A Deal Struck

Ato pushed open the gates of Frost Guard Fortress, and the icy air of Freljord rushed toward him.

That Old Hag had lived ten thousand years for a reason. She lured me inside, then disappeared as soon as the banquet started, leaving everyone else to keep me cooped up in Frost Guard Fortress all day... Ato grumbled to himself.

"Be grateful. Food is scarce here, yet the Iceborn used their stores of game to prepare a feast for you, teach you traditional dances, and tell you ancient legends. They hardly mistreated you," Aatrox said dismissively.

As the Divine Sword Sheath Ornn had forged continued to take effect, more of the corruption inside Aatrox was purged.

And as his connection with Ato deepened, Aatrox and Ato were no longer limited to communicating through voices in their minds. They could now manifest as images, though Aatrox appeared as he had during his time as a Darkin.

"We stayed in the warm fortress, but Anaakca suffered. She really stood out in the snow and cold for an entire day and night..."

Anaakca stood not far away, in exactly the same position she had been in before Ato entered the fortress the day before. She hadn't moved at all.

Aatrox sighed and said helplessly, "There's no need to worry. Temperature can't affect a Darkin. She could stand there for a hundred years and be fine. She's only like this because she's lost her reason and no one has given her an order."

"Lissandra has begun to trust Anaakca. There's only one last step."

Just then, Lissandra, who had been gone for some time, appeared behind Ato.

"Go ahead. This time, you give her the order." Ato didn't turn to look at Lissandra. He understood exactly what the "last step" meant. "Neither I nor this guy will get involved. You can order her to explore the Howling Abyss again."

Lissandra silently walked past Ato.

Old Hag, you've been gone so long. I don't even need to guess—you've been watching Anaakca from some corner of the fortress. Ato couldn't help grumbling to himself.

Lissandra went to Anaakca. Her voice was muffled by the distance and the cold wind, but the woman who had stood like a statue finally reacted.

She leaped over the edge of Stone Bridge and plunged into the Howling Abyss, disappearing from sight in moments.

"Even though I knew how this would end, seeing it with my own eyes still feels unreal," Ato marveled. "I'm the one who wields the Demon Sword, yet I can't command Anaakca. Lissandra did it first."

"Anaakca needs to stay here and watch over the Abyss. What use is it for you to command her? It might be worth considering if we run into one of our other brethren."

"I was just saying..." Ato pursed his lips.

"Once Anaakca comes back up, we'll leave. Noxus should still be recruiting soldiers. We can sneak into the army and take one of their warships to Ionia."

Thinking from the perspective of a general, Aatrox analyzed the situation. "If their commander is smart, he'll wait for the harsh winter to pass before sending out troops. He won't make the stupid mistake of splitting his forces across several routes."

"When that Purple-skinned Mage disembarked, I could sense how unusual that land was from across the sea. There are beings there even I can't afford to underestimate. I also sensed a few familiar presences."

Ato stroked his chin, recalling the events he had seen in the story of the real world. "I remember that tyrannical emperor did split his forces. He sent Darius, the strongest fighter, to Freljord. That's some emperor..."

"Was LeBlanc behind it? Looks like she's only good at schemes and plots. She doesn't understand war, yet she still meddles in it..."

"LeBlanc? Who's that? Some kind of circus performer?"

Ato and Aatrox chatted on and off. Two hours later, Anaakca leaped out of the Abyss and onto Stone Bridge.

She didn't bow to Lissandra. In a low, hoarse voice, she simply reported what she had found at the bottom of the Abyss: "The seal... intact... True Ice... same as last time..."

Anaakca's current state was like that of a computer program... There was one highest-level command. Only after that command was authorized to run would the next-level command execute...

"It's over." Ato let out a breath of cold air and went over to Lissandra.

"We've proven everything. Anaakca will help you watch over the Abyss, and you'll stop sowing discord between the Avarosa Tribe and the Winter's Claw Tribe. I assume you'll remember that, right?"

He let a trace of power flow through the Demonic Sword of the Dark to bolster his presence. By the time he reached the last sentence, there was a clear threat in his tone.

He had gone to all this trouble to gain the Old Hag's trust. If she was still wary of him, Ato didn't mind showing her what an overpowered monster could do.

Not wanting a conflict with her was one thing. It didn't mean Ato was actually afraid.

"...I'll honor my promise." It was the first thing Lissandra had said to Ato that day. "I won't interfere in the affairs of those two tribes that carry on my sisters' legacies."

"I hope so," Ato said coolly. "Anaakca will stay here for now. When the Watchers beneath the ice break through the seal, we'll come back. If there's nothing else, we should head to the next place."

Without waiting for Lissandra to reply, Ato walked toward the other end of Stone Bridge.

Anaakca's gaze remained fixed on the Demonic Sword of the Dark, but she stood where she was, making no move and saying nothing.

"Wait." Lissandra suddenly called out to Ato.

"Is there something else?" Ato didn't turn around.

"Are you going to the empire in the south?"

"That's right, but that has nothing to do with you."

"I set up a magical waypoint at the border. I can transport you there and spare you the journey through Freljord. I'm sorry for testing you. Let this be my way of making amends."

Ato had almost reached the end of Stone Bridge when he finally turned around.

"...Fine."

Lissandra said no more. Cold mist poured from her blue arm as she changed her hand gestures several times. A layer of True Ice appeared beneath Ato's feet, but the spell took noticeably longer to prepare than it had when she transported him to the nearby mountains.

"Condense!"

Lissandra raised her right hand. A transparent beam of light shot from her body into the air, then curved and gradually descended, enveloping Ato.

True Ice grew up around Ato's feet, sealing him inside.

"Ice!"

A flash of blue light, and Ato vanished.

Lissandra slowly lowered her arm, her chest rising and falling slightly. Long-distance teleportation took a heavy toll on her.

Anaakca gave one last look at the place where Ato had vanished, then turned her gaze toward the Abyss.

The True Ice melted away, and Ato surveyed his surroundings.

He was standing atop a high mountain.

It was as if this were the boundary between polar climates. White filled the view to the north, while to the south, green shoots were already visible between the mountain walls.

"Looks like she meant it," Ato said, shaking the remaining ice from his body. "Now I need to figure out how to sneak into the Noxian army."

The mountain path posed no obstacle to Ato. Before long, he had reached the foot of the mountain.

A sizable city lay ahead. Three main roads stretched out from it and continued into the mountains.

On the way down, Ato had seen many caves and mining carts. The sign at the foot of the mountain clearly bore the city's name.

"Delverhold."