Chapter 3, tried to make this a bit longer, as I felt the first two were too short. I will also try making future chapters longer. Enjoy, please comment or review or whatever. :)

Penumbra

3 years earlier

In the midst of the Noxian invasion, Ionia was thrown into a state of chaos. Ionia was a place of spiritual evolution and enlightenment, not of conflict. But when Noxus landed on their shores, wielding great-swords large enough to cleave a person in two and carting nightmarish weapons of biochemical terror, they had no choice but to amass what military they had and fight back. It was a long and bloody conflict - one that threw the entire city-state into a state of hardship and despair.

It was within this desperation, that Zed had begun to find like-minded individuals. Individuals who realized, that their pursuit of enlightenment, their delusions about balance made them inconceivably weak. Only then were they willing to cast off the restraints that were their beliefs in equillibria. Of course, he had encountered such people before the invasion, but they were few and far between. It was this desperation, that helped spark the growth of the Order of the Shadows.

Zed stood, in front of the dozen or so individuals gathered before him, in what was the remains of an abandoned dojo. The surrounding village had been overcome by Noxian forces, and all its inhabitants had been laid to waste. The Noxians were long gone, having moved further inland with the rest of the invasion. Other Ionians saw it as a travesty, Zed saw it as an opportunity. Various holes littered the walls of the dojo, letting in a sharp, icy wind that cut at his exposed skin, like a fine dagger. It was less than satisfactory, but it would suffice. He had made do with worse than this before.

Looking around, he studied the weary gazes and jaded expressions of the followers he had managed to assemble over the last months. He empathized with the bleak despair he saw mirrored in each of them. He had felt it once too. But with time, that despair had turned to anger and bitterness, which he used to fuel new ambition.

Dark, determined ambition.

"Pair up," he said. "Begin sparring."

As they did so, Zed realized there was an odd number of them. He would have to spar with one of the students. A female student, the only girl of the group. He silently approached and gestured for her get into a fighting stance. Her dark wavy hair fell to the small of her back, tied in a long ponytail, while two locks of her hair swathed down the sides of her face, contrasting with her pale, flawless skin. She wore a green bodice that accentuated her curves perfectly and was skin-tight, so as not to restrict her movement in combat. A matching green mask, covered Zed couldn't help but admire her beauty for a brief moment, before forcing those thoughts aside. Zed hadn't remembered seeing her before, having only joined the night before, yet at the same time he felt a sliver of recognition as he looked upon her.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Akali," Came her response. The name rang with familiarity. Akali. He decided he would dwell on that later. She regarded him silently, awaiting his next instruction.

After taking a moment to observe her stance, he took a step back to stand opposite her. He raised his fists and angled his body away from her, adopting his own perfect guard stance.

"Let us begin." Zed barely gave her time to register his words before he charged, aiming his fist at her exposed gut.

Present

She hadn't been in the courtyard, when Zed and his ninja arrived at the order. She and Kennen had been in the training hall, leading a training session for the young Kinkou. Their session was abruptly cut short when several ninja of Zed's order burst into the room, silencing the surprised cries of the youths as they willed their shadows forward, slicing their throats. Akali had seen red as she mercilessly cut them down, one by one.

Sprinting out of the hall, she threw herself into the onslaught, cleaving a path for herself towards where most of the conflict was centered about. It appeared she had arrived too late, however. Numerous ninja, both friend and foe, lay on the ground in slowly expanding pools of blood as the remaining Kinkou desperately tried to fend off the attackers on the back foot.

They were slowly being forced out of there own home. They found themselves in one of the Kinkou's sanctuaries. What was once the Order's peaceful garden was now in turmoil. The stone pathways were cracked and disordered and the once-beautiful grass was now stained a deep crimson.

