Hey everyone.
Not much to say. Not in the mood to say anything. I'm just utterly feeling crushed right now so I have nothing on my mind.
Enjoy the story.
~ Wings
The Shadow Within
Chapter 12
"Alright, everyone get into a circle." Caelum said as he stepped onto the platform. Everyone complied as they formed a loose circle around the center of the platform. "I'm going to link myself with all of you now." Caelum said as he reached out with his power and formed links on everyone. He could feel their heartbeats, their life forces, thei-
Caelum gasped, staggering as everyone's heads whipped to him, looking at him. Caelum stared wide-eyed at Akali, for once his mask of indifference gone, his face full of shock and surprise, his icy blue eyes wide. Akali looked back at him, confusion on her face, before realization crossed through her eyes and her face became grim. She gave a very minute shake of her head, a clear signal, as Caelum blinked, staring at her. His shock faded away, pain and understanding flashing in his gaze as he straightened up.
"What's wrong, Summoner?" Shen asked, glancing at Akali, who had schooled her features into a flat expression again.
"N… Nothing… I just… I forgot Akali also knew the Shadow Techniques. That's all." Caelum said as he continued looking at Akali, his face still holding signs of sorrow. He linked himself with everyone again as he then said, "Alright… Is everyone ready? This might be nauseating." He said.
Akali glanced around at everyone. At Summoner Caelum, at Shen, Kennen, Ahri. And then, the world suddenly imploded around her.
…
Her legs buckled as her feet hit the ground, Akali stumbling forward as they warped into existence. She was disorientated, and judging from the groans around her, everyone else was as well. Only Caelum remained standing, the tail of his coat flying in the wind. Akali looked around to see that she was on the landing on a temple… An Ionian Temple.
"The Temple of Tranquility. I should've known." Caelum said as he looked around. Above, storm clouds were spiraling, as if a hurricane was about to form ontop of them. Thunder boomed as the dim lighting made the abandoned temple look haunted.
"This is the temple which was Syndra's home, isn't it?" Shen asked, looking around as he recognized it.
"Yes. It still is, but most of it is abandoned and ruined. Their energy trail led here, so watch your backs." Caelum said, but Akali had already begun moving. Akali didn't look back but she knew they were following.
After the entrance to the temple, it opened up to a great open courtyard. As they got to the middle, there was sudden whispering sound.
Suddenly, the shadows around them seemed to come to life. Akali drew her kamas instantly as Shen and Kennen drew their weapons, instantly taking positions around her. Caelum simply stood off to the side, rummaging around his pockets lazily like he didn't have a care in the world, while Ahri stood close to the three ninjas, looking around cautiously, her ears perked up on full alert, a ball of energy forming in her hand.
"Shadow Ninjas." Shen said, his tone laced with anger as nearly 50 ninjas stood all around them.
"We cannot let you pass, The Fist of Shadows have ordered us to kill you." One of the shadow ninjas said, but the voice seemed to echo all around them, so it was impossible to pin point who said it. Red eyes glared at them from every angle. "Shen, what's the plan? There's too many." Kennen said in a low, urgent voice, as he held a shuriken up with one hand, a kunai in his other.
"Fifty shadow ninjas?" Caelum's cold voice said as Caelum extracted a box of cigarettes. "Really? I thought Aranya wasn't stupid enough to underestimate me." He said.
"Aranya did not send us. We are the Shadow Clan. We follow Zed, the master. We follow Amaya, his right hand." The ninjas said, again, the voice impossible to direct from. Akali felt a surge of anger at whoever this Amaya was, as she had taken the title that was meant for Akali, even if Akali had turned her back on it.
"Ah, that explains it…" Caelum said with a small smirk as he put the cigarette to his lips. "Because I doubt Aranya would underestimate the one who taught her everything she knows." He said. There was a small hiss of sound as his cigarette suddenly ignited… And then the world around them exploded into a conflagration of colors. Fires raged as the very air around them seemed to ignite into flames, every single shadow ninja instantly catching fire and becoming nothing more than fuel for the inferno. Screams permeated the air, for once all fifty voices separate in their own agonies. There seemed to be a barrier around them, as Akali did not even feel the heat. But she watched in awe and fear as the fire, which was so intense it was hard to look at, seemed to melt away every ninja within seconds. And then, suddenly, the fires died away, leaving nothing but charred husks of ash and burnt flesh. Shen, Kennen, Akali and Ahri stared at Caelum in awe and fear.
