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The boat rocked against the dark waves, the waters as silent as they were deadly. You stared into the ocean as it was softly illuminated by the light around your boat. The Shadow isles … as a warlock, you should know more about it, truthfully. Noxus knew very little of the dark island, which was disappointing to say the least. Your home country had powerful warlocks, and yet, there were barely any records about this land of death. It was only until you travelled to Bilgewater, did you get some answers. Locals told you stories of how it used to be a home of blessings and beauty, before it became infected by the black mist. Now those who go, never return. You were willing to test that theory…
You were not alone in the boat. Besides you, there was a mercenary, a man of Noxus you hired to bring you safely to and from the isles. The other was a scared priest of Bilgewater, who was… persuaded to join you and perform a blessing spell that would protect you from the mist. The mercenary was standing at the front of the boat, using the ore to guide through the waters. “You sure you want to do this, lady? This doesn’t look too friendly…” He spoke. You saw how close you were to shore, and you couldn’t help but smile. “H-He’s right! We shouldn’t b-be here!” The priest told you. Your smile turned to a frown, scowling at the man. “Quit your sniveling. You really think we’ll just turn around when we’re so close?!”
The merc shrugged, not caring about the outcome as long as he got paid. The boat shuttered as it hit land. You stood up, walking to the front to get a full view of the surrounding area. It was dead, quiet, empty… a true graveyard like the locals said. There were blue lights circling in the sky, you assumed to be spirits. It was truly beautiful…
“Now then… the blessing.” You turned back to the priest, who tensed up. “M-My lady… with all due respect, you don’t know what horrors lurk in these lands! My sister, she lost her husband and son—!”
Before he could finish, the mercenary grabbed him by the collar. “Do I have to beat the cowardice out of you!? Give us the damn blessing!” He snapped. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, tapping your foot impatiently as you simply wanted to get going already. Finally, the priest complied.
He started chanting a prayer. You felt a warm, comforting light wrap around you like a blanket on a harsh winter. Even when his words cease, the golden glow still remains around you, strong and soothing. You assumed this was the blessing, and not waiting a moment for it to be confirmed as such, you quickly stepped off. You expected to feel cold, to immediately fall victim to the effects of the mist, and yet, you felt fine. You still felt warm and safe…
“Why the hell do we need this damn blessing anyway?” The merc asked, stepping foot on the cursed land, the priest following suit. “Without it—“
“We would be vulnerable to the mist… our spirits would waste away and become another voice in the isles.” You explained, not bothering to let the other man get a word in. If you didn’t know that much, you wouldn’t have even bothered bringing the cowardly priest. “How long will this blessing last?” You asked, turning back to the two men behind you.
“Judging by how many of us needed to be blessed, I would estimate… an hour?”
“It’ll have to do… come on!” You took the lantern from out of the boat and began your journey. They trailed behind you as you walked down the dark path. All around you were spirits of those lost to the isles, whether they died here or not was a question you’d love to have the answer for. You wished to study the ancient scriptures that the isles may have to offer, as you passed by fallen books that were scattered along the ground. However… you had other plans. Still keeping a hold of the lantern, you reached into your bulky, brown bag, pulling out a journal. Inside was a crude, in your opinion, rewrite of an old paper you found of demonology. It was a simple fragment of esoteric lore, what looked to be a graph and list of demons among Runeterra, or so you theorized. You assumed perhaps, one of the demons made its home here? It didn’t sound too outlandish.
As you were inraptured in your notes, a spirit had gotten too close to the Noxian mercenary. He swatted it away, swearing at it to ‘piss off’. “Don’t do that! The spirits can still harm us!” The priest warned. “Then this blessing’s damn useless!”
“Shut up!” You growled, snapping your head to the two behind. The merc simply rolled his eyes in response. Suddenly, the priest stopped in his tracks. “We must leave at once! I said I would give you the blessing, I did not agree to explore this… damned island!”
“Oh yeah, and you expect us to just have you wait in the boat? You’d leave us stranded!”
“Perhaps I should! You noxian dogs don’t know what this place is capable of!”
“You watch your tongue, old man!”
The men fought, causing you to groan in annoyance and rub your forehead. You weren’t getting anywhere with this. You needed to study the lands and yet, you had to deal with a time limit and two incompetent idiots.
Suddenly, screams of men and women echoed throughout the area, causing you to immediately cover your ears. You felt their souls rush past and through you, their glows suddenly growing smaller, as a green aura overshadowed them. Despite the blessing… you suddenly felt cold. It didn’t wear off, however. You were still basked in luminosity, and yet— you could finally feel how stiff the air was.
You turned, seeing where the glow was coming from. A lantern that shines through the mist was what you saw, behind it… was the face of a spirit, one that you could tell was malicious and cruel just by looking at him. As he walked, the sound of chains followed…
“My, my… so many souls to collect.” It purred. You saw the priest tremble, even more than when you threatened him. “H… He’s the one…! T-The one who took my nephew!”
