10 9

"People think dreams aren't real just because they aren't made of matter, of particles. Dreams are real. But they are made of viewpoints, of images, of memories and puns and lost hopes."

Third POV:

Grey was facing the unknown creature as it floated in front of him. Neither of them has said a thing since the former asked the latter for their identity, which they replied by an odd musical sound, making Grey believe that the creature was either speaking a very odd language or simply cannot speak in the first place.

Grey kept his grip on his sword. While the creature did help and it seemed mostly harmless, that did not take away the possibility that it can still turn hostile within a second. Far more peaceful-looking things in the Abyss Watcher's home turn hostile faster than that.

Suddenly, the creature finally made some movement. It started circling Grey, making sure to always face him as it slowly went around him in a circle in the air.

The Abyss Watcher was easily able to find out what the creature was doing. It was studying him. It was looking at everything from his armor, to his posture, and even the way he moved his kneck to keep looking at it.

The creature finally stopped circling after it came in front of him again. It raised its hand and held a single finger before he started waving it in the air. A line of light followed the finger, which the creature used to write on the air.

When the creature was done, Grey recognized what he wrote as Ionian from what he saw, but he still couldn't understand it. "I don't speak Ionian," the Abyss Watcher confessed.

The creature put a hand on the hair that acted as a beard, most likely thinking of another way to communicate. The Undead Swordsman was very curious about this creature. It can definitely understand him, but he didn't understand it.

After a few seconds of thinking, the creature began writing on air using light from his finger again. To Grey's absolute surprise, it was writing in runes from his home, not Ionia. Once finished, the creature has finished writing a single word, which was 'Bard'.

"Bard?" Grey looked at the creature with a raised eyebrow. "Is that your name?" creature - Bard - nodded, confirming Grey's suspicions that the fact only the name was written was merely a test to see if the Abyss Watcher can read what the creature was writing. "Why are you here, Bard?"

Bard wrote on the air again, this time making more than just a single word, again using a language that Grey was very familiar with. 'You do not belong here' was written on the air after he was finished.

It wasn't meant in any threatening way. It was simply Bard stating natural facts like saying that water was wet, and Grey wholeheartedly agreed. "That is why I'm searching for a way back where I come from," the Abyss Watcher said.

Bard then put a hand on his 'beard' again and started circling the Grey just like before. After going into another full circle, he turned his head to the direction of where Ahri was resting.

Grey became cautious while also reminding himself to check on Ahri after what that dark creature did. But, Bard simply turned back to look at him, showing that he has no intention of including Ahri in their meeting.

"You know the language of my world," Grey decided to be the one to start speaking this time. "Does that mean you know a way there?" Bard nodded, giving him confirmation. "Can you take me?" again, Bard nodded. However, being able to do something and willing to do it are two different things. "Will you take me there?"

Just as Grey suspected, the creature shook his head, showing him that he didn't desire to get him back home. Before Grey can ask why, the creature held up his hand and showed a folded piece of paper.

The Undead Swordsman immediately recognized it and searched his side, finding out that the map he had of Runeterra was gone. He immediately narrowed his eyes and took a step back. Obviously, Bard was a lot more dangerous than he lets on if he could take something from him unnoticed.

Bard simply opened the map and pointed at a certain spot in it. To Grey's surprise, it was the same destination he and Ahri were headed to. Before he can voice any questions, the creature started writing on air again.

When he was finished, the light he wrote said, "The Institute of War, I will be waiting."

Bard let go of the map and one of the small light creatures picked it up before handing it to Grey, who cautiously took it back. The Abyss Watcher then watched as Bard turned around, pulled out his horn, and blew in it, causing an odd portal that resembled his mask to appear before walking into it.

The small creatures of light all followed Bard through the portal before it slowly closed. With them gone, the forest returned to its darkness with the moon being the only source of light.

Grey still had many questions. He wanted to know what exactly Bard was, if he was a threat or not, and, more importantly, why he said he'd be waiting for him at the Institute of War.

Perhaps this was some sort of test, or maybe Bard wanted Grey to see something that is on the way there. However, that wasn't his current concern now, he had to make sure if Ahri was alright after what that dark creature did.

The Undead Swordsman doubted that she was still sleeping. With all the fighting, Bard's noises, and that horn, she was probably wide awake by now, which means that the Abyss Watcher was going to have to prepare an explanation.

However, when he made it back to the spot he and Ahri used to rest, the faint light of the glowing flowers allowed him to see that Ahri was actually still sleeping, but that wasn't what drew his attention.

