Irelia's lucid blue eyes twinkled with worry as they watched Akali shove the Syndra off of Baron, leaving her own mentally unstable self far beyond the sanctity of protection from the troops. A month hadn't even passed for Akali to recuperate before she was thrust into the world of war once more, forcing her to confront the one person who haunted her unconscious thoughts behind closed lids. Irelia could only pray to the heavens above that no serious harm reached her best friend, but right now an entire army commanded her vigilant attention.

"Steady your aim, men! Don't relent!" the bluenette barked. A pulsating vein on Irelia's left temple was threatening to burst from the stress of battle. Fifty men had already died within the past hour, their corpses completely melted into putrid flesh—with no corpse and ultimately no closure, it would be difficult to inform their families of their deaths. That was precisely the evil of war.

Currently, the Ionian soldiers were vigorously deluging the beast with interminable onsets of attacks, but from the look of the current situation, they were merely tickling its slimy epidermis. As if this war couldn't possibly grow any more chaotic, a series of shuffles behind her decided to disprove her thoughts.

"I'm back." Completely immersed in war, Irelia faintly nodded in response without turning to face what remained of the triumvirate. Shen cleared his throat behind her. "It seems we have a new ally."

Her mind couldn't help but fixate on the emphasis of the last word. A presence she hadn't sensed before made itself known as a deep voice awkwardly greeted, "Hello, Irelia."

Many years ago, Irelia recalled, hundreds of thousands of Noxian troops marched to the gates of Ionia with only one goal: annihilate. As a slightly inexperienced commander, Irelia approached the threat head-on, ordering her own troops to march forward and confront the Noxians, all to protect the faction she had grown to love with all her heart. She remembered leading the army on the front lines and fighting admirably, until a dark necromancer all but doomed her life force. The Starchild had poured every ounce of magic within her decaying body until she stood from the ground once more. Her father's blade rose with her, orbiting around her frame like a guardian. After the Placidium was secured, Irelia made it her personal duty to learn to telepathically control the blade. Never in the ten years she practiced did she lose her mind to her weapon.

Never, until now, as the blade propelled from its defensive position behind her head to Zed's neck, threatening to decapitate him cleanly. It pinned him to the ground effectively. For the first time in the years Irelia had known Zed, he looked…vulnerable.

"Irelia."

Red distorted Irelia's vision as Shen's meaningless words slowly disintegrated into nothing. Her bloodthirsty emotions far overpowered her logic until she was well past the realm of reason. It was as if a demon had possessed her soul, stripping her of all humanity and transforming her into a feral animal that only knew how to kill. It was almost as if she was Zed himself.

Some negligible part of Irelia knew this was wrong. An honorable warrior would never fight a completely one-sided battle.

But Zed was anything but honorable. Not to mention it was so damn satisfying to see beads of crimson blood trickle down Zed's neck and drip onto the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes from the joyous sight. The war surrounding her almost didn't matter; Zed's blood would be compensation enough for the lives of the Ionian troops that had been sacrificed because of his wrongdoings. The blade dislodged itself from Zed's neck, leaving a nasty gash in its wake. Zed wasn't given a chance to exhale before it flew towards him full throttle. A ninjato so frighteningly quick that Irelia's eyes could barely register obstructed her weapon just before it could pierce Zed's heart. Her head whipped in Shen's direction, her focus obviously still in frenzy.

"Stand down," Shen's voice commanded.

Her weapon did otherwise, acting on its own as it flew at Zed a second time. It was effectively blocked by Shen's ninjato once more.

"I said stand down, Irelia," Shen repeated, albeit this time with a slightly more commanding tone. "You have let your emotions overwhelm you. You don't even possess control over your blade. Calm down before you hurt anyone."

Unbeknownst to her, Irelia's chest was heaving violently. Shame flowed through her veins as she realized that Shen's words were accurate to the letter.

Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth, she reminded herself. After a minute or so of repeating the cycle, her weapon was no longer quaking from her unspoken rage. Irelia summoned her it away from Zed so it didn't pose as much of a threat, but not far enough to provide him with much breathing room.

"What is...he...doing here?" Irelia could barely enunciate between clenched teeth.

"Funny. He asked me the same thing," Zed commented sarcastically, but quickly pressed his lips shut as he remembered the long cut decorating his throat.

"Look, I'm not entirely thrilled about the whole scenario either, Irelia," Shen explained with a stern expression, "but he claims to know how to stop this monster, and based on how powerful it is, we need all the help we can get."

