaking his head.

"The same goes for you. Your name bears 'Scar,' yet I see none on your body," Sejuani retorted, staring at his muscular frame.

"Because the scars are on my soul, little girl," Steffen taunted.

"You're only two years older than me," Sejuani said.

"But I have more experience than you," Steffen countered.

"Then how about an honorable duel? Since you claim to be so skilled-a one-on-one fight. I won't use my weapon, and you won't use your beast-war. Hand-to-hand combat."

"Hmm... If that's your wish, so be it."

Steffen dismounted his wolf and slowly approached Sejuani.

Sejuani stepped forward as well, stopping close to him. Their men instinctively backed away, forming a makeshift arena around them.

They stood silently as snowflakes drifted gently. A bird perched on a tree branch watched intently and let out a loud cry.

*(Caw!)*

As if the bird's call was the signal, their battle began-a clash between two beasts, each roaring as they charged.

*(Haaaaah!)*
*(Haaaaaaargh!)*

Sejuani dashed in, spinning mid-air to deliver a kick to Steffen's head, but he blocked with his arms and shoved her off-balance. He followed up with a punch, but she dodged at the last second and countered with a strike to his face. He tilted away skillfully, avoiding the blow, then swung a fist toward her jaw.

Sejuani ducked and swept at his legs, but he didn't budge. He aimed another punch at her as she rolled back, but she recovered quickly.

Meanwhile, Steffen leaped forward, pressing the attack. Sejuani, still dusted with snow, saw his fist coming-no time to dodge. She crossed her arms to block, but the force sent her stumbling back three steps. She glared at him, undeterred.

"You know men have greater strength and muscle than women. A girl like you can't win a fistfight against me. That's why you rely on technique-to compensate for your lack of power."

"And women have greater agility and flexibility. You were hoping to choke me out, thinking I'm just some arrogant barbarian who underestimates women because there's no War Mother, right?"

"Too bad for you-I respect women, only the strong ones!" he spoke as he rushed toward her.

Steffen charged at her like a wild animal. Sejuani prepared to strike him.

When she hit him directly in the stomach, he didn't seem affected at all and instead swung his fist toward her. Sejuani dodged the attack and landed two punches on him. As the second punch landed on his face, she felt a surge of confidence in defeating him.

But without realizing it, the moment she struck him, Steffen had already aimed his fist at her body and delivered a powerful blow.

**Kyooogh!**

Sejuani staggered back four steps and looked at Steffen. There was blood in his mouth, which he wiped with his hand before calmly staring at her.

"I must admit, you're strong. But your story ends here, little war mother."

"We'll see about that."

Both of them lunged at each other, their roars echoing into the sky.

This time, Steffen stopped holding back and focused solely on attacking. Sejuani managed to land three or four punches before one of his strikes finally hit her. Despite her dire state, she still targeted his vital spots.

Steffen's body was tough, but even he had his limits to how many hits he could take. Siwani's condition, however, was worse. Her body was muscular but slender compared to his massive frame.

Finally, when Steffen landed a heavy blow, Sejuani slightly buckled. He then raised both fists together to finish her off.

But this was exactly what Sejuani had been waiting for. She slid down, positioned herself behind him, and leaped onto his back, locking him in a triple chokehold.

He slammed her against a tree, using her body as a cushion for his back with full force.

**Grrrrrn!**

Sejuani gritted her teeth in pain but kept choking him. Meanwhile, he continued smashing her against the tree. This was no longer a battle of skill-it was a battle of endurance. Whoever collapsed first would lose.

Everyone watched anxiously, their eyes fixed on the two.

In the end, Steffen collapsed and fell to the ground. Once he was down, Sejuani released him and stood up.

**Cough! Cough!**

Steffen spat blood-a sign that he was still alive for some reason. The others looked at Siwani with awe.

"Listen to me..."

"You are a band of thieves, outcasts, strays-you have no place among the tribes. But I came here to offer you a chance to change your fate."

"Speak... We're listening," Steffen replied with all the strength he had left.

"Join me, and I will give you something you won't find anywhere else."

"Something we won't find? Money? Food?"

"Loyalty."

"I will share equally with you based on your efforts. Your anger will be my anger, your hunger my hunger, and my warmth your warmth."

The group exchanged glances before turning to their leader, waiting for his final decision.

"We'll join... but we'll leave if things go badly," Steffen said with difficulty.

"Trust me, you won't regret this."

And so, this was the spark-the spark of a beginning.

Chapter Text

Chapter (13):wrath of the north part 3

Somewhere in Freljord.....

There was, somewhere, a camp in the harsh lands of Freljord—a camp set up by a group of warriors. There were porters carrying loads, others chopping wood, and many tents scattered around. In the center stood a large tent, where a woman in her forties silently sharpened her axe, crafted from true ice. These were the men of the Winter’s Claw tribe.

They had begun executing the plan they had agreed upon: building a camp here, waiting, and then moving to the rendezvous point. And somewhere in the camp, two individuals were on watch duty.

"Honestly, this is a stupid plan! Why don’t we just go and kill them already?" Warrior #1 spoke angrily.

"Shut up! Someone might hear you—or worse, word might get back to Mother! If that happens, it won’t end well," replied Warrior #2.

"Fine! Fine!" Warrior #1 snapped back.

"Ah, right—by the way, what did those idiots do to piss off all those tribes?" Warrior #1 asked.

"I heard they looted a ship full of resources and treasure," Warrior #2 said, scratching his beard.

"Wow! I wish I’d been with them! It’s been ages since I last had any meat after that last storm," Warrior #1 said excitedly.

"Yeah, apparently she refused to share any of the spoils with them," Warrior #2 replied.

"Pfft, just for that? There are other, more miserable tribes out there who deserve to be robbed," Warrior #1 said mockingly.

"And because she killed one of the Winter’s Fang emissaries, turning them all into her enemies," Warrior #2 continued.

"Oooh! Now that’s just dumb! Even I’m not crazy enough to make all those war mothers my enemies. They didn’t become leaders for no reason," Warrior #1 said.

"Yeah, it’s completely idiotic. I wonder what that woman’s grudge is about," Warrior #2 pondered.

"Ironically, we warriors fight to survive, while the war mothers fight for control... When you think about it, isn’t that just absurd?" Warrior #1 asked.

"...Yeah, I completely agree..."

"What? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it’s just surprising to hear you talk like that. The only two things you care about are your kill count and how much loot you’ve grabbed," Warrior #2 remarked.

"Yeah, but bringing up that mother who acts like some rebel just pisses me off. She reminds me of my son," Warrior #1 grumbled.

"Yeah... technically, she’s just a kid. She became a war mother by cowardly killing her own mother," Warrior #2 said.

"That explains a lot..."

"So, how long do you think we should wait before attacking?" Warrior #1 asked.

"Hmm... In my opinion, we’ll probably wait a few more days before deciding to move," Warrior #2 replied.

"That’s gonna take forever. I’ll die of boredom."

"Haha... Well, don’t say that, or you might really die—"

When he turned to his friend, he saw an arrow lodged in his neck—dead, still sitting upright.

"What?! Enemy—"

Before he could finish his sentence, three arrows struck him—two in the stomach and one in the head.

"I told you I never miss the mark, girl," said a warrior following Steffen.

"Yes, I believe you now... Now, while we've killed the lookouts, it's our turn to use the element of surprise against them," replied Sejuani.

The warriors led by Sejuani and Scarthane Steffen stood in a blind spot between the snowy hills.

"Men, today is our day. On this day, we do not fight for glory... We do not fight for honor... We fight for survival!"

"Before us now stands the enemy who has taken everything from us—the enemy responsible for making us weak, pitiful!"

"They eat our food, drink from our cups, and we bow our heads. But now, I say, enough of this! Enough of weakness! Today, we will survive... We fight... because we have nothing left to lose!"

"So let us show them. Let us show those who think themselves above us what we are made of. And I will show them terror... the terror of the Winter's Claw!"

"To war!" shouted Sejuani.

"To war!" the warriors of the Winter's Claw roared enthusiastically after Sejuani's speech—except for Steffen's men, who remained silent and slightly shaken.

They all charged and rushed toward the camp. As they ran, they shook the earth, and the wind howled like a roar, screaming with them. Every member of the clan turned to look at them.

"What—"

"Grrrk!"

"Enemy attack!!"

"Retreat— Ack!"

What happened was a complete surprise—a massive horde of warriors rushed at them, and they couldn't react because they were under constant assault. They had been making preparations.

What happened to them was like a flock of sheep being attacked by a pack of wolves.

Anyone who stood their ground was stabbed or cut down, and anyone who tried to flee or retreat to grab a weapon was shot with an arrow. The shock attack Sejuani had unleashed was brutal—and this was the core of her plan.

Sejuani had thought, as she looked at their numbers, that the best strategy was a surprise attack—to minimize her losses as much as possible and avoid putting herself in a vulnerable position that Steffen and his men could exploit.

As they charged, Sejuani watched Steffen riding his massive wolf, thrusting his spear with terrifying force. He had impaled someone through the heart, lifted them on his spear, and flung them aside. His wolf moved as it pleased, chasing down a few men and mauling them while Steffen stabbed again. The wolf bit into someone's skull and crushed it like a melon.

Sejuani saw this and couldn't help but be awed by the terror. Had she not challenged him to hand-to-hand combat, she wouldn't have thought she stood a chance against him while he rode that wolf. It would be two against one—she would lose badly. She knew that better than anyone, for this warrior came from a distant land.

"Damn... Am I really that weak?" Sejuani thought as she continued charging without stopping.

While they rushed forward, Sejuani noticed something: they were beginning to recover.

Because appearing before her were warriors—men and women—gathered together, armed with their weapons. Among them stood a woman wearing a Viking helmet, wielding an axe made of real ice, pointing it directly at her.

"You!! Yooouuuu wretched coward! How dare you attack me!?" Zataya screamed.

"The same goes for you, aunties. You were the ones who planned to attack me in the first place. Did you really think I’d stay silent?"

"How could you?!" Zataya asked in shock.

"Who knows?" Sejuani replied coldly.

"Grrrrr... Kill her! My children!" Zataya shrieked.

"Come on, Winter's Claw! Show them our mettle!"

Haaaaaaa!

Both sides charged at each other. The clash of swords rang out, and arrows rained from the sky. Amidst all this, Sejuani engaged Zataya in combat.

Zataya lunged fiercely at Sejuani, swinging her axe with brute force. The axe came straight for her face, but Sejuani deflected it using the Chain of Falling and used the end of the chain like a dagger to counter Zataya, blocking the attack. The two exchanged blows before pushing each other back a few meters.

"Do you really think they’ll let you go after this, you weakling?" Zataya threatened, pointing a finger at her. "Once they find out, everyone will come rushing to wipe out your entire tribe!"

"How will they find out?" Sejuani asked innocently.

"Huh? The people from my tribe will tell the others that we were attacked, and then—"

"But they’re dead. The dead don’t speak. You should know that better than anyone," Sejuani replied calmly.

"You— What are you... Oh no... No... You can’t possibly be thinking of—" Zataya spoke in shock, realizing what Sejuani meant.

"At least you have a brain," Sejuani retorted arrogantly.

"You monster!!!! I’ll kill you!" Raaaaaaahhhhhhh!

Zataya charged in rage like a wild beast toward Sigwani.

But the shock was that Sejuani took the hit without even attempting to dodge or block it. The tip of the Chain of Falling pierced Zataya’s shoulder as she ran forward. Sigwani tried to pull it back, but she realized the chain was lodged in her shoulder.

"How?!" Sejuani asked in shock, clutching her wound.

"Surprised? This is why we’re called Winter’s Foot—we always march forward without stopping. That is our legacy!"

"That’s why you’re called Winter’s Foot? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard," Sejuani replied bluntly.

"Shut up! You’re going to die now anyway!" Zataya screamed.

"Not on my watch!" Steffen shouted.

