The War in the Dream

The scene in the dream finally cleared, revealing a vast battlefield before Lissandra.

She saw one side of the war, the one charging at the forefront—perhaps no longer human.

He was twenty to thirty meters tall, clad in golden armor, his face hidden beneath a helmet. In his hand, he held a greatsword that seemed capable of cleaving mountains. Sacred wings unfurled behind him, like the First Ray of Dawn illuminating the land, resembling a Celestial Warrior descended from the heavens.

Behind him, warriors of similar stature with animalistic features charged alongside him, while countless ordinary soldiers fought at their feet.

When Lissandra clearly saw the opposing side, her mind went blank.

It was something both familiar and strange, something she feared yet remained vigilant against—Void monsters.

She even felt this was a vision of the future.

The Void had broken free from its seal, devoured Freljord, and transformed into countless terrifying monsters. They had come to the southern continent, and eventually, everything in Runeterra became nourishment for the Void.

The two armies collided. The ordinary soldiers had no power to resist, either crushed into paste by Large Monsters or devoured by Fanged Maw creatures. Only the Celestial Warrior had the ability to fight back, killing many Void monsters.

Why am I seeing the Void in my dream? Who is the owner of this dream?

Right, where is the owner of the dream? They are the protagonists of the dream, so why am I seeing an image without a protagonist?

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

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

This was the first time she had been discovered in a dream, and the first time she couldn't find the dream's owner. Her control over the dream had failed!

"Are you satisfied with this dream, Lissandra?" Ato appeared before Lissandra.

What Ato was showing Lissandra was a war Aatrox could never forget.

He had used the power of the Demonic Sword of the Dark to recreate that war. He believed that after seeing these scenes, Lissandra would have the patience to strike a deal with him.

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

Deep blue light emanated from Lissandra's hands, but she knew clearly that this was a dream. Her True Ice magic couldn't truly harm the Mysterious Person before her.

"Someone who understands everything." Ato maintained his mystique. "Do you want to know about this war?"

"Quick, tell me!" Lissandra's voice couldn't hide her urgency. "Do you have precognition? Is this something that will happen in a few years?"

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

"Three thousand years ago?" Lissandra was taken aback. She had sealed the Void ten thousand years ago. Did this scene happen seven thousand years later?

The environment didn't look like Freljord... Was it a continent to the south?

"What was the final outcome? Was the Void sealed?"

"Of course, otherwise how could this world have developed to where it is today?"

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

"This sword is..." Even in the dream, the Demonic Sword of the Dark gave Lissandra a very dangerous feeling.

"Uh, hello, I am Aatrox, and also the master of this dream."

"You are the master of the dream?" Lissandra thought of the figure charging at the forefront in the images, and the equally tall warriors behind him.

Their powerful combat strength left a deep impression on Lissandra. The Void's advance was significantly hindered because of them.

"The battle scene is over, and the dream will soon cease to be maintained." Ato did not answer Lissandra's question.

"Time is short, so I'll make this brief. I have a deal. Tomorrow, I will head to Frost Guard Fortress. I don't think you'll let the Frostguards 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 will give the order in advance. You will not be obstructed."

"Very good." Ato snapped his fingers, and everything in the dream quickly turned to darkness. Lissandra ended this special dream exploration.

Inside a secret chamber in Frost Guard Fortress.

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

She remained silent for a long time, the True Ice beneath her feet sliding silently.

She opened the secret chamber door and walked through the fortress corridors. The Frostguards along the way knelt on one knee as she passed, paying their highest respects to their Matriarch.

Lissandra arrived at the hall where the Sacrificial Ritual was held. Her voice echoed throughout the entire fortress.

"Loraka, my Priest, come to my side."

After waiting for a minute or two, an old man with sunken cheeks and deep-set eyes walked into the hall. He held a Ritual Staff in his hand and wore a piece of Sacred Black Ice around his neck.

He kept his head bowed the entire time and came before Lissandra, kneeling deeply. He murmured, "Lady of Ice and Shadow, for what purpose do you summon your loyal Priest?"

"Raise your head, Priest."

Loraka used his staff to support himself, only daring to look at the True Ice at Lissandra's feet.

"Go and instruct the Frostguards that tomorrow the fortress will welcome a Guest with Greatsword. When he arrives, the Frostguards are not to obstruct him. You will guide him to the Sacrificial Hall to see me."

"As you command, Matriarch." Loraka lowered his head again. He did not ask Lissandra why she wanted to see the guest; he only needed to obey the command.

Loraka left. Lissandra's "gaze" penetrated the thick stone walls of Frost Guard Fortress, through the Howling Abyss dug by Ornn ten thousand years ago, and through the True Ice beneath the abyss that never melted.

She saw a pair of Purple Eyes moving, waiting for an opportunity.

They have waited for ten thousand years, and they will continue to wait.

Ato walked out of the comfortable, sheltered cave. The demonic sword behind him resumed its disguise. Although Lissandra had already seen the demonic sword's appearance, he was still worried about provoking the Frostguard.

"The Frostguard didn't do anything wrong. On the contrary, under Lissandra, they have been diligently monitoring the Howling Abyss. My friend, they are also true heroes."

"The last person you praised like that was Ryze." In the past two months, Aatrox had gradually gotten used to some of Ato's peculiar sentence structures.

"Yes, Ryze must have arrived at Xilana Monastery by now and retrieved a World Rune."

"I don't know if it's a coincidence, but Noxus attacked not long after Ryze left Ionia. What do you think, if Ryze hadn't managed to leave in time, would he have helped Ionia resist Noxus?"

"No, he doesn't care about things on that level."

"You and I are on the same page."