Saint and Sinner - A Lucian Story

Just something I put together a while ago. I really liked Thresh and Lucian's connection and felt it needed to be expanded on. Tell me what you think (and yes, it does jump back and forth and it's not 100% done, I'm just stuck)

The Shadow Isles… The deep thick fog that surrounds the islands was visible clearly from the edge of Valoran, keeping most at bay. But Senna and I know better. We’ve been hunting down evil from every corner of Runeterra and have chased down the terrors that most others simply see in nightmare. I steer the boat, hoping that once we hit the fog I will be able to find somewhere to dock. There’s no telling what we’re going to find here. Of all those horrors we’ve followed, these isles, according to everything we’ve heard during our travels, seem to be the source of a great many of them. The waves splash and break hard against the boat’s hull and soon the stern was swallowed by clouds of what could have been described as clinging black smoky air. And the darkness; there was no end to it. It was like a enveloping ghost, surrounding us in unceasing gloom. I’m glad Senna is here by my side. She always keeps me on track, helps me keep my wits. I’m glad she is my wife; I love her more than anything else in the world. It was her unwavering commitment that kept us on course. It was always her that said, “Keep moving.” But then again, it was her experience that had gotten us here to begin with.

Silence in the air, except the shrill clink of chains…I am hiding under my bed. I may be dreaming, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. I can hear the chains louder now, and there is a faint green glow coming in now through my bedroom window. I can’t be dreaming, can I? Just as I consider looking to see what it is, a hideous laughter erupts outside, sounding like someone is half choking in celebration. I decide to stay under my bed. Suddenly sounds of splintering wood rang out; I can only imagine from our front door. I shut my eyes and cover my ears, just hoping that it will all pass. Heavy fingers wrap around my arm and I scream as the hand pulls me out from my hiding place, “Nooo! Let me go!” “Hush, Senna…you must be quiet!” my father screams in a whisper and closes his hand over my mouth, “We have to get out of here.” He pulls me from my bedroom and rushes towards his. “Hurry, you can get out through the window and down the balcony.” He pushes the nightstand out of the way and sends his books and glasses flying. Throwing the window open, my father lifts me through and sets me on the balcony. I take his hand and waited from him to come through, when I hear the sounds of chains again coming from the room behind him. Whatever felt the need to attack us was now inside. A sharp scythe angles around my father’s shoulder and he cries as it digs into his flesh. It pulls tight and my father grasps desperately against the window frame. “Run…Senna. Run now!” “Dad!” The chain pulls taut a second time and my father is ripped back into the darkness of the hallway. As he disappears, I hear maniacal laughter again and catch the faintest glimpse of a glowing green lantern and the wicked smile set below deep black eyes. Whatever the cause, the fog appears not to journey inland any further than the shoreline. Senna and I pull our boat up on the shore, feet sinking into the wet sand. The twisted forest begins just feet from the water’s edge, and it’s clear that even in the bright daylight, the sunlight never touched the floor of the island. To say we were following any kind of path would imply that someone before had bothered to forge one. The only ones who had ever come here were sent by the High Summoners and had explored a completely different side of the islands. We were here for Thresh. A not small number of the ghouls and ghasts we had chased had told us they knew of the dread headed chain warden and that regardless of where he struck in Valoran, he always wound up back home on the Shadow Isles. “Senna, I think it would be wise to not attract too much attention to ourselves.” I tell her, coming to a stop. She turns to answer and I turn my eyes upward. In the tree just above me, I hear a rustling and a low but distinctive growl. Senna nods and takes a couple quick steps in my direction, the last of which kicks her foot up almost level with my hip. I quickly hook my fingers together and lift up as her foot lands in between them. In a flash, Senna is in the tree and she’s drawn dead even with the head of a lanky, muscled ghoul. “Any other couple out here and you would have no problem. Sugar, it’s just not your day.” The beast locks its legs and pounces. Senna nimbly jumps to avoid it and as she curves her body over his, she spins and slams her elbow into his head, sending him from the treetops to my feet. I put my foot on its neck, “Bad move.” A quick fire and it’s gone. I kick it under the brush nearby and Senna effortlessly drops to my side. She’s become quite the fierce warrior during our years together.

