Chapter 3

Chapter 3

/

I was now just over five months old. My mother had finally decided I was old enough to eat actual food instead of surviving purely on milk.

And I use the term 'food' loosely, very loosely. It was more of an unidentifiable slurry of...something. Whoever made it, clearly was more worried about nutrition rather than taste as it was god awful.

Wasnt baby food supposed to be bland? I was only swallowing the slop through sheer force of will, my mothers delighted face the only thing stopping me from spewing out the disgusting stuff.

I suppose the food might have actually been in reality very neutral tasting. I mean I hadn't tasted anything except human milk for the past five months, so my taste buds were probably hyper sensitive.

My mood wasn't helped by the fact that my Mom didn't seem inclined to let me strengthen myself between bites. The moment I swallowed one mouthful, I found another wooden spoonful of the vile concoction unceremoniously shoved in my mouth.

I think I had spoiled my parents a bit by being such an agreeable baby. Normally a parent would treat their kid like an active bomb, always trying to avoid setting it off. But seeing as how I was nearly twenty-one years old mentally, I had seen no need to be a brat. Why in the world would I willingly choose not to be a perfect little angel? That decision was starting to show its downsides now however as my mom made me eat every last ounce of that poison.

I think I freaked Garen out a few hours later however when I suddenly started bawling uncontrollably.

In my excitement to eat 'real' food, it had completely slipped my mind that I could simply let my body go on autopilot for the duration of the feeding.

/

Eleven to fourteen months was the average age when a baby spoke their first words. I remember reading about that when my older cousin was worried about her first kid not speaking. Technically they could start as early as eight months but that was not the norm.

With that knowledge in mind I chose to speak my first word at the ripe old age of ten months. It wasn't so early as to gain too much attention, and it wasn't too late to cause worry,

"Ma, ma!" I called from my crib, well technically it was one of many cribs scattered throughout the large home, but that wasn't the mother was sitting at her desk slogging through the seemingly endless pile of paperwork. According to the clock on the far wall, she had been at it for nearly two hours already, and judging by the way her brows had been furrowed for last thirty minutes or so, I thought she was in desperate need for a pick me up.

It took a few seconds for my voice to register. When it did, the effects were immediate. Her head snapped up so fast I was surprised she didn't give herself whiplash, her shoulders which had begun to slump with the monotony of her task rose back to their rigid posts. She stared at me hard. "L-Lux...Did you just…?" Her voice came out a little unsure, as if she thought she had imagined it.

I swiftly put her doubts to rest, and with a grin on my face. "Ma, Ma!" Before I knew it, I suddenly found myself an uncomfortable distance from the ground and being spun at an unreasonable speed. I screamed in both surprise and genuine fear. Though I don't think the maniac holding me noticed with the way she was laughing, and the fact that I was still being spun.

Just when I thought I was gonna hurl my mom finally stopped. She brought me closer to her grinning face, I could see a spark of mischief in her eyes now. "Pieter is gonna be so mad when I tell him!" She whispered conspiratorially to me in a hushed tone.

I couldn't help the honest laugh that escaped me at her words. Pieter was my dads name, and if I wasn't mistaken, it looked like they had been competing to see who's name I would say first. I had unintentionally secured my Mom weeks worth of bragging rights with just one word. Just imagining my Dads reaction was putting a grin on my face.

/

"Garen!"

"Dad! D-A-D! Come on say it with me now!?"

"GAREN!"

"Dad!"

The brown haired men in my life had been at it for the better part of half an hour. Just repeating their names incessantly in some hope that I would deign to mimic them. I had to hold back a sigh at my predicament, it was one of my own making. At this point, honestly, I hadn't spoken their names out of sheer spite. 'Was I being a bit petty? Yes, yes I was. But I mean really? Who yells in a babies face for a half hour?'

I had briefly considered saying Garens name when I noticed how put out he was getting, but then I remembered how the little brat had ratted me out when I had knocked over a vase a week prior. I may not have been physically capable of giving him stitches, but I damn well was gonna milk his frustration for all it was worth.

