Azir and Sivir stared at each other.
Neither spoke. The ruined city remained unsettled, with damaged buildings collapsing in the distance and sand drifting through the streets. Azir's sand soldiers stood motionless around their emperor.
Sivir was the first to look away.
She raised the hand Azir had examined and studied the short feline claws that remained at the tips of her fingers. Her expression revealed little, but Taliyah could see the tension in her jaw.
Azir released Sivir's arm.
Then he looked at the others.
His gaze passed over Taliyah, Yi, Karma, Nasus, and finally Renekton. He did not threaten them or raise his staff, yet Taliyah felt the weight of his presence settle over the area.
Azir did not need to announce his authority. It surrounded him. The desert itself seemed to wait for an order.
This was not merely Shurima's ruler.
This was the emperor of the Ascended.
Logan had warned them about Azir before they came here. The emperor was not another Xerath, and treating the two as equal threats would be both unfair and foolish. Azir could be reasoned with. He cared about Shurima and appeared to believe that everything he did served its people.
That did not mean his plans matched those of the Federation.
Azir wanted to restore the Shuriman Empire. Not a loose collection of independent settlements working with the Twin Cities Federation, but an empire under his rule. If he succeeded, every tribe, village, and city across the desert might eventually be expected to kneel.
That could make him an enemy one day.
Not today, Taliyah hoped.
Logan had given Master Yi, Karma, and Jax a clear task. If they encountered Azir, they were supposed to speak with him and determine what he intended. They were to avoid unnecessary conflict and find out whether he could become an ally against Xerath and the Void.
Looking toward Renekton, Taliyah feared the chance for a calm conversation was already slipping away.
Nasus still towered over the ruins in his enlarged form. Celestial energy poured from his staff, though it no longer appeared to be injuring him. He could move slightly, but every motion required visible effort.
Renekton was farther away, with Karma floating near his shoulder. The same excess power surrounded his crescent blade. His muscles strained as he tried to move it, and the weapon shook in his hands without obeying him.
Azir walked toward Nasus.
He raised his staff and made a small turning motion.
The celestial energy covering Nasus's weapon separated from it immediately. Threads of light gathered above the staff, compressed into a single sphere, then vanished into the air.
Nasus lowered his weapon.
His massive body began to shrink. Within seconds, he had returned to his usual size, although he still stood taller than nearly everyone present.
He stepped toward Azir and bowed.
Even while kneeling before his emperor, Nasus retained a dignity that made the gesture appear respectful rather than submissive.
Taliyah remembered Logan's warning about him as well. Nasus might help them fight Xerath, especially after everything Xerath had done to Renekton, but his loyalty belonged completely to Azir.
"My emperor," Nasus said.
Azir gave him a slight nod before looking past him.
Renekton remained trapped beneath the pressure of his own weapon. Karma kept both hands raised, surrounding the enraged Ascended with pale spiritual energy. His breathing was heavy, and each breath came with a low growl.
"I assume you wish to know what has occurred," Nasus said.
"I do," Azir replied. "But first, we will deal with your brother."
Nasus was silent for a moment.
Then he nodded slowly.
Azir began walking toward Renekton. He glanced at Taliyah and Master Yi, making it clear that he expected them to follow. His gaze then moved to Sivir.
She hesitated.
Her eyes shifted briefly toward the direction Xerath had fled with the Chalicar. After a quiet curse, she joined them.
Sivir walked beside Taliyah and Master Yi while Azir and Nasus led the way. Nobody spoke.
Taliyah studied Sivir more closely.
Before the strange transformation, Sivir had been badly wounded. Those injuries were gone now.
...
They approached Renekton carefully.
The emperor studied the trapped Ascended.
Taliyah sensed something beneath his controlled expression.
Regret.
Nasus felt it too. His face remained composed, but his shoulders had become rigid. Neither brother looked directly at the other.
Azir stopped several steps away.
"Renekton," he said.
The crocodilian Ascended's eye shifted toward him.
His weapon trembled more violently.
"I am sorry," Azir continued. "For what happened beneath the Sun Disc. For what you suffered in the darkness. For the failures that allowed Xerath to poison your mind."
Renekton did not answer.
His jaws opened slightly, revealing rows of teeth, but the celestial power within his weapon kept him from moving freely. Karma's magic restrained the worst of his anger. Even so, his gaze remained fixed on Azir.
