As a young child, he and Vayle lived in the same village. When they were both young, he tried to rescue her from a river, but they were both washed downstream to an underground cave. While trying to find their way out, they stumbled upon the Darkness Orb, which both touched. Although Vayle gave into the Darkness, Artix remained strong and vowed to always stand for Light. Later, when his village was destroyed by zombies (controlled by Noxus in order to kill Vayle's brother and gain her loyalty), he joined the Paladin Order to defeat the undead.