"What___

Suddenly, Steffen lunged and attacked her with his stone spear with all his might, but Zataya parried it with her icy axe. However, the force of the blow was so strong that it sent her flying a few meters and freed the obsidian whip from her body.

Steffen looked at her with a strange expression before speaking.

"Can you keep fighting, Sejuani?" Steffen asked.

"Yes, I can. And I have a question... why?" Sejuani asked.

"???? What exactly?" Steffen replied.

"Didn’t you say you’d run if the situation was dangerous?" Sejuani asked as she steadied herself.

"Yes, I said that—if the battle was going badly, not if *you* were in bad shape," Steffen retorted sarcastically.

"Now’s not the time for sarcasm," Sejuani snapped.

"This isn’t sarcasm, it’s just___

"Steffen, watch out!"

Zataya rushed toward him and struck his wolf with her icy axe. The wolf let out a high-pitched whine, staggered, and collapsed to the ground.

"Scaro!" Steffen cried as he fell from its back.

Steffen rolled through the snow and saw Zataya raising her axe high. He raised his armored spear in defense, but when she swung, the weapon split in two and fell from his hands.

"Damn it!" Steffen cursed.

Now unarmed, Steffen quickly drew the small axe from his pocket and swung it at Zataya, punching her with all his strength in the face. She staggered back, her head snapping to the side. Steffen exhaled in relief—but in that moment, Zataya yanked her arm back and swung at him, slashing a deep wound across his stomach.

"Gggghhh!"

Steffen screamed in pain as the true ice’s effect seared through his body. He dropped to his knees, letting go of the axe, and clutched his stomach.

"I’m genuinely impressed by you... Most warriors who take a hit from my axe either pass out from the pain or die. But it seems you’re tough. Unfortunately, this is where your story ends, boy," Zataya said in arrogance.

As she was about to split his head in two, the attack was blocked. Her arm froze mid-swing as chains wrapped around it. When she turned, she saw Sejuani—barely standing—using the last of her strength to hold her back.

"Now, Steffen!"

Steffen didn’t waste a second. He lunged forward and drove the broken stone spear into Zataya’s body with all his might. She coughed up blood but then jerked her head forward, headbutting Steffen hard enough to make his nose bleed. As he stumbled back, Zataya yanked the chain binding her arm, pulling Sejuani toward her.

She swung her axe, but Sejuani rolled away at the last second, barely dodging the strike. Now standing beside Steffen, the two locked eyes with Zataya, who pulled the spear fragment from her body and used the true ice in her axe to freeze the wound, stopping the bleeding. She glared at them menacingly.

Without a word, Steffen and Sejuani charged at her simultaneously.

Both were exhausted, injured, and ignoring the battle around them. Their sole focus was taking down their enemy—this time, they knew it would be their final clash.

Steffen attacked with his small axe, forcing Zataya to block and counter. Sejuani lashed out with her whip, but Zataya ducked and kicked Steffen square in his stomach wound.

She then turned to Sihwani, rushing to finish her off with a Sejuani scream.

"She managed to wound Sejuani three times, but unlike Steffen, she wasn’t affected by the true ice’s frostbite—being born of ice herself. Still, the cold gnawed at her, and she gritted her teeth before charging forward."

"Die!" Zataya shrieked, swinging her axe for the killing blow.

At the last second, Sejuani twisted her body, dodging the strike, and drove the whip’s spike straight into Zataya’s heart.

"Bwoooaaghh!"

Zataya coughed up blood, staring in shock.

"Damn... Winter’s Claw... dying too soon..."

With those final words, Zataya collapsed—dead. The war mother of the Winter’s Foot tribe was no more.

Sejuani turned to Steffen.

"Can you keep fighting?" she asked, extending a hand.

"Using my own words against me? Hah... (cough) (cough) Damn it!

Steffen grabbed her arm and pulled himself up. The two surveyed the battlefield—the battle was nearing its end, and it seemed the Winter’s Claw and the raiders had dominated. Only a few Winter’s Foot warriors remained.

Steffen looked at the carnage.

"So... what now?"

"I’ll hunt down the rest. I won’t rest until the last of these snakes is dead," Sejuani hissed venomously.

"Are you serious? We barely survived fighting one*
of them, and you want to kill them all? Even if you take out their war mothers, someone else will lead them. Not to mention, they’ll find out we attacked them one way or another."

"They won’t," Sejuani said coldly.

"How?" Steffen asked, curious.

"Like I said before... the dead don’t talk," Sejuani replied calmly.

"Once the battle ends, tell your men to come with us. We’ll wipe them all out."

"Are you planning... to slaughter the entire Winter’s Foot tribe?"

"Yes," Sejuani answered.

"What you’re about to do goes against all of Freljord’s laws and traditions."

"No,you’re wrong," Sejuani countered.

"Huh?" Steffen was stunned.

"The Freljord operates on one principle: survival of the strongest. Only the strong live to write their own rules and values."

"And I’m just writing mine—my rules for surviving in the Freljord."

With that, Sejuani walked toward her warriors and rejoined the battle. Steffen watched her silently amid the screams and clashes of the camp, wondering what he should do next... 

Chapter Text

Chapter 14:cursed promise part 1

In Frostguard Citadel...

Lissandra was sitting on her dark icy throne, which she had almost crafted herself. She was alone, sitting in silence.

She tapped her finger on the armrest of the throne while her other hand rested on her chin. Lissandra was seated now—today was nothing special. Her warriors were training, the inquisitors were doing their work, and she awaited news and reports to decide her next move. This was her daily routine; this had been her everyday life.

But for some reason, she felt it wasn’t an ordinary day. She sensed something was different—a bad premonition haunting her, though she didn’t yet know exactly what it was. Everything was in its place: some tribes enjoyed peace, while others fought by their own will. She was the one who pulled the strings, forcing certain tribes to battle each other.

Yet she began to feel a tingling on her pale blue skin—something she hadn’t felt in a very, very long time... Lissandra felt the need to do something, to move.

"No use sitting here. I should investigate... perhaps below, I might find something..."

As Lissandra rose and moved, she used her magic to form dark ice blocks beneath her feet, using them as a floating platform—like a magic carpet. This wasn’t out of arrogance or laziness, but a simple spell she had used in the past, which had become a habit over time.

She rarely moved on foot—only when there were stairs or when she needed to address her servants.

Lissandra descended the icy stairs and walked through the stone corridors made of black granite. She passed a few Darklorn Knights, who bowed and gave her a military salute, standing like statues as she passed. After a while, she stopped at a certain passage.

This passage led to the Forbidden Library—the library that stored the most guarded secrets, knowledge that no one was allowed to know. Only a select few were permitted entry. As she approached, she saw several Darklorn Inquisitors.

"Greetings, Lady of Ice and Darkness," one of the Darklorn Inquisitors spoke while they all knelt on one knee.

"Rise,"Lissandra replied with a faint smile.

"Tell me how we may serve you, Lady," one of the Darklorn Inquisitors said.

"No, I did not come for your service. I came merely to... get some air. Carry on with your duties," Lissandra responded coldly.

"As you wish, our Lady," the Darklorn Inquisitor said as the others stepped aside for her.

When she reached the end of the passage, she entered the Forbidden Library. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by the sight of shelves storing ancient scrolls and tomes, made of deep blue granite, while the floor was entirely of black stone. Pale blue flames illuminated the room.

The library was quiet and silent, but Lissandra heard some movements and swiftly moved like a panther using her magic. She saw that there was someone—someone special—and recognized him the moment she laid eyes on him.

It was a man wearing the same Darklorn attire, but he had a long white beard with a few braids in it, dark circles under his eyes, and he was holding several scrolls in his hands. He was running his finger along the lines, reading what was written and muttering in faint whispers. This person was the high Darklorn.

(Note:this from league of legends freljord religion,and also he named just darklorn I changed for my story)

These were her oldest and most loyal men—individuals who had trained, worked by her side for a long time, and became the ancient priests she had personally appointed. They knew secrets that those of lower ranks did not. They were the ones she trusted the most even now, because she knew they would never dare betray her—not to mention they rarely left the fortress.

As soon as Darklorn spotted Lissandra, he immediately knelt on his knees in submission.

"Greetings, my great and faithful one," spoke the High Darklorn

"Raise your head," Lissandra said.

High Darklorn lifted his head toward Lissandra with reverence. "How may a humble servant like me be of service to you?"

"Nothing important. I came here on a whim. But why are you here with all these piled-up scrolls?"Lissandra asked curiously.

"Ah, forgive me for this. A trivial matter, incomparable to your grand plans," High Darklorn replied sincerely. "I will return everything to its place once I finish."

"Speak. Consider it an order from me," Lissandra responded coldly.

"Then excuse me for what I am about to say, my lady. I have had... a dream,"*
said High Priest Darklorn

"A dream?"* Lissandra asked.

"I dreamed... a nightmare, to be precise. I dreamed that I was being chased by a terrifying, giant monster, and it devoured me alive. After eating me, I fell into an abyss with no light. It felt as though I had fallen into darkness," High Darklorn spoke with horror as he recalled what happened.

"But the strangest thing was that when I woke up, I felt a chilling cold in my bones... and dark circles began to appear under my eyes. I thought it was just a cold, but every time I cross the bridge, that feeling returns—the feeling of void."

The moment he mentioned the word "void," Lissandra tensed up, and her hands began to tremble involuntarily. But she steadied herself and calmed within seconds.

"Tell me, exactly when did this happen to you?"

"Hmm..it..... It was a week ago,my queen it was week from now, while I was meditating near the Mortis Stones, I heard a voice inside my head.

"It was screaming in my mind. I couldn’t understand what it was saying, but it was definitely cursing me. I could feel the anger and hatred overflowing in its voice."

"I see. You may go and return now. I will deal with this matter," Lissandra said, gesturing for him to leave.

"Thank you for your kindness, my queen," the high Darklorn replied as he left the library.

The moment he left, Lissandra used her magic and moved with shocking speed downward.

She was panting heavily, as she was dashing with her ice magic at an incredible speed. She was unfocused, making it harder to maintain her spell. Some Darklorn members saw Lissandra, but before they could bow to her, she walked past them, ignoring them. When this happened, they tilted their heads in confusion—this was not her usual behavior.

As she descended into the depths of Frostguard Citadel, she reached the Black Bridge, made of black granite and carved with unparalleled mastery—as if a god had sculpted it. She walked across the bridge and jumped. As she fell, she used her ice magic to form a temporary icy bridge, allowing her to run swiftly and land safely on the ground.

When she descended and reached the deepest part of the fortress—Pierce Eyes—everything was silent and still... *too* still. Lissandra felt an ominous premonition that something was about to happen.

As she searched, she looked downward and felt a tremor in the,Mortis Stones. When she stared closely below, she felt a faint shiver within them.

"No... No, no... This must not happen! He must remain in slumber!" Lissandra spoke in horror.

He was about to wake up.He was awakening—Lissandra’s nightmare was waking from his dream.

Lissandra reached toward the ice and touched it, muttering a few words. She felt a hint of fear about what she was about to do.

Lissandra had no choice but to enter his mind. It was a risk, but it was nothing compared to the terror that would unfold if they awakened.

Lissandra was about to step into his dream...

it would be a risk—she might die, but she would do it. Not for Freljord, and not for her, but to find herself, to consider her sacrifice a path through to her redemption,even it was dying for nothing and failed,at least she doing one good thing in her life

The stone's light shone brightly into her eyes, despite her blindness, and when the light faded,

.

.

.

After moment,she found herself in a completely different place.  

She was in the same location, but there were no ice statues, no Mortis Stones, no bridges. She felt strange, as if something was missing, but she didn’t yet know what it was.  

"Is this their dream?" Lissandra wondered as she walked through the place.  

The area was nearly empty, with no trace of the Darklorn. Instead, it resembled a stone castle, barren of any furniture or decorations.  

As Lissandra walked, she pondered the nature of their dream—what exactly their dream was—until she reached a hall where what she felt shocked her.  

Before her stood two women—one wielding an ice whip, the other holding an ice bow. They seemed unaware of her, engrossed in a heated argument.  

