Chapter 3 - A Dark Contract

Meditation had never been Syndra's cup of tea. She had been taught the basics by her old master in an attempt to control her magic, but she had never had the concentration or patience to master it. It wasn't that she didn't try, but that when she wasn't channelling the Dark Sovereign she had next to no focus. She could criticise Lux and other champions like her for how they act, but she knew that without her magic, she'd be much the same. Everything seemed to get her attention, from the noises of cicadas to the faint brushing of wind through leaves. Anything that could get her attention got it, which made tranquillity an impossibility most of the time. Usually the time she dedicated to meditation turned into training, but after the strenuous session she had with Zed yesterday, she was willing to at least try relieving her mind. But after an hour of trying to shut out the outside stimuli, she was prepared to quit. That was when she heard it, the unmistakable sound of boots on grass. Nobody was supposed to be at her home, she lived on flying island to ensure that was the case. She began to let the dark influence take hold, summoning a group of orbs in her lap, ready to lash out should she be threatened. The footsteps stopped, and she waited a moment before acknowledging the person.

"If you take one more step, you'll lose your legs."

"And I thought I was supposed to be the ruthless one." Zed began walking forwards again, assuming Syndra's threat did not apply to him. He was proven somewhat wrong when he was swept off his feet, finding himself thrown onto his back as a group of orbs held him down. Syndra stood up and walked over to his prone form, a look of anything but pleasure plastered onto her face.

"Oh Zed, you should be careful, seeing me three days in a row, people may think you are beginning to make a friend." She mockingly put her hand over her mouth as though in shock, before flicking the orbs off him and allowing him to stand up. He got up onto his knees, catching his breath. Syndra could cause a lot of harm when she was angry.

"What do you want?" She had set herself back down where he had found her, except she now faced him. Zed reached into his armour, pulling out a small scroll with a black seal.

"Somebody wants you dead." He threw the scroll at her feet, and she picked it up, reading it over. Her eyes seemed to get larger as she went, and her jaw physically dropped as she read the last line.

"Yeah, it's a large reward."

"Who sent you this?" Zed shrugged, setting himself down next to Syndra.

"No idea, discretion is kind of the key to our business. But whoever they are, they're willing to do a lot to have your head." Syndra felt a chill go down her spine at the thought. She knew that the dark magic she used led to having enemies, but seeing it written out made it seem so much more real.

"What do we do?" Zed chuckled, unsettling Syndra a little.

"What do you mean 'we'? I have a contract." He wasn't on his feet long enough to make his comment even vaguely believable. In a matter of seconds, he was hanging about ten feet in the air, a very angry Syndra staring at him from the ground.

"How can you joke about something this? It's my life on the line!" Zed made the mistake of looking down, realising a drop from this height would be dangerous, even with his abilities.

"If I was here to kill you, I'd have tried already!" Syndra couldn't argue with that. Slowly she brought him down, but she wasn't prepared to take her eyes off him just yet.

"So, what do we do?" Zed had been asking himself the same question on his way here. The moment he had read her name, he knew he wouldn't be able to complete the contract, even if he'd wanted to. Part of that was due to her being a supremely powerful mage, as well as a champion of the league, which meant she was protected from the other champions, but mainly because he didn't think he could bring himself to end the only person in some time that had at least tried to be nice to him. His first thought had been to take her to the Institute, but quickly figured if someone was offering a reward this large, even the summoners could not be trusted. As he also did not trust any other city-state, he was left with one of two choices, neither of which really took his fancy. The first, though he hated to consider it, was to somehow get the Kinkou to protect her. As much as he hated the group, they were honourable, and he knew that if they swore to protect her they would do exactly that. However, that would involve getting in touch with the group, which was not just unpleasant but extremely difficult. Which led to the only other alternative.

"Come with me to the Order of Shadows." Syndra couldn't resist laughing, assuming the request to be a joke. When Zed did not join in her reaction, she blushed a little before actually considering what he had said.