"What in Runeterra are you imbeciles doing?" An exasperated voice came from the door. An exasperated voice I recognized.

My Aunt Tianna had just walked into the room, and if I didn't know better I would have sworn she used magic. No other explanation I could think of could explain how the room seemed to drop a few degrees, both Garen and Dad backed away from me as if burned. "Tianna?! What? When did you even arrive in the city?"

"Ten minutes ago, and my question wasn't rhetorical." Her tone was calm and expectant.

"Uhh...well you see..." My dads was definitely flustered by his sister in laws sudden arrival and inquisition.

Garen on the other hand had no such qualms. "Lux said Mom's name, and we want her to say ours." His innocence was adorable, and his bluntness even more so.

Tianna however was either unaffected by his charms or was good at hiding it. She stared at my Dad her expression showing just how unimpressed she found was at that moment. "I can excuse Garen acting so childish, seeing as how he is a child. But I wonder what possible excuse you have for your behavior?"

As much as it brought me joy to watch my Dad squirm, I decided to be merciful and take my aunts cold gaze away from him. "Ti, Ti!" It wasn't quite her name, hell it wasn't even close to it. But it was the closest I could get my baby tongue to manage.

Everyone in the room froze and slowly turned to me with matching expressions of shock. My dad was the first to speak, his voice full of disbelief. "It's a coincidence, this is only the third time you've visited since Lux was born. There is no possible way she-"

"Ti, Ti!" I yelled much louder and insistently, locking eyes with her and stretching my chubby little arms towards her to make sure there was no mistaking my intent.

Both my Brother and Father looked on with looks of betrayal as Tianna scooped me into her arms and began to coo at me.

/

Strangely enough it wasn't until several months after my first birthday that the truth of my situation truly sank in.

The day had started normally enough. I had woken up in my crib, and as usual I had to wait until someone finally came to get me. I tended to wake up before anyone else in the household, perhaps the servants woke up before me, but since neither the servant quarters nor the kitchen weren't anywhere near my room I had no way of knowing. Sometimes I wished I had a normal bed so I didn't have to rely on others, but seeing as how I was still so small and weak I couldnt reliably get in and out of a bed on my own it was probably best if I used a crib.

Breakfast was a normal affair. Everyone still trying and failing to blink the sleep from their eyes as servants bustled about bringing us our food. I smiled brightly at the person who put my food in front of me. I always made it a point to show my appreciation of their work. Sure they were just doing their jobs, but I remembered working in a denny's once as a part time job in highschool, so I knew from experience that even the littlest bits of kindness from a customer went a long way. Also it was a golden rule in my opnion to never fuck with people in charge of the food.

"Lux?" My dads voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I looked at him in curiosity. My mouth full of the sweet sticky bread.

"You excited for today?"

I just stared blankly at him still chewing furiously. Why in the world did I take such a large bite?Finally after what felt like an eternity I managed to swallow the overly large mouthful. "Excited?" I wasn't sure what was so special about today that would make me excited.

"We're going outside today!" Garen practically exploded in the seat next to me.

Huh. Was that today? I could vaguely remember hearing something about this a few weeks ago, but it had slipped my mind. I simply shrugged at my brothers excited expression "I forgot."

"Forgot?!" He looked positively scandalized. "But, were going out to the park! You can't forget!"

"I'm sorry?" I said uncertainly, not really sure how to respond, especially with my supposedly limited vocabulary.

"Okay." And just like that he went back to eating, as if a simple apology was enough. Then again this was Garen, the boy was far too innocent and trusting though he was four years old at the moment so I guess It could be excused.

