Irelia was only twelve when she first found herself in front of the monastery.

After fleeing her home in Navori, the young girl had been traveling with the resistance fighters with hopes of expelling the Noxian invaders. She had wanted to use her blade magic alongside them, but the leaders had not believed in her ability to fight while she was so young. So instead she did as she was told, helping the other women and children with domestic tasks and boosting morale with the traditional dances and songs she'd been taught.

But she knew she had potential within her, and yearned for the strength to prevent a tragedy like Navori from happening again.

When a group of survivors from the northern coast joined them, they shared stories not only of Noxus, but of a powerful new organization that had overthrown the Kinkou by slaying Master Kusho himself. Despite the warnings, Irelia saw it as an opportunity. She left the camp one night, careful for lookouts that might notice her departure, and headed eagerly towards the northwest.

The journey from the first lands was a long one, and when she finally reached the port town, it took all the gold coins she'd saved to convince a weary fisherman to bring her to the island where the monastery was. A thick mist clouded the rocky shores as they approached, and Irelia could barely see past the line of ancient trees that welcomed her.

"There is little daylight left to guide you. Be careful," the old man told her with a look of doubt. She thanked him anyway, watching the small boat disappear through the fog before making her way through the small forest.

The cracked paths and stone lanterns eventually led her to the temple gate. It was weathered and beaten save the new crest that had been placed in the center – The crest of shadows. By now Irelia was sure she was being watched as she proceeded with slight trepidation through the gate. Almost instantly, the mist gave way to a great courtyard basked in sundown. As she was about to step forward, a shadow materialized in her path, vanishing in dark tendrils to reveal a man with a certain danger about his aura.

"Are you lost, little one?" he questioned, deep voice bellowing further from the helm he wore.

"My name is Irelia," she proclaimed, hoping to appear undaunted. "I wish to join the Order of Shadow."

The statement earned an amused hum from the stranger despite his lack of visible expression.

"And what would you seek to accomplish with the shadow arts?" Zed asked her, doubtful. The girl in front of him clearly had the eyes of a survivor, but not of a fighter. Not yet.

"Is it the power to bend others to your will? Or perhaps vengeance against those who have wronged you?" he tested her, wondering where such a young spirit found the will to seek him out.

It was not a question Irelia had prepared a complete answer for, but she at least knew her answer did not lie in the choices given.

"To inspire change," she declared after some thought, feeling the blades mounted to her back resonate with her. "Without it, Ionia will fall."

It was something a younger version of himself might have said while bound by his previous master's harmonious teachings. A clink of golden armor echoed in his mind as he remembered all the losses that could have been prevented, the suffering that could have been stopped. He'd stolen the sealed shadow arts for a similar purpose, disposing of the foolish man that had wanted to keep them to himself.

Perhaps he could make use of her after all. Young minds were malleable, they could be influenced.

"Follow me," he ordered, leading her to the training grounds within the courtyard. Most of the acolytes had retired for the day, but he called a remaining one over and relayed a set of instructions out of her earshot. The acolyte nodded and disappeared into wisps, leaving them to wait.

Some minutes later, a young boy approached them. He was shorter than Irelia was, but carried a scythe on his back almost double his size.

"You called for me, master?" he asked, receiving a nod in confirmation. His eyes narrowed as he noticed their guest.

"This is Kayn," the masked figure introduced him. "He is my student, a strong and capable learner."

Irelia was not sure how to react at first. She hadn't expected to see any other young disciples on the island, but she had a gut feeling that he hadn't been introduced for her benefit.

"If you kill him, I will take you as my student instead," he continued, ushering the boy towards one of the many combat rings.

It was only then that Irelia faltered, immediately shaking her head in protest, "He is but a child."

"You are a child as well," Zed corrected her sharply. "To take two under my wing would be troublesome at best. This is the best way to decide."

"I refuse," she said staunchly with slow, retreating steps. It was more than she'd bargained for, and a fight she did not want.

"Then you will be the one to die," the master of shadows replied simply, taking a few steps back.

Kayn moved to strike, ignoring the outlined perimeter entirely when she did not move. she managed to evade, but only barely as the boy proceeded into another immediate swing. The weight of his weapon made his movements slow, but its reach was long and unpredictable. She eventually found a rhythm to her footwork using some of the maneuvers from the dances she'd learned, but that alone would not be enough to defend herself as the scythe was still able cut into the skin of her leg.

It grazed her arm next and she winced at the sting, finally summoning her blades to knock the scythe away as she reeled back to recover. The resulting momentum rendered Kayn off balance, smaller form turning with his weapon. It caught him off guard, staggering to plant his feet and catch himself as a circle of blades hovered above his head. They fell around him, missing their mark purposefully in a warning he would not heed. He ran straight through them, unfazed as the sharp blades tore into the fabric of his clothing.

The display of uncommon magic piqued Zed's interest. The girl had obviously trained some of her natural abilities to an extent, but the reluctance she harbored rendered her weak. Her physical abilities already needed some work as he noticed her lack of stamina, but he could also see her small hands trembling with uncertainty as she created a barrier to defend herself against Kayn's torrent of attacks.

It was a shame, really, to repress such potential.

The barrier dissipated into individual shards that launched themselves at Kayn. Swatting them away, he realized they were not very heavy individually, and that would be the advantage he needed. He started targeting them instead, deflecting towards their wielder instead of astray. A few of her own blades scratched her, leaving Irelia open as she stopped the rest in midair and attempted to recreate their formation.

With a wide lunge, Kayn brought the scythe up to sunder her. Fear gripped her features as she staggered to try and avoid him, but Irelia ended up tripping backwards instead. A small could of dirt rose as her bottom hit the ground. Her eyes slammed shut, hands flying in front of her face in a surrender that she knew would not save her.

Zed materialized between them to catch the scythe between his blades. He overpowered his pupil's strength easily, watching as the boy struggled to drive the curved edge through the girl's skill.

"I thought you said to kill her," Kayn frowned, clearly disappointed at the chance to further prove himself. His master gestured him aside so he could crouch before the crestfallen girl.

"You would spare me?" Irelia asked, defeated and undeserving.

"Because you know why you lost," Zed told her pointedly.

"I hesitated," she confirmed, averting her defeated gaze.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to hurt him," she answered, hands still trembling as they formed fists at her sides. She thought she had been ready, but she had not expected such vulnerability to come from her when facing such an opponent.

Kayn scowled at the display of weakness, too young to fathom what his master saw in the girl.

"How selfish you are to think you can spark change that way," The master of shadows reprimanded her, rising to cross his arms in front of his chest. "There have been people who have hurt you, who have taken from you, correct?"

"Yes," the daughter of Xan said solemnly, remembering her father, her brothers, her people.

"And they will continue to do so if you hesitate," Zed spoke, recognizing the sense of grief and loss in her expression. It was a lesson she needed to grasp quickly – converting those raw emotions into necessary conviction.

"Will you hesitate again?" he asked, towering over her small frame with finality.

Such a thing must not happen again, she reminded herself, picturing the stakes in the gardens.

"No," she declared firmly, wiping the tears that stung the corners of her eyes and picking herself up from the ground dyed red with sunset.

She would become stronger, no matter what the means.

"Good," Zed told her, grin hidden behind his mask as he beckoned her to follow them. "We start in the morning."

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I'd had this idea in mind because Irelia's nightblade skin is sick and I thought that sort of attire might actually fit in an alternate setting like this. Will most likely be a collection of shorts like Equinox but with longer ditties. I will say though that school has started for me again so updates might not be as frequent, but I will try my best.