Beside his sleeping traveling companion was something Grey believed to be a centaur. Though, he never saw one before, he definitely knew centaurs were not usually half-deers instead of half-horses.

The human half was female. She had a few leaves covering her that seemed to be melded into her skin somehow. She had long hair which was actually made up of long, large leaves that were giving a faint glow like the flowers around them. She had a large flower resting on one of her ears that seemed to glow lightly.

In the half-deer female's hands was a long stick with a large, lantern-like end that she was slowly waving on top of Ahri's head, raining some odd blue dust that sparkled slightly on the sleeping Vastaya.

Grey would have been very concerned if it wasn't for the fact that Ahri seemed to relax more from the dust. Her pained expression which was left on her the last time he saw her was melting away into a small smile.

However, he couldn't simply leave things be just because the stranger looked peaceful. "What are you doing?"

"Eep!" to Grey's surprise, the stranger shrieked lightly as she turned towards him and held her stick tightly. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't doing anything bad! I-I was just fixing what that nightmare demon did! B-But then I noticed she still had problems sleeping! S-So I-I thought-"

"Stop, just stop," the Undead Swordsman has seen when people are nervous because they're lying, and he can tell that it wasn't the case here with this stranger. She was obviously nervous just by nature. "Take a deep breath, and answer me in the easiest way you can," Grey instructed and the deer woman took several deep breaths before nodding. "You mentioned a nightmare demon. Was that the dark creature that left the forest earlier?" he asked and she nodded again. He had never heard of something called 'nightmare demons', so he added that to the list of things that differ between Runeterra and his home. "You also said you were fixing what it did. What do you mean?"

The deer woman took another deep breath before holding her stick forward. "I... I help protect the dreams of people. That is something I always have been doing. I sensed that there was someone troubled here... And I just came to help them," she explained.

The Abyss Watcher took in this information with interest. From what he understood, this deer woman was most likely a traveler with no clear destination. Simply going around wherever she thought that she was needed.

He can sense no wicked intentions from her. In all honesty, Grey didn't believe she can probably hurt anyone from how nervous she was. But, just because something looks peaceful doesn't mean it actually is.

"You have my gratitude for helping my companion," Grey, while still suspicious, didn't see a reason to be rude and not at least show some thanks. "If you no longer have business here, you may leave. Or you can spend the night here if you desire. As long as you don't cause trouble."

The deer woman seemed to relax, but only slightly. "T-Thank you. But I better get going. There might be more people affected by the nightmare demons. So, I got to protect their dreams," she respectfully declined before turning around and slowly walking away. She suddenly stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. "M-My name is Lillia... It was nice to meet you," she mumbled quickly before she immediately started leaving.

The Abyss Watcher raised an eyebrow as Lillia slowly disappeared into the forest. Ever since he got to Runeterra, it has been one odd meeting after the other. Granted, these weren't the strangest people he had met, they were just... Odd.

He questioned why Lillia even bothered introducing herself. But, thinking back to how she did it, it seemed like she was testing herself, most likely trying to get used to meeting people, which means that she probably spent most of her life in solitude.

The Abyss Watcher just shrugged. This wasn't his business, so he couldn't really bring himself to care. After a quick check to make sure Ahri is absolutely alright, he went back to his original spot for sitting and started waiting for morning to come.

...

Ahri's eyes slowly fluttered open as the morning sun started shining on her. She had to close them again until her eyes adjusted to the light before fully waking up.

When she opened her eyes, she looked around her to see that the flowers have not only stopped glowing, but also closed themselves. Grey, meanwhile, was exactly where he was when she last saw him.

"How was your sleep?" the Undead Swordsman suddenly asked.

She raised an eyebrow, wondering why he would care. It sounded like he was making sure of something, not asking for her sake. "It was... Good?" Ahri couldn't hide the surprise from her voice.

The reason was that she realized that she had actually slept well. There were no nightmares, tiredness, or anything negative whatsoever. She couldn't remember the last time she slept this peaceful.

The Nine-Tailed Vastaya was sure that the flowers that surrounded her when she went to sleep were going to bring her nightmares. In fact, the only reason she even went to sleep is because Grey assured her that he would wake her up.

"If you're well-rested, then let us go already," Grey's voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she saw him standing up from his sitting position.

The Nine-Tailed Vastaya sighed and nodded before standing up herself. She can think about this as much as she wants during the road. They were still a long way from the Institute of War, after all.