"But he helped Syndra summon this beast! How can you even look him in the eye after everything he has done to Akali?!" she practically screamed, her composure vanishing with each second. "If it weren't for him, she'd have an even better chance of defeating Syndra. If it weren't for him, this war would have never even existed!"

Shen's jaw clenched as he shut his eyes briefly to think. "Like I said, I'm not any more content with this situation than you are, but he has all the information we seek. How many soldiers' lives will be sacrificed before you see that?"

This time it was Irelia who bit back her tongue and grit her teeth. Any blind fool could see that Shen's argument was nothing but logical. Even so, disgust slithered down her spine as she watched Zed cup his injury to stop the profuse bleeding. Her eyes closed in frustration with the less than undesirable circumstance at hand.

"I'm not asking you to become best friends with him. I merely require your cooperation and agreement," Shen gently convinced, observing a myriad of expressions manifest and disappear on Irelia's visage. He didn't blame her, for he too was conflicted about Zed's unexpected wish to help them.

Irelia crossed her arms. Every second she stood there idly was another ten lives lost; she needed to think of a way that Zed could earn a sliver of her trust.

"If you're serious about helping us, remove your mask." Her words were just above a hushed whisper, but held all the urgency of a scream.

"What are you—"

Irelia cut Shen off before he could slip in another word. "I refuse to work with my archenemy unless I can see his face at least once."

Zed remained motionless on the ground. Before Irelia could reiterate her command, Zed's hands slowly traced the bottom of his mask in obvious disinclination.

"Quit stalling."

She almost didn't catch his sigh. Even with the dehumanizing mask, Irelia could sense the conflict within Zed. His fingers peeled off the mask, leaving his face completely exposed to the world. Irelia almost gasped, but not because the pink and uneven scar along his left eye made him horrendously hideous.

As a general, over the years, Irelia had encountered all types of people, whether it was the most villainous brute or the kindest saint. Zed was far beyond the spectrum. Nowhere in her expectations did he look so utterly lost and broken. Irelia had never seen someone in his current state. His eyes were so dull, so lifeless. It was almost pitiful to see a shell of a human being roam around the earth with no sense of direction, even if that human was a monster like Zed. Guilt pressed into her mind as her green eyes scoured his dead, crimson ones for any sign of deceit, but thankfully she found none.

Her head dipped in a curt and obviously reluctant nod, to which Shen let out a silent sigh of relief. Zed fumbled for his mask and hurriedly put it back on, thankful for the protection his mask offered.

"What is your plan then?" she queried, stubbornly refusing to look at Zed like he was human even after her evaluation of him.

"Akali must win the battle against Syndra. All we can do is wait. Once Syndra has been defeated, her enhanced power will transfer to Akali. Akali then must un- summon it back into a relic."

There was no ambiguity in Zed's explanation.

"So everything relies on whether or not Akali has the power to defeat Syndra," she summarized.

Silence ensued amongst the trio. There were so many things to process that Irelia was on the brink of losing her rationality. Everything was up to Akali, though the odds were heavily stacked against her. How was a woman suffering psychologically to defeat a sorceress with the power of a legendary creature to aid her? She had to pray harder than ever for both the safety and success of her best friend.

"What can we do now to help?" she inquired.

Shen replied, "I still haven't exactly told Kennen of the new addition to the team." Zed grunted, evidently not exactly happy with what would most likely be another attempt for his life. Shen walked away in search of the nearest medic with Zed trailing behind him ever so hesitantly.

Irelia crossed her arms as she watched the former Kinkou ninjas leave. "Remember Zed. One wrong move and I won't hesitate to end you." Her words weren't as cold and sinister as she would have liked, but even so, Zed responded with an indifferent nod.

"Kennen has exceptional aim," Irelia heard Shen say to Zed as the pair of frenemies walked away.

"What of it?"

"Just make sure you have a shadow nearby."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

She couldn't gather her thoughts over the deafening pounding in her head. Just thinking about trying to think made her head throb harder.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Akali lifted her hand into the air with what little energy she had left and pressed her fingers gently against her temple. Pain erupted in her head, causing her to groan. The high-pitched chirping of the birds in the trees only served to make matters worse. There was no way in hell she'd be able to sit up given her current state.

God, Akali felt awful.

Fresh air entered her lungs as she breathed in deeply. Rather, she tried to, but her chest constricted with its undulations. Her breaths became erratic, worsening her head's condition.

She couldn't think. She couldn't sit up. She couldn't breathe normally. She couldn't even open her eyes due to the blinding light from the sun. A sitting duck holding a neon, "I'm right here!" sign was Akali.

