Chapter 20: The Secret Levels Of The Game
“We have to find Thanatos,” Akali said. “But has anyone seen his true body before?”

The others shook their heads.

“I think that we should head to the coliseum,” Shen said. “Though what awaits us there, I cannot say.”

“I think that there is a ritual of some sort going on,” Thresh said, revealing to them the secret about Thanatos. “He was gathering souls through me for a ritual that he was preparing. Probably for his immortality project. He probably experimented on those souls first, perfected it, and now wants the souls of renowned warriors and greatest minds and whatnot. Us Champions.”

“This is sounding even more deranged,” Akali said, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t have believed you before, but after everything that I’ve been through, I’m in no doubt any longer. We must put a stop to this.”

“Indeed,” Zed said before a diminutive Yordle stood in their way.

“Akali!” Kennen said in relief before he turned to look at Shen. “Thank goodness you two are safe. But…what’re you doing with Zed?”

“It’s a long story,” Shen said. “But we’re all allies now. So we better learn to get along with one another and form a temporary team to wipe out the Summoners from making Thanatos achieve the perfect body.”

“Tell me the details,” Kennen said as he ran alongside them swiftly, listening attentively as Akali told him about what she discovered the morgue and the clone rooms, and then her time in the cryogenic chamber before Shen took over and told him about his suspicions about Akali and going to rescue her.

“I think I know where Thanatos is,” Kennen said. “Though there are five Summoners that are performing the ritual and they have five champions that are being used as proxies. We need to get through those champions, then get to the Summoners, and then finally to Thanatos, I think.”

“Where are they?” Akali asked, and Kennen charged ahead.

“Follow me.”

They followed Kennen, and they saw that bright shining lights were being thrust into the air. Auras from Summoners unlocking their ultimate magic vessels, acting as conduits to a greater power who was using them as mediums to achieve the perfect body that he so craved. Were they too late? Did they spend too much time running around in circles and fighting meaningless battles with one another that Thanatos would stand victorious as a god that ruled over them all with an iron fist?

“Oh no,” Shen murmured. “Are we too late?”

“Thanatos may be close to achieving his immortal body,” Thresh explained. “Though we still need to go through the Champions and Summoners that are allowing him to achieve it. I have a proposal that may help lead us to victory.”

“And that is?” Shen said.

Thresh held up a gauntleted finger. Everyone else leaned forward in anticipation to listen to what the specter had to say.

“We attack Thanatos in his perfect body. It must take some time for the perfect body to assert itself even when the ritual is complete,” Thresh explained. “He probably needs some time to adjust in that perfect body and that gives us the perfect opportunity to strike him down. If we can manage to get the Summoners and Champions that they’re using a proxy out of the way first, then that’s great. That would be most ideal. But I have a feeling if worse comes to worse, we will have to rely on that one vulnerability if he has already achieved his perfect body.”

They murmured in agreement. This had to work. IF it didn’t, their world and the other Champions and everything they knew was doomed to an oppressive rule by a madman that considered everything to him a mere game. Apparently to Thanatos, they unlocked a secret level of the game and it was time that he innput a cheat code to make himself a powerful being that ‘repgorammed’ the world into a better narrative of his own making that he devised, a mad game of slaughter and gladiatorial battles of never ending fights for his amusement. Having their bodies overtaken by the Summoner’s will and having no conscience of their own, merely apparatuses for the Summoners to control as playthings.

“I see,” Shen said while nodding. “Well, that’s the best plan that we can come up with, might as well make use of it. Each one of you heads to one of the lights, where the Summoner and their champion probably are. We all have our individual battles to fight. If it ends here, then we have fought valiantly to the end. Good luck, everyone.”

“Right, Akali said, before they went their separate ways heading towards the light that served as a beacon for the Champions to their destinies.