Both Garen and Jarvan IV could already tell that Taric was no longer the same person he had once been.
At the beginning, the Crown of Stone had not been a punishment in Demacia.
The story went all the way back to Yarna's era.
She had been blessed by the moon and gone to the summit above the clouds. Some Demacians, unwilling to stop at hearsay, crossed mountains and seas to another continent and tried to climb that peak themselves, hoping to behold Yarna.
But almost no one survived the ascent.
The one Demacian who did return claimed that the climb was a trial, and the cost of failing it was severe.
For example, your life.
As for what someone would gain by passing the trial, no one knew, because no such person had ever appeared in recorded history.
After that, many brave warriors traveled to Mount Targon to challenge that trial.
But as more and more of them never returned, the punishment known as the Crown of Stone gradually emerged. Climbing Mount Targon slowly became the sentence handed down to those who had committed grave crimes.
But in truth, most of the time, the Crown of Stone meant exile.
It meant leaving Demacia behind, and no one would care whether you lived or died.
Garen and Jarvan IV had known Taric well and understood his nature. They knew he never would have run away.
Now that he had returned from that mountain, perhaps he had truly passed its trial.
Seeing a former friend now transformed into a stranger no different from a passerby, both Garen and Jarvan IV were quiet on the ride back.
The mood was heavy.
Luke, meanwhile, was still thinking about the Aspects.
If Taric chose to interfere in the war between Demacia and Noxus, then no matter which side he joined, the scales of battle would be tipped completely.
In fact, if he truly set his mind to stopping the conflict, there was a chance he could do it by himself.
That was the power of an Aspect, the kind of overwhelming strength that existed beyond mortal limits.
What a dangerous world.
As his horse bobbed along, Luke could not help sighing inwardly.
Taric's appearance was only a small interruption to everyone else.
Compared to him, the enemy at the Gates of Mourning was the real priority right now.
Over the next few days, the two sides fought a series of clashes in the sky.
This time, Noxus sent out a total of one hundred and twenty Windwing Riders, all for the sake of stopping Demacia's Dragonbird Riders from doing whatever they pleased over their heads.
But the arrival of those Windwing Riders did not keep them happy for very long.
On Demacia's side, Cithria led a total of forty Dragonbird Riders, all of whom remained firmly committed to their original mission.
Every few days, they flew a casual lap over the Gates of Mourning.
And just like that, the aerial struggle began.
Forty against one hundred and twenty, a full three-to-one gap, yet thanks to the Dragonbird Riders' fierce performance, it barely showed at all.
In fact, as the battle dragged on, the Dragonbird Riders only grew more ferocious, taking the advantage in the air and beginning to cut Windwing Riders out of the sky one after another.
At the end of the day, Windwing Riders were just Noxus's imitation of Demacia's Dragonbird Riders.
And how could a knockoff ever beat the real thing?
Now, out of one hundred and twenty Windwing Riders, only thirty remained.
At the Gates of Mourning, inside Patria's office.
"Damn it!"
Patria slammed a hand down on the table with a loud bang. "A bunch of worthless idiots! Not one of you managed to bring down even a single Dragonbird Rider!"
Across from him stood an adjutant with his head lowered, not daring to say a word.
A loss of ninety for zero, no matter how you looked at it, was a humiliating record, both for Patria and for those Windwing Riders.
After venting a bit, Patria finally forced the anger down and looked at the adjutant. "Write to the Immortal Bastion. Tell Lord Darkwill to send more reinforcements."
He had no choice but to ask. If he didn't, they would be right back to those days of letting the enemy soar above their heads and dump whatever they wanted.
Thinking of that, Patria added, "Mark it urgent."
"Yes, sir."
The adjutant answered at once and left.
As Patria watched him go, his gaze drifted unwillingly to the new letter Hill City had sent over, and the anger he had just forced down flared up all over again.
That damned prince kept sending him one letter a day with unwavering dedication.
He had stopped reading them after the second day, but even just seeing the letters was enough to irritate him.
Back in Hill City.
"Feels like we've been out here for a pretty long time."
Lux sat on a chair, idly swinging her two pale feet. Warm sunlight poured over them, making them glow like polished ivory.
The weather was especially nice today, and the sun was stronger than usual, so the girl had not even bothered with socks.
The Illuminators had less and less to do lately, and the increasingly idle Miss Crownguard was starting to miss home a little.
