He couldn't breathe.
Fire raged everywhere, the houses he had known so well burned, mercilessly set ablaze. Possessions lay strewn among the ground, crushed into pieces underfoot. Dozens of Kinkou ninja lay dead or gravely wounded everywhere. They had put up a brave fight but had been cut down by the invading forces, their blood watering the stone beneath them. All he had now was the few families he had left to save, escorting them away from the wrath that raged in the wasteland they once called home.
"Move to the river line and get across as fast as you can! There is no time to waste!" he whispered urgently to the remaining Kinkou. With a wave of his hand, they went dashing swiftly and within moment were out of sight. He shook his head at the sight. Was this what they were reduced to? The once proud ninjas of Ionia?
Alone at last, he turned once more to the burning wreckage that he once called home. The place that they both once called home. Why? Why all of this now? It made no sense to him that there was a need for this senseless slaughter.
The sound of blades clashing and the cries of fallen ninja in the distance broke his thoughts. Composing himself, he dashed towards the sound of the battle, not knowing what awaited him.
…
He dropped down into an old courtyard silently. All around was the familiar scene. Kinkou ninjas and the shadow-like assassins lay dead on the ground alike, blades and swords decorating the death soaked atmosphere around them. But there were too many of his own fallen for the number of the enemy's bodies that he saw. They were losing and the enemy knew it.
A low groan came from one of bodies near him. Running over, the young ninja knelt to see one of his former teachers lying face down on the ground, barely breathing. Upon the hearing approaching footsteps, the wounded ninja suddenly twisted his arm from under him and in an instant held a deadly blade to the young man's throat before focusing his hazy gaze.
"Wait…Shen? Is that you?" the wounded warrior muttered weakly, evidently straining from his blood loss.
"Yes Hanzo, it's me. Allow me to dress your wounds. Where are the other survivors?" Shen said as he unfurled a strip of gaze and medicine from his belt to help the older man.
"Shen…" the dying man breathed, "What are you talking about…There are none."
The young Kinkou stopped dressing the man's wounds.
"What? Surely there are mo-"
"No. They're all dead. We watched…but we could do nothing as they were cut down in the south corridor. We tried everything, but there….there were just too many. Their power is not of this realm and they are no longer humans. They are of the shadow, they are of the demons."
The wounded warrior coughed weakly into his hand, red liquid spurting as he coughed.
"Hanzo I…"
The man grabbed Shen by the collar weakly, "There is no more time for me my friend. I will die an honorable death defending the Kinkou and that is fine. But you must run. You must survive. The Kinkou cannot fall today. Live on and one day you must restore us…"
He gasped weakly once more, his breath inhaling the putrid air of death before he closed his eyes one last time. The Eye of Twilight solemnly held Hanzo's head in his lap for a moment, lingering. Gone was the life he cherished. And now there was nothing to save.
"…Your death is not in vain my friend. I will see you in the next life."
…
Shen ran quickly through the burning houses towards the river. It was as Hanzo said, all of the remaining Kinkou had been killed. He was even more ruthless than he had remembered. No one, not even the animals had been spared his wrath.
Suddenly, a sharp pain flared through his left arm as a shuriken sprouted from his flesh. He gasped in pain as he slowed a halt. Ducking behind a wall, he grimaced in pain as he pulled the weapon from his skin in agony, blood dripping from where it had stuck him.
"There is no use in hiding brother. The shadow finds all. Come out and share the same fate as your father." A voice rasped from the darkness.
"You have been corrupted brother! The shadow corrupts your mind. You kill the women and children without mercy!"
"They are weak!" A figure rolled out of the shadows. Drawing a blade from its wrist, it advanced towards the wall where Shen hid. "And like you, the do not embrace the shadow. They seek your foolish notion of balance. And so, they die for their ignorance."
