(A/N) Here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it! Leave a vote/comment/suggestion if you would! This chapter is probably the most boring IMO. >.>

Garen, Lux and Astral were all sharing a feast that night. They were celebrating the fact that Garen had not been executed. That wasn't exactly a good reason to celebrate, but the group decided to anyways. Lux was as cheery as ever, as she entertained Garen and Astral with her light magic. She showed them small tricks she picked up on the rift, like making sparkles dance around her fingertips or manipulating beams of light to appear out of nowhere. Garen was grinning all the time, making really lame jokes that were at some points, funny. Everything was perfect at that moment, since Astral didn't know what was yet to come.

The teen laid back and thought. He was sad he couldn't save Xin Zhao, but at least he saved his uncle from the same fate. The boy's ears perked up as he heard a soft pair of footsteps coming down the hall. There was a knock at the door, and everyone looked up from what they were doing. They were all in Garen's room that evening. Food and snacks were arrayed all around the floor. There were bowls of chips, candy, pizza and soda. Basically all the junk food that was left in vending machines in the hallways. There was more than enough food for the three of them. The demacian pulled himself up, groaning in the process as he got up to answer the door.

When he opened it, he looked slightly surprised and smiled, "Irelia! Have you come to see Lux?" he smiled warmly, opening the door wider for Lux to be in her line of sight.

Irelia shook her head quickly, "No. I came to apologize..." she said bluntly, bowing in front of the demacian. Her grey hair grazed the ground as she bobbed her head down. Her voice was as sincere as it could get, "I believed... you killed Xin Zhao... I am so so so sorry." the Ionian confessed, she sounded extremely guilty and stressed.

Lux walked up and comforted Irelia, patting her lightly on the back. Garen smiled, "it's okay. It was natural to think like that." he said with an assuring tone. Irelia sniffled, as she looked up to see Lux and Garen's smiling faces. She noticed she was the only gloomy one, and took a deep breath. She had to be the positive self she always was, "...okay! Then I'll come in! I brought an apology gift..." Irelia finished, inviting herself in. Lux laughed as the trio of people then became four.

About an hour after Irelia's arrival, more and more people began showing up to apologize for not believing in Garen. The demacian was kind to everyone, and quickly the little gathering became a huge party. Astral was sitting on the side, munching on spicy chips. He didn't realize how spicy the chips were because his mind was elsewhere, he was wondering what the Noxian's were thinking. He had rudely interrupted their foolproof plan. Surely, he wouldn't get out unscathed? This made Astral question the Noxian's new objective. Would they target Garen? Or himself?

Astral was a bit stressed whether he should sleep over at Garen's. That way, he'd be able to protect both of them simultaneously. That plan sounded reasonable, although there was a negative side to that. If the Noxian's were actually planning on assassinating one of them, then it would be more convenient if both Astral and Garen were in the same place. Without noticing, a female in a green suit sat beside the boy, he was unaware she had seated herself next to him.

"Hello... Hello?" the voice asked, knocking Astral out of his train of thought. Slightly annoyed, he looked towards the sound of the feminine voice. He saw a beautiful girl in a face mask and light green attire. She had long brown hair done up into a ponytail that trailed down her back. The teen recognized the armor and weapons as Ionian handicraft. "Hi." Astral responded lightly. The woman smiled at the boy, all she could see was his smooth black hair covering one eye and a single blue eye locked on the girl's face. She felt like he was assessing the girl's appearance.

Ignoring the feeling of being inspected like an item, she spoke up, "You looked a bit sad, so I thought I'd come talk to you." the woman explained, her expression seemed caring and kind. Astral then realized he had been showing poor manners towards the Ionian and sat up straight, "Ah, sorry. I'm not terribly focused right now... My name is Astral, I'm Ezreal and Lux's son." the raven-haired teen smiled, looking kindly at the Ionian woman.

