Chapter (16):cursed promise part 3
In the castle of Seeker Lissandra...
The present Lissandra was watching the past Lissandra as she listened to reports from one of her followers.
"So, my sisters have abandoned their pride and asked Ornn to forge a pit for the Watchers?"
"Yes, my lady."
"I see. You may leave."
"As you command," the guard spoke before departing.
When the follower left, the past Lissandra walked outside and gazed at the sky. The present Lissandra followed her and looked at what she was seeing in the sky—a sight so rare it might never be seen again.
In the sky, she saw a multicolored aurora, an entire flock of dragons soaring, and countless spiritual beings manifested from magic—some resembling giant elk walking through the snow. In the distance, the silhouettes of the ancient gods of Freljord moved quietly along the horizon.
There were also cracks in the sky like shattered mirrors, from which multicolored orbs of light emerged. These were formless spiritual beings made of magical light, floating like luminous decorations across Freljord's night sky.
This was Freljord in the past, where many gods and spiritual beings manifested physically, a time when magic in Runeterra was at its peak. To her—or to some mages and shamans—Freljord was the center of magic.
But for the Freljordians living there, it was more like hell—a daily struggle for survival. On top of that, trolls and unholy creatures attacked them in bizarre ways, and the harsh winters brought famine, forcing them into near-constant warfare.
"Soon... a battle will erupt. A battle they will lose. And I will show them... the greatness of the Watchers," muttered the past Lissandra as she stared at the sky.
"At this point, I started getting frustrated with this... Just one more rift, and I'll be done with all this and reach him?" the present Lissandra spoke, looking around before noticing a nearby rift and heading toward it. "Finally."
Lissandra found herself in another place—it seemed she had returned to her castle, but in the past. She began hearing distant screams and wails and moved toward them, witnessing a horrifying yet familiar scene.
There were many warriors in blue archer cloaks, others riding war beasts, fighting against shamans and warriors in buffalo helmets. Among them, Lissandra was experimenting on the shamans. Behind the group of shamans stood figures in black robes muttering strange incantations toward a black stone glowing with dark purple and blue hues.
Lissandra approached the battlefield. Nothing could touch her—neither swords nor arrows—not because she dodged, but because she didn't belong here. She was an intruder, invisible and intangible to everyone, like a ghost. She observed the battle and remembered what had happened.
"Oh yes, I remember now. This was the battle that revealed everything... the battle that exposed—"
"Seeker Lissandra!!!"
The present Lissandra's thoughts were cut off as she turned toward the voice, her eyes widening slightly in tension.
Serylda and Avarosa were glaring furiously at the past Lissandra, who was momentarily stunned by their shouts but had prepared for this. All the warriors stepped back, stopping their fight to watch the three blue-skinned sisters exchange angry, tense stares.
"Your time is up. Stop this now, or we will both kill you," Avarosa declared.
"Would you really kill your own sister over your primitive fears?" the past Lissandra retorted.
"Sister Serylda, have you truly become afraid of change?"
"Stop..." Avarosa muttered.
"Remember, Serylda, who supported you when you were young. You too, Avarosa. Remember who—"
"I said STOP, you deceiver!" Avarosa screamed in rage.
"What?" Lissandra stammered in confusion.
"Lissandra! You wretched creature! I've known for a long time that you were no longer my sister after you met the Watchers!"
"What in the world are you talking about?!" Lissandra denied.
"I know, Lissandra! I know that on the day you spoke with the Watchers, you saw who would stand by your side in reality. You even leaked our locations to our enemies just to make us desperate enough to agree to the Watchers' deal!"
"I know you didn't do this just for the Watchers—but for yourself! When Volibear blinded you, you decided to make us suffer so you could become an Iceborn!"
As Avarosa screamed this, the past Lissandra fell silent in horror at the realization.
"That's not true—"
"My sister Serylda discovered what you did! Your men attacked her, and she fell silent because of you! You are no longer our sister. You've become a monster that worships those things!" Avarosa shouted, and Serylda nodded in agreement.
"What? That's not true! Sister Serylda, I can explain—"
"Silence!" Serylda shrieked.
"Becse yu.....a a I becme lik....tht!" Serylda spoke, blood dripping from her mouth.
"No... I—" Lissandra was stunned.
"We have nothing left to discuss!" Avarosa declared.