Kahina tilted her head and thought about it. "I think it's been almost a month."
Nearby, Luke, who was carving a block of wood, also remembered that today was already December 15th.
It had almost been a full month.
And Hill City and the Gates of Mourning had already been deadlocked for half of one.
The two girls had nothing to do at the moment, so they were sitting there watching Luke carve. His good-looking hands moved with practiced ease, never stopping for even a moment.
Before long, the block of wood in his hands had become a lifelike rabbit puppet.
By now, the two girls were completely used to his technique.
They had been seeing him carve things every day lately.
Luke handed the rabbit he had made to pass the time over to Kahina beside him, then picked up another block and went right back to killing time.
"So cute!"
Kahina accepted it with sparkling eyes and showed it to Lux. "Don't you think it's adorable?"
"Yeah, super adorable."
Lux nodded along, then sighed and slumped back into the rocking chair. "Makes me kind of want some spicy rabbit stew now."
Kahina said nothing.
She quietly pulled the rabbit puppet back.
Lux rolled over and tugged at Luke's sleeve. "I want pudding. And candy apples..."
Lately Luke had not been cooking for himself at all. Every day he just ate with the main group.
Her mouth was getting more and more bored with it.
She really missed those days when there were endless desserts.
Luke glanced at her. "What kind of conditions do you think we're in? If you really want it that badly, go take a nap. In your dreams you'll have all you want."
"Fine, then I'll sleep."
Lux puffed out her cheeks, turned over, closed her eyes, and tried to enter a dream filled with an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet.
No idea whether she made it to the right dream, but she fell asleep fast enough.
Before long, her breathing had evened out.
At the moment, Katarina was sweeping the floor, and she could not help glancing up at Luke.
It was already December 15th. Only half a month remained before the end of the month, but the guy still did not look worried in the slightest, and he had not really done much of anything since then.
It really was as if he had come here on vacation.
She rather hoped things would keep going like this. If they did, then once the month ended, she would get her freedom back.
Still, she was curious why Luke had dared propose that bet with such confidence in the first place.
Now all they had to do was wait another fifteen days. Judging by the way Hill City and the Gates of Mourning were locked in stalemate, it looked like this would drag on longer rather than shorter.
By afternoon, in the military camp, Shyvana was doing her usual training with the soldiers, running across the drill grounds. Her reddish-purple skin glistened with sweat under the sun.
Around her, the soldiers who had managed to keep pace for a few laps gradually dropped out one by one and sat down in the middle of the field, watching her continue.
"Didn't think I'd lose when it came to stamina too."
"Come on, losing to Shyvana isn't embarrassing."
"She punched me so hard last time I went flying."
"Haha."
The soldiers chatted and laughed, already treating Shyvana as one of their own.
A few laps later, even Vayne could not keep going. She walked off to the side to rest, wiping the sweat from her forehead while watching Shyvana continue to run, and could only admit defeat.
She could sense that inside Shyvana was an aura unlike that of ordinary people.
That scent felt incredibly familiar to her.
If it had been the old Vayne, she probably would not have accepted Shyvana so easily.
But now she no longer judged good and evil from a single first glance.
After spending so many days together, she could tell Shyvana truly was someone worth knowing.
At first, Vayne had refused to accept Shyvana's abnormal stamina.
But after enough time together, she had to admit Shyvana really did earn those enormous meals.
She actually turned every bite she ate into useful strength.
Unlike a certain little golden retriever.
After another few laps, Shyvana finally stopped not far from Vayne and walked over, looking wonderfully refreshed from running in the cold weather. "The weather's pretty great today."
"It is." Vayne smiled and nodded, then handed her another clean water flask. "Let's spar in a bit."
"Sure."
Shyvana took the flask and did not refuse the invitation.
She pulled out the stopper, tipped her head back, and drank boldly, letting the clear water pour straight into her mouth.
Thunk.
Suddenly, her heart pounded hard once. A powerful premonition crashed over her in an instant, making her entire body tremble uncontrollably. It felt as if a hole had been gouged out inside her chest, leaving her with a sick, crawling dread, while a low ringing filled her ears.
The flask slipped from her hand and hit the ground, water spilling everywhere.
Seeing the pained look on Shyvana's face, Vayne asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Shyvana took a deep breath, looked up, and forced out a smile. "Nothing. I might have to cancel that spar."
After saying that, she turned and hurried away as if weighed down by something on her mind.
