Hey guys! Sorry for being rather late with this one. x_x I've lacked much desire to write the past two weeks, (or was it just one week? Summer Break really messes me up sometimes) so I wasn't able to really do it all at once. I did work on it little by little, though. I am really thankful though for all the positive feedback this has gotten. 4,210 views? WOWEE! I know it could mean a lot of different things, but I am still surprised this is getting any feedback at all! A big thank you to those who take the time to read this! 3
Anywho, I'll leave you alone now. Enjoy!
He wanted more.
No, he craved it. He longed for it.
Lusted for it.
He had gotten one taste, and it affected him like a drug. It sunk its teeth into the Assassin's consciousness and refused to let go until he got more. It made his mind unable to focus, and due to his frustration, he found his room to have been trashed when the red haze and the strange sensation plaguing his consciousness subsided.
It took some time to put it back in order, giving him the chance to think over what had happened.
He had lost control.
The Nine Tailed Fox had some sort of hold over him, and it bothered Zed to no end.
What could she possibly want from him?
She denied any use of magic to sway him, so Zed wasn't positive. Either way, Ahri was a trickster and couldn't be trusted. Her lithe movements and the sway of her hips could bring nearly any man or woman to their knees if she so desired. It seemed, to Zed, that she may have just gotten to him as well.
His temper began to rise again, at this thought. It couldn't be a natural attraction. He had sworn to celibacy ages ago, and Zed found he felt nothing for either gender regardless. He found romance to be petty, anyway.
What made this damned fox so special? She had never affected him before now. Only in the Fields of Justice has she ever been able to enchant him, and that was through use of her dreaded magic charm. It never lasted for long, thankfully. Either way, this tended to bring him and anyone else who got caught by the spell to a quick demise if they weren't ready.
He did recall the conversation from last night between his Summoner, Minerva, and Matthias; something about an imbalance of energy from the Nexus. Could that be possible? Might that have been a variable in this predicament of his?
Zed considered this thoughtfully, as he stood in the center of his now somewhat orderly chamber. Could it have made the affects of Ahri's spell linger? Throughout the rest of the match, he admittedly felt some sort of magnetic force pulling him towards the fox when she was near. Even outside of the Summoner's Rift, it still seemed to trouble him, and intensify whenever the Fox was close by.
He will most certainly have to bring this up whenever he gets called in for his little meeting in the council chambers, no matter how embarrassing. Due to Minerva's sudden ailment, it was delayed. He knew not if she was recovering, but he didn't really care either way.
A voice from the door broke Zed out of his train of thought.
"Zed, your presence is requested at the Council meeting chambers immediately."
Whoever was speaking left shortly after.
Irritated at being so rudely interrupted, Zed did some last minute cleaning up before departing. He strode with his normal demeanor, which most found intimidating, down the hall, a few passerby glancing at him along the way.
There was no doubt that everyone knew.
Zed, the Master of Shadows and leader of a menacing army of ninja's, forcing himself upon the Nine Tailed Fox was quite scandalous. Ahri wasn't known for having any form of relation besides a friendship with Wukong and being a mostly positive acquaintance to a few others.
Zed wasn't close to anyone, and had minimal allies. Though he was taking into consideration that Syndra, the Dark Sovereign, would make a decent ally when taking over Ionia. Their lack of relations only made the sudden occurrence all the more juicy to most Summoners and some Champions.
He had decided to not let it get to him, and that it would be in the past as soon as he fixed whatever was wrong. The Summoner's wouldn't allow him to stay this way, especially if it hindered his ability to fight in the Fields of Justice.
The Master of Shadows decided he would deal with this in a professional fashion. If he were to show shame for such a moment of weakness, people would most definitely not be able to take him seriously.
He did feel some anger over letting himself give in, like that. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could really do about it now besides getting rid of whatever Ahri had done to his mind.
It wasn't long before Zed arrived at the lounge. In the corner, two summoners sat across from one another in plush, comfy looking seats. Sona sat on a cushion, gently plucking the strings of her Etwahl with an expertise like no other. It was calming, and a healing power seemed to resonate from both sound and strings.
Whatever Zed had been feeling before, was replaced with said calm. However, he didn't particularly like his emotions being toyed with.
The silent muse glanced up at Zed as he had entered, her soft expression wavering somewhat. It was a brief glimpse of fear that the Master of Shadows knew all too well.
Good.
"Ah, Zed. The Council is expecting us."
Zed looked towards the Summoner who spoke.
Minerva.
She looked significantly older, strangely. Zed almost didn't recognize her. The Summoner has always appeared quite young despite her age, but now it seemed as if she lost years off of her face. She appeared to be very tired and frail, much unlike her usual determined self.
Zed definitely took notice of this sudden change. Even though he didn't like Minerva, he realized that he had just gotten so used to her constant pestering that it was commonplace to see her around frequently. This change was rather surprising, even for Zed.
He approached the three. He saw that the Summoner sitting across from her was none other than Matthias, who was none too pleased to have Zed around.
"I thought that the others were finished." Zed stated, glancing towards Sona. He was curious as to why she was here in the first place.
Minerva followed his gaze momentarily.
"Oh, dear Sona thought that she should tag along for healing purposes," She said, flashing an appreciative smile towards the Maven of Strings. "Matthias decided that he would join us as well."
Matthias gave no notion of wanting to speak, or even look at Zed.
Minerva found his rudeness very distasteful, and chastised him for it.
"Matthias, I know you're only worried for my sake, but you're behaving like a child right now. I appreciate the kindness you have shown to me, but I wish for you to show kindness to others as well. Holding a grudge like this isn't going to fix anything, especially if it's for ridiculous reasons."
Zed raised his hand in objection before Matthias could retort.
"Let him grovel, woman. It amuses me to see such insolence."
Minerva scoffed at this.
"Do I have to start lecturing you as well? Surely you remember the last I went on one of my little tirades."
Indeed he did, and thus, went silent.
Sona bore an amused smile as she continued her melody. Everyone immediately calmed down, as if she was plucking the tense emotions right out of them through song.
All was quiet for a moment, until Minerva spoke up once more.
For someone who seemed so ill, she seemed more chatty than ever.
"I heard about what happened after I had fallen ill," She said, pausing shortly after as if in thought.
Zed eyed the woman closely, dreading that this may turn into one of her lectures after all.
"Both of you need to learn how to keep your temper in check. You could've gotten in very serious trouble if your dispute had escalated."
"I don't think it was much of a dispute, since he was the only one yelling." Zed stated simply, crossing his arms over his chest-plate.
Matthias seemed very cross, now. His lips went taut, as if they were holding back mounds and mounds of insults and other profanities he had in store for the Master of Shadows.
They went silent for yet another brief moment, until the music of Sona's Etwahl calmed them down once more.
Minerva was about to speak once more when, to Zed's relief, the doors to the council meeting room slowly swung open, and the high ranking Summoner from before came through.
"A pleasure to see you recovering, miss Minerva. Do you need any assistance, before we begin?"
She waved her hand dismissively in response. "Oh, I'll be fine. I need to walk anyway."
With that, she stood upright on her own. Matthias shot up from his seat to aid her, but she shooed him off. He sat back down, very much disgruntled. Sona, however, remedied this by playing a more cheerful melody to lift the mood.
Zed followed Minerva as she made her way to the connecting room, half expecting her to crumple to the floor at any given moment.
She seemed awfully confident in her ability to be independent, and Zed admired her for that, but sometimes confidence can only end up being arrogance. Minerva didn't appear to be arrogant, just very strong-willed. Perhaps she does deserve a little respect.
The chamber they entered was that of a large, circular court-room. There were few Summoner's about, but Zed noted that these Summoners all bore very sophisticated robes and mantles upon their shoulders. They conversed quietly with one another, though no concern or fear could be seen.
Both Champion and Summoner took a seat at a desk in the very center of the room. The desks that the other Summoner's sat at were raised, and were positioned near the walls.
The doors to the chamber closed tightly, and the illuminated crystals that floated just below the court rafters brightened somewhat as the Summoner's took their seats and prepared their notes.
The man from before sat at the tallest desk, with quill in hand.
"Before we begin, I am Master Summoner Pastellien, and you have been brought here to answer some questions concerning yesterday evening's match." His tone was dull, and Zed had no doubt that he had said this all day long.
He took a moment to scribble something down on some parchment before speaking once more.
"From what we have gathered thus far, there had been a disturbance out in the Summoner's Rift during said match near its beginning, but nothing else throughout the rest of the battle's time span. Have either of you felt this disturbance, at all?"
Zed leaned back in his seat, leg crossed over the other. If this was going to be a long meeting, he may as well relax some.
Minerva was silent, waiting for Zed to speak. When there was no response from him, she decided to speak.
"The first few minutes were very quiet, in the middle lane, sir. Zed was preparing to ambush his opponent, Ahri. When the fight broke out, however, I could tell that there was something not quite right. After the Nine Tailed Fox overwhelmed us, I could really feel it. It was a strange, buzzing sensation that seemed to permeate both of our consciousness throughout the rest of the match. While it was subtle, I could tell it was there, for it was very much affecting Zed's performance. We lagged far behind the enemy, and even some of our own teammates."
All gazes turned to Zed.
"Is this true?" Pastellien inquired.
The Assassin nodded in response.
"Might there be anything you'd like to add?"
Zed figured this would be a good chance to inform them.
He nodded once more, and sat up straight. "After being hit by a charm from Ahri," He found himself pausing momentarily, her very name sending a subtle shiver down his spine. Zed continued before the professional atmosphere could turn awkward. "I feel that its' affects lasted longer than they normally should have. Throughout the match, and even now, I believe it's still there. It affects me most when she is nearby, and seems to intensify as time wears on."
Minerva looked at him strangely, but kept any comments to herself.
Pastellien cleared his throat some, before talking. "Ah, that would indeed explain a few things."
There was some muffled chortling from a few other Summoner's but most remained quiet even though they seemed to find it all amusing. Zed paid them no mind. As long as the issue was dealt with, he could deal with the discomfort.
Pastellien turned to a colleague, and the two whispered amongst one another. The other Summoner nodded, and stood. He gestured for another Summoner to follow him as they left their desks.
The two approached Zed.
"Permission to prod at your mind a little, Assassin? We will not delve into it, we just wish to see if there's any residual magic that we believe to be is what you just spoke of."
Zed, reluctantly, complied. "Do what you must."
Both Summoner's extended their hands, their palms hovering mere inches away from his head. Zed could feel something shift around him, a buzzing sensation not unlike the kind he felt when near Ahri.
It wasn't long before both let their hands fall back to their sides. They also looked somewhat concerned.
"Master Pastellien, there is some lingering magic from Ahri's spell. But…" The man trailed off.
But…?
Zed looked up at the Summoner, knowing that what was coming next will most certainly not be good.
Pastellien frowned deeply. "Well, what is it, Empryn?"
The so called Empryn swallowed nervously, before continuing. "There are large amounts of energy that can only be found from the Nexus in the Field's of Justice."
The room went quiet.
Zed, not knowing much about magic, was confused. He broke the silence, when no one else would.
"And that means…?"
Pastellien grew distraught, looking at Zed with a bewildered expression.
"We... we don't know."