The lady smiled back, her voice was low and calm. "I'm Akali, I come from Ionia." she said as her introduction. She seemed friendly enough, plus not a Noxian. The pair conversed for a while, talking about their experiences in battle and on the rift. She introduced him to the two other Ionian's she was working with. A man with heavy blue armor and a yordle with purple attire approached the teenager. "I'm Shen, we've met on the rift." the man said, he had a full mask on and Astral kind of wanted to pull off his mask. He was curious what his face looked like, since he heard rumors no one had seen his face. That would be way too rude, though. A much shorter creature then pulled on Astral's pant leg. The boy looked down to see a little yordle introduce himself. "I'm Kennen! You can call me Ken, nice to meet you!" he shouted energetically, Astral kneeled down to his level to shake his hand.

Grinning, Astral looked at the yordle happily, "Nice to meet you." he said happily.

The night progressed, and Astral stopped worrying about the Noxian's. He had made some new friends that were apparently very strong and nice. They also ran the medical branch of the institute, so he would see them after every battle he does on the rift. As long as Astral didn't disrupt the balance, he and the Ionian's would get along very well. Before Astral decided to go back to his own room, he set up a small camera and microphone hidden away in Garen's room. If the inevitable happens, at least he would have footage and be able to bring justice to the Noxians.

After the party, Lux and Astral walked down the lit hallways, she obviously had a bit too much to drink as she was off balance and her speech was slightly slurred. "Yooou... have a nice sleeeep." Lux giggled cheerily, kissing the boy on the forehead, spinning around a bit. She hiccupped loudly, then walked back towards Garen's room. Astral checked the security camera he set up, everyone was leaving the place and everything was seemingly normal so far.

The boy got out his silver key, unlocking the lock. The door opened with a click and the teen stepped inside. The room was normal like always, nothing suspicious in sight. Astral pulled out his gadgets and placed them on the rack. He switched the lights on, and his room was flooded with light. The teen fell on his bed. He was exhausted and could hardly keep his eyes open, but he should keep close watch on Garen. He observed what he was doing and it seemed a bunch of his friends were staying over for the night. It was plenty of strength to fend off a few petty noxians.

Astral then began to relax; the chances of another murder that night were extremely low. The teen didn't have anything to worry about; as the lights in the halls were now on 24/7, so the Noxians couldn't attack boldly at night anymore. The teen relaxed in the tiny bed with his wrinkled Piltover t-shirt and track pants. He threw his sneakers and socks to the side, creating a loud thump as they hit the ground. The boy was about to drift into a peaceful slumber when his hand began to pulse. He could feel a sharp spark of energy in his wrist. When this occurred, it was usually a sign that something dangerous was near. Astral's arcane energy was very sensitive; it almost had an attitude of its own. When it sensed danger, it jolted the body, by stimulating a vein. The boy got out of his bed and began looking around, attempting to sense the source of the hostile aura. Astral inched himself towards the wall where he had first heard the Noxian's plan. He pressed his ear against the wall, and immediately sensed the hostile intent.

The teen jumped back, and the whole wall was blasted to bits. The debris of the wall slashed at the teen's skin, his eye's widening as a figure emerged from the huge hole in the wall. Astral's weapons were destroyed in the explosion, so he was unarmed.

The teen gulped as he heard the scrape of metal being unsheathed. Someone had just pulled out their blade, and it wasn't a good sign for the boy. Astral quickly glanced at the surveillance in Garen's room, their room had been blown to bits and there was a group of silhouettes approaching Garen and his comrades.

"Damn, you Noxian's are quite bold, huh." the teen scoffed, staring into the cloud of debris. Astral had to save himself first, and then worry about Garen. Surely, Garen was strong enough to fend for himself. A familiar male assassin slowly stepped out with a smirk played across his lips. "Yep." he replied, immediately lunging at the boy. Astral dodged his strike, jumping to the side, his back leaning against a wall.

"It's no fun to dodge..." the assassin murmured, whipping a blade at Astral. It traveled faster than the teen eyes could see. Astral tilted his head to the left, the blade just missing him. The boy could feel the metal touch the surface of his skin, causing him to flinch.

