If it were solely based on appearance, Li Lin might not have recognized Ledros. However, when it came to the tales of this devoted soul, he knew much.
As a fierce general under Viego's command, Ledros harbored a deep love for Kalista. Tragically, it wasn't until they were betrayed by Hecarim, the leader of the Iron Order of Camavor, that they confessed their feelings for one another. But by then, it was already too late.
Transformed into an undying wraith, Ledros sought endlessly to lift the curse from Kalista, trying countless methods. Initially, he avenged himself by slaying Hecarim and the members of his Iron Order over and over again. Later, he even brought Kalista herself to confront Hecarim. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. Even when Kalista drove her spear through Hecarim's soul and sent him back into the Black Mist, all that remained was a fleeting sense of satisfaction—nothing more.
Kalista remained lost in her own torment, sinking deeper into the curse. She continued to respond to mortal vengeance pacts, punishing the betrayers she was bound to confront. Ledros, unable to save the one he loved, fell into utter despair. He sought release through self-destruction, leaving the Black Mist and stepping into the sunlight to be scorched and destroyed.
However, the torment of the Ruinous Curse is eternal, especially for a soul as resilient as his.
In his pursuit of death and peace, Ledros wandered far and wide during the Harrowing, when the Black Mist enveloped the lands. He was once torn apart by Ryze's rune magic and cast back into the mist; another time, he slaughtered mercilessly in Bilgewater, only to be neutralized by the faith of the Buhru priests. On yet another occasion, he tried invading Mount Targon from the opposite shore, only to be incinerated by the solar power of Leona's Zenith Blade.
Repeated defeats and deaths blurred his memories, but the name Kalista was one thing he never forgot.
For a millennium, Ledros spent most of his time trapped in a self-made illusion, reliving Kalista's final moments before her demise, bearing his sorrow alone. But now, at last, salvation had arrived.
"You killed Viego and ended the Ruinous Curse," he said.
The other souls stepped aside to clear a path for Ledros. He stopped a few meters before Li Lin, his towering frame overwhelming, far beyond what one would expect of a human. Standing even taller than Azir before his second Ascension—surpassing two meters—one might wonder if Ledros had troll blood in his veins.
Before Li Lin could respond, Ledros dropped the colossal ghostly sword and battered shield in his hands. Stepping back on his right leg, he knelt on one knee, bowing before Li Lin in submission.
"Thank you… for granting both Kalista and me peace," Ledros said.
Li Lin stepped forward, his hand glowing with rune magic that allowed him to touch the intangible. He helped Ledros to his feet.
"For the people of Runeterra, this is what I must do," Li Lin replied.
Ledros rose, turning his gaze to Maokai and saying, "I'm sorry… for not being able to stop Viego and Hecarim back then, and for causing you so much trouble over the past millennium…"
"Hmph, at least you understand," Maokai replied gruffly. Though he bore lingering resentment toward the Camavoran invaders who brought the Ruinous Curse, the fact that it was ultimately a human who lifted the curse had softened his bitterness. Moreover, Maokai had long since learned from Yorick about the origins of the curse. Knowing that Ledros had once stood against Viego's orders to protect the islanders, Maokai could not bring himself to hate the wraith.
Tears welled in Yorick's eyes as he stepped forward, passing through the gathered souls to stand at the center of the circle. With only the Waters of Life sustaining him, Yorick was the sole surviving mortal of the Blessed Isles, having guarded the island for a thousand years in search of a way to break the curse and restore his homeland.
Trembling, he approached Li Lin and thrust his spade into the newly fertile soil beneath his feet. He knelt in the posture of a Blessed Isles monk in prayer, offering his deepest gratitude.
"Thank you… for helping me fulfill my mission. Please accept my highest respect," Yorick said, his voice quivering with emotion.
Li Lin gave him a gentle smile and helped him to his feet, just as he had with Ledros.
"As a protector of the weak and unyielding in the face of ruin, you are the one most deserving of respect," Li Lin said.