Grey handed her the map and Ahri immediately started guiding them through the forest again. From her understanding, they should make it to a port town called Wel'hel in a couple of days at traveling the forest, where they'll take a boat from there.

In all honesty, Ahri wanted to get to Wel'hel as soon as possible and get a boat fast. The reason is that the Spirit Blossom festival was almost here, and Wel'hel was always crowded during that time.

The Spirit Blossom festival... A time where they honor the spirits of the deceased... Ahri doubted that she would be welcomed at such an event. And, even if she was, she didn't want to see the deceased outside of her nightmares.

"Are you sure that you didn't have any problems in your sleep?" the sudden question from Grey stopped her line of thoughts.

"Yes, it was good," the Nine-Tailed Vastaya looked at her traveling companion with a raised eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest?"

The Abyss Watcher sighed, believing Ahri should know about the nightmare Demon and what it tried to do. "There was something last night. I think it was trying to enter your dreams," Ahri immediately stopped as she gave Grey a serious look. "It was a creature made of darkness, and someone called it a 'nightmare Demon'."

"Tell me everything," Ahri commanded, wanting to know what tried to mess with her head.

The Undead Swordsman then explained what he saw the other night after she went to sleep. The nightmare, driving it away, and how he found Lillia trying to 'protect her dreams'.

He didn't mention anything about Bard. Whatever Bard's intentions were, he obviously wanted them to stay between him and the Abyss Watcher since he didn't do anything to involve Ahri last night.

Ahri took in everything and her mind immediately started working in trying to figure out what the Abyss Watcher was telling her.

She had heard rumors of a creature made of pure darkness that haunted people's dreams in the last few years, but she had never seen it herself. Apparently, people don't actually see the creature, just the nightmares it gives them.

This was rather concerning. Ahri herself had magic that can tamper with dreams, yet this creature managed to do that to her without even being noticed, which meant it was extremely powerful. This also caused her to question how long was the creature haunting her, and if he had only did it last night or before that.

Then there was Lillia. The Nine-Tailed Vastaya has never heard of a Vastaya like that. Though, she also knew that some Vastayan tribes were still hiding, so not all Vastaya were known.

Ahri was very interested in meeting this 'Lillia'. Her magic sounded like her own. A magic that controls dreams and emotions. Perhaps there was a chance she might know about her people and Vastaya like herself.

The nine-tailed Vastaya wanted to scold Grey for simply letting Lillia go. However, she couldn't because he did not know that Ahri wanted to meet someone like that, so she held back her complaints.

After the Abyss Watcher was done, Ahri sighed and looked away. "I see... Thank you for... Protecting me," she said hesitantly.

"I told you that I would make sure you had a peaceful sleep, and that's what I did. I don't deserve any gratitude," Grey replied causing her to roll her eyes at receiving another blunt answer from him.

"Still, you protected me, so thank you," Ahri repeated her words if gratitude.

To her surprise, she saw Grey tense lightly. "I... Protected you?... Yes... I suppose I did," he mumbled as he walked past her toward the same destination they were headed to.

Ahri's gaze kept following him as she raised an eyebrow. To her, it seemed that Grey was confused. It's as if the concept of him protecting someone was foreign to him. However, she decided to think about this later as she saw that he made some distance between them, so she immediately started walking.

Meanwhile, Grey's mind was in conflict. He protected someone... That was a new feeling for him. He never thought that he was saving lives. Even when he fought those slaves and Noxian strays, he was mostly thinking of killing the enemy. Protecting lives was new to him. It gave him an odd warm feeling. It was hardly unwelcome... In fact, it was quite pleasant.

...

A ship was slowly making its way towards the docks of Wel'hel. The ship was entirely made of metal, covered in heavy armor with a large funnel that let out smoke in the air as it made its way to the destination.

However, it wasn't the only one. In the docks of Wel'hel, there were already several ships like that one, along with Ionian boats made of wood. The metal ships were from Noxus. And the one that is currently arriving had a very important person on it.

Meanwhile, the Noxian ships on the docks were currently loading crates into them. The crates were being loaded by soldiers covered in dark silver armor and helmets. Overlooking them was the only soldier without a helmet.

This soldier had somewhat tanned skin with a scar over his left eye. They had a shaved head but a black-haired beard that reached the bottom of their neck. "Keep loading those! Swain wants them to reach Noxus in two days!" the man instructed.

