A novel Tale

Author Note : In case you missed it in the last chapter, I have a Discord now. Link is in the novel description as well as right here : https://discord.gg/gZBcg4wadZ

"So how do we get out?" Orion asked, not hiding his excitement. With a smile on his face, he looked like he was about to steal candy from a child. Good, that there were none around.

"Same way you got here, a gate." Lux needed Orion to imagine the place he died at, as vividly as possible. Lux would then create a link to that location, transporting them out. All of this was easier said than done, as tearing space apart required tremendous amounts of magic. A quantity Lux didn't possess.

Lux used its last remains to shape Orion's body, something of equal, if not more, importance. No step could have been skipped. There appeared to be nothing they could do besides wait for its magical energy to recharge.

Head hanging, Orion asked Lux, "Since we have time, could you explain a bit more what my Flux element is?"

To Orion, only four elements existed. Pyrea, element of energy. Terra, element of structure. Aquilis, element of flow. Locus, element of space. Together, they made up the primal forces of magic.

But not every element was the same every time. Just because Orion had a Terra root, didn't mean he could manipulate metal, like others who possessed it. In turn, they may not have been able to control dirt and dust the way he could.

"Flux stands for change. Your element embodies the passage of time," Lux claimed. "Don't even think about manipulating time, though. You can't handle it yet." Orion's expression kept exposing him. He needed to do something about that, or else Lux would never let him get away with anything.

"I can't cast magic anyway." Since he didn't know if he had an elemental root, Orion refused to try it. Dying right after being reborn? Not something he was keen on doing.

"No? Let me see." Lux inspected Orion's body, making him feel exposed. Its piercing view practically undressed him, leaving no place to hide.

"Strange," Lux commented, retracting its focus. The same mysterious haze also stopped Lux, getting them no further than they were. If not Lux, who could? Orion didn't know anyone with the potential to see through it.

"Even stranger is that you have one somewhere else." This time, it was Orion's turn to be confused. He had one? And it was supposed to be somewhere other than normal? Things didn't add up.

"It's near you right shoulder." Upon Lux's citation, Orion scanned his body as he did back then. Sure enough, there was an elemental root. He had it all along, just didn't know where to look. Going back in time suddenly became a lot more attractive.

Unlike his Terra one, which looked like a sad, lumpy piece of dirt, his new one had violent energies raging around it. A thunderous current veiled it, radiating pure, unfettered power. One that couldn't be contained. Fearing it would even hurt him, Orion returned his attention to Lux. "Is this what a Flux root looks like?"

"I assume that much, but we don't have a lot to back it up." Lux went on to explain other roots to Orion. In some cases, the Pyrea element looked similar to his, only less ferocious. Locus also shared some characteristics, enough to be a candidate. Neither of the remaining two had anything in common with his so they didn't consider them.

"I have some things I would like to try out once we're out, so be prepared for some intense training."

"Trust me, I'd stay in this hellhole for another one thousand years if need be."

"Want me to take you up on that?"

"No, thanks." Having lost yet another bout of words, Orion felt like Lux had to be cheating. If he had an older brother, this is what he imagined their bickering to look like.

He was glad to only have an older sister. Kind to everyone and always gentle. Not that brothers didn't have those qualities, though. They just often showed them in different forms. He knew from experience being a brother himself.

"Since we have quite the time on our hands, would you mind if I told you a bit about myself? Considering we'll wage war on half the realms together." Lux and its sarcastic remark piqued Orion's interest. He just noticed that he signed a life-contract with someone he knew nothing about.

Since Orion didn't show any opposition, Lux began telling his tale. The story began in the fiery depths of Noxus, an ocean-blue star. There, the god of forging brought a terrifying artifact into existence. The first of its kind, made of materials one rarer than the next. He only had enough for a single attempt, and he made that one count.

At first, he gifted his creation to his son, Lumis, on their twelfth birthday. It was the perfect gift for a child of a god, or so he thought. Tides turned and vile individuals cast their envious gazes on it. They wanted it, whatever it would cost.

Of course, the maker wasn't stupid. From an automatic protection mechanism to a self-destruct sequence, everything was available to stop others from getting their hands on it. And it worked wonders. After a few failed attempts at snatching the artifact, no one dared to do it anymore.

Until Empyria came. Her reign disrupted every bit of piece, needing powerhouse after powerhouse to knock on her doorstep. None returned. All those seeking to throw her off her high horse died at her hands. A heroic death was still a death.

Lumis, having grown into an adult, was still the same hot-headed child at nature. With way too much confidence for his own good, he rushed to battle. With his father's artifact in hand, he thought victory was set in stone.

Pride clouded him. With clearly lacking preparations, he sneaked into her domain to throw an attack. But Empyria had far more power than he imagined. Before he could even set his plan in motion, she discovered him. A fight ensued. For three days, the two gave each other everything they had, with no winner in sight.

Together, they cast one last attack, their magnum opus. When the dust cleared, only Empyria remained. Lumis had fallen. But Lux, with its safety mechanisms, hid the Netherworld. It stayed passive for ages to come, analyzing the information it had without success.

Lux woke up due to Orion's presence but needed energy to gain back its powers. Without a contractor, artifacts had no power source to rely on. Luckily, there was a noble of the Netherworld nearby it could steal it from.

After talking to Orion, Lux gathered more energy around the Netherworld, planning to set him free. With the large time-scale difference, it needed to hurry and underestimated the amount needed. Orion knew everything that followed, so Lux stopped there.

"So you have fought with her and lost? Even though you had a god as your contractor? Where does your confidence in me stem from?" Orion thought that the fight must have made a few pages loose, otherwise, how would it expect that much of him?

"I woke up in your presence."

"That's your reason?"

"Yes."

Orion concluded that it was he who expected too much. If a king chose their fighters based on feeling, rather than conclusive evidence of their capabilities, most castles would fall. So how did this embodiment of knowledge think to do so when all of existence was at stake?

"You sure have some energy stored up," Lux's voice brought him out of his inner monologue. Orion was about to ask, but the shocking answer was right in front of him.

A gaping hole in the void, its size as big as a house. On the other side laid a vibrant forest. The leaves rustled, but no sound came through.

"That is…" Orion couldn't believe his eyes. The sight in front of him was exactly the same as he remembered it. It was the place where he died.

"But how? I didn't think about it, nor should you have the magical energy for it."

"To answer the second question, your time in the abyss stored quite an amount of pent-up energy. Since you have little use for it, I took it."

"Glad you asked me before you did that. And the matter of thinking?"

"You thought about your death when I mentioned Lumis," Lux stated. Orion didn't notice, but it seemed like he did.

"Whatever. Let's get out of here."

"Quick," Lux screamed, uncommon for it.

The two darted to the gate, but Orion didn't know why. He turned around, only to immediately regret his decision. The tentacle creeping up behind them never left the back of his mind. Its movements were just like those that day.

Orion jumped through the portal and Lux closed it after doing the same. With rough breathing, he gripped the grass beneath his feet, fearing it would disappear once he let go. "I've come back," Orion said, a single tear sliding down his face.