Shen rolled away from the wall just in time as a large metal blade cut through the wall moments where his head had just been. The wall collapsed and the dark figure roared in anger as it charged at the Eye of Twilight through the smoke. It tackled the young Kinkou ninja to the ground, drawing a grunt as his back slammed into the harsh gravel beneath them. Shen struggled, but he could do nothing as the shadow of a man with its hateful red eyes placed its blade at his throat.
"Look at you, down on the ground without so much as a fight. Pitiful. You still babble about your balance while you are all cut down."
"The Kinkou will prevail. Your master of shadow cannot destroy us." Shen stated calmly as possible. "Even if you kill me here, others will rebuild and we will dissolve your false order and your false master."
For a moment, the dark figure hovered silently above him considering his words. Its blade wavered and moved just slightly away from the young Kinkou's throat. Then, it emitted a loud laugh.
In a flash, it plunged the blade into Shen's abdomen, drawing a pained yell from the ninja.
"YOU'RE A FOOL! DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE I SERVE ANOTHER MASTER SHEN? I. AM. THE. MASTER. NO ONE CONTROLS ME. I CONTROL THE SHADOWS."
The Eye of Twilight gritted his teeth as the dark figure ripped the blade from beneath his flesh. It placed the blood stained steel at his heart, turning his outfit a dark crimson.
"But I suppose you've always been too much of a fool to understand true power."
Shen awoke gasping, his hands scratching at the clothing where it covered his heart. His companion Kennen who sat on a log near by, looked over in alarm at his sudden awakening.
"Shen, what's going on? Are you ok?" the small Kinkou member called, concerned with his sudden behavior.
"…Nothing my friend. Just another nightmare."
"Huh." Kennen nodded, "What is that, like the 4th one this week or something?"
"The 3rd. It's been getting worse." Shen confirmed. "But I suppose there is not much we can do. How long before the sunrise?"
"About 30 minutes."
"Then I must prepare myself. Be sure to wake The Fist of Shadow soon."
"Yu-huh, you got it."
The Eye of Twilight rose and brushed off the plants and grass that had fallen on his pants. Cracking his neck, he made his way to the river next to where they had camped down for the night. Slowly kneeling down, he splashed some water on his face to clear himself and refresh his mind.
They had been moving for days now. With the fall of the Kinkou order, there were little active ninjas from their order that had survived. Many had been killed by Zed's followers or by Zed himself. They were the only three ninjas that had escaped. At least as far as they knew.
Without the main foundation of the order, they were left at the mercy of Zed who stopped at nothing to kill them. For him, they were symbols of the order he hated so much and they had, for the past few days, suffered attack after attack by his cohorts.
Shen, finished with washing his face and arms, wiped down with a small towel he kept in his belt and put his mask back on. He sighed, gathering his things and turned to head back to the camp. It would be light soon and they would need to start moving again.
The Ionian council had not helped them at all. Not that he had expected them too. The Kinkou had always been an outsider group and they were unfamiliar with their establishment. So it wasn't exactly surprising that they had sent no sign to them regarding their situation.
They only choice they had now was something known as the Institute of War. Kennen had brought up the idea, as several other Yordles and Ionians had already joined. The small Kinkou member had stated he knew they gave protection to all of its champions, regardless of faction or allegiance. It would be the perfect place to find refuge against him.
And so they had set out on their way. Making sure the families of the remaining Kinkou order were well hidden away, they had set out to find this Institute. Only, if they could make it there.
Shen returned to the clearing to find his two fellow ninja already packed and ready to move. He glanced at his other companion, Akali, dressed in her traditional green robes of the Kinkou. She gave him a quick glance, nodding his way.
Before they destruction of their home, she and he and been very close. They often shared many a moment and memories as well as missions together. But that was all before it was taken from them. Before they lost it all. Could things be the same?
"Alright, suns up!" Kennen cackled at the sight of the gleaming rays that peaked above the mountain tops, "Let's head out!"
…
They moved without so much as a word, the grass crunching beneath their feet as they moved swiftly through the land. This was the final stretch of land for them. Kennen had said that the Institute was only a few minutes more away. And so they moved without pause and without rest.