"As I was saying, it’s better if we go and kill them all!" shouted the woman with the whip.  

"Sister... war isn’t the solution to every problem. One day,your people will be against you if you continue down this path," replied the woman with the bow.  

"Hmph! You always stand in my way—every single time! It’s the family’s duty to let each other be! That’s why I prefer her over you!" 

The two women arguing were well known to Lissandra—they were Serylda and Avarosa, the two who deserved the title of *friend* to her. They were...  

*"Oh, looks like you’ve finally returned! Why did you make us wait, anyway?"* Serylda asked with a hint of anger, glaring at Lissandra.  

*"Ah, Serylda... I...____"*  

*"Sorry about that, I was busy reaching an agreement with them,"* spoke a mysterious woman as she stepped forward in front of Lissandra.  

When Lissandra looked, she was stunned by what her magically enhanced eyes saw. Before her stood a woman with white hair and bluish skin, dressed in dark blue-black robes. It was... her past self.  

Lissandra stared at her past self in utter disbelief, questioning her own sanity.  

"So, what did you conclude? Will they help us destroy elkbones?" Serylda asked, her voice laced with anger.  

"Yes, Serylda. There are people willing to aid us in exchange for helping them reach our world," her past self replied, walking with enthusiasm.  

"No... stop this!"* Present Lissandra screamed as she attacked her past self with an ice spear, only for it to pass through her like an illusion.  

"What?"Past Lissandra recoiled, countering with a few spells, but nothing had any effect. "So I can’t interfere directly? Am I in a dream?" Present Lissandra thought.  

"Who are they? Don’t tell me they’re gods! We already have Volibear and Ornn!" Serylda shouted.  

"No, you’re mistaken, Serylda. They’re not gods. They’re from another world called the Void—a world like paradise, free of suffering and death. Their world was... perfect."

"Another world?" Avarosa asked.  

"Yes, they’re from a world with laws different from ours,"Past Lissandra explained.  

"They will kill the gods in Freljord, and then we will rule all of Freljord! We’ll build the greatest empire this land has ever seen,"Lissandra replied, smiling.  

"Then why do they want to help us? I doubt they’d do it out of mere courtesy?" Avarosa asked skeptically.  

"Are you doubting? And here I thought you were the most compassionate among us,"Serylda smirked.  

"It’s not doubt—it’s caution. All my life in Freljord, before becoming a Warmother, I’ve learned there’s always intent and motive behind everything. So I ask again—what do they want?" Avarosa pressed.  

"By the way, what are these people called?" Serylda asked.  

"They do have a name, my sisters,"Past Lissandra replied coldly.  

"The beings who existed before Runeterra. The ones who lived and sees everything, who dwell in the shadows of magic—ancient creatures, more powerful than any shaman I’ve ever seen."  

"The Watchers!" Past Lissandra declared with excitement.  

"Yes... the Watchers. The ones I once believed were our salvation,"Present Lissandra spoke with anger and regret in her voice, clenching her fists tightly.  

"So, in exchange for their help, what must we do for them?" Avarosa asked.  

"You’d better listen carefully. Let me tell you now what our deal with them is,"Lissandra said eagerly, about to explain the terms of their agreement.  

And that's how it all began, the beginning of the nightmare.

Chapter Text

Chapter (15): cursed promise part 2

Lissandra of the past explained the deal with the Watchers, and something specific caught the attention of her sisters.  

"The Iceborn?"  

"Yes, my sisters. The Iceborn can withstand the power of True Ice. We won’t need to drink the remaining Rhond blood to use True Ice—we can wield it and carry it at all times."  

"What? Is this real?!" Serylda spoke in shock.  

"Also, once we become Iceborn, we won’t be affected by the cold. They said it could even grant us long life," Lissandra of the past spoke joyfully.  

"Avarosa! Isn’t this a great deal?!" Serylda exclaimed excitedly.  

"...Right... This is immense generosity from them... Too generous."  

"Sister, what are you trying to say?" asked Lissandra of the past.  

"I feel they aren’t doing this without reason. What do they want in return? Something..."  

"They only want us to open a bridge between their world and ours, to prepare Runeterra for their arrival—the arrival of the Void."  

"Just that? No food, no wealth? Just refuge?!" Avarosa raised an eyebrow.  

"Yes..." Lissandra replied simply.  

"This is suspicious... Very suspicious," Avarosa said, a faint glow in her eyes.  

"Sister Avarosa, the Watchers’ deal may seem suspicious. But think of it another way—we could gain the power needed to control all of Freljord," Serylda said.  

"But this is still strange... Wait... How did you even meet these... Watchers, if they’re in another world?" Avarosa asked.  

"In my dream," Lissandra of the past answered.  

"Your dream?" both Avarosa and Serylda asked curiously.  

"Yes. One of the shamans who follow me told me he learned new magic—through the whispers of a servant of the goddess. He taught me a way to enter others’ dreams and see what they dream of. By chance, I succeeded. I delved deep into some dreams until I fell into the abyss... but I saw something in the darkness."  

"The Void Crest icon. The land of those things. I realized the truth of the abyss. If I had stared at it any longer, it wouldn’t have just been the end—it would have been infinity. It was terrifying death, yet full of possibilities," Lissandra of the past spoke regretfully.  

"And I met one of the Watchers as I stared into the darkness," she added.  

"So, you can enter others’ dreams now?" Serylda asked in amazement.  

"Anything is possible with magic, sister," Lissandra replied.  

"Ah, yes... But what you don’t know is the promise I hid from you about the Watchers," Present Lissandra spoke painfully.  

"But it’s still wrong," Avarosa retorted.  

"How so? I mean, we’re not losing anything except granting refuge to some shamans or something like that. This isn’t the first time we’ve done this," Serylda said.  

"Serylda, we’re talking about beings from another world. We don’t know if they plan to invade Freljord or not. I feel their request will have dire consequences."  

"Yes, sister Avarosa. Consequences that have already happened," Present Lissandra said.  

"But we won’t know unless we try. They told me they have no intention of conquest or control," Lissandra of the past said.  

"You don’t know what others are thinking," Avarosa countered.  

"Same goes for you," Lissandra shot back.  

"This is why I hate shamans. You’ve been blinded like them," Avarosa replied.  

"Why are you always against me? Have you forgotten how many times I’ve helped you, Avarosa, when your tribe was on the brink of ruin?" Lissandra of the past asked angrily.  

"That’s one thing. Cooperating with these things is another," Avarosa said.  

"You always think only of yourself. You never consider others," Lissandra said bitterly.  

"That’s not true. But making a rash decision without caution will have consequences that affect all of Freljord," Avarosa answered firmly.  

"Fine. I’m leaving," Serylda said as she walked away.  

"Huh?" both Lissandra and Avarosa wondered.  

"We won’t get anywhere by arguing endlessly. The longer you two bicker, the hungrier my people become. I’d rather raid some villages than deal with this headache."  

"Wait, Serylda!" Lissandra called, trying to convince her to stay.  

But it was futile. Serylda left, slamming the door behind her, leaving Avarosa and both past and present Lissandra alone.  

"Well, I’m leaving too. My people also need me," Avarosa said as she exited the hall.  

"If this weren’t about the Watchers, I would’ve intervened with dream magic directly. But that would wake him up—the opposite of what I’m trying to do here. He knows this and is pushing me by using my memories inside his dream. A clever move."  

"But you don’t realize... I know what you’re doing. And now it’s pointless. There’s no way___"  

Suddenly, without warning, the ground cracked strangely, like shattering glass. The earth split, and Lissandra fell. Before she could react, she found herself in a completely different place—a snowy festival, filled with storms and screams.  

"Where am I?" Lissandra asked curiously.  

"Prepare for battle!" shouted Lissandra of the past.  

"Battle against whom?" Present Lissandra asked.  

"Ice witch!!!"  

A deep, terrifying voice roared across all of Freljord. The very earth trembled at its sound, thunder striking everywhere around them. Present Lissandra froze—she knew this voice all too well.  

When Lissandra of the past turned toward the source of the voice, all they could see was a massive white bear’s claw rushing toward them.  

"Grrrrrrrrr!"  

Lissandra touched her eyes behind her mask. Her hands trembled slightly as she remembered every ounce of pain she endured at that time.  

"Even after ages, it still hurts like an arrow lodged in my gut. Curse you, you great bear."  

The world around her shattered, and she found herself somewhere else again.  

"What now?" Present Lissandra asked angrily, looking around.  

She saw she had returned to the same place, but it seemed slightly different.  

Lissandra of the past was sitting in the same spot with her sisters inside their hut. But this time, she was blind—a black bandage wrapped around her face. Avarosa and Serylda were also there, but their conditions were far from good. Their bodies were covered in wounds, bearing painful changes.  

"Ah... I remember now. This was the day each of us faced a god and a spirit realm being alone... and suffered heavy losses. This was the day everything began," Present Lissandra said coldly.  

"I dreamed... a dream with the Watchers. I dreamed that humans would become slaves to these animals, treated as mere tools. They told me this was their vision of our future."  

"We must do this. Otherwise, mankind will perish. Or is that what you want, sisters? The destruction of all humans?" Lissandra of the past asked.  

"I... agree with her..." Serylda said resignedly.  

"Serylda!" Avarosa shouted.  

"Sister Avarosa, stop being stubborn. Look at where we are now! Half my men are dead. That fat bear has fierce warriors attacking us from all sides. We might not even survive the next winter."  

"Serylda, we must think carefully about the future. Making___" Avarosa began.  

"(Slams the table) And does that matter now?! What’s the point of thinking about the future if we don’t live to see it?! Think, Avarosa! Aren’t you the smartest among us? You should know this is our only choice for survival in this harsh world!" Serylda cried in despair.  

"I... I..."  

"(A moment of silence) ...I understand... Lissandra, I agree to the deal," Avarosa said in a resigned tone.  

"This is what I expected, sisters. It’s good you’ve finally awakened to the truth—we need them," Lissandra of the past said, smiling.  

"No. Never. In fact, we’ve been blinded—blinded by fear of those damned creatures."  

The earth cracked again, and Lissandra found herself somewhere else once more. She saw herself standing in the middle of a large, eerie purple magical circle—as if forbidden magic were at work.  

The three sisters—Lissandra of the past, Avarosa, and Serylda—stood in the center of the circle, undergoing some transformation. She knew what was happening here. They were becoming the first...  

The first Iceborn in Freljord? No... the first *true* Iceborn in Freljord.  

"This power! Look at my skin—it’s become the color of ice!" Serylda shouted excitedly.  

"Sisters, do you feel this power? It’s the Watchers’ gift!" Lissandra of the past exclaimed.  

"This power... is unbelievable," Avarosa said in awe.  

"Wait, let me try wielding my weapon without Rhond blood. Let me test it properly."  

"My sisters, I can hold the whip without feeling pain or cold! Their blessing truly works!"  

"Sisters, my veins are turning blue and... purple?" Avarosa asked suspiciously.  

"Avarosa, it’s a gift from the Watchers. Can’t you stop doubting for once?" Lissandra said, slightly annoyed.  

"Sorry, past me. But the truth is... Iceborn are actually Void energy granting cold immunity, magical resistance, extended lifespan, and a stronger connection to dark magic. But that’s all."  

This time, Lissandra decided to step through a rift that had appeared moments ago. She found herself in the middle of a camp with some Iceborn warriors.  

"It must have been at least three years since the Watchers’ deal," Present Lissandra thought.  

"Sisters, how have your campaigns fared with the Iceborn power?" Lissandra of the past asked.  

"Thanks to you. Thanks to the Watchers’ blessing, we’ve repelled the tyranny of those gods and their followers. We’ve driven out the Elk Bones cult and removed them from the field," Serylda said proudly.  

"Yes. I’m sorry for doubting you at first, sister. I thought they wouldn’t give gifts without a reasonable price," Avarosa said.  

"We all make mistakes, sister. What matters is moving past them and walking a new path," Lissandra of the past said.  