“Come on, little pig…” I muttered under my breath. I haven’t eaten in two days and if I can just find one boar, I can get myself along fine. These woods have plenty of food and for a guy like me who’s short on money, nothing is better than free.  Finally, I see the bushes shake and I draw my pistol. Taking aim, I prepare for whatever comes out.
“Aaahh!”

A woman’s screams through the forest. Whatever was there, I can tell it’s turned and ran now. I hear the woman again. I don’t know who or what, but she sounds like she’s in trouble. “You thought your hero days were over,” I tell myself. I hadn’t done much gun work since I left the army, but I’m not the kind of guy to leave anyone in a bad spot. I race through the foliage, quick as I could, ducking below tree branches and jumping over fallen logs towards where I heard the voice. I came to a clearing at the same time she did. She tripped over her feet and fell to the ground in the middle of the clearing. Just a little behind her there was a high pitched squeal and the muzzle of a large boar poked its head into the open air. I watched as she lifted what appeared to be a handgun and pointed at the animal. A bright flash of light fired from it and I had just enough time to cover my eyes. Squinting over my forearm, I saw the light expand into a giant four pronged star, and as it faded, the boar still stood. Its bristles steamed with the vapor of heated air; she had missed. The boar squealed again and charged full speed at her. Calm, collected I again took aim and squeezed the trigger. Release and squeeze…Six times, six shots rang out. Two hit square in the shoulder, one in the hind, one in the head and two in the heart. The boar’s heavy body dropped and slid to a stop at her feet. She dropped her gun and put her face in her hands. I saw it was not a normal firearm. Seemed to be made of stone and there was fanciful set of curves etched into the side. The girl sat there crying. “I’m so stupid…” was all I heard as I knelt beside her. “You alright?” The young woman lifted her head. Eyes full of tears, she sniffles and tries to clear her throat. “I…I think I’m fine…thank you.” I offer my hand and help her to her feet. Her mocha skin stood out from my deep brown hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I don’t know how to use this thing right at all.” I picked up the gun. Definitely stone, though looking at it now, I noticed the stylized “S” on the cut metal curves. “S…” I looked at her, one eyebrow raised. “Senna. Senna DuBuois,” she brushed the last bit of wet off of her cheeks as I handed her gun back to her. “You are clearly better equipped for the situation than me.” I had turned and walked back to the big pig. A single click and the chamber of my revolver dropped open. I tilted it back and dumped the casings onto the ground. Fishing in my ammo pouch, I pull a handful of rounds and begin refilling the gun. “I’m assuming that finding this guy wasn’t your intention,” I looked back at Senna and nodded at the boar. “No, I was just hoping to get some target practice. But I guess my aim is worse than I thought.” She finally smiled, faint as it was. I holstered my gun and took hold of a length of rope I had on me. More meat than I would need for a while. “At least I’ll be able to eat for a while.” Senna looked at me with a bit of shock. “Oh no sir, you’ve done too much for me today.” She took hold of my arm and pulled me back towards what I knew was the edge of the forest. “The least I can do is to take you home for dinner.”

