Legends of a Fallen King: Zara [Chapter 4: Forged from Sand and Runes]
I thought we were going to a better place. How wrong I was. Traveling from blistering winds to scorching sands, the fish is completely baked. I quickly devour the fish as I follow Ryze across the vast expanse of endless sand dunes. As hot as it may be, it is bearable. Perhaps it is due to this fractured crown I've got on my head. Nevertheless, I grow skeptical as I do not see our destination anywhere in sight.
"Where could you possibly be taking me in this desert wasteland?"
"We're going to the Oasis of Dawn."
"Ah, an oasis! That's refreshing."
"Well, this is not your average oasis. It has rejuvenative and hardening properties for swordsmithing."
"Awesome! I guess this sword of mine won't be so useless after-"
"We're not using that sword."
Uh...
"What?"
"The main goal is not to forge a sword, but rather contain a portable seal."
"A seal? A seal for what?"
"A seal for you."
The gentle breeze was all I could hear as we blankly stared at each other.
"What?"
"From that incident earlier, I noticed something peculiar." Ryze states as he turns to me. "In a way, my first hypothesis was correct. You are being protected by the World Rune."
"How is that possible? I went insane!"
"That you did, but it's not your sanity that is being protected. It is your physical form."
So that means...
"What?"
"I went under the false assumption that your ghoulish power was the reason why you are physically stable. However, upon seeing that," Ryze shudders for a moment. That was a terrifying experience after all. "I concluded that the ghoulish power within you is voraciously transforming you into a monster. When you utilize your might without the crown, it is extremely draining on your body. As a response, the World Rune gathers mana to quench that ghoulish power."
"Mana," I muttered. "Could that be what I felt?"
"What is it?" Ryze probes.
"So, how is a seal going to be good enough for this issue?"
Ryze grimaces at the question. "I do not know."
You don't-
"What?"
"Ok, you can stop it with that. I'm grasping at straws here." Ryze lashes out at me. "I just want to avoid a cataclysm and the solution is not as simple as I thought."
"So, what made you think of coming to this bland place?"
"Well," Ryze stands on top of a dune and asks, "Would you believe me if I said we are already here?"
I look around and see the same exact barren wasteland. An endless stream of sand dunes supported with the vast white sandstorm that surrounds us.
"You mean, the Oasis of Dawn?"
"That's right."
Ah, after all that sandstorm we finally arrive at the the illustrious, dusty sandstorm... Wait a minute.
"This isn't refreshing at all!"
"Never said it was." Ryze states as he slides down the sand dune. "However, does this sandstorm seem peculiar to you?"
"Now that I think about it, this is a fairly white sandstorm," I reply looking him in the eye. "Heck, even though it is raging this much, I can still see you clearly."
"Right you are! That's because this is not a sandstorm." Ryze proclaims with a smile soon turning into a heavy grimace. "This is a World Rune."
World rune, sandstorm. You're joking right? I stare him down for a couple seconds in total silence.
"WHAT?!"
"I already told you to stop it with that. This is a World Rune, the only one I let slip past me."
"How could you let this giant slip past you?"
"Simple." Ryze lets out a sigh and asks, "Can you think of a way to capture this thing?"
I look again at how huge the sandstorm is, engulfing as far as the eye can see.
"Nope."
Ryze shrugs when I reply. "Neither could I."
"Fair enough." I nod as I scout around. "So this is the Oasis of Dawn, huh?"
"Yes, well specifically that." Ryze directs my attention to a shallow basin, devoid of any liquid.
I walk to the center of the basin. I hear a voice calling out to me.
It was a plea to take shape in these scorched lands. This voice cried out from pained lips. Not one, but a million. It was then that I came to a painful realization. World Runes are not infinite supplies of mana, it is a reservoir, a cup to be filled satisfy the thirst of many. My cup overflows, and their cup ran dry. To think one man had enough mana to fill an ocean, yet an entire nation had not a single drop left to share.
Unacceptable.
I knew what I had to do. It is what I live for: saving those who cannot save themselves. This will be my first act of redemption.
Zara stood in the center of the basin, pondering on something as he examined the surroundings.
"Mana." Zara mutters as he looks down on the cracked dusty basin with a crestfallen gaze.
