Our Traveling Aid Caravan begins its journey across the land. The Winter was harsh this year. Leaving us with both, good and bad news... Good news is, the fighting had died down. The bad news is. It took its price. Because the Temple had already mobilized Vona and her party for us, the new orders are to check the damage done... Apparently, there have been some reports about soldiers going rogue and attacking settlements. I find it hard to believe. No Noxian would be that stupid. Then again... I can't shake the nasty feeling about what Ira said... We zig zag across, bouncing from place to place, helping people along the way... I crumple up the letter again. I can't find the words... It's been too long... I curl up again and try to sleep some.

“Where are we now?” I ask Ira again.

“Somewhere in the South...” He answers. South? For the first time in days I take a good look around. I know these parts!

“Era, forward please. I need to talk to her.”

“Sure.” Emerald catches up with the front of the carriage in a few easy steps.

“What is it?” Vona’s quick, as always.

“I’d like permission to take a detour by myself. We’re close to my village. I’d like to check in on my people. If you’d allow it.”

“I’ll go with him.” Ira parks himself next to Era and me.

“Do as you please.” Vona doesn’t even look at us. She’s been stand-offish ever since that night… Can't blame her, I was out of line... Not that I planned it...

“Thank you.” I nod and we take off. Era’s quick to navigate the woods. To my surprise Ira’s Celodian isn’t slowing down either. It doesn't take us long to reach the outskirts of my village.

“I'll leave Era here.”

“Why?”

“Well, nobody besides my Parents really seen her, you know, I'd rather not scare the villagers.” I say and jump of Era.

“Wait here, ok?”

“Sure.” She growls inside my head.

“Good girl.” I pat her.

“Shall I leave my mount here too?”

“Nah, you're good.” I wave to Ira and his Celodian, but he gets off and walks still. I get a little bit anxious as I make my way toward my home. I knock on the door. No answer. I open it. We walk inside.

“Looks like nobody has been here in quite some time.”

“Well shoot. Maybe they are out selling?” I look around. Something feels off. Why's the workshop locked? I step back outside. I hear a gasp and turn around.

“Wykren? It's you, isn't it?” The Healer-lady comes over closer to me.

“Oh, hello there.” I nod. “Say, have my Parents been gone for long now? The place looks awful.” I turn back to her. She takes me by the hand and leads me behind the house. Ira notices us just in time and follows us.

“What's going on?” I ask the lady as she drags me. She stops and I stare at a tree in our back yard...

“No.” I crash to my knees. “No. No. Don't... Don't... Why! HOW!”

“There was a raid... It was the dead of winter... Our whole village got ravaged... Your Parents... Hyra and Wolken, they... They fought back. They... We tried... There were too many of them... By the time it had ended, half of us were dead, the rest too injured... We... We barely survived the rest of...”

“The first snow set in too early. Our forces, as well as the enemy's, had scattered because of it... Wykren and I were among the few that were lucky enough to survive.” I hear Ira speak behind me... “They were too deep inland. The Balli are not used to the cold... It set them off... We're sorry we failed to protect the people here...”

“We understand... Our losses are nothing compared to what you go through...” The voices behind me drown out... I knew it... I knew it all along that something happened... I just... I didn't want to...

"I found this when cleaning the house..." A letter comes into my eye sight. I stare at it. My hands take it and open it.

“Our Dearest Boy,

If you are reading this, then it must mean that we failed to protect you from our faith... It also means that we failed to remaster ourselves as well.

The truth is, we tried long and hard to ignore our nature. Well, it was easy at first, especially with you along the way. You were the most adorable thing we've seen!” A tear drop soaks into the paper... I breathe in and continue reading...

“We were overjoyed to welcome you into this world! Seeing the tiny and weak you made us reconsider our way of life. Oh, but don't fret! We are plenty happy! To have you and each other. The thing is, we, too, were fighters once. We too battled. But. We stopped. We put our weapons down and picked up the crafting tools instead. After everything that we've experienced, we wanted nothing more than a plain and a boring life. So, we cut our wings off... Of course, that did not mean that you were born flightless...” My body quivers… I force myself to continue reading.

“Watching you grow and fidget with our routine lives, made us realize that one day soon, we'll have to let you fly... This life was our dream. Not yours. It's ok. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Dear. To be honest, we too found it to be too boring but we fought against it to the best of our abilities... I'm sad to say that we failed miserably.” I can hear Mom’s sigh as she says it... A breath with a smile escapes me for a heartbeat…

“Wolken always complained about your curiosity, he kept saying that you got it from me… I always nagged him about your painfully obvious skills for combat that you got from him... He never admitted but it made him outrageously happy. You are our son after all.” Somehow a smile breaks through me…

“There is no changing your nature. No matter how much one tries… There was no way to ignore it any longer... Our wings grew back. There is no such a thing as a former fighter either. Once a warrior, always a warrior. It becomes part of you. It runs in your blood. Once you learn them, there is no un-learning those patterns... You just end up putting all those skills and knowledge on the side till you need them once again. Oh, but don't worry, sweet child, we knew that sooner or later, this will come to pass. Perhaps our luck will have it so that you, won’t have to witness it… We…” I can’t bear the pain…

“We hope that you will never know what kind of a burden it is. If we can wish for something, then it would be for you to live your life so you would stay true to yourself, and would never have to poison yourself with lies that one tells oneself. If you need to trick yourself into living a certain way, then it probably is not it. We wanted what’s best for you because we believed it was our responsibility to shield you… In the end it only backfired… We have no-one but ourselves to blame, hoping you’ll find it in your heart, to forgive us one day, for lying to you…” I hold my breath…

“We leave this letter with heavy hearts, hoping wishfully that you won't ever have to see it. Yet at the same time we are filled with pride and joy to have known you as our son and to have you inherit our spirit. Even if we wished a different path for you, we can't help but feel proud. Always remember that, honey. No matter where you are or what you do.

