Xayah's Wrath

Xayah is a Vastaya, one who distanced herself from her tribe because she loathed how they lived in harmony with humans, only to find herself unable to ever locate them again.

The situation was this: Xayah's original tribe had been living quite happily, but one day, a group of humans arrived, cleared the wilderness, felled the trees, and settled there.

In truth, this wasn't much of an issue; everyone was just trying to survive, and a larger population could even mean greater safety.

However, these humans, in order to live comfortably without interference from wild magic, used a massive stone to bind and suppress it.

Consequently, trouble befell Xayah's tribe.

At first, it was just difficult to find food, then the tribespeople began to feel weak, and eventually, not a single child was born for an entire year as the power of magic faded from their bodies.

Their feathers, once iridescent and shimmering with starlight and magnificent luster, turned dull and lifeless, with some retaining only one or two colors.

Those who had once been able to soar on a single wing could no longer fly, forced to walk upon the ground.

But have you ever seen a bird that walks on the ground?

Thus, Xayah proposed attacking the human village to reclaim their right to use magic freely, but the elders refused, choosing instead to take the tribe and leave.

Xayah was dissatisfied with this, but she was powerless to stop it and could only watch as her people departed. After their attempts to dissuade her failed, they wove a spell that made it impossible for her to find where her tribe had gone.

Xayah knew exactly why: fear of retaliation.

Humans outnumbered them, and while humans were weak, they possessed powerful individuals and mastered unique forces and tools.

To them, wiping out a single Vastayan tribe would be effortless, but Xayah didn't see it that way. If they shattered the stone binding the magic, the wild magic itself could become their weapon to drive away these humans who were constantly encroaching on their living space!

And they, the Vastaya, would become even stronger in an environment brimming with magic!

Take her, for instance! In places rich with magic, her feathers were inexhaustible, sharper, and far more powerful.

So, having never attended school, she truly believed that if the Vastaya only united and liberated the magic, they could easily defeat the humans.

However, other Vastaya did not think so. While many young Vastaya supported her, the world was still run by the elders for the time being, and as someone who was essentially cast out by her tribe, she lacked any real influence.

I really don't know what those people are thinking.

Sighing, Xayah felt the abundant magical elements in the air and thought helplessly.

She had just been turned away by a tribe that claimed they had no intention of attacking humans because they had always lived in harmony.

Yet, Xayah had easily spotted the traces of fading magic on them; beavers that could once snap a tree in two with ease were now struggling to gnaw on sugarcane. This was the result of Vastaya distancing themselves from magic, but they remained stubbornly deluded, which truly infuriated Xayah.

But she had no other choice, did she?

Arriving at a clear, small stream, Xayah crouched down. The magical elements here were abundant, so the fruit and other food sources were exceptionally delicious.

The fruit was incredibly sweet, the flowers were beautiful and fragrant, and even the spring water was sweet and full of vitality.

Xayah knelt by the stream and began to drink, a sense of natural comfort washing over her.

"Clear spring water infused with magic is the best..."

She lifted her head, praising the water source, but immediately spat out the water in her mouth.

Because...

"Ah, that feels good..."

Li Ke was standing by the river, relieving himself.

Shen, who had just finished drawing water, wore an indescribable expression. Although Li Ke had waited until he was done to relieve himself, this behavior left him at a loss for words.

To call Li Ke vulgar wouldn't be entirely accurate; after all, it was just river water...

"You, fellow, will face divine retribution."

Stating his thoughts in a calm tone, Shen turned without hesitation, ready to leave.

But the very moment his words fell, the branch above Li Ke's head suddenly snapped and crashed down heavily toward him.

Li Ke scrambled to dodge, narrowly avoiding being struck by the branch.

"See? Divine retribution, isn't it?"

Shen sneered. He had seen it clearly: a Vastaya had fired a feather, snapping the branch above Li Ke's head.

He had no intention of intervening, because Li Ke's behavior...

Was simply asking for it.

"Ah, ah! How was I supposed to know someone was there? And she's upstream, okay?!"

Li Ke dodged frantically, but the incoming feather still grazed his cheek. The sharpness of that feather was simply excessive.

"That is what we call divine retribution!"

Shen spoke righteously, feeling that Li Ke deserved a beating.

But in reality, Li Ke was also completely bewildered.

He had checked before he started; there was no one downstream! Who knew why an ADC had suddenly spawned?

And Xayah was upstream!

She wouldn't have drunk anything untoward; she was simply disgusted.

But at this point, it was too late to say anything.

"I'm going to kill you!!"

Xayah charged over in a rage. She had finally managed to find a water source she liked, only for Li Ke to go and ruin it! How was she supposed to fetch water here in the future?

As expected, humans and Vastaya could never coexist peacefully!

Clinging to this conviction, Xayah didn't hesitate to pluck several of her own feathers and launch them at Li Ke.

"Wait! At least let me put my pants on! Besides, you didn't even drink from it, did you?! You were upstream!"

Li Ke scrambled to dodge, but his poorly fastened pants made movement incredibly difficult. He hadn't brought his weapon either, thinking that since Shen was with him, there was nothing to worry about while just fetching water.

If he had known, he wouldn't have done this!

But who could have guessed they would run into her like this!

And his itinerary had changed so much! How did Xayah even find him?!

Did he really have a constitution that attracted trouble?!

"Enough talk! Die!"

Xayah didn't care about any of that; she unleashed a barrage of feathers, every strike aimed at Li Ke's vitals.

Because Xayah lacked true killing intent, Shen just stood to the side, amused. Li Ke, however, was unable to take wide strides to dodge due to his restricted movement, so faced with the incoming feathers, he made a difficult decision.

He spun around quickly, using his thicker side to block the projectiles and protect his vitals, then lunged forward to grab Irelia's heirloom blade.

The pain in his backside told him exactly what had happened; he knew he had been turned into a pincushion. Yet Xayah remained relentless, firing another volley of feathers.

This time, however, Li Ke finally had a chance to counterattack.

Flames erupted out of thin air, and the feathers Xayah intended to pin into Li Ke were incinerated mid-air.

Li Ke took advantage of the moment to pluck out the feathers and pull up his pants, glaring at Xayah through gritted teeth.

"It looks like we need to settle this with a fight!"

His pain, his resentment!

He was going to pay her back (with a brutal beating)!