Chapter 207: Kaisha's Story (2)

The ground beneath Kai'Sa's feet suddenly exploded, and she was thrown into the air. Kai'Sa turned toward the storm, one hand blocking her broken ribs. At the same time, she adjusted her posture, folding the pods on her shoulders in front of her, and positioning them like a battering ram. If her opponent was planning to close the distance like this, they would be making a big mistake.

Something wrapped around her pod and wrists and yanked her to the ground, her ribs burning, and she landed headfirst, cracking her helmet.

She stood up and pulled her wrists free. A red scarf fell off, with pebbles embedded in it. She growled and lit her hands.

But when she saw the girl's face full of surprise and fear, she stopped. Although so many years have passed, every time someone looks at her as if she were a monster, it reminds her of her childhood.

Stay strong, Kai'Sa. She raised her hands again, ready to attack.

"Are you human?"

Kasha realized that she was looking at the girl through the slit in her helmet. That was it.

"You... can see me?" It's the same. Humans are always afraid of her, even if they know she is one of their own kind. But the girl's expression gave Kassa a glimmer of unrealistic hope. Maybe this time is different. Kassa carefully let the helmet fall back, revealing her complete face.

The girl's legs went limp and she knelt on the ground. Kasha felt her throat tighten. "I'm sorry," the girl said, "I thought you were--"

"monster?"

"Uh, yes." The girl pointed to the Great Rift Valley. "It's hard for ordinary people to survive in a sinkhole like this." She stared at Kassa's second skin. "And you don't look... like a human. Unless you look closely."

The girl was not as young as she thought, but should be about the same age as her, or even a little older. Kasha watched the scarf stand up on its own, leaning against the stones on the edge. "Stone," she whispered, "You can control stone." The girl nodded, and the scarf was wrapped around her neck as if controlled by magic. "You created the square rocks on the sand wall."

The girl shrugged and smiled. "I could sense someone fighting those monsters down there. So I tried to help." Her smile faded. "I've been like this for weeks. Or months? I've lost count."

Kaisha blinked, as if sand had entered her eyes. Besides me, there are others who are fighting against the void. She thought to herself, although the methods are different, but... "Who are you?"

The girl's smile returned. "My name is Taliyah."

……

No one expected that we could see this sparrow girl in Kasa's story. She was like the weaver she believed in, weaving all the stories together and connecting them.

And now, Taliyah has returned to Shurima, where she is also fighting the Void and has met Kai’Sa!
Compared to ten years ago, the seal of the void is obviously much weaker, and these monsters have even dug a passage under the ground.

Like Kassadin, Taliyah also has to protect her hometown and drive out or destroy all these monsters.

The two arrived at Taliyah's camp, and were greeted by flickering firelight. But what really attracted Kassa was the smell of barbecue.

She was a little surprised that Taliyah hadn't come back to warn the others not to be afraid of monsters. She didn't blame them for their fear. After all, her living armor was trembling with hunger, ready to devour anyone who got too close. The tents, made of scraps of fabric and hard stone slabs, were apparently built by Taliyah. There were more than 30 people in the camp, mostly elderly and children, sitting around the campfire in the center.

The way they looked at her—silent, wide-eyed, hunched shoulders—was frighteningly familiar.

That was fear. Kasha didn't look anyone in the eye. To avoid making them uncomfortable. But in fact, she was afraid of making herself uncomfortable.

Taliyah opened her arms and introduced Kai'Sa to the crowd, then told them how they met in a moving voice. The only movement in the crowd was the flickering of the fire. When Taliyah finished her story, the only reaction was stillness and silence.

"I can go," Kasa murmured.

Taliyah shook her head. “You’re injured. How can I let you go without food or sleep? No.”

A child in a red cloak, half her height, stood up. "Are you sure she's human?" He squinted his eyes to see more carefully. "Maybe this is some kind of disguise." The two older girls pulled him back to his seat, and he almost fell backwards.

Taliyah laughed. "Have you ever seen a void monster that can laugh, Sammy?" she asked. "No."

Everyone looked at Kasa expectantly. She tried her best to make an expression that looked like a smile, while keeping her lips tightly closed, meaning that she didn't eat people. It didn't seem to scare the children. It was a success.

The little boy named Sammy stood up again. "Okay." He said as he walked towards Kasa. He handed over a half-eaten skewer of meat. "You won't mind the sand fleas I ate, will you?"

Kasha took the skewer, and everyone seemed relieved. She pulled the meat from the skewer and swallowed it without chewing. Her armor purred with satisfaction. Zaifa, the older girl with jade beads in her braids, offered Kasha a few more skewers. This time, Kasha slowed down a bit, savoring the cinnamon, lemon, and ud-tawa berries.

The smell brought back memories of life with my parents, my father cooking over an open fire, my mother pounding ud-dawa with a pestle...

Kasa shook her head and came back to her senses - there was no benefit in dwelling on those memories. She didn't really need to rest, the food she had eaten was enough for her ribs to begin healing.

The atmosphere in the camp had relaxed, people were eating and chatting. Some had already turned their backs to her. This gesture was a sign of trust. And the hope in Taliyah's eyes was unmistakable. Please stay. Those eyes must have been saying, don't leave us so quickly.

"I'll stay a little longer." She gave in. "To recuperate."

The corridor will still be there tomorrow anyway.

That night, Kasha indulged in food and stories. Everyone had a story to tell. The younger children told how their homes had sunk into the sand, how they missed their parents and siblings, and how they wished they could be reunited with their families.

They're all dead. Killed by the Void. My family is dead. Kai'Sa didn't say what she was thinking.

(End of this chapter)