Talon readied two more blades, going for a finishing blow. The teen blocked Talon's strike with his own arm fully masked in arcane power. When he does this, the arcane energy is hardened like steel. His powers were used offensively, but also defensively. He couldn't sustain his power for very long, but it's stronger than most armour Runeterra has.

The assassin was surprised his blow had been blocked, and that Astral's arm was still in tact. Astral took that opportunity to punch him right in the jaw. Talon fell back, his blades creating markings as they scraped across the ground. He glared at the teen with angry red eyes, spitting a mouthful of blood to the side.

Astral was born with even more talent than his own father; he possessed many skills and could manipulate his energy easily. If Ezreal was a prodigy, Astral was a god. He didn't need a gauntlet to control his powers, and his intuitive thinking was a lot more advanced. He could thank Lux's intelligence on the battlefield.

The boy assessed the situation, he thought of how help was surely coming. The Ionian's and Demacian's were probably all coming down to help him, which meant that Talon needed to assassinate Astral within a short period of time, or he would have to retreat. If the boy could hold up long enough, then he would be spared and be living proof the Noxian's were the guilty party.

Smirking, Astral decided to taunt the young Noxian. If he annoyed him enough, surely, Talon would talk back and waste time. "Oh commander. Did you get a scrape? Do you need a Band-Aid..?" the raven-haired teen teased, trying to sound as jerky as possible. Talon knew what Astral was doing, and tried to stay focused on his main objective. "No, but you'll need a bunch real soon." the commander replied, charging into the fight mercilessly.

The pair fought each other, sparks flew and Astral was almost injured fatally many times. Talon had weapons while Astral had to improvise with just the Arcane energy that settled in his veins. His source of power wasn't unlimited though, slowly he was draining his power. On the other hand. Talon's could swing as many times and he didn't have to worry. The boy was envious of what Talon could do, but he wasn't an assassin like him. Talon respected Astral. He believed they were both on the same level, but he felt like there was so much more that Astral was capable of.

"Dammit... I'm out of time." Talon thought, halting his movements. The way thing's were going, the assassin wouldn't be able to kill Astral on time. The boy took a deep breath as he endured the pain in his muscles as they no longer wanted to be strained. The boy stopped moving, almost falling over when he noticed Talon had stopped moving, he looked annoyed as he reached into his pocket.

(Flashback)
"Talon," the large noxian said in a deep and low voice, "I need you to kill Astral."

The assassin turned around to see Darius with his blood brother, Draven. "Yooooo, kid." Draven greeted, with a laid back tone. Talon looked at the both of them, "Alone?" he asked, his eyes locked on Darius. His usual partner, Katarina would always assist him on missions. As if reading his mind, Darius responded, "Yes, alone. Katarina was assigned to Garen's assassination." he explained, readjusting his posture. The heavy axe on his back, shifted from one side to the other. "Can you do it?" Darius asked finally, this was not an optional answer. He either had to do it, or die. That's how the customs in Noxian lands worked, at least. Talon said nothing, as he turned around. Silence was his way of saying he had no objections, but before he left Darius handed him a vial. "The creatures of the void have allied with us. This essence here will make the caster fall into a deep sleep, you can kill him easier in case you cannot defeat him in time." the noxian explained, handing the assassin the vial with a purple liquid. Talon glanced at it, and placed it in his pocket, "I won't be needing this." he murmured as he walked away from the blood brothers. He was facing away, but he had a feeling the brothers were smirking behind his back.

Snapping out of his short daydream, Talon reached deep into his pocket as he pulled out the vial, "Tch. Darius is always right." he pouted, before pouring the liquid all over the teen. He looked unconvinced, and wide awake. Talon had just drenched him in a liquid that looked and smelled like water. Astral was about to laugh, but then he felt a sharp urge to sleep, like a creature was forcing his eyelids closed. The teen knew if he fell asleep, he would surely not wake up again. The boy struggled, forcing his body to move.

