Runes determine our path

Honestly, Balyard was sick of this kind of thing.

"Can't we just put the weapons down and talk properly? That archer over there, stop aiming at me!"

Though this was only the second time, it already felt awful.

The first time Balyard had been teleported outside the Shadow Isles or the Institute of War, it had been in front of Garen and his team. He'd almost taken a mindless cleave to the head and got thoroughly abused by Garen afterwards.

And now, Darius had used some kind of Hextech device to teleport Balyard into the resistance army's camp. Not just anywhere, but right into the training grounds where the soldiers were drilling.

Now think about it: the two sides are on the brink of war, and a teleportation portal suddenly opens above the training field, dropping a random person into the middle of camp. What's the immediate reaction of the soldiers?

The faster ones had already thrown their swords and spears at him as soon as he landed. If not for the Dead Man's Plate being durable enough, Balyard would've been skewered right there.

These weapons, made using ancient Shuriman smelting techniques, could harm even someone with a reinforced body unless they also possessed an indomitable will. They were fragments of the once-mighty Shuriman Empire.

What's more, most of them were golden weapons!

To any explorer who's been to Shurima, gold doesn't mean wealth; it means danger.

Shurima, one of the oldest empires of Runeterra, once united the entire continent of Shurima and even conquered much of Valoran. Even though the empire collapsed overnight, its influence still lingered deeply in the hearts of the Shuriman people.

The glorious sun constantly reminded them of their imperial past. Even thousands of years after the fall of the empire, no city-state in Shurima dared to dream of unifying the land again.

Prophecies and curses left behind by ancient seers might have been one reason, but many cities simply feared Xerath, the Ascended traitor who escaped from the emperor's tomb and claimed the title of emperor himself. Anyone who dreamed of conquest would eventually have to face that thief.

Balyard didn't know how the Trifarix Council had dealt with Xerath, but Noxus conquering Shurima likely had something to do with this. Noxus eliminated the greatest traitor in Shuriman history, the one they were powerless to fight.

But of course, "gratitude" fades quickly. Noxus's brutal rule made the Shuriman people feel like they were back in ancient times, if not worse. Practically all Shurimans were slaves under the empire.

Even if Xerath never earned the title of emperor, the day Azir held his Ascension ceremony, he granted all slaves their freedom. The glorious ancient Shurima had rejected slavery.

Though the decree was never implemented, noble remnants rebelled against it. Azir's final words as emperor had deeply moved the people. There had been survivors of the catastrophe.

What's more, Azir had already issued the decree to all regional officials, planning to announce it to the entire nation upon his Ascension. Those officials, unaware of the disaster in the capital, wouldn't dare defy an imperial command even if they disliked it. Especially not from a soon-to-be Ascended emperor.

So the collapse of slavery in Shurima was inevitable. And when Noxus imposed its harsh laws upon them, resentment quietly grew. When Caitlyn raised the banner of Shuriman independence, people came forward with their ancient Shuriman weapons, rallying behind her cause.

These weapons were family heirlooms, symbols of pride. They were relics of the Empire's former glory, etched into the hearts of its people.

Not just anyone could take these antiques into battle. For many, using these "last rays of sunlight before the sun rises again" was a sacred act, a ritual to drive out Noxians and reclaim lands like Zaun, once a northern Shuriman trade post.

Had Azir not been resurrected yet? That was awful news. The god who symbolized eternal brilliance was being held back by the mutation. Based on the timeline, Azir should've resurrected years ago.

But Azir's resurrection depended on the sun's blessing, and if that deity was occupied, it naturally couldn't spare power for Azir.

"…Looks like I'll have to fight."

Balyard sliced a golden-tipped arrow in midair with the Blade of the Ruined King.

"Seriously, you lot must be that Shuriman bandit gang that eats everything, right? These arrows pack way too much punch for starving Shurimans."

Everything, including people…

"Kill him!"

"Don't think I'm scared of you!"

He was scared. More than these unawakened Shuriman soldiers knew, Balyard understood the power of their weapons.

What was hidden beneath that golden sheen? Even Karthus might struggle to glean it from the memories of the countless dead. It could be a curse, a potent enchantment, or some anti-magic damage effect.

Ancient Shurima was wealthy, yes, but it couldn't have given everyone sun-blessed golden weapons. Most of the ones these warriors carried probably came from ancient battlefields, like Icathia.

After the war with the Void began, the act of blessing weapons with sun-discs never stopped, not even during Azir's Ascension ceremony.

Balyard didn't believe for a second that these weapons could harm supernatural beings.

"Come any closer, and I'll strike! Look at this Blade of the Ruined King! Know what this is? Come at me, and beware, Soul Eater's Night might claim your entire family!"

There was a reason Balyard's path to heroism was completely blocked by his lack of courage.

That threat, though… worked.

Those warriors who had drawn their bows lowered them. Everyone remembered that terrifying night, Soul Eater's Night, when countless souls were dragged away by the Shadow Isles' black mist. Even the sun's light couldn't protect them.

While the soldiers hesitated, a voice called out from nearby:

"Balyard? What are you doing here? Did Darius send you?"

