After leaving Guyuan's territory, the three traveled in unusual silence until they reached a fork in the road, where they all stopped at the same time.
Luke glanced at the two quiet girls beside him. "I'm going to continue on to the Placidium of Navori. What about you two?"
Neither Akali nor Ahri answered immediately. They lowered their heads, their eyes wavering.
Akali had originally traveled with them to determine whether Ahri was good or evil.
Now that the matter had been settled, there did not seem to be any reason for the three of them to continue traveling together.
Ahri thought about the information she had previously learned. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the reluctance rising in her heart left her unable to speak.
Luke looked at her. "You want to talk about the Shadow Isles, right?"
"Yes." Ahri nodded. "Some of my people may be there. I have to go."
Luke smiled. "Then let's keep traveling together."
Ahri immediately looked up in confusion. "You're going to accompany me to the Shadow Isles?"
For some reason, a spark of delight rose within her. When she saw Luke shake his head, however, she felt a hint of disappointment.
"I do intend to go to the Shadow Isles, but not yet," Luke explained. "To tell you the truth, I came to Ionia in search of allies precisely because I plan to confront the Shadow Isles. Since the Vesani once lived there, you'll obviously be able to help me a great deal."
Both Ahri and Akali froze after hearing that.
Akali stared at Luke. "I've actually wanted to ask you this for a while. Who exactly are you? You aren't from the Wind-Wielding Sword School at all, are you?"
"That's right. I'm not," Luke admitted with a nod.
"I knew it."
Akali was not surprised.
Thinking back, she had simply assumed on her own that Luke came from the Wind-Wielding Sword School. He had never directly confirmed it.
After everything he had displayed along the journey, she would have been an idiot to continue misunderstanding him.
She could not help asking, "Then why do you know Wind-Wielding Swordsmanship?"
Luke smiled. "A fortunate coincidence. Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Luke Lightshield, and I come from Demacia."
"Luke Lightshield."
Akali quietly repeated the name.
The next instant, her head snapped upward, her beautiful eyes widening in shock. "You're the second prince of Demacia?"
Luke sighed, placed his hands behind his back, and stood proudly. "That is indeed who I am. I originally wanted to keep a low profile and interact with you as an ordinary person, but the day has finally come for my identity to be revealed. Since we've known each other for so long, I'll spare you the formal kneeling."
"Who would ever kneel to an idiot like you?"
Seeing his smug expression, Akali unconsciously ground her teeth.
The heroic image she had built of him shattered into countless pieces.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Demacia's second prince would turn out to be this guy.
Luke Lightshield was far from unknown in Ionia. In fact, he was extremely famous.
Even Ahri was surprised when she learned Luke's true identity.
Eight months had passed since the war in Ionia ended, but eight months ago, the Ionian resistance and the invading Noxian army had still been locked in fierce conflict. The fighting had reached a stalemate, and people were killed or wounded every day.
It was at that time that Luke led his army in an assault against Noxus, placing enormous pressure on the empire from the front.
Noxus had been forced to recall its troops from Ionia, withdrawing more and more of its forces.
That gave the Ionian resistance the opportunity it needed. After the Battle of the Placidium, Ionia launched a full counteroffensive against Noxus and continued fighting until the invaders were completely driven from the First Lands.
Without Demacia applying pressure on the main front, no one knew how much longer the fighting in the First Lands would have continued or how many more people would have died.
Because of that, many people in Ionia regarded Luke as a hero.
His righteous actions had helped Ionia tremendously.
Akali had also heard stories about Luke and greatly admired him. She had even imagined what such a remarkable man might be like.
Surely he had to be a man overflowing with heroic spirit, someone who embodied Demacia's fortitude, courage, and strength.
Today, the image she had built of that man completely collapsed.
Had he not revealed his identity, even if they shared the same name, who could possibly have guessed that this guy was Demacia's second prince?
Who could have guessed?
Akali recalled everything that had happened while traveling with him over the past few days. Then she looked at the shameless idiot posing before her and raised her head toward the sky, feeling somewhat numb.
This guy was the second prince?
Did this creature bear even the slightest resemblance to the prince who had led an army against Noxus and beaten them so badly that they could barely lift their heads?
Seeing Akali's expression, Luke spoke solemnly. "You must accept reality. I know that the moment I revealed my identity, we were destined never to return to the way things were. This isn't your fault."
"Shut up. Stop destroying what little respect I have left for you."
Akali raised a hand. She did not want to hear his voice again for the foreseeable future.
She was forcing herself to accept a reality she desperately wished was untrue.
After a long while, Akali finally sorted through her emotions and accepted the truth.
She knew Luke's identity had to be genuine.
The astonishing wealth and strength he had displayed at the Mountain God Temple left no room for doubt.
"So you're really a prince."