You must restore the Kinkou. You must survive
"Shen."
The head of the Kinkou glanced over at his female companion.
"What is it Fist of Shadow?"
"Do you…ever wonder why he did the things he did?"
Shen almost chuckled out loud at her question and how obvious it was. Almost.
"Of course. Almost half of my waking day is spent pondering what happened and what could have happened. I remember it all. The blood. The violence. The death."
The Heart of the Tempest stayed silent. He himself had personally not been in the Kinkou order when the incident had happened. He had been in Bandle City on a mission for the late Kinkou Elder. Shen had told him and he himself knew that there was nothing he could have done and it was not his fault, but Kennen could not help but feel a sense of regret at his absence.
"Then do you believe you will ever forget?" Akali continued.
"Shen's mouth twisted behind his mask. He was not used to such questions. Especially on matter such as this.
"Perhaps. Perhaps in time I may find someone to help me to forget what has happened in the past and help me look to the future. After all, it does no good to wonder about what is already done." He glanced at the Fist of Shadow. "Don't you think that's the best choice?"
Kennen cackled silently to himself as Akali looked away. He knew who Shen was talking about and he knew for sure that Akali was blushing under that mask. Here was the once mighty Kinkou, now consisting of himself, a short lighting pumped Yordle and two randy eye lovebirds.
Suddenly, Shen stiffened, "Tempest, Fist of Shadow!"
Too late.
From one moment to the next, a dozen ninjas sprang from the shadows, blades and daggers in hand.
"Ambush!" Kennen snarled as he dodged the swing of a disciple in front of him and hurled a shuriken into the man's chest causing him to fly backwards from the thunder that erupted. The man crashed into a tree, his chest smoking. The triumvirate dispatched several ninjas instantly, but more kept streaming from the trees and the bushes. They would undoubtedly soon be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
"Go! The Institute is near. I will hold them back! "Shen called as he parried a strike and kicked another hostile ninja to the ground.
"No, we leave as a group!"
"Akali this is no time to argue! Go!"
"C'mon 'Kali," Kennen tugged on her karmas, "Let's move. We got to go now"
The Fist of Shadow lingered , glancing uncertainly at Shen for a moment longer before turning to follow her short companion as he zipped along the path, throwing shurikens to cover their retreat.
The Eye of Twilight turned, his entire focus now placed on the ninjas in front of him.
"Very well, who wishes to die first?"
All of the disciples of shadows charged at him, their knives and daggers gleaming and hungry for his blood.
Shen kicked away the dagger of the ninja closest to him before quickly rolling to avoid another. Parrying another blow, a quick swipe of his katana sent the foolish ninja crumpling to the ground. He blocked another blow and ducked as blades and shurikens flew above his head. These ninja were skilled, but they certainly were not skilled enough to kill him, a half a dozen or not. He rolled aside to avoid a wide swing and swung his own blade upwards felling another enemy. Where was he? Certainly he would be here as well to stop them from entering the Institute.
He murmured a chant beneath his breath and summoned a magenta shield, blocking the attacks of a trio of ninjas who had snuck behind him. He spun, running his blade through all of them as they collapsed to the ground one by one with not even another breath to take.
But the next thing he knew, the remaining ninjas fell back, swords crossed, encircling him in with their blades. The Eye of Twilight stood on guard, ready for their next attack.
They stood still, as if they were wolves watching a sheep. Shen watched but saw no motion as they stood and gazed at him.
Then, he saw it.
A man, much larger than the rest of them, walked right through the circle of ninjas, his dark crimson and jet black clothing marking him as the leader. His blades gleamed evilly, as if they were winking at Shen before they killed him. And most of all, his decorated mask, built of steel, highlighted those hateful crimson eyes.
"Well, it seems I've finally found you," the figure rasped. It smirked, noticing Shen's hostile stance and his drawn blade. "What? I thought you would be happy to see me after all of these years brother. After all, we were one and the same under the best teacher."
