[Fan Fiction] The Fall of Shurima: Xerath's Tale
Since the pictures came about, it thought it'd be interesting to try a super short story starring Xerath and seeing things from HIS point of view. Please note that in the grand scheme, this WILL be very off canon and probably nothing like the finished product that is Xerath's current story/lore.
Shurima, a beautiful kingdom in the desert. Grand temples, buildings and walls surrounded this arid landscape, an oasis in an otherwise barren pit of sand and despair. Several hundred feet about the sandy streets of Shurima's grandest kingdom, Azir yawned softly as he walked. Lazily he surveyed his kingdom, having only recently arisen to the throne. "Again, I implore you to rethink your decision..." spoke a voice.
Just behind Azir, wrapped head to toe in robes of the finest silk, was Xerath. Xerath had been the magus who served as chief adviser to Azir's father and his father before him. Despite being old, Xerath was no dotard. With nothing but his finger, Xerath created a line of pure energy. He dragged it over and over, creating a very basic look of Runeterra. "While Shurima is grand, I am VERY worried about-"
Azir chuckled, reaching over to pat Xerath. Xerath flinched at this, seething. He didn't like it when people touched him. "My friend, come now! My father may be gone, but there is no need to sully his legacy with war or strife! So what if kingdoms are arising north of us? So what if there are rumors in that frozen land that some...what was it? Witch?"
"The Ice Witch, Seeker of th-"
"Yes yes, her. You worry too much! Should ANYTHING happen, we would have ascendency to save our people in the darkest hour. Now please, why don't you go study some books or go do something for yourself? You spend far too much time worry about Shurima, magus," Azir laughed to himself, shaking his head as he walked away. For years, Azir's father and grandfather held onto every word Xerath said. If the magus was worried, then Shurima was worried. That's how it had always been. But now...now Azir cared naught for his words. These kingdoms of the north would amass forces as Shurima became stagnant and....and...
Clenching his fist, the little mystic map of Runeterra vanished in a puff of smoke. Xerath would not let that happen. For too long Shurima has thrived...and gods forbid a damned child's lax behavior cause Shurima to fall. If he was to stop Azir, however, Xerath would have to do something that would sway the power of the emperor to his favor...and only ONE thing could do that.
"Ascending!?" Azir said, eyes wide with shock at what Xerath was suggesting. In this throne room, Azir sat high and above all the others. For the moment, however, it was just him and his adviser. Xerath knelt before his throne, even as his old form did ache from the weight of his aging body, but age or not, Xerath's mind was sharp as the day he first picked up a book.
Xerath nodded. "Think of it this way, my lord: You are young, powerful, wise. Should you ascend, we would NEVER have to worry about threat! Even more so, you will live for ages to come and rule Shurima well into a brilliant age! A golden time of pure majesty!" The more Xerath spun these tales, the more Azir's expression changed. From the shock of his suggestion to the curious hum to the wide-eyed look to the ceiling, imagining that golden age of Shurima.
Beneath his mask, Xerath smiled softly. It was so easy to manipulate this arrogant emperor that he might as well have dangled a shiny gold coin in front of his face. "Very well, my friend. Your words have convinced me that there is wisdom in ascendancy. Danger or not, I shall gather the spiritualists and ready the ritual. I, Azir, emperor of Shurima, shall ascend to a higher state of being and lead Shurima into a golden age!" Azir punctuated this by standing, raising an arm skyward and taking the most heroic pose he could.
Shurima WOULD be led to an age of prosperity...but it would not be under Azir's rule, oh no.
On the day of the Ascension ritual, Xerath stood with Azir on the grand stage. Soon, the sun would pass over the disc and turn the power of the mighty incandescent orb above them into a beam of pure energy, morphing one from a simple human to an ascendant of Shurima. Azir took deep breaths, watching the disc slowly rotate. "Nervous, my lord?" Xerath questioned, eyeing Azir's slightly pale complexion.