Only a few hours journey into the island and we've stopped for the night. By my calculations, we're about five and a half miles in from where we landed. "Tent's ready, honey," Senna wipes the sweat from her brow, "How's the fire coming along?" "We'll be warm enough for now, but I don't want it going for too long." I poke at the red embers, turning up fresh sparks. "There's too many shadows on these islands to attract." Senna makes her way to the fallen tree I'm sitting on. There's no sight quite as splendid as her arms and hips swaying. I smile. "I know the rules, Lucian." She sits next to me and feeds her arm under and around mine. The flames highlight the soft curves of her face as she laid her head on my shoulder. "I have been waiting for this for so long. So long, Lucian." I can see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought I was going to be on this journey by myself." I palm her cheek in my head. A swipe of my thumb and her first inkling of a tear is gone. "I know, love. But you aren't, and you never will be, ever." I kiss her forehead. Sena stands , saunters over to the tent and just before climbing inside, she looks over her shoulder and beckons with a single finger. The tent flap shuts. I quickly gather myself, kick some dirt over the small fire, and follow behind her.

“But Agrian, he’s a crack shot. There’s no reason he couldn’t be an incredible Purifier.” Senna threw her arms in the air. I could tell she was frustrated. “Besides, I can tell he’s special. I don’t know that I can put my finger on it, but he’s different.” The Order had let me stay a few days on account of Senna, but Agrian, the Order’s headmaster, had kept a careful eye on me.
“Senna, why do you think he’s a good marksman? You can tell by the way he carries himself that he’s military. The Order has no need for an egotistical killer.”
“Actually, I’m ex-military.” I step in, “and I’m not a killer, not if I don’t have to be. I left the Demacian army because I was tired of being used as a tool.” I dropped my hand to my pocket and pulled out the lining. “And since I left against the commander’s orders, it’s been difficult to find good work.” Agrian looked me over. There was a look on his face like he was listening to every word for a catch. He’d been lied to before.
“Agrian, Lucian saved my life. If this will help him out, we have to…”
“Very well.” Agrian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Lucian, you will be watched and you will work while you are here. You will study with Senna as an apprentice. And Senna; you will study under Lucian as a marksman.” When he turned his back to Senna, she clasped her hands in excitement. “Part of my doing this comes from my understanding that as a Demacian soldier you strive to uphold justice and morality, is that correct?”
My eyes focused. “Yes.”
“You will come to learn that the world goes far beyond justice and morality while you study here. And you may question just what you believe those terms to mean.” I paused to think about what he had said.
“So, there is a spirituality, or religiousness, to it all?”
“Oh, Lucian. There is very little religious about good and evil.” Agrian turned and walked out of the courtyard.

The rattle of chains ricochets off stony cavern walls as a soft green glow rises in the room. An iron lantern floats gently at the end of a chain, arched as though held aloft by some invisible force. Slowly, a bony finger knocks at the glass; the metal bars holding the panes together eerily mimic the same bony structure of the finger. “Come here…” a dark voice calls out quietly and there is a small stirring in the foggy interior of the glass. A human form appears and the finger quickly jabbed at the man. His face twisted in agony. “That never gets old,” the inhuman voice chuckles. Quickly, a scurrying sound catches his attention. Darting through the room, a small ghoul, reminiscent of a hairless rat, makes its way to the skeleton’s side. Grasping the arm of the makeshift bone throne, it meekly squeeks. “They are on the island. They’re here Thresh.” Thresh slams his hands down, narrowly missing the rodent creature as it rears back. “Well then, I suppose our captive audience will get quite the show.” With a wave of his arms, the lantern rises and the light glows brighter. Filling the cave, it illuminates the myriads of chains hanging from the ceiling, wrapped around corpses ranging from recent rigor mortis to withered and almost completely decayed. “I hope you all will enjoy it.” Thresh gives a look directly at the lantern, “That includes you in there too.” Thresh’s evil laugh exploded from non-existent lungs and hung on the air like a dead wind.

