Bab 348: CHAPTER 348 - Where the Lamb Walks, the Wolf Follows
"You can sense death?" Morgana asked, her face filled with surprise. Though there are many reapers in this world, the Eternal Hunters are unmistakably the most renowned symbols of death across all of Runeterra.
Not only are they active on the continent of Valoran, but they also roam the icy tundras of the Freljord and are celebrated in Bilgewater during the "Kindred Carnival Night." Even in Ionia, they have a dedicated sect—the "Kindred Order."
In truth, during the recent battles between Demacia and Noxus, this wolf-and-lamb spirit duo must have been present.
The Lamb guides those who accept death to relinquish their pain and depart the world of the living, while the Wolf hunts and tears apart the souls of those who attempt to flee from the inevitable and defy death itself.
Naturally, individuals like Morgana, who have received the blessing of the Celestials and attained immortality, have long severed their ties to death and would no longer sense its presence.
But for Zoe to claim that they were nearby...
Morgana paused for a moment before fixing her gaze on Zoe's "innocent" face. "You're different from me, aren't you?"
"Everyone is different—just like how no two stars in the universe are alike," Zoe responded vaguely.
Or rather, her attention was entirely focused on Li Lin, barely acknowledging Morgana.
"Do you know where they are?" Li Lin asked, his curiosity piqued. He was eager to meet the incarnations of death.
After all, among all the reapers created by the Mask Mother, only Kindred is famous across the world.
What do they really look like? Are they as he imagined? Li Lin was eager to find out.
Besides, Kindred doesn't claim the souls of those who haven't reached the end of their natural lifespan, so even meeting them in person shouldn't be something to fear.
"Of course! A fluffy little wolf and an adorable little lamb!" Zoe snapped her fingers, conjuring a golden portal behind her. "Follow me!"
Li Lin and Morgana followed Zoe through the portal, finding themselves in a village.
For Li Lin, the place looked eerily familiar.
He pulled up the coordinates on his armor's display screen and was startled to find that they were in Hengfeng Village.
"Wait... isn't this the village I mentioned?"
"No wonder I couldn't sense any life here. There's only a lingering trace of black magic," Morgana remarked as she glanced around at the surrounding buildings, her expression growing somber. "The villagers..."
"They were devoured by Fiddlesticks," Li Lin replied, his heart heavy.
Even if Andel resented them, if Isidore's story wasn't a fabrication, these people were innocent. They hadn't harmed Qian.
As he lamented, a hauntingly familiar melody began to play, this time sung by a young girl.
Li Lin exchanged glances with Morgana, while Zoe gleefully floated toward the source of the song.
They quickly arrived at the entrance of a courtyard at the edge of the village.
It was the same courtyard where the drone had previously discovered parchment inscribed with demon songs and magical circles.
This was once the home of Andel, Natalie, and Qian.
The three of them stopped outside the decaying fence. A small, translucent girl stood at the main door of the house, her back turned to them, humming the final notes of the melody.
"Though the light calls, though the melody rings, it's too late... too late..."
Morgana narrowed her eyes. "So, it's true. The aura of a spirit... She's a lost soul."
Li Lin's expression was complicated. "Qian..."
Zoe, who had just popped a lollipop into her mouth, suddenly looked off into the distance. "Death has arrived."
In that moment, a chilling wind swept through the silent night.
Even though Li Lin was wearing temperature-regulated armor, he felt a coldness that seemed to pierce his very soul.
"Three beating hearts... Lamb, may I eat them?" a raspy, deep male voice asked, its source indiscernible.
A moment later, an ethereal, clear female voice replied, "That is not our purpose, dear Wolf."
In the next second, atop the main house, two swirling masses of black and white magic quickly took shape.
There, crouching on the rooftop, was a figure with a human-like form, wearing a wolf mask and holding a black-and-white longbow without a bowstring.
Beside them, guarding their flank, was a wolf's head without a body, its face hidden behind a lamb mask, and its mouth burning with ghostly blue flames.
Li Lin immediately activated his Data Mind to analyze their profiles:
[Name: Eternal Hunters · Kindred (Common Title)]
[Race: Death Incarnate · Created by the Mask Mother]
[Occupation: Reaper]
[...]
As Li Lin was observing them, the wolf and lamb were also watching him.
"Who are they?" the Wolf asked.
The Lamb's gaze first settled on the small girl's soul, then shifted to Li Lin, Zoe, and Morgana. The ghostly blue light in her eyes flickered.
Li Lin could clearly feel that the Lamb's gaze lingered on him the longest, as if she were assessing something.
A shiver ran down his spine—a natural reaction from his body.
"An immortal being, gifted with power from beyond, and another... a favored child of the world," the Lamb finally responded after a long silence.