"Don't you guys operate out of one of the most famous temples in Ionia? I'd imagine that would be a little obvious." Zed put his face in his palm, shaking his head at her ignorance.

"Why does everyone think that my order is so naïve? The only way I can truly guarantee your safety is if I am close enough to fight if need be, which means you'd need to go where I go, which is not the damn Kinkou temple."

"Guaranteeing my safety? Who's sentimental now?" Zed did not take too fondly to her humour, but couldn't really argue the point. Yes, he was being sentimental, breaking his moral code for her. She had better realise how much that meant.

"Yes, I'm being nice, don't make me regret it." And with that went any sense of compassion Syndra had been getting from him. Friendship was still only a potentiality.

As Syndra's island was no secret to the citizens of Ionia, she couldn't say no to the offer of protection. So, after she had time to pack a few of her belongings into a small bag, she found herself hovering through the forests of Ionia towards her temporary home.

"How far away is it?"

"Too far to walk the whole way, but I have a different plan." As he said this they stepped out of the forest into a clearing. In the middle of this clearing was a small shadow, which was strange, as it seemed to have no source. It really didn't have any shape, just a black blotch in the middle of the glass. Zed took Syndra's hand and started running, almost dragging her behind him. When he touched the shadow Syndra felt her stomach flip, her body going into panic at the unnatural sensation. A moment later she was on the floor retching, but upon feeling the much cooler, greener grass, observed the forest around them instead. This area was far more ancient than the small area Syndra called home, the trees looming like giants, leafy arms covering her from the sun. The grass was slick with moisture, showing it had probably been raining some time that day. Ghost-like shadows were projected onto the floor, turning the clearing into a natural mosaic. This was probably the most beautiful place she had ever visited in Ionia.

"To this day I do not know what this area is called, but yes, it is truly beautiful." Zed was beginning to make a habit of reading her expressions. For someone with 'perfect control', she was pretty easy to read. Zed himself stood in the centre of the clearing, following the same ritual he did every time he returned here. But now, standing here with Syndra, his thoughts were clouded once more, a new emotion seeking its way into his already confused collection towards the mage; guilt.

This place was always my sanctuary, and now it can be ours. Those ancient words echoed in his mind, a voice he had tried so hard to forget coming back to haunt him. He was thankful for his mask, for the fact Syndra could not see his confliction.

"Is there any civilisation here? It seems too… pure."

"There was a village once, but it was destroyed, probably during the Noxian invasion." Syndra looked around the clearing, contemplating that idea.

"Strange for Noxians to leave such a beautiful place unblemished." Zed honestly had never considered that, but it certainly put a spanner into her theory. He felt another twinge of guilt at the thought, but again supressed it.

"Would you like to see the village?" Syndra nodded, and soon Zed was leading the way through the forest towards the same place he had visited yesterday. Once the first of the ruined buildings came into view, Syndra's pace slowed, her excitement dissipating, replaced by something much darker. She could almost feel the sorrow in the burnt wood, the rivers of blood beneath the ground, blood of a people once peaceful, now gone. She felt herself overwhelmed, and soon her breathing felt strained, her heart beating unnaturally fast. So much death.

Zed took her hand, the feeling of fleshy fingers getting her attention. Next to her, Zed had removed his gauntlets and helmet, hanging them off his belt as they walked. Syndra's breathing began to get easier, and soon her heart was beating normally.

"I felt the same way when… a friend brought me here for the first time. It's as though the souls of the dead still reside here, longing for freedom. I thought I heard one of them once, a faint weeping in the back of a blackened house, only to find nothing but a family of mice. It's a sad place, but in time it became a peaceful reminder, a reason to fight." Syndra heard his voice from a distant, barely recognising this Zed. The great and stalwart warrior talking about fighting for the lost, for protecting those who never had the chance to protect themselves. How can he call upon such emotions but still claim it as a weakness.

"Do you think you are weak Zed?" His eyes were still looking forward, but his hand seemed to grip Syndra's a little harder.