"Yes... a good and cursed path. How foolish and arrogant I was. Maybe that’s why they chose me—because I was easy to manipulate," Present Lissandra said angrily.  

"But what still worries me is that man. Of all the warriors we’ve faced, he might be the most dangerous in all of Freljord. He may be that bear’s servant, but he’s an absolute monster in battle," Serylda said, fear creeping into her voice.  

"Him? Who do you mean?" Lissandra asked fearfully.  

"The Cruel," Avarosa said coldly.  

"The Cruel... I’ve heard of him from my followers. But what is he?" Lissandra of the past asked.  

"A warrior who follows the path of the war goddess, Volibear. He and his tribe cause more trouble than any troll invasion in Freljord," Serylda said angrily.  

"Ah, so that’s why you asked for some of my men—the Iceborn, the shamans who wield dark magic to kill him. So, what happened when you faced him? How did they fare? The shaman Elis, too___"  

"They all died," Serylda said furiously.  

"What?!" Lissandra of the past asked in shock.  

"That man fought our army of Iceborn and dark magic. We fought him and forced him to retreat, but we lost many Iceborn warriors because of him," Serylda replied angrily.  

"Don’t worry about the Iceborn. We can make more warriors undergo the transformation. But is he really that strong? Strong enough to face Iceborn?" Lissandra of the past asked in disbelief.  

"You have no idea how terrifying he is. Once you face him, you’ll wonder if you’re fighting an armed troll," Serylda said.  

"Then where is he now? If he can face Iceborn, he’s a danger to us. We must eliminate him as soon as possible," Lissandra of the past said, swirling dark purple energy around her hand.  

"I don’t know... I heard he sailed away from Freljord a few days ago and hasn’t returned," Avarosa answered.  

"It’s best if he never returns. That would be good for us," Serylda said.  

"Yes. But if one warrior can truly face Iceborn, maybe they aren’t *true* Iceborn. We must increase their numbers in case another appears," Lissandra of the past said.  

"Indeed. Speak with the Watchers about this," Serylda replied.  

"As you wish, sister," Lissandra said.  

"About the Watchers... Have you ever heard their voices in your mind?" Avarosa asked.  

"Voices? Now that I think about it, I did hear something, but I thought it was just a bird’s chirping," Serylda said.  

"It must just be whispers, sister. No need to worry about that," Lissandra of the past reassured.  

Present Lissandra gave them a cold look, then stepped through the next rift. She found herself back in the same hall, but this time, Avarosa and Serylda were furious with Lissandra.  

"Lissandra, what in hell is happening here?!" Serylda shouted angrily.  

"What’s wrong, Serylda? Why are you so angry? Did something happen?" Lissandra asked cautiously.  

"Did something happen?! Those Watchers—they’re planting thoughts in my mind! At first, it was whispers, then clear speech, and now they’re in our dreams, ordering us what to do for them!" Serylda raged.  

"They must be sending you a message or warning you about something. The Watchers don’t do anything without___"  

"Lissandra! These Watchers are in my mind too, and I know these aren’t just messages! They told me about the promise! The promise you made with them!" Avarosa slammed her hand on the table.  

"What? Lissandra, what did you promise them?!" Serylda demanded.  

"I only promised them what I told you. Have you forgotten I was the one who connected with them? The one who opened the only door to controlling Freljord?" Lissandra said.  

"Then tell them to stop this!" Serylda shouted.  

"I can’t do that," Lissandra of the past said quietly.  

"Why not?!" Avarosa yelled.  

"Because it’s already done! We can’t back out of their deal! If we do, we’ll lose our only path to control—and we may never get another chance. Have you forgotten they gave us the Iceborn?!" Lissandra of the past snapped.  

"We don’t deny that. But I refuse to be anyone’s puppet," Serylda said.  

"They’re not controlling you. They’re just trying to communicate. But they’re ancient beings—you must have misunderstood their cryptic speech," Lissandra of the past said desperately.  

"Lissandra, we refuse to be subservient to anyone. That’s why we sought their help—to be free from the gods, not to become slaves to them," Avarosa retorted.  

"Yes, exactly!" Serylda shouted.  

"Sisters, without the Watchers—without the Iceborn’s power—we are nothing!" Lissandra of the past said tensely.  

"(Sigh) I’m leaving... I no longer recognize you as my sister... The sister I knew would never say such things," Avarosa said as she walked out.  

"Me too," Serylda said, following.  

"After all these victories, you reject them? Without them, you wouldn’t be like this! They watch and hear everything I’ve said. You’ll see the consequences of your choices!" Lissandra of the past shouted angrily.  

"You mean *our* consequences," Present Lissandra said with regret, stepping through the next rift.  

Present Lissandra looked around and saw her past self standing before the Frostguard, who had become Iceborn, kneeling as she delivered a speech:  

"We are the chosen, destined to receive the gifts of the Watchers. Our faith is tested by bitter cold and endless winter. A crucible that separates the worthy from the unworthy, purging doubt, and leaving purity behind. The others fight like neglected children, petty squabbles that will amount t

o nothing in the end. We have purpose: to prepare this land for new masters. The Watchers return. Our ascendance is at hand."

Present Lissandra remembered this scene—it was before the battle that decided everything... the battle that wrote Freljord’s fate.  

Chapter Text

Chapter (16):cursed promise part 3

In the castle of Seeker Lissandra...  

The present Lissandra was watching the past Lissandra as she listened to reports from one of her followers.  

"So, my sisters have abandoned their pride and asked Ornn to forge a pit for the Watchers?"  

"Yes, my lady."  

"I see. You may leave."  

"As you command," the guard spoke before departing.  

When the follower left, the past Lissandra walked outside and gazed at the sky. The present Lissandra followed her and looked at what she was seeing in the sky—a sight so rare it might never be seen again.  

In the sky, she saw a multicolored aurora, an entire flock of dragons soaring, and countless spiritual beings manifested from magic—some resembling giant elk walking through the snow. In the distance, the silhouettes of the ancient gods of Freljord moved quietly along the horizon.  

There were also cracks in the sky like shattered mirrors, from which multicolored orbs of light emerged. These were formless spiritual beings made of magical light, floating like luminous decorations across Freljord’s night sky.  

This was Freljord in the past, where many gods and spiritual beings manifested physically, a time when magic in Runeterra was at its peak. To her—or to some mages and shamans—Freljord was the center of magic.  

But for the Freljordians living there, it was more like hell—a daily struggle for survival. On top of that, trolls and unholy creatures attacked them in bizarre ways, and the harsh winters brought famine, forcing them into near-constant warfare.  

"Soon... a battle will erupt. A battle they will lose. And I will show them... the greatness of the Watchers," muttered the past Lissandra as she stared at the sky.  

"At this point, I started getting frustrated with this... Just one more rift, and I’ll be done with all this and reach him?" the present Lissandra spoke, looking around before noticing a nearby rift and heading toward it. "Finally."  

Lissandra found herself in another place—it seemed she had returned to her castle, but in the past. She began hearing distant screams and wails and moved toward them, witnessing a horrifying yet familiar scene.  

There were many warriors in blue archer cloaks, others riding war beasts, fighting against shamans and warriors in buffalo helmets. Among them, Lissandra was experimenting on the shamans. Behind the group of shamans stood figures in black robes muttering strange incantations toward a black stone glowing with dark purple and blue hues.  

Lissandra approached the battlefield. Nothing could touch her—neither swords nor arrows—not because she dodged, but because she didn’t belong here. She was an intruder, invisible and intangible to everyone, like a ghost. She observed the battle and remembered what had happened.  

"Oh yes, I remember now. This was the battle that revealed everything... the battle that exposed—"  

"Seeker Lissandra!!!"  

The present Lissandra’s thoughts were cut off as she turned toward the voice, her eyes widening slightly in tension.  

Serylda and Avarosa were glaring furiously at the past Lissandra, who was momentarily stunned by their shouts but had prepared for this. All the warriors stepped back, stopping their fight to watch the three blue-skinned sisters exchange angry, tense stares.  

"Your time is up. Stop this now, or we will both kill you," Avarosa declared.  

"Would you really kill your own sister over your primitive fears?" the past Lissandra retorted.  

"Sister Serylda, have you truly become afraid of change?"  

"Stop..." Avarosa muttered.  

"Remember, Serylda, who supported you when you were young. You too, Avarosa. Remember who—"  

"I said STOP, you deceiver!" Avarosa screamed in rage.  

"What?" Lissandra stammered in confusion.  

"Lissandra! You wretched creature! I’ve known for a long time that you were no longer my sister after you met the Watchers!"  

"What in the world are you talking about?!" Lissandra denied.  

"I know, Lissandra! I know that on the day you spoke with the Watchers, you saw who would stand by your side in reality. You even leaked our locations to our enemies just to make us desperate enough to agree to the Watchers’ deal!"  

"I know you didn’t do this just for the Watchers—but for yourself! When Volibear blinded you, you decided to make us suffer so you could become an Iceborn!"  

As Avarosa screamed this, the past Lissandra fell silent in horror at the realization.  

"That’s not true—"  

"My sister Serylda discovered what you did! Your men attacked her, and she fell silent because of you! You are no longer our sister. You’ve become a monster that worships those things!" Avarosa shouted, and Serylda nodded in agreement.  

"What? That’s not true! Sister Serylda, I can explain—"  

"Silence!" Serylda shrieked.  

"Becse yu.....a a I becme lik....tht!" Serylda spoke, blood dripping from her mouth.  

"No... I—" Lissandra was stunned.  

"We have nothing left to discuss!" Avarosa declared.  

"Winter’s Claw! Avarosians!" Avarosa roared, and all the warriors loyal to the two sisters raised their heads in agreement.  

"Charge!"  

The two tribes rushed toward Lissandra with greater force than before. However, the shamans had time to cast their spells due to the sisters’ argument. They unleashed curses of various kinds, aiming to kill as many enemies as possible.  

The warriors raised their shields, enduring the backlash of the magical attacks, and were forced to retreat. Unlucky ones, like archers and beast riders, fell victim to the spells. But this was only one group—many warriors still charged, slaughtering Lissandra’s followers one after another. Arrows rained deep into the fortress, while shamans cast spells to block their advance. The riders swept through with their weapons, cutting down warriors. Amidst all this, a devastating battle had only just begun.  

Avarosa drew her arrow and fired it into the air. As it soared, the arrow multiplied into dozens of icy arrows, raining down in an instant.  

Serylda struck first, lashing her whip toward Lissandra in fury. When it hit the ground, ice spears erupted, racing toward Lissandra at terrifying speed. Lissandra used her ice magic to block the attack, but—  

Avarosa drew another arrow and fired it upward. It split into countless icy arrows, showering the battlefield.  

"Gah! Sisters! Remember our conquests! Remember how many victories we achieved with the Watchers’ power!" Lissandra cried in desperation.  

"Silence!" Avarosa screamed.  

Serylda whipped her weapon toward Lissandra with full force. Lissandra quickly formed a dark ice barrier, but Serylda shattered it effortlessly. Lissandra barely dodged the strike and hurled ice crystals at them, which they easily avoided, forcing them back slightly.  

"Remember the conquest of Winter’s Grasp! Remember how we forced them to submit! Remember who gave you that power—the power to face a powerful shaman like me!"  

"I told you to SHUT UP!"  

Serylda lunged, using her spikes to hurl a massive ice chunk at Lissandra. Lissandra destroyed it with a spell, but behind it, Avarosa appeared, firing multiple arrows. Lissandra formed an ice dome, shielding herself from most of the attacks.  

When one arrow grazed her, Lissandra cast a wind spell, sending Avarosa flying back. However, Avarosa fired ice arrows mid-air, anchoring herself to a cliff. Meanwhile, Serylda attacked again, forcing Lissandra to retreat.  

"Tell me, why are you so insistent on preventing change for the better in Freljord?"  

"Then you tell me—what’s the point of life if we spend the rest of it in slavery? You, of all people, who hate being subjugated—why did you bow to the Watchers?!"  

