Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying it so far!
I'm kind of conflicted as of right now, as I already have majority of the chapters written out.
Would you guys prefer for me to release them all at once, or one per day, or any other way?
Please let me know in a review or PM. :)
As always, enjoy!
~mk-lite
Opening his glowing red eyes, Zed lay there in silence and turned to look at the clock, showing the time to be 4 in the morning.
"Forever."
Akali's words still echoing in his mind, Zed walked into the bathroom and quickly washed up. He then started strapping on his armor, planning to do some exercise to wipe those past memories from his mind. He shouldn't have remembered those emotions. He shouldn't have had that dream. He had allowed a moment of weakness in him, an opening.
Growling in frustration, Zed opened his doors and began walking down the barren halls.
However, he suddenly sensed a hostile presence. Activating his arm blades, Zed spun around, pressing them against the throat of his assailant just as he felt the cold blade of his opponent's sword resting against his jugular.
"Shen, you do realize violence is prohibited in the Champion Headquarters." Zed said haughtily.
"The rules of the Champion Headquarters will not restrain me. I have tolerated you long enough. You are nothing but a shadow who needs to understand the balance. Balance is the superior judgment of this world. Everyone must realize that, even you." Shen whispered with barely contained anger.
"Cut the speeches, you know I will never listen to you."
"I expected such a response. Even if Akali couldn't get through to you, my fists will. Sparring area. Now." said Shen.
His eyes flaring, Zed hissed "If it is a death wish you want, then you shall have it. Lead on."
"Try and keep up." Shen said as he dashed forward.
A couple minutes later, Shen landed cleanly in front of the sparring arena. Looking around, he took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally.
"Scared?" Zed said as he melted into existence from the shadows surrounding the arena. "As if one can be scared by something that cannot even stand in the light of day." Shen replied emotionlessly, stepping into the arena and raising his arms in a fighting stance.
"We both know you are not worthy of upholding the power of the Eye of Twilight." Zed snarled, his red eyes glowing dangerously.
"And you are? Look at you. Glowering in the shadows, plotting evil, and hurting innocent ones. You aren't even strong enough to fight hiding behind your armor and darkness." Shen retorted.
A long pause ensued, before Zed started to shed off pieces of his armor, removing his helmet last, revealing his scarred face. "I do not need my shadows nor my armor to beat you, Shen."
"Then prove it."
Zed leaped forward, aiming a downward kick towards Shen's head, which Shen easily blocked and grabbed Zed's foot, pushing him off. Flipping back around, Zed dashed forward as soon as he landed on the ground, striking out towards Shen's rib cage with his fist. Learning from their previous encounter, Shen allowed the blow to connect and brought his knee up to deliver a solid blow to Zed's chest, causing Zed to fly upward in shock.
Wasting no time, Shen leaped up in the air, connecting several punches into Zed's mid section. Coughing up blood, Zed suddenly caught Shen's arm and spun him around in the air, throwing him into the ground, erupting a small crater in the earth. When the dust settled, Zed was standing on top of Shen, lashing out vicious blow after blow at Shen's face as blood began to splatter Zed's knuckles. Roaring in anger, Zed picked up Shen's limp body, and hurled him into the arena wall, making a small tunnel into the wall. However, from the black tunnel that Shen was buried in, came a bright blue glow of light, as Shen emerged, covered in his Ki Barrier which he summoned at the last possible second, contrasting heavily with the dark red and black shadows that were now circling Zed. Shen dashed forward with lightning speed as Zed moved forward, both of them colliding fists so hard it created a shockwave which formed cracks in the floor and ceiling of the arena.
…
A low rumble echoing throughout the Headquarters woke Akali, and it only took her a couple seconds to realize what was happening. Donning her ninja uniform and grabbing her karmas, she sprinted out towards the arena as fast as she could.
Skidding to a stop in the entrance of the badly damaged arena, Akali arrived just in time to see Zed twist Shen's fist around and deliver an upward punch directly under Shen's outstretched elbow.
The deafening snap of bone echoed throughout the arena as Akali was rooted in place with horror and shock. Shen screamed out in pain, crumbling to the ground, clutching his destroyed arm. However, Zed wasn't done yet.
His red eyes glowing with anger, Zed grabbed hold of Shen's neck and lifted him up so that Shen's feet were dangling in the air. Tossing him up in the air, Zed reared back and delivered a devastating kick to Shen's ribs, snapping several as Shen flew towards a wall. Summoning a shadow behind Shen, Zed reappeared behind Shen and slammed his fist directly in the center of Shen's back as explosion of Shen's spine boomed throughout the entire Champion Headquarters.
Akali finally broke out of her shock and dashed out to catch Shen's mangled body as he flew into her, landing safely onto the ground. "SHEN! STAY WITH ME, OKAY? MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!" she screamed down the hallways as several other champions started to appear at the arena. Akali cradled Shen's body as she whispered desperately for Shen to stay awake and not to pass out, in fear that he might slip away.
Standing in the dark, Zed began nursing his wounds and summoned several shadows to retrieve his armor. He was turning around to leave when all of a sudden, he heard a whoosh in the air and tilted his head slightly to the right as a karma shot past where his head was and impaled itself hilt deep into the stone wall.
Turning around, Zed barely had time to cross his arms above his face before Akali's fist shattered his front gauntlets as he flew back several feet.
"Where the hell do you think you are going, you monster." Akali whispered, a shadowy mist coming off from her, her dark red eyes now glowing with an unnatural power, the power of shadows.
Zed's power.
Seeing the shadows crawl over Akali, Zed suddenly felt a pang of pain in his head.
"Forever."
Hearing Akali's voice ringing through his head, Zed staggered back in shock.
Confused, Akali lowered her fists, the shadows slowly evaporating off of her. "Zed..?"
The last thing Zed saw before he collapsed on the ground was Akali sprinting over towards him.