Chapter 11 is here! Feel free to rate and review, and I hope you enjoy!
Three weeks passed since Shen had his first battle on the Rift, and during that time he had only been summoned a few times. The summoners were still getting used to him as a champion. Shen had spent his spare time speaking to the Demacian generals, including Garen and Xin Zhao. Today, however, Shen was meeting the prince himself, Jarvan IV. Shen quietly walked in the great hall, and strode towards the Demacian quarters. He found Garen waiting for him. Garen was quite a large and bulky man, with large armour surrounded in the colours of Demacia, his face was stern, with short brown hair and some little scars on his face. His sword was sheathed across his back, and the sword was so large the point of the blade nearly touched the ground. Garen turned to see Shen approaching in his normal clothing.
"Good, you're here. I'll tell Jarvan that you have arrived." Garen told Shen, who nodded. Without further word, Garen entered the room on his left and closed the door behind him. About a minute passed when Garen stepped out and held open the door for Shen. Shen nodded thanks and entered the room. Jarvan sat in his large chair, dressed in bright golden armour. His hair was black, and was pushed back and held in place by a heavy-looking crown. Jarvan was looking over scattered papers on his desk and looked up slowly when Shen entered the room.
"Ah, Greetings Shen of Ionia. Please, take a seat." Said Jarvan. Shen sat in one of the chairs provided and leaned forward slightly. Jarvan leaned back in his chair, adjusting one of his shoulder guards. "Now, I hear you bring news of an alliance between Demacia and Ionia. Tell me why."
"Well, your Highness, The Kinkou order was destroyed by a man named Zed, my brother. I came here to hunt him down and bring justice upon him. Sadly, Zed got here first, and he has made an alliance with Noxus. He will help them take over Valoran so long as they help him kill me." Shen told the prince.
"I see. Why would your brother want you dead?"
"Because I am the Eye of Twilight, the leader of the Kinkou Order. With me alive, he fears that I will rebuild the Kinkou order and destroy him."
"Ah…I understand. What do you propose?"
"I propose an alliance between The Kinkou order and Demacia, as you know. We will help you in this war against Noxus. And in return-"
Jarvan cut him off. "You wish Demacia to aid in rebuilding your Order?"
Shen blinked. "You are wise, your Highness. You will be a wise and noble king when the crown accepts you."
Jarvan chuckled. "I hope that day never comes, being a prince is enough trouble. And please, call me Jarvan, for there is no need for you to be formal to me, surely."
"Thank you, Jarvan."
Jarvan nodded. "Are you sure about this? I don't want you abandoning us just as the war starts."
Shen simply replied. "I won't stand by while Noxus takes over Valoran with Zed's aid."
Jarvan's eyes widened slightly, then went back to normal. "That is rare, truly. I will gladly accept your aid, Shen. We could use all the help we can get in the upcoming war."
"Indeed. And I am glad to offer it." Shen stood and offered his hand to Jarvan, who took it and they shook hands.
Jarvan smiled. "Excellent. My scouts report to me that a small portion on Noxus' troops are heading here, so i have called an amount of my men to march to here, to the Institute. I'll let you know immediately if I hear anything."
"As will I. Until next time, Jarvan."
"Indeed, you should tell your friends of our alliance. Trouble is stirring, my friend. Be watchful."
"I will, and thanks again." Shen told him. Jarvan nodded and Shen left the room to find Garen waiting outside. Garen nodded and Shen, "So, did our prince accept your alliance?"
"He did."
Garen smiled. "Good, I look forward to fighting at your side, Shen."
"As do I, Garen." Shen nodded and walked back towards his quarters. When he returned, Shen found an unknown man sitting on a chair in his room. Shen's hand moved slowly towards his sword on the small table next to him when the man spoke, rising from the chair. "Keep your blade sheathed, Shen. I did not come here to fight." The man turned. The man had a red cloth tied over his eyes, and his long thread of black hair was pulled like a rope around his neck. His chest was bare, and black tattoos covered his chest and back. He wore think leather gloves on his hands, with his fingertips showing through them. The man smiled slightly at Shen, and then the smile vanished.
"How rude of me, I am Lee Sin. Varus had told you of me. I am here to help you with the war against Zed. I heard what he did to the Kinkou, and I am here to offer help to you."
