Death did not feel as relieving as he had imagined. His eye opened to an endless shade of cyan and green.
Raising an arm to his face, he could see that is was ethereal. See through. Ghost-like.
"Where-" He muttered as he stood up, his words halting as his eyes caught onto something. A gigantic metal castle that rose into the sky.
"I'm not dead?" He wondered aloud.
"You most definitely are."
His eyes widened, a shiver running down his body. He recognized that voice. His body trembled as he turned around.
There she stood. Looking the same as the day he had lost her.
Amoline. His Amoline.
Even under the cyan glow of her body, her red hair stood out.
His eyes drifted to the side as he caught sight of Leanna. Her hand over her stomach.
He fell to his knees as he looked at the two women he loved. Tears began to flow freely from his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whimpered. "I'm sorry. I failed you both."
Both women looked at each other with a smile and then placed their hands on his shoulder.
"You've not failed us at all." Leanna spoke.
Amoline nodded, "You have done better than we could have hoped for."
"I let you die." He grasped onto their hands as if they might disappear.
"But you kept our children safe. You raised them. You did more than I believed you capable of." Amoline spoke, "You were a good husband Gregori."
"And a better father." Leanna continued, "You are not to blame for our deaths. It was completely out of your hands."
"Were you watching the whole time?" He asked, grief still clouding him.
"Always." Leanna answered.
Amoline smiled at him lovingly, "From the beginning."
"Did I..." Gregori's voice shook, "Did I do the right thing?"
"We cannot say." Leanna answered, "The future has not yet come to pass. One day.... we might know if you did the right thing..... but for now?"
"Well I say that you did the right thing." Amoline shook her head, "You honored your word to Caalyx. And kept your promise."
Hearing Caalyx's name cleared up his thoughts instantly, his eyes returned to focus, "Did we win? The plan worked?"
"Perfectly." Amoline pointed to the ground, "Look for yourself."
Gregori followed her finger, looking at Caalyx and the other Darkin fight the Void.
"Then where are we?" He asked as he finally looked around.
The three of them weren't alone. They were surrounded by countless dead. Gregori recognized a bunch of them.
Sylas stood with a bunch of mages. The Mallat family huddled together. Ambessa sitting next to Kino. The Rakkor lined up looking forward at the castle.
"The Death Realm." Amoline answered. "Mordekaiser's creation."
Mordekaiser.
The Iron Revenant.
Sahn Uzal.
The Conqueror.
The man who had created Noxus. The man who had refused to die because there was nothing beyond death.
"He created this?"
"He wanted to rule over the dead. He believed it was disrespect for him to have nothing to conquer upon his death. So her created this Death Realm. One under his control."
Gregori looked at the castle, "What do we do now?"
But he knew the answer.
He was going to storm the castle. He had one more fight in him.
Amoline's hand pushed him to the ground, "No. For now you rest. You spend your time with us." She sat beside him, her hand intertwining with his.
Leanna sat to his other side, "I suppose you would like to meet your son." She placed his hand on her stomach, "He will never see the light of day but at least he can meet his father."
Gregori looked at her stomach, the slight bump being the smallest indication of a child.
"Go on." Leanna spoke, "Give him a name."
"Caalyx." Gregori whispered.
Leanna smiled, "I like that name."
The three sat in silence fora while.
"Have you tried attacking the castle?" He asked.
"It is pointless." Leanna answered.
He frowned.
"As long as his physical body remains underneath Noxus, we cannot harm him from here." Amoline explained.
"Then we wait." Gregori spoke.
"We wait." Amoline answered, "And we watch the living."
Gregori smiled as he looked down at his children. They were grieving but he knew that they would overcome this.
A content smile appeared on his face as he held his wives.
If he had to wait for one more battle... he would wait for as long as it took.
-x-
She hated paperwork. It was not something she had ever been good at. And having drawn the short straw she found herself taking care of everything.
All of their requests, missions and expenses needed to be signed off on. Their organization was a relatively new one.
The doors to her office shot open as her sister walked in. She was a fully grown woman, her red hair tied up in a single ponytail. She wore a tunic and pants that left enough space for her to move comfortably. A bear plushie hung from her belt. And a bag was slung over her shoulders.
"Hello Annie." She greeted her sister, before looking at her waist, "Hello Tibbers." Without waiting for a reply she looked back at her sister, "Would it kill you to open the door like a normal person?"
Annie shrugged before placing a document on her table.
"Another mission completed."
"Do you plan on taking another one?" She asked.
Annie shook her head, "Vacation."
Her eyebrow rose, "Where?"
"Demacia. I'm going to visit the little one." Annie answered.
