Expanded Lore: Irelia, The Will of the Blades Part One
This will be Part 1 of a planned 3 part series that takes a look at 
's lore and dives deeper into it, hopefully presenting a familiar story in a new light. I've taken alot of inspiration not only from Irelia's lore, but also her League Judgment, so you might see some familiar themes if you've read those! I'll link to all further parts here, but they will each be a part of their own thread. Now without further ado, the first part of 's lore! Enjoy!
Irelia The Will of the Blades, Part One of Three
“Air is the same as water,” a blindfolded Master Lito said as he nodded at Irelia. Steadying herself, she threw a dagger at his forehead. He leaned his head to the side with a pop of his neck, avoiding the knife with ease. A thunk could be heard behind him as the knife landed in the wall. “You simply must heed the ripples.” Lito returned his head to its normal position with another crack. This time Irelia threw two at once; one dagger aimed for his shoulder, the other for his chest. He twisted his body in such a way that each dagger passed on either side of him. Two more thunks. “Every ripple is the messenger of something yet to come.” His voice was calm. They continued this for several more minutes. Irelia throwing daggers at her father, her father dodging them all with ease.
Irelia didn’t enjoy throwing knives at her father, but she knew she’d never be able to harm him. Her brother Zelos once told a story when she was young about how her father once stayed completely dry in a heavy downpour, apparently earning his place among the Elders of Ionia. When she first heard it she didn’t believe it. How could that be possible? After nearly going insane trying to figure it out, she finally asked her father about it. He merely chuckled and patted her on her head. Once she began her training, however, she found it more and more likely to be true. Even now, years later, she couldn’t imagine how he could have managed it, but she didn’t doubt him. He was invincible in her eyes.
“Now it is your turn,” Lito said as he removed the blindfold and handed it to Irelia. “Remember. Clear your mind, and breathe.” Irelia wrapped the blindfold around her head, blackening her vision. She took her place, standing in front of the knife-wounded wall. She inhaled, taking in a large amount of air, then exhaled. She heard the clink of metal as her father picked up a knife.
Irelia inhaled. Silence. She let the air around her speak to her. Exhaling once more, Irelia then immediately ducked. She heard a single thunk behind her. A small grin appeared on her face. She was finally grasping the technique.
“Focus, Irelia,” Master Lito said, noticing her grin. Irelia thought to herself that this time he would throw two knives. She nodded. Master Lito loosed the knives into the air. Irelia felt them flying towards her. Something was wrong. She quickly spun trying her best to avoid them, and she landed clumsily on all fours. Three thunks on the wall behind her. She wasn’t ready for three knives. One of them had nicked her cheek, and blood dripped steadily onto the stone floor.
“You mustn’t become arrogant. Arrogance will get you killed,” Lito said. “We are done for today.” Irelia removed the blindfold and brought her fingers to her cheek. The wound stung as she touched it, and red painted her fingertips. She cursed under her breath, displeased with her performance today. “Get yourself cleaned up for dinner. Zelos is back today,” Lito said with a smile. He left the training dojo and headed to the main house.
She perked up upon hearing Zelos’s name. He joined the Ionian army, and he’d been away training for several months. Irelia and Zelos were best friends. They spent a great amount of time training in the family’s sacred Hiten Style together. They even got into a bit of trouble on occasion, causing harmless chaos in the city as teens do.
Irelia quickly tended to her cheek and got dressed for dinner. She made her way through the courtyard to the gate and sat at the bench outside the gate, waiting patiently for Zelos to arrive. The bench was beneath a cherry blossom tree that was dropping beautiful pink petals as the wind blew. Irelia thought back to her training earlier that day. She quieted her mind, and breathed deeply.
“Focus, Irelia,” she said to herself as she closed her eyes. She felt the air swirl around her, raising her long dark-blue hair in waves, resembling the ocean current. Her hand darted forward in an attempt to grasp one of the falling petals. Irelia opened her eyes. In her hand was a single pink petal.
“Well done, Irie,” a young man said. Irelia quickly looked up from her hand and saw Zelos standing before her, the stoic look of a warrior on his face. He was more muscular than she’d remembered, and his dark-blue hair was tied in the rigid military hairstyle of the Ionian soldiers. She stood and took a bow, left fist pressed against her right palm. Zelos mirrored her bow.
“It is good to see you, brother,” Irelia said, maintaining her bow. Zelos quickly wrapped her up in a hug. She hugged him back, and they stayed that way for a time. “Same to you, dear sister.” Zelos stepped back with a wide grin on his face. “Still stuck on that breath training I see,” he said tapping her bandaged cheek with his index finger. Irelia winced as she felt a slight twinge of pain.
“Yes. It’s proving quite difficult. I cannot manage to maintain focus for longer than a few seconds,” she said, looking at the cherry blossom petal, now crumpled in her hand. “It was difficult for me too. You’ll get it, Irie.”
A woman’s scream set both Zelos and Irelia on edge. They rushed beyond the gate and ran into the main house where the scream apparently came from. Once they entered the common room, what they saw made Irelia’s heart sink. The family maid was kneeling over Master Lito’s motionless body. She looked to the siblings.
Her voice shook as she spoke. “Master Lito isn’t breathing.”
