Demons Appear

For over three hundred years, Poppy felt as though it had been a short time, summarized in a few words: friendship and searching.

She had accompanied me since I woke up, precisely because I neither feared nor disliked her, just like Oren.

"The will of the Yordle that wished for your creation was your desire for friendship, and now, we have met."

"Will you be my friend?"

"It would be my honor."

"No, my only friend is Oren. Perhaps you'll come to dislike me before long."

I didn't offer any further explanation. I didn't belong to this world originally, and of course, I wouldn't reject Yordles. Since she didn't believe me, I'd let time prove it.

Ionia, Valoran, and Shurima together formed the continental system of Runeterra. However, it was much smaller than the other two continents. Furthermore, being surrounded by the Sea of the Watcher and the Sea of Conquest, it was once thought to be an island.

It wasn't until later, as exchanges between various regions deepened and people traveled more frequently, that it became known that Ionia wasn't an island at all, but a continent large enough to be considered one.

The biggest difference between Ionia and the other two continents was that there were no countries here, nor had any ever been established. This left them defenseless when Noxus invaded.

Later, victory was achieved through various martial arts, religious groups, and extraordinary individuals. Of course, a larger reason was Swain's lack of preparedness; otherwise, it would have been an utter catastrophe.

The people here emphasized the Unity of Heaven and Man and maintained a very pristine, natural environment. Various flowers and trees grew wild by the roadside, creating beautiful and pleasant scenery. Of course, appreciating this beautiful scenery came at a price—the roads were narrow and difficult to traverse.

Not only did we walk slowly, but we also got lost frequently, camping outdoors for ten consecutive days.

The first few days were fine, but then it suddenly started raining. We couldn't find any shelter and were quickly soaked.

Initially, the sticky feeling on my skin was uncomfortable. Once soaked, I didn't feel much anymore. At this moment, I could hear nothing but the rain. Poppy, however, heard a different sound:

"I think I hear someone crying nearby."

"Could they be trapped somewhere by the heavy rain, or perhaps in danger?"

Poppy and I searched the vicinity and soon discovered a cave. The sound was coming from inside.

We exchanged glances and decided to investigate. It would also serve as shelter from the rain.

The sight inside the cave surprised me. Candles were lit, and the cave walls were covered in murals. The content was somewhat strange but easy to understand, depicting nothing more than rituals and prayers.

Not far inside the cave stood a statue composed of two parts. In the center was a standing lamb, surrounded by a wolf. Both wore masks, with strange symbols painted on their foreheads. This was the image of Kindred.

Kindred is a legendary deity in Runeterra, symbolizing death. Those who face death with equanimity are granted merciful arrows by Lamb, while those who try to evade death are hunted and slain by Wolf.

Before the statue knelt a village woman, cradling a dying child in her arms. The crying we had heard was hers.

She repeatedly pleaded with Kindred to spare her child. Overcome with grief, she didn't even notice our arrival.

"Excuse me, what happened?"

I had no intention of meddling, but I couldn't stand someone crying incessantly in such heavy rain. Besides, even if I didn't ask, Poppy wouldn't stand by and do nothing; she had already walked over.

The village woman turned and saw us, one tall and one short, holding weapons. Startled, she clutched her child tighter. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We just heard your crying and came to see. What's wrong with this child?"

"I don't know. Four days ago, he suddenly disappeared. The entire village couldn't find him. This morning, I found him when I came to worship Lord Kindred, but his breathing is very weak. This isn't the first child to go missing. Recently..."

Before the village woman could finish, Poppy suddenly snatched the child from her arms and threw him out of the cave. The village woman ran out like a madwoman, only to slip and fall at the cave entrance.

I quickly followed and discovered that the child's chest had split open, and a faint blue flame was burning, undiminished by the pouring rain outside.

The village woman cursed loudly, "I knew you weren't good people! All you short ones are bastards!"

As soon as she spoke, the blue flame extinguished. The child's body began to swell and turn black. Soon, he stood up!

He grew more than twice his original size, his skin black, foul, and disgusting. He then attacked us with his limbs!

I raised my spear and thrust quickly until he fell to the ground, dissolving into a puddle of mud. The village woman watched everything that had happened with despair. After a long while, she said:

"I'm sorry, I was wrong to blame you. So those monsters were the missing children."

Poppy wasn't angry. She seemed accustomed to people's attitudes and continued to inquire about the circumstances. The village woman, still grieving, explained:

About half a year ago, the first child went missing. Everyone assumed he had encountered some danger and searched everywhere but found nothing.

Then, several more children disappeared consecutively. At the same time, black monsters like the one we just saw appeared near the village. People believed it was the wrath of the god of death and performed a series of offerings:

They repaired the cave dedicated to Kindred, restored the murals and the statue, and every few days, a different person would come to offer fresh chickens, ducks, and other tributes.

This measure seemed to work. For a whole month, no similar incidents occurred. However, by mid-second month, another child went missing in the village, and the black monsters reappeared.

At this point, a passing merchant caravan mentioned that other villages were experiencing the same thing, especially in a southern region where almost an entire village was destroyed by black monsters.

Upon hearing this, the villagers, in addition to offering sacrifices to Kindred, assigned extra personnel for vigilance. Unfortunately, all measures were ineffective. By this month, fifteen children had gone missing from the village. Fortunately, the monsters were all eliminated by their combined efforts.

Today was the village woman's turn to offer tribute to Kindred. She unexpectedly found her child here, only to realize that the black monster was actually the missing child transformed.

Poppy's brow furrowed deeply after listening, her expression troubled. I asked her what she was thinking about. She said these black monsters were the same as the monsters that the children fed roasted meat in Demacia had turned into!

Could it be...?

I recalled Poppy mentioning earlier that Oren had killed several mages when he saved her, but the one wearing a mask had escaped. Could he be responsible for what was happening here?

Poppy also thought of it. "They target children the same way, and the monsters are identical! It's been over three hundred years. Logically, he shouldn't have such a long lifespan. It seems things aren't that simple. I must investigate thoroughly!"

Ever since I met Poppy, her expression had always been calm. Now, it had become incredibly solemn. It seemed her experience in Demacia had deeply affected her.

After the rain stopped, we followed the village woman to her village, Yanglin. Except for a few people keeping watch nearby, everywhere else was deserted. Clearly, people were terrified to leave their homes.

The village woman led us from house to house, explaining the situation. However, people didn't believe it was the work of mages, and we had no leads. We could only wait for the culprit to reveal themselves.

For several days and nights, no suspicious individuals appeared. At this point, Poppy came up with an idea: she would pose as a child to lure the culprit out!