Wearing a strapless minidress woven by the Vidalion, Qiyana fixed a burning gaze on Yuan Chen, looking at him as if he were the long-coveted treasure she sought: recognition.
The Vidalion's garments were formed from the wearer's own condensed magic and could take any shape the wearer desired. Qiyana had chosen a strapless minidress.
The delicate skirt, in alternating shades of ash gray and emerald, glimmered subtly in the sunlight. It wasn't flashy; in fact, for a Yuenale of such noble standing, Qiyana's outfit was rather understated.
Even so, the fine fabric accentuated her perfect pear-shaped figure, making her look breathtaking.
Her long silver hair fell down her back. One foot rested on the ground, while the other was propped on the wagon's floorboard. Her black tights perfectly outlined her legs, their graceful lines like those of a runway model.
She leaned forward, the strapless top gathering to reveal a tantalizing cleavage. Qiyana only needed a quick glance to pinpoint Yuan Chen.
There weren't many people in the wagon to begin with—just Yuan Chen, Lupe, and Milio. Mordas and the others were guarding the dragon, driving away anyone who tried to approach, even the Road Protectors.
The instant he saw Qiyana, Yuan Chen recognized her true identity.
Holy crap, Gnar!
Compared to a boy like Milio, who was hard to recognize, Qiyana's features were unmistakable.
Long silver hair was the most distinctive feature of the upper nobility in Ixialia.
Add in her beautiful figure and face, her crown, and, most importantly, the Ring Blade—enormous and heavy beside her slender body, set with three Elemental Gems—and there was no doubt who she was.
Feeling Yuan Chen's surprised gaze, Qiyana lifted a hand to brush aside the hair hanging over her forehead. Her skin was smooth and pale, but she didn't seem particularly disgusted by him. After a moment's thought, she said:
"You're not from Ixialia... Black hair, yellow skin, brown eyes. You're from Ionia, right?"
"That's right... So what are you going to do? Have me arrested? Or banish me to the Miasma Jungle?"
Yuan Chen looked curiously at the assertive girl before him.
Qiyana shook her head and answered bluntly:
"I'll protect you. Even as the lowest-ranked Tenth Yuenale, I can easily shelter a foreigner."
Hearing that, Yuan Chen found the offer rather amusing. If he'd just arrived in Ixialia, he would have agreed without hesitation. Back then, he'd had nothing.
But things were different now. Thanks to all his efforts, struggles, and luck, Yuan Chen was no longer alone.
He had no intention of turning her down, but he certainly hadn't expected to meet Qiyana this way. Looking at her, he asked directly:
"What do you want from me? Or what would I have to give you?"
"I can tell you know a lot." Qiyana climbed briskly into the wagon and sat cross-legged, her massive Ring Blade resting at her side.
"You think I can succeed, and I know I will... Become my subject. I mean it. I'll give you everything you want!"
Then she paused and added, "I'm not trying to take anything from anyone. I'm only reclaiming what should have been mine!"
Her voice was resolute.
This wasn't the first time she'd wanted to become the Ritual Host. She was clearly the most talented, yet every time the result was the same.
Time and again, she was left as nothing more than a ceremonial audience member—a mascot for the Royal Family's happy unity. Qiyana, who had never been willing to take second place, could feel her frustration approaching the breaking point.
Looking at the girl before him, Yuan Chen fell silent.
He could say he remembered Qiyana well—extremely well.
Damn it, back when Qiyana hadn't been nerfed yet, and First Strike could trigger twice because of a bug, Yuan Chen had been playing Lucian bot lane, 5/0 with three completed items at twenty minutes. He went mid to grab some farm and ran into an underfed, low-health Qiyana with only two completed items.
Did he even need to think?
Without a second thought, Yuan Chen activated Ghost and went in, ready to E, auto, Q, auto, W, auto, and keep firing.
At twenty minutes, a Lucian with three completed items should have dealt enough damage with that quick combo to shred a squishy assassin. Even a Krug would have lost a chunk of its health.
But what happened? The moment Yuan Chen slid in with E, Qiyana hit him with ERQWAQ, flashed her mastery emote, and spammed question marks in all-chat. No explanation needed.
Her damage was so absurd it made no sense. After she'd finished her combo, Yuan Chen still had half his health missing. Now that was what you called making a health bar disappear.
Just how strong had Qiyana been back then? Winning lane wasn't enough. You could painstakingly last-hit every minion, and then she'd hit level six, roam with First Strike and her ultimate, and take off.