As they were talking, Gwen descended from the sky, seated on her massive pair of scissors. She was a doll personally sewn by Isolde, with mismatched eyes and cascading blue curls that framed her figure, accentuating the elegance of her gown. Once merely a doll accompanying Isolde on her journey, Gwen gained a body of flesh and blood, inheriting her mistress's relics—a pair of scissors and a set of sewing tools. Her transformation was tied to fragments of Isolde's soul infused with the Waters of Life, enabling her to wield Sacred Mist and counter the Black Mist.
Due to the overwhelming power of the undead, Gwen had always lingered on the fringes of the Shadow Isles, occasionally following the Black Mist to the Blue Flame Isles to aid locals in fending off Mistwalkers. Today, she happened to be near Helia, tracing the origins of the Black Mist—Viego—when something unexpected occurred. The might of the Waters of Life dispelled the Ruinous Curse, cleansing all dark magic and amplifying the vitality of life itself. Drawn to the source of this life force, Gwen made her way to the heart of Helia's capital, where the scene before her left her astounded.
"Ledros, a talking tree, a towering flying squirrel, and another fragment of my mistress' soul!" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, as if speaking to herself. But her words did not escape the keen hearing of the Spirit of Nature or the Ascended nearby.
Maokai paid her no mind, but Aatrox, on the other hand, couldn't resist. "Hey, little girl, mind your words. I am Aatrox, the Ascended warrior of Shurima." Having discerned her nature as a doll, Aatrox held back his urge to mock her choice of weapon—scissors—and instead corrected her way of addressing him.
"My apologies; my mistress never mentioned your story!" Gwen hurriedly bowed in apology after her hasty landing. "How rude of me..."
Ledros, upon recognizing Gwen, was equally astonished. "You're the doll who served the queen?! You've come to life!"
"It was my mistress's soul that granted me life," Gwen explained, lifting her skirt slightly in a graceful curtsey before turning her gaze to Senna, who had been silent, unable to interject into the conversation. "I can feel my mistress's presence!"
Senna, too, sensed a familiar aura in Gwen. Raising her gun in her left arm, she extended her right hand, conjuring a glowing azure orb in her palm.
"Master!" Gwen's face lit up with joy.
"Isolde saved me as well, but this is only a part of her," Senna said with a sigh. "She's fallen into slumber once more. We'll need to recover all fragments of her soul to grant her peace."
"Now that the source of the Ruinous Curse has been removed, I can help you find them!" Gwen offered without hesitation. She then turned her gaze to Ledros, a hint of confusion crossing her face. "You..."
"If the queen's soul brought you to life, Miss Gwen, you should honor her love for exploration and her desire to escape the palace by marveling at this wondrous land," Ledros said, bowing deeply with a knight's courtesy. A trace of sorrow flickered across his face as he added, "As for me..."
He lifted his head, staring into the distance. All souls present instinctively turned their eyes in the same direction.
"The Eternal Hunters have arrived," Ledros murmured, "but I will never see her again..."
"Ledros." A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, sending a shock through his entire being. It came from the direction of Kindred. There, a faintly translucent human figure stood beside the Lamb and the Wolf.
"Kalista!"
Ignoring everything else, Ledros dashed toward the embodiment of death, while Kalista seemed to act independently of Kindred's control. She left the Lamb and Wolf behind to embrace Ledros.
"Poor soul, filled with yearning, you should thank the Benefactor of the World," Lamb said in her ethereal, melodic voice.
"He made a request, and we brought her soul," she continued.
"Otherwise, I would have had a delicious feast by now!" Wolf growled hungrily.
At first, Ledroswas too overwhelmed to grasp who the "Benefactor of the World" was. But when he noticed that Lamb and Wolf were both bowing toward Li Lin, realization struck him like a thunderbolt.
"You... no, you are the Benefactor of the World!"
In that instant, all the souls present turned their attention back to Li Lin, who stood quietly with a faint smile.
"May your souls find peace," he said.
(End of Chapter)
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