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The capital of Demacia.
Inside the Crownguard family mansion.
A young, beautiful girl sat at a desk, writing in a book with a quill pen.
Her long blonde hair, still slightly damp from a recent bath, clung gently to her delicate skin.
Draped in loungewear woven from fine Freljordian ice silk, she wore a handmade headband—an elegant piece crafted in Piltover.
Luxanna Crownguard, the eldest daughter of one of Demacia's most prominent noble families, should have been living a carefree life.
She was young, privileged, and surrounded by luxury.
But right now, her expression was filled with worry.
Is my brother really in danger?
She carefully penned the thought into what looked like a diary.
Oddly, each line she wrote slowly faded after a few seconds, as if being read by invisible eyes.
[Garen, has suffered great setbacks in the war with Noxus, he is beginning to understand the true power of magic...]
"The power of magic..." Lux whispered, sighing, the unease on her face deepening.
She held a secret known only to herself and the mysterious book before her.
She was a mage.
Born into a land where magic was feared and outlawed, Lux had discovered her powers early.
And she had kept them hidden ever since.
Was Garen defeated by a mage?
She dipped her quill again and continued writing.
The book had been a gift, though perhaps fate had delivered it.
She'd encountered a wandering mage by chance and acquired this enchanted tome through him.
It housed a gentle, erudite soul, a spirit who had offered her comfort, guidance, and a way to better understand the power within her.
She had never feared the book. It felt... kind. Familiar.
Over time, she'd come to trust it, even confide in it.
Though she'd never admitted it aloud, she longed for the spirit inside to become her teacher.
Words began to form on the page, written by the soul within:
[I saw both light and darkness in the sky. Your brother fought to survive between them.]
Lux's eyes lit up. "A clash of powerful individuals... I wonder how I would compare to them."
The spirit had often told her that her magical talent was extraordinary, second only to one person it had met in its long existence.
Over the past few years, she had secretly practiced many useful spells. But one fear remained: exposure.
She couldn't reveal her identity—not in Demacia.
To do so would mean exile or worse, punishment from the Seekers.
That fear haunted her dreams. She often woke in a cold sweat, heart racing, imagining armored men dragging her away.
Learning self-protection spells had brought her some peace, but the fear never truly left.
[One of the combatants was once called a god,] the book wrote.
Lux's hand trembled slightly as she dipped her quill again.
"God? Is my brother alright?"
[The battle has ended. He is alive—but not unscathed.]
"He's always been strong," she whispered.
"He's suffered many setbacks since we were young. He'll recover."
She tilted her head, thinking deeply, the quill dancing across the page in slow, thoughtful strokes.
Then, after a long pause, she couldn't hold back anymore.
Her hand moved hesitantly, and she wrote:
"Is there anything I can do to help him... and the family?"
Lux wrote carefully, her heart heavy.
The magic book responded, like a patient and wise mentor who had guided her through countless internal conflicts.
[Great changes are coming to Demacia, especially in how people view magic. Could you take the first step? Speak up for those who don't fear magic.]
"Me? No way... I'm not like my brother..." Lux's expression turned conflicted.
Her brother, Garen, was brave and honorable—but not politically minded.
Aunt Tiana had often spoken to her about the family's future and its role in Demacia.
Lux understood what her aunt meant. Garen was a soldier, a protector.
But the family also needed someone in the capital who understood nuance, diplomacy, and could speak to the people's hearts.
In the previous generation, their mother, Augatha, had managed the household, while Tiana had represented the family publicly.
Lux had always known she had two paths: to inherit leadership of the Crownguard family or to marry into the Lightshield family.
She had leaned toward the latter. She didn't think she was wiser than her mother or stronger than her brother.
But now...
Now it felt like a third path was forming before her—one that let her be more than a name, more than a role assigned to her.
She wasn't sure where it led. But something about it stirred her deeply.
'I'm a mage… I'm afraid,' she admitted, the words inked with trembling hands.
The Mageseekers haunted her dreams.
[You don't need to reveal who you are. Just be the voice of a new idea within the Crownguard family. Your brother stands for duty. Let the sister stand for compassion.]
"Kindness... Am I really that?" Lux whispered.
Her mind drifted to a memory. One she couldn't forget.
She'd been traveling outside the city with the Crownguard convoy when they encountered Mageseekers, led by her uncle.
They were escorting a battered child toward the border.
The child had done nothing wrong—only born with magic.
Lux had sat quietly as the boy was struck and abused, saying nothing, doing nothing.
She watched as he was taken away, too afraid to act.
[Remember the kindness in your heart. Don't grow numb, even if you've seen too many tragedies.]
The book's words appeared again, and her vision blurred with tears.
It wasn't the first time the book had written this to her, but every time, it hit differently. Now, its weight settled on her chest like armor, which was heavy and binding.
She struggled to breathe. Inhaled. Exhaled. Over and over. Trying not to let the tears fall.
She wanted to help. She wanted to stop the Mageseekers.
But she didn't know how. She was terrified that one day, they would come for her—that they would storm into her family's home and drag her away in chains.
She couldn't even speak up for others, despite her privilege.
A word from her could have eased their pain. Her uncle might have hesitated—at least shown restraint.
[Shadow follows the light.]
Four golden words appeared on the page.
Lux read the phrase silently. She felt she understood it, but at the same time, it left her unsettled.
She had turned away from the light once, hiding in fear. Was she now walking into darkness?
"Shadows can't exist without the light," she murmured, wiping tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief.
But something had shifted in her.
Her magic came from light.
But she knew she could never fully embrace what Demacia called light.
Still, she had made a decision.
If saving others meant becoming a shadow, then so be it.
She had once chosen silence.
But if Demacia was truly changing, could she be part of that change?
Then this time, she wouldn't run.
"I'll fight for them. I'll fight for my brother. For my family. But how? What should I do?"
The reply came quickly:
[Trust your aunt. She's been preparing for this.]
"Aunt Tiana..." Lux whispered.
She looked out the window at the sky, eyes catching the last light of the fading day. A spark of resolve ignited within her.
She dressed in formal attire and carefully composed herself.
Then, picking up the candlestick on her table, she stepped forward into the hallway—each footstep deliberate, steady.
She wasn't just the daughter of the Crownguard family anymore.
She was ready to choose her path.