Maybe the biscuits will help.

The biscuits crumbled slightly upon contact with her fingers. There were only two left, one if she ate one right now. Maybe whatever storm was brewing in her head would pass soon. Besides, these biscuits would come in handy later—

Something let out a pained groan nearby, far too close for comfort. Akali swiped the cookie from her pocket and stuffed it in her mouth without so much as a second thought. The horrible headache turned migraine accompanied with the putrid taste on her parched tongue almost made her vomit right there on the floor of the woods as Akali brought the biscuit to her mouth. She clenched her teeth with revulsion as the biscuit very unwillingly made its way down her throat, but s. A wave of instant regret crossed her as she hopped to her feet unsteadily. Another batch of bile threatened to escape, but she swallowed it like a champ before snatching her abandoned kamas and walking unsteadily toward the source of the noise.

Suddenly, sunlight wrapped around Akali's body, a warmth she was all too eager to accept. Her legs stopped as she stood to relish in the ring of light enveloping her. The tension in her muscles melted away under the morning sun as she stretched her limbs. A sigh escaped her. Was this how relaxation felt?

I'm growing senile if I'm able to relax in this current situation.

Despite the ever present danger that was Syndra, maybe it wouldn't hurt to just take a few minutes and bask in the glory of this warmth, especially since Akali knew it would be quite some time before she'd even see such strong sunlight again. Reality ripped away her serenity as quickly as it had lasted, just as it always did. The trees were so densely packed together that the leaves blocked any and every source of incoming light.

So how could she possibly be standing in a beam of sunlight?

There was no way it could filter in, unless someone made a gap in the trees, much like Akali had when she fell into the forest unceremoniously. Akali squinted her eyes at the surrounding trees, walking out of the beacon of warmth. Many of the branches had snapped, as if crushed under the weight of something.

Or someone.

Akali's eyes never left the descending path of broken tree branches as she ran around the clearing. Another groan resounded through the forest, yet Akali's ears perceived it as a scream. In response, her body began to pump adrenaline into her blood. Her head shot to the right as she heard the groan again.

Akali gulped anxiously. Her instinct wanted to do exactly the opposite of her mind's commands, but she needed to see who, or preferably what, was making that noise. Biting back dread, Akali stealthily stepped to the source of the sound.

Akali's heart dropped as her mind tried to confirm what her eyes were seeing.

Syndra.

It seemed she had landed in the same forest after all. It wasn't an impossible idea since both of them were sent flying in the same direction, but Akali liked to think that Syndra had somehow fallen into a pit somewhere in hell and was currently burning alive for all of the sins she had committed. Even now, as Akali watched Syndra, she hoped that the earth would open and swallow the unconscious demon whole.

Syndra looked so defenseless, so vulnerable.

Akali could end all of this by killing her, and god knows she wanted nothing more than to do just that. It would be laughably easy to slit her throat right here, right now. This damned war would be over. Murdering her would be sufficient revenge for Akali, given all the irreparable damage done to her body and mind. Akali kneeled over Syndra's limp body. She unsheathed her kama and positioned it over her open neck. Everything would be over.

The kamas in her hand began to tremble.

No. Her eyes widened in horror and shock.

Was this...hesitance?

Impossible. Akali hated her with all of her black heart. There was nothing more she wanted than to drive her kama through Syndra's heart in cold, merciless blood. A deranged laugh, no, her laugh echoed in her mind, nearly making her drop her blade.

Fan-fucking-tastic. I'm so unhinged that I'm afraid of myself.

Akali cursed her moment of weakness. This wasn't about her. She'd happily sacrifice the remnants of her sanity to save thousands of innocent people. Ionia needed her to be the ruthless, coldblooded killer she once was. She raised the blade high above her head, ready to drive it into Syndra's throat.

The moment of hesitance was all Syndra needed to gain consciousness. Her dark purple eyes shot open reflexively, instantly punching Akali in the face and reverse tumbling to safety.

Shit!

Akali had no time to ponder all of the thousand mistakes she had just made within the past three minutes. Stars danced in her vision, but somehow she found the balance to stand upright again.

"You know yourself that the only chance you have of defeating is by killing me when I'm unconscious," Syndra mused. "Tell me: how would your Kinkou peers react if they knew their esteemed Fist of Shadow would stoop so low in battle?"

Don't listen to her, Akali repeated in her mind.

Syndra frowned when Akali offered nothing but a steely glare. Her favorite victim was lacking her usual bite.

