20 · Maturity

Chapter 21: 20 · Maturity

Hearing Nedeli's words, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at her with an amused expression.

"Let's be reasonable here. You were the one who attacked me first, weren't you? As the victim, I was just acting in self-defense. At most, I went a little too far—but you can't pin all the blame on me."

At that, Nedeli fell silent.

If she were a woman from the city, she could easily come up with an excuse to brush him off, like, "Even if I'm ninety-nine percent at fault, doesn't that mean you're still one percent to blame?" or something along those lines.

But having grown up in the wilderness, Nedeli knew right from wrong. Still, as pain throbbed in her hands, she stubbornly turned her head away and refused to look at Yuan Chen, even though she knew she was in the wrong.

"You were the ones who entered my hunting grounds first... That's how things work in the wild."

"I understand. Territorial instincts and all that. But we're not actually wild beasts, are we?"

At Yuan Chen's words, Nedeli merely gave a couple of snorts before replying,

"Regardless, I'm not leaving. I belong to the wilderness. Your so-called civilization is laughable to me. You won't convince me, and even if you're stronger than I am, the only way you'll get me to leave is by dragging me away."

Then she paused and added helplessly, "This is my home... and my family is here."

As Nedeli spoke, Yuan Chen glanced toward the cave nearby. Hearing the commotion, several cougars inside watched him warily.

They were beasts, but they could sense Nedeli's distress. Though they lacked human intelligence—and were solitary felines by nature—they had still come to regard Nedeli as their leader.

They had grown up together.

"I know about you, Nedeli." Yuan Chen nodded at her words. "I can see your past... and a little of your future."

"..." Nedeli said nothing, only eyeing Yuan Chen suspiciously.

Yuan Chen continued, imitating a seer as best he could:

"You were an infant abandoned in the forest. No one knew who your parents were. A cougar with cubs took you in and raised you alongside her own. You're one of the pride, and a child of this wilderness...

So I won't force you. You can rest assured about that."

At his words, Nedeli didn't know how he had learned those things, but he had touched a sore spot from her past. After a moment of silence, she affected indifference and said,

"...Good. You know, then."

"But the wilderness won't stay peaceful much longer."

"...What do you mean?"

At Yuan Chen's words, Nedeli raised an eyebrow.

Yuan Chen turned his gaze toward the distant mountains of the Miasma Jungle.

Dense elemental clouds surged over the towering, cloud-piercing peaks. Along the coast, the Miasma Jungle had kept outsiders from exploring Ixialia for the past thousand years.

Even though Piltover's prospectors knew better than anyone how rich the land was in mineral deposits, their crews had never managed to establish a real foothold there.

The mountains were rife with danger and death—

Wild beasts prowled, dragons soared overhead, Road Protectors appeared and vanished without warning, and the native Ixialians were fiercely isolationist. Even the land itself devoured lives.

A great empire like Noxus had never given up exploring the region, but all it had ever left behind were things like cheese bread... It had never taken away so much as a single leaf.

"You should know how much destruction an enraged Elemental Dragon can wreak," Yuan Chen said.

"We need to set traps and lay bait. Even so, an enraged Elemental Dragon will completely devastate this whole area...

"Your arms are unusable. Even with herbs, magic, and a Wilderness Blessing, it'll take at least two months for them to heal completely.

"And it'll take at least three months to recover without any lasting damage and return to full strength."

"We'll begin hunting the dragon in a month... This jungle is the only suitable terrain."

Nedeli's den lay in a basin surrounded by mountains. Luring the dragon there would let them use the difference in elevation between the mountains and the basin to block off the sky with ballistae.

So even without the Azure Starfire business, negotiating with Nedeli had been inevitable.

"Are you threatening me?"

A trace of anger entered Nedeli's voice. Nearby, the cougars gathered by the cave entrance sensed their leader's mood and began pacing, growling restlessly.

"Don't make this difficult for me." Yuan Chen met Nedeli's eyes without flinching.

"Avoiding danger and seeking advantage are virtues of wild creatures, too, aren't they?"

At Yuan Chen's words, Nedeli gritted her teeth, but in the end, she calmed down.

Calmness was a virtue—and a hunter's discipline.

"I can leave, but I won't help you."

Nedeli spoke coldly.

"Thanks to you, I can't even hunt enough food to sustain myself without those little ones' help. I'll leave, but that's all."

"What if I could restore you right away?"

"..."

Narrowing her eyes at Yuan Chen, Nedeli answered bluntly,

"You can't do that... The wilderness itself has already told me. There's a strange, evil power inside you. That's how you're able to recover so quickly, but don't think you can use that cursed power on me!"

At Nedeli's words, Yuan Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

Could Nedeli detect demons? No, that wasn't right. It must be a coincidence. Nedeli had no such ability. It was her blessing—the wilderness itself had sensed Oshirresh's presence.

Ixialia was mysterious. Just because the wilderness could sense it didn't mean anyone else could... But even so, he needed to find a way to truly conceal it.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen's expression didn't change. He simply replied,

"No. It's not the power inside me. It's another kind of blessing."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen took out the jar. Even in daylight, the blue Azure Starfire bathed the cave in a layer of dreamlike stardust.

The instant the flame appeared, Nedeli instinctively narrowed her eyes.

She could feel her body and soul yearning for the flame. Though her reason kept telling her to stay wary, her heart still betrayed her, beating a little faster.

Forcing herself to turn away, Nedeli mumbled, "I don't need it."

"Are you sure?" Yuan Chen weighed the jar in his hand. "You were staring at this thing so hard your eyes were practically glued to it..."

"I was just worried about it," Nedeli said, refusing to admit it. She turned away and continued, "If this thing is so precious, why don't you use it yourself? That evil power inside you can't be anything good, either, can it?"