"Only a little," Azir said, attempting to put on a brave front. "Asides, this is not only for my ascendency! This is for the good of Shurima!" he spoke, proudly proclaiming what he knew was best for Shurima. Xerath could only shake his head with a grin hidden by his mask. Oh how good it would feel to show that arrogant child who truly knew best. "Well, I must...be off. Destiny awaits, I suppose," Azir spoke, rolling his eyes at the cliche little line he had dropped right there.
There, in the temple, Azir stood and watched the sun dial turn and twist. Whispers among the spiritualists grew louder, their chanting and ancient words causing the disc to spin at a pace more rapid by the second. The sun's rays began to twist, drawn to the spinning disc as Shurima grew darker. A concentrated ray began to spark and glow, showering a large circle with pure energy. As this happened, Azir walked toward "Citizens of Shurima!" Azir spoke, walking closer to that shimmering light. "I, Azir..."
For the last time in his life, Xerath used his tired old legs.
"...shall bring a golden age to Shurima..."
Out of the corner of their eyes, the gathered mystics saw that ancient old magus charging Azir.
"...with the power of the ascended..."
Azir never even heard the footsteps as the hum of the ray drowned out Xerath's mad dash.
"...all shall learn-"
In moments, Azir was shoved to the side and on the ground. He had just enough time to turn and watch as Xerath dived into the shimmering beam of pure energy. Incidentally, it was the last thing he saw as a man.
There is a special reason why ascendency only works with the emperors of Shurima and their bloodlines. You see, those of this family possess absolutely no magical ability as a human. Rather, they are like mystic 'sponges', able to absorb and consume energy until they ascend beyond their physical form. As Xerath leapt into the energy, he had no idea his 'cup' would run over. While he would ascend, all that extra energy would have to go...somewhere.
When Xerath awoke, he couldn't feel his legs...or his arms...or anything. Rather, the magus floated upwards, looking at his hands. Instead of flesh and blood, he was pure, crackling energy. "Now...I am....it worked! Azir, I must commend you for-" As Xerath turned, he went silent. Instead of Azir looking upon him in awe, there was nothing. Nothing but a black shadow where Azir had been on the ground. Xerath stumbled backwards, shock overtaking his mind. "A-Azir!? Azir...no no no. No I only wanted to ascend! Arrogant or not, he-"
Xerath turned once more. The temple where this ritual had been taking place was nothing but smouldering ruins. Every single human who had been there was gone, the same ghostly shadow plastered across the ground. "T-This isn't...this isn't at all...no no no no NO NO NO! Damn it, I was...I couldn't..." Xerath's ethereal form floated upwards to survey the damage. Perhaps it was just the temple, nothing more, nothing less!?
As he passed through the ceiling, he saw....ruin. The buildings not reduced to shattered rubble and ruin were on fire. Those who survived, seared and in agony, screamed. Shurima's grandest kingdom was in ruins, it's population destroyed and dead. "N-no...no I wanted to bring...w-wait. I can...I can fix this! Y-Yes, Yes that's exactly what I shall do!" Look at his 'hands', Xerath felt a feeling of hope (with an obscene amount of panic underlying them) surge through him. This could all be fixed! He was an ascendent now!
For hours upon hours, Xerath floated through the wreckage. He would lift slabs of rubble off the ground, searing them back into place. The few survivors who could run sprinted as fast as they could when they saw his form arrive. That was ok, however. He'd fix this even if everyone hated him. The ruins of Shurima slowly smoked out, blocking out the sun in a black fog. Yet even in darkness, Xerath persisted for hours upon hours. Slowly, small hovels returned to existence with seared clay and stone...yet no one returned.
All that changed when Xerath heard the shifting of sand behind him. The being of energy turned, shocked as he discovered that he was no longer alone among the ruin: Nasus and Renekton, ascended heroes of Shurima legend. "Y-You two are...t-thank god! Quick, we can fix everything if we-" Without even finishing, Xerath found Nasus's halbred where his throat had been. "What are you-" following this, Xerath went flying backwards as a concussive force sent the energy ascendant into the wall, causing the building to crumble upon him.
"You BETRAYED the emperor!" Renekton howled in rage. His mighty claws grasped the stone, shoving hard upon Xerath's form under this mound of rubble.