Looking to me, Zara asked for reassurance, "So, you said that to quench the thirst of this curse I bear, my crown gathers mana to control it?"
"Well, not so much as control." I replied to the notion that whatever forces he holds could ever be controlled. "Rather, appeasing it so it does not go rabid." As harsh as it sounds, I am relieved that Zara believes it to be a curse rather than a blessing like the others I have encountered with World Runes.
After an eerie pause in discussion, Zara took his crown and said, "Good enough for me," as he laid the crown in the basin. Almost instantaneously, black mist spewed out from Zara's visage and then from the rest of his body.
"Woah! What do you thi-"
I cut off my own statement as I saw the stalwart poise that seemed to emanate from his figure. Zara's figure reminded me of the exaggerated stature of heroes from Demacia, yet his calm disposition in the face of his crumbling life was equivalent to that of an Ionian monk enduring the harsh trials through meditation. This calm manner was further magnified as he took a seat within the dusty confines of the basin. Zara is meditating in the midst of all the chaos. However, I finally could see what he was doing as I looked past the basin and into the storm that surrounded us.
As the storm spewing out of Zara grew violent, the storm enveloping the entire desert regressed into a calmer state. I try to make sense of what is going on, but it is all happening too fast. The sands are shifting, the mist thickens, the basin overflows, but Zara sits still.
"RYZE!" Zara roars with a booming voice that echoes across the dunes.
"Bear witness to a World Rune in its true form."
I have no idea what Zara means, but I can swiftly see something building on the crown. A blue light emanating from the crown with a flowing stream of sand from the storm converging into a crystalline state. A gem of pristine sapphire. It swiftly grows larger, expanding to heights greater than monuments.
"Is this the true form of a World Rune?"
In response, Zara took his moldy ornate sword in the arm he still had and began to chisel the monumental Sapphire Crystal that laid before him.
"What are you doing? You will break the World Rune within!"
"FOOL!" Zara bellows with a sundering voice that caused the dunes to shift.
"Are you too blind to see it? You are well versed with mana are you not?" Zara hollered as he continued to chip the large crystal piece-by-piece.
"I am, but-"
"Then you should very well know this fact." Zara interjected as he cracked a massive piece of the crystal. "The World Rune does not simply gather mana."
With one final blow on the crack Zara proclaimed, "IT IS MANA!" as the tremendous chunk crashed into the ground.
I am completely taken aback by this huge piece of information and how Zara was even aware of it before I ever was, but then I had a terrifying realization.
"Wait, but why are you destroying the World Rune? It prevents that force from overtaking you, why would you go out of your way to destroy it?"
"Destroying? Do you really think that is what I am doing?" Zara asks with a disgruntled tone.
Upon further inspection, all of the sapphire he chipped off disappeared. The only one I saw was the gigantic chunk and it seemed to be shrinking, as if it was dissolving into the basin. Wait, dissolving?
"You are offering your World Rune to the Oasis of the Dawn?"
Zara nods in response, but I cannot understand his logic.
"Why would you do such a thing?" I asked and Zara's visage grew grim. "We are not even sure if the Oasis of the Dawn can even aid you, we don't even know how! Why would you risk your life when we came here to try and save your life?"
Zara ceases his methodical chiseling and a deafening silence cuts between us.
I can't help but feel anguish as I witness what Zara has become. The mist has completely overtaken him. His body is pitch black, and the outlines of his face was not even present--as if the mist devoured his entire head. Zara would not even be able to don the crown that was important enough to be a constellation deemed worthy of the scrolls' recording. I could tell that Zara pinned all of his hopes and dreams into the success of this endeavor. I could tell that Zara is willing to throw his life away for this oasis. I could tell that there something about this that was very important to him. I couldn't tell you what his reason was at the time. However, his answer was something too noble for me to fathom before this event.
"Why would I deny my water to the dying?"
Taken aback by Zara's response, I could only listen as I saw his mist slowly consuming him.
"You said that travelers came to sharpen their blades and heal the wounded." I nod in confirmation. "Where are they now?"
Upon further thought, I did not even think to question why the Oasis of the Dawn became inactive. There were no reports of vandalism and from what I've seen it does not seem like anyone ruined this place but time. It was just the mysterious storm that enveloped this entire land that crumbled the entire nation.
