Are these two statues actually alive?
The realization hit Lux like a physical blow as she watched the Void Angels respond to her presence. Her heart hammered against her ribs as terror flooded through her system.
She'd studied magical constructs extensively through her forbidden research, poring over texts that described animated guardians and enchanted sentries. According to every source she'd encountered, such creations radiated obvious magical auras that any sensitive person could detect from a considerable distance.
But these two figures were completely different. They emanated nothing—no magical signature, no energy fluctuations, no hint whatsoever that they were anything more than exquisitely crafted statues. If she hadn't reached toward them and prompted Marcus's warning, she would never have discovered their true nature.
The Void Angels leaned down from their imposing height to study her with predatory intensity. Despite their lack of traditional facial features, Lux felt as though they were peering directly into her soul, cataloging every secret she'd ever tried to hide.
Under that piercing scrutiny, she felt utterly exposed and vulnerable.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped, backing away with a hasty bow before fleeing from the workshop as quickly as dignity would allow.
The moment she disappeared from view, both Void Angels straightened to their original positions and resumed their motionless vigil, showing no trace of the awareness they'd just displayed.
Inside his workshop, Marcus returned his attention to the delicate task of crafting Lux's staff.
"If I recall correctly, Demacia possesses a colossus that absorbs magical energy from mages," he mused aloud, his hands moving with practiced precision as he shaped the artifact's core components.
The memory of Galio—the massive petricite sentinel that stood motionless in Demacia's capital—sparked an intriguing possibility in his mind. The being that would eventually awaken that ancient guardian and grant it true mobility was none other than Lux herself.
The staff he was creating could serve a dual purpose: not only amplifying her natural abilities, but potentially functioning as a command scepter for directing Galio's actions once awakened.
As for the impressive collection of resources and treasures Lux had left scattered across his floor, Marcus was genuinely pleased with the quality and variety. There were enough rare materials here to craft several additional items as diplomatic gifts for Prince Jarvan.
"This world is about to experience significant upheaval," he reflected with satisfaction. "Perfect timing—I still need to collect power from various demons."
This realm hosted not only gods and cosmic entities, but also a pantheon of demons representing different aspects of mortal suffering and desire. Marcus's knowledge of them remained frustratingly incomplete, limited to a handful of major figures.
He knew of Evelynn, the Agony's Embrace, who embodied torture and perverse pleasure. There was Tahm Kench, the River King, representing insatiable hunger and greed. Nocturne manifested nightmares and terror, while Fiddlesticks served as the primordial embodiment of fear itself.
Other demons existed throughout the world, but their identities and locations remained mysteries. He did know that Swain of the Noxian Empire had bound one such entity to his service—a valuable intelligence source if he could identify which demon and how to locate it.
"Honestly, their abilities might not prove particularly useful for my purposes," Marcus admitted to himself. "But power is power. Collecting their essence might yield unexpected benefits."
With that philosophical observation, he immersed himself completely in the intricate work of magical craftsmanship.
Vander's Last Drop Tavern
After fleeing Marcus's workshop, Lux hurried back to the newly constructed tavern where her traveling party had established temporary residence. The building represented Vander's latest venture—an upscale establishment designed to serve Zaun's growing population of wealthy merchants and visiting dignitaries.
The tavern boasted comprehensive amenities and luxury accommodations that would rival anything found in Piltover's finest districts. For travelers carrying significant coin, it offered the perfect combination of comfort, security, and discretion.
Lux's entourage had specifically chosen this location both for its reputation and for the advanced Zaun technology available to guests—including access to the Phantom Canyon training systems.
Once safely in her private room, she carefully retrieved the Void Feather from her dimensional pack. Despite its metallic sheen and substantial weight, the artifact appeared deceptively ordinary. If she hadn't witnessed the terrifying awareness displayed by the Void Angels, she might have dismissed it as an interesting but unremarkable curiosity.
"Can this really help my brother?" she whispered, thinking about the magical power she'd sensed from those guardian constructs. Her expression grew serious with determination. "It has to work!"
After securing the feather safely in her pack, Lux pulled out writing materials and began attempting to sketch the Void Angels from memory. She wanted to document their appearance for future reference and perhaps share the information with Demacian scholars.