As the fighting continued, one thing became evident; they could not hope to win. Both sides had suffered losses, but the Kinkou were still outnumbered at least two to one. In a last resort, Akali drew a smoke bomb and threw it at the ground, a few feet in front of her. Using the distraction and confusion of the smoke, she urged the remaining Kinkou to put as much distance between them and here as they could. A cowardly option, but at the time it seemed the only option, lest they all be killed.

As the ninja recovered from the disorientation caused by the smoke, they began to chase after the fleeing Kinkou. Akali silently watched them run off into the distance from behind a wall before slinking off to locate Kennen and Shen; she had to see if they were safe.

She ran through the vicinity, calling out their names as she did so. After hearing no response for a good ten minutes, she began to fear the worst. She dreaded that they may be among the dozens of bodies that littered the grounds of Kinkou's precinct.

Another ten minutes went by without a sign of either of them. She did, however encounter a few patrols of Zed's ninja, searching for any survivors or stragglers and taking them prisoner or executing them. Mostly the latter. The young-lings would be spared, but not for reasons of compassion or mercy. Children, due to their youth, are impressionable and easily influenced and for this, they were valued. They were spared in the hopes that they would accept their teachings and become a new member of the Order of Shadows, aiding their growth and expansion. If they refused this, which they most probably would, than they would be shown as much mercy as the rest of the Kinkou.

Akali knew this because she had witnessed it first-hand, she had once been a naive student of the Order of Shadows. It was years ago, but it still felt fresh in her mind. She wasn't proud of the things she used to be willing to do, the things she had done for the order. The things she had done for Zed. At the thought of him, she felt a shiver run down her spine. She was not entirely sure why, or what she felt towards him. He was responsible for the death, the carnage that surrounded her. Still, the notion that she might encounter him made her quiver in anticipation.

She was not sure what exactly had motivated her to deviate from the Kinkou in the first place. She was even more unsure about why she had stayed with the Order for so long. She told herself she had grown sick of the Kinkou's stifling beliefs, that she reveled in the unbridled strength and power the Order of Shadows offered. But she knew that was just not the case. Try as she might, she had been unable to bring herself to hate the Kinkou as fervently as Zed and the order did. There had been another reason why Akali had stayed with the order.

The cool night breeze ruffled her hair, it's calmness a stark contrast to the raging storm of emotions she felt inside.

Without thinking, she allowed her feet to carry her forward as she was lost in thought. Time and time again she had found that her mind had drifted to thoughts of Zed, and she struggled to keep him from her mind. She knew she should hate him, so then why couldn't she?

She looked up when a familiar purple light shone not far ahead of her, illuminating the night sky in tones of deep violet and signifying the departure of the Eye of Twilight. Before she could even wonder what it was that he had been doing here, she caught sight of another figure, who had his back facing her. Despite being turned away from her, Akali knew who it was. There was no mistaking the broad shoulders, adorned with metal pauldrons that gleamed silver in the darkness, or the distinctive two-pronged blades that sprouted from either wrist.

As he knelt down to retrieve his helmet, she got a good look at his face. He was freshly scarred, and dried blood marked his face. Akali couldn't help but think he still looked as handsome as ever despite it. As he rose from the ground, he turned slightly and finally noticed her standing there.

She was rendered unable to think, to breathe as she gazed into crimson eyes, which now only glowed a dull, gentle red. She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but found she was unable to form words as her breath hitched in her throat. She grew increasingly frustrated at herself. She was behaving like a teenager!

"Akali." Zed's voice cut through the silence of the clearing, jarring Akali from her stupor and reigniting the burning conflict she felt within.

Eventually one emotion prevailed above the other clashing feelings she felt. Anger. Rage boiled within her when she noticed the blood staining his blades, as she came to the realization that they were stained with blood of her comrades.

Almost without thought, she removed her kamas from their holster and held them idly in her hands. Sparing no second thoughts, she flung them at Zed, giving him no time to react as she dashed after them.

It was going to be a long night for Zed.

That took forever to write, idek why. Please review, would love to hear feedback, thanks for reading! :)