Night.
Crown Guard Mansion.
Watching her daughter leave happily with the book, Lady Augatha's brows knit with concern.
"Is it really wise to let her read those books?" she asked softly.
Tiana held a steaming teacup in her hand, taking a long, slow sip.
The rich, fragrant tea left her visibly content.
"This Noxian blend is surprisingly refreshing. Try it—it's quite good."
"You always indulge her," Augatha replied, disapproving, though she too reached for her cup and took a sip.
Since bringing Luxanna to the main estate in High Silvermere, it was clear Tiana had taken a liking to her daughter.
Augatha wasn't sure why.
She's naive, lacks subtlety, doesn't hide her thoughts, and wears her heart plainly—just a simple, earnest girl.
The tea's delicate sweetness lingered on her tongue, coaxing a moment of calm.
Her eyes narrowed in reluctant appreciation.
"It's hard to believe something so refined came from savage Noxus," she murmured.
"They're adapting quickly. We have to do the same," Tiana said.
"Luxanna is like a sponge—she can absorb the strengths of both our worlds."
She knew well enough that Noxus used trade and culture to soften resistance.
If Demacia ever began to admire Noxian philosophy, the rest would follow.
Still, they didn't have much choice anymore. Better to accept it with a clear mind.
"I'm worried those books are corrupting her," Augatha said, not hiding her unease.
"She's been... restless lately. I don't trust it. Not like you do."
"There's always turmoil in youth. Mistakes come with growing."
Tiana smiled faintly, though her gaze fell to an empty chair.
A flicker of pain crossed her face—an old memory surfacing, uninvited.
"We grow up, and then the world shackles us in place."
"Tiana, let go of the past. At our age, we should know: some things are never simply right or wrong."
"That's why I don't want Luxanna to walk the same path we did. She deserves something better."
Not wanting to dwell on it, Tiana smoothly shifted the subject.
Augatha followed her lead but didn't let go entirely.
"Giving her freedom doesn't mean letting her roam unsupervised. You let her go to the temple alone. I should have at least known."
That was what bothered her most. By the time she heard about it, Luxanna was already gone.
Heirs of the Crownguard should never be exposed to unnecessary risk.
"You don't understand her—she's not alone. She has someone guiding her," Tiana said calmly.
"She barely leaves the estate," Augatha scoffed, brows furrowed.
"That doesn't mean she hasn't made powerful connections. Talent draws attention—always has."
Her eyes drifted again to the empty seat.
"Hmph." Augatha sipped her tea, her tone sharp.
"With her clumsy lies? Even Garen saw through them. She's toned it down in recent years, but still—she's not ready. Talented or not, her mind isn't mature."
"I know you want to protect her, but she's not a match for Jarvan. The Crownguard needs her more than the royal family does."
Augatha had never wanted her daughter to marry into the royal line.
She had always known Luxanna's path lay elsewhere.
More than that, Augatha herself had been born to a lineage older and, in some ways, more noble than the Crownguards.
She never even dared to voice her suspicions about Jarvan.
"She's doing well now. But I'll always make sure she has choices. She's still my daughter."
With that, Lady Augatha stood, her poise flawless, and left the hall in dignified silence.
Tiana sat quietly for a while, sipping the last of her tea before speaking to the empty space beside her.
"What do you think of Luxanna, Eldred?"
"A valuable asset," came the rough, shadowed reply.
"I don't mind helping her rise... but you know what I want in return."
His voice rasped with bitterness—old pain barely contained.
"It's not time yet. When it is, do it cleanly. Leave Crownguard out of it."
"Thank you, Tiana..."
For the first time, Eldred heard her give full support to his plan.
"There's no need for gratitude," she said quietly.
"That burden's mine too."
"Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. He and Lightshield both deserved what they got."
Tiana stood, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady the storm inside him.
She should have stood with him long ago. But for the Crownguard's sake, she waited.
Now, with Demacia's foundations shaking, there was nothing left to protect.
The future belonged to Luxanna.
And she... she would finally choose for herself.
"You and I are one, Eldred."
-------------
Noxian Tent
A faint glow pulsed from the center of the tent as a rune circle activated.