"I had heard rumors of your skill in pyromancy… I see they were not false." Shen said in an uneasy tone as Caelum took the cigarette out of his mouth, holding it in between his forefinger and middle finger as he exhaled smoke.
"Summoners were the cause of the Rune Wars, Shen. We were almost the cause of the world itself being torn apart by our magics. You'd be surprised at how powerful summoners are… I didn't just get my appointment as a High Summoner for nothing." Caelum said as his icy blue eyes, almost opposite to the bright orange fires that had burned around them, stared directly ahead.
"But Aranya is similar in strength to me… So do not engage her at any cost. Leave her to me." Caelum said as Shen nodded. Akali looked around at the corpses, wondering how many people she might have known here from her time back when she was Zed's student.
But now was not the time to linger as they moved forward, climbing the steps and reaching the main temple building.
It was a huge building, and they had to go deep within, walking long. Every so often, thunder rumbled above and the grounds and walls seemed to shake.
"I feel energies." Ahri said uneasily as her ears twitched. "Dark, dark energies."
"Aranya is starting." Caelum said. "We have to hurry."
They came upon a grand pair of doors. With a final moment of preparation, they entered.
It was easily the largest room they had ever been in. The main room of the temple. The ceiling was broken, and the spiral of clouds was centered at this exact point. Wind whipped around them, as well as rain, as a large spherical darkness writhed in the air above them. Underneath, 4 figures stood.
"Caelum! I'm so glad you could make it!" Summoner Aranya said as she stepped forward, raising her hands to her sides as if welcoming him.
"Aranya, you fool. What have you done!?" Caelum said, horror in his voice as he looked up at the growing ball of darkness.
"I have used the artefacts of power! The Void staff, the Catalyst Stone, the Rod of Ages! They allowed me to harness the power to summon a portal into the Void! I shall reign as queen over Valoran!" Aranya said, laughing in a triumphant way as Caelum stepped up. Syndra floated next to her as she grinned at Akali, who simply glared back at her. Akali's eyes then moved to another woman, who wore similar armor as the Shadow ninjas, but with a red band around her right fist. The fist of Shadows. That girl was looking at Akali like she wanted nothing more than to kill her. And behind them…
Akali felt the wind quieting around her as her eyes met the red glare of Zed. Zed stared at her emotionlessly as Akali took his image in. He was wearing his full battle regalia. Something gold seemed to around him, like an aura, but it disappeared when she blinked. A trick of the light, as colors were being distorted all around them due to the portal.
"I'll take Queen bitch." Ahri said as she glared at Syndra, while Shen and Kennen nodded. "We'll take on Zed and his ri-"
"No." Akali interrupted as Shen looked at her, frustration in his eyes. "Akali, you ca-"
"I said No, Shen. You take that woman. I'll take Zed by myself."
"Uh guys, I hate to be a party pooper but…" Kennen said as he pointed up at the sky. Something large was writhing within the confines of the sphere. And then, suddenly, it exploded out and landed in the ground between them. It stood up, vaguely humanoid, yet easily 8 foot tall. A purple exoskeleton glistened on it's strong limbs, as black-as-obsidian claws gleamed in the dim light. Its eyes were bright green and its face was split in half by its teeth, the lack of lips giving it a permanent grin of fangs.
"The first of the creatures emerges!" Aranya said as she pointed at the Ninjas. "I command you, kill those wretched Ionians!"
Whether the beast listened to her order or not was impossible to say, but it began to lumber towards them.
"New plan?" Kennen asked urgently.
"No plan, just fight!" Shen said as the Beast roared and lunged at them.
They scattered as Akali jumped away. Instantly, a shadow was upon her. She raised her Kamas and caught the blade of a ninjato as her maroon eyes met the glowing red eyes of Amaya.
"You-" Akali said viciously as the girl suddenly spun around and launched a kick at her head. Akali crouched under it and rolled back into a standing position, almost instantly having to raise her blades again as the woman charged her again, her shape hard to discern due to her smoking at the edges. Her shadow powers.
"You're Akali? I expected so much more." Amaya said viciously as she shoved Akali back with her blade before spinning around and throwing a shuriken at her. Akali threw one of her kamas up in to the air, spun around and, with her momentum, caught the shuriken out of the air before throwing it back at Amaya and catching her kama again as it fell, but the shuriken passed through Amaya, who was nothing more than a black shadow now.
Akali yelped in pain as she was suddenly kicked from behind, having to do a front flip, spinning in mid air, to face Amaya again, who stood behind her now.