"You may not hear it, but I can." Zara knelt down and pressed his hand on the basin. "The numerous cries of the fallen who have resided here long ago."
"It is horrifying," Zara utters as his stature seems to shudder for a moment.
If I remembered correctly, a vast metropolis used to reside in this area. The scrolls have shown it enveloped in a great storm, could this be what it was referring to?
"However," Zara carried on, breaking my train of thought. "All of their cries converge here. To this dried up oasis. They are reaching to me, clinging to this basin. Clinging to the one thing that I know very well."
"What is that?" I ask, awaiting his response. Turning to me he says a single word that I expected all too well.
"Hope."
Raising his ornate sword once more, Zara continues to chisel the crystal before him. "Mana may quench my thirst, but mana will sustain their life."
Despite all my worries, I take ease in his bold reason. It is something that I myself have avoided for far too long. Suddenly, I witness perhaps the most divine thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Mana began pouring from the skies above. Drops of light crystalline spheres enveloped in a droplet of liquid mana descending from the sky like tears 
from the angels above lamenting in the selfless resolve that I have had the fortune to bear witness to. This play that is cast before me reminds me of the resolve I had for my master a long time ago. No, this far transcends that resolve into a need for complete devotion. I would have never expected to find such strong will in a being of the underworld.
As the teardrops fall, I notice something peculiar. They slow down and dissipate into an ethereal vapor until it vanishes from the naked eye. While it may be hidden from my view, I can sense its presence. It surrounds us, filling this shroud with mana in an ever growing density. Soon, the droplets cease their appearance and mana permeates this entire space. I feel a gentle wind brushing against my back, pushing me towards the direction of an exceedingly violent torrent from the converging sandstorm. I bury my feet in the sand to remain steady to cast a spell to root myself in place.
I look towards Zara to see if anything major has changed, but he is still chiseling away at that sapphire. However, it is significantly narrower than before. He is grinding an edge out of it as if it were a blade. I turn back to witness an awe inspiring sight. The storm was converging into a blade jutting out of a gigantic hilt hovering 10 yards above the ground. I bore witness to the same phenomenon in two instances: World Runes being forged into swords.
Zara was forging a blade from pristine sapphire. The gods were forging a blade forged from the sandy rune. However, the black mist seemed to dissipate as the behemoth of a sword was being built. The blade stretched from the hilt to the sands below, casting a shadow that could whether a storm for a small caravan. Upon its fuller, I was surprised to find engravings appear on the sword. Ancient engravings that I've seen before. No way. The tremendous blade shone with rune engravings representing a sword of infinite power. It was unlike any other infinity rune I have ever seen. Rather than a blade with infinite precision, this blade focused on the sheer might in size and in scripture.
"Woah, it cleared up in here." Zara commented as the black mist engulfing the basin disappeared.
I almost smiled, but I soon found that Zara was still missing his head. In replacement, a revenant flame resided with no expression. His whole body was tattered and felt transparent as the the eerie light from the flame coursed through his entire body. Zara was even less alive than he was before. Nobody would be able to recognize him, let alone see him as a king. It pained me greatly to discover this. As soon as I find that royalty in Zara as a king, he looks less like one. It reminds me of the sacrifices I needed to make to carry out my quest.
Deciding to inquire his health, I asked, "Are you okay Zara?"
"More or less," Zara swiftly responds as he waves his arm through the flames that now engulf where his head used to be.
"This is actually kind of neat."
I'm disturbed at the relief I get in those words. It is fortunate that Zara doesn't see this as a burden, but it makes me wonder whether or not he realizes that these reckless actions are inching him closer to the beyond. I don't even know why I'm even concerned about his survival when I have no reason to. At least, not until he presents the 
blade of pristine mana that he forged.
"Well, are you going to take it?" Zara asks, pushing the sword onto me. "You need to handle this thing right? This big one too. It's kinda heavy though."
As I see the revenant handing me his blade and leaning on the colossal one, I can only imagine his genuine phantasmal smile on his nonexistent face beckoning me to free him from these chains that bind him to this world. To set his soul free. There are many things I do not understand about him. How does he know so much about World Runes? How can he read the scrolls? What kingdom does he hail from? Why did the World Rune of the Oasis of the Dawn come to him? Zara was chosen for this task, but I do not know why. I cannot let him go, not yet.
