Chapter 139 The past is a tapestry depicting the future

“I will rescue her,” said Nasus.

As the two men talked, Nasus's eyes were always fixed on the ascended descendant.

The bandaged woman limped over to the girl's side.

Although she was clearly in great pain, Nasus was still amazed at her will.

However, the ancient Shurima bloodline has always been like this, he just underestimated it.

"Who is Xerath?" she asked.

"An evil witch who knows everything about your life."

The woman nodded, then turned to Taliyah and placed a calloused hand on the girl’s shoulder.

"I owe you my life, but I never owe you a debt. So consider your promise fulfilled, and I'll do it myself from now on."

"That is Charikar. Its former master was named Setaka. She was the first war queen of the Ascended Lords. You should know what that meant in the past. I have gloriously accompanied Setaka in battle for three centuries. Her exploits have become legendary, but I don't think you know her name."

“Deal,” Sivir said gratefully, then turned back to face Nasus.

"You mean this?" Sivir interrupted him. "Some idiots don't like being rejected, so they left this as a reservation. Believe me, I've had worse and survived. I don't need any protection. God seems to have always taken care of me, no matter what I do."

"I want you to be alive."

"Who cares? It's mine now," said Sivir.

The girl's expression was obviously much more relaxed, but she was still hesitant.

"That's not what your wounds say. You've already—"

"Then I don't need your help."

She waved her hand, revealing a golden cross blade that gleamed coldly, with an emerald gem in the center. An ordinary mortal would not be able to wield this weapon easily, but she held it firmly in her hand.

“The future is not a scripture engraved on a stone tablet, but a river with many tributaries, whose riverbed can change course at any moment. Even those whose destiny has already been written in the stars will find, after letting it go, that the water of life has flowed into a dry and dead land.”

Pointing to Sivir's weapon, he asked, "Do you know who that knife once belonged to?"

"I appreciate it, but you can barely walk. At least let me get you out of town."

"Too many people have tried to save me lately. But they always want something else in return. So, be honest, big guy, what do you want?"

Nasus shook his head. How little mortals understood fate.

"The dead are gone," Sivir shrugged.

Nasus ignored Sivir’s cold dismissal of his sister at war and continued: “A desert ascetic once told her that one day a king from Shurima would rule the world. Those words made her think she was invincible, for we are the ones who will conquer the world. But she was struck down by the monsters on the eve of Icathia’s doom. I held her in my arms as her light faded, and I laid her to sleep in the sands. Her weapon lay at her chest.”

"If you're here to take it back, we'll be in big trouble." Nasus suddenly knelt on one knee and crossed his hands in front of his chest in a salute.

“You are the bearer of the Ascended bloodline. This weapon is destined to be yours, for the Blood of the Emperor flows through you. It has resurrected Azir and Shurima, and there must be great significance in that.”

"No, there's no point." Sivir said coldly: "I never asked Azir to save me. I don't owe him anything. I don't want to have anything to do with you or Xerath."

“It doesn’t matter what you think. Xerath will kill you whether you accept your fate or not. He came here to sever Azir’s bloodline once and for all.”

“What does Azir want with her?” Taliyah couldn’t help asking. “Now that he’s back, what does he plan to do? Will he make us slaves?”

"She has a lot of problems. A lot of problems," said Sivir.

Nasus hesitated.

"In truth, I don't know what Azir is planning. But knowing that he will fight Xerath is enough for me. Now, you can either submit to your death or consider fighting again later."

Sivir lifted up her clothes, revealing the bloody bandages, and forced a wry smile on her face. "I've never known what it means to be obedient, but now I don't have the capital to fight. Oh, I do have a pair of eyelids for fighting."

“You must stay alive.” Nasus stood up. “And be ready.”

"What are you going to do?" Sivir asked as she and Taliyah began to pack up their few belongings.

“Fight for Shurima. But we must go now. Xerath’s men are slaughtering every last one of Vekaura.”

"What's so special about this place?" Taliyah picked up her bag.

“They’re looking for her,” Nasus said.

Sivir's face froze for a moment, then she let out a long breath and asked, "Nasus, right? I heard stories about you when I was a child. Stories about battles, heroic wars, and the like. In the stories, it was said that you and your brother were the protectors of Shurima, right?"

“Indeed. Renekton and I have fought for Shurima for thousands of years.”

Sivir took a step forward, her face filled with proud determination, almost identical to the expression on Azir's face when he ignored thousands of years of tradition and ordered the priests to prepare the sun disc for his ascension.

"Then let's fight for Shurima now." Sivir's tone was as if he was a king. "While we are talking, the people of the desert are dying. If you are the hero I have heard about since I was a child, then your responsibility is to go out and save as many people as possible."

Nasus had not expected the conversation to take this turn, but Sivir's words of duty ignited a fire that had been dormant in his chest for years. He felt the rage coursing through his limbs, racing through his body. Only now did he understand what he had lost in his lonely wanderings since the fall of Shurima.

“I swear this.” Nasus pulled the pendant from around his neck. “If you leave now, I will fight to the death to save the people of Vekaura.”

The pendant was inlaid with a piece of jade, and the sea-green texture was strung with thin gold threads. A faint light shone through it, rising and falling slowly, like a heavy heart.

He handed it to Sivir and said, “Wear this, and Xerath won’t be able to find you. It will only last for a while, but it should be enough.”

“Enough for what?” Sivir asked.

“Enough for me to find you again,” Nasus said, turning and leaving.

(End of this chapter)