Arcane Anew (Rewrite)

Groaning, Orion lay down sideways on the bed, tilting and mashing his face into the pillow. He didn't want the claw injuries or the gash on the back of his head touching the bed.

'Every surface here can infect my wound… if it isn't already.'

Black spots floated in his vision, threatening him with loss of consciousness.

'I... can't focus…' Orion breathed heavily, increasing the pressure on his blood-soaked side and unintentionally whining with pain as he closed his eyes.

"Fuck!"

The goal was to forge the mental connection required to utilize the Arcane magic again. What it felt like, however, was similar to reaching for an object just out of reach. He couldn't twist any further in his mind to grab hold of it.

Orion's concentration was fading, his mental reach for the mana faltering, when he saw a thread from the mana river break away.

'What… why?' Orion weakly thought as it drifted by itself toward his inner psyche. 'Fuck it, don't question it right now…'

Breathing haggardly, he focused through the intense pain, cold sweat, and shivers running through his body. Blue, glowing threads of mana emerged around the wounds on his side and skull.

The threads moved with dynamic, lifelike grace, weaving and sewing the wounds shut with a radiant blue hue. His skin tightened like pulling two curtains together, distorting and leaving a weak membrane over where the gashes had been.

Gently, his fingers brushed across the tender surface.

'It healed… but at a cost.'

Orion's eyes slowly opened, exhaustion settling over him. His arm, which struggled to remain raised, gave out. Sharp, consistent hunger pangs suddenly began, mixing with his unhealed aches and bruises, and he grimaced.

A soft fluttering of wings drew his attention. His gaze drifted up to a familiar small and blue bird hopping up his mattress.

It looked… angry?

"Be mindful of your surroundings!" it chirped angrily.

'Ah… fuck, the blood loss is getting to me,' Orion grimly thought, watching it with the world spinning.

"Listen well, child. The power you have received has forced me to take measures to protect this city from dangerous Celestials and Ascended. I cannot assist you in dire circumstances without the barrier failing. I do not hold the power I used to."

"So that strange feeling was you?" Orion muttered tiredly, half a mind to entertain it. "Thank you… But what are Celestials and Ascended?"

He had no real reference for those names. Occasionally, he caught wind of them or heard those words spoken in League matches, but nothing more. Maybe some naming for different attacks but it held no meaning beyond fancy names to him.

"They are beings that will destroy the city if it means killing you. Are you not aware of the power you've been given?" 

Orion shook his head, his mind steadying.

"No? Who are you?"

"I am Janna, spirit goddess and protectoress of Piltover and the Undercity."

Finally, memories surged from Runeterra Orion's memories. Janna, the silent guardian of the city who helped seal and redirect the toxic factory fumes known as the Gray out and away from the Undercity. 

Orion's eyes widened in shock. He didn't have the strength to show respect physically, but he changed his tone to be more formal and respectful.

"It is an honor to meet you. Thank you for helping me. Your protection has kept the air free of the Gray and we all thank you for it!"

"That is inconsequential to the disaster you now carry," Janna said, her chirping blue-bird form and words not in sync. "You must learn to control this power."

"What are you talking about?"

"Days ago, a terrifying power shook the foundations of my city. It lasted for a mere moment, and its power enveloped the world. I was sure of my city's destruction."

Tilting her head, she ended with an intrigued tone. "Instead, I witnessed it blink out of existence. A strong energy remained, however, and it resides in you."

"So… what? Those Celestials and Ascended want to kill me or take me prisoner…?"

"Depends. There are a few I know would try to destroy my city if they discover this power."

Orion's expression darkened. "So… Are you going to ask me to leave the city?"

The bird shook its head with a reassuring tone. "All who live here are my children and under my protection. I will protect you like any other son and daughter in the Undercity. But…"

"I would ask you to refrain from using your powers recklessly and without guidance. Uses of Celestial mana will draw the attention of eyes searching for the anomaly that shook the world."

"Celestial magic? Magic? That's what I've been gifted?"

"Far more than celestial magic," Janna sighed and nodded. "You should not be able to see me in this form without spiritual mana perception, nor should you be able to make a physical representation of mana without elemental magic training."

'Aha! So I do have overpowered abilities!' Orion beamed through his tired mind.

"It doesn't feel like some crazy powerful gift," Orion unconsciously muttered and blinked, realizing he accidentally said it aloud.

"Nor is it," Janna answered. "You cannot utilize mana because you are not trained. And because you are not trained, you cannot control your presence. Until you can do so on an unconscious level, I cannot remove the barrier."

"Hold on, if that's the case, why have you been so agitated every time I've tried to train? That was you appearing each time I used it, right?"

"Yes, it was," Janna replied. "I wish to guide you while you train during your infant stages. Failure can result in a cataclysmic disaster."

"Fair enough."

Chirping, Janna's blue bird form seemed to be fading. The edges of her wings were blowing away like ash.

"Take care, Orion. Recover and do not use magic without my guidance."

"Yes ma'am. Thank you for your help."

And with that, the last remnants of her form blew away and disappeared into the air. He lay there in silence, pondering the exchange for quite some time until his stomach began to complain.

Loud growling echoed through the room and Orion frowned, looking down at his stomach.

'A bit rude, aren't you?'

Despite the supernatural and surreal experience that left Orion's mind racing, his body screamed at him for fuel.

'Am I going to starve every time I use magic?' Orion thought, agitated.

The onslaught of hunger, despite the pain and exhaustion, forced him into a sitting position.

Orion's thoughts drifted to money.

'Two bronzes and three half-bronzes in my pocket. Enough for two meals if I want meat and one extra bowl of slop.'

Speaking of clothes, if he found the silver lost in the alley, he'd need to replace his clothes or pay to get them stitched. Especially his jacket. He wanted his jacket fixed.

'Maybe the other two will have some money on them? A few bronzes at least for food.'

The thought of looting their corpses after killing them didn't sit entirely well with him. It was the first time he'd killed someone. Now that he wasn't in life-threatening circumstances anymore, his mind was able to wander to it and terrible feelings began to emerge.

Gritting his teeth, Orion threw these memories, feelings, and thoughts into a steel cage.

'I can't think about it. Not now, not yet. Stay focused. You need food.'

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Evening had fallen by the time Orion could physically muster the strength to leave his home. The skin over each injury distorted unnaturally- stretched tight, as if someone had forcibly pulled it closed. Hunger gnawed at his sanity, a sharp reminder of the cost.

He could have healed the bruising, he thought, but chose to respect Janna's wishes. The hunger would drive him insane and his body had already weakened from the process.

It took thirty minutes just to get downstairs where he was met by a pale, visibly shaky version of himself when he checked the mirror. It took longer still to change into his only other set of clothes: a red shirt and brown pants. His wet, blood-soaked jacket was placed on the metal counter for the time being.

"Eating my body to mend the injuries; a twisted trade-off," Orion muttered to himself in the mirror. "It makes sense I suppose..."

It was one thing to watch that kind of mechanic through a screen on a champion like Soraka, who healed allies at the expense of her HP bar; experiencing it firsthand was another.

The physical and mental toll was steep, but useful.

A grim smile crept across his face as he finally accepted this reality, making his way back toward the corpses.

Careful and slow, both on purpose and due to exhaustion, he recovered his silver coin and patted down their blood-stained bodies. Orion felt hollow doing this, cold, despite it having been out of self-defense before and survival now.

Their pale and rigid corpses served as an extra reminder of reality: the unforgiving nature of the Undercity.

'After food, I need to buy a new set of clothes and get my jacket fixed up. Blood cleaned, tears mended…'

'There goes my money.'