Requiem

Seraphine's arrival eased the gloomy atmosphere that had hung over the workshop.

She was a lively, cheerful girl. Though she seemed a little shy at first, once she heard your soul singing a beautiful melody, she immediately became warm and passionate.

"Katarina, you have a younger sister? What does that feel like?"

"Haha, your soul is singing a tender, moving song, warm with just a hint of sweetness. Your sister must be adorable."

"Orianna, everything will be all right. The melody of your song has changed. Nothing is more exciting than the turning point of a piece!"

"."

It was her first time revealing her ability before outsiders, and she seemed to have endless things to say. She chirped around Orianna and Katarina, offering them words of encouragement.

Though she never mentioned Ryan, her curious gaze frequently fell on him. After all, he was the first person from whom she could not hear any song at all.

Everyone's soul sang its own piece—sometimes melodious, sometimes winding, sometimes joyful, sometimes sorrowful.

She enjoyed making friendly conversation with people whose souls sang songs of sunshine. It made her heart happy.

"Oh, right~ I haven't asked in detail yet. Orianna said you wanted me to help. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Seraphine swayed to a certain melody, her pink hair swinging behind her. This was the rhythm of Orianna's soul-song.

Surviving a desperate situation, hope descending—she loved this beat!

Orianna's expression remained serene. She turned her gaze toward Ryan, silently pleading for help.

"The body is an extension of consciousness; consciousness and the soul are inseparable. Seraphine can not only hear the sounds of souls, but her voice can also reach them directly. Magic may not be able to preserve life, but the song of the soul can."

"You mean that Seraphine should perform during the heart transplant?"

Orianna hesitated. There was only one chance. She did not know whether Seraphine could do it, and she was even less certain whether she could remain as precise as a machine under those circumstances.

She would wield the scalpel herself. Before her would no longer be her own broken body, but the father she loved dearly.

"A heart transplant... What is that?"

Seraphine tilted her head, her face full of confusion.

After Orianna explained her preparations once more, her hands clenched slightly as she nervously watched Seraphine's mouth fall open in shock.

"That's too crazy. No wonder the songs you've been singing lately have kept changing, Orianna. But... I have no experience."

Her little hands twisted together, unease spreading across her face.

Kind-hearted as she was, she always wanted to help others. But she had never done anything this important before, and she was afraid she would fail.

"I have a Requiem here. As long as Miss Seraphine can sing it, the surgery's chance of success will be close to 99%. The remaining 1% depends only on your resolve, Miss Orianna."

Ryan looked at her, waiting for a definite answer.

"Mr. Ryan, what is a Requiem? Is it beautiful?"

Seraphine was the first to raise her little hand. Blinking, she asked like an eager student hungry for knowledge.

"It is a song sung for souls. Originally, it could grant souls peace, but someone altered the piece, turning a song that gave the dead rest into one that killed the living."

Thinking of that Requiem, Ryan's expression turned somewhat strange.

Immortal Bastion contained far too many books on souls, most of them left behind centuries ago.

He had reason to suspect that LeBlanc was not someone who loved books and learning. A person who truly cherished knowledge would not allow those volumes to be slowly buried by the passage of time.

Of course, Noxus had scarcely any scholars either. Everyone brutally walked their own path, disdaining the traces left behind by those before them.

Countless books recording the mysteries of magic wept in unknown corners of Noxus. He greatly looked forward to the changes three months from now.

If circumstances allowed, he hoped Swain would slaughter the nobles to the last. The books collected in their homes would make greater contributions to Noxus.

"Death... If I sing that piece, will I..."

Seraphine thought of some terrible things, and her body began trembling slightly despite herself.

To use a Requiem to kill people—how evil must the person who altered that song have been!

"You are different from those lunatics. I believe that through your singing, it will become a true Requiem again."

The corners of Ryan's lips rose slightly. His palm and the ring upon it glimmered with Shimmer as he gently swept his hand through the air.

Countless droplets drifted out like obedient soldiers, arranging themselves into characters in midair:

"Try to summon your most beautiful emotions. Sing. Perform. Do not worry that anything will go wrong. I am here."

Those gentle words seemed to soothe Seraphine's unease. She stared blankly at the characters formed from water droplets in the air, and a clear sound slipped from her lips without her realizing it.

"％@&"

As she softly uttered three notes, it seemed as though a faint cyan radiance descended from the heavens, enveloping everyone beneath it.

But soon, a Water Curtain rose up, dimming the cyan light considerably.

"Canciónporlavida"

She sang another line in her own melody. Yet for some reason, though she had intended to sing joyfully, her voice lacked that emotion entirely and even carried traces of sorrow.

Even with the Water Curtain blocking it, everyone other than Ryan showed pained expressions. Even the objects within the workshop began to tremble faintly.

Seraphine wore a pained expression as well, yet she continued singing along with the characters without realizing it. At this moment, she seemed to have forgotten her original purpose.

Accompanied by her song, it was as though everything was being buried, as though all life and all souls were approaching their final rest.

To that final destination.

Death!

The pale cyan pillar of light grew brighter and brighter, and everyone could feel the agony of their souls being torn apart.

"Lavidallegaráaldescanso"

Her singing grew louder and louder. The sorrowful voice became impassioned, and as the song neared its climax, a trace of struggle appeared on Seraphine's face.

"Make it your melody, Seraphine."

Ryan's gentle voice sounded beside her ear, making Seraphine's body tremble slightly.

At that moment, she seemed to return from the place of rest, returning to the workshop and remembering her goal.

She did not want to praise death. A Requiem should not bring people to their deaths!

Seraphine pursed her lips, stubbornness written all over her young face.

The melody of a Requiem should not contain only mourning for souls. It should also contain blessings for the living and praise for the past of the dead!

She shut her eyes tightly and continued singing onward, word by difficult word, but the tones she produced changed completely.

No longer sorrowful, no longer impassioned.

Sorrow turned to joy, singing of the accomplishments of life. Passion turned to longing, telling of the emotions of the past that were worth remembering.

In an instant, the cyan pillar of light vanished without a trace, replaced by a beam of pink light.

The beam radiated from Seraphine's body, transforming into countless motes of light in the air. They slowly drifted down and merged into the bodies of the others.

The motes and the song smoothed away their pained expressions, replacing them with ease and sincere smiles.

"The song I sing should make people happy and inspire them!"

Seraphine opened her eyes once more. Her hesitation was gone, leaving only resolve.

Her voice became smoother and more rhythmic.

The song had changed completely.

That Requiem, which had once brought death, became a melody that awakened living beings' yearning for life beneath Seraphine's enraptured performance.

She sang of the beauty of those lives and praised the emotions worth cherishing.

The song ended, but the feeling remained.

Thanks to "Fusu Gongzi 2, Famous Throughout the World" for the 1,500 tip!