"Uh... That's a bit complicated." At the mention of Oshirresh, Yuan Chen furrowed his brows helplessly.

Anyone unfamiliar with Runeterra's history wouldn't think much of hearing Oshirresh's name. But anyone who understood the origins and nature of demons—or even anyone who could sense the nature of this power—would certainly stay wary.

Joy was certainly a good thing. But abandon, indulgence, and the unrestrained breaking of moral boundaries could bring joy, too.

The pleasure of breaking free of one's usual restraints and disregarding moral and legal boundaries—the thrill of transgression—was more intense than ordinary happiness, and it could strengthen Oshirresh more effectively, earning a greater reward in return.

But such power came from the primordial demon's gift... Accepting gifts from strangers was never a good idea.

Just look at the last fellow who accepted the Star Spirit Crown. So what if he was a creator deity? He'd still spent ten thousand years as a star's slave, losing every bit of dignity he had.

After a moment's silence, Yuan Chen simply said, "I am coveting this power."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen lifted the jar in his hand. Within it, the slowly burning flame churned with pure Order Power. It was the purest form of Heavenly Power, carrying the light of order from the world's beginning.

The wisdom and mysteries that came from the Immortal Heaven were enough to give a mortal endless life and, over the course of that journey called life, gradually transform them into a god.

It wasn't power granted through "vesselhood," like that of a Star Spirit Chosen. It meant truly becoming a member of the Immortal Heaven, able to roam the boundless cosmos of one's own will.

There was no denying that Oshirresh, who embodied joy, had the potential for the same. If he grew enough, perhaps Oshirresh could gain the power to devour the emotions of the gods. But... what did that have to do with Yuan Chen?

"..." Nedeli said nothing. She simply watched Yuan Chen in silence, waiting for his explanation.

The wilderness's call urged Nedeli to stay away from Yuan Chen, because that ominous power would only bring calamity. But Nedeli had her own thoughts, too... What would finally decide her was what Yuan Chen said next.

Knowing that, Yuan Chen decided after a brief silence to be honest with Nedeli.

It wasn't because honesty was some sort of secret weapon. Some things were simply like that: trying to hide them would only make matters worse. Whether Oshirresh's Blessing was a gift or a curse, it was something he couldn't escape at this stage.

Since that was the case, he might as well say it outright. It wasn't as if he planned to become Oshirresh's dog, anyway.

"My power comes from a demon. One of the Nascent Demons, in fact—the Lord of Joy, Oshirresh."

As his words fell, an agitated wind stirred the wilderness outside the cave, rustling the forest leaves. It wasn't cool; it was more eerie, as if warning Nedeli to leave this ill-omened freak alone.

After a long silence, Nedeli furrowed her brows and looked at Yuan Chen.

"What's a demon?"

There was no fear or wariness in her expression. Her wheat-colored skin radiated the pure, unclouded beauty of ignorance—the kind that came from never having been subjected to compulsory education.

"What did he do to you? The Lord of Joy? He doesn't sound like an evil fellow."

Yuan Chen was at a loss for words.

Oh, right. Nedeli had spent her childhood in the forest with her cougar mother, cut off from human civilization. Forget demons, creatures that most people believed existed only in legends—she didn't even know what connection her Vastaya heritage had to Ionia.

Though a little speechless, Yuan Chen still explained Oshirresh and what had happened to him, emphasizing that the "joy" demons sought was absolutely not a good thing for humans.

"For example, a hunter finds joy in hunting. After becoming a follower of Oshirresh, they gradually lose their limits.

"At first, they hunt simply to survive. But little by little, they develop a craving for hunting itself.

"They'll hunt by any means necessary. At first, they'll hunt wild animals, but eventually, they'll go after every living thing they see. Human or beast, pregnant women or animals about to give birth—everything becomes prey for their 'joy.'"

Yuan Chen did his best to explain it in terms even an illiterate person could understand.

"Then they become puppets of joy, lose themselves, and give in to their instinct for indulgence. The power I used to defeat you came from that."

"Demonic power is chaotic, full of tainted impurities. That disorder has been lodged inside me for some time now.

"The power in this flame, on the other hand, comes from the order of the heavens. If I try to use it, its Order Power will immediately purge the demonic power inside me—and I'll die along with it."

"..."

At that, Nedeli glanced at the flame in the jar again. After a moment's silence, she closed her eyes. A breeze passed through the wilderness, and she finally nodded in understanding. Some of the wariness in her eyes faded.

"The wilderness tells me you're not lying... If you really are willing to give me the power in that flame, then I'll help you. But there's something else..."

Having confirmed the truth of Yuan Chen's words through her Wilderness Blessing, Nedeli then asked bluntly,

"So how are you planning to fight this... uh, Oshirresh? This curse?"

"I'll find a chance and take her out."

A hint of coldness entered Yuan Chen's eyes as he made a decisive slashing gesture.

At the same time, a bright, girlish laugh sounded in Yuan Chen's mind. His expression didn't change, and he ignored it completely.

"But didn't she save you?" Nedeli asked in surprise. "You just said that during the shipwreck, inside that Sea Beast's stomach, she saved you."

"It was a deal. I'll repay her with a sacrifice and a reward she'll find satisfactory. My being grateful to her has nothing to do with my resolve to kill her!"

Yuan Chen spoke with a calm expression. "I'll kill her with gratitude and joy in my heart. Maybe afterward, I'll regret betraying a benefactor and feel ashamed—but that'll be afterward."

Looking at Yuan Chen, Nedeli couldn't help pursing her lips.

"You're really... hard to describe."

Yuan Chen didn't change his expression. He simply raised his hand in an OJBK gesture and said,

"In the civilized world, they call this maturity."