"You do realize that if I take both of these things, you'll crumble into dust?" I probe in a snide manner.
Another one of Zara's awkward pauses...
"What?"
While I normally would have chastised him for this, I could not help but burst into laughter upon hearing this response. Zara seemed perplexed, I wish I could see the look on his face. As my laughter subsided, I gazed upon the titanic sword. It is brimming with tremendous mana densely permeating the claymore.
"How are you even going to handle this thing?" I asked Zara knocking on the sword to verify it filled with extremely dense material.
"Well, it certainly is heavy." Zara states as he walks towards the blade. He grabs hold of one of the sharp ends and raises the blade above the sand. Suddenly, he flings the tremendous sword skybound. As the sword spins in the air it descends upon us like a meteorite. With his arm still raised, Zara catches the blade by the hilt as it crashes down on him, sending a shockwave that blows a crater in the sand and knocks me to the ground.
"It's nothing I can't handle though."
Zara's strength never ceases to amaze me. "Well, I'm pooped so I think I'll do you a favor," I tell Zara as I skim through my ancient textbook.
"Oh and what are you going to do?" Zara asks as he tries to figure out a way to hold his that gigantic sword in a more suitable manner.
As I find the text on the cosmic realm, I answer Zara. "I'm going to show you how I travel through dimensions."
Zara turns suddenly and looks at me. Actually, it's hard to tell if he's actually looking at me since...
"WHAT?!" Zara suddenly drops the titanic sword, causing a torrent of sand to rise.
"Be careful with that thing! We're going to need it for the trip." I yell as I vigorously rub sand out of my eyes.
"We are leaving already?" Zara asks in a distrodden manner.
"Yes of course we are." I reply, but contrary to my expectations I see Zara gazing back at the Oasis of the Dawn. He examines his the sword he chiseled out of his crown. Then walks towards the basin.
"Wait what are you doing?" I ask in fear of what he's attempting to do with his transformed World Rune.
"I'm making my final offering." Zara replies as he stabs the crystalline sword into the center of the basin.
As soon as he does this, the sword dissolves and the Oasis of the Dawn springs to life as it is filled with mana. Trees and other vegetation grows spontaneously and structures start rising from the sands. Pillars and walls surround us and restructure themselves into ruins adorned with a gigantic circular monument that resembled the sun floating in the air. A wave of fear floods me as I remind myself of the chaotic force of a World Rune.
"What have you done?" I ask as I edge closer to the basin, bolting into a swift hunt for the World Rune that escaped my grasp. I wade through the place where Zara dropped his hand crafted blade to try and find traces of the World Rune, but none were to be found. In my endless despair of chaotic nightmares, with a roar almost as loud as Zara's voice, I yelled in fuming rage,
"WHY?!"
I glare at Zara menacingly, awaiting what articulate reason he comes up with to explain this absolutely idiotic decision.
"What?"
Locking him down with arcane force I pull him towards me sneering in response, "What? Really now? Did my warnings not permeate through to your head? Not that you have one..." I could imagine Zara looking at me with a blank face. Too soon. So, I let him go while undoing the binds. "Don't get me wrong, I came here to protect you, but I did not say you could just throw away a World Rune for another."
After a brief moment of reflection, Zara finally responds, "I am aware."
"So why?" I interject. "Why did you do something this stupid? To save these dead souls? To raise an empire you don't know? To give them a chance that you didn't have?"
"To follow what the scrolls told me."
What? The scrolls? I take a look at the scrolls to grasp what he even means, then I swiftly see the connection. I was traveling through the Freljord to try and decipher the purpose of these constellations after hearing of what occurred at the Mountain Shrines. However, with the events surrounding Zara, it must mean that the World Runes must appear in a reversed order from what is shown in the scrolls. This means that the resurrection of Shurima must be in order. I am completely taken aback by Zara's awareness of this.
"When did you glean this knowledge?" I inquire Zara with curiosity.
"During our time at the library, looking at the scrolls." Zara responded. "The patterns were very familiar to me ever since I was shown this from someone else."