However, every attempt at drawing them resulted in strange distortions. No matter how carefully she tried to capture their forms, the images on paper became twisted and grotesque, bearing no resemblance to what she remembered.
What Lux didn't realize was that each failed attempt to depict the Void Angels triggered a response from the actual guardians. Back at Marcus's workshop, blue and red lights began pulsing along the statues' surfaces, growing brighter with each successive drawing attempt.
"That girl is trying to illustrate the Void Angels?" Marcus chuckled without looking up from his work. "Truly a case of youthful ignorance. She's essentially cursing herself."
The Void Angels possessed frighteningly acute perception—far from being oblivious to external attention, they were hypersensitive to any attempt at observation or reproduction. Lux's artistic efforts were steadily awakening their defensive protocols.
If allowed to reach full activation, the guardians would immediately teleport to eliminate whoever had triggered their response, then systematically clear the surrounding area of potential threats.
"Be still," Marcus commanded quietly.
The moment his words reached them, both Void Angels instantly returned to dormancy, their warning lights fading to nothing.
Meanwhile, in her room, Lux watched in horror as her pen began moving across the paper without her control. Ink flowed in elegant script to form a chilling message:
"Don't draw them. Finish those sketches and Demacia will be the first kingdom to fall."
Lux stared at the supernatural warning in stunned silence, her face pale with shock. She'd never imagined that simply attempting to draw something could pose such catastrophic danger. None of her magical texts had ever mentioned anything like this.
While she couldn't be absolutely certain who had sent the message, logic pointed to Marcus as the only person in Zaun with both the knowledge and power to intervene in such a manner. If someone capable of sealing Void incursions was warning her away from this course of action, she had no choice but to take the threat seriously.
Abandoning her artistic efforts entirely, Lux suddenly remembered Marcus's earlier suggestion about visiting the Phantom Canyon. Perhaps she could finally test the magical techniques she'd been theorizing about for years but had never dared attempt in Demacia's oppressive environment.
The prospect of freely practicing magic filled her with excitement. She approached the Phantom Battle Chamber installed in her room—one of the tavern's premium amenities that justified its expensive rates.
Following the system's guidance prompts, Lux completed the neural interface binding process and soon found herself matched with other first-time users. The diverse group carried various weapons and came from different backgrounds, making her staff-wielding mage persona unremarkable among the mix.
After a brief matching period, the system activated and Lux felt reality dissolve around her.
When her vision cleared, she found herself standing in a sun-drenched valley with gentle breezes carrying the scent of wildflowers. The sensory detail was so complete that she could feel warmth on her skin and hear birds singing in distant trees.
"Is this really the Phantom Canyon?" she wondered aloud, marveling at the incredible immersion.
"Hey, female mage! Stop gawking and buy some starting gear!" called another player. "I heard from experienced players that while we can't afford anything powerful right now, getting basic equipment keeps us from falling too far behind."
Following this advice, Lux hurried to the magical vendor and purchased a simple ring that enhanced mana regeneration—a modest but practical investment for a spellcaster.
The battlefield map had already been divided into three distinct lanes, with other players claiming the top and bottom routes. This left Lux with the middle lane by default—traditionally the most challenging position due to its central location and vulnerability to attacks from multiple directions.
However, since the other positions were taken and she was more interested in testing her magical abilities than achieving victory, Lux accepted her assignment without complaint.
As she advanced past the second defensive tower, she encountered her opponent: a man carrying an oversized rifle who seemed equally nervous about the upcoming confrontation.
"Hello there!" Lux called out with genuine politeness, raising her hand in a friendly greeting.
The rifleman blinked in surprise at her courteous manner, then nodded awkwardly in response. Both players positioned themselves to wait for their respective minion waves to arrive, understanding that rushing into combat alone would likely result in immediate elimination.
Soon, lines of red and blue soldiers marched into the center of the lane and began their scripted battle. The rifleman proved more decisive than Lux, quickly entering the fray with his weapon blazing.
While his marksmanship showed obvious inexperience, the skills provided by his chosen template allowed him to dispatch blue minions with just two shots each. As Lux's allied forces dwindled under this assault, she finally overcame her hesitation and raised her staff.