Six months had passed since I joined the Order. Senna and I were making a good deal of progress together, and every day with her had brought us closer together. I was never one for relationships before, but I melted before her eyes. We tried our best to keep our relationship under wraps; we weren’t sure what Agrian might say about us. Agrian made his way to us in the courtyard. “I believe it is time, Lucian, that we finish preparing you for your journey ahead. Senna, if you would stay behind for right now.” I looked at Senna’s face; she seemed to understand plainly the reason behind his request. Agrian took me to a large chamber beneath the temple. Walking through the marble arch, there was only a massive rough wall at the back of the room. A small anvil sat in the middle of the room, covered in smithing tools. “Come here,” Agrian said, as he walked past the anvil to the back wall. As I drew closer, there was a warmth I felt growing inside me. “This is the Holy Rock, which fell from the heavens millennia ago. Our temple was built around it to protect it and as well it protects us. The aura repels evil and malevolence.” “So you have told me in my studies here.” “Good to know you were listening. Please pick up the hammer and chisel from the table and select a spot on the wall that you feel the greatest resonance from.” I walked to retrieve the work hammer, feeling the warmth fade away slightly. The weighty hammer and chisel in hand, the wall seemed to beckon back to me. I raised the chisel and placed it on the wall. “Is this where you chose? There is no other place the aura strikes you more suitably?” Considering his words, I began to pace the wall. He was right; the feeling ebbed and flowing in strength as I moved. The strength peaked just off center of the wall, as best as I could tell, and I noticed a slight recess in the stone. Again I placed the chisel and glanced at Agrian, who gave me a reassuring nod. Putting all of my strength into the swing, the hard shrill clang of metal on metal rang out and sparks of bright orange flew. I raised my arm to ready another blow when a cracking sound steadied my hand. The small fissure caused by my strike grew and coursed its way down the rock, almost a foot and a half. Slipping the chisel deeper, I was able to pry the section of stone loose. It fell to the ground with a softer thud than I would have imagined. Agrian reached down and picked it up one handed. “It may not seem like it, but it is fairly light. This stone…” “Will be my new gun.” “So Senna explained the acquisition of hers? You understand a number of Purifiers through Runeterran history have formed the same bond with the Holy Rock.” Agrian placed the stone on the anvil and motioned me to follow. “Yes. She said that it does not always assume the form of a firearm, but what it feels would suit the possessor best.” “This will be crafted for you within the week. In the form of a firearm, it holds no ammunition, but rather fires charges of magic. And in addition every Purifier weapon has its own unique expression of power. We will find out yours when it is ready.