"You can't beat me, Akali." Amaya said, saying her name with venom. "I'm the Fist of Shadows, a position you could not attain. I know the shadow techniques." Akali simply narrowed her eyes and raised her kama as Amaya ran at her again.
Shen jumped high into the air as the void beast crashed his hand into the ground where Shen had been seconds before. He spun around and cracked a kick into the beast's hard head, only managing to daze it as Kennen flipped over it, throwing 5 shurikens in quick succession at it's head. They all dug into the beasts hard exterior as it roared in pain, while Shen, who was back on the ground, took this opportunity to run directly ati t. The beast saw him coming and swiped its claws at him, but he instantly fell low to the ground, sliding under the legs, his ninjatos whipping out and slicing at the back of the knees of the void beast, where the flesh was soft and pink. Green blood spurted out as the beast fell to its knees, roaring. Kennen uttered a shout as his fur vibrated at a high enough frequency to form static electricity, aiming it at the 5 shurikens embedded in the beasts head. Lightning flashed from the small yordle and connected with all 5, as the beast spasmed and convulsed from the high voltage. Smoking, it doubled over, falling on all fours as it panted heavily. Shen instantly came onto it's back, landing right above its head. With a grunt of effort, he drove both ninjatos in an X-shape around the creature's neck right before he crossed them in a scissor fashion. The beast's head fell off its body as green blood spurted from the wound, the body falling. Shen stood up, sighing from the effort.
"Uh, Shen…" Kennen said uneasily as he looked above.
"Kennen, I really think you should jinxing us…" Shen said exasperatedly as he looked up to see another beast exiting the portal and jumping right at them.
Meanwhile, it seemed to be a game of dodge ball as Ahri moved quickly and swiftly in zigzag patterns, every so often throwing an orb of pure white energy or a small flurry of firey projectiles at Syndra, who deflected every projectile and seemed to fire black spheres of raw power at Ahri. If Ahri stopped moving even for a second, it'd be bad.
There was a sudden cry on the battlefield as Akali suddenly doubled over, clutching her right leg, where a black kunai was dug deep. A second later, Amaya exploded out of the shadows infront of her and kicked her in the chest, sending her flying back into a pillar.
"AKALI!" Shen shouted, distracted, and then he was flying off the ground, having been slammed by the beast's fist. He crashed into a stone wall, weak with age, so it crumbled around him and on top of him.
"SHEN!" Ahri shouted as she fired a pulse of energy at Syndra, who was slammed directly by it, skidding a few feet back in the air, disoriented. Using that opportunity, Ahri quickly ran over to where Shen was, but her tunnel vision cost her as the void beast swiped its claws at her, catching her on the shoulder and ripping 4 long furrows down her back, crimson liquid instantly falling out as Ahri stumbled, crying out in pain. Kennen uttered a cry of rage as he caused a bolt of lightning to crash down from the sky into the beast, filling the air with the smell of ozone. But the beast simply shook its head, damaged but not dead.
Ahri fell over to where the stones were, quickly pulling aside the rubble as Shen groaned. "Shen, are you okay? Shen!" She shouted, as she felt movement. She turned around to see Syndra grinning at them, raising a black ball crackling with energy.
Then there was a sound like a gunshot and Syndra was flung across the room into the far wall, crashing through it. Another sound, this one an explosion of fire as Caelum flew out of the burst, smoking and on fire, which was instantly extinguished as soon as he landed on the floor, though he landed on his back.
Aranya laughed as he said, "Looking out for those weaklings, Caelum? That mistake might've just cost you your life due to that lapse in concentration!" Aranya said, her hands bleeding from where she had dug her own sharp fingernails in, her blood magic flooding her with power and amplifying her abilities. Caelum stood up, his clothes singed and burned at places. The wrapping on his right arm was coming undone.
"Is that all of your power, Aranya? Even with your vile dark magics?" Caelum said as he stood up, his eyes hidden by his hair.
"Don't talk so high and mighty, Caelum. I can feel it, you're struggling to even match my powers. You might have taught me, but I have surpassed you with my blood magic which you so strongly oppose." Aranya said, grinning as her arms were covered with flames, burning bright with her energy, her blood seeming to fuel it further.
Caelum laughed as Aranya's smile faltered. "What's so funny?" She asked as Caelum flicked his bangs out of his eyes with a motion of his head, his icy blue eyes staring at Aranya. "You use your blood magic to amplify your existing powers Aranya… You are stronger than I am, yes… But even if I am against it, I know how to use it much better than you do… You simply magnified your affinity with it. I, on the other hand…" Caelum's right arm was exposed as the wrappings fell away, revealing an intricate map of dark runic markings completely covering his arm shoulder to finger-tips. The air suddenly seemed to plunge in temperature as Aranya's flames flickered, struggling to stay alight. The sounds around them seemed to mute down while the air became icy cold.
