I thought about it…

  …and suddenly realized I really didn’t have any belongings.

  No bag.

  No weapon.

  No spare clothes.

  Nothing I could forget.

  I just swung up onto Noxus.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  We rode up alongside Liara.

  She looked me up and down.

  “And where are your things?”

  “I don’t need anything,” I replied.

  She huffed.

  “Hm. Must be nice.”

  We left the camp behind.

  “How far to Dorwood?” I asked.

  “A week,” she said. “If the road’s kind to us.”

  I grimaced.

  “I’m too lazy.”

  She was about to say something, but I didn’t bother listening.

  I just made a dragon.

  Big. Calm. Wide wings.

  It dropped beside us, kicking up dust.

  Liara froze.

  “…Uhhh.”

  I glanced at her.

  “Get on.”

  She looked from me to the dragon. Then back.

  “You’re serious?”

  “Completely.”

  A pause.

  “Fine,” she said at last, stepping forward. “Why not.”

  I grabbed both horses like an eagle snatching prey, and we took off.

  The wind hit my face.

  “YOOOHOOO!” Liara yelled, laughing.

  Her cloak snapped in the air, hair coming loose, eyes blazing.

  “You’re ridiculously convenient to travel with!” she shouted over the wind.

  I couldn’t help smiling.

  The city shrank below—small, alive, no longer needing me.

  Ahead was the road.

  And for the first time in a long while,

  I didn’t feel like rushing anywhere.

  We flew.

  The dragon under us wasn’t flesh—

  it was cloud and wind woven into a shape.

  Its wings didn’t sound like leather. They sounded like a storm.

  Sometimes it almost dissolved into the sky, turning into nothing but a current of air.

  Liara sat in front, holding on like she’d been flying her whole life.

  “Listen, Zenha—” she began, then made a face. “Hm. Fine. Just Zen.”

  “Mm?”

  She turned halfway.

  “Where does that kind of power even come from? Not even for a human—just for anyone. It’s… not normal.”

  I shrugged.

  “If you’d seen my sister, you wouldn’t say that.”

  She smirked.

  “I have. Mira Helvard.”

  She thought for a moment.

  “An incredible girl.”

  “You’re telling me,” I said.

  We went quiet, listening to the wind.

  “Where’s your group?” I asked suddenly.

  She didn’t answer right away.

  She stared ahead, where the horizon was starting to darken.

  “For an elf, a century is like a day,” she said at last. “For humans, it’s a whole lifetime—if you’re lucky. For dwarves, half of one.”

  She exhaled.

  “They just… stayed somewhere behind me.”

  I nodded.

  “Got it.”

  The wind carried us higher.

  “By the way,” I said, “when you grab me by the scruff and drag me around—are elf traditions like that?”

  She snorted.

  “Only for especially stubborn children.”

  “I’m not a child.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said, amused. “Then why are you holding onto the wind like it’s a pillow?”

  I looked down.

  “Because it’s soft.”

  “A magnificent argument.”

  I smiled.

  “And why aren’t you shouting ‘YOOOHOOO’ a second time?”

  “Because the first time I confirmed you won’t drop me,” she said. “The second time isn’t scary anymore.”

  “So I should do something scary?”

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  We kept flying, trading jabs,

  and the road that was supposed to take a week

  started to feel… almost short.

  Dorwood lay ahead.

  And between us—

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  only wind.

  The flight took about seven hours.

  The sky had long since gone dark when I landed well outside the city—where Dorwood’s lights still weren’t visible, and night was still quiet instead of loud.

  We dismounted.

  Liara looked around, then at me.

  “A week on the road…” she said thoughtfully. “And you turned it into seven hours. Incredible.”

  She smirked.

  “I should probably study magic too.”

  “You’ve got plenty of time,” I said.

  We got back on the horses and rode the rest of the way at a walk.

  The silence was calm, night-deep. Just hooves and the horses’ breathing.

  “So why do you need Seteya?” I asked, yawning.

  Liara was quiet for a moment, then said:

  “She’s the granddaughter of someone from my squad. He asked me to give her this.”

  She pulled out a small ring. Old, plain, no stone—but you could tell it wasn’t cheap. Not in value. In meaning.

  “A family heirloom,” she added. “He couldn’t deliver it himself.”

  I looked at the ring.

  “Wow…”

  “And you were going to travel that far for one ring?”

  She nodded.

  “Not for the ring.

  For a friend’s request.”

  I didn’t say anything else.

  Just clicked my tongue.

  “Noxus, follow Liara.”

  “Hey,” she protested. “What about you?”

  I was already getting comfortable.

  “I’m going to sleep.”

  “You’re serious, Zen?” she looked at me. “Who am I supposed to talk to on the road?”

  “You’ve got Noxus,” I mumbled. “He’s talkative.”

  “I can hear you,” Noxus answered immediately. “And I’m not obligated to entertain anyone.”

  “You are,” I said sleepily. “You’re my horse.”

  “Outrageous…”

  I was already half-asleep when Liara sighed softly, rode closer…

  …and carefully ran her fingers through my hair.