The bluish light flickered against the canvas, illuminating Shyvana's tense figure.
Though still recovering from her wounds, she instinctively dropped into a defensive stance.
"Stand down," Darius said with a raised hand, rising from his seat.
The deep blue glow intensified until a figure began to take shape within the circle.
"You're here," Darius said with a rare grin.
Shyvana blinked—this was the first time she'd seen the fearsome general smile.
They were stationed near the northern border, facing repeated raids from barbarian tribes.
She'd seen firsthand the ruthless efficiency Darius brought to the battlefield.
His smile, therefore, was unsettling.
"I brought reinforcements," the man said, stepping fully from the rune circle.
Ryan—calm, composed—acknowledged Darius with a nod before turning his sharp gaze toward Shyvana.
"So this is the daughter of the dragon? There's great power in her. She'll be a formidable warrior one day."
"You flatter me," Shyvana replied with a respectful bow.
"Shyvana of Noxus, at your service, Your Excellency."
Her adoptive father had been a mage—magic had always held her respect.
And in her short time with the Noxian warband, she'd grown to appreciate the order, the discipline, and the absence of prejudice.
Her half-dragon blood didn't matter here.
"She's adapting well," Darius said.
"Shyvana, this is Ryan Meredith—Archmage and leader of the Trifarix. The most powerful mage in the empire."
Shyvana's posture straightened.
"Archmage Meredith… I've heard of you."
It wasn't Darius whose name was most whispered among the Trifarian veterans—it was Ryan's.
His strategies, his victories, his arcane strength.
Ryan smiled faintly. "Just a name. I heard your mother is hunting you."
Shyvana nodded, voice a little uncertain.
"Yes… and she's powerful."
"No matter how strong, she's still just a dragon," Ryan said with a casual wave.
"Darius might even take her down himself."
"I wouldn't mind trying," Darius replied, expression cold and unreadable.
He'd never slain a dragon before, but he didn't think it would be that different.
"You've joined Noxus now. Rest easy. I can see the worry in your eyes. If you'd like… we can eliminate her. Tonight."
There was no malice in Ryan's voice—just calm, terrifying certainty.
He had come for this very reason: to handle the dragon and deliver another trophy to the Empire... and to the Mage Tower.
The thought of it made Shyvana hesitate.
"Archmage… I want to face her with you. But…"
She trailed off. The Trifarian Legion was powerful, yes—but her mother's presence, the sheer weight of her aura, was overwhelming.
"There's no room for doubt," Darius said.
"You're Noxian. We don't fear strength—we challenge it."
Ryan nodded. "It's just a little help we need from you. She's tracking you through your blood. We'll track her back."
Their quiet confidence helped settle the storm in Shyvana's chest.
She took a breath, firmed her stance, and looked Ryan in the eye.
"What do you need me to do?"
"Your blood," Ryan said simply.
"With it, I can bind the location spell. We'll use her own magic against her."
Without hesitation, Shyvana drew a blade across her arm, letting a few drops fall into the clear vial Ryan offered.
At his gesture, she stepped back.
"Buzz!"
Power surged through the tent as Ryan's magic awakened.
The blood floated from the vial, each drop carving glowing red symbols into the air.
"They look... twisted," Shyvana murmured.
"It's a minor spell within a specialized branch of rune magic—Blood Hunter," Ryan explained while continuing his work.
"It's based on two runes—Ruthless Hunter and Taste of Blood—and reinforced by a fifth-tier matrix using thirty related glyphs."
Darius watched silently as crimson threads of semi-illusory energy wove their way outward from the tent, reaching like veins across the landscape.
"This is your own magic system?" he asked.
"Can it be used by our soldiers?"
"For now, only by trained mages," Ryan replied.
"But I can enchant weapons for your troops—enhance them with focused functions."
Darius gave a short nod.
"Then do it. We'll take every edge we can get."
Ryan remained focused, still weaving the magic of the long-distance tracking spell.
Such complex casting often required time and precision—but with rune magic, much of the tedium was reduced.
The enchanted runes now expanded outward, spreading across the land like veins pulsing with blood.
