infinite-xerath - Tumblr blog

[infinite-xerath]

Though some of these terms were still foreign to Xerath, he at least now understood the basic gist of what the marid was trying to say. "I have no need for ostentatious monuments. The structures I build serve a PURPOSE. I need no boastful displays of wealth and arrogance to make this world know and remember my name..."

@maridofthelamp

[infinite-xerath]

"Nice to see you were working on your marketability during your Ascension." -maridofthelamp

"...What are you rambling about, spirit? The term is unfamiliar to me."

[infinite-xerath]

OK hang on

How is there an ancient relic of Azir when he only semi-recently revived?))

[infinite-xerath]

"It is a delusion. Nothing more."

@divinesriht

[infinite-xerath]

Azir's silence spoke volumes. For a fleeting moment, it seemed as though the Magus's words got through, at least a little bit. Xerath wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that... But then the question: a question that didn't warrant answering, for their history itself was the answer.

Xerath and Azir were not like Nasus and Renekton. Azir DID step onto the dais alone that day. He freed Xerath right before turning his back on the Magus and walking into the light, preparing to take all the glory of Ascension for himself. There was no point in dwelling on the matter.

Moving on from the topic of the past came the matter of the future... That yet remained marred in the past, ironically enough. "It seems you remain ignorant of the history that transpired in our absence. Though I was the one who destroyed the capital and slew Shurima's emperor, I alone cannot take credit for this land's downfall."

Xerath gestured to their surroundings. "After my imprisonment, the remaining Ascending, those so-called 'Sunborn,' warred with each other for centuries. The coveted the empty seat of power and reduced Shurima to a wasteland, slaughtering each other in the process. Perhaps I could have reigned them in were it not for the brothers' intervention, but I suppose I should be grateful that they spared me the effort..."

Xerath turned his gaze back to the distant city of Nerimazeth. "Indeed, they served me well, in the end. Unlike you, Azir, I have no interest in trying to restore a bygone age. The ashes of the old world shall serve as the foundation for something new." The Magus turned back toward Azir's sand puppet. "What you call 'destruction,' I call 'rebirth.'"

The sand stood silent before the arcane god. In that moment, Azir felt as though he understood. It was an unfortunate point of view, one that the emperor could not afford himself to take again ifhe were to unite his people, free and empower his land. For just this moment, however, he allowed Xerath's truth to wash over him, along with all the little truths he thought he saw hidden within.

Of everthing Xerath said, something rang truer, louder, than the rest. It was as if Azir could see, though mere words, the moment where Shurima's legacy was destroyed.

You would have become a god, ruling Shurima for ages to come, while I would have been just a footnote in YOUR rise to greatness.

" ..And you really thought I'd step up there without you? "

The truth was, Azir didn't know himself. He had never thought of what came after his Ascension; He was too proud, caught up in the notion that he was worthy.

What treacherous promise, pride; Though how could he not be proud? Everyone around him, even his most trusted advisor, told him he was worthy. He thought Ascension meant he was worthy, chosen to serve his people; That was, after all, what Xerath told him an Emperor should be. He thought it was just another of hiss plans (would that he knew how right he was,) that Ascension would be the tool he needed to finally enact their will fully, without worry of rebellion.

He was blinded in that moment, so blind that he planned not for the future. The future however, as always, was unwritten; He knew not what came next, but he never once could imagine a future without Xerath at his side.

He still struggled with the thought now.

" ...Just what is the legacy of this freedom of yours? " He spoke again, his voice souring as images of Xerath's destruction flashed before his eyes. Even viwed through scrying, even with that impersonal dissconnection between the past and future, Azir could feel the pain of the destruction that came mere moments after his death. The devastation and despair that followed his glorious empire for thousands of years afterwards.

" Shurima is burning, even now. Everything we built, we... I built for them. The people. Do they not matter?

You may build this city of yours as high as you'd like, it doesn't change the destruction you wrought. The thousands of years of prosperity, thrown down the drain in your selfish bid for.. for power that you mistake for freedom. "

[infinite-xerath]

Every words out of this wretched projection filled Xerath with a growing irritation. He was so very tempted to blast it apart and silence Azir. Honestly, it was pitiful. He was still every bit the child Xertah knew in his youth; not simply deluded, but ignorant... And yet he had the audacity to lecture?

The Magus stared at the sand avatar in silence for a long moment, his thoughts unreadable. Finally, Xerath spoke. "Tell me, Azir: what do you think it means to be 'free?' What does that word even mean to you?" Once again, Xerath began drifting around Azir's puppets.

"I dedicated YEARS of my life in service to you, Azir. I studied the arcane arts and faced the rot festering in the royal court on YOUR behalf. I stood by your side through so much, awaiting the day that you would uphold your promise and free me... Yet in the end, you merely told me to 'know my place.'"