The moment Zoe spotted them, she dashed into the ring of light without hesitation. In the next second, she appeared on the rooftop where Kindred stood, just ten steps away.
"Hi, I'm Zoe! Can we be friends? You two are so cool!"
Down below, Li Lin couldn't help but sigh and facepalm at the sight.
"You're too close!" The Wolf Spirit stepped in front of the Lamb Spirit, its voice deepening with a thick tone of warning.
"She's just an innocent little girl, dear Wolf. She means no harm."
Soothing the tense Wolf Spirit slightly, the Lamb Spirit cast a quick glance at Li Lin and Morgana, who had entered the courtyard just steps away from Qian's soul, before refocusing her attention on Zoe.
"My name is Ina, and he is Ani. These are names given to us by Westerners," the Lamb Spirit said calmly.
"We have many names!"
With a swift motion, the Wolf Spirit flickered around Zoe in a blur. Just as she reached out to touch him, he vanished and reappeared beside the Lamb Spirit.
"If you wish, you can also call us by our Eastern names. I am Farya, and he is Wolyo."
"Ugh… those names are hard to remember," Zoe said, her small face scrunching up in frustration before breaking into a wide grin. "I'll just call you Little Lamb and Little Wolf!"
Kindred fell into a brief silence.
"I've always wondered—what is the relationship between you two?" Zoe asked, blinking curiously. "I can feel a strong connection between you. Are you one being?"
The Lamb Spirit did not answer, changing the subject instead. "We have a task to tend to."
In a flash, they reappeared in front of Qian's soul, with the Wolf Spirit close by, never straying far.
Though Qian had her back turned to Li Lin, he could tell she wasn't afraid of Kindred.
She merely looked up at the Lamb Spirit, who stood slightly taller than her, and asked, "Are you here to take me away?"
"That depends on your choice," the Lamb Spirit's ethereal voice responded. "We know your name."
The Wolf Spirit circled around Qian, inhaling deeply. "Your name is Qian, and your soul smells... delicious."
Not wanting to frighten the young girl, the Lamb Spirit gestured for the Wolf to return to her side.
Then, she asked Qian, "Do you accept the Wolf's pursuit, or will you take my arrow?"
"As long as it frees me from this form... I'll take whatever method," Qian said, her voice breaking with a sob. "I know I'm already dead. I didn't listen to my parents and went into the forest."
"When I regained consciousness, I was back in my bed. My parents were holding another… dead version of me, right beside the bed."
"I'd never seen them like that before. My mother cast a forbidden spell, one banned in Demacia. But from her expression, I could tell it didn't work."
"My father was by her side. He used to be kind and gentle, but now he looked furious, muttering that he'd kill all the culprits—kill all the villagers."
"I begged them to look at me, but my voice was so hollow, so weak. They couldn't hear me or touch me. The entire village was the same."
At this point, Qian was already crying uncontrollably.
Kindred quietly listened to her sorrowful story, not taking her soul just yet.
"It's been three years. I watched my father leave my mother for a long time, returning with a scroll made of sheepskin. It was for summoning demons. They planned to sacrifice the whole village to bring me back to life..."
"They succeeded, but the demon they summoned was uncontrollable—Fiddlesticks, the chief of demons from ancient tales."
Qian covered her face in grief, though as a spirit, she no longer had tears to shed.
Even without her finishing the story, Li Lin could piece together the rest of the tragedy.
Natalie had her soul taken by Fiddlesticks in the fields—that was the demon's first appearance.
Afterward, Andel, for reasons unknown, sought out Jarvan IV, hoping he would lead an army to Hengfeng Village
But to Andel's surprise, Hengfeng Village had long since fallen under Fiddlesticks' dark magic. Perhaps it was this magic that allowed Qian to manifest as a visible spirit.
The moment Andel set foot in the village, Fiddlesticks killed him—poetic justice, one might say.
Poor Qian had been "trapped" in this place for three long years...
"Humans are such fools," the Wolf Spirit scoffed, growling. "No creature can escape the laws of life and death."
Just as Li Lin thought of the undead souls of the Shadow Isles, the Lamb Spirit spoke up. "You forget about the cursed ones, dear Wolf."
"Cheap tricks!" the Wolf Spirit snarled. "I'd devour them if I could!"
The Lamb Spirit shook her head and lowered her gaze, locking eyes with Qian. She raised her left hand, holding a bow, while her right hand pulled an invisible string, summoning a short arrow glowing like moonlight to her fingertips.
"Do you have any last words?"
Qian bit her lip and glanced back at Li Lin. "Back in the forest, I saw those Demacian mage hunters with Noxians."
Mage hunters... with Noxians?
Li Lin's heart surged with shock.
He was about to ask for more details when Qian turned away, and the Lamb Spirit's arrow pierced her soul. Her final words echoed in his ears:
"Thank you..."
(End of Chapter)
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