Icathia, once an independent and proud nation nestled in the southeastern corner of the Shuriman continent, was a land of prosperity and abundance. Now, it has become one of the most desolate and cursed regions in existence.
Though Shurima conquered it with brute force, for centuries afterward, humans, the long-lived three-fingered troll-like species, Vastaya, and Yordles coexisted in harmony.
But all of that was shattered by the catastrophic decisions of Icathia's ruling council.
A massive earthquake struck the coastal province of Saarabra, awakening a dark force long buried beneath the surface. Elemental mages who investigated the phenomenon were stunned to discover that this dark energy possessed power rivaling the god-warriors of the Shuriman Empire.
They named this force the "Void."
After much deliberation, the council decided to harness this power as a weapon against Shurima's oppression. They dispatched Icathia's finest warriors to safeguard samples of this abyssal force, containing it within a fragile prison of eternal elemental flames, known as the "Eternal Blaze."
For centuries, Icathia had petitioned the Ascended Warriors for the privilege of creating their own Ascended champions, even just one. Yet their requests were always ignored.
The elder generation, who had lived through Shurima's violent conquest, passed down their hatred of the empire to their descendants, fostering a deep disdain for the Ascended Warriors and contempt for the Emperor.
This cycle of bitterness did not go unnoticed. Shurima and its god-warriors understood Icathia's true ambitions, refusing every appeal without providing any explanation. The denial only fanned Icathia's growing resentment.
When the Void energy was finally transported to the Icathian capital, the ruling council crowned a new Mage-King and reformed the Kohari, a group of heroic defenders of Icathia and the Mage-King.
To the Icathian people, the Kohari held a status equal to Shurima's revered Ascended warriors.
With the nation united in fury, the council declared war on the Shuriman Empire. Though no nation allied with them, Icathia stood resolute.
In their first clash, the elite Kohari warriors succeeded in slaying an arrogant Ascended champion, igniting euphoria and rallying morale among their people.
But their victory was short-lived.
The mighty Ascended army descended upon Icathia, bolstered by the power of the Sun Disc, effortlessly overwhelming the border cities.
With the devastating force of their godlike might, the Ascended were poised to annihilate Icathia, just as they had done nearly a millennium ago. They would decimate the Mage-King, impale his remains on the city gates, and let them rot as a grim warning.
Three Ascended champions were dispatched, and under their relentless assault, Icathia's forces faltered and collapsed.
Desperate and unhinged, the ruling council ordered the release of the Void. Elemental mages unleashed the Eternal Blaze, allowing the imprisoned horrors to spill forth into the world.
In an instant, the Void consumed the land, ripping the earth apart and opening portals between the material world and the Void realm. The unleashed Void energy spawned countless monstrous creatures, voraciously devouring the vitality of the once-thriving Icathian soil.
Thus began the Void War, a conflict that would rage for centuries.
The leader of the Ascended, Valkyrie Ascendant Setaka, fell in battle, and thousands of god-warriors perished—nearly none survived.
If not for Horok's daring leap into the abyss, severing the Void Heart with the Blade of the Underworld and shutting the Void portals, even the Shuriman Empire might have been destroyed, leaving the world consumed by nothingness.
Li Lin stood on a small hill at the edge of Koharise, gazing into the distance. His view swept from the salt-crusted transition of the desert to the jagged chitinous formations that loomed like small mountains, finally settling on the stormy, thunder-ridden skies that had remained unchanged for millennia.
The entire region was shrouded in a gray, misty haze, with icy winds that seemed to pierce the soul. Deep chasms scarred the land, and here and there, massive footprints hinted at the presence of unfathomable horrors.
No living creature could survive in this corrupted land without preparation.
For Li Lin, this was the first time witnessing even a fragment of Icathia's dreadful landscape.
Kassadin was less than a kilometer away, still outside the Icathian boundary. This brought Li Lin some relief.
If something happened to Kassadin, he wouldn't know how to face Kai'Sa.
Taking a deep breath, Li Lin activated his propulsion engines and sped toward Kassadin.
[Oxygen levels detected to be gradually decreasing…]
[By the time you reach Mr. Kassadin's location, oxygen levels are expected to drop to 15.78%.]
[If you enter Icathian territory, oxygen levels will decline to 12.33%. This is an estimated average based on surrounding atmospheric conditions.]
[Unknown energy particles detected in Icathia's air composition. Potential effects on the human body cannot be determined.]
[Master, I recommend activating the internal oxygen circulation system.]
Li Lin frowned and switched his armor's breathing mode from filtration to internal circulation. Spotting a figure below, he descended quickly.
Kassadin was crouched behind a protruding chitinous formation, cutting away material with the Blade of the Underworld.
Alerted by the intelligent system in his armor, Kassadin glanced back before standing and turning around. "Li Lin?!" he exclaimed in surprise.
Li Lin waved with a smile. "Long time no see."