"I gladly accept, but why would a monk wish to help a ninja of the Kinkou?"
"I had a friend in the Kinkou, and he must have died during the attack."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, it wasn't your fault. But that doesn't matter now, I am here to help you defeat Zed and restore balance."
"Thank you, I gladly accept your aid."
Lee sin smiled again. "I will try and rally the other Ionians. Perhaps they can help you further." Without a further word, Lee Sin left the room. Until night fell upon the Institute, Shen thought to himself. Shen walked towards the case containing his Pulsefire Armour. He pressed the button on the wall next to the container and the glass door opened, then the armour opened up from the inside. Shen stepped into the armour and it closed in around him. It still felt unnatural to him. Shen pulled up his mask and his eye analyzer folded over his combed down hair and pressed against his eye. Shen walked out of the room and went towards Akali's quarters. They had been spending a lot more time together while in the Institute of War. A strange place to spend my time with a woman, Shen thought to himself.
Shen approached Akali's door and was about to knock, but paused. He sighed and knocked lightly on Akali's door. He heard a muffled movement from within and shortly after, the door opened. Akali stood with a hand on her hip. She smiled sweetly at him. "Oh hey Shen, good to see you. Please, come in." Akali stepped to the side and Shen entered the room. They both sat down and Akali poured them both a glass of wine. Shen accepted it with a slight smile and took a sip. Akali sat back down and also took a sip of her wine. Shen leaned forward and placed his glass on the table. "I have some news."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Prince Jarvan has accepted our alliance, and Lee Sin has told me that he will aid us."
"Good. And how are coping with the whole… Eye of twilight thing?"
"Alright, I guess. I'm slowly gaining full control of my emotions. It's hard, but I will pull through. I hope..."
Akali smiled. "That's good to hear, you're terribly boring when you are like that."
Shen only looked down at the ground. Akali touched his arm and he looked up at her. "Shen… are you sure you want to continue with this war on Zed?"
"I have no choice."
"You have choices, Shen." Tears welled up in Akali's eyes. "Please, stop chasing after Zed. It's too dangerous, and I don't want to lose you."
"I don't want to lose you either, but…" Shen paused. "I can't… I can't give up. I won't wait for him to kill us. Not while I have strength left."
Akali simply stared at him with sad eyes, and Shen sighed lightly. He stood up slowly and looked at her. "I should go, I've troubled you enough."
Before he could react, Akali hastily stood from her chair and embraced him tightly. Shen stood in shock for a moment then held Akali against him, holding the back of her head with his left hand. Akali stood in Shen's arm, sobbing uncontrollably. Shen held her chin with his hand and pushed it upwards, allowing him to see her face. He slowly pulled down his mask and before she could protest, he kissed her deeply. Shen pulled back after a moment and Akali stared at him blankly, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. They moved away from the main room and opened the door to Akali's bedroom. Akali gently pushed Shen onto her bed, with her body atop of Shen's. Their lips locked and they made love for hours before sleep finally took over them both.
Shen slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was still dark, it seemed. His Pulsefire armour was taken off and so was Akali's leather armour. Shen turned his head to see Akali sleeping next to him. Her black hair was laid neatly on the pillow and she wore only her undergarments. Shen rubbed his eyes went back to sleep.
Akali's eyes opened up and she slowly sat up, then noticed Shen was gone. She saw him standing next to the lit fireplace, leaning on it with a hand. His Pulsefire armour was back on, and his swords sheathed on his back. His head lifted up. "You're awake."
Akali frowned. "Shen? What's wrong?"
Shen sighed, then turned around to see her lying on the bed. "I'm sorry, Akali. I've put you through so much pain already..."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry, but this... this is too much. This is too fast, i cannot... i cannot do this."
"You're going to leave me, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry, i feel like such an idiot. All i wanted was to be happy, even for a little while. But with this responsibility hanging over me and the fate of the Kinkou resting on my shoulders, and everything that has happened... I guess i wasn't meant to be happy." Shen turned around and started walking towards the door. "Forgive me." Shen quickly opened the door and left. Akali sat in shock for a while, then pulled her legs against her body and rested her head on her legs, crying out for the man she loved.