Akali would not play into her calculated jabs of derision today. It was of utmost importance that Akali powered all of her concentration on her mission. It was probably already afternoon, and she had no way of knowing whether or not Irelia's troops could defend against Baron. Her fingers gripped her kamas so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Another ball of magic appeared in Syndra's dirt-caked palm. "Fine. If you want to die so badly, who am I to stop you?"

Akali dodged the shot of magic just as she had with the other spheres, but the onslaught to come left her with little to no chance to fight offensively. It was as if Syndra was shooting off a round of infinite magical bullets that were the size of her head.

Judging by the maniacal look on Syndra's face, her magic wasn't depleting nearly as quickly as Akal's energy was. She had to end Syndra before her body collapsed of fatigue.

She threw down more smoke; at least it would provide some semblance of cover. To catch Akali as she darted through the smoke was to catch wind. Gradually, her pupils dilated to adapt to the smoke. However, Syndra was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes scanned the clearing, but the sorceress did one hell of a job leaving no traces behind. Her heart rate started to skyrocket, especially as the tendrils of smoke began to dissipate, leaving her exposed in every aspect and degree.

Her ears perked as the branches above her began to furiously tremble. The leaves shook, cloaking the entire field with noise. It was all just a calculated distraction, Akali realized.

"This will all be over soon." Syndra's voice echoed in the tree tops. There was no way to pinpoint her location, especially with the added distraction of the foliage.

Akali sensed a figure shift behind her. She swiveled her body around and threw her kama, which fell to the floor as it hacked thin air.

What?

Something hit the back of her hand, sending her last means of defense down the drain. Akali barely managed to deflect the fist that came hurtling toward her face. Her eyes narrowed.

"Let's end this." Akali did not miss the murderous resonance in Syndra's voice.

Akali pushed her away to regain a steady stance. Instinctively, her fists rose up to protect her most delicate body part: her neck. The two circled around the far edges of the clearing, neither wanting to make the first move.

Time was not on her side. This was the sole, although not very intelligent, reason (that opposed everything she had ever been taught as a trainee) Akali used to justify herself as she lunged for Syndra. Her lips curved into a smug sneer, and it was at that moment that Akali knew she made a grave mistake.

Syndra sidestepped the lunge and thrusted her own fist forward. Akali bent her whole upper body forward and aimed a punch for Syndra's midriff, her hand just centimeters away from a crippling blow. Syndra's reflexes were faster as she caught and squeezed her wrist. Rather than deliver what would have been an easy blow to the face, Syndra dug her purple talons into the skin, decorating Akali's pale arm with blood. Her sinister smile grew wider as the blood continuously oozed from her wrist. Akali watched in frozen fear as the sorceress licked her lips in excitement.

The sharp pain brought her back to reality. As hard as she could, Akali slapped her opponent's cheek so hard that her hand stung. Completely taken aback by this burst of energy, Syndra had no time to deflect the reeling kick to her stomach, which made her stagger a few feet backwards.

If looks could kill, Akali would have been brutally mutilated to the point where her corpse would be unrecognizable. Swallowing down her dread, Akali delicately dabbed her bloody wrist with her sleeve. The red material darkened even further, turning a certain crimson color that she was uncomfortably familiar with. The biting pain was bearable; the biscuit was unnecessary.

She spotted movement in her peripheral vision. Reacting purely to her panic, Akali staggered backward, losing her stable stance. Syndra attempted to sucker punch her face, but Akali brought both her forearms to deflect the blow. Her sloppy posture left her with no means of defense as Syndra hooked her arms around Akali's elbows, rendering her limbs immobile and useless. The sorceress spun the ninja around like a ragdoll, pulling Akali's arm behind her back. No matter how much she squirmed, the grip Syndra had on her arm was secure. A breathy laugh echoed in Akali's ears. Syndra yanked her arm backward as hard as she could.

Burning agony exploded in her right arm as it dislocated from her shoulder with an audible pop! The pain quite literally knocked the wind out of Akali to the point where she didn't even know Syndra had relinquished her. Her lips pressed together in a failed attempt to repress the guttural howl of anguish that threatened to escape. To assess the damage done to her shoulder, Akali raised her arm slightly before intense discomfort pervaded her senses. Her right arm was completely worthless now, and the longer it stayed dislocated, the more damage would be done. When she worked as a nurse in the hospital, Akali had many patients check in with dislocated shoulders. The procedure to fix it was quite simple with the help of anesthesia. Unfortunately, the luxury of an anesthetic was impossible. Her eyes wandered to the treetops to brace for the oncoming pain.

