Lore Theory: Zoe and Aurelion Sol

Hello Story, Art, and Sound! Welcome to Lore Theory. Today I'd like to talk about a four-foot problem with power scalings.
You probably can guess from the title that it's Zoe. More specifically it's the Riot-confirmed assertion that she is as powerful as our resident cosmos forging dragon. "But Riot," you must be saying, "If Zoe, and by extension other Targonians, are as powerful as Sol, why would they enslave him? Didn't they fear his power?" I believe I have an explanation for this.

Targon: What we know

We're missing a lot of information about Targon. I understand that's a big part of why this doesn't make much sense. But we all know Aurelion was hyped to be a big deal. That means that Targon recognized and desired his power. Let's break it down to the basic habits of Targon and I'll walk you through my personal headcanon.

Hosts: In their current incarnations, Leona, Diana, Pantheon, and Taric are not alone. They are hosts to otherworldly beings that are connected to the Interstellar Targon. Mount Targon on Runeterra is home to the Rakkor and Solari people. They are aware of a celestial existence but believe in it in the same way someone worships a force of nature. This means that the Interstellar Targonians have not revealed themselves formally to the mountainous Targonians. All they know is that occasionally, when a traveler reaches the summit, they descend with enormous power, as if gifted by the stars.

Occasionally these Aspects initiate a full-takeover, like Pantheon, but usually relegate themselves to a backseat, as the case of Diana, Leona, and Taric. The ASPECTS provide the power, and the host provides the method to interact with the world. This means that while the Aspects are hugely powerful, they are unable to directly affect the world.

Interstellar Targon: This is my personal headcanon until we get a proper explanation. Interstellar Targon exists in a different dimension. Think of dimensions like a stack of pancakes. One pancake can't enter another pancake, while one is on top of the other. Meanwhile the Void is like Syrup, it doesn't give a shit as to what dimension it opens up in, and can rip through multiple dimensions. Interstellar Targon, Mountainous Targon, it's all the same. And it basically eats holes through reality, allowing its beings to encroach on other worlds. Now occasionally, Interstellar Targon can open a hole between dimensions and send some of an Aspect's energy to a host in that world to prevent further incursion. This is the "Golden City" of Mt. Targon in Pantheon's lore.

Interstellar Targon knows what the void is capable of, and so it has its forces split across several dimensions. They are initially successful, and a single aspect at a time seems to be all Runeterra needs. Until....

Aurelion Sol Aurelion Sol is a fantastically powerful entity. He is seen as a God to mortals (Though confirmed to be at demigod level by Riot). Around the time Interstellar Targon comes in contact with Sol, they realize that his power may be able to help them deal with the Runeterran void invasion. The situation has obviously fallen out of hand, seeing Aurelion's color story. And a single aspect cannot cut it anymore. Interstellar Targon realizes that A-Sol is around the same level as an Aspect in their home dimension. And this is a major power. Usually possessing a host lowers the Aspects power by a great deal, but allows Interstellar Targon to influence that world through them. With Aurelion Sol, they would be able to use him to deal with the growing Void power, as he could operate at the power of a full Aspect without losing power through a host. However, they realize that the only way to gain control of him is to trick him, as their own power in Mountainous Targon is restricted. Hence they use the crown and bind him to their will. However, they still realize that they'd have to keep him on a tight leash, as someone as powerful as a base Aspect could easily slaughter their weakened hosts if he broke loose.

The Targonian Argument: Asol notices that Interstellar Targon is arguing and some voices fell silent. What I believe is that this is their forces being stretched thin and overwhelmed. Seeing as their Runeterran counterparts are still relatively primitive, it does not surprise me that Interstellar Targon was fighting in and for multiple dimensions that the void tried to invade. Obviously, their Aspects were losing hosts at an alarming rate. I'd assume that when a host dies, the Aspect itself loses some power (not a large amount, but enough to be noticed). And it is this weakening that Aurelion Sol feels, that allows him to act with more freedom. And with Aurelion Sol's power vs the nerfed Aspect hosts on Runeterra, Targon is right to be afraid. Sol WILL kill them and let the Void incursion happen on Runeterra.

How Zoe fits into this With multiple hosts dying and Aurelion Sol breaking loose, Targon is faced with one option: to bring in the loose cannon. They already tried the big guns (Sol), but now they need a Targonian to do work on Runeterra. So they call the only Aspect that can warp space to enter other dimensions, Zoe. Unlike every other Aspect, Zoe can exist in other dimensions without a host, at base Aspect power level. The reason they did not use her till now is that she is very undisciplined and childish. She cannot be relied on, but her power is undeniable. Backed into a corner, Targon chooses to bring out their last resort. This is how Zoe can be as powerful as Sol, yet Targon fears Sol. An aspect is not completely on Runeterra, only their mind and some power is there. But since it's the only way for Interstellar Targon to fight in other dimensions, They use hosts. When they saw Sol operating at the power of a base Aspect, they knew they needed his power level to fight. As he began breaking free, they sent the only aspect capable of matching him and salvaging the mission....and she's fallen for a human.

If or how this impedes her mission is yet to be seen. But to think that Targon has been pushed far enough to place their hopes in a full powered Aspect with the mentality of a nine year-old just speaks to how powerful the Void is, and how bad the situation is on Runeterra.

But hey, that's just a theory, a LORE THEORY. Thanks for reading.

(MatPat don't sue me pls)