  “Alright,” she said quietly. “Sweet dreams, Zen.”

  I didn’t answer.

  But it felt unbelievably nice.

  Warm.

  Calm.

  And suddenly the night didn’t feel empty.

  I opened my eyes.

  Ceiling. Unfamiliar. Wooden beams.

  I was under a blanket.

  “…Mm?” I breathed. “What? Where am I?”

  I sat up—

  and heard a clink.

  I looked down at my hands.

  Shackles.

  I blinked.

  “Is this… a joke?”

  The metal was strange—heavily enchanted, suppressing mana.

  If they’d wanted to truly bind me, I would’ve known.

  I sighed.

  “Alright. There’s probably an explanation.”

  I stood and walked out of the room.

  From the sounds alone, I knew—an inn.

  I started down the stairs, the chains clattering loudly enough that people turned to stare.

  Downstairs at a table sat Liara and Seteya, arguing about something.

  When I approached, Seteya cut off mid-sentence.

  I stopped in front of them.

  Slowly raised my hands.

  “Explain?” I asked calmly.

  Liara sighed.

  “When you’re asleep, Zen,” she said, “you’re completely defenseless. And you don’t feel anything.”

  She nodded toward Seteya.

  “When I brought you to Seteya… she saw you and panicked. Said you had to be fully chained. I told her a thousand times you’re not dangerous.”

  Seteya added coldly:

  “I insisted. Without shackles, it’s not safe. I was ready to call the guards.”

  I looked at her.

  Calmly.

  No anger.

  Liara shifted back a little, giving me space.

  I sat down.

  “Barkeep,” I said. “Meat. Pie. And if you have any… candy.”

  The barkeep smirked.

  “Candy?”

  He shrugged. “We’ll find something.”

  I looked at my hands.

  “And… maybe take the shackles off? They make eating hard.”

  Seteya didn’t answer.

  She stared at me.

  “That day,” she said, “in the arena against Elinia… you almost killed her. And you would have—calmly.”

  I went still.

  Something cold slid into my chest.

  “You, Zenhald,” she continued, “don’t control yourself. At any moment you could destroy a city.”

  I lowered my eyes.

  The images came back on their own.

  The arena.

  The rage.

  The emptiness.

  “…Maybe you’re right,” I said quietly. “Sometimes.”

  “Oh, stop it, Seteya!” Liara snapped. “Look at him!”

  She leaned in toward me.

  “He won’t kill anyone.”

  Seteya shook her head.

  “I respect you, Liara. But you didn’t see what he can do.”

  My food arrived.

  I started eating.

  The shackles made it awkward. I didn’t complain.

  And then Liara suddenly put her hand on my head.

  Slowly ran her fingers through my hair.

  It felt… good.

  Too good.

  I caught myself almost purring.

  “See?” Liara said with a smile. “He’s tame.”

  She did it again.

  “And you’re afraid of him?”

  Seteya’s gaze stayed cold.

  “Yes,” she said. “I am.”

  I kept eating.

  And for the first time in a long while,

  I felt warm.

  The barkeep came back and set down a small plate.

  “All we’ve got,” he said.

  I took one candy, tried it…

  and grimaced.

  “They’re like rocks.”

  He shrugged.

  “No others.”

  I sighed and set them aside.

  “Um…” I began, looking at Liara. “After you give her the ring and all that… we’re leaving, right? And… they’ll take the shackles off?”

  I raised my hands; the chains chimed softly.

  The answer came at once.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  Seteya’s voice was flat. Too flat.

  Liara shot to her feet.

  “What do you mean, ‘not going’?”

  Seteya stood too.

  “I sent a messenger to the heart of Dorwood,” she said calmly. “Soon Silver Norris and Haras will arrive.”

  I flinched.

  The names were familiar.

  Too familiar.

  People who’d seen what I could do.

  “Why?” Liara demanded, threat in her tone.

  “Because Zen is dangerous,” Seteya replied. “That is a fact.”

  “And then what?!” Liara snapped. “You’ll lock him up forever? In shackles? In a prison?!”

  Seteya looked at her coldly.

  “The court will decide.”

  She tilted her head slightly.

  “He wasn’t expelled from the Academy for nothing.”

  Something in me went… empty.

  I rose slowly.

  The chains clinked louder.

  “I…” I started, but the words stuck.

  And then—

  Seteya stepped closer.

  Too close.

  I didn’t even have time to turn.

  A PRICK.

  Something sharp slid into my back.

  I jerked.

  “You know, Zen,” Seteya whispered behind me, “I really hoped I was wrong.”

  My legs went to water.

  The world swayed.

  “SETEYA!!!” Liara screamed.

  I saw her hit Seteya.

  Hard. Bright. No hesitation.

  Seteya flew backward.

  I tried to stay standing, but my body stopped listening.

  “Li…” I tried to say.

  The floor vanished.

  Sound. Light. Everything sank.

  The last thing I felt was

  a deep, heavy sleep,

  nothing like ordinary rest—

  and the sense that this time,

  I wouldn’t be able to just wake up.

  I woke up in a cell.

