Upon hearing Li Lin's shout, Nasus, who was puzzled as to why they were accompanying a Void creature, stopped his magic.
Kassadin looked solemnly at Nasus at the other end of the tunnel, putting aside his reverence as a Shuriman and positioning himself protectively in front of Kaisa.
As they entered, Sivir noticed the presence of another person, and couldn't help but be surprised: "Huh? Who's this girl?"
Kassadin glanced at her, then turned his gaze to the squinting Nasus, saying, "She...is my daughter, Kaisa."
"What?!" Sivir was astonished, "But didn't you say your daughter was consumed by the Void three years ago?"
As she asked, she also looked at Li Lin, trying to confirm the matter with him.
Li Lin nodded slightly and pointed to the scattered Void corpses not far away, "It's true. Those seven Voids just now were after her."
"More accurately, they were attracted by you." Kaisa, peering out from behind Kassadin, suddenly interjected.
"I had concealed my presence, and they hadn't noticed me... it's just that I was too hasty and exposed my whereabouts."
Sivir still found it hard to believe.
Kassadin had said earlier that his daughter was only ten years old when she "died."
How could such a young girl survive in a place filled with monsters like the Void?
The chitinous armor on her body was obviously of the same origin as the carapaces of those Void creatures.
Moreover, according to legend, the powers of the Void were varied and complex. Could this so-called "daughter" be some kind of monster with shapeshifting abilities, deceiving them?
Sivir looked at Kaisa with suspicion, not trusting her very much.
Kaisa could clearly sense Sivir's hostility, and her good mood from seeing her father and eating food diminished slightly.
Kassadin, on the other hand, was on high alert against Nasus and Sivir, ready to shield them with his own body and let Kaisa escape if things went south.
To him, Sivir was nothing more than an acquaintance with whom he had a lukewarm relationship, a level of companionship only achieved through their journey together.
He didn't particularly like this mercenary who only pursued profit, let alone compared to his only family now.
Even though she was the blood of the Eagle King Azir.
As Kaisa's voice fell silent, the air fell into silence, the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense.
Li Lin sensed that something was amiss and quickly stepped forward, standing between the two sides and separating them.
"Don't misunderstand each other. You've been together for so long, can't you trust each other a little?" he turned his head slightly first, giving Kassadin a signal not to do anything impulsive.
Then, he quickly recounted Kaisa's experiences after being consumed by the Void to Sivir and Nasus.
Kaisa stared at Li Lin's back with shining eyes.
She didn't expect him to remember all my experiences after just one listen...
After listening to Li Lin's account, Sivir's attitude softened slightly, without the hostility she had towards Kaisa earlier.
And Nasus, who had remained silent since the beginning, finally spoke up, "This girl is too strange..."
"She's still human, not a monster," Kassadin said, his voice deep.
"I did not deny her human identity... If my actions just now led to your misunderstanding, I apologize."
Nasus shook his head and sighed.
"I have never seen a human who can coexist with the Void and maintain normal thinking, after all, my former compatriots, also known as the Darkin you later called them, were unable to avoid being influenced by the Void."
"Are you Nasus?" Kaisa stared at Nasus's head, asking softly, "My father used to tell me your story."
"Yes, I am the curator of the desert, the grand scholar of the empire, and the founder of the Great Library of Shurima... At the same time, I am the Sand Reaper, the lost son of the desert - Nasus."
To make himself appear less menacing, Nasus quickly and thoroughly introduced himself.
"I'm Kaisa, water and shade to you, Grand Scholar."
"and to you as well, Kaisa," Nasus replied amiably, "Can I take a closer look at you?"
He paused for a moment, then turned to explain to Kassadin, "Rest assured, I won't harm your daughter. I just want to see what this layer of Void skin on her body really is."
"This..."
Kassadin hesitated for a moment, quickly considering the matter.
The promise of the divine warrior could still be trusted, after all, if Nasus really wanted to make a move, he wouldn't be able to stop him by himself.
"My opinion doesn't matter anymore, you need Kaisa's consent."
"Dad?" Kaisa raised her head in astonishment, locking eyes with her father.
Thinking back to when she said she had grown up, but her parents still treated her like a child, not caring about her opinion.
This was the first time her father had ever given her a choice...
"You've grown up, child."
Kassadin gently touched her head,
"You are now an excellent warrior in your own right, no longer the fledgling chick hiding behind me, needing me to shelter you from the wind and rain, you no longer need me to make decisions for you."
Kaisa felt her eyes grow hot, her vision blurred for a moment, and she lowered her head heavily, "I understand, Dad."