"Winter's Claw! Avarosians!" Avarosa roared, and all the warriors loyal to the two sisters raised their heads in agreement.
"Charge!"
The two tribes rushed toward Lissandra with greater force than before. However, the shamans had time to cast their spells due to the sisters' argument. They unleashed curses of various kinds, aiming to kill as many enemies as possible.
The warriors raised their shields, enduring the backlash of the magical attacks, and were forced to retreat. Unlucky ones, like archers and beast riders, fell victim to the spells. But this was only one group—many warriors still charged, slaughtering Lissandra's followers one after another. Arrows rained deep into the fortress, while shamans cast spells to block their advance. The riders swept through with their weapons, cutting down warriors. Amidst all this, a devastating battle had only just begun.
Avarosa drew her arrow and fired it into the air. As it soared, the arrow multiplied into dozens of icy arrows, raining down in an instant.
Serylda struck first, lashing her whip toward Lissandra in fury. When it hit the ground, ice spears erupted, racing toward Lissandra at terrifying speed. Lissandra used her ice magic to block the attack, but—
Avarosa drew another arrow and fired it upward. It split into countless icy arrows, showering the battlefield.
"Gah! Sisters! Remember our conquests! Remember how many victories we achieved with the Watchers' power!" Lissandra cried in desperation.
"Silence!" Avarosa screamed.
Serylda whipped her weapon toward Lissandra with full force. Lissandra quickly formed a dark ice barrier, but Serylda shattered it effortlessly. Lissandra barely dodged the strike and hurled ice crystals at them, which they easily avoided, forcing them back slightly.
"Remember the conquest of Winter's Grasp! Remember how we forced them to submit! Remember who gave you that power—the power to face a powerful shaman like me!"
"I told you to SHUT UP!"
Serylda lunged, using her spikes to hurl a massive ice chunk at Lissandra. Lissandra destroyed it with a spell, but behind it, Avarosa appeared, firing multiple arrows. Lissandra formed an ice dome, shielding herself from most of the attacks.
When one arrow grazed her, Lissandra cast a wind spell, sending Avarosa flying back. However, Avarosa fired ice arrows mid-air, anchoring herself to a cliff. Meanwhile, Serylda attacked again, forcing Lissandra to retreat.
"Tell me, why are you so insistent on preventing change for the better in Freljord?"
"Then you tell me—what's the point of life if we spend the rest of it in slavery? You, of all people, who hate being subjugated—why did you bow to the Watchers?!"
Lissandra fell silent, unsure how to respond. Avarosa seized the moment, firing an arrow that struck Lissandra's knee, forcing her down. The two sisters pointed their weapons at her.
"It's over. You've lost."
"Yes... I know. I know I can't defeat you in a fight."
"If you knew the outcome, why bother fighting us? I know you're clever, but you're not known for fighting alone."
"Because I was buying time," Lissandra said.
The moment she finished speaking, a pillar of violet light erupted from the black stone.
"What?! Lissandra, what have you done?!" Avarosa screamed.
"This stone will open a rift to their world—to the Watchers' realm. They will come, and you will witness their greatness!"
"You damned— Serylda, prepare to—"
In the next instant, a violet dome engulfed the battlefield, freezing everything in time. For a moment, centuries seemed to pass, though only seconds had gone by. Suddenly, everyone felt an indescribable heat and pain—not a scream-inducing agony, but a new kind of torment.
"What—what's happening?!"
The atmosphere around the castle shifted. The battlefield was covered in purple mist, and grotesque, shape-shifting creatures crawled from beneath the earth, attacking everything in their path. The battle halted as warriors were overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught.
But what truly stunned the sisters wasn't the creatures—it was what emerged from the mist.
From within the fog, a massive, formless entity appeared, its only distinct feature a single hate-filled blue eye. In seconds, its shape twisted grotesquely—now resembling a shaman's garb, with multiple arms ending in sharp claws. Its blue eye was surrounded by black tendrils like an octopus, and it wore a crown—not crafted, but part of its very body. The crown bore the head of an old, frozen figure, as if someone had mounted it there.
(Note: search The watchers from legends of runeterra)
The moment they appeared, nearly everyone froze in terror. Lissandra, tense and horrified, approached them.
"The Watchers?"
"Yes... Yes... You've done well well. Now, we begin our task of salvation."