"Yes, in every possible way. I found my technique through rage, my home through friendship and my motivation through sorrow. I am a broken soldier, but I will be damned before I let that stop me." There was the unquestionable relentlessness that was Zed, something she never thought she'd be so happy to see in the assassin, but it felt more appropriate than the brooding he seemed indulged in at the moment. They continued like this for some time, walking through the deathly silent village, hand in hand, submerged in their emotions.

As the sun began to set and the shadows grew darker, Zed led them back towards the temple.

"From what we could tell, the temple was the only thing not destroyed with the village, which isn't that unusual. Religious places are often considered bad-luck to destroy." As the Foliage got thicker and Zed took to the trees again, Syndra hovered ahead of him, her movements much easier. When the temple came into sight she gasped at the beauty. The foliage crawled its way along the outer walls, but the three-story building stood with such radiance that Syndra felt as though she should avert her eyes at the beautiful construction. She wondered if Zed could appreciate the architecture as she could, but decided that she'd rather keep this moment of awe to herself. Zed caught up and dropped to the floor, Syndra following. As they walked through the grounds, ninjas seemed to be leaving the main courtyard from all directions.

"Training would have just finished for the day, most people will be heading off for dinner." At the mention of food Syndra's stomach audibly grumbled. She laughed.

"Dinner doesn't sound too bad." Zed smiled, his own hunger evident to himself.

"I'll talk to one of the chefs about getting some food sent up."

"Sent up? Where do you stay." Zed pointed to the top floor before making his way inside. Once they had scaled the stairs, Zed taking a detour on the second floor to request some food, they found themselves in a small hallway. Zed pointed to a door on his left, then his right.

"That is my room, and that will be your room. I don't usually have guests, so I am hoping the room is acceptable." Syndra just smiled, reaching for Zed's hand like he had done in the forest. Upon the contact, he pulled back, before clearly having second thoughts and letting Syndra wrap her fingers around his. The sensation was warming. They stood there for a moment, both a little awkward and unsure what to do. Eventually Syndra pulled away and made her way into her room, not saying anything as she went. Zed looked at his hand, still feeling warm from the mage's touch. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything akin to this, the last time being with… He stopped the thought there, entering his room and setting himself down upon his bed. His food arrived a few minutes later and he ate greedily before again laying down upon his bed. This time, there would be no messenger to keep him from sleep.

Or so he thought. A giant bell rang forth, shocking Zed from his sleep. He had been preparing for that sound for years, but hadn't expected it to happen tonight of all nights. They were under attack. He quickly threw on his armour, rushing out of his room past a very stunned Syndra. He was out in the courtyard in no time, ninjas already filtering into it with him. He met the guard on duty, who was watching something in the distance.

"What is it brother?"

"Kinkou sir, heading this way through the forest."

"How many?"

"Just the one by the looks of it sir, but they are fast." Zed followed the warrior's line of sight and saw what he had noticed, the blurry figure heading their way. Zed growled, readying his blades.

"I need to train you better. That is not any Kinkou." Zed ran out the gate, never taking his eyes off the blur in the distance. As they grew close, Zed stopped, raising his palm in a stopping gesture.

"Kennen, that's far enough." The yordle slowed down and almost collapsed from exhaustion. Zed felt no sympathy, and was certainly not impressed with his appearance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Shen… Asks for… Your help…" He was breathing frantically, clearly having run a long distance even for the fast ninja. Zed was furious at those words. The last time him and Shen had seen each other, he had been betrayed and almost killed. Shen had long since lost Zed's aid.

"Shen has no right to call upon me!" Zed turned to walk away, but what Kennen said next stopped him in his tracks.

"We think… Akali… is dead."

Yep, a cliffhanger. Luckily for you guys, I have started on the next chapter and know where this is heading, so you can probably expect more on the horizon. That being said, I will be quite busy over the coming week, so it will take me a little longer to get it finished. Wanted to get this first part out to you just so you know I'm writing!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this little teaser, Bj out.