The cavern, Thresh’s twisted throne room, opens up only slightly from the tunnels we had come through before. It is apparent that Thresh sees himself as king here in this domain; corpses hang on one side from the ceiling in a collection of chains. The smell is almost overwhelming. Senna looks at me and whispers “Split up?” I look around the room. Thanks to the lack of light on the island, our eyes are already somewhat adjusted for the low light in here. The room is small and the only other opening is a crude doorway just behind the throne. I nod to her, but whisper to be careful and be on guard. She looked like she was shaking. I could tell that she was nervous. This is a lot on her shoulders and I can only imagine what was going through her head. We are both circling around towards the back of the cavern. Something knocks the chains behind me. I spin and aim, looking for whatever it was that made the sound. He's trying to get us unfocused. "Lucian, honey...?" Senna whispered across the room. I moved my finger to my lips. Gently, I push aside the chains around me, trying to create as little noise as I can. Honestly, I'm a missing a bit of composure myself. I have no idea what made that noise, but as I inch forward, I see a bit of movement just ahead of me. I take aim and fire, two shots and there's a soft impact of a body hitting the stone floor. Too easy for anything more than a lowly phantom or ghoul. I lean in closer to investigate and almost immediately I'm blinded as emerald flames flare in an iron lantern. As they slowly die down, the creature I killed glows under the light. A hairless rat, some native of the Shadow Isles. "Hook, line, and sinker. Took the bait." Deep and menacing, Thresh's voice echoes all through the cave. I spin and there stands Thresh, gauntleted hand holding Senna a foot off the ground. She kicked at him, violently, struggling to break free from his grip. "Writhe, like a worm on a hook..." his demon voice almost giggled as he spoke. She turned her head enough to look at me, and gave me a slight nod. I quickly took aim and there was a bright flash from Senna's gun. I can't see anything, but then again, that's why I took aim beforehand. I squeeze three shots off, into where I knew Thresh's chest was. "AHH!" I see Senna fall to the ground just as the light fades. She rebounds quickly, rolling backwards. "You okay?" I watch as she coughs slightly and brushes at her throat. "Yeah. He caught me off guard. He can be quiet, can't he?" She regained her composure and took aim with me. She seemed to no longer be shaking. Here she is, finally facing her biggest fear, and she seems solid as a rock. "Let's let him have it, shall we?" She races towards Thresh and nimbly dodges past him as he swings his scythe quickly at her. Thresh spins to meet her, sending his lantern flying towards me. He knows to keep tabs on both of us. I don't know what Thresh is, but he's not a simple sadist; his moves attest to that. "You think you're so quick on your feet, don't you, little girl?" The warden catches his chain from the lantern's backswing and begins flailing both ends, criss-crossed, towards my wife. She continues to deftly move, her footwork carrying her further and further back towards his throne. Now it's my move; I dash towards Thresh, firing shot after shot. While we outnumber him, I know Senna can't dodge him forever. "There's two of us, Thresh. Don't forget about me." My bolts hit and Thresh makes a brief turn to me. Just as Senna dodges the swing of the lightbox towards her, Thresh's scythe comes around under his arm and digs heavily into the loose stone in front of me. "I haven't forgotten, soldier boy." There is a curl to his smile as the blade stirs dirt and stone into the air. I lose some footing and manage to stumble off to the other side of the bony chair at the back of the chamber. I managed to distract him enough, though, that Senna begins firing from her side. "We've got him, baby. Right where we want him." Senna shouts over the din from her shots. It seems like it, doesn't it. I take no hesitation after she starts firing. I begin firing round after round into Thresh, who contorts more and more in pain after each shot. "AUGHHHH! Enough!" Thresh, almost to the ground, slams his lantern hard into the ground. A blazing green fire bursts from every pain of glass and suddenly our shots are dissipating on the flames of some kind of shield around him. "You've got me right where you want me...where you want me...where you want ME! All these years you've been searching, chasing me, and you think that I don't know every little bit of why and how and when our meeting would go down. I have you right where I want YOU!" Thresh's shield drops just as his chain swings wide at me. I see the wicked curve of the blade and swiftly drop to avoid it. As I do, I see that Senna has stepped up behind Thresh. She takes a deep breath and lifts her gun to him. "This is done Thresh." She looks down at me to smile, but I know that she sees the terror in my eyes as I see the scythe speeding around her from behind. No sound comes out as I scream her name, watching as the sharp point tears through her chest. The silver of her coat begins to stain red as I follow the chain from Thresh's hand. His wide swing, that I casually avoided, wasn't meant for me...it wraps around, caught like a pivot on the throne, and ends just where he meant it. "Lu-Lucian." Senna struggles to say my name as she gasps for air. She begins to fall over, and before I can get up, Thresh is at her side. "She'll make for a nice little toy." He smiles and lifts her over his shoulder before running past the throne and into the black of the door behind it. I lay there for just a moment. Did that just happen...no, no...Senna. "Senna! THRESH!" I push myself up, taking off as fast as I can to catch up. With all the light from Thresh's lantern, my eyesight is adjusting again, so I go slowly. I won't let him catch me off guard. I move cautiously through the pathway until I can tell from the air movement that the path has opened up again into a room. Still no light, but I can make out the form of Senna, still in terror at the sight of Thresh's scythe buried in her body. "Lu...cian," she says through the same labored breathing. "Senna," I feel myself begin to break down, "no...Senna." I begin to make my way closer and just as I take my first step, there's a sickening sound as Senna cries out in pain from the blade being wrenched from her. As it left her, caught on the end of the hook, an ethereal from seemed to come from her wound. I couldn't help but watch as what looked like Senna was pulled from her body. The hook freed itself and her soul floated free as the hook disappeared into the dark. Thresh's lantern appeared from the dark and I watched a bright flash as her soul vanished into the lightbox. Soulless eyes watched me as her body fell to the floor. The bright lantern moved closer, past Senna’s lifeless corpse and I looked on in terror as her form screamed from inside the glass. “Lucian…Lucian!” I made out the words she mouthed as she pounded on the green tinted panes of the soul warden’s lightbox. I reached out slowly, my eyes glued to the faint image of my wife as she cried out. “Senna? Senna…NO!” Just as I felt the cold steel slightly brush my fingertips, the lantern was pulled back and I caught a glimpse of a twisted, skeletal smile illuminated by the lantern’s glow. There was a slight wisp in the air that caught my ear. The sound gave me the briefest of warnings. Every ounce of strength I had coursed through my legs and I jumped back just in time to avoid the razor sharp edge of a sickle. It came from the darkness into which the lantern had just disappeared moments before. I watched as it returned from where it came, except that it was met by a gauntleted hand. Senna’s body lay slumped in the floor, lit up in contrasting light and shadows as another hand appeared with the lantern. The bony arms ran up under the sleeves of a battered jailer’s coat and the shoulders were crowned with a skull with wicked bone headpieces. The face was nothing but empty black eye sockets and a devil’s smile. “Thresh! What have you done!?” I raise my gun to fire, only for it to be knocked aside by a swing of his sickle that I didn’t see. Knocking me off balance, I’m surprised at how fast he’s moving. Wrenching the weapon back, Thresh grips the handle tightly, the chain length rattles as it flings behind him and he charges me. “I’m just giving you incentive… You two have been chasing me for years.” He swings his blade in hand. Quickly, I block the strike with the side of my gun. Chips fly as the metal tears at the stone. As the sickle bounces off the etched filigree, I deflect it downward and pull the trigger. A deep chug sounds as I fire point blank into Thresh’s side.