Jayce quietly entered Akali's room and moved towards her bedroom door. When he was about to open it, Jayce heard crying from inside. Jayce panicked and knocked heavily on the door with his forearm. "Akali?! Are you alright?" With no response, Jayce opened the door with a bang and saw Akali sitting on the bed, in nothing but her undergarments, crying uncontrollably. Jayce walked forward and Akali looked up, with red eyes and tears streaming down her face. "What happened?" Jayce asked. Akali simply closed her eyes forcefully and shook her head. Jayce's eyes widened. "It was Shen, wasn't it? Did he leave?" Akali nodded. Jayce sat down on the bed next to her and hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, i'll go talk some sense into him. Will you be alright?"
"I... i should be. Thank you so much, Jayce."
"Anything for a friend. I'll be back soon, ok?"
Akali nodded and Jayce strode out of the room. Akali got up wearily and got dressed in her armour and left her room. Akali found her way to her small kitchen and started making some breakfast. She wondered if Shen would ever come back to her. Tears welled in her eyes and she shook the thought away. He's not coming back, Akali told herself.
Shen walked along the empty hallway, his mind was filled with endless thoughts. He was in agony since he left Akali's room that night. He couldn't bear to face her again.
"Shen!"
Shen turned around to see Jayce storming up towards him. Shen was about to reply when Jayce's hand moved at inhuman speed to grip Shen's mask from where it rested on his armour above his chest, and slammed Shen against the wall close by with a strong force. Jayce's face was eyes burned with rage. "You idiot! Why did you leave Akali like that, torn and broken? You're destroying her piece by piece!"
"I didn't want to do it, but i didn't want to hurt her more by leaving her later!"
"Why did you leave her in the first place?!"
"Because i realized the truth!"
"And what might that be?"
"I was made the Eye of Twilight for a special reason, not just because i was my father's son."
Jayce let go of Shen's mask and Shen dropped down suddenly, but kept his feet. Jayce seemed to calm down and he frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"I was made the Eye of Twilight because deep down, i don't have many emotions. I was made by the Kinkou to be unhappy, and that's why my father was so confident about my training. To learn it was them who planted it inside me... the pain was too much to bear. Being with Akali is like having a constant wound. The anger and sadness inside me makes a wound in my soul, and everytime Akali heals it, it just comes back stronger."
Jayce sighed. "I... i understand, Shen. Akali is breaking apart after this. Please, just try talking to her."
"I will, i promise. That's if she ever talks to me again..."
"She will, leave that to me."
"Thank you, Jayce."
Jayce smiled slightly. "Anytime. I should go back and tell Akali. See you later."
Shen nodded and Jayce left with a friendly wave. Shen leaned against the wall for a time, thinking about what Jayce told him. Shen cleared his mind and went to Akali's room. After finding his way through the small hallway, Shen found Akali's room. He knocked on the door and slowly opened it. He found Akali sitting on her small chair and she beckoned for him to enter. Shen approached her slowly and sat down, as if he was being interrogated. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He coughed and managed to speak. "Akali... I'm so sorry for what happened. The pain was too much for me to bear."
Akali nodded. "Jayce told me most of what you said to him. I'm sorry to have pushed you too far. If you had only told me, i would of understood."
"I was afraid too. I was afraid of what you might say, and who you might tell. But that doesn't matter now. I'm here to apologize, and i hope we can still be friends, even after all this."
"Of course, Shen. I could never stay angry at you."
"I appreciate that, Thank you."
Just after he spoke, a messenger bearing the colours of Demacia burst through the door. "Shen, Akali! I have news!"
Shen frowned. "What is it?"
"Commander Garen sent me here to get you. The prince and the other Demacian leaders and the Noxians got into a terrible argument. I fear there will be blood."
"What about the champions from Piltover? And Ionia? Are they there?"
"The Ionians are, but the Piltover champions haven't shown up. I was to tell them after i told you."
"Then go send for them, quickly!" The messenger sprinted out of the room and Shen hastily got up from the chair he sat in and ran for the door, Akali following close behind. Akali yelled out. "What's happening?"
Shen stopped suddenly and looked at Akali, who stopped as well. "It has finally come, the day the Ionians, Piltoverians, Noxians and Demacians do battle. The war has started." They started running again through the hallway, towards the Grand Hall, where sounds of voices and yells could be heard. They day they had been waiting for had finally come. The war has begun.