Lissandra fell silent, unsure how to respond. Avarosa seized the moment, firing an arrow that struck Lissandra’s knee, forcing her down. The two sisters pointed their weapons at her.  

"It’s over. You’ve lost."  

"Yes... I know. I know I can’t defeat you in a fight."  

"If you knew the outcome, why bother fighting us? I know you’re clever, but you’re not known for fighting alone."  

"Because I was buying time," Lissandra said.  

The moment she finished speaking, a pillar of violet light erupted from the black stone.  

"What?! Lissandra, what have you done?!" Avarosa screamed.  

"This stone will open a rift to their world—to the Watchers’ realm. They will come, and you will witness their greatness!"  

"You damned— Serylda, prepare to—"  

In the next instant, a violet dome engulfed the battlefield, freezing everything in time. For a moment, centuries seemed to pass, though only seconds had gone by. Suddenly, everyone felt an indescribable heat and pain—not a scream-inducing agony, but a new kind of torment.  

"What—what’s happening?!"  

The atmosphere around the castle shifted. The battlefield was covered in purple mist, and grotesque, shape-shifting creatures crawled from beneath the earth, attacking everything in their path. The battle halted as warriors were overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught.  

But what truly stunned the sisters wasn’t the creatures—it was what emerged from the mist.  

From within the fog, a massive, formless entity appeared, its only distinct feature a single hate-filled blue eye. In seconds, its shape twisted grotesquely—now resembling a shaman’s garb, with multiple arms ending in sharp claws. Its blue eye was surrounded by black tendrils like an octopus, and it wore a crown—not crafted, but part of its very body. The crown bore the head of an old, frozen figure, as if someone had mounted it there.  

(Note:The watchers:from legends of runeterra) 

The moment they appeared, nearly everyone froze in terror. Lissandra, tense and horrified, approached them.  

"The Watchers?"  

"Yes... Yes... You’ve done well well. Now, we begin our task of salvation."  

"Ah... So you’re truly going to—"  

Before she could finish, the Watchers moved their arms, unleashing devastating magic upon everyone—allies and enemies alike. Even creatures of their own kind were slaughtered without remorse.  

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Lissandra screamed in shock.  

"We are granting this world the salvation it deserves ,deserves."  

"But you... You promised me! You promised not to invade Freljord!"  

One of the Watchers turned to her, using its magic to show her its vision of salvation.  

The next thing the past Lissandra saw was her world in ruins—a dead land filled with horrifying Voidborn creatures, devoid of life. Freljord, the land of harsh snow, had become a wasteland of purple flames and volcanoes, with no trace of ice or life. Then, she understood the Watchers’ true, terrifying goal.  

They had indeed promised not to invade Freljord... because their goal was never conquest in the first place. Their purpose in coming to this world was for one thing only—the complete annihilation of all life in Runeterra.  

And in that moment, she realized how foolish she had been... how reckless and impulsive. She had opened the door to the world’s end with her own hands.  

Lissandra fell to her knees, weeping behind her mask at the consequences of her choices. She watched as Avarosa and Serylda fought back, but it was futile—their enemies were beyond defeat. She knew they were immortal, unkillable.  

Yet, in that moment of despair, an idea struck her—a fleeting hope, but enough for her.  

She formed an incantation between her hands, preparing to cast the most forbidden and dangerous spell in Freljord—one punishable by immediate execution for its use. Translucent, spectral hands spread across the battlefield, reaching for the Iceborn.  

???  

When one of those hands touched an Iceborn, their body began melting into liquid ice.  

"WarMother! We’re MELTING?!?! HELP US!"  

"Nooo! My hands! My hands are disappearing!"  

"WarMother! WarMother! WarMother! WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WARMOTHER!"

Help us! HELP! PLEAse help! STOP IT! Please stop! I still want to fight! Stop it! I don’t want to end like this! I want to die a WARRIOR! PLEASE!"  

All of them dissolved into masses of liquid ice, floating in the air.  

Lissandra ignored their screams, gritted her teeth, and redirected the liquid ice toward the Watchers with a cold expression.  

"Well done, Frost Child. Now, we shall—"  

"Zyra Dern, Basana Oghshana!"  

The liquid ice surged toward the Watchers, who were momentarily caught off guard. They assumed she was aiding them, but the opposite became clear as she took control.  

"Foolish creature of a flawed world... freezing us will not stop us. We will return and finish what we started."  

When it was over, the battlefield was empty—save for massive ice pillars imprisoning the Watchers. The past Lissandra could only kneel in defeat.  

The present Lissandra looked at her with sorrow, but before she could act, the ground cracked, and she found herself in a dark, cold place filled with white mist.  

"What is this place?"  

There... was a crying child—a blind girl with white hair. Lissandra looked at her in silent realization.  

This wasn’t a memory or her past. This was who she truly was. Lissandra was no leader or tyrant—just a frightened girl trying to survive in a cruel world.  

But as she pondered her fate, a hand burst from the ground, gripping her with hate-filled intent. A Watcher—not a memory, but the real one—emerged, choking her with its massive hand as it opened its maw hungrily.  

"So... are you done, old one? Are you done making me see my mistakes? If you hoped to make me despair and surrender, let me tell you—you’re a fool. Nothing will change. What’s done cannot be undone, and I won’t hesitate to repeat it if necessary."  

As Lissandra finished speaking, the Watcher devoured her, swallowing her whole. She fell into a deep abyss, but as she did, she formed a spell in her hands. Light erupted, turning everything white.  

*(Gasp!)*  

Lissandra looked around and saw the Watchers still imprisoned. Behind her, a Darklorn Inquisitor stood with a worried expression.  

"My lady, are you alright? We felt tremors underground and rushed here. Is everything under control?"  

"Yeah... yeah, everything is fine."  

"Inform the High Darklorn that everything is settled. You may return now."  

"Understood!" They all bowed and left.  

After they departed, Lissandra sat on her icy throne, her expression defeated as she rested her head on her hand.  

"I know there’s no salvation for me. I know I’ll be cursed throughout history. But if it means saving Freljor

d, I won’t mind being a tyrant. I won’t hesitate to be ruthless. I’ll do whatever is necessary this time. As I said—what’s done cannot be undone... but the present can still be changed."  

"No matter the sacrifices required."  

Chapter Text

Chapter (17):the trial of bow part 1

In Zelean's room... Zelean was watching Lissandra's past with an ambiguous expression.

"So, you saw what happened too, didn’t you?"

"Ironic, isn’t it?"

"What Lissandra did reminded me of what happened to the Council. I tried to warn them, and look what they did to my homeland."

"My homeland, which was a beacon of magic, was forgotten through the ravages of time and became nothing more than a passing tale."

"I wonder if there’s a repeating cycle, like balance..."

"Yet, I will keep trying, and trying until I find..."

"Ah, right, I forgot where we were. Let’s return to Sister Arrow..."

................................

In the village of Dahàa

Ashe carried a bow on her back and looked around the village.

She glanced toward the village and saw that the villagers were still building houses and wooden fences.

It had been about two weeks... two weeks since the Ursine attack and her confrontation with the Stormraptor. During this time, the tribe had changed for the better.

Most of the houses had been repaired because nearly all the villagers and craftsmen here knew how to build tents and treehouses in the Freljord. Even children as young as nine knew how to dry wood. This was because, in the Freljord, everyone had to be skilled in the basics of survival if they wanted to live as long as possible.

But the biggest change was the farm...

Ashe had chosen a spot in the forest, removed the chestnut trees, and planted Dragonfruit seeds near where the trees had stood.

At first, nothing grew, but eventually, they sprouted in a few different spots. Even though what initially grew was just a small branch, for Ashe, it was a great achievement. It meant there was a path to self-sufficiency.

It meant she had found a way to survive without needing to fight anyone. This was a good turning point. But the strangest thing was a wooden house—and inside that house was something...

It was an egg. A Stormraptor egg. The egg was dim and almost lifeless. It should have been dead, but there was a faint movement inside, confirming it was alive. Moreover, it was an order from their mother—the War Mother.

Yet, despite all this, the egg seemed to be watching them. It sat silently in a hastily built wooden house. From a distance, it looked like a totem or some kind of statue.

"So, how are things in the village, Ougar?"

"Everything is perfect, War Mother. We won’t have to worry about the next winter storm. We’ve used every useful part of the Stormraptor’s corpse."

"Not everything is perfect," Ashe replied.

"Ah? What do you mean, War Mother?"

"We lack the strength to defend against surrounding threats."

"But, War Mother, as long as you’re with us, no wild beast would dare approach the village."

"Exactly... But what if another Stormraptor comes? Or another flying beast? I might not always be able to protect you."

"We desperately need bows. No—we need skilled archers."

"Thinking about it, there’s a tribe of archers who worship Avarosa. They live far from here. The journey would take about three days."

"A village that worships Avarosa? Wait, since I possess Avarosa’s throne, doesn’t that make them our allies?" Ashe asked.

"Yes, but there’s one problem: they’re not very welcoming to guests. They’re hostile toward outsiders," Ougar said.

"Don’t worry about me. These people will become our aid."

"I hope your words are true, War Mother," Ougar replied.

"Then prepare the men. We’re going to meet these archers."

"As you wish," Ougar responded.

.............

Elsewhere, in an unknown place...

A snowy mist covered the area, but in the midst of the fog was something... something massive... something with blue eyes like celestial embers, yet filled with violence and power. It raised its head high and roared—

**"Rooooaaaarrrr!"**

The roar echoed across the Freljord. And far below, shadows of people knelt before it, bowing in reverence as if it were a god.

It looked at them with a cold, emotionless gaze, staring silently.

"Find the Dark Axe."

After uttering those words, they all dispersed, heading in random directions. They had gone to find that axe without question or hesitation.

The massive creature looked up at the clouds, staring with a cold expression.

..........

Back to Ashe and her men

Ashe and her men trudged through the snow. Two days had passed since they left the village in Ougar’s care.

This place was colder than Dahàa, but there were no trees—just snowy plains and frozen rocks along the way. Their path was rough, and they hadn’t encountered a single animal during their journey, which made the situation even stranger.

As Ashe and her men walked through the forest, she suddenly felt something and stopped.

"What’s wrong, War Mother?" Dago asked.

"Wait, stop," Ashe whispered.

After her whisper, most of her men heard her and froze in place. They obeyed her orders but felt uneasy—there was nothing around them.

"I know you’re here. We’re not here to fight."

"War Mother, who are you—"

Before Dago could finish, an arrow shot out and struck a rock near him.

"By the gods!" Dago screamed as all the warriors prepared to fight. From among the trees, figures rose from beneath the snow, holding bows and aiming at them, ready to fire.

"Who are you, strangers?" one of the archers asked, pointing an arrow at them.

"I am Ashe, War Mother of the Avarosan tribe."

"Avarosan? Are you a survivor of that tribe?"

"Yes," Ashe replied.

"You claim to carry Avarosa’s blood, yet you don’t even possess her legacy! How can you—"

Before he could finish, Ashe revealed her bow from beneath her cloak and raised it high.

The moment Ashe showed her bow, all the archers gasped in shock, as if they had seen a ghost—something impossible.

"Where did you get Avarosa’s throne?!" one of the archers asked in disbelief.

"I am Ashe, the last survivor of the Avarosan tribe. I completed my mother’s mission and finally found it, becoming the War Mother. Now, with my new people, I’ve come to ask for your help."

"I see," the lead archer said, lowering his bow.

"In that case, perhaps we can help each other."

"Help how?" Ashe asked.

"We’ll talk on the way. Come with me."

The group looked at Ashe, and she nodded, signaling for them to follow.

As they walked, the archers silently watched them, their gazes sharp as if sizing up prey.

"Our village is called Vaduso. We rely on hunting. We hunt the fierce creatures of the Freljord—beasts of great savagery. But for us, it’s our hunting ground. Not just ours, but our ancestors’ before us. We’ve always held sacred hunting rituals."

"But everything changed when *he* returned—the Betrayer of the North," the archer spoke with hatred.