"You have brought ruin to Shurima, magus," Nasus added. His hands also grasped stone. Brothers-in-arms, the two began to use the energy of Xerath against him. Stone sizzled and quaked, wrapping around the being of energy. Runes were etched by some unseen force, completely average stone becoming wrought with power and energy. "And now, you shall be locked in darkness for eternity for your transgression..."
Xerath screamed. He called out to the two: "It was an accident!" "I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" "I only wanted to help Shurima!". But his cries fell silent as the stone bound tighter and tighter around him. Powerful as he was, Nasus and Renekton were beings with centuries of experience compared to his mere hours. Slowly, darkness encased the magus...
For weeks, Nasus and Renekton wandered the deserts of Shurima. They alternated carrying the mighty stone sarcophagus, eyes focused on a mountain far in the distance. Even for those weeks, the two rarely shared a word. For all they knew, they were the last vestiges of Shurima. Nasus solemnly looked at the ruins in the distance, smoke still rising from them. If anyone had survived, they were long gone from his sight. "Perhaps...this is what we deserve. Ascendency is too great a power to keep in mortal hands..."
Renekton snorted in response. "The magus is to blame, not ascendency," he spoke, hissing under his breath as they neared the mountain. "To think we're putting him in the tomb of the emperor. It makes me want to vomit."
Nasus sighed. "Unfortunately, it is the only tomb deep enough to contain an ascended."
The two giant beings arrived, a single giant door separating them from the catacombs of the emperors of Shurima's past. Each one grasped one of the door handles, slowly dragging stone across sand. Dust and stale air flew free, the darkness of the tomb causing both to turn their heads. "Now let us-" Nasus's words were stopped as Renekton stumbled backwards. The stone coffin, falling from his arms, began to quake and shiver. Stone creaked and cracked, the smell of ozone flooding the area as Xerath's energy leaked free.
"Damn it, he's breaking loose!" Renekton howled. In one swift motion, the mighty reptilian grasped the sarcophagus and hurled it into the darkness. "Close the door, you fool! If we don-"
In a surge of bright light, Xerath slammed into the door, Nasus and Renekton grasping it as hard as they could. "GET...OUT OF...MY WAY! I HAVE TO FIX THIS! GOD DAMN YOU BOTH!" he cried, energy crackling from all the time he had spent building his magical power. Both ascendants braced themselves, growling and hissing as they tried to keep Xerath from breaking the door down.
"Damned magus, he's too powerful...we should have not let him stockpile his energy..." Nasus grunted, shoving the door harder as Renekton stared back, pure arcane energy blasting out in streaks of lightning.
Try as they might, stone 'hands' grasped the doors, shoving them open slowly. Renekton and Nasus seethed harder, trying to imprison Xerath. Yet their strength began to wane, Xerath's stockpiled energy too much to bear against the doors. "...Brother..." Renekton spoke, his claws loosening upon the door. "This is where...we part ways..."
Nasus did not even have time to dissuade Renekton. As the door flew open, Renekton charged forward and grasped Xerath's form. Xerath blasted wildly, arcane energy blasting Renekton's scales and searing his flesh. "CLOSE THE DOOR, YOU IDIOT! LET ME DIE A WARRIOR'S DEATH!" Renekton cried out, charging deeper into the tomb. Nasus, with a heart heavier than even the largest stone, grasped the door handles and slowly dragged them closed.
As he did this, Xerath watched in agony. He cried out, he clawed at Renekton shoving him back, he reached for that last glimmer of sun. "NO! I CAN FIX THIS! I CAN RESTORE SHURIMA!!!!" As the light faded, Xerath stared at the small sliver of light sliding away. For all he had spoke of Azir being arrogant, it was his arrogance that had destroyed Shurima, not Azir's. It was his hubris that broke the nation he loved. It was his power that had slaughtered the empire he had served for years. With only the darkness of the tomb and the fury of Renekton to surround him, Xerath tried to weep.
But he could not. He had given up that right when he stepped into the sun.
End
I'm aware it's pretty bad but it was a quick story, hope someone likes it.
_