Chapter 1: Prologue
"when you look a long time into the Abyss, the Abyss starts looking into you".
Third POV:
In the land of Ionia, the land of nature of magic, where the spiritual arts are practiced, there are many things a person can see. This scene, however, is not one of them.
Out of nowhere, Near one of its vast mountains that are full of trees and life, strange black fog started appearing in the sky.
From the fog, a figure appeared and fell into the trees below, taking a few branches with them.
After their body connected with solid ground, it lay motionless for a few seconds with tree branches falling on it.
The figure started groaning in pain as they stood up revealing their form. It was a tall man wearing dark-themed clothing.
He had a dark shirt with its neck reaching his nose. He was wearing a pointy metal hat with a small mask connected to it with a few strands of white hair visible from the back of the head.
On his left shoulder and arm was armor connected with straps to his chest with a dark red cape connected to both shoulders under the armor.
His right hand was covered by black leather straps. On his knees were armor covering them and he was wearing brown boots.
He had a big, long and slim greatsword strapped to his back, and on his waist was a brutal looking dagger.
He shook his head and reached inside his pocket, and pulled out a glass bottle that contained a golden glowing liquid.
"(Oh, thank the Old Wolf of Farron,)" he thought grateful that the bottle didn't break in the fall.
He took a drink, surprisingly with the neck of his shirt still covering his face. His body then glowed a golden color and he felt his wounds heal.
The man put the bottle back in his pocket and looked around. He was in a forest at the side of a mountain.
He started walking around trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He has been to many forests, yet he didn't recognize where he was.
He wasn't in the swamps of Farron keep, nor the Road of sacrifice. No castles were around, so he rolled out the thought of being in Lothric or Anor Londo. Since there are no corpses around, he was definitely not in the undead settlement, and since he can see the morning sun he doubted he was anywhere near the Boreal Valley.
"where am I?" he asked. The last thing he remembers is fighting a few Dark Wraiths, then... Something grabbed him and pulled him into the darkness, and then he fell in this forest.
Did the Abyss send him into a new area? Perhaps, but it didn't matter. The important thing is that he wasn't corrupted. He would deal with what crosses his path without a problem, but he still needed to find a Bonfire to prepare himself.
The man kept walking for a while without any signs of civilization, Hollows, beasts or anything for the matter of fact. Just trees.
It was getting irritating. He traveled long distances before, he once walked all the way from Lothric to Irithyll. But he preferred using Bonfires since traveling by foot was so... Time-consuming.
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a scream. It sounded like a small child, so he grabbed the handle of his sword and ran towards the source of the sound.
The sound came from a little boy wearing a brown shirt, black pants, and brown boots. He was holding a little puppy in his arms and running through the trees.
The running boy pushed another tree branch out of his way. He has been running for a while, but he couldn't stop, not with what's following him.
He suddenly tripped on a root that grew over the ground. He fell down and dropped the puppy that was in his hands.
The puppy immediately stood up and went to the boy to check on him. They both tensed when they heard a growl coming from behind them.
They looked back to see a lizard-like creature that was the size of a mountain lion come out of the bushes of the jungle. It had found the boy when he was playing with his puppy and entered its territory, so it took the chance for an easy meal.
The lizard creature stalked towards its prey who started crawling back with the puppy cowering beside it. Before they made any noticeable distance, the beast jumped to attack.
The boy hugged his puppy and closed his teary eyes, ready for the end. But, it never happened. The boy only heard the sound of something cutting through flesh, and then a thud.
After realizing that he wasn't feeling any pain, the boy slowly opened his eyes and looked in shock at the scene in front of him.
The beast was still there, but it was missing its head. The body was on the ground at the feet of a tall man with a blood-red cape holding a blood-covered sword in his hand.
The man looked over his shoulder at the boy who immediately tensed. The boy could barely see blue eyes looking at him through the small mask that was connected to the hat.
Meanwhile, the man himself was looking at the boy a little curiously. It has been a while since he met a normal human who isn't mad or a corpse. He really was far from home.
"Sora?!" a voice suddenly yelled through the woods. "Sora, where are you!?" they asked with obvious worry in their voice.
Suddenly, another man came out of the trees. Wearing farmer clothes, a wide straw hat, long black boots, and jean pants. His eyes look frantically and immediately spot the boy.
"Sora!" the man yelled relieved.