“Lucian, your weapon is ready,” Agrian greeted me at the front door of the temple. He carried in his hand a gun that looked very similar to Senna’s, though the delicate curves were replaced by sharp angles and when he handed it to me, I saw the ‘L’ carved masterfully into the side. Holding it for the first time, I understood the weight that Agrian showed me the day I chiseled it. It was as if nothing was there; the only weight I felt was the metal grip the smith had secured to the stone. A little over a foot long, the whole piece seemed absurd, but I moved it, aimed and holstered it with ease. “Are you ready to try it out?” Senna asked, and as I looked towards her, she smiled a grin that outwardly showed the excitement she knew I felt inside. “Of course,” I return a smile of my own. The Order had set up the courtyard with a number of dummy targets, covering the yard in a sporadic set of formations. No sense in stalling…I step up to the first set and draw. Calm…collected…Squeezing the trigger tightly; release and squeeze again…Six shots and each utter a low chug as the magical energy escaped the barrel. Six dummy bodies smoldered with the heat of my rounds. “It’s good. The aim is accurate, and clearly the shots are powerful. Recoil is manageable enough and the whole thing feels like air.” Agrian unfolds his arms and points to the gun as I inspect it. “I know the revolver you used to use is familiar, but again I mention, this gun has no ammunition. There is no limit to what you can fire.” Peering down the side of the barrel, I glanced up at Agrian, “No limit…I’ll keep that in mind. Now, is there anything to consider for the personal manifestation?” “Senna, would you like to show him how it’s done?” Agrian stepped back behind Senna as she unholstered her gun. “The best way to explain it is to think of what you bring to the Order. Think of your duty and what you will contribute. The stone will take over the rest,” Senna pointed her gun up into the air. Setting her gaze on the sights, I saw her focus her brow. Squeezing the trigger, a bright star of light shot into the sky and expanded in all directions. “I have dedicated my life to finding and chasing evil no matter which way it goes. Just try it Lucian.” Not sure what to expect, I point the gun at the closest dummy. “I am a means to an end; I will always fire true, no matter the obstacles.” A pull of the trigger and I notice a faint beam come from the end of my gun. No sooner than I saw the beam than it grew twice in size and ate through the dummy’s head. After the blink of light disappeared, it became apparent that I had hit all the dummies behind it as well, clear to the wall 20 feet back. “Lucian, honey, that was awesome…” Senna catches herself, realizing what she had said. She blushed as she eyed Agrian. “It’s okay, Senna. The Order has been aware of your relationship for a while. After Lucian’s reaction to the Holy Rock, honestly we expected it. You both are connected in a way that we don’t completely understand.” Agrian walked forward and put his hands on our shoulders. “But we hope that it will make you a formidable force in the world.” “I don’t know,” Senna said, shrugging her shoulders, “but I know I love him.” I holster my new weapon and pull Senna close by the arm. I can’t help but smile as she puts her hands around my neck. “Did you hear that? We’re basically inseparable,” I softly spoke into her hear. A bright sheen in her eye showed her care and I took that moment to kiss her.