"Who exactly?" I probe even further to try and grasp where he obtained such vast knowledge.
"Hmm..." Zara taps his feet as he raises his arm to his nonexistent head in a very awkward fashion before giving up and then placing it on his hip. "That would be an enigma." He finally responds pointing at me with complete faith in his answer.
The desert winds blow across this sun-beaten desert sands as I await a further explanation...
Wait, is that it...
I was not satisfied. "What?"
Zara laughs and slaps his knee before saying, "Looks like you're saying it too. Well, he claimed to be a prophet for one of the Three Great Kingdoms."
"Wait, you don't mean-"
"It's exactly what I mean. The alliance that brought all of Runeterra together: Shurima, Ionia, and Targo. To commemorate their alliance, they forged a seal crafted from their finest weapons: Zeal, Sheen, and Phage."
"Well, Zeal is no longer a part of it anymore." I interject.
I must admit, it's surprising how he knew about what 
Trinity Force used to be before-
"WHAT?!"
"Well, ever since Shurima fell, the production of Zeal was not enough."
"So what became of the seal then? Don't tell me the name was changed to Duo Force now. That would be incredibly stupid."
"Oh no, they replaced it with another signature item: Stinger."
"Stinger? Ah! That is also another blade from Shurima. Well, I'm glad that I'm not completely outdated~!" Zara chortles and I alongside him. The historical knowledge Zara has is completely astounding. It is as if I am speaking to a living scroll. Filled with the purest intent and otherworldly duty, I resolve myself to say:
"Zara, how would you like to learn the arcane arts?"
Zara shoots me a quizzical look and asks, "Aren't I learning just that if I'm learning how to travel through dimensions?"
Forgetting that I suggested that before, I brainstorm an excuse for teaching him, then I reply "Well, I never said I would teach you how, but since you need to learn how to control mana to survive, learning all the arcane arts will help you the most since it directly utilizes mana."
Zara shrugs, "Fair enough. So where do I begin."
"Certainly not in these barren lands, I'll first take you to where I learned the arcane arts myself." As I draw from the Oasis of the Dawn's pure mana to create a monumental rift to the cosmic realm.
"Why so big?" Zara asks. I simply point at his new sword on the ground and he replies. "Oh, right." Before Zara comes into the rift with that monstrous sword of his, he looks back at the large circular monument and says, "I wonder if your empire will be as great as mine, Starstruck Sun." He bolts into the rift before I can respond, so I decide to let the question pass as we go to back to where it all began for me: home--if I can call it that anymore.
Thanks for reading. This is the fifth chapter for Zara, The Cryptic King, a custom champion I made to represent my vision of The Ruined King. My vision of a guy with the largest sword in existence. If you want to get an idea of how big the sword is, (the one that booped into existence) when Zara lifts the blade straight upwards, it is four feet taller than a three-story building.
Let me know what you think of Zara now that he's shown off the epic scale of his knowledge. Do you like the fact that he's got a monument of a sword and rebirthed the Oasis of the Dawn? Do you think he knows way too much for how stupid he acts? Are you getting powerful vibes befitting of a king from Zara now? Do you believe he should stay out of Shurima? Whatever your thoughts are, let me know so I can use these facts to continue or change my work in the future, maybe even make adjustments in the chapter right now.
I gotta say this, over and over. All I want from my fellow readers is to let me know what you think and be wary of spoiling. I really don't care for spoilers myself, but I know that some people are real sticklers for this. I am intending for this lore to be novel-length, so it certainly will be something to watch for. Just make sure that any plot beyond the current chapter isn't mentioned. For example, if you have a problem with a previous chapter that conflicts with the current chapter, then make a comment about it in the later chapter instead of going back to an older chapter.
Thanks for making it this far into his lore. It's pretty hectic now, but it will settle down in the next chapter: The Blue Sea. [sona-playing]
Arc 1: Our King Returns
- A Distant Memory
- Conquering the Abyss
- Runic Affinity
- Yearn to Learn
- Forged from Sand and Runes
- The Blue Sea
- Pain and Pride
- Lost Homelands
Arc 2: Method to the Madness 9. Dawn upon Zaun 10. Good Morning Ghost 11. Knight of the Full Noon 12. Madness of Man