Nasus said nothing.
Taliyah had not expected Azir to admit any fault. Logan had described him as proud, convinced of his right to rule and slow to accept opposition. Yet there was no excuse in his words now.
He was facing what had happened.
Whether Renekton could understand that was another matter.
Azir turned toward Karma.
"You have my gratitude. I know what it costs to restrain an Ascended against his will."
Karma watched him in silence before giving a small nod.
"I am not controlling him," she said. "I am easing his rage as much as I can. The anger is too deeply rooted to remove by force."
"Perhaps I can offer some assistance."
Azir lifted his staff.
Nasus immediately looked at him. "My emperor, the excess power in Renekton's weapon may be the only thing keeping him immobile."
"I know."
"If you remove it, he may attack."
Azir kept his gaze fixed on Renekton. "Perhaps. But I would like the chance to have a conversation with your brother."
Nasus glanced at Renekton, then lowered his head.
"As you command."
Azir pointed the staff toward Renekton's blade.
The uncontrolled celestial energy peeled away from it. The weapon stopped shaking, and Renekton's arms dropped slightly as the pressure vanished.
Karma tensed at once.
Her spiritual aura expanded around Renekton, but Taliyah could see the strain on her face. The Ascended's fury rushed back without the celestial power holding his body in place.
Renekton shifted one foot forward.
He tightened both hands around his weapon.
His eye moved toward Nasus.
...
"Still."
...
Azir spoke only one word.
Taliyah felt it in her chest.
It was the most commanding voice she had ever heard. There was no shout and no visible magic, yet the order carried the absolute certainty of law.
Renekton stopped.
He had not even completed the first movement of his attack.
His muscles remained tense, and fury still burned in his eye, but he did not advance.
Karma looked at Azir with mild surprise.
"This is much easier," she admitted.
Nasus inclined his head to her. "Thank you. Please continue."
"I will."
Renekton stared at Azir for several seconds. He then looked toward Nasus.
His expression was impossible for Taliyah to read. She saw rage, confusion, and perhaps a brief trace of recognition, but it disappeared too quickly to be certain.
Azir moved away from him. Nasus followed, and the two began speaking in low voices.
Taliyah assumed Nasus was explaining everything that had happened.
She turned to Sivir.
"Are you all right?"
Sivir flexed her clawed fingers.
"I... feel normal," Sivir said. "Better than normal, considering Xerath threw me through half the city."
She raised her strange hand.
"Except for this."
Taliyah leaned closer without touching it. "Do you feel a little Ascended?"
Sivir looked at her.
Then she laughed.
It was brief, but it broke some of the tension between them.
"No. I don't feel a little Ascended."
"You had claws, a tail, and enough power to fight Xerath in the sky."
"I noticed."
"You also roared."
Sivir's expression flattened.
Taliyah smiled.
Master Yi remained beside them, silent and watchful. His attention shifted between Renekton, Azir, and the distant ruins.
Azir and Nasus soon returned.
The emperor stopped before Sivir.
"Nasus has explained what happened," Azir said. "Have you decided what you will do?"
Sivir's amusement disappeared.
Azir continued before she could answer. "I will not force you to accept any position. The choice remains yours."
Sivir looked toward her clawed hand again.
"I lost the Chalicar."
"I am aware."
"It was entrusted to me, and Xerath took it."
Azir's expression remained calm. "I do not judge the outcome of a battle only by what was lost."
Sivir raised her eyes.
"Shurima may have gained the strength of two more Ascended," Azir said. "Renekton can perhaps be restored now that his madness is being restrained. You also came close to Ascension, and survived it."
He looked directly at her.
"You may possess that power again, provided you choose to pursue it."
Sivir remained silent.
Before she could respond, the atmosphere changed.
...
Master Yi's hand settled on the hilt of his sword.
"We should prepare ourselves," he said.
Taliyah looked at him. "For what?"
"Karma is occupied restraining Renekton. If this turns violent, she may be unable to intervene."
Taliyah followed his gaze.
A lone figure was approaching through the ruins.
He walked past broken walls, his pace was controlled, but nothing about his posture suggested peace.
Jax was staring directly at Azir.
Master Yi exhaled slowly.
"I hope the Icathian can maintain his composure."