“Incentive?” my voice is hoarse with anger, “You took my wife because we chased you?” Thresh moaned and stumbled backwards. Steadying himself, he simply laughed and briefly rubbed the spot in his side. “Yes; quite frankly I loved the hunt.” He emphasized “loved” with a sickly pleasure, “Just a matter of who was hunting whom. So I figured if I took something important, you’d stick around. And since I tortured your pretty little wife long enough, I figure I could start on you.” Thresh lashes out again with a furious swing. I sidestep, listening as the sickle passes my head, but I am blinded as the lantern comes on the backend of his attack. The solid metal box slams into my shoulder hard; the sound almost guarantees that something is broken. I am forced to my knees and Thresh purposely pulls the lantern slowly along the ground, letting me see Senna again, crying for help. My anger is almost unbearable as I prop myself up on my gun and scramble to my feet. “Let her go…” Thresh flings the lantern into the air, catching the base in his hand. A bony finger stretches out to tap the glass. “Oh, you don’t understand how this works,” the skull’s teeth curl ever more upward, “She’s MINE.” Calm…collected…no, I can’t do it. My shoulder hurts, but I pull up and fire. Five, six, seven, eight shots. Thresh takes the first few with ease. “You won’t do anything with that,” he whips his chain forward, holding the sickle and lantern in hand. Before I can react, the length of metal is looped around my wrist and Thresh pulls it taut. The pain of the constricting chain forces me to drop the gun; I can’t take it squeezing my wrist. As soon as it hits the floor, Thresh seizes the chain and tosses me over him. Hard and jagged stones do little to cushion the blow my body makes against the far wall. I land next to Senna, debris raining down around us. Her blank stare paralyzes me and I turn my head. “You’ll never do anything to me alone, Lucian…” I listen as his demon hook drags along the ground, bouncing and clanking as it hit stone and dirt. “Senna, I can’t do this alone…” is all I can think about, “Thresh has me cornered and beaten, and I don’t think I’ll even make it out alive.” “I will enjoy torturing you for years; you’ll never escape the knowledge that your love Senna will never be at your side again,” Thresh’s words swelled with evil; pure malicious evil. I roll over, leaning over Senna and force myself to look at her. “You’re wrong Thresh.” Thresh’s steps cease. “You have her soul, and I’ll hunt you forever for it, but you cannot take our connection.” I reach to take Senna’s hand, cherishing the feeling as I always have. I hope this works… I let go of the hand and reach for a familiar metal grip. Her gun seemed absurdly small in my hand, but I took direct aim at Thresh regardless. “I will hunt you down to the ends of the world Thresh. There is not a place in Runeterra that I will not follow you.” I squeeze the trigger at the same time wrapping my other arm under and around Senna’s body. A familiar star of light soars towards Thresh and expands, filling the whole end of the cavern around him.

