An All-Night Drinking Session

Riven looked at me curiously, seemingly surprised that I would bring this up, Darius was even more puzzled:

"Oh? An old friend?"

After several days of oppressive living, seeing Darius now brings a long-lost sense of warmth. I don't want to beat around the bush with him:

"This time we came from Demacia to visit Fiora, just like our last trip."

Upon hearing my words, Darius's smiling face suddenly turned serious, and he looked at me more intently.

"Six years is enough to change a person's appearance, but it can't change their essence. You don't resemble Zhao Xin at all, except that you're all Ionia."

These two really do have a tacit understanding, saying almost exactly the same thing as Swain.

"You and Swain say, but it's hard to explain to him. It's different with you because we have many shared experiences."

"Then tell me, if you dare to impersonate my former friend, I'll show you what an axe tastes like."

I'm sure Darius wasn't joking; it seems he's always kept a place for me in his heart.

"When we left Demacia, we headed straight for Rappor's camp, but unfortunately we encountered giant wolves. It was my friend Jeram who saved us, right?"

"It really is you! No wonder Riven left with you. I thought she was impressed by your skills, but now it all makes sense!"

This speaks volumes. Darius grabbed me and pulled me into a tight embrace, his force forcing me to resist.

"Good brother! I haven't been this happy in a long time! Hahaha... It seems that the gods really do exist, and our reunion is the best proof!"

Darius, unusually abandoning his composure, appeared excited as if he had conquered the world. He had never believed in gods, yet now he uttered such words.

"To be honest, I don't miss you, but I was still happy to see you. I guess I still hope to see you again."

"You're still so unwilling to open up. Looks like a drink will do the trick!"

Darius immediately ordered a grand banquet, inviting no one but the three of us.

We drank and chatted, recounting past events and our experiences since parting ways, and before we knew it, we had drunk several jugs of wine.

Riven doesn't like the smell of alcohol, but she drank a lot today and started talking nonsense, creating a very harmonious atmosphere!

If we had no burdens to carry, and could simply drink and chat with a few old friends, that would be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Darius and Swain similar thoughts about LeBlanc: they were both skeptical and highly attentive, after all, she was no ordinary person.

Everyone is happy about the alliance between Noxus and Ionia, as the two sides have resolved their animosity and are now interacting more closely.

We tacitly avoided mentioning Demacia; Darius assumed I still loved it there, while I was simply lost in a jumble of thoughts.

Of course, I haven't forgotten the purpose of this trip: to confirm the evil eye in my dream with Darius.

Do you remember the Evil Eyes you once dreamed of?

"Of course I remember, I've dreamed about it more than once. Why did you suddenly think of this?"

Because I dreamed about it too.

I recounted the tragic scene from my dream to Darius, and sure enough, our dreams were identical!

By then, the effects of the alcohol on both of us had worn off considerably, but Riven was still quite drunk.

Why do we dream of the same things? What happened to you?

"I've told you everything that's happened in the past few years; it's been a lot, but nothing really relates to this."

"Your experience is indeed very rich. In comparison, I've done nothing but seize power and wage war. You could say our experiences are completely different."

Now neither of us knew how to explain it. Two people with completely different experiences had the same dream. Could it be that we're both connected to the world's anomalies?

What strange changes are happening in the world? Unable to figure it out, I can only put it aside and continue drinking.

→

"It seems our relationship has grown even closer. Why don't you stay?"

"Close relationships don't necessarily mean being together. I think the most effective way is for us to do our own things well in different places."

"Hahaha..."

Darius laughed heartily. Although the topic sobered us up quite a bit after drinking so much, the fatigue still couldn't be overcome in the latter half of the night, and the rest of us fell asleep right away in the main tent.

When I woke up, I found Riven lying on my arm and Darius with one leg draped over me. Coupled with a hangover headache, I felt terrible all over.

I pushed them aside and went outside the tent, only to find that the sun was already high in the sky, and soldiers were drilling not far away.

My mouth was so dry, I quickly found some water to drink. The thing I regret most after a hangover is drinking so much alcohol.

The soldiers were very polite to me, after all, I had been drinking with the Great General all night. I asked them for a container, filled it with some water, and when I returned, I found that the two men were already awake, and Darius had already sent someone to bring me honey water...

Riven looked terrible; she didn't seem to be suited to drinking. Holding a glass of honey water in one hand and her forehead with the other, she lay half-reclined on the bed, moaning incessantly.

"Ugh... I feel so awful..."

Darius was completely fine; it's unclear whether he was simply enduring the pain or had a strong ability to sober up.

"What are your plans next? To stop me from attacking Demacia?"

We didn't mention Demacia yesterday, but today, the first thing we talked about was this, Darius knew it was a topic that couldn't be avoided.

"I didn't tell you yesterday, but actually, I've fallen out with Demacia, and now the whole country is after me."

"Oh? That's interesting."

Darius seemed pleased, because it meant I wouldn't stop him and might even be able to help him.

"Internal strife broke out in the Laurent Family. Fiora was assassinated, and I avenged her, offending all the higher-ups in the process..."

I told Darius everything that had happened yesterday, and he wasn't surprised at all:

"That's Demacia. They prioritize scheming and plotting over individual skill, all while putting on a righteous act. It's disgusting."

"How long have you been stationed here? I heard from Riven that you and Swain were supposed to move at the same time, so why haven't you made a move yet? And the defense here looks very lax."

"Do I still need to defend? I don't believe those Demacia cowards would dare to cross the mountains to attack me. The reason I'm holding back is because I've discovered something unusual there."

"Abnormal?"

"I sent people to investigate the situation there, and they received news that many mages have appeared in Demacia. These mages weren't planted by other countries; in other words, they're all their own people. Do you understand what that means?"

Are you waiting for civil war to break out in Demacia?

"That's right, if Demacia were in turmoil, then the attack would be much easier! Why didn't I wait a little longer? I just didn't expect that this wait would last for more than two months, and they still haven't done anything."

"Soon."

I recalled what happened in the City of Light; even Lux, a noblewoman, had taken in so many mages, showing how much their power had grown.

If the king forces the Demon Hunter to suppress them, internal strife is very likely to break out!

Darius was intrigued by my answer, "Soon? It seems you've met quite a few mages."

"Not only did I encounter it, but even the Ice Orchid used to assassinate Fiora was refined using magic."

"Since you knew I was going to attack Demacia, why did you let Garen take her away? Wasn't that just sending her to the battlefield?"

"I had no choice. Garen is her friend; at least he won't harm her."

"Garen, huh? Haha, I really want to face him again!"