"What are you doing here?" Kassadin asked as he sheathed the Blade of the Underworld and dropped the chitin fragments, quickly approaching Li Lin. "And… you can really fly now?!"
Although Kai'Sa had told him about Li Lin's ability to fly, Kassadin, having grown familiar with advanced armors, could never quite imagine how such a heavy, energy-limited suit could achieve true flight.
Until now, he had assumed Li Lin used a form of gliding, fooling Kai'Sa into thinking he could fly.
But seeing it with his own eyes, Kassadin realized how wrong he had been.
"Actually, not long after we parted in Nashramae, I developed a flight system," Li Lin explained. "Back then, the armor couldn't leave Runeterra, but it could still reach altitudes of several tens of thousands of meters."
"Se-several tens of thousands… of meters?!" Kassadin stammered, utterly stunned, nearly at a loss for words.
Before long, however, Li Lin, with his wealth of life experience, quickly composed himself, easing his tense nerves. He decided not to dwell further on a topic he couldn't possibly comprehend at the moment.
"By the way, about Kai'Sa…" Kassadin hesitated, his words trailing off.
Although Li Lin couldn't see Kassadin's expression through the visor of his helmet, the slightly choked tone of his voice betrayed his emotions.
"Thank you. You really made it happen."
Li Lin understood that Kassadin was referring to the removal of Kai'Sa's Void shell. "Unfortunately, the situation is still far from optimistic."
Kassadin fell silent, letting out a deep sigh.
Kai'Sa had already told him about Bel'Veth and had warned him repeatedly to steer clear of the ruins of the city that had long been consumed by the Void.
That city wasn't far from Zoran, the so-called "utopian" city spoken of by the desert tribes.
However, anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Void would find the idea of Zoran—a city near Icathia—being some sort of idyllic paradise laughable.
The Exiles had once occupied this desolate region and even managed to open Void passages through the mountain range, enabling travel from Sai Kahleek to…
Well, if you didn't mind risking your life.
Bel'Veth lay on the southern side of the mountains, a port city at the other end of the Void corridor.
Kassadin had previously investigated Zoran and once considered venturing to Bel'Veth. Fortunately, Kai'Sa's timely warnings had dissuaded him from acting on that impulse.
After a brief silence, Li Lin broke the heavy atmosphere. "Weren't you planning to return to Vekaura to see Kai'Sa? Why the sudden detour?"
Kassadin hesitated for a couple of seconds, then spoke gravely. "That was my plan. But on the way back, I stumbled across a group of explorers in a tomb near Sai Kahleek. They claimed to be archaeologists from Piltover University."
Li Lin raised an eyebrow, letting out a faint hum of interest. "Hmm?"
The academy had recently dispatched only one archaeological team to Shurima—a team that included Ezreal's parents.
To think they had nearly perished in the ruins, only to be saved by Kassadin's timely intervention.
"Do you know them?" Kassadin asked.
"Possibly. There should be a professor or two among them that I've met."
"They're incredibly lucky. Venturing into ruins without hiring experienced local guides? You'll need to give them a stern warning if you encounter them again," Kassadin remarked.
He continued recounting his experiences: "Among the archaeologists, one mentioned encountering missionaries in Keneteth. Based on their description of the attire, it's highly likely they were members of Malzahar's Void cult."
Li Lin's expression grew serious. "Did you manage to learn Malzahar's whereabouts?"
Kassadin shook his head. "I wanted to go to Keneteth to track him down, but the archaeologists told me the city had already returned to Shuriman control. The missionary couldn't enter the city and only managed to buy a herd of dunehorn goats from the nomads before heading southeast."
He paused briefly, as if calculating something. "Hmm… Based on the timeline, I should cross paths with him today."
Li Lin remained silent for a moment before issuing a command. "AI, deploy drones to scan the area for life signs."
[Understood.]
To Kassadin's shock, nanomaterial shifted rapidly, and a dozen miniature drones detached from Li Lin's armor, ascending into the air and vanishing as they activated optical camouflage.
"This… This is…" Kassadin stammered.
"My latest nanotech invention," Li Lin replied with a smile. Extending his right hand, he released more nanobots, which quickly enveloped the unresisting Kassadin.
The nanobots seeped into the gaps and joints of Kassadin's outdated power armor, seamlessly integrating with it. In moments, they formed a new suit of Voidwalker nanotech armor that perfectly fit Kassadin, even securing the grip of his Nether Blade's hilt in his right hand. The appearance was nearly identical to his original armor.
Kassadin lifted his hand, stunned, inspecting his transformed armor. He glanced at the discarded remnants of his old gear nearby, his mouth opening and closing in silent astonishment. He had no idea what had just happened.
"Your Hextech power armor was far too outdated, so I made you a new one using the same technology as my own," Li Lin explained with a light chuckle. "I've named it Project Genesis: Voidwalker."
(End of Chapter)
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