The little one. Their youngest. Gray. Tianna was doing a good job raising him. And the siblings had all visited him at least once. He did get showered with gifts whenever possible. Despite everything it did seem like he might grow up into a spoilt brat.
Well... Annie would fix that.
She never fell for the seven year old's pleading eyes.
"There's also Garen's wedding." She reminded Annie, "Give them a gift from us. A good one. Not alcohol."
Annie raised her hands up in surrender a cheeky smile on her face, "No promises."
She sighed in defeat.
"Where are the rest?" Annie asked.
"Daisy's fighting alongside the Avarosans. Rell is still traveling the world. Daani is trying to find a way into Ixtal. Faye is studying at Nasus's magic library." She answered, "Sydell is blazing through the missions in and around Noxus. He is planning on challenging Talon for the spot."
Annie looked impressed, "He's confident?"
"I haven't asked."
"He's probably confident." Annie answered it herself.
"Anyway, Jinx and Isha are taking care of everything in the Twin Cities."
The two cities had been united once the boy Ekko had returned. Together with the Yordle, he had united the two cities ushering in a new prosperous era for them. Jinx and Isha worked for the organization from the there.
"Anything else?"
"Spirit boy was here." She said.
"Is he still pining after you?"
She sighed.
"Give him a shot." Annie teased, "It might work out."
"I don't know if I can have children Annie." She shook her head, "I do not want to take that away from him."
"There's a certain star you can pray to for help regarding that you know?" Annie shot back, "Give me a better excuse."
"He's too young." She answered immediately, knowing there was little she could lie about, "He's six years younger than me."
"His parents don't mind." Annie chuckled, "He doesn't mind. Why do you?"
"Shen and Syndra let him do whatever he wants because they think the world will just give him what he needs. And they are focused on taking care of his brother."
Annie slowly shook her head, "Well I said what I needed to. I'll get going. Take care sis." She spun about and began walking out.
"You too Annie. Let me know once you reach Demacia." She called out to her, "And close the door behind you!"
Annie grabbed the door moving to close it, her final words echoed through the room, "Don't forget to walk Oompa and Loompa."
She smiled as she looked out of the window, her eyes watching Annie as she placed a flower on Willa's grave. She had passed away two years after their father. The second loss in a short period of time that had sent the children into depression.
But they overcame it.
Her daddy had been right.
They were stronger than they had imagined. And she could feel it..... he was watching over them.
Briar looked back down at the stack of documents in front of her. She stretched her arms out wide and the picked up her pen once again.
The organization's name stood out on the papers. Their logo too.
Three 'B's arranged in a triangle.
Her father's last words to them. Their Bond Beyond Blood.
-x-
The infernal mask was really uncomfortable.
No sane person attended these masquerade parties. But the request was to safely extract an item. A knife engraved with Blood magic. Vile thing that needed to be disposed of.
"Fucking Noxians." He muttered under his breath as he walked up to the entrance. Reaching into his suit pocket, he pulled out the invitation and held it out in front of him.
The guards stepped to the side allowing him to pass.
Alcohol flowed freely. The scent of drugs lingering in the air. Smoke from expensive cigars wafting though the venue.
This was Noxian opulence at its finest. He spotted the knife in a glass case beside the dance floor.
Among of the crowd, one red head slipped through with purpose. His eyes followed it before getting distracted by something.
Something he had overlooked.
Spiders.
There were a lot of them here.
An abnormal amount.
Something was wrong and he intended to find out what.
He thought for a moment choosing to not make contact with any of them. He stepped onto the dance floor, his hands slipping into the waist of another woman twirling. The two danced slowly, finding a perfect rhythm. He spun her around as the music reached its cresendo.
And then a shocked scream tore through the crowd.
The woman he was dancing with ran toward the exit. So did the rest of the crowd.
Standing in front of him was the red haired woman who he had previously lost track of. Judging by the knife in her hand and the knife embedded in the host's body..... she was an assassin.
Using the sudden distraction as an opportunity, he placed his hand on the glass casing and lifted. The glass, stuck to his fingers, rose along with it. He pocketed the knife with ease and placed the case back.
A sudden tingle ran down his body.
It was a sort of sixth sense. An alert he had begun to respect.
He spun around as a woman crawled down the wall, her body stretching and straining as she did so, spider legs coming out of back. He felt a connection between himself and the woman. Her red mask had multiple openings as she moved toward the redhead.
He finally recognized the woman.
Katarina Du Coteau.
The sister.
The spider woman jerked forward, spitting a burst of venom.
He reacted first, his hand stretching out, a line of web flying out and hitting the woman in the back. He pulled back, his superhuman strength pulling the woman with it easily.
He caught the woman and moved her to the side.
