Sett's house, Somewhere in Navori: Sett.
Sett silently closed the door behind him and approached his mother's bed. She was asleep again. Sett gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, waking her up.
"You're late again." she said, turning around. She then froze in place. She had a shocked expression. "S-Sett? What happened to you?" she asked with a terrified voice. She sat on the bed and touched his face.
Sett swallowed. "I'm all right mom...I...uh...I got in a fight." he scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a way to elaborate.
"I don't want you to do get hurt." she said.
"Mom...I'm a grown man..." he excused himself.
"You're only twenty." she said.
"Can we talk tomorrow?" he asked.
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"It won't be long...three weeks max." Sett said as he packed his stuff.
"And where will you go?" his mother asked. She had that same look she had when she told him about the pits.
"Bilgewater..." he said.
"Bilgewater...Settrigh, you are not searching for your father, are you?" his mother pinned her eyes on him.
"No ma, why would I?" Sett sighed. "I got no reason to...that bastard left us."
"Sett! Language!" his mother yelled at him.
"Sorry!" Sett raised his hands in defeat.
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An Inn, Ionia City:Lanius and Ahri.
Lanius paid the owner and got out of the Inn. Ahri was waiting for him outside with her satchel.
"Ready?" the young man asked her.
The vesani nodded. "We'll have plenty of stuff to do at Bilgewater before we get to the Shadow Isles."
The duo began to walk through the streets. "The only problem that I see is that I don't have any clues on who to talk to, to search for the previous Winter's soul." Lanius remarked.
"Well, we could use the help of a friend or two that live in Bilgewater. One is...kind of a wraith himself." Ahri said.
"A wraith. I suppose we'll see many more in this trip." Lanius exclaimed. "We'll have to fight them."
"Well I don't worry about that, I got my wolf over here.". Ahri said and grabbed his hand.
Lanius chuckled.
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Temple of the Jagged Knife: Kayn.
Kayn looked at Rhaast in his hands as he sat at the stairs that led to the entrance.
"Hey Rhaast~" the boy called out for the darkin.
"What?" the darkin's distorted voice came out of the weapon.
"Are you excited about getting to slice ghosts?" Kayn asked.
"One way or another..." Rhaast sighed. "Now leave me be!"
Kayn sighed just as an unmasked Zed approached him.
"Chatting again with the demon?" he asked.
Kayn nodded. He and Rhaast had to get along...for the time being.
Kayn got up. "It's time to go." he said. He then turned around, in front of Zed.
The Shadow Master placed his hand on his shoulder. "Watch out. You are powerful, but do hesitate. Do not let the shadows harness, you harness them." he said.
Kayn nodded as he climbed down the flight of stairs. He began to walk with Rhaast in his left hand. He walked a few steps forward before stopping and turning around. The boy waved at Zed. The Shadow Master nodded. Kayn once again turned around, ready for the trip.
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Somewhere in Navori: Xayah and Rakan.
"Do you trust them mieli?" Xayah looked straight in Rakan's eyes. Both of them sat under the shadow of a tree.
The Charmer leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm uncertain about the boy and the Kinkou, but the Winter has convinced me that we can trust him, miella." Rakan looked at the sky. "After all, he saved you."
"I recognise this...But, I swear to the Gods, if he proves to be a Mu'takl, I'll murder everyone with my bare hands." Xayah said with a semi threatening voice as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Rakan chuckled. "Even me?" he asked with a playful tone.
"No, not you babe." Xayah assured him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I would never."
Rakan stayed silent. So did she. The Lovers just sat under the tree as they listened to the magic that was running through the place.
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Somewhere in Navori: Akali.
"All set, I'm ready to go." Akali placed her daggers next to her scroll and got on her mount.
"Stay safe and never hesitate, never look back. But always think before you act." Shen adviced her.
"Gee, Shen...I'm not a child anymore." the rogue assassin said.
"For me, you'll always be my apprentice...former or not." the Kinkou master said with a smile.
"Well,I gotta get going. I'll be back, I promise." she said.
"I'll be waiting." Shen nodded.
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Port of Navori, Ionia: Lanius, Ahri, Sett, Akali, Kayn, Xayah, Rakan.
Everyone except Lanius boarded the ship. Irelia wanted to talk to him before they left. The Winter stood in front of her.
"I wish you a safe travel to the Shadow Isles." the Blade Dancer said. "Be careful with the wraiths. I've fought them before and I know what they're capable off. But over all, be careful of Thresh, The Warden. He is a powerful wraith that kills the living and traps their souls into a lantern that he carries."
"Do not worry, I just plan on speaking to the Ruined King." Lanius said.
Irelia looked at him straight in the eyes. "The Ruined King was defeated two years ago in the Shadow Isles by the Light Sentinels." she said.
"Light Sentinels?" he asked.
"The Light Sentinels are an organisation that fights the black mist and the wraiths. I temporarily joined them when they attacked Ionia two years ago. We fought him and defeated him there." Irelia briefly went silent, as if she had remembered something. "He is currently sealed into into his long lost castles hall." she continued.
"And how will we reach him?" the young man asked.
"You will need to find his sword. A gloomy yordle that once assisted him might help you." the Blade Dancer revealed.
"Very well, Irelia Xan. We will return in a month, two months max." Lanius said.
"May the spirits guide you." she said her prayer as the young man boarded the ship.
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"Bilgewater...heaven for smugglers, marauders, and the unscrupulous, where fortunes are made and ambitions shattered in the blink of an eye. For those fleeing justice, debt, or persecution, it is a city of new beginnings. No one on the twisted streets of Bilgewater cares about your past..." the captain said as he took a bite from a citrus.
"...It's a melting pot of cultures, races, and creeds, alive with activity at all hours." he continued.
"Kinda like the pits, but on a larger scale." Sett exclaimed.
"Believe me Sett, it's nothing like your pits." Ahri said. "This place is full of scums and rum...and wraiths."
"Does it have vastaya?" Xayah asked.
"Some." the captain muttered. "It's mostly inhabited by humans."
Lanius looked at the horizon. The island was about twenty or more kilometers away. Another fifty or so to its left stood a giant wall of black fog. That's were their goal stood.
"Are you anxious?" Freida asked the young man.
"Why would I be?" he thought. "It's part of my test."
Lanius, the Embodiment of the Winter looked at the black mist, far away from them and smiled. He was ready.