Bab 69: Chapter 51: Stranger in a Foreign Land
((Short and sweet hopefully, got to get used to this new land and way of speaking for eastern characters. future plans are in the comments))
Zzzt!
Orion's loss of consciousness was brief, an electric jolt of arcane energy jolting him awake. Wincing in pain, he laid flat on his stomach, struggling to push himself up to all fours, breathing heavily.
Forcibly, he tried bending the magic back to the pathways within him, but the effort caused only more violent offshoots of wild energy, crackling like static electricity.
"You are far from home, stranger," a strange, unfamiliar voice said from nearby. "The balance within you is in turmoil; you must control it- or you will die."
Grunting, Orion opened his eyes. The ground beneath him was layered in delicate and thin red petals. A fragrant floral smell- so pure and unpolluted that it felt like distant memories of the past. Perhaps the last time he had ever smelled anything so clean was before coming to this world.
"You think I don't know that?" Orion groaned. He raised a trembling hand, crackling arcs of wild blue energy dancing between his fingers, involuntarily causing them to twitch and spasm in unpleasant ways.
His gaze finally drifted upward to the figure speaking. A man in a light blue tunic stood before him with armored shoulder padding and leather armor laced with curling patterns that were unfamiliar to him.
The strange man clasped his hands behind himself, scars riddling his exposed arms and face, his brown hair tied off in a man-bun. His stern expression showed experience in dealing with such strange events.
Intrigued, calm, but also displeased, the man crossed his arms. While he spoke, his voice held authority, yet it was also patient. "If you know, then you must act. The longer you hesitate, the more you endanger yourself- and others."
"I'm trying! This isn't my doing." Orion spat, another surge of unstable energy surging through his arms to his hands.
With a forced glance around, Orion spotted unfamiliar, ancient buildings towering between ethereal trees in shades of white, soft pink, and crimson red. The entire place seemed dreamlike, a world away from the grim tones of the Undercity.
"Where... am I?"
"You are on the outer reaches of the Temple of Xuanain." Kneeling, the stranger's gaze was steady and piercing. "This place draws on the spirit and magic of the land. It is a place of healing and learning... But the magic you possess disrupts the balance. It fractures the order, just like it fractures you."
Orion blinked, the tension in his chest growing. "You expect me to just fix it? If I knew how, I would have already! It... refuses to obey."
The stranger closed his eyes, his expression tightening as he formed a hand sign, concentrating deeply. Orion, despite the sharp pain shooting through him, scowled in disbelief.
This stranger approached him, lectured while he suffered, and then started doing... whatever this was?!
Before words laced with irritation could spill out, the stranger spoke again.
"It seeks to return to the land. Magic is wild, like the creatures that roam free." He opened his eyes, locking his calm gaze with Orion's, a strange sense of sympathy present there. "Let it go, stop trying to bend it to your will."
Stunned, Orion's gaze shifted down. Let it go? Just the thought of it sent shivers through him- a deep-rooted fear of what would happen. Yet, what choice did he have with the magic tearing him apart from within?
Closing his eyes, he hesitated one last time. The voice echoed again, calm yet insistent.
"Let it go..."
Trembling, Orion finally released it. The magic rushed out like a dam bursting. Relief struck him immediately, but fatigue followed just as fierce, washing over him like a tidal wave.
"Thank you," Orion panted, his gaze still lowered as he fought to steady his breath.
"It is only natural," the stranger responded evenly.
"Shen?" A small, worried voice called in the distance. "Why did you run off? Who is this?"
Before Orion could process it further, he collapsed as fatigue overwhelmed him. Orion's knees buckled, his consciousness fading as he felt the danger had finally passed.
A softer voice answered, tinged with sympathy.
"A lost soul..."
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//Meanwhile, Back in Piltover//
"How did this happen?" Caitlyn whispered, her voice hollow.
Moments ago, she had been reeling from the shock if discovering Orion's death. So many questions, now bitterly left unresolved. To her, he was one of the few she could speak to without overbearing arrogance or dismissive mockery.
Her thoughts drifted to the first incident- the day her parents were kidnapped- and when the mystery surrounding Orion first began. Caitlyn couldn't deny she had felt something for Orion, but she couldn't understand it.
Caitlyn's gaze drifted up to Greyson, who eyed her sympathetically. "None of this makes sense. Why weren't you informed? Why were the standards so low?"
"Corruption, Caitlyn." Greyson sighed with disappointment. "We tried to track the contractors down after the riots broke out, but all we found were corpses. Whoever was behind this left no loose ends. All we have is the coroner."
Walking over to the window, Greyson's gaze drifted off into the distance, exhaustion evident on her features after the past few days.
Slowly, she turned back to Cassandra. Cassandra was sat on the couch, hands cupped around her teacup, tense as she braced for terrible news.
Greyson's expression hardened. "There are connections to several noble houses. This is a disaster. How would you like to proceed?"
Cassandra froze, her grip tightening on her cup. Her gaze shifted from to Caitlyn, who met her eyes with the piercing look of a young woman demanding justice. This caused her to falter, lowering her gaze briefly before returning it to Greyson.
"Proceed. This will stop the Council's aggressive tactics toward the Undercity- for now. I'll handle the political fallout."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone