Zed walked through the moonlit forest surrounding the old kinkou temple, which stood on a small hill on the northern ionian island. The ancient trees, all centuries old in this part of Ionia, almost entirely obscured the starry sky with their leafy canopies. He heard the long, low call of an ionian owl, many of which lived on the main island of the city-state. However, little to none of these owls lived near the kinkou temple, making the call a perfect signal.
Almost noone would be suspicious of the nightly call of an owl. Zed followed the sound to it's source. He came to a small pool of water at the base of a small waterfall, that dropped over several stones, giving a pleasant backdrop. Next to the pool sat Akali, still producing the owl call with her cupped hands. As Zed approached her, she looked up, smiling at him. They had met like this often, talking the nights away.
„So," an otherworldy voice, dark and foreboding, spoke from behind Akali. „A meeting, like so many others, in the dark, in secret, with one who means much to you."
Where the voice had come from, a figure shrouded in darkness appeared, darkening the clear night, blotting out the stars in the night sky, while Akali still smiled up at Zed...
Zed stood under a tree outside the Institute, a full moon lighting up the Institute's grounds, and the two figures on the grass, laughing and talking with each other.
„... both, then they both have a point to make!"
„Always watching from the shadows, listening for answers? Or because of old feelings, ignoring new bonds?" Zed's gaze drifted up towards the main doorway of the Institute, and he saw darkness spill out, like ink spreading in water, turning the surroundings into a nightmarish black. It engulfed the the entire building complex, the trees, the two women, who were still laughing on the grass. It soon reached Zed himself.
Zed stood opposite of Nocturne, his last turret slowly crumbling as wave upon wave of magical costructs known as minions ran into the range of his tower's powerfull beam. Despite the tower's strength, Zed and Elena, his summoner once again, knew that the tower would not last much longer. Suddenly, all went dark around Zed, and his connection to his summoner, ad by extent, to his minions and tower, weakend. He saw the spectral being fly straight at him. Zed could feel Nocturne's power seep into his mind as they traded blows, and Zed heard Elena's voice, faint, but clearly understandable: „Now Zed!"
Without hesitation Zed used his powers to jump int the realm of shadows, using them to strike out at the being, lifting the presence of Nocturne from Zed's mind. Zed was slowly filled with a warmth, and the darkness lifted.
Through Zed's fevered dreams that were his memories, all altered by Nocturne's presence, a strong and bold voice echoed:
"Return to the waking world, Zed. You have slept long enough."
Zed awoke with a start, lying in one of the beds of the safehouse. One of Zed's companions had made a fire in the small fireplace. The flames had already burnt low, sending flickering shadows across the cavern walls and roof, which were further contorted by the roots that lined the wall. Aside from Zed only Shen was in the safehouse. He was lying in the next bed, his entire chest and stomach covered in bandages where Nocturne had hit him. His entire armor was next to him on a chest, except for his mask, which he still wore, and his wakisashi lying beside him. Zed's own armor and shurikans lay on a chest next to his own bed, the cracked metal mask lay with them.
Zed sat up and reached to touch his face, noticing that the cloth mask he wore under the metal counterpart was still on his face. His wristblades were also still strapped to his arms. Zed reached for the metal mask that lay atop his armor, picking it up staring into the eye slits. The sheet of burnished steel had been forged aeons ago in a forge underneath far below the mountains of Ionia. Zed had found it after fleeing the Kinkou temple in ancient ruins along with the rest of his armor.
'An ancient mask, made for a shadow master, now to be destroyed by something much darker... I can't wear this any longer.'
Zed turned his gaze toward Shen, who was still lying in deep sleep next to Zed's bed. He walked over and stood over his companion, staring down at him, lost in memories. His old self, the one he was not two weeks ago, would not have hesitated to strike Shen down, to bury his blades in his chest, or cut open his throat, and a part of him still wanted to, still made him responsible for all he had gone through. But as he stood or Shen, he knew that he would never be able to strike his friend down. Standing there Zed lost all track of time, and was roused from his thoughts as Diana climbed down into the corridor that led to the underground room.
She was still wearing he armor, her curved sword slung over her shoulder and carrying a pair of hares in her left hand.