"Father!" the boy yelled as he got up and ran to his father's open arms.
The parent wasted no time hugging the boy, relieved beyond words that he was alright. After a few moments, he noticed the man that was standing in front of the dead beast.
The father tightened his hold on his son protectively. The man's dark clothes did not bode well. He was immediately concerned when he saw the man's sword covered in blood. The father looked over his son but saw no wounds, much to his relief. He then noticed the headless beast on the ground, which was the source of the blood.
Meanwhile, the man himself stood motionless and unaffected by the fearful gaze of the father. He was used to those. He would have left by now since he has no other business here, but this might be the only source of information.
Suddenly, the little boy spoke. "H-He saved me, father," he said still holding the puppy, which gained a surprised look from his parent, and a small look from the man in front of him.
The father sighed in relief and started giving the man a look of gratitude. The man himself was just confused about why the boy vouched for him. He expected it was a thank you at saving him.
"Thank you for saving my son," the father said still slightly cautious of the man.
The man simply moved his sword making the father and his son tense, but they relaxed slightly when they saw him strap it on his back.
"Where is this place?" the man asked trying to know where he ended up.
The father was caught off guard by the odd question but answered nonetheless. "You're In the western side of Ionia," he replied realizing that the man didn't know where he is.
"Ionia?" The man wondered at the unknown location. "How far is this place from Farron Keep?" he asked.
The father just looked at him in confusion. "Farron… Keep? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of it," he said shaking his head.
Now, it was the man's turn to look at the father in confusion. He guessed that since he never heard of this place, then it was pretty far from Farron Keep. But, even then people should know about the home of the Undead Legion, the Abyss Watchers.
The man, the Abyss Watcher, sighed. "Very well. Can you tell me how to get to Anor Londo?" he asked hoping to at least get to a familiar area.
Much to his surprise, the father shook his again. "I'm really sorry, but I don't know that place either."
Now the Abyss Watcher was suspicious. It was one thing to not know Farron Keep, but to not know the land of ancient Lords was an entirely different other thing.
"You said this place is called Ionia. Is it the name of this entire region?" the Abyss Watcher asked for confirmation. The father nodded as an answer. "What is it part of?"
"Well, Ionia is part of Runeterra, like the rest of the world," The father replied in a matter of fact manner.
The Abyss Watcher's eyes narrowed. Ionia and Runeterra are names he never heard of. However, from the way the father said it, it seems that's common sense around here.
"Why don't you come with us to our farm," the father offered. Normally, he wouldn't trust strangers easily, especially ones who look so menacing. But, the man in front of him saved his son, and it's easy to see he is lost, so the least he can do is offer some guidance. "Maybe we can help you out."
Normally, the Abyss Watcher would decline an offer like that. He usually preferred doing things on his own. However, he was in an unknown land, with unknown circumstances, and unknown people.
'Never take chances with the unknown'. That was something his foster father had taught him. Those words saved him before, so he might as well try them again.
Reluctantly, the Abyss Watcher nodded. "Very well. I thank you for your hospitality."
The Abyss Watcher swung his sword to clear it of blood, making the father and his son jump but relaxed seeing him strap the weapon on his back.
Seeing the man in front of him relax, the father motioned for the Abyss Watcher to follow them. "Come, it's this way."
…
The farm was rather plain-looking. A wooden two-story house with a wooden barn close by. Something that a person would expect from a farm.
The first thing that the father did when he came back, was to enter the house with his son. In there, he found a brown-haired woman wearing a sundress pacing back and forth.
When the woman saw them, she immediately went to her son. "Sora!" she hugged him tightly. Her son has been missing for more than a couple of hours, and she was worried sick. She then started pulling his ear. "What did I tell you about leaving too far from the house, hmm?" she scolded her son.
"Everything is alright, dear," the father said as the mother stopped pulling on her son's ear. "Listen, I need you to take Sora and put him to bed."
The mother noticed his tone and looked at him worryingly. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
The father nodded. "Yes, I just have some work in the barn," he said reassuring his wife who nodded and took their son upstairs.
Seeing his wife and son leave, the father went to one of the shelves in the living room and took a box that was on top of it.
He opened the box and started looking around until he found a large piece of rolled paper. This was something that he got as a gift from one of the shop owners that he delivers the milk and eggs to.