Children are not supposed to live out their parents’ dreams, their purpose in life is to find their own dreams.

So fly, our little one, let your wings take you into the tomorrow.

May the stars shine upon you... Until we meet again...

Love you deeply,

Mom and Dad.”

I finish reading the letter... My tears have soaked through the paper and the ink... Smudging half of the words... It hurts... It hurts sooo much... Their Lector stone hangs of a branch. I reach for it and my fingertip brushes against the smooth surface.

“They were holding on to that when they died...” I hear the woman tell me... I... Tears stream down my face. My chest aches. I gasp for air. My head pounds. Blood rushes through me, drowning out the sound of the world around me. I scream out. The pain floods me. It spills out of my body like a raging river. I scream. I clench my fists and scream. How... How am I... What can I... Sorry is not... My screams stop. I stare into nothing in front of me... I will never see them again... I will never hold them again... They will never call my name again... What punishment is this? What have I done... I clench the paper and stand up.

“Where are you going? Hey! Wykren!” Ira grabs me by the shoulder. I shake him off. He tries again. We grab each other by the collars.

“Don't get in my way!” I growl at him.

“What way is that, exactly!” He holds my glare. “What do you think you'll be doing! Where will you go!”

“To kill the bastards!”

“Which ones! Like you have any idea where to find them! Or who they are!”

“Doesn't matter!”

“Of course it does!” Ira shouts in my face. “You can't go off killing people at random!”

“Easy for you to say! You were never loved in the first place!”

“Nobody knows that better than me! But it doesn't mean that I'll let you get yourself killed!” Ira persists to hold on to me. I snap and we struggle. We fight each other.

“Get out of my way!” I yell at him as I hammer in my punches. Ira guards himself well. I throw a kick. He catches my leg and throws me down. I scramble to my feet and get tackled.

“You FOOL!” A loud growl echoes inside my mind. “Have you no respect for the dead! Let their spirits rest in peace!” Era growls in my face.

“Get off me!!” I scream back.

“NO! Your mother asked me to look after you and that's exactly what I'll do!! You will not insult her wishes!! I will not let you!! Boy, you will stay put or I will rip your throat out!!” Emerald presses her claws down harder into my arms. Her eyes are roaring with fiery anger. I try to move but her clutches only tighten more. “I already let you run off alone once! I won't let you do it again!!” I turn away from her and stare into the tree that marks my Parents’ grave...

“It hurts too much...” I whisper.

“Embrace the pain. Use it to walk forward. Killing only lets you move backward...” Era's grip softens. She steps back. I feel another wave flood me and cover my eyes with my arm. I scream out into the sky...

We stay at the village for a few days. The Cleanser and the rest of the party have joined up with us. Not much could have been done to aid the villagers at this point. Only a handful have survived… They were offered to come along, to leave this place, but they refused. In the honor of Wolken and Hyra, who died protecting this place, they chose to stay. I cannot help but feel bitterness at the bottom of my stomach… If had stayed? Could I have stopped their deaths? Was it the right choice? To go after Ren? If I had ignored Hyra that night… I lay by their Tree. Do I have the right to stay by his side? Would they wish for that? If I said I was sorry for leaving them behind, would they forgive me? But if I had stayed… If I had turned away from Hyra? Would she have gone after Ren herself? Would Wolken have gone with her? Probably so… Then… Everyone here would have been killed… I gaze upon the tiny Tree… There is no right answer, is there, Hyra?

I stake Devona out a few days after we leave my village… I wait for my chance, hiding amongst the trees and the night’s darkness. The pain hasn’t subsided yet, I know I’m not exactly thinking straight… But… I need to know… I grab her and pin her to the tree.

“Get of me!”

“Did you lie to me.” I growl.

“What?”

“Did. You. Lie. To me.”

“What are you talking about?” Devona struggles. I don’t let up.

“I’m talking about what happened to my village and my Parents!” I growl again. “DID YOU KNOW AND LIE TO ME! YOU WERE THE ONE TO TELL ME THERE WERE NO REPORTS!!”

“I DIDN’T LIE!! I DIDN’T KNOW!! THERE WERE NO REPORTS!! I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED EVER SINCE IRA BROUGHT US THERE!!” She breaks free of my grip. “I have no reason to lie to you.” She walks away from me… I punch the tree.

“Damn it! Ira was right…”

“You don’t know that.” A voice tells me from the side. I swing into the night. “Over here.” Ira steps out from the shadows.

“How long you’ve been there.” I sit down by the tree.

“Long enough to witness you almost, assaulting a Templeatte…” He sits down on the side of the same tree. “We can’t say for certain that a separate attack was launch here at the same time while we were busy up North.”

“Then what else could it have been?”

“Troops from the border? Reinforcements that got lost? With the Winter as it was… I mean. It snowed just last night too and it’s been a month of Spring already…”

“I knew it… I knew something was wrong… Last I spoke with them was right before we got attacked… I barely got to hear her voice… Whishing me luck… Worrying about something you can't touch won't do you any favors... That's what they always told me... I… It… I can't even tell when it... I didn't want to dwell on it...” I break apart again… I hate myself so much...

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Is everything that Ira manages to whisper back…