hhhhhhhh

The first thing Irelia sees is blood. Blood everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, covering furniture, death's footsteps surrounding her and its deadly essence being trapped in the confines of her house. Her nose stings with the pungent smell of death, the metallic sting of blood.

Her eyes sting with tears, falling on her knees and heart hurting with sorrow, chest heaving for breath as she screams and wails.

Her magenta star shatters. Her soul falls in despair.

***

Her parents are buried in the backyard. It's a messy hole she's dug, but at least this is a proper burial unlike anything else she could've done at the moment. Irelia's arms hurt from the effort. She looks at them one final time, the soil embracing their cold bodies and letting them become one with it.

She felt like becoming one with the ground too. To be enveloped by the ground, to sink far deep inside. To be with them and be complete.

Irelia can't look at the grave anymore. The ground is already damp with the tears that flowed from her eyes.

Sniffling, she enters the house, having lost control of her body. Irelia feels like it's not her who is moving her body, maybe some cruel God of despair and death, maybe the First Star itself, the warm and bright embrace of the Light turning cold and dark. Just like what she felt. Helpless and in absolute despair.

Hands stained in blood and boots dirty with mud as well as blood, Irelia curls up into herself, bloodshot eyes looking at the darkness of her room's four walls.

A part of her is telling her that this isn't her fault, she's trying so desperately to convince herself that this isn't *her* fault, but another part seems to think differently. Her legs begin to turn into a dark purple shade of cosmic matter and darkness, the corruptive essence flowing like ink and shining like the starlit sky as it takes over her. It spreads, from ankles to calves and above her knees, as if the Darkness was trying to pull her in and destroy her completely. Tear her apart and return her back to the loving embrace of the First Star, where she chose to belong to.

The vibrant magenta of her stars is replaced with inkling like black spots, surrounding it and slowly turning it into a soulless void of black.

***

Kayn enters in a hurry. He had wanted to visit Irelia because she looked out of it today. Looked especially empty, like the shell of her former self.

Doesn't help he sees the blood, the proof of physical struggle, the shovel at the backyard.

"Irelia?" Kayn calls out. There's no response, except for muffled crying. He follows the sound of the crying, which leads to her room.

The door opens to reveal the sight of a curled up, nearly corrupted Irelia. The darkness had climbed up to her back now, exposed through her shirt, faded strings of space coming out from the deep void of the corruption like the small explosions surrounding the sun if you get closer.

"Irelia!" Kayn runs to her, hands immediately latching around her and holding her close. She's becoming cold, in comparison to his warmth. "What happened?"

"It's my fault, isn't it?" She asks, her voice cracking. He wipes her tears with a finger but she looks absolutely devastated and like she's been crying for hours. "It's my fault. I couldn't even save them a-and now - now they're dead! My- my family is dead, Kayn."

She sobs, struggling to keep her eyes open. The light in her stars is beginning to progressively fade into darkness, the smallest hints of magenta poking through like light trying to burst out through a cloud, but it fails miserably.

"It isn't your fault, Irel," He breathed out, stroking her head. The corruption was beginning to climb up her neck, looking like a crack contrasting on her skin revealing the dark and vast space. "It's not your fault. It could never be. You tried so hard and I'm so proud of you."

Irelia had completely collapsed on his chest, looking up to him, speaking in a weak voice. "You... are?" She asked, sounding like she was underwater, struggling for breath, struggling for life. He nods and all she can do is shove her head on his chest, crying and repeatedly thanking him.

They stay like that for what seems like hours. His strong hand pets her clothed back and her cries are eventually silenced, until she's calm. But her light fades and keeps fading, fades into obscurity and the cold void of the space, until her soul will become one with the First Star.

He decides to go for it.

"I want to tell you something..." He begins, silent and solemn. Irelia looks up to him, the corruption having taken nearly all of her, growing closer now to her eye. Kayn's bigger hand cups her face in it. "Irelia, you're so brave and strong and beautiful and... I..."

A beat passes. Her weak heart goes faster.

"I love you."

Her eyes widen in mostly shock, the corruption appearantly regressing backwards as she blinks dumbly. "R-Really?!" She stuttered, the regression having gone down to her neck.

"Yeah," He responds. "I always watched you when you cheered for Valoran High. You were so energetic and pretty. When you joined the team, I admired you and... I didn't know how to tell you. I was just shy, I g-" Kayn doesn't get to complete his sentence because she puts her lips on his and they share a kiss under the stars and the moon. It's pretty romantic and he holds her close, placing his forehead on hers.

The darkness in her emblems fades away. The bright magenta is restored again, like light poking out through the darkness, until it takes over completely.

***

The last void beast falls to its death, oozing green... blood from what it seems like, its multiple eyes gazing into the Void, a glazed and dead look on them.

"Good job today, guys!" Irelia said cheerfully to the rest of their team, her blades surrounding her. They all go to their homes, but Kayn and Irelia stay back.

"You did well today, Kayn." Irelia said, holding Kayn's hand. Her softer palm against his calloused one.

"You too, Irel," He smiled at her. The view of Valoran from this cliff was beautiful and picturesque. The night lights of Valoran were lambent and prominent against the darkness. Lively. It made them never want to leave here. People were sleeping soundly and the Star Guardians protected them from the void beasts.

Their shared smiles were followed by a chaste kiss, two Guardians living and fighting for exactly what was observing them in this moment.

The First Star.

END