''Huh?"

A woman, around his age, was looking at Zed. Clear blue eyes, silver hair gathered up in a loose bun and a slightly upturned regal looking nose. A tad shorter than him, she was dressed in some jeans, a oversized hoody and white flats but even with that urban getup she still managed to look somehow...noble, elegant, poised.

Zed was almost sure that the woman was a League champion. He knew that he heard that voice before, and saw those eyes. Maybe not completely in this form, but still...

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"You sure do." she replied. "You sometimes trip over my spheres."

It was a little hard to recognize her without the signature headgear, or the floating balls of dark energy. Syndra.

"Oh?" said Zed. "Oooh! Syndra?"

"Grey hair, red eyes, obvious lack of avocado understanding;" Syndra replied. "The Master of Shadows?"

Young man coughed in mild irritation. It was Summoners who picked his infamously gaudy moniker and he always felt like dying when he heard someone else saying it. He had many different names, some less flattering than the others, but all pointed out his bloody past. When Zed arrived to the League, he wanted to put some distance between that past and himself. "Zed is fine."

"Hey they call me The Dark Sovereign." Syndra replied with a smile.

"Yeah... well Summoners are not the best when it comes to naming." said Zed, looking around for a reason to change the topic. He didn't wanted to talk about himself right now. Especially not with another Ionian.

Sydnra pointed out at her feet. Her shadow was crackling and bending, trying to reach to Zed's.

"What?" His shadow was moving around too. "It never does that. Not when I don't want it."

"Guess you were focusing on your avocados too hard."

Syndra smiled again and Zed turned his head in embarassment. He must've looked like a total idiot, talking to fruits and whatnot, losing the control.

''I can show you how to pick, if you want.''

''That;'' Zed looked around to see if anyone's watching. Aisle was empty for the moment. ''Would be great.''

Syndra grabbed Zed's hand, much to his surprise. Her hands were warm. Actually her whole being was radiating a warmth, making Zed feel like he was wrapped in cotton. Even his thoughts were slowing down slightly. It was something he could use, after weeks like this. It was something he never felt for years now. Peace. Tranquility. Comfort.

Then a moment passed and he smelled lilacs and his own magic responded instinctually, pushing away all the foreign influence away. All that peace withered and scattered away like dead petals in the wind. Young ninja felt a small buzz over his skin as his own magic took over quickly and forced his body to release a large amount of adrenaline, sending his heart rate into overdrive. A wave of coldness washed over his whole body and his mind quickly woke up from the lilac scented slumber it was forced into.

A technique he developed in case he had to shake off Ahri's advances one day. But seems it's gonna be useful against every kind of mind magic or poison. Good to know.

''Your hands are cold.'' said Syndra, looking like she was concerned a bit. ''Are you alright?''

''Is that a trick question?'' replied Zed, lightly hissing. Bitch was poisoning him and judging from the smell, it was probably Ale-Tamek, a substance akin to the Teemo's mushrooms. Easily disperses through air, one whiff strong enough to knock out a fully grown man. Signature of a certain ninja order.

Kinkou. Even here. Had all the Ionians turned against him?

Fortunately, Zed was dosing himself with it for years so he was highly immune to it. Still, if not for his shadows, he wouldn't be able to stand to it, not in his weakened form.

Syndra put a hand over Zed's forehead. ''You are burning.''

''Yeah, poison does that to you.''

Syndra's face scrambled with confusion. Blue eyes narrowed, lips parted a tiny bit. ''What?''

''Tell Shen I said hi.'' Zed smiled, but it was devoid of any warmth and rather predatory. ''It was nice knowing you.''

Syndra blinked and when she opened her eyes again, she was looking at a shadow just like Zed. She was alone and he was gone.

Zed stumbled through his door, eyes bloodshot, body shaking from adrenaline withdrawal, hair matted with sweat. He looked like he ran all the way from Ionia to the League. After his little spat with Syndra, he used everything he had to merge with the shadows, trying to stay hidden. In that form he was nothing; formless, soundless, weightless. Just another shadow, a gallop unchained. The Darkest Path, as the sages of the old called. Only Shen could see him when Zed was walking it, but the chance of him being around was low. No, poison was not his way.

It was Kennen's.

''What happened!?'' Akali rushed at the second she saw Zed, catching his weak body just before he lost all the strength in his legs. ''Zed!''

''Fucking Kinkou…'' said Zed. His voice was hoarse. ''Poison. Ale-Tamek.''

''Who!? How!?''

''Syndra. That purple bitch…''

That answer stopped Akali. Syndra? ''Wait, what?''

Zed looked at her through bloody eyes. He was exhausted, but there was something else in those eyes. A defiance. ''All of the Ionia is after me. Nothing new.''

''But Syndra?'' Akali replied. She helped Zed to sit nearest couch. ''She is…like us.''

Zed shook his head to cast away some of the clouds over his thoughts. It was hard to think when you burn yourself to the brink. ''Exactly like us. That's why she's working with Kinkou.''

''They have nothing she could possibly want.''

''A pardon the from officials? Old tomes of magic? Political power?'' Zed shrugged. ''It can be anything.''

''I can't see Syndra going for any of them.'' objected Akali.

Zed sighed. ''That's because you are just a pawn in the Grand Game.''

Akali snorted to the answer. The Grand Game. It was a highly fatal charade that all of the Runeterra played for political power. From Ionia to Avarosa, everyone was either a player or a pawn. Master Kusho was a player, so as Zed and Shen. Akali despised it, even though she was trained to be a player too. When she ran away she'd left all of it behind, all the murder and the betrayal, or she thought she did. Game had a bad way of reminding her that she couldn't ran away as far as she wanted.

''I was;'' Akali corrected him. ''I 'was' a pawn. No more.''

This time Zed snorted. ''No one runs away from the Game. You know that too.''

''I did.''

''Yet it still catched up to you.'' said Zed. ''I know what you told to Professor Ryze.''

Akali shrugged. ''It was no secret. You already knew Kinkou was after you.''

''Of course I did. It never bothered me. In itself, Kinkou is nothing…''

''I feel like there's a 'but' coming.'' said Akali.

'' But, it's power in controlling the rest of the Ionia is a problem. I can't fight with my brother and Karma at the same time.''

''You have a plan?''

''Just one.'' Zed replied. ''I'll make sure they're fighting with the rest of the continent.''