Vayne frowned at her retreating back, confused, then thought for a moment and followed after her.
All along the way, Shyvana looked deeply troubled.
Her heart kept hammering, pound after pound, like a drumbeat, making her blood and magic churn restlessly.
Every sign was screaming the same thing at her.
She was coming.
This was the connection between the two of them. Once they came within a certain distance of each other, they could always sense the other's presence.
Very quickly, she found Luke.
Luke, who had been carving something, looked up and saw Shyvana enter, breathing a little hard and clearly anxious. "What happened?"
Shyvana steadied her breathing and looked at him. "Your Highness, can we talk alone?"
Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Luke did not refuse. He set down what he was working on, stood up, and followed her outside.
The two of them came to a rooftop terrace.
Luke stopped. "This is fine. What is it?"
Shyvana looked at him and sighed. "I'm leaving."
Luke paused a moment, then returned to his usual expression. "Why?"
Shyvana replied, "Do you remember when I told you I had a personal matter to deal with? Now I have to go settle it."
Luke thought for a second, then asked, "Have you been doing all right here these past few weeks?"
Shyvana answered without hesitation. "Very well. It's been a long time since I've had such a peaceful stretch of days. I've also never made this many friends before."
Luke asked, "Then why leave?"
"That's one of the reasons I have to."
Shyvana gave a bitter little smile.
Originally, she had planned to slip away without saying goodbye.
But precisely because she had grown attached to this place, she felt that leaving without a word would only hurt people.
And maybe become the one thing she would regret most.
She had no idea whether, after leaving this time, she would ever have the chance to come back.
She liked Demacia, liked this open-hearted country. These past two weeks had been the calmest, most peaceful time of her life.
She had made many friends here, and it was clear they had truly accepted her.
But because of that, she did not want her personal affairs dragging them in too.
Luke kept pressing. "What are the other reasons?"
Asking into someone else's private life was rude, but Shyvana did not see it that way. She paused, as if unsure where to begin.
Then she looked at Luke and asked, "You've probably already guessed, haven't you?"
Luke asked, "Guessed what?"
Shyvana did not answer directly. Instead, she raised a hand, and with a whoosh, flames ignited above it.
"I've had this ability since I was born. And the reason my skin is a different color from other people's is connected to it too."
She turned her gaze beyond the rooftop, toward the streets in the distance. "Because my mother is a dragon."
Luke did not look surprised. He simply listened as she continued.
"My father told me he stole me from my mother. He felt guilty about it, so he never lied to me about the fact that my mother was a dragon. Not long after he brought me back, I hatched, but not as a dragon. I came out in human form."
"But I still had some draconic abilities. Because of those troublesome powers, my father and I could never live among ordinary people. We kept drifting from place to place."
Shyvana extinguished the fire in her hand, and a quiet sadness showed in her eyes as she spoke. "I thought that was how life would always be. Until two months ago, when my mother caught up to us."
"I watched with my own eyes as my father, who had gone out looking for food, was swallowed by the fire she breathed. She wanted to kill me, I could feel it clearly. She didn't find me immediately. If I wanted to live, I had no choice but to bury my father and keep moving west. All through that time, I could feel that she was hunting me. To keep from being found, I kept suppressing my presence."
"What happened after that, you already know."
At that point, Shyvana paused and gave a helpless smile. "She really is my mother. No matter where I go, I can always feel the link between us. And now... she's getting close to finding me."
Dragons, legendary creatures of Runeterra.
Beasts that stood at the top of the food chain in this world, with countless legends told about them.
Humans took pride in defeating one, though more often than not they ended up inside its stomach.
And those few humans who truly did kill one were hailed as heroes, with dragon-slaying tales passed down for ages.
These days, few people in Runeterra had ever even seen a living dragon.
But absolutely no one would ever dare underestimate one just because they had become rare.
Wherever you went, the word dragon still carried immense weight.
And Shyvana's mother was one.
Luke naturally already knew that. After hearing her out, he asked, "So your plan is to leave and go back to running?"
Shyvana nodded. "I think that's the only option. If she comes here, then other people will get caught up in it."
She did not want to see that happen. She did not want her own problems to bring harm to the people who had accepted her.
Luke asked, "And if she catches you?"
Shyvana fell silent.
If she were caught, then there would only be one option left.
Fight.
And against a fully grown dragon, the outcome was almost too obvious to imagine.