He walked out of the house and went to the barn. It wasn't anything special. Just a wooden building that he kept the cows, horses, and even chickens in.
When the father opened the door, he was slightly surprised to see that the animals were unusually quiet. Not like they made much noise, to begin with, but now they weren't making any noise at all.
Walking inside, the father couldn't help but notice that the animals were keeping their heads down. It's like they were too scared to make a noise.
He then found the Abyss Watcher sitting on a haystack. The Undead swordsman was asked to wait here as the father took the boy home. Truthfully, the father didn't blame the animals for staying quiet. The Abyss Watcher's very presence felt as if Kindred themselves was here.
"I'm sorry you have to stay here," the father apologized. Being a place for animals, the barn wasn't exactly clean or have a nice smell.
The Abyss Watcher shook his head standing up. "Don't worry about it," he just shrugged it off. Truthfully, he had been into far worse places than a barn.
The father walked to a wooden barrel and used it as a table. He unfurled the paper he was holding to show some sort of map. "This is a map of Runeterra. Maybe you can find out where you are by looking at this."
The Undead swordsman walked to the man and looked at the map. But, much to his disdain, he didn't recognize anything on it.
Demacia, Ionia, Noxus, Shurima, and more unfamiliar names were marked on it. And, if that wasn't enough, the shape of the lands was completely unfamiliar.
"I don't recognize any of these places," the Abyss Watcher said making the man look at him confused.
"Not any of them?" the father asked surprised. "Where are you from?" he asked wanting to know.
"Farron Keep," the Abyss Watcher replied. The father simply didn't recognize the name just like the first time he heard it.
The Undead swordsman looked back at the map. He was questioning where the Abyss had sent him. It was said that the Abyss once traveled through time itself, so anything could happen while dealing with it.
The father, meanwhile, was thinking of a way to help the man in front of him. True, he didn't know him, but he did own him for saving his son.
Then, he remembered hearing about a place while being at the shops in the near town. "I… might know of something that can help you," he said, gaining the Abyss Watcher's attention. The father then pointed at the middle of the map. "In here, at the center of Runeterra, is a place called the Institute of War. In there, magicians, warriors, and summoner from all over the world gather to join. Maybe you could find someone there to help you."
The Abyss Watcher put a hand where his chin is and hummed in thought. He wasn't a sorcerer, but he knew a few who were. Magic might be a good idea to help him understand his situation, and maybe even go back to Farron Keep.
Truthfully, there wasn't actually many options. So after debating himself for a few moments, he nodded his head. "Very well, that is a good start. May I take this?" he asked referring to the map, and the man nodded. He didn't actually need it, so it's better to give it to someone who does. The Abyss Watcher suddenly turned to the doors of the barns. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll be leaving now," he said walking away.
The father looked at him surprised. "Wait!" he said making the Undead Swordsman stop and look at him over his shoulder. "Shouldn't you rest before leaving? At least get some sleep."
Sleep. Honestly, undead didn't actually NEED to sleep, but they CAN still do it. It was just a luxury that allows them to relax and rest.
However, rest and relaxation are two things he couldn't afford to do now. He was in an unknown location, and in an unknown world, so he had to get this over with quickly.
"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline," The Abyss Watcher said as he continued to walk to the doors.
"At least tell me your name?" the farmer asked as he saw the Abyss Watcher leave the barn. He wanted to at least know the name of the person who saved his son.
The Undead stopped for one last second to answer the question. "My name… is Grey Ashnex," he said. And with that, he walked away disappearing in the forest.
The farmer just stood there for a few seconds before he realized that the animals regained their usual behavior and started making noises again. He sighed before he started looking for a bucket, he didn't milk the cows yet.
Meanwhile, the Abyss Watcher was walking through the trees of the forest again. But, unlike before, he has a destination this time. The Institute of War. He didn't know what awaits him, but he knew it was going to be one heck of an experience.
(A/N: Thank you for reading this.
This is just an experimental chapter I made. Its purpose is to try and completely recreate my story. How it goes, how Ahri and Grey met, how they bond together, and all that. (Don't worry, I'll finish the current version before starting this one.)
Also, in this version, Ahri's lore and her short stories had already happened. Unlike the first time where Grey showed up before the lore began.
If you have ideas to make the older versions better, please give them to me and I'll try my best to correct them in this version.
Again, thank you for reading this. Please comment, review, and give me your thoughts on my story.)
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