"Ah... So you're truly going to—"
Before she could finish, the Watchers moved their arms, unleashing devastating magic upon everyone—allies and enemies alike. Even creatures of their own kind were slaughtered without remorse.
"Wait, what are you doing?!" Lissandra screamed in shock.
"We are granting this world the salvation it deserves ,deserves."
"But you... You promised me! You promised not to invade Freljord!"
One of the Watchers turned to her, using its magic to show her its vision of salvation.
The next thing the past Lissandra saw was her world in ruins—a dead land filled with horrifying Voidborn creatures, devoid of life. Freljord, the land of harsh snow, had become a wasteland of purple flames and volcanoes, with no trace of ice or life. Then, she understood the Watchers' true, terrifying goal.
They had indeed promised not to invade Freljord... because their goal was never conquest in the first place. Their purpose in coming to this world was for one thing only—the complete annihilation of all life in Runeterra.
And in that moment, she realized how foolish she had been... how reckless and impulsive. She had opened the door to the world's end with her own hands.
Lissandra fell to her knees, weeping behind her mask at the consequences of her choices. She watched as Avarosa and Serylda fought back, but it was futile—their enemies were beyond defeat. She knew they were immortal, unkillable.
Yet, in that moment of despair, an idea struck her—a fleeting hope, but enough for her.
She formed an incantation between her hands, preparing to cast the most forbidden and dangerous spell in Freljord—one punishable by immediate execution for its use. Translucent, spectral hands spread across the battlefield, reaching for the Iceborn.
???
When one of those hands touched an Iceborn, their body began melting into liquid ice.
"WarMother! We're MELTING?!?! HELP US!"
"Nooo! My hands! My hands are disappearing!"
"WarMother! WarMother! WarMother! WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WarMother!WarMother! WARMOTHER!"
Help us! HELP! PLEAse help! STOP IT! Please stop! I still want to fight! Stop it! I don't want to end like this! I want to die a WARRIOR! PLEASE!"
All of them dissolved into masses of liquid ice, floating in the air.
Lissandra ignored their screams, gritted her teeth, and redirected the liquid ice toward the Watchers with a cold expression.
"Well done, Frost Child. Now, we shall—"
"Zyra Dern, Basana Oghshana!"
The liquid ice surged toward the Watchers, who were momentarily caught off guard. They assumed she was aiding them, but the opposite became clear as she took control.
"Foolish creature of a flawed world... freezing us will not stop us. We will return and finish what we started."
When it was over, the battlefield was empty—save for massive ice pillars imprisoning the Watchers. The past Lissandra could only kneel in defeat.
The present Lissandra looked at her with sorrow, but before she could act, the ground cracked, and she found herself in a dark, cold place filled with white mist.
"What is this place?"
There... was a crying child—a blind girl with white hair. Lissandra looked at her in silent realization.
This wasn't a memory or her past. This was who she truly was. Lissandra was no leader or tyrant—just a frightened girl trying to survive in a cruel world.
But as she pondered her fate, a hand burst from the ground, gripping her with hate-filled intent. A Watcher—not a memory, but the real one—emerged, choking her with its massive hand as it opened its maw hungrily.
"So... are you done, old one? Are you done making me see my mistakes? If you hoped to make me despair and surrender, let me tell you—you're a fool. Nothing will change. What's done cannot be undone, and I won't hesitate to repeat it if necessary."
As Lissandra finished speaking, the Watcher devoured her, swallowing her whole. She fell into a deep abyss, but as she did, she formed a spell in her hands. Light erupted, turning everything white.
*(Gasp!)*
Lissandra looked around and saw the Watchers still imprisoned. Behind her, a Darklorn Inquisitor stood with a worried expression.
"My lady, are you alright? We felt tremors underground and rushed here. Is everything under control?"
"Yeah... yeah, everything is fine."
"Inform the High Darklorn that everything is settled. You may return now."
"Understood!" They all bowed and left.
After they departed, Lissandra sat on her icy throne, her expression defeated as she rested her head on her hand.
"I know there's no salvation for me. I know I'll be cursed throughout history. But if it means saving Freljord, I won't mind being a tyrant. I won't hesitate to be ruthless. I'll do whatever is necessary this time. As I said—what's done cannot be undone... but the present can still be changed."
"No matter the sacrifices required."