Arcane: Red Sands

The walk back to Su'Rhaal's quarters was a march of silence.

Not the silence of rest.

Not the silence of peace.

But the silence of impending war.

Zanaiya followed closely, her presence shadowing his every step, her breaths measured—but her mind raced.

She had fought beside Su in a thousand battles. She had seen him stand unshaken against overwhelming odds. But this?

This was something else.

This was a battle she did not know how to fight.

And it terrified her.

She did not fear war.

She feared what it would turn him into.

The door to his quarters groaned open, and Su stepped inside, Setting his blades onto the wooden table with a sharp clang. The torches flickered against the black-stone walls, their glow barely reaching the edges of the chamber.

Zanaiya followed.

And then—she shut the door.

The sound was final.

Su loosened the straps of his armor, peeling away the leather and steel as if it weighed heavier than usual.

He could feel her eyes on him. Burning. Searching.

And then—she broke the silence.

"You know what she is doing to you."

Her voice was calm. But it was not soft.

Su exhaled slowly, resting his hands against the edge of the table.

"I know."

Zanaiya clenched her fists.

"You don't."

Su turned slightly, meeting her gaze.

And she saw it.

Not arrogance. Not defiance.

Desperation.

A Fire Without Control

Zanaiya took a step closer.

"She is using you."

Her voice did not waver.

"And you are letting her."

Su's jaw tightened. "This is my best chance."

Zanaiya's breath caught. "At what?"

Su turned away.

And then—he snapped.

"At going home!"

The words tore from his throat.

Zanaiya froze.

Su's chest heaved, his breaths uneven. His fingers curled against the table, nails pressing into the worn wood.

"You think I don't know what she's doing? You think I don't see it?"

His voice was too loud now.

"I don't care."

Zanaiya opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Su took a step forward.

"I have bled for Noxus. I have fought for it. I have killed for it. I HAVE WATCHED MY MEN DIE!" he paused,"And what has it given me?"

His hands shook.

"Nothing."

Zanaiya's chest tightened.

She had seen him fight. She had seen him kill.

But she had never seen him this raw.

This untethered.

A Path Without Return

Su turned away, his breath ragged. "I have been a soldier. A commander. A leader."

His voice cracked.

"But I have never been enough."

Zanaiya stepped forward, fast.

"Enough for who, Su'Rhaal?"

Her voice was sharp—cutting through the storm inside him.

Su's breathing slowed.

"For them?"

A pause.

"For Noxus?"

Another pause.

And then—softer.

"For yourself?"

Su staggered slightly.

Because he did not have an answer.

Because he had never dared to ask the question.

And she saw it.

"You were always enough, Su."

She exhaled slowly.

"You are enough now."

Su shook his head.

"No."

His fists clenched.

"Not yet."

Zanaiya's golden eyes searched his face.

And then—she tried again.

"This is not just about power."

Su exhaled sharply. "Yes, it is."

Zanaiya took a step forward, frustration flashing in her eyes.

"You are walking into something we don't yet understand."

Su's breath came hard, fast.

"Then I will learn the rules."

Zanaiya shook her head. "This is not war, Su. This is politics."

"It is the same thing."

Her voice sharpened. "No. It is not."

"Then I will make it."

The words left him before he could stop them.

Zanaiya's breath hitched.

And then—he broke completely.

"I will do whatever it takes."

"Su—"

"I will become the most powerful warrior Runeterra has ever seen if that is what it takes."

His voice was not just sharp anymore.

It was unhinged.

A pause.

"And I will kill anyone who stands in my way."

 the room froze.

Zanaiya's breath left her in a slow, quiet exhale.

Then—her expression changed.

Not to anger. Not to shock.

But to grief.

"And what will be left of you when you do?"

Su flinched.

Not physically. But something inside him cracked.

Because he did not have an answer.

Zanaiya stepped forward.

And her voice, for the first time, wavered.

"I have followed you into every battle."

A pause.

"I have fought beside you. Bled beside you. Killed beside you."

Her voice was shaking now.

"I will follow you to the ends of the world, Su'Rhaal."

And then—her voice broke.

"But I just hope that, by the end of everything, I won't have lost you to this."

Su staggered back slightly.

Because for the first time—he felt afraid.

Not of war. Not of death.

But of losing her.

Zanaiya exhaled sharply, turning away.

The room was quiet again.

But it was no longer the silence of tension.

It was the silence of something breaking.

Zanaiya walked to the door.

Su did not stop her.

Because he didn't know what he would say.

The door creaked open.

And just before she stepped out, she paused.

Then, without turning back—she whispered.

"I will always stand by you, Su'Rhaal."

A beat.

" Even if you can't see it."

Then—she was gone.

And Su was left alone.

With the weight of his own words.

With the echoes of a promise he was no longer sure he could keep.