Those three words... Even after all this time, they stirred a deep-seated bitterness in Xerath. "Presume that I had not 'betrayed' you that day. What would have become of me, Azir? What path was there for me to follow, but remain at your side and in your shadow? Simply declaring a man to be free does not make him so, Azir! That is what you failed to understand."

The air around Xerath began to crackle. "I had NOTHING! No home, no kin, no future beyond continuing to serve you, for that is all I had EVER known! Your 'declaration' was just a formality, Azir. It came far too late. You would have become a god, ruling Shurima for ages to come, while I would have been just a footnote in YOUR rise to greatness!" Xerath raised his hand, forming within it a crackling sphere of power. "Now, I have the power to take whatever I please! I destroyed YOUR legacy, so that I may make one of my own!"

" You were already free! "

The sound was a mere projection, forced through a puppet of sand, but the tone with which Azir spoke demanded the words be listened to. It was strict, confident, like a teacher lecturing a student over basic yet forgotten academia.. Yet it also betrayed a deep pain, a desperation to be understood.

" You were freed, as a man, of a noble heart and honor, in front of the sun and all who bathed in it's light.. You, and every other slave in Shurima, by my own words! And yet, mere moments later, you..

You betrayed me! " Though he tried to hide it, the tone was unmistakeable. Behind the God Emperor and all of his divinity was the boy who grew up beside Xerath, shedding his mask for a brief moment of vulnerability.

" Now, you profane the land with your.. vile monuments. You wield great and terrible power to conquer a land you already ruled by my side; A land you nearly destroyed, a great Shuriman legacy crushed by your own actions!

Once, I would have called you brother, and now you force my hand against you. Why, Xerath? When I gave you freedom as a man, why must you force me to take it away now as a.. a monster? "

[infinite-xerath]

Xerath suspicions were steadily being confirmed the more this yordle talked. She seemed almost incapable of comprehending when she was in the presence of life-threatening danger... But perhaps indulging her would lead to faster results than trying to force an understanding. "I am a god. You may refer to me as Lord Xerath." A few of his acolytes drifted behind him. "My domain is the city of Nerimazeth, though in time I shall rule this entire world."

"You can call me Qadira. Qadira Aslan. By the way, I don't know your name! What is your name?" Qadira asked. She was so happy, she walked like a happy yordle. "You must be rich since you have many workers! How big is your house? Do you live with your family?" Qadira kept asking. She had so many questions.

[infinite-xerath]

Night had fallen, and yet it hardly mattered. Xerath never rested, never stopped... He had no need to it. His faithful, too, toiled endlessly toward the goal of helping their master's rise to power. Time and again they raised monuments across the desert surrounding Nerimazeth, which Xerath could use to empower himself... Despite this, the accursed seal of his prison held steadfast, even changing along with him when he unleashed the full might of his Ascended form. Perhaps another tactic was in order...

The Magus was ripped from his thoughts as he sensed a familiar power manifesting nearby. Xerath turned his baneful gaze toward Azir... No, the manifestation of Azir. Without prompting, the construct began to ramble, as though resuming a conversation that had ended months prior.

"This again? You cling to events that transpired lifetimes ago, Azir... Though perhaps, from your perspective, it was not so long ago. You returned from death like a child waking from a long nap. Is that why you incessantly pester me with these ramblings?"

The Magus drifted closer. "Or perhaps your mind is more fragile than I thought. Have you forgotten what I told you when last we spoke? There is no 'destiny' at play, Azir. You were never 'chosen.' Those were lies I concocted to tempt you into setting the stage for MY Ascension, though perhaps I implanted the thoughts far too deeply in your mind."

He began to hover around the construct. "And even if some higher power played a hand in your return, that makes you little more than a puppet of fate. I am no puppet, Azir. I am no longer your slave or servant. I WILL be free."

" Often, I ask myself; Why? "

Azir wasn't really there. His power was the land, to see, feel, and be anywhere that the sands touched. Even so, he could feel Xerath's heat, even through this effigy; It was hot, scorching like the sun, but even more oppressive. It took everything Azir had not to flinch at the sensation alone.

He did not need to specify his question. they both knew what he was asking. Xerath would surely destroy this puppet soon, turn the sand itself into glass.. but Azir hoped the question would intrigue him enough to permit him this sordid audience.

After all, the question hung on his mind like an unfinished sentence. Perhaps Xerath was caught by it as well.

" Could it be you deemed me unworthy? " A thoughtful gesture is made with clawed hands. " You sought to humble me, was that it? Lead me to the sun disc and then watch me burn from my hubris? "

" No. That couldn't be it. I'm told you sabotaged the ritual; You wouldn't bother if you knew I'd fail.

Has it not crossed your mind, once, the method of my return? Does it not haunt the far reaches of your mind -- assuming, reaches still remain uncorrupted by madness -- That my resurrection is a sign that I was chosen to rule these lands? A divine ordainment that I, and only I, should shape the very sands of Shurima?"