But this was still her fate. One day, she had always known she would have to face it.
"So why didn't you ask us for help? And why are you only telling this guy, even now that you're leaving?"
A voice came from behind her.
Vayne walked up, face cool and stern.
"Seriously, we're your friends too."
Behind her, Lux and the others, who had been eavesdropping for quite a while, nodded and came out as well.
"You all..." Shyvana looked at them and froze, clearly not expecting that they had heard everything.
The girls had all learned Godspeed Tracking Decree from Luke. Their level was nowhere near his, but concealing their presence was still within their abilities.
If they wanted to eavesdrop, naturally she would not notice.
And now that they had heard the whole story, none of them had expected Shyvana's circumstances to be like this.
Kahina stepped forward, took her hand, and looked at her seriously. "Why didn't you tell us earlier if something like this was happening?"
Shyvana opened her mouth, then after a long moment sighed. "Because... it's a dragon."
Even if she had told them, what difference would it have made?
A dragon was too powerful, far beyond humans.
From beginning to end, she had never wanted her personal affairs dragging anyone else down with her.
And she had not wanted to lose the friends she had only just made.
"Shyvana." Luke suddenly asked, "Do you think of us as friends?"
Shyvana stopped at that, then answered immediately, "Of course. I'm grateful that all of you accepted me, and from the bottom of my heart, I think of you as my friends, my companions."
Luke looked at her and smiled. "If you really think of us as friends, then you should know we aren't the kind of people who abandon our companions over something like this. You can always choose to trust us. Carrying something like this alone is too lonely. Let us take some of that pressure off your shoulders."
Shyvana could not help staring at him blankly. She looked around her. Every face there was firm. There was not a trace of fear in any of them.
Suddenly, guilt pricked at her heart.
Part of the reason she had not dared tell them, was it because she had been afraid of losing them, afraid that the moment they heard dragon, they would start avoiding her?
She had once had a friendship, when she was very young. She and her father had settled near the wilderness for a while, and she went to play in a nearby village.
Very soon, she had made a few friends and spent happy days playing with them.
They had gone into a nearby forest together, but during one attack, she had changed into another form and killed the beast that had threatened them.
Those friends, however, had only looked terrified. They ignored her explanation, ran home, and told the adults everything.
Because of that, she and her father had been driven out from the area around the village, and those friends had never spoken to her again.
Even now, she had never forgotten it.
She did not blame those friends, but... remembering it still hurt.
Would this time end the same way?
Looking at the people around her, at all those clear, steady eyes, Shyvana lowered her head.
They had already accepted her.
Yet it seemed that all this time, she had never truly let herself become part of them.
"Anyway, you don't need to keep something like this locked up inside."
Seeing Shyvana still struggling, Luke thought for a moment, then suggested, "Let's call my brother and the others first. I'm not actually the one in charge here. If he doesn't allow you to stay, then you can leave. How about that?"
Shyvana thought of Jarvan IV, hesitated, then nodded.
Very quickly, Jarvan IV, Garen, Lev, and several others who were close to Shyvana were all called over.
Once everyone sat down and heard that Shyvana intended to leave, they were shocked.
Then they listened quietly as she explained the whole situation.
"So that's what happened."
After she finished, Shyvana looked across at them.
Bang.
Jarvan IV, who had listened in silence the whole time, suddenly slammed the table and jumped to his feet in outrage. "There's actually a mother like that? What kind of mother hunts down her own daughter? Don't worry. Since you've brought this to us, we'll help you solve it!"
The sense of justice coming off him was almost overflowing.
He had always liked Shyvana quite a bit, not just because of her strength, but because she was also genuinely a good person.
For half a month now, Shyvana had thrown herself into the troops and fought alongside the soldiers. No one even knew how many Noxians she had helped put down.
Jarvan IV had sincerely been glad that she had joined Demacia.
And now that she was in trouble, there was no way he could just stand by and watch!
Shyvana stared at him blankly. "I never entrusted this to anyone..."
"Don't say another word!"
Jarvan IV looked at her with a grave expression. "We know what the problem is now. Isn't it just one dragon? If it comes, then we'll kill it."
The way he said it was incredibly bold.
Even though he had only ever seen dragons in stories and paintings.
Jarvan IV was not afraid in the least.
Luke took an easy sip of tea. "Maybe ask everyone else too?"