  The first sensation was weight.

  Not pain. Not fear.

  Just the inability to move.

  My arms and body were wrapped in ropes soaked in anti-magic runes.

  Over that—chains. Heavy. Cold.

  Mana inside me bogged down like it was stuck in a swamp.

  And still…

  all I wanted was to sleep.

  The door creaked.

  Liara came in.

  She crouched beside me carefully, like she was afraid to startle me.

  “Don’t worry, Zen,” she said softly. “You’ll get out of here. Just… wait.”

  I forced my gaze up to her.

  “Liara…”

  “Yes?”

  “I… want to sleep.”

  She froze.

  Then slowly ran her hand through my hair.

  “Sleep,” she whispered.

  Darkness covered me at once.

  A crash woke me.

  Sharp. Hollow.

  Then hands—dragging me. The floor scraped my skin.

  I barely resisted.

  They pulled me into another room.

  A woman stood there.

  Young. Calm. Too calm.

  She was smiling.

  “You know, Zenhald,” she said, “you really ruined the Demon Lord’s plans.”

  I snapped fully awake.

  Mana twitched inside me.

  The ropes flared with light.

  A little more—

  and they’d fail.

  She stepped closer.

  “You’ll destroy this city with your own hands,” she said gently. “Just like it was meant to be.”

  I smirked.

  She produced a powder.

  I recognized it instantly.

  The same one.

  The same as with Elinia.

  I started to rise.

  “And—” I began.

  The ropes lit like the sun.

  THWACK.

  The world flipped.

  I hit the street.

  Pain. Rough stone.

  “Noxus…” I breathed. “Noxus!”

  A minute later he was there.

  “Okay,” he said sharply. “No jokes, Zen. You look bad.”

  “Noxus,” I whispered. “Get me… and run.”

  “Where are your hands?”

  “Not now.”

  He didn’t argue.

  I hauled myself up, climbed on.

  Noxus launched forward.

  “There are people—” he started.

  “Crazy,” I said. “Go.”

  We burst out of the city.

  And then—Liara, beside us.

  She caught up like the wind.

  “Oh,” she said. “You escaped on your own.”

  “Yeah,” I rasped. “The nerve. I save cities, kill demons… and they sell out again.”

  Liara went hard serious.

  “Sell out?”

  “There was a woman,” I said. “She tried to dump powder on me. So I’d snap… and destroy the city.”

  Liara clenched her jaw.

  “Then it’s not coincidence anymore,” she said. “It’s a system.”

  My strength was fading.

  “Noxus…” I slurred, starting to tip. “Follow Liara…”

  I nearly fell.

  Liara grabbed me instantly.

  “That’s it, Zen,” she said—firm, steady. “We’ll get out. You hear me?”

  I couldn’t see her anymore.

  Sleep was deep.

  Heavy.

  But this time,

  I knew—

  I was running,

  not falling.

  I came to with a steady rocking.

  We were riding somewhere.

  “Liara…” I mumbled. “Where are we?”

  “Far from Dorwood,” she answered without looking back. “Very far.”

  I blinked, trying to gather my thoughts.

  “But there’s bad news,” she continued. “On the road I intercepted a messenger. A letter to the King. It says you threatened the city. That you’re unstable. Dangerous.”

  I sighed.

  “Alright,” I said calmly. “Unbind me.”

  She slowed, glanced back—and suddenly laughed.

  “You look so… adorable in shackles.”

  “Liara.”

  “Alright, alright,” she said, leaning in. “I’m undoing them.”

  The metal clicked.

  Freedom.

  I exhaled like I’d been holding my breath the whole time.

  “So now what?” I asked.

  “Well…” she smirked. “Now you’re an enemy of the kingdom.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “Consistent.”

  We stopped. Liara slid off her horse.

  “Camp here.”

  I tried to dismount too—

  and my legs buckled.

  “Zen?!” She was at my side instantly. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing…” I mumbled. “Just… sleepy.”

  It was wrong.

  Too strong.

  I sat right on the ground and closed my eyes.

  Mana stirred inside me.

  My body flared green.

  “Zen?!”

  “Quiet…” I whispered. “Just a second.”

  I searched.

  Not pain.

  Not poison.

  A trace.

  Thin. Slick.

  Like something left behind by the needle—not just a substance, but intent.

  I pushed it out. Slowly. Stubbornly.

  “There you are…” I whispered.

  The light intensified. Then went out.

  I exhaled.

  “Whew.”

  I lifted my head.

  “But…” I frowned. “I still want to sleep. That’s not normal.”

  Liara crouched beside me, watching carefully.

  “Yeah,” she said. “Too strong.”

  She paused.

  “So what’s the plan?” I asked.

  She thought.

  “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “We can go to the elves. We can gather a squad. We can go straight to the demons.”

  She smirked.

  “I haven’t decided yet.”

  The world started to sway again.

  Liara put her hand on my head and slowly ran her fingers through my hair.

  “Don’t worry,” she said quietly. “It’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah…” I mumbled.

  The words sank into warm darkness.

  I fell asleep hard.

  Sweetly.