"Lucent Singularity!" she declared, channeling her magical energy.
A sphere of brilliant light materialized above the rifleman's position. This was one of the spells Lux had studied extensively in theory but never attempted in practice—using her innate connection to light magic to create an illuminated zone that slowed enemies within its area before exploding with radiant force.
The rifleman immediately sensed danger from the glowing orb hovering over his head, though he couldn't identify the specific threat. His movement became sluggish, as though he were wading through thick mud, while the light above pulsed with increasing intensity.
FLASH!
The singularity detonated in a burst of blinding radiance, damaging all the red minions and leaving glowing marks on each target it struck—including the rifleman himself.
The moment Lux saw those luminous brands, instinct took over. She thrust her staff forward, launching a bolt of pure light energy.
The projectile appeared modest in size, but when it struck the marked rifleman, it dealt devastating damage—far more than should have been possible from such a basic attack.
Both players stared in shock at the unexpected result. According to the system's balance mechanics, their damage output should have been roughly equivalent, especially in the early stages before equipment bonuses became significant.
Yet Lux's light bolt had somehow detonated the radiant mark for double damage, creating a combination effect that neither player had anticipated.
"How is a beginner dealing that much damage?" the rifleman muttered in confusion.
Lux felt a surge of exhilaration. This was the first time she'd ever cast these spells freely, and the results exceeded her wildest theoretical projections. The mark of light allowed even her basic attacks to trigger magical effects—a discovery that opened entirely new tactical possibilities.
Emboldened by success, she raised her staff again and launched another projectile.
"Light Binding!"
The rifleman, having learned to respect her magical abilities, ducked behind a surviving minion for cover while taking aim with his weapon. When Lux's spell struck his minion shield, the soldier collapsed instantly—but the binding light continued traveling toward its intended target.
The rifleman attempted to dodge, but the homing properties of the spell allowed it to adjust trajectory and strike him directly. Bands of light energy wrapped around his body, holding him completely immobilized.
"Mage! You're an actual mage!" he shouted in panic, firing desperately at Lux despite his trapped condition.
His outburst revealed considerable insight into the Phantom Canyon's mechanics. While the system allowed anyone to simulate various combat roles, those with real-world knowledge and experience could utilize their chosen abilities far more effectively than complete novices.
A trained marksman would naturally perform better with ranged weapons, just as someone with genuine magical understanding could maximize spell combinations that others might never discover.
Unfortunately for the rifleman, his skill selection had prioritized raw power over tactical synergy, whereas Lux's spells represented a professionally designed magical arsenal.
Refusing to concede defeat, he activated one of his most powerful abilities. Red energy gathered at his rifle's muzzle as he pulled the trigger, unleashing a torrent of flame that took the shape of a massive serpent.
"Flame Python Shot!"
The fire construct lunged toward Lux with frightening speed and intensity. Terrified by the approaching inferno, she squeezed her eyes shut and began waving her staff frantically in every direction.
Light bolts scattered across the battlefield like a magical storm, striking the ground, exploding against marked minions, and several finding their way to the immobilized rifleman.
When the heat dissipated and Lux dared to open her eyes, she found the flame python dispersed and most of the enemy minions either dead or critically injured. The rifleman looked considerably worse for wear after absorbing multiple light detonations.
"I almost forgot this is just the Phantom Canyon, not real combat," she whispered, placing a hand over her racing heart.
With renewed confidence, she cast another spell, creating a burst of light energy near the rifleman who had just broken free from his binding.
The relentless magical assault forced him to continue fighting despite being clearly outmatched. He understood that retreat was impossible—an ordinary soldier like himself stood no chance of escaping a genuine spellcaster.
His only hope lay in exploiting Lux's obvious inexperience with actual combat situations.
The rifle barked again, launching a black projectile that would detonate on impact for massive area damage.
"Explosive Round!"
Seeing the grenade arcing toward her, Lux instinctively threw her staff in a wide circle around her position. The weapon's movement traced a barrier of bent light that shimmered into existence around her body.
"Prismatic Barrier!"
The protective shield absorbed the explosion's full force, leaving Lux unharmed while the battlefield around her erupted in smoke and debris. As the dust cleared, she realized she had successfully defended against her opponent's most dangerous attack.