Jarvan IV glanced at him, nodded, and turned to the others. "What do you think?"
"Your opinion is my opinion."
After saying that, Garen fell silent. He naturally was not afraid of a dragon either.
"Then what the hell is there to think about? We fight."
"I've never even seen a dragon before."
"First time in history we get to brawl with a dragon."
"I can't wait."
The others showed no fear either. Without even considering Shyvana's objections, they were already thinking about dragon-slaying.
Some of them were downright excited at the chance to see a legendary dragon for the first time.
"You're one of us now. Of course we won't sit around and watch a companion face disaster alone."
Jarvan IV looked at Shyvana and smiled. "If you still have doubts, then let's ask even more people."
Before Shyvana could refuse, the group had already taken her to the military camp.
The soldiers were gathered together, and Jarvan IV skipped over some of the details, giving them the short version instead.
"Next, I need to tell you about Shyvana."
Because of her remarkable strength and easygoing personality, Shyvana was already well known in the army.
So the moment they heard her name, everyone's gaze turned toward her.
"Shyvana is currently being hunted by her mother, and her mother just happens to be a dragon, a real dragon."
Jarvan IV stood on the platform and shouted, "That's the situation. This isn't a problem she can solve by herself. A new comrade of ours, someone who's fought shoulder to shoulder with us on the same line, is in danger. Are we supposed to just stand by and do nothing?"
"No!"
The reply came without even a moment of hesitation, a thunderous roar from below.
Almost not a single soldier hesitated. Weapons went up into the air, every face completely resolute.
Shyvana stared down at the crowd, her heart pounding hard, a feeling she had never known before slowly filling her from the inside.
Her eyes grew hot, as if tears might fall the very next second.
"As long as we stand together and fight as one, that dragon won't stand a chance against us."
Jarvan IV looked out over the soldiers and shouted on. "Anyone would feel fear in front of a dragon. I won't think less of anyone who chooses not to fight. If you don't want to join this battle, lower your hand now."
He swept the crowd with a serious gaze.
Not a single person lowered a hand.
No one wavered.
"Now do you see? No one is going to turn away from you because of your problem. When hardship comes, we'll face it together with you."
Jarvan IV turned and looked at Shyvana. Behind him, he seemed like a shield that was both steadfast and warm. "So why not try trusting us?"
Luke asked, "Now, do you still want to leave on your own? If you insist on going, we won't stop you again."
Shyvana wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and bowed deeply toward the crowd below. "No matter what happens next, I will fight side by side with all of you!"
She would never have that childish thought again.
If she did, she would be betraying the people who believed in her so firmly.
For the first time in her life, Shyvana understood what home meant.
All those years of wandering had only been leading her here.
Katarina watched the scene in front of her and could not help losing herself in thought.
From everything she knew, Demacia really was this kind of country.
United. They were like a single whole that could not be split apart, held together by remarkable coordination.
And because of that, this country had become an enemy Noxus could never afford to underestimate.
"Fight for those who cannot fight."
"Fight for Demacia."
"Fight for the weak."
To her ears, those slogans had always sounded laughable, and yet in this country, countless people had spent their entire lives doing exactly that.
It was precisely because of that terrifying strength of will that Demacia had stood on this continent for nearly a thousand years without falling.
She herself would shout, "For Noxus!"
But more often than not, it was for herself, for higher status, for more power, for more money.
Kings made people kneel with inherited power and empty titles. Noxus made people rise.
And yet Noxians shouted that slogan so hypocritically, doing anything at all in the name of standing.
Warlords and noble houses fought each other in endless scheming. Human nature collided. Interests devoured one another.
As long as it meant more money and more power, they would sell out anything, even morality.
But if you looked closely, in a vast Noxus, how many people were truly standing?
And how many wanted to stand, only to have their legs broken by those who had already risen?
Countless people died on the way up.
Enough bones to pile into mountains beyond counting.
Seen from that angle, these Demacians in front of her looked far more like the ones standing tall.
Because they always had something to pursue, lofty ideals, people they wanted to protect, and reasons to fight.
Watching the scene before her, Katarina found herself wondering, if the same situation happened in Noxus,
would they choose to fight a far stronger creature for the sake of one fellow soldier?
No.
She already knew the answer.
Some would probably even laugh and say, risking your life for someone else, isn't that something only idiots do?
And right now, standing before Katarina, was a whole crowd of those idiots.
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