Without turning back, he spoke to her, "Tell your brother that the youngest Hastur is coming for his title."
The woman looked at him in confusion before using the opportunity to escape.
Sydell squared up to the spider woman.
"Elise Kythera is suppose?" He asked.
The jittery woman stopped moving, her head tilting sideways in surprise.
Sydell sighed at her reaction, "You know.... I expected my ancestor to be more commanding.... rather than whatever this is. But its fine...." He smiled, "I'll just out youout of your misery."
He leapt forward.
-x-
"Do they not stop attacking?"
"Do you want them to?"
"Fuck no."
"Don't curse Daisy."
"Oh shut it Braum."
"There is a child who looks up to you, you know."
"Jotunn will learn those words either way. Better he hears them from me."
"That's not a good enough excuse."
"You jumping in without your immortality needs a better excuse old man."
"That has nothing to do with this."
"Ashe would disagree."
"Warmother."
"I'll keep calling her Ashe."
The cold got her blood pumping.
Daisy was thriving.
-x-
Her magic was never her best suit. But that had changed pretty quickly. The Ascended had seen to that.
That fucking Wither of his and broken everything of hers.
Nasus appreciated her resilience though.
She flipped a page on the book she was reading. The snoring woman beside her doing nothing to help her concentration.
Faye nudged her.
The woman slumped backward onto the bookshelves.
"Kai'sa!" She shouted.
The woman jumped up in shock, her skin rippling outward in a wave.
"Faye!" Kai'sa moaned in disappointment. "For someone a lot younger than me you rarely show me the respect I deserve."
"Respect is earned." Faye replied as she turned to the next page, "And it is time for your father to come pick you up now."
"Ah." Kai'sa rose to her feet. "Thanks!" And she shot off flying, her skin giving way to thruster that formed underneath.
A little while later, the Ascended returned. Nasus walked toward her, "What have you learnt?" He asked.
Faye raised her hand and smiled.
"Wither."
-x-
He took to the forest like a fish to water. The wilderness and its animals were very willing to guide him.
Soraka had pointed him in this direction.
The only other one that belonged to the same species as him.
A Vastayashai'rei.
He wasn't alone. He had his family after all, but this was something else. it was almost like an unknown purpose pushing him forward.
The desire to meet another that looked like him.
Ixtal was close.
He could feel it.
Or at least he thought so.
It was the same feeling he had for weeks.
But he just could not find a way through.
The leaved suddenly rustled behind him. He turned around, an orb of magic forming in his hand.
A curious looking woman popped out.
The two looked at each other.
"But Neeko did not make clone?" The woman muttered.
Daani chuckled.
-x-
Everything that had been done to her had been done for a purpose.
Ferromancy was special eve among magic users.
Her travels across the continent was proof of that. Even in Ionia, the land of magic and spirits, her abilities stood out like a sore thumb.
So she had returned to Noxus.
Back to the school she had destroyed.
The school hadn't stopped functioning since her escape. It had been considered a temporary setback with operations beginning as soon as everything was cleaned up.
Rell had destroyed the school thoroughly this time. She had even killed everyone involved. All the way to the top.
Sydell had helped.
It was what brothers were for after all.
Going through the documents revealed somethin really interesting to her.
She wasn't a weapon to be used randomly but rather a weapon to counter someone. a certain undead ruler sealed underneath Noxus.
Some fella name Mordekaiser.
Interesting.
She might just look into this Iron Revenant.
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And there we go. The last chapter. My first ever story has come to a close after three whole years. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me over the years through my upload schedule. I appreciate your love for the story and the characters. I left the story with an open enough ending so there is a chance I might revisit this later with a couple short stories. I wanted to say a lot. But I don't really want to. So instead I will leave you all poll. A choice between two fics for the future.
1) Marvel. X-Men storyline from the comics. Main character is a mutant. Stone monkey. Monkey King. Slow rise to power kind of story. You get the drift.
2) DC. Another father story. Dad with powers (Pretty strong, but interesting powers that give a lot of leeway in the writing aspect), keeps it hidden, runs a restaurant in Metropolis. Has two kids who join the Young Justice. With a bunch of drama intertwined.
3) I'm not too sure yet. But some video game or anime IP, you can recommend some. DMC. Infamous. JoJo. Resident Evil. Pacific Rim. The world's your oyster really.
In other news, I completed my internship. Got good grades. And am going to start my thesis soon. So yeah.... by March 2027 I should have a full time job with the company and life should be on track.
Once again. Thanks for joining me on this journey and if you want more. I'll start updating my other fic soon.
If you reached this far... leave a comment. Did you enjoy the story? Leave a review if you feel like it