"The Betrayer of the North?" Ashe asked.

"He’s a strange creature—scales of a beast, cunning and sly. When threatened, he digs into the ground and escapes. No one knows where he came from, but in the past, he hunted and killed every animal he saw. He tried to hunt and slaughter our people. But our ancestors discovered he feared True Ice, so our village placed True Ice stones around it to keep him away for generations."

"But recently, the True Ice began to corrupt, and he returned, causing a wave of death. He’s wiped out every wild animal in this land."

"Wait, *corrupt*? Did you say True Ice is corrupting?" Dago asked in shock.

"Is it even possible for True Ice to corrupt?" Ashe asked in disbelief.

"It may sound unbelievable, but it’s true."

"But it’s *ice*—I mean, it’s *True Ice*!" Dago exclaimed.

"You’ll see for yourself soon."

"He must be lying," Dago whispered to Ashe.

"I don’t think so, Dago."

After walking further, they reached the village. It resembled their own village in the past—nothing unusual. But around the village was something strange. Ashe stood before a massive blue boulder of ice.

It was True Ice... but its pure blue hue had turned purple, tainted by a dark energy—an energy that didn’t belong to this world.

"Is this really... True Ice?" Dago asked in shock.

"This is unbelievable," Ashe muttered in awe.

Ashe approached what was once True Ice and touched it—then recoiled as if struck by something.

"Argh!"

"Ashe!" one of her warriors shouted.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I’m fine, but..."

"What did you feel?"

"It was a mix of hatred and murder—as if pure malice had manifested upon it," Ashe thought.

"Tell me, how long has it been corrupted?" she asked.

"It’s been two days. No one knows how it happened. Some elders say it’s a curse from our ancestors or the doing of the Betrayer of the North."

"Can *he* corrupt True Ice?" Ashe asked in shock.

"I don’t know. We thought he was just a legend until he appeared. Only the village elder has seen him," the lead archer said.

"I want to speak with her about this beast."

"Very well, but wait a moment. I must speak with the guards first." The lead archer gestured to two figures standing like sentinels, holding large bows.

"I have all the time to wait," Ashe replied.

The lead archer nodded and left with two men toward the guards, leaving Ashe and her companions alone.

"So, do you think helping them is a good idea, War Mother?"

"I don’t know. But I have a bad feeling about something."

"What is it?" Dago asked.

"My mother, Gerina—she had many enemies and few allies. But this village was definitely not one of them, especially not a tribe that worships Avarosa. Yet, their bows resemble the ones I used in the past when I went hunting."

"Something happened between my mother and them—something that made them refuse an alliance with her. Or maybe something else..."

As Ashe spoke, the lead archer glanced at her bow with an ambiguous expression, his eyes narrowing with a silent gleam.

Chapter Text

Chapter (18):the trial of bow part 2

After a brief discussion with the guards, the leader of the archers returned and signaled for them to enter the village. They went in and saw the sights of the village.

The village buildings were strangely organized and similar, like something repetitive. Every house had the same exterior, and almost all the inhabitants of that village wore the same clothes.

The people of this village looked at Ashe as if she were a stranger or possessed something sacred that belonged to them.

"So, what do you think of our village? Beautiful, isn't it?" asked the archer leader as he entered.

"Yes, and organized like snow, but your people seem a bit...?"

"Cautious?"

"I was going to say curious," replied Ashe.

"That's natural, for you hold our ancestors' tale," he responded.

"The Tale of Avarosa?" asked Ashe.

"Yes...." the archer leader spoke indifferently.

"Is there something you want to say?" Ashe spoke up.

"You will know soon."

After they advanced, they stopped at a specific house.

This house was built in the old Viking style of wood, and there were guards standing in front carrying large bows and small axes. They were covered in cloaks; their faces weren't clearly visible, and they were staring silently.

"Who are these?" one of the guards asked the archer leader.

"They are with me. There's something I need to discuss with the Mother, something extremely important."

"What is it? You know the rules. No one is allowed to enter without permission."

"Yes, but just look at what she carries," he said as the guards looked at Ashe.

"This...."

"The Throne of Avarosa!"

"If you know what I mean, allow us to enter," said the leader.

The guards looked at each other and gave a nod.

"Alright, you may enter, but it's your responsibility."

"Remember that," replied another guard.

"Thank you," replied the archer leader.

"You, come with me. You will meet her," said the archer leader.

Ashe and her men followed him and went inside. When they entered, the interior was slightly different from what they expected.

Everything was clean and tidy, with white animal skin rugs on the floor. In the center of the room, there were tables and chairs arranged with extreme precision. On the wall hung the head of a dead animal, like a glorious victory trophy.

There was a woman in her fifties, with white hair and some wrinkles on her face. She had a large scar on her face and wore clothes very similar to the archers' outfit, but with some engravings and decorations, as if to signify a kind of luxury or to strengthen her presence among her people.

"Lore Mother? Does she mean War Mother?" thought Ashe.

"Lore Mother?" thought Ashe as her eyes narrowed.

"Raise your head, Kalen," said the Lore Mother.

"Yes, ma'am!" replied Kalen.

"So his name is Kalen?" thought Ashe.

"It seems you've brought unexpected guests here."

"Forgive me, Mother! But—"

"I'm joking with you," the Lore Mother interrupted him, smiling and raising her hand to stop him from speaking. "I already know why you brought them here because one of these visitors carries the legacy of our ancestors, isn't that right, my dear?" the Lore Mother spoke in a tone mixing jest and seriousness.

"Yes, that woman is the reason I came here," replied Kalen.

The Lore Mother shook her head and gestured for him to go to the warriors beside him. He did so without wasting any time.

"And you must be the leader of this group, since the Throne of Avarosa is in your hands."

"Yes," said Ashe.

"Sit here. Consider this place your home, young lady. And you all as well. Your journey must have been arduous to get here," said the Lore Mother.

"Thank you, Lore Mother," said Ashe.

When Ashe sat down first, her men also sat on the chairs. They spoke to the mysterious woman.

"I am the leader of Vaduso Village, Reika."

"And I am the leader of the Avarosan tribe, War Mother Ashe."

"To become a War Mother at such a young age... either you have good luck or bad luck."

"Both of them" replied Ashe.

"Really? Well, that's new, young one," replied Reika.

"And your title is Lore Mother? It's a title I've never heard before. Even when I traveled, I never heard of such a thing..."

"Ah, it's a title the children call me because of the history of tales I used to tell in the past, and they started calling me that. Ah, children grow up fast, don't they?" she said, perhaps casting her eyes for a second toward one of the warriors behind her before continuing to stare at Ashe.

"Yes, children grow up fast and become the cornerstone of the village's future."

"That's absolutely right. They are the future," Reika spoke with some ambiguity in her tone.

"And I've never seen a village so organized and tidy before. It looks as if it's all the same or crafted by hand."

"Hahaha, and you certainly didn't come all this way just to chat, did you?" said Reika.

"Actually, I had another purpose for visiting your wonderful village."

"Oh? What is it?" asked Reika.

"I want to form an alliance with you,"ashe.

"So, what do we gain in return?" Reika asked

"We will provide you with food in exchange for weapons. Your entire livelihood depends on hunting, but you suffer from some problems due to lack of game," Ashe said

"If we supply you with food, you won't have to worry about it. You can focus entirely on the beast that threatens your village's safety."

"Are you trying to take over our village?"reika asked

"No, I'm proposing an alliance of interests, a simple exchange,"Ashe replied

"I barely know you, young lady. How can I trust you? This would be a great risk for my people if you don't keep your word," Reika said

"Consider it my promise as War Mother, proof of my words. And if that's not enough, we can help you eliminate the beast."

"Well, that's really interesting, but there's one small thing I want," said Reika.

"What is it?" Ashe asked 

"The bow,"reika said

"Yes?"Ashe asked

"Hand over the Throne of Avarosa."

With those words, all of Reika's warriors aimed their bows at Ashe. The sudden change in behavior was very shocking to Ashe.

"Wha___, watch out!" Dago stepped forward, shielding Ashe. He moved in front of her as the archers aimed their arrows at him, especially Kalen.

All her warriors stood up, ready to fight, but they were outnumbered by the archers surrounding them.

"What are you doing?" Ashe asked tensely.

"Taking back what belongs to us," Reika said calmly.

"This violates the laws of War Mother sovereignty," Ashe replied

"And I am not a War Mother... girl, have you forgotten?"Reika replied 

"I don't understand," said Ashe.

"Of course you don't. Unlike you, who has the freedom and choices she wants, we have no choice or freedom. We survive and do whatever is necessary."

"I don't understand why you insist on taking such a risk?" Ashe Said 

"Risk? What are you talking about, girl?" Reika asked

"Our numbers are equal, except we are at a disadvantage. But that doesn't mean some of your men won't die. If you had planned to meet us outside and demand it, we would have lost immediately due to the numerical advantage. Why would you take such a risk when you could have easily defeated us?" Ashe spoke with confidence and tension.

"This is none of your business, daughter of Greeda," Reika said angrily.

"Wait, do you know my mother?!" asked Ashe.

"I know her well because she came to us in the past, searching for relics of the Throne of Avarosa."

"Why would she come to you? You are far from the Frostclaw tribe."

"Because the Throne of Avarosa belongs to us," replied Reika.

"What? You're talking nonsense. The Throne of Avarosa has only one rightful owner, and that is Avarosa herself!" Ashe exclaimed.

"That's because Greeda didn't tell you the other part of the story."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ashe.

"I don't know where you found it, but it was under the ruins, wasn't it?" Reika said confidently.

"How could you...?" Ashe asked in shock.

"As I told you, because of the legend," replied Reika.

"But there is only one legend about Avarosa," said Ashe.

"Yes, but it is divided into two parts. The other part is a prophecy, the true story," said Reika.

"The legend, as told by one of the survivors of the Dark Day, says that two sisters died, and the other was imprisoned. The bow was lost in the pit of oblivion, and it won't be found by the bearer; the bow will find the bearer," said Reika.

"And the tale says that whoever finds the bow may not be the ideal person because the Iceborn lineage is extinct. If the new bearer is not worthy enough, we, the descendants of the survivors of the Dark Day, are to take it by force and wait for the new bearer."

"And I don't see you as entirely worthy," Reika said coldly.

"We literally just met!" Ashe exclaimed.

"Exactly. How do I know you're not power-hungry? Especially people your age are impulsive and do anything to prove their strength to those around them," asked Reika.

The moment Reika said this, Ashe was shocked and remembered something from her past, in her dialogue.

"What? Have you decided—"

"You said if I were worthy, I could wield it?" asked Ashe.

"Yes," Reika replied coldly.

"Then test me," answered Ashe.

"What?" asked Reika suspiciously.

"Test whether I am worthy to possess the Throne of Avarosa or not," Ashe said confidently.

"You said it yourself: only the worthy can wield the bow. And I barely know you, so how can I trust you to possess it?" asked Ashe.

"Heh...... Hahaha!...... Young lady, do you realize you are now inside enemy territory, in my stronghold?" Reika spoke with a mix of anger and joy as Ashe echoed her words.

"Yes, I know that. But that doesn't mean we don't have the right to fight as well. In Freljord, this is a land of warriors. I haven't forgotten that I am also a warrior in this land."

"That's strange. Just a moment ago, you were the type who preferred to resolve things with words rather than violence?" Reika asked sarcastically.

"I prefer to resolve matters peacefully, but I know well that wars and battles cannot be won with words alone. I only wish to live with people in peace, and I will do whatever it takes. Even if I am seen as a traitor or a coward in their eyes, all I want is to build a place where the people of Freljord don't have to kill each other just to survive."

"You realize what you're saying is completely wrong, don't you? The people living in this land are not as lucky as you, or of your lineage. They have no choice but to survive, not to see the future, but to see tomorrow," said Reika.

"Yes, wrong. What I'm saying now is completely wrong."

"What?" Reika was shocked.

"I know this. People don't decide where they are born or why they exist. They might die tomorrow from the cold, or from hunger, or because they killed someone else. We don't have the ability to control our written destiny."