In this position, Talon could kill him at any moment, but he hasn't made a move. Astral looked at him, he was staring down at him and he looked annoyed. "No... I can't kill you like that. It's just not... my style." the noxian muttered, then spoke a bit louder. "Or maybe you'll just bleed to death." Talon smirked, as he jumped out of the window, smashing the glass as it shattered into millions of pieces. Talon had spared Astral, maybe he wasn't such a bad guy?

The boy couldn't contain the intense urge to slumber, and he finally closed his eyes.

"Astral? Astral... Astral!" Lux shouted loudly, running around the institute. She whipped open each door on the floor, yelling desperately for her son. Her eyes were damp from previously crying, and she couldn't take these turn of events.

Garen was severely injured and Astral's room was trashed and he was missing. Lux looked heartbroken, the Noxian's had betrayed the alliance they made years ago and ran off back to their home country. How could she have not noticed the Noxian's greed for power?

She felt guilty, like it was all her fault. Garen's friends were slaughtered, but the demacian managed to fend them off until help arrived. Lux refused to believe her poor son was killed in the attack and kept searching for him relentlessly. "Astral..." she squeaked, falling to her knees, covering her eyes with her hands as she silently cried.

"Don't cry, Lux." a voice said, his tone was warm and kind. The blonde's eyes widened as she heard the familiar young males voice. Lux turned around to see a boy wearing explorer gear and a leather jacket. He had thick blond hair and serene blue eyes. "Ezreal!!!" she shouted, embracing him tightly.

She was so glad Ezreal had returned from his adventure into northern Freljord, but how could she explain what had happened to their son? Lux now believed Astral was dead, and was extremely sad. "Ezreal... Astral... Astral... he's..." Lux began, hiccuping between each pause. The prodigy placed his finger on her lips, and looked at her earnestly. "Don't say it. My son won't die like that... I promise." the boy smiled.

Lux burrowed her head into Ezreal's jacket, she didn't have anything to say. She didn't believe him, but the lady of luminosity could tell Ezreal was holding back his feelings too. The male had to be strong for his precious Lux. Their first child had been brutally murdered.

After some while, Lux got a better look around her. The sky was still dark, and champions were rushing around. They were carrying around injured and some champions were rioting their surroundings for revenge. She hadn't noticed the famous Demacian had approached her.

"Lux. We've found no evidence of your son. I'm afraid..." he began when Lux put up a finger. "Jarvan stop. It's okay. I know." Lux said plainly, trying to hold back her feelings in his presence. The demacian nodded, his brows furrowed as he thought of anyway to lighten the mood.

Ezreal stood up, looking right into Jarvan's blue eyes, "She wants to be alone right now." he said, placing a hand on his armour. He lead him away from her, and Lux took this opportunity to run off. When Jarvan was far away from her, he turned back but she was not there.

"Lux?!" Ezreal shouted worriedly, running over to the spot he left her. He had to find her, she must have very bad thoughts right now.

Lux ran down the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her armour. She stopped in front of a room, the door slowly creaked open. The lady of luminosity walked in, casting a spell that lit the whole room up. She gasped as she saw what was in the room. Running over to the table, there many stacks of paper. They were all inscribed with plans on how to make Noxus superior. This must've been the hideout for the Noxian's. Her eyes widened as she saw one paper. It was titled, "Dear Lux."