My hand slammed over and over against what I assumed to be a glass wall. “This can’t be happening…” I couldn’t stop myself from crying. There, just heaped over my b…my body, was the love of my life. I watch as he grimaces and turns his head away from me. “Lucian!” I broke down again. “He won’t hear you. Not from in here.” I spin around quickly, pressing my back against the small window I have to the outside world. There stood a faint shadow, hidden in the swirls of green fog that filled the evil lantern. The voice sounded familiar, but in this world, did that even mean anything? “Who are…you?” I managed to muster, half choking on the sobs that still escaped my throat. “Just someone who’s been trapped here for a long while…” the figure stepped through to me, “and hasn’t seen your face in such a long time.” My eyes grew wide and though I knew what this meant for me and my life, I was briefly overwhelmed with happiness. “Daddy!?”

“Ahhh!” the demon jailer seems surprised, and covers his eyes from the light. I lift Senna, holstering her gun, and charge at Thresh. All my weight goes into my shoulder as I slam hard into the Warden’s body, sending him to the ground. Probably not the smartest move; my shoulder sears in pain. As I make my way towards the cavern entrance, I scoop up my firearm and race out the door. I’ve got to get out. I’m no shape to keep fighting. I dodge and duck around corners, trying to remember our way in. A dark bellow echoes off stone walls. Chains and maniacal laughter begin to follow us and I can only imagine how long it will be before Thresh catches up. One final turn and I’m greeted by light, though no brighter than the islands were before. I’m back in the jungle and I’ve got my bearings. I break fast for the brush. Knocking small plants and undergrowth aside, I head straight for the shore, where our boat is docked. Just to my side, Thresh’s hook digs deep into the thick trunk of a gnarled tree. I glance over my shoulder and watch as Thresh pulls himself closer, drastically closing the gap between us. “Come back, Lucian. I’ve got Senna here; you’ve got her shell.” His rattle of chain links begins to rattle me. I’ve got to make it…I tell myself, I’ll come back for Thresh, but I can’t leave her here. I hear the footsteps behind me stop and a heavy woosh as something swings through sticks and leaves. I know he’s trying to jump again. I spin around and lift the gun like a breeze. Just a half dozen feet from my face, the Warden’s hook hurtles at me. I take aim and fire off one shot, sending the hook spiraling high into the air. Caught on an arm thick limb, Thresh wastes no time in retrieving it; one mighty tug and the whole limb comes crashing down behind me as I face the ocean again and continue running.

“Dad, how long have you been here?” I rush to him and hug him; I’m like a little kid again. He wraps one arm around me and pats me on the head. “Ever since that night when you were still a little girl. But I’m far from the longest resident in Thresh’s prison. There are people here that have told me they have been here for centuries. Some I feel have been here longer, but it’s hard to be sure; they don’t act like they are ‘all there.’” I step back, my hand coming to my mouth as I gasp. “So we are going to be here forever? But what if Lucian defeats Thresh? Can’t he rescue us?” I’ve turned to look back at my husband. He’s in a bad spot, but he’s never been one to give up for anything. “But Senna, where would you go?” Dad puts his hands on my shoulders and looks out the opening with me, “That’s you there under him. I just don’t think there’s a chance for us anymore.” I watched as Lucian reached down to take my…my hand. Suddenly there was a warm tingling and I felt his fingers laced with mine, here, in the lantern. “Lucian…” He let go of my hand and the feeling was gone. His hand moved to my gun, laying next to me and he slowly rolled over to face us, to face Thresh. Lucian’s muffled voice came through the opening. “I will hunt you … to the ends of the world Thresh. There is not a place… that I will not follow you.” He lifted my gun and I smile as the four spikes of my star began to fill my view. “What was that?” my father asked, looking confused by what had happened. “I think, Dad, that shows us we have a chance.”