The blackened landscape that constituted the face of the city of Noxus was as foul and ominous as ever before. The land had not twisted nor changed in any conceivable way since the General’s departure from that world two years prior to that day. The land of Valoran had undergone a great many new shifts, but for Noxus, a city as thick with stagnation as could be, without its pivotal leader toward a new future, remained ever the same. The people within it were no different...
The steps of the Grand General were punctuated with the clack of his walking stick, as Jericho Swain, flanked on either side by two bodyguards, took the normal path into the dungeons of Noxus. The building was rank with the stench of blood, sweat and tears, cries of agony and pain, a common symphony in its wretched halls, whilst the pleas of innocence and mercy rang out only to fall upon the deaf ears of their captors. Many recognized their Grand General and stood in awe, but the tactician offered not a single glance in their direction. He had come into this foul place for a singular purpose, and it lied further within...
Soon, a deathly silence was all that was offered to his ears, corpses and those who would soon become one, lining up the walls, hanging by chains, victims of the various practices of torture, all taking their places upon the spots that would ultimately be where they began their final rest. However, one remained unbowed, his form unyielding, the tension in his scarred and brutalized muscle
bared for the world to see, a fierce expression upon his face. Jericho could only sigh quietly to himself as he approached the chained form of his greatest asset.
The familiar air flooded through his veins, body trembling with the sheer shock of entry into this old world, a world that no longer agreed with his existence. Darius was at a loss, completely incapable of understanding what had come to pass. He could feel the world around him, could feel the very weight in the air. It was home, Valoran. But why was he back? What was he doing here? What reason could have sent him here in the first place? Nothing made sense.
A cold and antagonistic tone broke him from his thoughts, the General’s gaze falling upon a figure that gained his attention within moments. The golden armor of Prince Jarvan Lightshield the Fourth was recognizable by any Noxian, no matter how lowly, and having faced him time and time again, Darius had committed his face to memory. But why was he here? In fact, he wasn’t alone. A battalion of guards, mixed with the colors of both Demacia and Noxus stood beside him.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked the Noxian General. Jarvan studied him with a bitingly cold gaze, the voice which he spoke with just as bitter.
“By the order of the League, you have been retrieved from your imprisonment within Hive City and are due to be returned to your home.”
Darius looked about and the answer quickly unveiled before his eyes. There was truth in his words; the room in which he knelt was more often used for the summoning ritual onto the Fields of Justice. Furthermore, a second golden visage made itself apparent before him, as the winged being, and emissary of the League, the Judicator, Kayle, moved alongside him.
“You were gone for far too long, Darius. Your home has need of you.” She spoke, her voice serene and calm.
The quiet scoff vocalized by the Prince made it clear that Jarvan had come to oversee Darius’ return, not out of any honorable sense of kinship, that perhaps Garen might have shared, but rather out of caution, for Darius was one of the most feared men in all of Valoran and for good reason, especially in the eyes of a Demacian. The whole matter felt surreal to the General, like a dream, or rather a vision that he would much like to awaken from.
“How did this come to pass?” He asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
“Your time there came to an end.” Kayle would respond. “For nearly two years, you had remained, while your fellow champions returned and departed from Valoran time and time again. It is now time for it to end.”
The very concept of his time in Hive City coming to an end was lost on him. The place had been more his home than Noxus ever was. The people he had gathered together in belief of him, of his power and his willingness to grow stronger. The memories of comrades who had become an integral part of his own life in that world. Of Zero, Nanaya, Morgan, Lelouch, Xion, Lili...Lucina.
It couldn’t be, he wouldn’t allow it. Not when there was so much he had left to do...
A brow was quirked on the features of the Demacian Prince, his steely gaze softening with a tinge of curiosity, only to have it broken with laughter.
“Ah yes, how could I have forgotten.” The Prince commented, a scathing tone to his voice. “Between the reports of my Captain and of my own venture in that world, I could understand your trepidation. You were in quite the position of power in that land, were you not? With many serving under you, even a woman that could bother to stand your ilk. You forget your place, Noxian. Your loyalty is demanded of by Valoran, your home. Or does your city truly value it so poorly?”
Kayle moved in between the two, noting the spark of a conflict that was quickly beginning to ignite between them, gaze turning to face Darius directly as she spoke.
“It is as he says, Hand of Noxus. You’ve come to the end of your time in that world. Your city is in dire need of its general. Are you willing to forsake it for the memories of a false world? A world that stole you away from your true calling?”