"But if we have no path other than an endless cycle of violence, then I will change it. I will change the destiny of all Freljord and chart a new path."

"What a foolish dream, girl," Reika replied quietly.

"The dream is not foolish; it's the people who cannot live without it. If we live without a purpose to achieve in life, what is the point of our existence?"

"That's why I will fight, no matter what I become. I will try to achieve my dream, even if it means I die. I will try. I will try to make a change."

The moment Ashe said those sentences, the scene in Reika's eyes changed, and she saw Greeda with the same glint in her eyes as Ashe.

My God..... Greeda.... I see your eyes in her," thought Reika, seeing Ashe's determination.

"Very well then..."

With a gesture from Reika, all the archers lowered their bows. Ashe and her men lowered their weapons and breathed a sigh of relief. They had survived.

"So, are you—"

"In three days," Reika interrupted her. "If you can kill the beast in three days, I will consider that you might be worthy of possessing it. Consider it a test, girl."

"I accept this," said Ashe.

"Kalen," said Reika.

"Yes, my lady," answered Kalen.

"Give them shelter and a place to rest. Tomorrow is a busy day awaiting them."

With those words, Ashe was about to prepare for her trial.

The Trial of the Bow.

Chapter Text

Chapter (19):the trial of bow part 3

In the snowy plains of Freljord....

In the village of Vaduso....

Ashe was sitting with her men in a certain house, and they were discussing among themselves what they would do.

"So we have survived, but what do we do now?" Dago asked.

"We wait until the scout who will be our guide and show us the beast's path arrives," Ashe replied.

"War Mother, why don't we just leave? Since the beast threatens the village, we can escape when it comes," spoke one of Ashe's warriors.

"Because we can't leave, even if we wanted to, my friend," Dago replied.

"What?" he replied in shock.

"Have you forgotten how those archers surrounded us? If it weren't for War Mother Ashe, we wouldn't have been able to spot them, and also—"

"The land here is snowy plains," Ashe completed Dago's sentence. "That land is the best environment for archers. The moment we move away from the village or do anything suspicious, we will be pursued and surrounded in less than an hour."

"Even if we miraculously get out, they will find out where our village is sooner or later."

"And what happened with the Ursine will repeat itself," Dago answered with some anger in his voice.

When Dago finished his sentence, everyone looked down in thought.

"Get ready," Ashe spoke as she left, followed by Dago. They stood and stared outside.

"By the way, are you—"

"Prepare yourself, Dago. Soon, you may not have time to rest," Ashe interrupted Dago's words.

"Ashe, I know this isn't the only reason. Is there something else on your mind?"

"Nothing, Dago. Nothing," Ashe spoke with indifference and sadness.

"I... I don't know what goes on in the War Mother's mind. Please tell me so I can understand what you want."

"I just want to resolve matters peacefully, not with killing and bloodshed. Even though everyone desires that, I'm just tired of having to fight everyone around me over something small," Ashe spoke and sat down.

"I... Ashe, this is..."

"Strange? Foolish? Yes, it is indeed foolish. But merely surviving without trying to change the situation—then what do we live for? I have decided to change Freljord."

"Dago, will you stay by my side even if this goes against everything you've ever believed in?" Ashe asked as she sat down. Dago followed and sat near her.

"Ashe, you may not know this, but fighting is something natural that happens between tribes and villages. Anyone would do this in Freljord," Dago spoke.

Ashe looked down, but Dago held her shoulder and looked at her.

"But since you arrived here... everything has changed. We no longer pray to the goddess or pillage to survive. We can sleep without worry or panic because you are here, because you are our mother."

"Thank you, Dago," Ashe replied.

Step.... step step

Both Dago and Ashe looked forward and saw Kalen with five archers beside him.

"Are you ready? The guide has arrived," Kalen spoke.

Ashe looked at Dago, then back at Kalen, and stood up.

"Yes, I am ready."

"Good, because she is waiting for you," Kalen spoke as he led the way.

....

Outside the village

Ashe was with five warriors, while Dago stayed with the others inside the village as a precaution.

"So these are the ones who will go with you?" Kalen asked.

"Yes," Ashe replied. "And where is the guide?"

"She is on her way," Kalen answered, turning in another direction. "Oh, speaking of the beast..."

Step... steps!

Ashe looked forward at the sound of footsteps walking deeply in the snow and saw a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties, with orange hair, a face full of scars, wearing blue clothes with white coats, holding an axe with real ice in one hand and a sword in the other.

(Note,is from Legends of runeterra:Revna the lorekeeper)

"Is this the guide?" Ashe asked.

"Yes, this is Revna, daughter of Reika," Kalen replied.

"I see, but why not?" asked Ashe, pointing out that she doesn't carry a bow.

"Oh, that's because she isn't one of us," kalen replied

"What do you mean?" Ashe asked.

"She's adopted, to be precise. We found her near the snow when she was a child, clutching her weapons tightly. When the Lore Mother saw her, she decided to raise her, and she became one of us, even though her way of dealing with things is different," Kalen explained.

When Revna's eyes met Ashe's, she stared calmly and then walked toward her quietly.

"Hello, you are—"

Before Ashe could finish her sentence, Revna grabbed a strand of her hair and began smelling it. Ashe felt chills and suspicion toward her, and all of Ashe's allies looked at Revna in shock and confusion.

Ashe's allies didn't know what to do in this situation; they glanced at each other and slowly, hesitantly, drew their weapons.

"Your hair, it's white!?."revna screaming 

"Yes,yes!  he's white it's a problem ?" Ashe. Asked 

"Were you born with it!!?" Revna replied with scream

"No, no it turned white when I used Avarosa's throne,"Ashe  answered

"I see, and eyes.... your eyes too!!!! It's changed," Revna said screaming, staring intently at Ashe's eyes.

"Yes, but why are you screaming on my!?" Ashe asked in confuse

Suddenly, Revna grabbed her while her other hand tried to open her eyelids to confirm their color.

In Ashe's eyes, she had transformed from a warrior into an scream warrior.

"Take your hands off her!, you strange shaman!" shouted one of Ashe's warriors, moving toward her.

"Revna!!!!" Kalen shouted, pulling her by the shoulder.

"Excuse me for a moment, Ashe. I need to have a little talk with Revna," Kalen said.

"Ah, yes," Ashe replied as Kalen left, dragging Revna away.

"Are you okay?!" asked one of Ashe's allies.

"Yes, I'm fine, but that was a bit strange," Ashe said, looking in the direction they had left.

....

Behind a certain tent.....

"Revna, in the name of everything sacred in Freljord, what were you doing?!" Kalen shouted angrily.

"I was checking something about her," Revna said.

"Really? And how do you think it went?" asked Kalen.

"Good?" Revna replied indifferently.

"Catastrophic! I can't believe this. This is why Reika made me accompany you—so you wouldn't do anything weird."

"I was checking if she is truly an Iceborn, to prepare for the treachery of winter."

"Don't lie to me; she's literally holding a weapon made of true ice in her hand. You're 27! I know you're not blind or stupid. You did this for a specific reason. Tell me, what was the real reason you acted like that?" asked Kalen.

"When I used the True Ice axe, I didn't undergo any changes. I was wondering how I would look, and..."

"And?" asked Kalen, crossing his arms.

"She looked like Avarosa in my mother's tales. And perhaps there's a connection between her appearance and the corruption of the True Ice around the village."

"Alright, but on one condition!"kalen replied

"I'll accept anything"Revna said

"You can be with Ashe as long as you don't pull any Nightshade Shaman stunts, and you must not be aggressive until we prove if she is worthy. We're here to determine if she is truly qualified or not."

"I understand. By the way, who are those sorcerers you mentioned? Are they good shamans or worse than the Frostguard?" she asked.

"No! They're worse than them. They're the worst group of shamans in all of Freljord!"

"What? I've never heard of such a group! Who are they?"

"Don't worry, they're all dead. It's a long story. We'll talk after we finish dealing with the beast," Kalen said.

"Yes."

"Thank you," Kalen said, leaving and heading toward Ashe.

As he left, Revna had a faint glimmer in her eyes.

Returning to Ashe…

Ashe was speaking with one of the archers from Vaduso village, who had been standing to Kalen's right when he came to her. They were discussing something. While they were talking, Kalen's follower noticed he had returned and went to him.

"So, everything is good?" the warrior asked.

"Yes, we were talking about our positions for the journey and organizing the supplies."

"So, where will we be?" Ashe asked.

"You will—" Kalen glanced at Revna for a second. "You will be with Revna to lead the way. You'll be with her in case something unexpected happens or the beast comes for her, since Revna was the last to fight it."

"Besides, all of this is for your trial," Kalen replied.

"I understand this," Ashe said, staring at Revna for a moment.

"And before you say anything, don't worry, I spoke with her. She won't act that way, I assure you, by the name of our Lady."

"She acted like that because she hadn't seen... another Iceborn like her."

"Is that true?" Ashe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Revna exclaimed for a second before Kalen glared at her threateningly. "Uh... I was just nervous and excited to see someone else like me," Revna said.

"I understand that. Iceborn are considered outside the civilization that the Freljord is now. I completely understand what you did," Ashe replied.

"Thank you for your understanding," Kalen said with a relieved sigh.

"But I still don't understand why you sniffed my hair, but it's fine," Ashe answered, still feeling suspicious.

"Ahem, as I said, she's just nervous. Don't take it too seriously. Remember, you have another goal: the Winter's Treachery," Kalen said.

The moment Winter's Treachery was mentioned, the atmosphere around the Vaduso village warriors changed, their indifferent looks replaced by ones filled with hatred and malice.

"This beast must have really caused them trouble," Ashe thought.

"Now, let's not waste any more time and go," Kalen said.

Everyone nodded and followed Kalen, including Ashe, who followed him north, where the beast awaited for her trial. Ashe, Revna, and Kalen were at the front, while Ashe's sword-bearing warriors advanced in the middle, followed by the archers, and then the porters. It was a traditional formation for any expedition.

They left the village and saw the True Ice, corrupted and tinged with a light purple color. They gazed at that ice with worried looks and then departed north.

They moved in a straight line through the middle of the snowfield. Their path was smooth, without any obstacles or animals, perhaps because the beast had hunted nearly all the animals in the area.

"The place is completely empty, like ghosts."

"All because of the Winter's Treachery!" Revna replied.

"So, Kalen, tell me, how exactly did the True Ice become corrupted?"

"No one knows the event. It happened a few years ago."

"At first, we thought it was the rotten blood of a beast in the ice, but after years of Revna monitoring it, we discovered it wasn't just blood."

"The dark purple color started increasing and becoming more pronounced over time. And the more you stare at the corrupted ice, the more you feel like you're staring into an abyss."

"A mutual feeling. Revna, did you feel anything strange when you saw the corrupted ice again?"

"Hmm, no?" Revna replied.

"You didn't feel anything strange when you touched it?" Ashe asked suspiciously.

"I touched it while I was examining it, but nothing out of the ordinary happened to me," Revna answered.

"Did anything happen before that?" Ashe asked.

"Nothing at all," Kalen replied.

"That's strange. Ice doesn't corrupt overnight," Ashe said.

"Why do you want to know this?" Kalen asked skeptically.

"Because perhaps this beast has the ability to corrupt ice. The wild animals in the Freljord come in many shapes and sizes, and what they can do differs from one another. There are even dragons," Ashe said.

"You're right, but sorry to disappoint you, this beast doesn't possess such power. We confirmed it doesn't have such an ability. If it were true, it wouldn't have waited for generations to attack us," Kalen answered.

"So it doesn't have a special power," Ashe said.

"And some from the village say it's a curse from the Gods," Revna said.

"What does the Goddess have to do with this? I haven't heard of any appearance of the Gods; only records exist from 3000 years ago," Ashe said.

"Fear makes many things," Revna replied.

"Wait... you? How do you know this?" Kalen asked.

"Know what?" Ashe asked.

"About the disappearance of the Gods," Kalen replied.