The only person who wasn’t intimidated was the mercenary. You watched as he walked up to the spirit, cracking his knuckles. “Listen here buddy. I don’t care if you’re dead, you’ll be in a world of pain if you don’t step aside.”
The spirit laughed. “Funny… I was about to tell you the same thing…”
You watched as he cut the mercenary down in one swing of his blade. The man’s body fell to the ground— lifeless, but his spirit still stood. His screams filled the sudden silence as his soul was dragged into the lantern. The spirit’s gaze turned to you, and you felt your heart stop.
“Run!”
You felt a tight grasp around your wrist as the priest whisked you away. You could still hear the sounds of chains as they echoed in your ear. You were being followed by the malevolent ghost, and he was taking his time, as if he knew neither of you would get away. You tried to keep pace as best you could but, your feet tangled with each other, causing you to trip and fall. You could see the boat, just a few steps away. All you needed was the priest to help you up. However, he did not.
Instead, he let go of your wrist, making his way to the boat and leaving you behind. You felt your blood boil as you tried to get up. Your eyes widen as you feel something barely miss the top of your head, seeing the glowing blade stretch to the priest, grabbing hold of him and pulling him back into the darkness. His body fell into the black waters while his soul disappeared into the spectral lantern, just like the mercenary’s did. You heard the heavy footsteps from behind grow closer. You closed your eyes, waiting for the cold embrace of death. However, it never came…
Your sight was almost blinded by the ghoulish glow as you looked up, seeing the spirit read your journal. You couldn’t tell if he was amused or not, as his skull-like face was unable to express much emotion. “A warlock… not many of you come to the isles, especially from so far away.” He crooned, flipping the pages carelessly. He stopped for a moment, seeing the page of demonology. “Aaahhh… interesting.”
“I’m afraid to disappoint you, but no demons reside in the isles.” He said, dropping the journal in front of you. You weren’t sure what to do, why hasn’t he killed you yet? Was he toying with you? Did he plan on intimidating you for information of some kind?
He knelt down to you, his blade grabbing your chin and forcing your gaze upward. The two of you were face to face. The lantern beside him served as a constant warning of what may happen after this encounter. You simply stared in the face of death as it stared back at you. “Tell me, warlock… how many more like you are in Noxus? Ones curious enough to throw their life away for knowledge?”
“N… Not enough…” You replied. Honestly, you weren’t wrong on that front. Most of your fellow countrymen were too focused on the constant warring against Demacia, they had forgotten what the other regions had to offer. Nevertheless, your answer made the spirit laugh. “Then make them curious.”
“What?”
He tugged the chain, pulling you even closer so that your forehead was touching his. His green vapor touched your face— it almost felt like morning dew, for lack of a better description. Dew was calming, and felt pleasant. However… he did not.
“You wish to leave these cursed lands with your life, to continue your studies?”
You quickly nodded in response. “Hehe… good. In exchange, you will bring your countrymen to the isles. Spin them a tale, tell them stories of this place. Whether good or bad— they will come, and I will have more souls to reap. Do that… and you are spared.”
Your eyes widen slightly. He wanted you to lead innocent people to their demise, as if sending a flock of sheep to the jaws of a wolf. Would you truly be successful? Would you be able to lure people here? Did you really wish to do such a thing…?
“Do we have a deal?”
“... Yes.”
You could tell he was grinning, pleased by your answer. He removed his blade, letting your head fall back down and meet the cold stone. He began to walk off as you picked yourself up, sitting on your knees and turning your head to watch him. “Do not disappoint me, curious flower.”
His voice sent a chill down your spine at the strange pet name. You blinked, and just like that, he vanished. There was no sign of him ever existing, and you were left alone. The men you were with, now souls to be tortured in shadow isles. Your thoughts halted as you looked down at your hands, the golden glow was starting to fade..!
Without a moment to lose, you quickly rushed to the boat, grabbing your book and lantern before leaving the island for good. Fortune smiled on you that day, as the blessing lasted long enough for you to fully escape the black mist. Using the waves of the ocean, you sailed back to Noxus, not wanting to waste a single second to hold your end of the bargain. You reached your homelands as soon as the sun rose the next day. Sailors found you exhausted, barely clinging to consciousness. The next time you awoken, you were back home in your bed. Your mentor was sitting in the chair beside you, his worried expression melting away as he saw you were conscious. “Are you alright? You were as pale as a ghost.” He asked, his hand holding yours in tight grasp. You nodded in response, not having much energy to speak. “What happened? What did you see in the Shadow isles?”
You sat up, looking at the fellow warlock with a smile on your face. “Let me spin you a tale…”