League of Legends: Luminosity

Chapter T w o: Nostalgia (Garen)

The bed was soft, and the pillow even softer, just how Garen liked them. He was tired from all the training he received from his father, Pieter. Ever since he remembered, he was expected to serve the kingdom of Demacia with his life. He always tried to look strong, for the sake of his father and family, he could not reveal to them any signs of vulnerability, but the pressure weighed heavily on him. Garen closed his eyes and tried to get some more sleep, but all hope was lost when his little sister, Lux, came running at his bed and began pulling his hand to follow her. He was irritated by this and told her to go away as he was trying to sleep. However, all signs of sleep were gone from his eyes when his mother called out, "Garen! Your uncle Tomard is here to visit! Care to come say your greetings?"
He loved his uncle. From the moment he was born, his uncle did all he could for him and his family. He looked at him as an idol, and sometimes even as a second father. He could always freely tell his uncle things he dared not tell his father. His father was never interested in small talk, as Demacia's head military officer could not waste his time talking about feelings and whatnot. His uncle, however, always listened, and listened carefully, to everything Garen ever told him.
Garen immediately got out of bed, and raced his sister to their uncle's side. They hugged him tightly, slyly pushing each other away, just like they fought for their blanket on cold nights. Their uncle began laughing. "Now, now children, I am not going anywhere." The siblings smiled at that comment.
"Uncle! Uncle! Do you have any more stories to tell us?" said Lux. Their uncle always had tales about his time venturing outside of Demacia's walls, tales that the siblings loved to hear about. As a ranger and a knight of the Demacian militia, he was expected to protect the capital from the dangers lurking in the unknown.
"I am sorry, little ones, but your uncle is all out of stories." muttered Tomard. There was sadness in his tone. Confused, Lux asked, "Uncle, what's wrong?
Garen repeated after her, "Yes uncle, what's wrong?"
Uncle Tomard smiled at them both and replied, "I appreciate your concern, you truly are sweet children. But there's nothing wrong with me, I am simply worn out from the week-long journey I made to reach here.
Their mother came over and gently said, "Garen, Lux. Your uncle traveled a long way to get here. It's best that you let him rest for now. The tales can wait. I am sure he will be more enjoyable if he's well rested.
"Yes, I must rest. But first..." Tomard reached into his pouch and retrieved two luminous charm necklaces and put them around the necks of Garen and Lux. "Promise me, that you will always protect each other. You both have special gifts, never forget that." He patted the siblings on their heads as he got up and walked toward his bedroom. Garen and Lux glared at each other, and then at the necklaces, but after that moment, they simply thought of the objects as a gift from their loving uncle.
After Garen's sparring practice, the siblings went outside to play hide and seek. They needed to do something to pass the time while their uncle slumbered. As Garen ran around in the grass, he tripped on a rock. He found one of the jewels on his necklace to be cracked. He felt a surge of guilt for ruining the new gift, without even realizing the gash that the fall left on his knee. He called for a pause as he ran to find his uncle. Garen intended to apologize to his uncle and take responsibility for what had happened, just as he was taught to. He hastily ran to his residence, and upon reaching it, remembered that his uncle was resting, he felt selfish waking his uncle up, and decided it would be best to tell him later on the morrow.
As he turned to walk away, he heard whispering from his uncle's room. Although he had never been one to eavesdrop, he was a bit too curious and thought his uncle was awake. He walked to the door, which was barely open. Peering into the opening of the door, he saw his mother and uncle lightly talking, or was that his mother? He could not tell. The room was dark, and the voices were muffled. To hear the conversation better, he went a little closer and creaked open the door, making sure that he cannot be noticed, or heard.
He now understood that the woman was his mother, and not some woman that he was not familiar with.
In a concerned voice, Tomard warned his mother, "One day, something would undoubtedly end this time of relative peace in Demacia—whether it be rogue mages, creatures of the abyss, or some other unimaginable horror yet to come." Intrigued, Garen came a bit too close to the door and accidentally fell inside the room as it completely opened. He shut his mouth with his hands, trying not to laugh, but what he witnessed was not what he expected. Neither his uncle nor his mother were startled by his sudden entrance. They rotated their heads to heavily glare at Garen. His smile quickly turned to fear. His uncle and mother's warm faces began horrifically distorting into the creatures of the abyss that he heard his uncle speak about a moment ago.
The familiar floors of the room began being destroyed. As they fell apart, he found himself holding onto a piece of his uncle's bed and screaming for Lux. His efforts were futile as he was unable to hold on and fell into the black void beneath him.
As he fell into the darkness, feelings of despair took over him. He shut his eyes as tears rain through his face, he begged for whatever was happening to stop.
"STOP! PLEASE!" he exclaimed as he tried to grab onto something. Suddenly, his fall was stopped by some force.
He watched as a middle aged woman with fair skin and dark hair walked slowly towards him. Feelings of warmth radiated from her. Suddenly, her feet lifted off the ground as she began floating towards Garen. All those warm feelings changed to fear instantly, but before he could scream, she touched his face and whispered in his ear, "Demacia's fate hangs in the balance. Only you can save your homeland. You must learn the truth, Garen. You must rise." Garen closed his eyes as she moved her hand away from his face and snapped her fingers.
He could feel the darkness around him shift.
Suddenly, he could hear aggressive footsteps and shouts from all directions. He slowly opened his eyes and was met with a scarlet sky struggling to win the battle against a dark force. He could see Demacian soldiers running with their swords in some sort of a violent war. Confused and afraid, Garen tried to run away, but instead, he ran into a soldier and fell to the ground. Garen recognized that sword that the man was yielding. It was the sword of his uncle Tomard. Attaining a moment of relief, Garen said, "Uncle! What happened to us? Where are—" A blinding bolt pierced through his uncle as if he was made of butter.
He witnessed a tall, hideous, mage walk up to them. The mage began to laugh horrendously, then said, "I believe I won the battle, Tomard."
Horrified, Garen screamed in agony and charged at the mage with his bare hands, but he disappeared before Garen could even touch him. He quickly remembered his uncle's condition and ran back to him.
"G-G-Garen.... come closer." said Tomard. Garen knelt and went closer to his dying uncle.
"Wait here uncle, I will get help immediately." said a teary eyed Garen.
"There is no need. I cannot be saved. That was magic in that arrow, nothing can save me now."
"There must be something. You have to tell me."
"There isn't, my child. Now you must listen to me carefully. Demacia is in great danger, and so is your family. You must promise me that you will look after them."
"B-But—"
"Promise me"
"I-I-I promise.."
"Good. Now one more thing. I want you to have this."
Tomard handed Garen his unsheathed sword. It was a beautiful great sword made by the artisans of the old. Garen accepted his uncle's last gift.
"I want you to wield this with pride." said Tomard.
Before he could reply, Garen's eyes flashed wide open and he shifted up from his bolster. He was back in the woods, exactly where he was with his sister when they both went to sleep. He took quick and heavy breaths. He could feel his heart pounding. "I-It was all a dream. It was all a dream."
He rubbed his eyes and scanned the area. He couldn't seem to find Lux anywhere, so he stayed put and waited for her return.
After an hour, she still did not come back. Concerned, Garen got up and shouted, "Lux! Where are you?"
He did not get an answer. Something happened to Lux, and he was asleep through all of it.