"The Notai people told me," Ashe answered.

"They came to your village too?" both Kalen and Revna responded.

"That means they came to your village?" Ashe said.

"Yes, but they didn't stay long," Kalen said.

"Among their stories, there was a strange one I was drawn to, especially Revna," Kalen said.

"What is it?" asked Ashe.

"The Voice Eater," Revna replied.

"What is that?" asked Ashe.

"It's a small story told to children, about a monster that uses its victims' voices to lure more prey to eat them. That's why someone in the tribe told us something important."

"No matter what happens, don't be drawn towards a voice in the dark. Perhaps that thing is waiting for you to become its new voice," Kalen said.

"That's a bit dark. What if there really is someone who needs help? Wouldn't you help them?" Ashe asked.

"That's because it might be real," Kalen replied.

"And why is that?" Ashe asked.

"Well, that's because—"

While Kalen was speaking, the ground suddenly shook, making all of them stop.

"What was that?" Ashe asked.

"Revna, is that?" Kalen asked.

"Yes," Revna replied.

Hisssssssssssss~

"Whoa, what is that sound?" said one of Ashe's allies, turning and searching for the source of the sound.

"It's here, the Winter's Treachery is here!" Revna shouted.

"But there's nothing but snow. Where could it be?" a warrior asked.

"Really, where is it?" Ashe asked, readying her bow towards the sound's source.

Ashe was searching, but even with her vision, there was nothing but snow. While she was looking, Revna was looking downward, holding her axe.

"Hey, it's a lizard... a lizard that can... all of you, move away immediately!" shouted Ashe.

"Hey, Ashe, what are you doing!?" Kalen asked.

"Below, it's below, underground! Everyone, move back!"

"What?!" Kalen replied.

"Everyone retreat immediately, that's an order!" Kalen shouted.

Kalen immediately ordered everyone to retreat, but it was a little too late for that. Suddenly, the earthquake sound grew stronger, culminating in an explosive sound.

Boom!

What emerged was a lizard, like a sandfish skink, but white in color with white scales and a savage, strange shape, especially its shovel-like tail, and its red, mosaic-shaped fly-like eyes. The problem wasn't t

he lizard itself, but rather…

"Is this the Winter betrayal?" Ashe asked.

"Yes, this is it," Kalen said tensely.

"You said it was a beast, but you never mentioned it was this…

Its size… the Winter's Treachery was about 20 meters in size…

"The size," Ashe replied.

And this was the official beginning of the Trial of the Bow.

Chapter Text

Chapter (20):the trial of bow part 4

In a certain place in Freljord where the clouds covered the sky...

A massive lizard was staring at a group of people; it saw them as nothing more than its lunch. Its eyes scrutinized each one of them.

The snow slowly covered their feet as they stood like statues. Among them was Ashe, standing silently. She drew her bowstring, forming an icy arrow that released a heavenly glow. Her eyes were completely focused on it, with nothing to distract her mind.

They were waiting, waiting for the moment the beast would attack, so they could counter. Because the best offense is the best defense. These were hunters, not barbarians, to initiate an attack against it. They knew now that they couldn't flee even if they wanted to, because it would immediately chase them to the village.

The beast, in turn, knew this and spared no effort, beginning its move.

The beast lunged, raising its right claw high, ready to attack them. Ashe released the charged arrow directly towards its claw, took a step back, and let out a roar.

"Husssss!"

"Advance, attack, go, go, go!"

With Kalen's shout, all the warriors rushed towards the beast and attacked it. All the archers released their arrows; all reached it, but they were like thick needles to it because its scales were tough, but it wasn't enough. However, Ashe's warriors reached and attacked it with swords, beginning to cause some wounds on its body. They were causing deep but shallow wounds compared to its massive body. This was relative.

When Freida reached it, she hit it with her icy axe. When she struck it, a part of the beast's skin froze, and when Freida cut the ice with her axe, it shattered like glass, tearing off a part of its scales and causing a decent wound.

She was hit by its tail and sent flying away from it, but she rolled and rushed towards it again.

Barely a minute had passed since the engagement, and they began to inflict some wounds on it. This made the beast furious, and it started to attack and eat one of the warriors, but another icy arrow struck its head, making it retreat.

"Good, so far no one has died. If we continue like this, it will give us some advantage," thought Ashe.

But as if the lizard had responded to her thoughts, it dug directly under the ground, creating a strangely narrow hole.

"What?"

"Did it run away?"

"Did we win?"

Ashe felt strange; they were in the middle of the fight; why would it run away?

Ashe felt slight vibrations on the ground and immediately realized what was happening.

"No, it didn't run away! It's......"

The Treachery of the North emerged from under the ground, rushed out, and ate one of the archers, then dug again, leaving everyone in shock.

"Oh my god!"

"Be careful, it's attacking us from underground!"

"Be ready!"

Ashe closed her eyes, drew her bow, and focused on the vibrations. She ignored the shouts around her and gradually began to hear the sound of the beast.

And at the moment it emerged and was about to eat another one, Ashe's arrow was released and hit directly towards one of its teeth.

"Agghhhhhggggggghhhhhh!"

The beast screamed in pain when the arrow hit; its tooth flew out and it bled as it screamed in severe pain. It looked at Ashe with hatred and dug again, and this time there was no vibration.

"Did it run away again!"

Ashe felt a vibration, not just her, but everyone felt an earthquake. No one realized what was happening, and Ashe felt something bad coming.

"All of you, get away! It's..."

But it was too late to try to warn them. A large hole appeared in the ground they were standing on, and they all fell into it.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

"Afarosa!"

"Ashe!"

"Freda!"

"Commander, help us!"

Freida used her axe on the wall to steady herself, but it didn't work and she kept falling. There was a piece of ice about to hit Freida, but an arrow shot and split it into two masses, saving Freida.

But an ice chunk hit Ashe on the head, causing her to lose consciousness. The last thing she saw was them falling while screaming her name.

.

.

.

.

.......

In some underground cave, Ashe was lying.

"Ugh... Where am I?" Wait, am I inside a cave?"

"No... I fell because of the collapse... I don't remember... My head... It hurts... I only remember falling until I hit my head on something and then found myself here. But... where are the others? Did they fall in different places? I have to find them before the beast does."

When Ashe got up, she felt a sharp pain in her head and collapsed.

"Ugh... Ughhhh my head!" Ashe exclaimed while catching her breath. "I feel like my head is full of insects. I need to be more careful next time."

Ashe walked, leaning on the wall as she moved outward. She walked and managed to see many bones of dead animals and feared that any of them would end up like that. When she reached the end of the path, she saw many tunnels leading to different paths.

"A crossroads... Where should I go? I have to move quickly, but the wrong choice will lead to the danger of facing it or more deaths."

Ashe looked at her bow, placed the arrow on the ground, and began to pray. "Please, ancestors, please guide me." After this, she started spinning the arrow like a top, and when it stopped, the arrowhead pointed in a specific direction.

"This direction... Is it correct?" Ashe closed her eyes, opened them, and looked with determination. "It's now or never."

Ashe walked in that direction and kept walking. Every minute she felt fear and panic, wondering if her choice was wrong.

Ashe saw something glowing blue from within the ice and recognized it immediately.

"True Ice? ... Freida!"

When she removed some snow, she saw Freida's axe, and her hand was gripping it tightly, as if her spirit refused to surrender.

"Truly a fighter until the end."

She grabbed it and felt an immeasurable cold, but she had experienced it before and used all her willpower. Ashe pulled Freida out from under the snow.

When she pulled her out, she saw that she was cold, barely breathing and not moving, but her heart was beating, and she was alive.

And this was more than enough for Ashe. She pressed hard on her stomach to make her breathe, and after pressing for twenty seconds, Freida finally regained consciousness.

"(Cough) (Cough), Where am I? (Cough) Am I dead?" Freida asked while coughing up water she had swallowed when she was buried.

"Thank the Goddess, you're alive, Freida," Ashe spoke.

"Ashe, are you dead too?" Freida asked with some sadness in her voice.

"No, Freida, we are alive. We fell into its lair, it seems. We must gather the others quickly."

"I see, but I have a question," I asked Freida as I got up and looked at Ashe.

"What is it?" Ashe asked.

"Why did you save me?"

"What?" Ashe replied suspiciously.

"Why did you go and save me?"

"Because you fought by my side. Is that considered a question?" Ashe answered.

"But you didn't have to. You could have ignored me and taken the Avarosan throne yourself. I would have done that if I were you. We threatened you in our land, we tried to take your sacred treasure, we forced you into all of this."

"You just had to take your axe and let me die."

"You want to know why?"

"Yes, I want to know," Freida spoke.

"Because I am sick of this," Ashe replied.

"Sick?" Freida repeated Ashe's words suspiciously.

"Sick of leaving others behind. I ran away once, and I don't want to do it again," Ashe spoke while looking at her hand, then at Freida.

"You... really?" Freida muttered.

"What?" Ashe asked.

"Nothing," Freida replied and stood up.

"Let's go find the others quickly," she said.

"There's a crossroads."

"Yes, there are many."

"By the way, how did you know I was here?" Freida asked.

"By the arrow."

"Arrow?"

"I placed the arrow and spun it, and it stopped pointing towards a tunnel, so I went that way."

"Maybe the legend that the bow carries the will of Avarosa is true."

"Maybe... that's right..."

I placed the arrow and spun it again, and the arrowhead stopped directly at a snowy wall.

"Or maybe not," Ashe spoke sarcastically, and I spun the arrow again.

This time, the arrowhead stopped pointing towards a tunnel, and neither of them wasted any time and went inside.

"Be careful, don't get any closer!" Freida shouted.

"What?" Ashe asked.

"There's brittle ice here."

"But there's only snow," Ashe spoke.

Freida stepped forward and Ashe moved out of her way. Freida pulled out her vase and struck the ground lightly, and chunks of the ground immediately collapsed in front of her.

"Wow," Ashe spoke in shock.

"Sometimes snow covers the brittle ice, so it can't be noticed. You have to walk between the corners; the ground is safer to walk on," Freida explained.

"Thank you. By the way, you seemed different earlier."

"How?"

"You're not screaming or being impulsive anymore. You seemed calm and composed," Ashe said.

"Sorry about that. I was just impulsive because I thought I was the last Iceborn."

"Why did you think that?" Ashe asked.

"It's because of the voice eater."

"Do you mean that monster from the fairy tales?" Ashe asked.

"Yes, but it's not a story; it's real. I saw it," Freida spoke with some fear in her voice.

"The last thing I remember before I ended up here is that I was little, younger than you, and there were other people, I suppose they were my relatives or something like that, because they all carried real ice weapons."

"We were in the middle of the night, in the middle of a dead forest. I remember everyone was trembling. I couldn't understand why, but after a while, I found out why," Freida spoke with some anxiety in her voice.

"I couldn't see it. All I could see was blood and the slaughter that happened. They told me to run, while they were being slaughtered in the most horrific ways."

"I... I... kept running, and I kept hearing their voices screaming in pain, and at one point, their screams turned into cheers of victory."

"I went back to them. I thought they had won. I thought they had killed the monster," Freida spoke with a fascinated expression on her face.

"Freida, what happened?"

"He... He... mimicked their voices," she spoke in a broken and sad voice, "and made me come to it because he knew I would come for them. It was holding my mother's corpse like a doll and laughing at me. It was mocking me while playing with their bodies."

"I was consumed by anger. I couldn't remember his shape. All I remember is that I attacked it and fought it, but it treated me like a toy, mocked me, and then threw me to the ground and dragged me to the Vaduso village."

"He let me live, not out of pity, but to tell others about it, to tell others that it was real."

"Freida, that's..."

"It's fine. This happened a long time ago. I got over it a while ago. I became a proud warrior for the Vaduso people."

"But if there is a chance, I want to wring that monster's neck for

good."

"I hope so too."

They looked ahead into the endless tunnels, they looked into the unknown, and now they had to reunite with their comrades, for the final confrontation with the monster, and they didn't know where they were now.