"I on the other hand, have managed another affinity." Caelum said, his icy blue eyes seeming even more colder. Aranya's eyes widened as a flicker of fear crossed her eyes.
"You… You're bluffing. You can't. You'll shorten your lifespan if you use that. You won't do it." She said, but her voice wavered and died down just as the flames on her hands died down, she stared down at her arms in shock, then back at Caelum.
"Letting you win means everyone I care about will die too. It's a small price to pay… Especially since I am finally getting my vengeance. For my sister, Aiyslynn." Caelum said.
There was another flash of lightning as the other void beast fell, Kennen huffing and panting with exhaustion, blood dripping from his nose and mouth as he clutched his ribs painfully. He walked over to where Ahri carried Shen out, one of Shen's arms hanging limp and broken as Shen panted shallow breaths, looking over at Caelum. "What is he doing…?" Shen said as Caelum raised his right hand at her. "Lacero." He said as suddenly white forms exploded into being around Aranya, ghostly shapes. They surrounded her and suddenly began flying through her continuously. Aranya began screaming in pure agony, being pulled off the ground as the white ghostly shapes kept going into her body and coming out the other side, only to dive back inside.
Akali watched in horror, with Amaya holding her down into the ground, a blade poised above her. "What… in the name of…" Amaya said in horror as blood began pouring out of Aranya's eyes, mouth, nose and ears, her voice seeming to rend the air itself with her screams.
And then suddenly Akali punched Amaya hard in her neck while Amaya was frozen with horror, Amaya falling off of her and choking, while Akali quickly dove on top of Amaya. A small cry of pain exitted her as Akali ripped the ninjato sticking out of her thigh out, and then a scream came from Amaya instead when Akali drove that ninjato into the woman's chest instead. Amaya's red eyes stared at Akali in shock and horror before her red glow dimmed down, revealing eyes of green. And then, her eyes glazed over and her body went limp under Akali.
Akali looked up to see Aranya's body falling to the ground, lifeless, blood pouring out of every orifice on her face. Caelum walked forward, blood pouring out of his own nose as he then pointed his arm up at the portal. "I have to close it… I can… But I need time… Where's Zed?" Caelum said, his voice laced with struggle.
And then, there was a cry of pain as Kennen collapsed to the ground, Zed standing over him. "KENNEN!" Screamed Ahri as Shen's eyes stared at the fallen Yordle, before going up to Zed.
"No… Zed, fight me!" Akali said angrily as she got upto her feet, but stumbled, her damaged leg throbbing. Zed didn't even look at her as Ahri and Shen both charged at him. Zed's body evaporated into a shadow as both Ahri and Shen passed through it. The shadow, however, instantly moved, dark blades slicing through the air. Ahri uttered a cry of pain as she crashed into the ground, holding her bleeding midriff while Shen stumbled, a cut opening up on his side as it instantly began to bleed profusely.
"Zed!" Akali screamed loudly as Zed, turned around to finally face her. "Leave them. Your fight is with me." She said as Shen staggered forward, but Akali instantly turned to face him. "No, Shen, you need to take care of Ahri. She's going to die." Akali said as Shen faltered, his gaze flicking to Ahri.
"She's right, Shen." Zed said, his dark voice finally being heard for the first time since they got here. He sounded… Evil. Like he was back when he killed Shen's father. "You can either come after me and give up on her life… Or go help her and give up on Akali's life." Zed said as Shen glared at Zed. "I believe in Akali. She won't lose to you." Shen said, before turning around and limping over to Ahri.
Zed then turned around to Akali as he met her glare with his predatory red eyes, before he raised his hands. He made a couple of hand-signs and a portal of darkness opened up in front of him. "Then let us put an end to this, Akali." Zed said, as he stepped forward and fell into the portal. Akali looked around, at Caelum, who was struggling to remain standing, trying to close the portal. At Shen, who was cradling Ahri's form as he rummaged through the small pack she had at her waist. At the form of Kennen, who lay unmoving on the ground. And then, finally at the dark portal in front of her.
She took a step and then fell away into the darkness, letting it claim her as the portal closed above her.
Leave a review if you have any thoughts or suggestions on the chapter of if you have any questions. Next chapter will be the finale and then an epilogue will follow, possibly with a bonus chapter soon enough.
~ Wings