She sniffed, suppressing the inexplicable sorrow in her heart, walked out from behind Kassadin, passed Li Lin, and faced the nearly two-meter-tall Nasus.
Kassadin followed her a few steps forward, standing side by side with Li Lin.
"You're a brave girl, Kaisa." Nasus praised sincerely.
Then, he leaned his axe against the ground, squatted down on one knee, allowing his line of sight to be level with Kaisa's.
"Next, I will use magic to explore your body, it may be a little painful, but I will be careful and will not harm you."
Nasus's words were not only to Kaisa but also to Kassadin, so he wouldn't misunderstand later.
"It's okay, I'm used to the pain."
Kaisa's expression was momentarily dazed.
"Have you ever felt the squirming of your skin? It's like a thousand needles are inserted into every pore, and every pore is bleeding... but compared to what's on my body, it's like scratching an itch."
Nasus's mood was heavy as he murmured, "Is this how it is..."
Not only him, even Sivir felt sympathy for Kaisa, not to mention Li Lin and Kassadin.
Heroes don't always stand under the spotlight, known by all. In those dark corners, some would risk their lives to protect others.
Nasus extended his left hand, reaching out to Kaisa.
She hesitated for a moment, then understood, placing her right hand in his broad palm.
The small hand, wrapped in Void armor, contrasted sharply with Nasus's obsidian-like large hand.
As Nasus mobilized the magic within him, a sour taste of magic filled everyone's mouth.
Then, a brilliant blue magical force emerged from him, enveloping both him and Kaisa.
The immense cosmic magic kept circulating on her chitinous armor, stirring the restlessness of Kaisa's living skin.
This was the power stolen by the Stellar Spirit from some great being, injected into the body of the celestial warrior through the sun disc, which was a nemesis for the void in general.
Kaisa felt the stinging sensation on her skin, similar to when she was chased by those seven Voidlings not long ago.
She knew it was its instinct, it "feared."
The Void was not invincible, especially these "trash" that couldn't even be called "minions."
Kaisa's skin came from a Voidling similar to a mantis, but facing a former Celestial warrior, it was naturally powerless and defeated.
As the vast and seemingly endless magical force was mobilized, the pain on her body intensified.
Kaisa gritted her teeth, unable to help but let out a muffled groan, "Ugh..."
"Kaisa..." Kassadin called out softly with concern.
"Don't worry, father. This pain is nothing compared to one-thousandth of what it was when my armor evolved. I can endure it..." Kaisa could clearly feel that, under the effect of the magic released by Nasus, the grip of this second skin on herself had relaxed a lot, and even some of it had fallen off.
Cold sweat the size of beans seeped from her forehead and temples, slid down her cheeks, and gathered on her chin, dripping onto the saline-alkali soil.
As the tearing and bloody pain intensified, Kaisa's endurance was nearing its limit, but she still held back from making a sound.
If enduring pain could get rid of it, she believed she could do it.
At that moment, Nasus suddenly withdrew his magic, and the brightly lit underground tunnel returned to darkness.
Kaisa's legs went weak, almost falling to the ground.
Her living skin reattached to her flesh, just not as dominantly as before.
"Why... not continue?" Kaisa gasped for breath, looking up at Nasus, a hint of confusion flashing deep in her purple eyes.
Clearly, she was almost there... about to get rid of this skin.
Nasus could see what she was thinking, shaking his head, he explained, "If we continue, before this layer of Void skin peels off, you will lose your life first."
"Tsk!" Kaisa clenched her fists, quietly cursing.
"Your current state is too strange. You have formed a symbiotic state with this armor. If either side is lost, neither of you can survive independently."
Nasus slowly stood up, "I'm sorry, I don't have a solution for now."
"Speaking of symbiosis..."
At that moment, Li Lin suddenly interjected, attracting everyone's attention.
He glanced around, especially at Kaisa and Kassadin, whose eyes were particularly intense.
"Do you have a solution?" Kassadin reached out and grabbed Li Lin's arm, asking eagerly.
"Don't be hasty, I just have a tiny clue."
Li Lin felt somewhat helpless, first letting Kassadin let go of him, then staring at Kaisa's living skin.
"In Piltover's laboratory, I also have cells of a peculiar life form formed by alchemical chemistry, which may have similarities to this armor."
After pondering for a moment, he continued, "I think, if it can be thoroughly studied, perhaps it can solve Kaisa's problem with this symbiotic skin."
Of course, all of this has to wait until I successfully finished the career advancement...
(End of this chapter)