Lux quickly picked up the paper, her hands were shaky. It was a small, crumpled paper. It read in neat writing, "Lux, I'm sorry we had to betray you. But, I will tell you some useful information. You must not trust the Void. They aren't on your side. I'm sorry it has come to this." She saw a fancy signature, it was signed by LeBlanc. Lux didn't know that person very well and didn't know whether or not to trust her. The girl decided to share her big find to the rest of the institute, she stood up straight and walked out of the room. The moment her body was out the door, the room burst into flames. She saw a lady smile in the room, she bowed to Lux as the room went ablaze. "Good luck." LeBlanc mouthed, then seemed to burn within the heated room. Lux was silent then pouted, "There goes the information..." she murmured, feeling the pressure of the flames eat at the drywall. She had to tell Jarvan IV about the threat of the Void.
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Noxus

Dawn finally came, the light began to cover the lands, the grasses were damp and thick. A teen slept soundlessly in a bright room, the walls were painted a shell white, and a tiled ground. The raven-haired boy's eyes fluttered open, he yawned loudly. Astral felt like he was waking up with a set of weights binding his arms, chest and legs. The teen had to wake up properly, and get himself together. After a bit, he leaned up and gripped his head. His forehead was warm and his body was finally beginning to function more efficiently.

He realized he was in a hospital bed, and he was covered in bandages. Someone had treated his wounds while he slept. "Oh you're awake!" a voice peeped from the side of the bed, Astral looked to his left, coming face to face with a young girl. She had smooth pink hair and a cat ear headband. She was dressed like a kindergartener, a backpack and a pink and purple striped dress.

"Cute..." Astral murmured as the little girl giggled at him. "What's your name?" the girl asked cheerily, hugging the bear she had with her. He looked towards the ceiling and replied, "Astral." he answered lightly. The girl smiled, "Hi, Mister! I'm Annie!" she said and took out a sketchbook and a box of crayons from her small bag. The girl started drawing huge circles representing a head and a body, she scribbled on black spiky hair.

"Bed head." the teenager muttered looking at her sketch, suddenly feeling ashamed of how messy his hair was. The drawing looked very creative and colourful. The girl smirked when she took out a giant red crayon from her pocket. She covered the whole drawing with red crayon; they looked a lot like flames burning the teen alive. The boy gulped as the girl began to giggle to herself evilly.

Astral backed up, where was he anyways? He looked around the hospital room. This wasn't the one where Doctor Shen and Akali operated. "Say... Annie... Where is this..?" the boy asked, nervously looking at the girl. He didn't want to hurt her, since she was a small child but she appeared messed in the head. A psycho, he could imagine her growing up into Jinx; Piltover's crime maker. Maybe he was at a mental ward?

Annie glanced up from her drawing, "Umm... N... N..." she mumbled, trying to remember the name of the place.

"Noxian Aid Center." someone finished, Astral turned around abruptly at the sound of the word Noxian. It was a man he hadn't seen before. He had an axe mounted on his back, and dark brown hair. He was tanned and covered in many battle scars. He smirked at the teen that was inspecting him. Astral had a habit of assessing everything he looked at, he was always scolded for staring. He couldn't help it though, curiosity always got the better of him.

The teen was then brought back into reality when Annie jumped on the boy's back. "Piggy back, piggy back!" she shouted playfully, gripping the teens shoulders as he was pushed around the hospital bed. The teen was trying to maintain his balance, when the noxian spoke up, "Not now, Annie. I have business with the newcomer." the warrior said strictly.

Annie went silent and Astral could feel an intense heat on his back. The teen grit his teeth together, trying not to yell out in pain. Annie was burning the teen's shoulders angrily, but she didn't realize. Having enough, he couldn't take the heat anymore, and he used my energy to repel the attacker. The burst of energy was much more powerful and sent her flying back into a wall. Her tiny frame smashed against the drywall, blasting a body-sized dent in the wall.

Astral's eyes widened, as he stared at his palms brimming with more energy than he could imagine. The teen hopped off the bed, rushing to the little girl. "Annie! Sorry. I didn't mean to do that..." Astral said apologetically, even though she was the enemy, he couldn't bring himself to injure a child. Annie glanced up, her eyes half open. "You were right, Darius... He's definitely the one..." the girl said weakly before fainting from the previous incident.

"What does she mean by 'The one'?" Astral asked, looking at the Noxian. She said his name was Darius? Why was he at a Noxian Hospital, and why wasn't he dead. The lack of information was driving him insane, he glared at Darius for answers.