The commotion at the training grounds had drawn Garen's attention. He arrived quickly, only to find that coward at the center of it all.

"Well… yes. Can we talk? You can bring Caitlyn and Illaoi too, if you want."

If it had been any other Shadow Isles being, they'd hate running into Illaoi, the lunatic woman who dared confront Soul Eater's Night head-on.

"Fine. I have a few questions myself." Garen's grip on his rune greatsword visibly relaxed.

"You're saying the mutation threatening to destroy Runeterra is happening in Freljord, and this isn't some conspiracy by Darius?"

Caitlyn didn't immediately believe Balyard. Even Garen seemed skeptical.

But someone did believe him, Illaoi.

"If you say so, I choose to believe you."

"Illaoi? Why?"

Caitlyn thought she was hearing things. Wasn't Illaoi the one who had sworn that Noxus would destroy Runeterra?

It was because she trusted Illaoi, the woman who could commune with Nagakabouros, that Caitlyn had spent so long traveling Shurima, seeking allies to stand against Noxus. And now, Illaoi believed a low-tier Shadow Isles agent?

"I am gifted with the god's insight. I was fortunate to glimpse the truth."

Illaoi bowed to Balyad. In the original timeline, she was the only demigod who ever bowed to him.

"You don't have to be so formal. Just treat me like a normal guy, Illaoi."

Of course, she could see through it; she was Nagakabouros's true vessel, with the soul-seeing gaze that pierced the nature of all things.

"Your will, when do we set out?"

Though she felt sorry for Caitlyn, Illaoi was determined to follow Balyad to confront the mutation in Freljord.

"Garen, want to come too? Darius is looking forward to seeing you on the battlefield again."

Double meaning: In the original timeline, after the creation of the Institute of War and the use of the Fields of Justice to settle disputes, Darius hadn't fought Garen in ages.

Now, Darius had been emperor for a long time, and Garen had long since turned against the empire. Garen couldn't even remember the last time they'd fought side by side.

"…I need time to think."

Garen walked away, rune greatsword in hand. Darius wanted to meet again on the battlefield, and Garen felt the same. But…

"Caitlyn, why don't you come too? This is also a fight to defend Piltover."

Seeing that Balyad was trying to recruit more allies to improve his odds, Illaoi now turned to Caitlyn, whom she'd accidentally dragged into this mess.

"I want an explanation. Nagakabouros shouldn't give you false visions."

Caitlyn was still skeptical. She feared Illaoi had been manipulated by some charm or dark magic. But knowing the god's immense power, she also doubted herself.

Caitlyn had some understanding of divine might. Piltover, once Runeterra's cultural and commercial center, hadn't overtaken fallen Zaun by force. Instead, they had formed twin city-states for a reason.

Still, without answers, Caitlyn couldn't rest easy. It was her instinct as an officer.

"I've been unable to contact my god for a long time now. The last message I received was a horrifying one: the motion of Runeterra is being stopped. I've been searching for the cause ever since."

Mutation… was it really that terrifying?

Balyad suddenly felt this whole mission was doomed.

Nagakabouros, one of the highest gods in Runeterra, greater even than the sun, had been silenced by this mutation. And now he was expected to handle it? How was this not a nightmare?

"Noxus is only the most likely suspect. Freljord is too remote. Without a clear direction, I've had to search continent by continent. I only hope to find the source before Runeterra is destroyed."

"Things have gotten this bad?"

Caitlyn had often asked Illaoi about the mutation but never gotten a clear answer. She thought Illaoi was just waiting on divine permission to speak; she never imagined Illaoi didn't know the truth either.

"But if we leave, what about the Shuriman warriors? We can't abandon them!"

"I have a way to handle them."

Illaoi knew exactly what the Shuriman people had been waiting for. Disbanding the resistance wouldn't be hard.

"You're not going to drown them, are you?"

Nagakabouros wasn't a peaceful deity, and her true believers weren't pacifists either.

"Of course not. If anyone should stop them, it should be this Shadow Isles monarch, right, Your Majesty?"

Illaoi's tone made Caitlyn begin to guess Balyard's identity. The dead of the Shadow Isles were always rejected by Nagakabouros, and Illaoi had long fought against them.

Yet here she was showing respect to this so-called Shadow Isles monarch? Caitlyn was baffled. Illaoi had always stood at the front lines against Soul Eater's Night. Even if the three Shadow Isles overlords stood before her, she'd charge in alone, so why defer to this weak monarch?

Was he… a god's avatar?

Caitlyn shook her head. No god was worthy of making Nagakabouros's true vessel bow, much less an avatar.

"They'll stop when it's time. For now, their destiny lies elsewhere."

Though Illaoi could help him a great deal, Balyad preferred not to appear before her unless necessary.

Pretending to be all-knowing, all-seeing, yet secretive was hard work. Every time Illaoi questioned him, he had to invent cryptic, mystical-sounding lines.

And all that effort amounted to just two words: mentally exhausting.

Understanding Illaoi's thoughts and rephrasing them convincingly was more painful than getting beaten up.

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