Even when the bug was fixed, players still said: "After this change, Qiyana's burst damage in the mid and late game is greatly reduced. She needs a full combo to kill someone now."
Right, "needs a full combo to kill someone" sounded perfectly reasonable... As mentioned earlier, her multiple dashes, multiple gap-closers, area damage, crowd control, stealth, execute, and slow hadn't been changed at all.
Her damage had been nerfed and the bug fixed, but she still hit hard, her kit was still ridiculous, and she even had a collaboration skin with LV. What else could you call her but overpowered?
In the game, Qiyana had been ruthless. But now, looking at the girl before him, Yuan Chen didn't sense much menace or arrogance. What he sensed most was frustration.
"I did intend to help you get what you want. I just didn't expect us to meet so soon."
"That proves you're right! Fate brought you to me! Help me, and I'll become queen of all Ixialia! Whatever you ask, I'll give it to you!"
"Hold on, don't make promises like that. You'll just sound flighty and unreliable." He paused, then added:
"If possible, I'd rather this be a deal between us than an oath of allegiance."
Qiyana blinked, but after a moment's silence, the burning intensity in her eyes cooled slightly.
With the loss of control brought on by her desperate need for recognition passing, she returned to her usual composure. After thinking it over, she nodded seriously.
"You're right. Anger clouded my judgment... But I'm pleased with your attitude."
As she spoke, Qiyana relaxed again—or at least she looked relaxed on the surface.
"Call it a deal or call it allegiance. Tell me what you want, and then we can understand what each of us is after, can't we?"
"An Elemental Sacred Beast," Yuan Chen said.
Qiyana fell silent. Then she fixed her gaze on him and asked hesitantly, "An Elemental Sacred Beast... What do you mean? Explain."
Instead of answering, Yuan Chen turned to Lupe. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you step outside for a moment?"
Lupe looked confused, but she still led Milio out of the wagon, leaving Yuan Chen and Qiyana alone.
Lupe had more or less guessed that Yuan Chen was about to reveal something she wasn't supposed to know.
Seers were always so mysterious...
Once Lupe had left, Yuan Chen spoke plainly. "Do you know about demons?"
"..." Hearing the unusual term, Qiyana narrowed her eyes warily and rested a hand on the Ring Blade at her side.
Demons were never anything good.
After a moment, Qiyana said, "I know... What are you getting at?"
"I've been marked by a demon," Yuan Chen said. "A powerful demon left a tether on me. Thanks to some unusual gains, I can temporarily suppress the curse it left behind."
Through Nedeli, Yuan Chen had learned that there might be a way to solve his problem somewhere to the west. But there was far too much to the west of Ixialia... the Void, Shurima, Mount Targon. None of them were easy to deal with.
If the Wilderness Blessing could help ward off Oshirresh's curse to some extent, then an Elemental Sacred Beast might be able to do the same.
Even if it couldn't remove the curse entirely, simply strengthening the suppression would be a worthwhile gain.
At the very least, it was worth a try.
"So you thought of an Elemental Sacred Beast?" Qiyana nodded thoughtfully.
"If it's an Elemental Sacred Beast... there shouldn't be a problem. These beings, born in the spirit realm, are no match for them. Even if they can't kill the demon, they can drive away the curse on you."
"But it isn't something that can be done easily. The Elemental Sacred Beasts taught the first Axiom Way to Ixialia's ancestors. They slumber in the spaces between nature, and only a handful of people who earn their recognition receive their blessings."
Qiyana frowned.
"I have no right to make demands of the Elemental Sacred Beasts... and neither does my Father King."
Qiyana didn't want to admit she couldn't do it, and brought up that even her Father King couldn't as a way of showing that Yuan Chen was asking too much.
Thinking this over, Qiyana gave a frustrated huff.
"What kind of demon did you encounter? Even without an Elemental Sacred Beast, I'm more than capable of removing the curse if it's an ordinary demon!"
"Then forget it. Let's discuss some other terms."
Yuan Chen shook his head. Asking an Elemental Sacred Beast to suppress the demon had only been a guess. Now that he'd received a negative answer, he wasn't particularly disappointed.
Judging by Qiyana's reaction, Ixialia clearly knew demons existed.
Well, that made sense. Ixialia was isolated from the rest of the world, and had existed longer than the combined histories of every other country in modern-day Runeterra.
Add to that their astonishing mastery of Elemental Magic, and it was only natural that they knew about demons. Judging by Ixialia's current state, they might even know how to keep them from being affected by demons—
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