“What do you know of me, Judicator?!” roared Darius in reply, coming to his feet in his fury, his trademark axe held tightly in his grip. The soldiers in the room quickly moved into defensive postures, eyeing the enraged Noxian with more than a little fear in their gaze.
“I will demand of you once more; return me to Hive City!”
“Darius, it cannot be done! It took everything we had to retrieve to begin with! Your words are made from delusions of that other realm! Do not heed them! Calm thyself and find...”
Her words fell upon deaf ears, and soon they were not heard at all, as the General’s gaze met that of the Prince, the avowed enemy of all Noxians. What he saw there was not anger, nor disgust, but mocking triumph, a victory held over one of the most influential men in Noxus. He would do everything in his power to deny Darius’ request, of that the axeman was sure. But Darius wouldn’t allow it, even if he had to wring the life out of the Prince with his bare hands...!
And so he charged forward, a yell of defiance and anger on his lips as rushed into combat. He did not make it far before a blast of flame, holy as the cross, smote him down, bringing him to his knees. Darius’ gaze shifted, focusing upon the one who struck at him, the angelic sentinel’s blade lit in righteous fire. With a grunt, he forced himself to his feet, attempting yet again to prevail, only to be brought down. The process repeated, again and again, and all the while, the Demacian’s gaze did not quiver. Finally, with no more strength to offer, Darius crumbled to the cold earth, his world falling into blackness. The final moments of consciousness offered him words from Jarvan, smug and triumphant.
“Return this dog to Noxus, as was designated. Let us see how they treat traitors...”
The voice of the General was fierce, if not haggard by the tortures he had suffered within this dark place. His body, nude but hardly visible in the faint light, once a testament to his strength, was beaten and broken, the strength that remained within it created solely by Darius’ own pride. Swain could only shake his head in dismay.
“Darius, you are a fool.” He stated.
It was the only words that were ever uttered, a constant request repeated again and again, never satisfied no matter the number. It was this single-minded focus that Jericho admired, but admiration would not and could not save this man, for in the eyes of Noxus - and worse, the eyes of Demacia- he was a traitor.
“You’ve put me in a foul position, Darius. The citizens believe you are a deserter now. What’s more, that bastard prince has proclaimed it to all of Demacia and whoever would listen, that you are nothing more than a traitor to our cause, a delusional man who would have rather been trapped in a fantasy than return.”
“I care not! Release me!”
The words threw the Tactican aback. What could have transpired in that world to so adamantly break Darius’ ironclad will or his belief in Noxus? The answer would be lost to him, of that much he knew. It deeply unsettled him, something that he made visible to Darius, one of the few men who had such a privilege. The former General let out a snarl.
“This city has been nothing but pain to me, since my birth to this very day! I will no longer waste my breath upon it! I will return to my home, my TRUE home! So I will tell you once more, Jericho, RELEASE ME!”
For a moment, there was only silence, until the Grand General raised his walking stick. From its tip, an emerald hue of magic exploded outward, crashing upon Darius, wracking his body with such pain, that even the weathered Noxian let out a howl of agony. As the screaming went on, Swain turned upon his heel and walked away before coming to a halt before a hulking shadow in the room.
Darius didn’t understand the words, his cries of pain silencing his mind, but the answer became all too clear, as the shadow gave way to the monstrous amalgamation of flesh and machine known as Urgot. The beast’s shuddering laughter, and the whirring of the blade upon its arm, was all the clarity he needed. In Noxus, the greatest crimes were not answered with death.
By the end of it all, death would be a blessing.
As some might have noticed, Darius was recently removed from Citta for inactivity. While I do have intentions of eventually returning him there, for the time being Darius will remain in Valoran. What this means is that, for the time being, this blog will be an Independent RP Blog, acting as though he had come back from an extended absence, and none of the memories he gained from Citta.
However, this does not mean it will be a permanent situation, as it is very likely that I will bring Darius back into Citta at a later point in time. In that scenario, I do have further drabbles planned to detail the events of his return, but that will be later down the road.
For those Citta folk who I’ve rped with up, it has been a lot of fun, and I hope to rp with you again upon Darius’ inevitable return!
For the indies that have been following this blog (even though I haven’t really ever been active on that front) I look forward to rping with you in the near future! If you’re interested, please send me a message and we can discuss it!
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