Ahri looked at Luke curiously, blinking as though she had discovered some fascinating new creature.
She had never expected Luke to be Demacia's second prince. She had seen information about him in the memories of humans whose life essence she had consumed in the past.
No wonder he smelled so delicious.
From the very beginning, Ahri had known he was no ordinary person.
"All right, let's get back to the Shadow Isles."
Luke returned to their earlier topic and gave them a general explanation of the situation there.
After hearing everything, the two girls fell silent as they processed the information.
"I never imagined a place like that existed, much less that it posed such a terrible threat," Akali murmured to herself.
She had no reason to believe Luke was lying. No matter how irritating he might be, he was still a prince.
Ahri, meanwhile, felt intense worry and unease welling in her heart.
All life on the Shadow Isles had been destroyed.
What had happened to her people?
She suddenly felt desperate to go there and see for herself.
"There would be no point in going now. The Shadow Isles have concealed themselves," Luke told Ahri. "I know you're worried about your people, but confronting the Shadow Isles alone would be impossible. In a few months, the Shadow Isles will awaken again. That will also be our opportunity."
"All right."
Ahri nodded and forced herself to calm down.
Luke was right. If the Shadow Isles were truly so dangerous, she would need to become stronger before going there.
Only then would she have a better chance of saving her people.
She also no longer needed to hurry away. She could continue traveling with Luke for the time being.
With that thought, her heavy mood inexplicably became much lighter.
As Luke and Ahri discussed the Shadow Isles, Akali found herself unable to join their conversation.
With her current strength, going to a place like that would be nothing more than suicide.
"What about you, Akali?" Ahri asked. "Where are you going?"
"Me? I don't know." Akali exhaled heavily. "I was already planning to go wherever the road took me. What happened in Guyuan showed me how pitifully weak I am. From now on, I'll go wherever I can become stronger."
She did not know what she wanted at that moment.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say she felt lost.
Of course she wanted to become stronger, but should she continue traveling with Luke and Ahri?
Or should she leave them here and set out alone on an unknown path?
Akali was filled with uncertainty about her future.
She had defiantly left the Kinkou Order after making such bold declarations, only to discover that she was pitifully weak in the outside world.
Was the path she had chosen truly the right one?
Luke looked at Akali's lowered head and dim eyes. "You want to become stronger?"
Akali raised her gaze toward him. "Of course I do. I couldn't even deal with a demon like that. How am I supposed to return to the Kinkou Order and prove everyone wrong someday?"
She had left the Kinkou Order in anger, swearing that she would become the strongest and prove that their so-called path of balance was complete nonsense.
"That's easy enough." The corners of Luke's mouth rose. "I've recently been considering taking on a student. Call me Master, and I'll teach you a few things. What do you think?"
Seeing his infuriating grin, Akali immediately snorted. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Judging by his personality, if she actually accepted him as her master, he would probably become unbearably smug and order her around at every opportunity.
No. No. Absolutely not.
The offer was tempting, but she could not do it.
Besides, there was a very real possibility that he was only teasing her.
More importantly, he was not much older than she was. Who accepted someone their own age as their master?
"All right, then this is where we part ways." Luke smiled and turned around. "Let's go, Ahri."
"Huh? Oh."
Ahri instinctively followed him, but glanced back at Akali, who remained standing silently where they had left her.
Luke and Ahri had not even taken ten steps before they heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind.
Akali caught up to them, her pretty face slightly flushed and her eyes flickering uncertainly.
"Master, were you telling the truth?"
Luke smiled. "Of course not. I was teasing you."
Akali's entire face instantly turned bright red. Both embarrassed and furious, she shouted, "I knew it! You were making fun of me!"
"I meant that I was teasing you when I said we were leaving. Neither of us actually intended to abandon you here."
With a single sentence, Luke managed to reduce Akali's explosive anger by half.
Her face remained red, however, and a trace of grievance appeared in her beautiful eyes. "So were you serious or not?"
It had taken a tremendous amount of courage for her to decide to accept someone her own age as her master.
She had finally resolved to throw her pride aside.
If this bastard had lied to her, she would never trust another man named Luke for the rest of her life.
"Of course I was serious. With talent as exceptional as yours, you need an excellent teacher like me to guide you. Now that you have entered my school, I expect you to respect your master, work diligently, and one day spread the glory of our teachings throughout the world."
Luke gave a grand speech before suddenly adopting an imperious posture.
"But before any of that, my good student, start by massaging your master's back."
He turned around and exposed his completely unguarded back.
Akali ground her teeth as she answered sweetly, "Of course, Master."
"Titan Fist!"
"Ow! You treacherous student!"
Ahri watched the two of them bicker and could not help smiling.
She believed that Akali would undoubtedly become much stronger in the future.
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