Past Acquaintances

I thought of Fiora, far away in Demacia. I wondered how she had changed over these past few years, if she still thought of me. If we met again, she probably wouldn't recognize me.

I thought of Lux, who was already married. Six years had passed. Had she accepted Vayne's love? Leivo was gone; I hoped she wouldn't be sad about it anymore.

I thought of Jeram, the Berserker from Freljord. We hadn't spent much time together, but we had saved each other's lives once and forged a deep friendship. And his chieftain, Hris, I wondered if Bak had found him.

I thought of Riven, who was in Noxus. I hadn't seen her on the battlefield this time, which was a relief. It seemed she hadn't forgotten my teachings. Was she doing well? Was she still living by Strength?

I thought of Poppy, who wandered alone in search of friendship. I wasn't sure of my place in her heart, but my death would surely make her sad. Had she found new friends now?

I thought of the Five Teachers at Doco's training grounds: Strength, Speed, Shadow, Defense, and Precision. Had they trained new warriors? Were they stronger than me?

What was Talon doing now? He had been wounded by Katarina while saving me. I wondered if he was still serving Darius. Did he know his homeland had been invaded again?

Tam... never mind.

As I was thinking of these loved ones, I suddenly felt someone rapidly approaching from behind. I drew my sword and turned, only to find it was Irelia. She held her signature blades, clad in light armor, looking valiant and heroic.

"You seem so listless. I didn't expect you to be so alert. What were you thinking about?"

"Uh, nothing much. Just thinking about my friends and teachers."

"Elder Suma? He is indeed a remarkable master. His Wind Riding Technique is unparalleled. However, I know someone who is no less than him."

Wind Riding Technique not inferior to Suma's? I had truly never heard of such a thing. Seeing my confused expression, Irelia smiled:

"That person is you! Through our duels these past few days, I've discovered your swordsmanship and Wind Riding Technique are incredibly powerful. You're like a completely different person from ten years ago. It seems you've not only become more stable in personality but also ascended to a higher level of strength."

"You flatter me. Your swordsmanship is equally exquisite; no one is your match."

"No need to be modest. I genuinely admire you. However, I've noticed that none of the enemies you've struck have died. You deliberately spared their lives, didn't you?"

"Yes. They all have their own lives, their own friends, their own families. I don't want to kill innocent people."

"It seems you haven't made the necessary resolution. They are the ones invading us now, not the other way around. Look at the beautiful scenery behind us – that's our home, our families. Why should they suffer such devastation? And don't forget, they almost killed you last time, and it was the Harbinger who saved you."

"It's not that I spared them without reason. There's another consideration. Although we've temporarily won, the Noxian soldiers won't surrender. They're just caught off guard for now. Once they adapt to this style of combat, we might be the ones to lose, especially since we're so outnumbered."

"You want them to be grateful for your actions? So they'll show mercy when we're defeated?"

I didn't answer, which was tantamount to an admission. In truth, that was only a small part of my reasoning. More importantly, I didn't want to see endless bloodshed on both sides.

Irelia continued, "I don't deny your intentions. In fact, I understand we have no chance of winning this battle; we're just buying time. But I'm still very curious. What exactly changed you? Was it Alanta? Speaking of which, why haven't I seen her?"

"Alanta is dead. She was killed by her junior brother, Zed."

"What?!" Irelia was shocked, and the sword in her hand trembled. She pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Did she look for you afterward?"

I had no idea if they had met again later, so I could only shake my head. Irelia, amidst her sorrow, looked like she had something to say.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you. Since it's come to this, I'll tell you everything! After you two parted, she came to the North Spring Temple to find me. She brought a very sick little girl with her. That little girl was named Xiao Li, and she was your daughter..."

It turned out that after the last war, Alanta had been entrusted by the Western Harbinger to take care of a severely wounded Yasuo. They fell in love during their time together and started living together.

At the time, Alanta was a guardian of the Kinkou Order. She didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, so she planned to return and report to her master. After formally leaving the order, she would live properly with Yasuo.

When she returned, before she could even enter the temple, she heard that her master had been murdered by Zed. Shocked, she wanted to find Zed to get an explanation, but his disciples told her that Zed had argued with Ku about going to the battlefield to help her, which led to the tragedy. He was now nowhere to be found.

They were like siblings, even harboring feelings for each other. With this happening, Alanta remembered their past and felt she had wronged Zed. Thus, she decided to sever ties with Yasuo.

While searching for Zed, she unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant. Without a doubt, the child was Yasuo's.

Alanta's resolve wavered again. She knew Zed's personality. If they met, this child would surely not be kept safe. Even if she could protect her child, she would have to kill Zed.

Yes, she had fallen in love with two men simultaneously and was struggling to make a choice between them. But undeniably, she loved her child more.

After much deliberation, Alanta decided to disappear from everyone's sight. She disfigured herself and, from then on, adopted the alias Youlan, living in obscurity.

Later, Akali fell gravely ill. Alanta tried everything but couldn't cure her. With no one else to turn to, she thought of her good friend Irelia and went to the North Spring Temple in the north to seek her help.

Irelia successfully cured Akali, and Alanta told her about her past. However, they never saw each other again after that.

Irelia told me everything, confirming my previous suspicion: Akali was indeed Yasuo and Alanta's daughter. Although it had nothing to do with me, I felt a heavy burden on my heart.

"Thank you for saving Xiao Li."

"It was the right thing to do. Since you know Zed killed Alanta, you'll surely seek revenge, right? I just don't know how Xiao Li is doing now. Will you choose to stay here, or go find your daughter? The decision is yours."