The soldiers simply followed the order and kept loading the boxes. Those boxes were filled with raw materials that they had obtained from Ionia. They weren't stolen or taken, they were given. Noxus had recently won a very important match in the Institute of War, and Ionia was simply paying for their loss.

Ionians would give the Noxians glares now and then, but they couldn't do anything so they were ignored. Most Ionians, while hated to simply give things to Noxians, still believed that this was better than the times of war and mindless bloodshed.

However, they were still those who didn't approve of having Noxians as much as set foot on the land. They couldn't do anything though, since violating the laws of the Institute and refusing to pay for their loss means that they no longer received any protection.

"Commander Prexis!" a Noxian soldier came running to the bald man.

"What is it?" the man - Prexis - asked with a glare.

"The new arrival would like to speak to you," the soldier reported with a solute.

Prexis simply glared harder. "New arrival? I didn't approve of any new arrivals. Tell them to screw off! I don't have time for newbies!"

"I... Can't, sir," the soldier replied hesitantly.

"Oh, and why is that?" It was obvious that Prexis was planning to kill the soldier if his reason wasn't valid for disregarding his orders.

"Because they outrank you, sir," the soldier replied again.

Prexis' glare was replaced with a confused look. "Outrank me? Who could possibly-".

"That would be me, Prexis," a heavy, gruff, male voice answered the question before it was even finished. The soldier stepped aside and Prexis felt his blood turn cold at the sight of the approaching man.

It was a man that looked to be between his late twenties and early thirties. He had black hair that was slicked back. A scar ran over one of his brows that gave his hardened look an even scarier appearance.

He was wearing a Noxian black armor with spiked shoulder plates and a short red cape over his muscular body. On his waist, a large ax with a skull between the pole and the blade was tied up, with obvious signs of being constantly used for battle.

Behind that man was a larger man. That was covered entirely by a dark silver armor and a flat helmet with no mouth. There was nothing noticeable about the armor except the chained stars that were strapped to his back.

The man with the ax was Darius, the Hand of Noxus, one of the 3 leaders of Noxus, and the one behind him was captain Farron, one of the leaders of Darius' warbands.

"Commander Darius, captain Farron," Prexis immediately gave a salute to his superiors. "I didn't expect a surprise visit."

"This isn't a visit, I'm here on business," Darius quickly replied as he finally stood in front of Prexis.

"What can I help you with, sir?" Prexis asked.

Darius looked around. "There have been rumors lately that you are letting Noxian strays wander around and do what they want... On purpose," the Hand of Noxus returned his gaze to Prexis and it became a glare. "As you know, that is a violation of the Institute of War's laws, and it can put Noxus in a terrible place."

"I assure you, sir, those are just rumors," Prexis replied, keeping up his solute and not showing any signs of being intimidated.

Darius leaned forward and hardened his glare. "For your sake, they better be," he threatened before walking past Darius, possibly to start looking around.

Captain Farron followed his commander, but not before making sure to push Prexis away with his shoulder, almost knocking him to the floor.

Prexis just glared at the backs of the two walking men before slowly rubbing his neck as his eyes went towards Darius' ax.

Darius never hesitates when raising his ax, even if his enemies are other Noxians. Prexis knew that if he found even a single piece of evidence against him, his head would almost immediately come off.

He also knew that Darius was thorough in doing his work. He wasn't going to leave or believe that Prexis was innocent unless he was absolutely, one hundred percent sure that he did nothing wrong... And that was not the case.

(A/N: Thank you for reading this.

First, Bard knows the language of Grey's world because... Well, he's Bard. He already travels between worlds, and Aurelion Sol already confirmed that Bard travels between dimensions as well. If ANYONE on Runeterra would know about Grey's world, it would definitely be Bard.

Second, Lillia made a short appearance. That's for two reasons. One, I wanted to give her some attention since her release was overshadowed by Yone. Two, I needed something to help Ahri deal with Nocturne's influence. You can't exactly expect Ahri to handle that herself.

Third, as you can see, Grey's emotions are becoming more conflicted the more he experiences a brighter world. I'm pretty sure you can guess that it's going to take a while before he completely opens up.

And lastly, Darius made an appearance, and a conspiracy between Noxians is revealed. I hope that's interesting for you.

Again, thank you for reading this. Please comment, review, and give me your thoughts on my story.)

P.S. I was planning to finish this chapter earlier this week, but I couldn't finish it until now because of my exams. Sorry.