The effigy falls quiet for a moment. Azir stares at Xerath, stricken by how little he resembles the man he used to be.. He realizes, then, how far they both have come from who they were.

That moment was thousands of years ago for the Magus. For Azir, it was days, weeks; A recent memory just before a deep and dark sleep.

" .. I trusted you," He confesses, his voice falling into a far quieter treble. " You gave me everything, and I gave you everything I could in return.

What it not enough..?"

@infinite-xerath

[infinite-xerath]

"Berate Me"

"I was once in a position not dissimilar to your own; swaying the politics of a mighty empire from the shadows, playing games of blackmail and bribery... So I know all-too-well that such tactics are not the tools of the powerful or clever, but the desperate and meek. Your shallow tricks and illusions betray your true nature: that of someone pretending to have control, when you truly have none. You cower in the face of those far greater than yourself, as proven when you sent your double to infiltrate my ranks. Your greatest illusion is making yourself seem like a worthy adversary, when you are anything but..."

[infinite-xerath]

I'm in the mood to have Xerath be a savage today. Come into my inbox with a "Berate Me" and Xerath will roast your muse.))

[infinite-xerath]

Xerath drifted down the corridor, looming over Garam. "Those who trespass in the Tomb will find only eternal rest here." He raised his hand, charging power to deal a finishing blow. Just then, however, he sensed something.

Darkness stirred at the heart of the Tomb. The Risen sensed an opportunity; a weak and foolish mind to exploit. Suddenly, a swarm of shadow insects covered Garam. He was brought instant to the heart of the Tomb, where the Risen rested in its sarcophagus...

"Let me go you rock head!" Garam couldn't cut the tendrils. "Hah! Death? I am a yordle. Death is not possible for us! Your threat is empty!" Garam laughed at Xerath. Garam used his magic to switch his position with the coin. Garam once again ran toward the tomb.

[infinite-xerath]

Once Aria had mounted up, Xerath turned and began leading the way onward, entrusting Nerimazeth to the care of his Herald. His acolytes would continue their own work in his absence. The Magus had considered bringing an army, but there was no need... Unlike Azir, Xerath understood the value of not making one's movements too obvious with a display of military power at every movement.

Thus began the journey to Tereshni. As they went, Xerath looked back at his yordle companion. "The chances of us facing opposition on our journey are not unlikely. I trust you can fight or flee, should the need arise?"

Aria flinched at Xerath's small fit of rage when he responded with him already knowing of the knowledge she had explained to him and not looking for the blade itself. The yordle had thought that she was going to be quickly disposed of, but feeling nothing happening after a few seconds, she immediately apologized and said,

" M-My apologies! I'll keep looking! "

Just as Xerath was moving away, Aria had pulled out a book about a city called Tereshni. She read it and studied its knowledge, reading about how it was built to idolize and worship a fallen ascended warrior who had rested on a nearby set of islands after the Icathian War with the Void. She then learned that this unnamed warrior wielded the Infinity Edge, and their people had kept it safe and hidden in their temple! By the time she wanted to share the news, Xerath had gone to attend some other business, and so she called out,

" Hey! I think I found something! "

Whenever he would return to ask, she had laid out everything about Tereshni, from the location on the map to the history and text about the ascended warrior and temple.

" All this information... was hidden and cast out, as if no one wanted this knowledge wanted to be memorized... but why? Why try and hide such a beautiful piece of history? "

[infinite-xerath]

Aurelion Sol is perhaps the one being that could actually intimidate Xerath. At the same time, meeting him and surviving would only convince Xerath that needs to aim even bigger and try to become a space god.))

[infinite-xerath]

By the way, did I mention that I have my own Discord server? It's mostly just a place to hang out, chat, chill, and talk about nerd stuff. League, anime, games, etc.

If anyone is interested in joining, feel free to like this post or message me in IM's. My only request is that you don't JUST come in to lurk. I'm not demanding that you be super active on the server all the time (I myself sometimes struggle to make time for it), but I'd appreciate it if members at least tried to engage in conversations.))

[infinite-xerath]

Xerath stared at the yordle wordlessly. He was starting to get the sense that she might be a tad deluded... Still, her willingness to cooperate made things simpler, so Xerath had no intention of trying to change her mindset, for now. "Then it seems there is nothing else for us here." He ordered a few of his acolytes to remain and watch over the door. "Come, yordle. I would hear all you can tell me of this key."

Qadira smiled. She is a very optimistic yordle. She believes almost everything is beautiful. "Oww~ You are inviting me? That is so nice! Thank you! I really appreciate it. Yes, of course. I will accompany you! This is the first someone in Runeterra invites me!" Qadira was really happy. She thought Xerath was inviting her because they became friends.

[infinite-xerath]

Lux powerboost? What?

I am very confused.))

[infinite-xerath]

"As my power grows, so too does my influence. Mortals from other lands flock to me as they seek to tread the path to power, and TRUE enlightenment..."