Could Nightblade Irelia's source of power & 'loss of humanity' be Syndra?
tl:dr: Alternate universe where Irelia was captured & tortured by Noxus for her ability to weave power from her dances only to be 'saved' by Syndra. Corrupted by her torture & her hatred of Noxus increased tenfold she becomes a point of interest to Syndra (mostly because she can relate) who grants her the power and 'training' she needs to become the Nightblade - The bringer of Syndra's rage upon the land. It sounds like a fanfic, I know.
Per the skin bio's writing:
> In exchange for the power to expel Noxus from Ionia, Irelia struck a bargain with an evil spirit -- a decision that would prove costly when her humanity began to slip away...
Now, this'll sound really fanficy (and yes, I've written them before) but roll with me here: Imagine that in Nightblade's canon the following happens:
- Syndra is released from The Dreaming Pool early, around the time when Irelia is ~10-14.
- Irelia (in this timeline) is heavily different due to a key change in tempo from her past. Instead of her being able to escape from her village's occupation by Noxian troops she's snagged by one of the troops as she attempts to use her first usage of blade magic as a distraction to flee, leading to her being captured instead. Noxus doesn't kill her, however (having seen the potency in her magic) and instead imprisons her, torturing her & attempting to force her abilities out up until Bullet #3.
- Syndra (doing Syndra things) somehow hears of a prison where young girls of Ionian origin are tortured by Noxus to attempt and bring out their magical capability. Recalling her own past Syndra becomes furious, annihilating the prison and viciously slaughtering both Noxians and Ionians alike until no one is left...no one except a lucky Irelia.
- Syndra (surprised that someone lived) confronts Irelia, seeking to amuse herself by toying with the girl. She's surprised however when Irelia fiercly backlashes at her attempts, years of torture by Noxians & (mostly buried) feelings of abandonment by her people having darkened her heart. Upon realization that Irelia has become something very much like she is (a girl harassed and beaten down by those around her solely for who she is and what she possesses) Syndra changes her mind - No, this one isn't for killing. This one is for revenge.
- Rather than killing Irelia, Syndra gives her an option - To take what magical power she has and give it the potency and craft it needs to truly bring an end to the ones who brought her so much suffering. Irelia, not seeking to die & her blackened heart seeking vengeance on a level unrivaled accepts.
- Years pass. After brutal, savage 'training' by Syndra & the infusion of her negative magic into Irelia's dances, the Nightblade is born. Syndra sends her out into occupied Ionian land as a silent bringer of devastation, killing all who get in her path & feeding her anger and newfound strength off those who she cuts down (not literally - she just gains her motivation and willpower from viciously slaughtering those who have 'wronged' her, it's not a magic leeching thing since Syndra doesn't do that either).
- Come to modern times - Irelia is still destroying everyone in her path (Noxian & Ionian alike), relishing in their pain and in the bringing of her revenge. But despite her darkened heart & the side effects of both Syndra's 'negative energy' & Syndra's bad influence as a mentor she still holds kindness and mercy in her heart, struggling to maintain it as her balance of good and evil slowly slide toward the latter, a level of darkness that Syndra looks forward to endlessly.
So long story short - Irelia gets captured & tortured, Syndra 'saves' her and the two form a bond out of shared hatred for those who have ruined their lives, tortured them for who they are & denied them what was rightfully theirs. Irelia becomes Syndra's bringer of chaos, a combination of her own dances & the infusion of Syndra's power transforming her into an dark melody of destruction. Her kindness is still there & she tries to keep it deep down but as she kills and kills and as more Ionians look at her with scorn Syndra's influence & power only draw her closer to full darkness.
I actually really like this concept, especially since Syndra could easily be considered an 'evil spirit' based off how her actions upon the land were feared for at least decades following her entrapment in The Dreaming Pool. It also makes sense as to how Irelia's power is 'corrupting' her - it's a combination of both Syndra's dark energy manipulating her body & mind & Syndra's influence/an increasing lack of faith in Ionians (she's become rather pessimistic in this timeline) weakening what good is left in her heart. It makes sense.
Let's not forget about Irelia's outfit either - Notice the color scheme? It's black, dark purple and gray. Those are the colors of darkness & evil, ones that coincidentally also appear quite frequently in Syndra's outfit (black/gray) & spheres (purplish-black). They both have white hair as well, a potential consequence of Syndra's negative energy impacting both of them on a biological level.
And, for final reasoning as to why this is (or should) be canon to Nightblade - There is no better ship for either Syndra or Irelia than them being together. I rest my case.