"A teacher who you killed. A brotherhood which you destroyed. You must have forgotten Zed." Shen replied as calm as one could possibly be.
"Oh come now." the Master of Shadows spread his arms, "They were weak and did not deserve to live. How could those who are weak find meaning in this world?"
"It is not all about being strong Zed. There are other things. And balance is the key to true power should you find it."
"Ah, still spouting off the foolish doctrine of balance? You really are a fool Shen."
The shadow man flashed towards Shen, the Eye of Twilight barely able to block the heavy blow thrown at his neck. They clashed, steel met steel as they fought. Shen successfully parried blow after blow, blades clanging as they danced a dance of death and hatred.
But for all his skill, Shen was exhausted from his days of travel while Zed was freshly rested. He could do nothing as he parried the blows and rolled to avoid certain death as his strength grew weaker and weaker.
His hand slipped and his guard dropped to allow a shuriken to embed itself in his thigh. He grimaced in pain at the intrusion. Taking advantage of his distraction, Zed feinted left then quickly threw another strike to his right slashing open his outfit as a scarlet haze of mist followed the wound.
Shen dropped to one knee, his breathing becoming labored. He only needed to hold out a bit longer to allow his Kinkou to survive. They would be safe in the Institute. Just a moment longer…
Zed advanced towards him once more, blades in hand. Shen made a feeble attempt to push him off and defend himself, but the Master of Shadows simply knocked the katanna from his hands. Without a second thought, Zed sank the blade deep into Shen's chest. The Eye of Twilight groaned loudly in pain, gritting his teeth to attempt to mute the noise.
"Look at you" the corrupted Kinkou spat, "Just look at you. Where has your balance gotten you? Four years ago I was stronger with the shadow than you were as I am now. And what has come of it? Here you are again, at the mercy of my blade."
Shen slowly brought his head up to face his former companion, shuddering from the blood he was slowly losing. He looked at the man who he had called his brother deep into his eyes despite the crimson liquid that dribbled from his mouth and the gaping wound in his chest.
"Then I will die for the balance to live on. You are the true fool here. The Kinkou will live on."
"Then so be it!" the dark ninja snarled. "Tell your father my I send my regards in the next world."
He pulled the blade out to end the Eye of Twilight, but before he could, an explosion rocked the forest. A small ball of lighting dragging a thunderstorm behind it zipped in between the dark ninjas, electrocuting them until they collapsed.
"Bah!" Zed roared at the sudden intrusion. He turned back to the crumpled Kinkou ninja below him, "Your friend cannot save you now! I will destroy your balance!"
He swung his blade at Shen's neck but a karma materialized in front of it, blocking its path of death. Zed recoiled in surprise.
"Akali…" came the growl.
"Zed." the Fist of Shadow said flatly. "You've truly fallen far to sink this low."
"Heh, so you're a judge too." He glanced around to see his disciples mostly passed out and strewn disorderly across the forest floor. "Very well then. You have this win. But do not think this will be the last time we fight. I will end your little order, either sooner or later."
The dark figure dispersed into shadow, leaving nothing behind. Akali sighed in relief before turning to the figure on the ground below her.
"Shen!"
The leader of the remaining Kinkou lay in a growing pool of blood beneath his body. Akali quickly bent down and, with some effort, carefully propped him against a tree.
"Oh Shen…what happened to you?" she murmured to herself as she gazed at his grave wounds. She pulled gauze from her pouch, but there was little she could do to stem the intense bleeding. The wound was simply too great. She applied gauze after gauze but to no avail. He was still losing too much blood.
"Kali what's-oh." Kennen stopped short of approaching them. "Oh man, we need to get him to the Institute!"
"Who needs to get to the Institute?" a gruff voice barked.
The two ninjas instantly drew their blades at the sudden voice. They spun around only to see an older short but stout man stood behind them with a bubbling cauldron. His gray bushy eyebrows were raised as he surveyed the sharp weapons pointed at his face.
"Oi, oi, what's with the sharp weapons?" the man complained as he stirred his bubbling pot. "I ain't that ugly now am I? Maybe age has really done a number on me."
