Back to Reality

Enraged, Aatrox swung his greatsword and charged forward!

His steps were somewhat unsteady as he haphazardly hacked at the surrounding black thorns until it quieted down below. «-(¯`v´¯)-« »-(¯`v´¯)-»

But at this point, Shetaka had been completely pierced through; his abdomen, limbs, heart, and throat were all riddled with holes.

Aatrox trembled as he embraced her, too preoccupied to grieve, and rushed back to the ground to join the other Ascended warriors in sealing the place to prevent another invasion from the Void.

Golden quicksand slowly covered the purple cracks, soon solidifying into a solid barrier— Sealing Magic used by the Ascended together.

Looking around, the scene here can no longer be described as "ruins"; the ravaged land no longer contains any life other than the Ascended.

Aatrox knelt before Shetaka, and the other Ascended also knelt down.

The vast majority of them were warriors chosen and ascended by Shetaka, and regardless of any past grievances they may have had towards her, they were all deeply grieved at this moment.

Shetaka was not dead yet, but her severe injuries rendered her speechless. She struggled to raise her hand, but it fell back down as soon as it touched Aatrox's face.

Aatrox quickly grabbed her hand and then recited his altered vow:

For the ever-growing strength and perpetual prosperity of Shurima, and for the Ascended Empress Zetian, I, Aatrox, today dedicate myself to the service of the Sun God, to become a child of the gods. War is noble, and I am honored!

After Aatrox finished his oath, everyone else followed suit, this time speaking from the bottom of their hearts.

Shetaka wanted to say something after hearing this, but her lips moved and no sound came out; her throat was ruined.

Aatrox gripped her hand tightly. "Don't worry, I will take care of Zurita. I will protect all your bloodline forever!"

Upon hearing this, Shetaka's lips curved slightly into a smile; the last expression of her long life was forever frozen on her face.

This scene is quite long, but it should end here; the somber atmosphere makes me not want to stay any longer.

The scene before me gradually blurred, and just as I was preparing for the next moment, I suddenly saw a patch of black thorns beside me.

This was just splashed out during Aatrox's frenzied slashes; the shape of the thorns surprised me!

The black thorns are covered with evenly distributed barbs that look like feathers; these are the hidden weapons Evelynn uses!

Tam said her hidden weapon wasn't feathers, but sharp spikes that grew from her body. Last time I didn't have time to examine it closely before it disappeared, but now I can see it clearly!

This information is very important: Evelynn is not only connected to the Shadow Isles, but also to the Void!

She may very well have been to the Void like Malzahar, Kassadin, and others, and gained power there, or perhaps she is even Void Creatures herself!

Therefore, her current goal is very likely related to the disaster in our dream!

Could she be that mysterious figure behind it all, orchestrating destruction in various places?

From Jhin at the beginning, to Sylas later, to Jinx a while ago, to the Shadow Isles recently, and even Shurima in the ancient times.

I never expected to find clues to the truth of all this in the illusion. It seems that after things have come to a close here, I need to contact Twisted Fate again. I must find Evelynn no matter what!

As the scene before me disappeared, I left Icathia. The next scene was one I had seen before: the Sun Disc in Sun City.

The person ascending was a withered old man, exactly like Nasus in his current form.

The priests around him had prepared for the ceremony, but Nasus could no longer move; he was tormented by some kind of injury, and even crawling was extremely difficult.

Among the crowd at the memorial service, I spotted Aatrox, who was trying to stop someone from getting close.

"My Lord God, please release me! My brother can't hold on any longer; if this continues, he'll miss his ascension!"

"Calm down, Renekton. The Ascension Ritual cannot be interfered with by anyone. Even I cannot withstand the sun's immense energy. If you go, you will be reduced to ashes!"

Renekton watched Nasus crawling with difficulty, tears streaming down his face, and finally he knelt before Aatrox:

"Please forgive me, my lord, it's not that I don't cherish my own life, and I understand His Majesty the Your Majesty's high regard for me, but I cannot watch my brother die. This country can live without me, but it cannot live without him!"

"Your interference won't help Nasus; on the contrary, you'll both suffer!"

"Since we're all going to die anyway, at least let me accompany my brother on his final journey!"

Aatrox eventually relented, dispersing those around him to prevent the ritual from going awry and causing a disaster.

Renekton fearlessly walked up to the platform, picked up Nasus and rushed towards the center of the disc. Just as he reached the ascension position, the Solar Energy poured down!

This Ascension Ritual was different from previous ones; the Sun Disc shook violently, and the platform trembled along with it!

Aatrox's expression turned grim. He immediately transformed into his Ascended Form, using his wings to create a golden barrier in front of those who hadn't yet managed to evacuate.

After a while, the tremors stopped. Nasus and Renekton were not destroyed. After the priests sacrificed themselves, the two Ascended stood proudly!

They both became Ascended! Judging from Aatrox's shocked expression, this was unprecedented!

The new setting remains in Sun City, but the Ascended Empress, is no longer in the palace. Instead, the emperor sitting on the throne is a young girl.

Many people stood below the hall, with Nasus at the head.

The Maiden Emperor and Nasus had a fierce argument because she wanted to ascend to heaven, but Nasus disagreed.

Because the girl's father, uncles, and aunts all died in the Ascension Ritual, now only she and her young brother remain of the royal bloodline.

As Ascended loyal to the royal family, Nasus would not stand by and watch the royal bloodline die out, and he would not back down no matter how sharp the girl's words were.

Through their conversation, I learned that nearly a thousand years have passed since that war, and in this long period of time, only five Ascended have been produced, none of whom have royal blood.

The two argued endlessly, Nasus finally conceded, agreeing to hold the Ascension Ritual, but only after the emperor had performed three feats that were recognized by the people.

The Sun God does not bestow blessings out of thin air; all those Ascended in history have achieved great things.

Suddenly, I felt the ground shake violently. This didn't seem like something that happened in a dream, because I was standing perfectly fine in the palace.

When I saw Riven in front of me, I knew this trip was over.