Soon I found myself walking down the sunlit streets of the city, one hand in each of my parents hands as I took in the sights and sounds. High Silvermere was a truly beautiful place, unlike anything I had ever seen in my old life. The city was nestled between a large collection of rocky spires and mountains, a series of rivers ran through the mountain range and merged into one mega river which ended as a waterfall. A large portion of the city itself was built on a massive rock spire in the middle of said river right on the edge of the waterfall, with large bridges running across the length of the waterfall connecting it to the shore. Some of the city was even built on the riverbed itself with large thick walls to make the water flow around the city, creating a dry zone for the buildings. To be honest though considering the sheer size of it, it was less of a river and more of a lake that decided it wanted to flow down the mountain. Thanks to the proximity of the waterfall, no matter where you were in the city a gentle shushing sound could be heard by all. The location while very pretty was anything but practical, just imaging how a medieval society had accomplished getting a city built in such an odd location was mind blowing. Though If I was honest I wondered why they would pick such an inconvenient spot for a city, surely they had better locations available?

We finally arrived at our destination. It was a playground of sorts, I would have said park but honestly it was too small for that. It was more like a small garden with a swing set, a slide hewn from smooth stone, and what appeared to be a jungle gym made of shining steel. The garden was the centerpiece with all the other attractions surrounding it.

Garen had already ran off to play with some kids near the jungle gym, and judging by the way the kids smiled on his approach they already knew each other. I nearly stumbled as my dad pushed me forward. I looked at him questioningly "Go on Lux. Have some fun!" His grin was infectious and I found myself smiling as I went off towards the slides.

Oddly enough I actually enjoyed myself, the simple joy of going down a slide was one I had nearly forgotten since I hadn't done such a thing since I was a child in my last life. It was made all the more exhilarating since the slide seemed massive, at least compared to my one year old body. Though it was fun I quickly found it was losing its luster, there was only so many times one could repeat the same feat before it grew old.

Eventually I found myself standing in front of one of the swings. I knew what I wanted, just not the how. It wasn't designed with one year olds in mind so it was far too high for me to climb into the seat. I let out a panicked scream when someone picked me up from behind and deposited me in the wooden seat of the swing. I spun around in the seat to confront the person who had the audacity to-.

"You ready to go for a ride Lux?" My mother smiled down at me, her eyes shined with her joy.

Now that I knew I wasn't being abducted by some creeper, I felt excitement at the prospect of being pushed on the swing. Gripping the chains on either side of me I nodded happily to her. Once more the simple pleasure of being on a swing was one I had nearly forgotten. And just like the slide previously, my small stature made everything so much more intense. I squealed in both joy and fear as the ground seemingly rushed towards me from such great height.

I was actually starting to get nauseous after being on the swing for so long so I had gotten off and was now exploring the garden. The Jungle gym held no appeal for me considering I couldn't even reach the lowest rungs with my current height. But I didn't mind though, the flora of this world was so much more. I laughed myself silly months ago when I realized that yes, the grass really was greener on the other side.

The sound of gurgling water caught my attention and I followed it deeper into the garden. My eyes widened at what I saw on the other side of a hedge. A rather large fountain lay at the center of the garden. The entire thing was made of a white stone that almost seemed to glow under the sunlight, the water gathering in its basin reflected the light back up into the fountain creating a dazzling display. I couldn't help but feel the need to approach the beautiful structure, it was covered in intricate swirls that my eyes couldn't seem to figure out where one ended and one began.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" My mom had followed me into the garden, leaving my dad to watch over Garen. "I remember when I was a kid, I would always come here with my father. He would always give me a coin to throw into the water. Do you know why?"

I had an idea, but it wasn't from this life so I shook my head instead.

"Its believed that when you throw a coin into a fountain and make a wish out loud before it hits the bottom, the wish is guaranteed to come true." Her eyes while they looked like they were staring at the fountain, I could tell she was seeing something long past. "Do you want to make a wish Lux?" Her gaze focused back on me, an almost hopeful glimmer in her eyes. "We could continue the tradition?"