"Erhm…who are you?" Kennen asked, slowly withdrawing his shurikens.
"Ah yes, silly me, I always forget the introductions. The name's Estus. I'm the guardian of the League, or more of a doorman really…" Estus tiled his head towards Shen who still lay bleeding quite badly on the ground. "Quite the fight you just had here. I certainly don't suppose your friend there needs help does he?"
Akali sheathed her karmas and turned once more and knelt down to the ninja who lay against the tree, placing a cloth and gauze on his wounds to soothe him.
"He was injured in the fight badly..." She paused, her mind racing at his crippled condition, "I don't suppose you could help him? I'm underequipped to help him right now and we've been traveling for days."
"Well, bring 'im 'ere and I'll see what I can do." he said, tapping the side of his pot.
Akali, hooking one of Shen's arms over her neck, slowly dragged the sizable ninja to the bubbling cauldron.
"Alrighty, take off his mask."
"What?!" Akali asked, alarmed at his request, "That's not a choice."
"Really? He can't be that ugly. I'm sure he is an excellent man, doing the things he does!"
"No, that's not the point! It's a tradition among us and the Kinkou. We can't remove his mask."
Estus sighed, "Fine then. Then turn around and I'll do it. Sound good to ya?"
Akali wanted to protest, but Kennen tugged at her sleeve. "If he can heal Shen, I think it's a sacrifice we'll have to make 'Kali. We'll take him up on his offer. It's the best we can do."
"Fine" she relented after a moment of staring at Shen's bloodied shirt, "Do it if it'll save him."
The two ninjas turned around as the strange man began to touch Shen's face. It was silent except for the sounds of a soft murmur from Estus and an occasional grunt from Shen. None of the two Kinkou could really guess what was going on behind their backs. For all they knew, Estus could betray them right now, but they really had no other option.
"Alright, he's good now." Estus called after a long while.
The two ninjas turned to see the Eye of Twilight standing somewhat unsteadily but standing nonetheless. His wounds were gone, the only evidence remaining of it were the marks and tears on his clothing. Shen stood, glancing warily at the two ninjas who gaped at him.
"Shen! You're ok!" Akali cried as she ran over and hugged him. "I thought I had lost you. That was incredibly brave!" She pulled away from him. "But if you ever try something stupid like that again, I'll gut you."
Shen could not help but simple behind his mask. "Understood then Fist of Shadow. Perhaps you'll help me a bit more next time yes?"
"Hey guys?" Kennen called prompting his companions to turn at the sound of his voice "Where did that weird guy go?"
The trio turned only to see that the stout old man who had only just a moment ago been standing next to them, vanished into thin air.
"It seems that the Institute of War has already sent its greetings to us. Look."
On the dirt was etched a message in fading gold letters, a formal but very direct message.
Akali shook her head. "But how did they know we were on our way? I'm fairly sure the only person who knew was Zed and he wouldn't tell them."
"It was the Ionian Elders most likely." Shen muttered, sheathing his blade on his back. "I suppose we are allies then after all. This is better than nothing."
"Alrighty then! Enough jibber jabber, let's get there! I wanna see how this place looks!" Kennen yapped excitedly, zooming away as a ball of lighting.
Akali and Shen both looked at each other and shared a small smile though it was out of character for both of them.
"He's certainly the most energetic one. I suppose being run through with blades doesn't really help."
"Agreed Fist of Shadow. Then let us chase after him as well no? I certainly don't want to be beaten by a Yordle."
With a laugh, the two remaining Kinkou dashed through the forestry after their lighting filled companion towards their destination.
Welcome to the League of Legends.
Hey yo, what's going on!
Thought I'd write a one shot just to see what you guys think. If you like it and maybe want to see more Shen Akali pairings *wink, review to let me know!
I'm also open to do other origin stories of other characters on how they joined the League. These might tie in to my main story. Hope you enjoyed!
-Until Next Time,
C. Geng