One… two…three!

She snapped her arm back into the socket successfully. Black spots began to invade her vision, but deep breathing and tenacity willed them away. Akali rolled her shoulder. It was much looser than before, but that was a problem that only physical therapy could heal. Finally, her attention returned to Syndra, who stood staring at her, thoroughly entertained that Akali had inflicted necessary pain on herself. What she wouldn't give to punch that smirk off her face.

"Wipe yourself off," Akali taunted, pointing at Syndra's bloodied nose. Pride blossomed in her as she remembered how she had given Syndra that wound. "You're bleeding."

Syndra's smirk dropped instantly as she wiped the dried blood from her nose. Her hands glowed dark purple as she summoned her magic. Playtime was clearly over. If she was going to cast her abilities, then Akali would need her kamas to skew the fight a little more in her favor. The kamas were on the opposite side of the circle. Calculations ran through Akali's mind: she could either run the circumference of the circle but expend her energy or she could dash behind Syndra directly to save energy but risk being bludgeoned to death by her magic. The latter seemed less than appealing, but far more realistic in the heat of this battle. If only she hadn't run out of energy to throw down another cloak of smoke.

With uncertainty mauling at her heart, Akali braced herself and began her treacherous pathing. Her eyes observed Syndra as she switched into a defensive position. She was nearing Syndra, who was rendered clueless as Akali ran past her.

Her kamas were so close that she could almost touch them...

...but alas she wasn't able to grab them, for a second ball meant to stun and not kill, crashed into her the center of her back and knocked her face first into a tree.

Her body couldn't move; in fact, it didn't even feel the rivulets of blood that trailed down the sides of her face. Memories of the abandoned temple flashed in Akali's head, just as she knew they would. Even Irelia had warned her to get help. Now she would have to endure these hour-like milliseconds as panic overwhelmed her senses.

Suffer.

Crazed brown eyes shifted rapidly. The forest was...shrinking? Some unknown force began to constrict the breath out of Akali's lungs. Her abnormal breathing made her lightheaded, which only created more hysteria.

This panic attack would pass. At least, that's what Akali told herself to maintain her waning sanity.

Die.

Syndra towered over her spasming body. Why wasn't this over yet?!

Move, damn it!

Akali's internal screams did absolutely nothing. Her carcass was limp and stagnant, even as she watched one then two deadly spheres orbit Syndra's body.

The warped sky grew clouded as tears welled up in her eyes. Was this how everything would end?

A third sphere formed.

Akali wasn't ready to be plunged back into war. She knew she wasn't, yet she stayed to help. She stayed to prove her worth, like she had tried as the heir to the title of Fist of Shadow. Her efforts were just a hindrance in the end, just like they had been in the past. The world would suffer because of her childish need to validate her life.

Akali took it upon herself to use what was left of her life to apologize. To Irelia, who had risked her status as a general by threatening the elders in order to force an emergency evacuation in Ionia. To Kennen, who had stayed with her from the very beginning, but she had never truly thanked him for. To Shen, who had expended so much of his time and energy trying to protect her from everything, even though he knew he couldn't protect Akali from herself.

And…

And to Zed, whom she failed to redeem.

She would never see her best friends ever again. She would never wake up from the eternal sleep and be able to enjoy a jar of Nutella again. She would never be able to live again.

Most importantly, she would never see him again.

As Syndra conjured two more orbs, Akali could do nothing but wait. Syndra would not make the same mistake she did in the dungeon; this time…this time she was ensuring Akali's demise was permanent.

Warmth flowed through Akali's core, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was finally accepting her death and ultimate failure. Syndra remained silent, letting the dark magic hovering above Akali's vulnerable body speak for themselves.

The spheres shot towards her erratically beating heart. The unfathomable pain her shell of a body felt as Syndra's magic punctured her heart was beyond any physical agony she had ever experienced. She couldn't scream the sensation away. The sky began fade away into darkness. Her head began to rock to the side as death finally arrived for her.

I'm sorry.

Her eyes shut.

So apparently the title of this story is now an item in the game. ;D

Not really sure that I captured the panic attack very well. That's probably because I've never experienced one.

Yea, you guys can just punch me for not updating in half a year. Just let me close my eyes cause I can't stand the sight of blood.

Well, I hope you liked this update even though my writing is extremely rusty. Have a sunshiny day peeps.

Also anyone get the reference in the battle between Akali and Syndra? Hint: look at what Akali says.