"Ah, Zed, you woke up." Diana said as she came inside, laying the hares next to the small fire and laying a few more branches into the flames. "You were out for a while, almost 24 hours. I couldn't wake you even though you didn't have any injuries from your fight save for the cracked mask."
"I don't know, I can't remember... Anyway, how is Shen doing? The wound mortal?" Zed asked Diana as he walked over to her and sitting down next to the fire next to her.
"No, it isn't. He got lucky, if one can say that. Nocturne's blade hit a rib. I think he was aiming lower but Shen's quick reactions saved him."
Diana set about disembowling the two hares, preparing them to cook in a pot for stew. The two sat next to eachother in silence, all that was heard was Diana working on the meal, and the crackling of the small flames.
Zed was the first to break the silence, asking Diana: "Just tell me, how did you two know I need help? I didn't manage to get a distress call out."
Diana paused in her work "When you just jumped of, Shen was as close to angry as I ever saw him. Then, when you didn't come back, we got worried. And when the shadow you left behind dissapated, Shen just said: 'He needs help.' And was suddenly enveloped in this aura, and vanished soon after, so I followed."
Once again, they fell back into silence. As soon as the food was done, Diana gave Zed a bowl and half of a loaf of bread from their rations and stood up, taking another bowl to Shen. She put a hand on his shoulder, and Zed could hear him sit up. He wasn't really listening, but stared into the fire.
'Nocturne somehow got free of the Institute's bonds, we have to get word back to Ryze. We don't know how the situation is back at the League.'
Zed rose from the fire, walking to his equipment. He rummaged through his pack, looking for the communication crystal they had been given. Once he found it under his breastplate, he walked over to Shen and Diana, the former of which having just started eating.
"How are you doing?" Zed asked.
"I'll live." He answered with his usual emotionless voice, though it sounded more strained than usual. "At least, thanks to Diana."
"That makes two of us. Listen, Diana, you think you can get Ryze onto one of these?" Zed held up the crystal.
Diana took her own out of a pouch on her belt, looking it over. "I don't know, I'm not exactly accomplished with crystal magic."
"True, but you have more magic than either Shen or me, so maybe you can amplify it somehow. Anyway, I'll have a look around. If i remember correctly, there is a town a few hours west of here. Perhaps I can get some rumours from the locals."
"Ok. But by the moon, be careful out there, we can't help you if anything goes wrong."
Zed nodded and stood up, going to the entrance, picking up his shuriken belt on the way out.
Zed blinked shortly as he stepped out into the early morning sunlight. The small forest cast a long shadow along the plains westward towards Noxus. The long grass swayed slightly in the wind that was little more than a stiff breeze passing by. Zed turned westwards, putting the sun at his back setting off across the plains. As he traveled, he took care to stay as inconspicious as possible, keeping to the groves of trees and not walking over the crest of the hills.
It was midmorning when Zed spotted the town he was looking for. It was slightly farther south than he remembered, and it had grown significantly, swelling to at least twice its earlier size. The farms that surrounded the town lay to the south and west, where a small river flowed, making watering far easier, so Zed could keep going the same way he had been the entire morning, keeping out of sight.
Zed took up an observing position in a small grove of trees about a hundred meters away from the town's outer buildings.
'Guards, 6 a shift. If they follow normal routine entirely 36 in town, with maybe 10 in reserve. Otherwise, normal townsfolk, mostly farmers, maybe 300 hundred.
2 main streets lead to a town square, looks like the tavern is right there.'
Looking at the town, Zed let out a frustrated sigh.
'Can't go in there masked, easier to walk in, claiming to be a mercenary... Well, here's for it...'
Zed reached up, pushing the cloth hood off of his head, revealing his shoulder length brown hair, then leting the facemask fall off, showing his features. Zed would've had a goodlooking facee, with prominent cheekbones, a refined jaw and slightly curved lipshad it not been for an ugly scar, going along his entire right jaw, and extending down his neck, a mark from the shadows. There was not much he could do to hide it, so he left it open, hoping it would be taken as an old burn. Since his mask was off, Zed's eyes were a deep brown. Taking a deap breath, and with an open face for the first time in many years, Zed went toward the town.