The feast was as lavish as ever. Tam was very particular about food, and even if he was dining alone, he would never settle for whatever was at hand.
The nine of us split into three groups. The Five Teachers chatted with Riven, the child named A Bing kept quiet, head down as he ate by himself, and Tam kept talking to me.
"Not only has your appearance changed, your strength has improved quite a bit, too."
"I'm curious. How did you recognize me?"
"Who else but you could have turned Riven back into this? And even without Riven, I would've recognized you."
"You really do have a unique charm. People hate you when they can't see you, and hate you even more once they can."
"Have you ever considered that I'm a god, and you're offending one?"
"Even if you are a god, you're an evil one. I wouldn't call this an offense."
I'd never had anything nice to say to Tam, and this time was no exception. Still, his words gave me something to think about.
I'd never seen any gods from Runeterra, but the God of Wood, God of Wind, and God of Death in Ionia's murals had all looked imposing. Even if gods weren't all that lofty, surely they couldn't be as shameless as Tam?
He laughed. "An evil god? Ha, that's a good name. But speaking of which, your strength really can't be underestimated now. I can sense a hint of danger from you. You never had this kind of forcefulness before."
"The road's been winding."
I'd meant to say, "Thanks to you," but on second thought, it didn't seem right. Whatever I'd been through, good or bad, I couldn't blame it on someone else.
Except for Riven, the others had no idea what we