Chapter 204: Shurima Gaiden 2: Kassadin the Voidwalker of Icathia
The story of the Void Prophet Malzahar is equivalent to an introduction. He is the pioneer of the Void in Runeterra.

The void never disappears.

People all know it, but seem to have ignored it. For thousands of years, the void has been sealed deep in the abyss of Icathia.

Until now.

But there are no gods in the world today.

Only mortals.

Putting aside the so-called talent of the Void Prophet, Malzahar is just a mortal who was tempted by the void. He was bewitched by the void and thought that the void could save him, but he didn't know that the void would bring real destruction.

But Malzahar today can no longer be called a human being. He was seduced by the void and spread the void in the world under the name of a prophet.

The mortals who bowed before Malzahar's gates and offered their treasures were unaware that they were actually worshiping a monster from the abyss.

And these monsters are slowly infiltrating from the seal that was created thousands of years ago, continuing to erode the land.

But now, this land can only be protected by mortals.

……

The god-warriors are gone, the darkin have long since abandoned their glory.

They also lost the will to unite under the Shuriman emperor and fight against the Void.

But as the seal was lifted over time, the Void Prophet Malzahar spread the temptation of the Void across the land.

This land can only be protected by the people who live on it.

The man who stood up was named Kassadin.

Kassadin started out as a lowly foundling, employed by caravans in the deserts of the Great Cyclades, protecting their precious cargo and acting as bait to lure away predators.

He had managed to cross the desert alive many times, so he was no longer just a bait, but gradually became a guide for the caravan.

Whenever someone who spoke a foreign language sought his assistance, they would say, "Kas-sai-a-deen?" which means "Who does the desert know?"

But their Shurima language was always unclear, so he was affectionately called Kassadin and became a sign in the alleys and markets of Beljung.

He spent years exploring the ancient ruins of his homeland, making his employers wealthy, but it wasn't until he participated in an excavation near Zerima that he found his own treasure - he fell in love with a woman from a desert tribe.

Kassadin didn't have the talent of Malzahar, he just wanted a better life. After saving up some money, he settled down in a small village in a rocky valley in the south with his wife and infant daughter.

He was often on the road, and often had to escort very valuable ancient relics to distant sponsors.

Yet, no matter where he travels, Kassadin always returns with tales of what he saw on the other side of the world.

On the way home from Piltover, Kassadin and his caravan companions were watering their livestock at an oasis. A group of terrified survivors stumbled out of the desert, saying that their homes had been devastated, as if the underworld had opened its mouth and swallowed everything. They barely escaped alive. Kassadin, worried about the safety of his wife and children, left the others behind and traveled day and night, almost tiring his mount to death. When he finally returned to the site where the village used to be, he found only quicksand and rubble. He dug in the ruins until his hands bled, and kept screaming the names of his wife and daughter, but no one responded. A few days later, Kassadin's companions caught up with him. At this time, he had completely collapsed, crying in a trance with empty eyes under the scorching sun.

They dragged him back to Zerima, but Kassadin refused to leave. In the following years, he drank and became a homeless vagrant... until rumors of the "prophet" began to spread in the town.

Kassadin was filled with fear at the tales of the unspeakable horrors that lurked deep beneath the earth, and at the sacrifices that had been made in their name. He knew the legends of ancient Icathia, and the fate that befell that cursed land—if the Void was deliberately led back to Shurima, it would most likely consume his village, and countless others. He also knew that few, if any, of the world could stand up to the Void.

At that moment, Kassadin vowed to avenge his wife and daughter. He wanted to destroy the "prophet" who was an accomplice to the evil, and at the same time eliminate the source of his dark power in one fell swoop.

His livelihood depended on finding safe paths through hostile places, so he decided to arm himself with the most mysterious and powerful weapons known to Valoran, incorporating original Zaun designs and blessing from Ionian soul healers.

He used all his connections, from archaeologists to petty thieves, to get what he wanted with their help. Many people said he was crazy, thinking that this would be the last time they saw this old friend alive - but Kassadin just thanked them for their concern and said goodbye to them. He would face the void alone.

Finally, he stole Horok's Void Blade!

Horok was his first declarative strike against the Master of the Void.

The name of Horok, a great warrior from the Ascended Corps, will live forever.

He is the pioneer of the hidden path, the only one who has followed the trail. He is the first of Horok who dares to turn away from the sun that gave him power, into the darkness, and face the void.

It was Horok who was the first to thrust the blade of the underworld into the vile heart of the void.

He could feel the chill of annihilation on the blade, but he had long since disregarded his own life and death, and in this kind of life he had nothing to lose.

Dressed in robes and dressed as a pilgrim, he had not set foot in this desolate land for more than a decade. Kassadin entered Icathia and was about to go to the forbidden land of mankind.

He is not the ascended hero of Shurima, not the god-warrior remembered in the grand halls of the ruined empire. In his life, he is just an ordinary man, a grieving father, and a child of the Great Sai.

But he will take revenge, even if it costs his life.

……

As Kassadin cuts a burning rift into the darkest place in the world, he knows his time is running out.

He was once a guide and adventurer in the Shurima region, and later chose to settle down among the peaceful tribes in southern Shurima - until that day, his village was swallowed by the Void.

Kassadin vowed revenge, and integrated many arcane artifacts and forbidden techniques to deal with the obstacles ahead.

Finally, Kassadin set out for the wastelands of Icathia, ready to face any creation of the Void and seek out the self-proclaimed prophet, Malzahar.

Kas-sai-a-deen. Who does the desert know?

The desert does not know the void, and you are not welcome here. In this ancient land of gods and men, you are lost.

But the desert recognized Kassadin because that was his name.

(End of this chapter)