"Mr. Ato, should I accept this job?"
"Accept it. Why wouldn't you?" Aatrox grew excited instead. "That person has..."
"Cough, cough." If Ato didn't interrupt him, the blabbermouth Aatrox was about to reveal things from another plane to Sarah.
That would do Sarah no good. It could expose her to unimaginable danger.
"Of course you should accept the job. I told you, he's a very kind person."
"Taking this job will give you a connection to him. If the Harrowing happens again someday, and I'm not by your side, perhaps he'll protect you."
"May I ask... is he a friend of yours?"
Sarah still felt uneasy. It was just an ordinary delivery job, but she couldn't shake the feeling that man-eating demons lurked beneath the calm surface of the sea.
"I know him, but he doesn't know me. There's no need to worry too much. I'll be traveling with you this time."
"What?" Aatrox couldn't help asking. "Weren't we going to Freljord?"
"The one-month deadline hasn't passed, and the deal is still unfinished." Ato took the deal very seriously.
"Besides, we won't be stopping in Ionia. The mage will disembark there, so why don't you take us to Freljord? What do you think, Miss Sarah?"
"Ah, of... of course. It would be my honor."
Hearing that Ato would be joining them on the trip, Sarah finally felt at ease. She was sure nothing would go wrong with this job.
"Then I'll go arrange a crew and bring the mage aboard the 'Siren.' Thank you again, Mr. Ato."
Sarah left. Recalling Ryze's deeds, Ato couldn't help feeling admiration for him, no matter how many times he thought of them.
"A thousand years... You must have been lonely. But don't worry. You're not alone anymore."
With a crew member leading the way, Ryze boarded the "Siren."
His expression was stern, and he said nothing. Most of his attention was fixed on everyone he could see.
In the captain's cabin, Sarah met the legendary mage for the first time. He really did look as strange as Raven had described.
"Welcome, Mr. Ryze. I'm Sarah Fortune, the captain."
"From Bilgewater to Ionia, we can make it in ten days if the wind is favorable. At the latest, it'll take no more than fifteen. I hope we get along."
Sarah held out her hand in a friendly gesture, but Ryze merely glanced at it. In a low voice, he said, "Once everything's ready, let's leave as soon as possible." Then he walked out of the captain's cabin.
"What's with him?" Raven muttered indignantly. Were all mages so arrogant?
Sarah shook her head. "It's fine. Stock up on more supplies. We may be away from Bilgewater for a long time."
"He's not arrogant. He's just so wary that he can't trust people."
Ato suddenly appeared in the captain's cabin.
"That guy and I might get into a fight in a moment, but I'll do my best to avoid it."
"What? A fight?" Sarah didn't understand.
Ryze had just stepped out of the captain's cabin when he seemed to sense something. He turned around and couldn't help widening his eyes.
The Darkin Weapon's appearance was a shock to anyone seeing it for the first time.
"Hello, Ryze," Ato said first.
"Who are you? Where did that sword come from?"
Ryze turned to scrutinize Ato, searching through his memories for any clue about the man and the greatsword before him. He found nothing.
Ato didn't answer. He kept approaching. Ryze stayed still, but his fists were clenched, ready to strike at any moment.
At last, Ato stopped. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he said, "Those World Runes—are they doing well beneath Demacia?"
Ryze's eyes widened in fury. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard.
How did this man know about the World Runes? How did he know where Ryze had hidden them?
Ryze took a step back. The runes etched across his body lit up, and a surge of magical energy burst forth.
Two small Magic Circles appeared at the same time, one beneath Ato's feet and the other above his head.
Ryze brought his hands together, and a layer of light formed between the Magic Circles. It was Ryze's signature skill: Imprisonment Magic.
Unless a target trapped inside could break through the barrier, they would remain under Ryze's control.
"Who are you? How do you know about... that?" Ryze demanded.
He didn't want ordinary people to learn about the World Runes. He didn't want to see the world ravaged again.
He even suspected Ato had already told everyone aboard the ship about the World Runes. If that was true...
"Wait! There must be some misunderstanding!"
Sarah had just come out when she saw Ryze attack.
"Can't we sit down and talk things over calmly?"
Ryze ignored her and walked back up to Ato.
Confident no one could break through his Imprisonment Magic, he lowered his voice and asked, "Did you tell them? About the World Runes?"
In Ryze's eyes, the world mattered far more than any one person.
Ever since that war ended, few ordinary people had known anything about the World Runes.
If word got out, Ryze was certain greed would once again take hold of people's hearts, and the tragedy from a thousand years ago would repeat itself.
To prevent that, he might have to make a difficult choice...
"Hey, hey. Calm down." Ato made no move to break free. His voice was just as low.
"Actually, we're alike. I know a little about the past. Do you think I don't know how dangerous the World Runes are? Telling these people about them would be as good as taking their lives!"
Ryze stared into Ato's eyes, trying to judge whether he was lying.
The World Runes were too important for Ryze to believe Ato based on a few words.
"Your master, Tyrus, and those Warlords who fought over the runes—they've haunted you for a thousand years."
Seeing that Ryze still wasn't convinced, Ato had no choice but to fall back on his old specialty: seeing through people's pants.
Ryze's astonishment showed no sign of stopping. How did this man know everything?
His brow furrowed as he tried to guess Ato's identity. "Are you a survivor of Fukko Island? Did the runes affect you too, allowing you to live until now?"
"No. I'll set aside where I came from for now, but this sword's origins go back further than you think."
Ato decided to tell Ryze. Ryze was the only person in Runeterra who knew the whole truth and could understand it.
"As Tyrus's apprentice, you must have learned not only magic but also many historical secrets that have since been lost."
"On the continent of Shurima, there once stood an immensely glorious empire."
"But after a calamity, the empire's generals gradually fell into corruption, eventually becoming weapons scattered across the world."
"You're..." Ryze nearly raised his voice. "A Darkin? A Darkin from after the fall of the Shurima Empire?"
"I'm a human who wields a Darkin Weapon." This was the first time Ato had revealed his true identity to anyone in Runeterra.
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