The War in the Dream

The dream finally came into focus. Before Lissandra lay a vast battlefield.

She saw one side of the war. The figure charging at the very front—he might no longer have been human.

He stood twenty or thirty meters tall, clad from head to toe in golden armor. His face was hidden beneath his helmet, and in his hands he raised a greatsword that looked capable of cleaving mountains. Holy wings spread behind him, like the first rays of dawn shining upon the earth. He looked like a Celestial Warrior descended from the heavens.

Behind him charged warriors as tall as he was, their faces bearing animal features. Countless ordinary soldiers ran beneath their feet.

When Lissandra saw the other side of the battle, her mind went blank.

It was something both familiar and strange to her, something she both feared and watched warily—the Void's monsters.

She even felt that this was a vision of the future.

The Void had broken free of its seal and devoured Freljord. It had become countless horrific monsters, spread to the Southern Continent, and in the end, everything in Runeterra had become sustenance for the Void.

The two armies collided. The ordinary soldiers were utterly helpless. Some were trampled into pulp by enormous monsters; others became food for the wide-mouthed beasts with their razor-sharp teeth. Only the Celestial Warriors could fight back, and they slew many Void creatures.

Why am I seeing the Void in a dream? What is the dream's owner's true identity?

Wait, where is the owner of the dream? They're the main characters of the dream, so why am I seeing a vision with no protagonist?

"Actually, you did see the protagonist. The Celestial Warrior at the front is him."

"Who?" Lissandra spun around, trying to find the source of the voice.

This was the first time she had been discovered upon entering a dream, and also the first time she had been unable to find the dream's owner. Her control over the dream had failed!

"Are you satisfied with this dream, Lissandra?" Ato appeared before her of his own accord.

What Ato showed Lissandra was a war Aatrox would never forget.

Using the power of the Demonic Sword of the Dark, he had recreated that battle. He was sure that after seeing these scenes, Lissandra would be willing to hear him out and make a deal.

"Who are you? How do you know about the Void?"

A deep blue glow appeared in Lissandra's hands. But she knew this was a dream, and True Ice magic couldn't truly harm the Mysterious Person before her.

"Someone who knows everything." Ato kept up the air of mystery. "Would you like to know about this war?"

"Quick, tell me!" Lissandra could barely hide her urgency. "Can you see the future? Is this something that will happen in a few years?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush... This isn't the future. It ended three thousand years ago."

"Three thousand years ago?" Lissandra paused. She had sealed the Void ten thousand years ago, and this scene took place seven thousand years after that?

The landscape didn't look like Freljord, either... Was it somewhere on the Southern Continent?

"What happened in the end? Was the Void sealed?"

"Of course. Otherwise, how could the world have developed to this day?"

Ato drew the disguised greatsword from his back. With a thought, the Demonic Sword of the Dark returned to its original form.

"That sword is..." Even in the dream, the Demonic Sword of the Dark gave Lissandra a distinct sense of danger.

"Uh, hello. I'm Aatrox, and I'm the owner of the dream."

"You're the owner of the dream?" Lissandra recalled the figure charging at the head of the battle, along with the equally towering warriors behind him.

Their immense fighting strength had left a deep impression on her. They had visibly slowed the Void's advance.

"The battle is over, and the dream is about to end." Ato didn't answer any more of Lissandra's questions.

"Time is short, so I'll get straight to the point. I have a deal to offer. I'll be heading to Frost Guard Fortress tomorrow. I assume you won't have the Frostguard stop me, will you?"

"After all, it's not easy to train a guard, and I don't want to take their lives for no reason."

"...I'll give the order in advance. No one will stop you."

"Good." Ato snapped his fingers. Everything in the dream rapidly dissolved into darkness, bringing Lissandra's unusual exploration of the dream to an end.

Inside a chamber in Frostguard Fortress.

Lissandra emerged from the dream. There was still some time before sunrise.

She remained silent for a long while as the True Ice beneath her feet slid soundlessly.

She opened the chamber door and walked along the corridors of the fortress. As she passed, the Frostguard knelt on one knee, paying their Matriarch their highest respects.

Lissandra entered the hall where the Sacrificial Rituals were held. Her voice echoed throughout the fortress.

"Loraka, my priest, come to me."

A minute or two later, an old man with sunken cheeks and deep-set eyes entered the hall. He held a Ritual Staff in one hand, and a piece of Sacred Black Ice hung around his neck.

He kept his head bowed as he approached Lissandra, then knelt deeply before her, murmuring, "Lady of Ice and Shadow, why have you summoned your loyal priest?"

"Raise your head, Priest."

Loraka used his staff to support himself as he stood. He dared only look at the True Ice beneath Lissandra's feet.

"Go and inform the Frostguard. Tomorrow, a Guest with Greatsword will arrive at the fortress. When he comes, the Frostguard must not stop him. You will guide him to the sacrificial hall to meet me."

"As you command, Matriarch." Loraka bowed his head again. He didn't ask why Lissandra wanted to meet the guest. He only needed to carry out her orders.

Loraka left. Lissandra's "gaze" passed through the thick stone walls of Frost Guard Fortress, through the Howling Abyss Ornn had carved out ten thousand years ago, and through the True Ice beneath the Abyss that would never melt.

She saw a purple eye turn, waiting for its moment.

They had waited ten thousand years. They would keep waiting.

Ato left the comfortable shelter of the windbreak cave. The Demon Sword behind him returned to its disguise. Though Lissandra had already seen its true form, he was still worried it might provoke the Frostguard.

"The Frostguard haven't done anything wrong. On the contrary, under Lissandra, they've worked tirelessly to keep watch over the Howling Abyss. My friend, they're true heroes, too."

"The last person you praised like that was Ryze." Over the past two months, Aatrox had gradually grown used to some of Ato's peculiar turns of phrase.

"Yeah. Ryze has probably reached Hirana Monastery by now and recovered a World Rune."

"Not sure if it's a coincidence, but Noxus invaded Ionia not long after Ryze left. If he hadn't managed to leave in time, do you think he would have helped Ionia resist Noxus?"

"No. He cares about things beyond that."

"Great minds think alike."