Without this system, he'd have to manually sustain and monitor every strand of magic himself.
"Like what?" Darius asked suddenly, eyeing the obsidian battleaxe resting in the corner of the tent.
The Black Cutter—a reward from Darkwill himself—was one of his most prized possessions.
It had cleaved countless enemies and remained unchallenged in combat.
"Cut through anything," Ryan replied casually, "or drag all your enemies to stand before you."
"I want both," Darius said, lips curling into a grin.
Ryan smirked faintly. "As long as you have enough merit points."
He turned back to the runes, voice calm.
"The Commander wants you to set an example. The Empire needs a veteran with enough weight to spend at the exchange… publicly."
Darius let out a booming laugh.
"Then I'll return to the Immortal Bastion with something."
Few things thrilled him more than a tangible increase in strength.
As the conversation tapered off, Ryan's expression suddenly shifted. His eyes narrowed.
"…Found her."
"Where?" Shyvana asked quickly, her voice tight with anticipation.
Ryan pointed to the southwest.
"In the mountains near the Turkugur Plains."
He frowned. "That region isn't technically under Empire control, is it?"
"No," Darius said with a cold edge.
"There's a kingdom squatting there. Their king's been playing both sides between us and Demacia. If not for Swain's restraint, I'd have burned their palace to ash by now."
His voice darkened with disgust.
"The nobles bleed the land dry while the peasants starve. A kingdom of leeches."
He turned to Ryan, eyes flashing with bloodlust.
"This is the perfect excuse. It's time the Empire liberated Turkugur."
Ryan looked at him, amused.
"Then take the kingdom. I'll handle the dragon."
"Done."
Darius turned, already walking out of the tent.
"Let's move."
His axe swung easily over his shoulder, as if already thirsting for war.
Ryan glanced at Shyvana.
"Shall we, Dragonblood Warrior?"
Shyvana hesitated. The title sounded… heavy.
A pause, then a breath. Her voice steadied.
"My lord… I may not yet deserve that name—but I will earn it."
Ryan gave a nod of approval and stepped toward the exit.
As he emerged from the tent, wind catching his robes, he was met with a sight that gave him pause.
Shyvana was no longer human.
She had fallen to one knee, her body already shifting.
Red scales rippled across her skin, wings unfurling in a burst of crimson fire.
Her limbs extended into talons, her head lengthened into the draconic snout of her lineage.
The ground trembled under her weight.
"My lord, allow me to do my part."
She lowered her massive head, offering him a ride atop her back.
Ryan studied her glowing eyes for a moment, then stepped lightly onto her armored spine.
"Roar!"
With a single beat of her wings, they launched into the sky—cutting through the clouds with burning resolve.
--------------
Across the Wilderness – Noxian Vanguard
Below, the warband thundered forward, riding massive black tigers through the wild plains of the frontier. Dust and wind howled across the open fields.
At the head of the column, Darius rode in silence, the Battleaxe strapped to his back.
After a moment, he looked skyward—at Ryan riding high above them on the back of a dragon—and then turned to his second-in-command.
"Wedelin. Tell me the truth. What do you think I lack compared to him?"
Wedelin hesitated. "General… we can feel your strength. But what we lack is shared experience."
"Experience?" Darius echoed, frowning.
Wedelin gave a small nod.
"General Meredith… he's a legend to us. He led us through war after war. His magic saved our lives. Many of us followed him for years. You're strong, yes—but you haven't led us yet."
Darius narrowed his eyes.
Wedelin continued, sincere.
"You haven't had your moment. General Swain had wisdom. General Meredith had awe. We haven't yet seen your mark on us."
He hesitated before adding, "When we fought the Winged God—Kayle—you were restrained. The troops haven't seen the full extent of your fury."
Darius remained silent for a long moment, eyes fixed on the path ahead.
"…A moment, huh."
The reins in his hand tightened. His jaw set.
Noxus didn't hand out loyalty. You earned it. With strength. With blood.
He would conquer this army—not with speeches or titles—but through undeniable force.
High above, Ryan glanced down.
As if sensing Darius' resolve, a knowing smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He said nothing.
He didn't need to.