I gave an honest smile and nodded. It sounded like a wonderful tradition to continue. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of bronze colored coins, after handing one to me she picked me up and sat me on the basins wide edge, my feet just barely ghosting the surface of the cool water. The white stone felt comfortingly warm after absorbing the sun's morning rays.

We both got ready to throw our coins, after a brief countdown we threw them. "I wish- Aiyeeeee!" I never got to finish my wish though as the warm stone under my thighs suddenly felt scorching and with a pained shriek I pitched forward into the water. I had expected the water to be cool as I had felt it not even a moment earlier. Instead the once cool water felt like it was boiling, I gasped in surprise, unintentionally inhaling the seemingly boiling water which made me go into a reflexive coughing fit but since I was underwater it only compounded on my situation. I thrashed around in the superheated water, I couldn't even attempt to swim as my baby muscles could barely handle the weight of my body, let alone my now sopping wet clothes.

It felt like an eternity before a pair of hands gripped my arms and hauled me out of that hell. I clung tightly to my mom, coughing as much of the burning water from my lungs. Large hands pounded my back to help with the process. Even after a minute of continuous coughing I could still feel my lungs and stomach burning from the inside as some of it remained in my system.

"Lux are you okay?" She looked at me with concerned eyes while rubbing my arms comfortingly. Her fingers brushed my tears away soothingly, I leaned into her touch desperately. "it's just water, no need to cry sweety."

I recoiled away from her once soothing touch and stared at her like she had grown a second head. Just water? What the fuck was she talking about? That shit WAS NOT water! I glanced down and did a double take, she apparently had dove into the fountain to get me as I she was standing in the knee deep liquid as if it was normal water. For a second I thought perhaps I had just imagined it somehow, but that thought had only lasted a second as even the liquid that clung to my clothes and skin felt hot, though not nearly as hot as when it had been when I was submerged. In my thoughts, my eyes were drawn to the unbelievably white stone that had first caught my attention, and it all clicked into place.

"Mom, I wanna go home. Please?" I just pressed my head into her hair heedless of her response, inhaling the familiar scent and trying desperately to calm my racing thoughts and keep the tears at bay.

Somehow in the monotony of the past year, I had forgotten one simple truth. Like the child I had been pretending to be, I had foolishly ignored one simple all important truth, as if somehow if I didn't acknowledge it, it magically wouldn't be real.

Luxanna Crowngaurd was a mage. I was a mage. But most importantly, Demacia did not like mages.

What more proof did I need, when they put a petricite fountain in a child's playground uncaring of the fact that magic flowed even in the youngest of children.

AN: Personally I really liked the ending of this chapter. Let me know what you guys think.

As a side note I feel I should mention I used Necrit's champion age video as a guide for this story, though since some characters were reworked or added after the videos release, I do also use alternative sources to figure out ages. (He is awesome for League of Legends lore videos, although a lot of his videos are irrelevant now since everything is always getting retconned in some fashion.)

(If you want to see what a drawing of High Silvermere looks like then go visit the league of legends universe site, I used the drawing to explain what it looked like. I tried my best to describe it in the story, but it's hard lol)

Also in case you don't understand the reason why the water burned her. it's because the water was slowly eroding the petricite, causing small petricite particles to float within the water. Which she inhaled/swallowed. If you don't even know what petricite is look at the glossary below.

If y'all have any ideas, comments, or suggestions feel free to pm or review. I love talking with y'all.

Glossary:

Petricite: Its essentially concrete that uses a magic dampening tree that only grows in demacia as its main component. It's said that the substance physically hurts mages as it literally rips the magic from their bodies with close proximity. Petricite is a common building material of demacia since its naturally very strong, and its magic dampening power makes it practically invulnerable to magical attacks. The wood can also be used in armor and swords, and while it certainly gives it better resistance to magic, it isn't nearly as good as pure petricite.

High Silvermere: A CITY IN THE ROCKY HIGHLANDS OF DEMACIA'S NORTH-WEST (Look at the league of legends universe site if you want a picture of it. I tried my best to describe it in the story, but it's hard lol)