They sat opposite each other on his bed, both with legs crossed, and Zed speaking like the master tactician he is, and with Syndra listening to everything he had to say.
"Well, where do I begin.. Ok, first of all, what are your powers again?"
"I have summon magical spheres, encase people within them and throw them anywhere, I push push people back using my spheres, and I can summon about 30 spheres at once and throw them at whatever I wish. I can also control temperatures and people's minds an-"
"Wow, ok, that's quite a lot, Syndra. I'm.. Actually quite impressed, heh.."
"What?"
"Well, it's just.. Impressive."
She laughed.
"Zed, I was raised by Ionian elders.. Not only that.." She leaned closer to him and summoned different waves of multicoloured magic around Zed, the waves gently brushing against his face, his head and eyes followed the waves in amazement. She raised her hand and created a small sphere of shadowed mess, to which Zed reached out his hand to touch it.
"..I was born with these powers."
"You were born with the power of shadows?"
"No silly! This is only magic, it's fake shadow if you will. But I suppose I could use it as a bluff.."
His face lit up.
"Wow.. That's, kind of.. Dark."
"I know."
"Anyway.. A few things to note about Hei-An, she moves incredibly fast, faster than me, infact.. Not only this, but judging by her attitude earlier, she'll more or less likely try to tie you down to the floor with her shadows, in addition to this, sh-" Syndra placed a finger to Zed's lips.
"Shhh. I have absolute control."
He didn't even try to speak. She smirked at him and removed her finger, he smiled back and kissed her tenderly. She tried to push him down onto the bed but Zed was much too strong, he repeated the motion to her, interlocking their fingers and with their bodies touching each other in all the right places. For a few seconds, they lay there, in peace and harmony, it was here that Syndra was too weak with the feeling of almost-lust for Zed to even attempt to get him off. Either way, she didn't really mind.
He leaned in closer to her, their noses barely even touching. Syndra tried to arch her head so that her lips were closer to his, but it was futile - he kept moving further away. With each passing second, Syndra was feeling even more crazy with her sudden want for Zed, and he was finally able to control the Dark Sovereign, after the past few days of control she had over him, it was Zed who came out on top as the victor.
"Absolute control, you say?"
They both smirked. Zed slowly leaned down to press his lips against Syndra's, causing her to exhale heavily with relief. He slowly slipped his tongue into Syndra's soft lips, eliciting the same motions from her as they both explored each others mouths with the unexpected tenderness that they treated each other with.
"You're just a big softie." She whispered.
"So are you, O great and powerful Dark Soverign." He murmered.
She stuck her tongue out and licked his nose. He tutted.
"Syndra.." He giggled.
Zed removed himself from Syndra, both of them now lying on the bed. He leaned up a little bit, just enough to see the clock on the opposite wall.
"We have half an hour."
"Ok." She said.
"Zed?"
"Yes, Syndra?"
"Have you ever felt loved before?"
He wasn't sure how to respond to the question. There were a few possibilities of answers to give, but he just couldn't think straight. Not around Syndra. Not around this amazing woman.
"Nothing like this, no."
"Me neither."
"How? You're.. Amazing. I'm surprised men haven't swooned all over you."
She blushed and turned away from Zed, burying her face in the pillow.
"There was.. One man.." Her voice sounded incredibly muffled.
"Go on." He leaned toward Syndra.
"A man with some ancient wind technique, he came to me one day some years ago, asking for help. He'd been attacked and was.. Badly injured, so I took him in. A few hours afterwards, I felt smoke and the forest around me dying and being burned. It was the people hunting him down in an attempt to kill him, and to my.. 'delight'.. It was no other, than the Ionian council.. I took immediate friendship to Yasuo, we both had a common enemy."
Zed laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"I know the man that you're talking about."
Syndra turned back around with a happy expression on her face.
"Who? Who is he?!"
"A friend of mine, Yasuo. He lives not far from here actually."
"Can we visit him tomorrow? Or later on today?"
"Of course! I haven't seen him in a while, come to think of it.."
"We can go and see him together, can't we Zed? Pleeeaaaassee?"
He laughed and rubbed his hand through her hair.
"Of course, Syndra, I already said."
-fast forward-
"Ladies and gentlemen! I hereby declare this Shili Zhan an official recorded battle by the commandments of Ionian values and traditions! May the best fighter win!" Zed's voiced boomed above the crowds noise, and Syndra knew she had already won this fight.
She floated about the ground in her signature pose. Back straight, arms outstretched holding spheres, and her legs dangling freely without care. Hei-An showed no restraint or weakness. She was standing slightly crouched, holding a short strip of shadowed fabric between her hands. Her aura and entire presence was that of Zed's. She was a shadow of him.
They both bowed, and on the sound of a gong, the battle begun.
Hei-An jumped straight at Syndra, launching herself at her neck in an attempt to grab it, and Zed was right, she was really, really fast. She gave one swift kick to the air and knocked Hei-An so far back that she almost hit a crowd of people outside the ring. Syndra smirked, causing Hei-An to scream and once again launch herself at the Dark Sovereign.
Shit.
She disappeared. Hei-An couldn't be seen or felt anywhere. Syndra patiently waited, gently looking around, and keeping herself mentally and physically prepared for the inevitable attack. The sound of flapping clothes could be heard, and Syndra moved herself to the side, in hope to dodge the attack appearing form behind her.
Success.
"You're ridiculously sensitive, Dark Sovereign. How on earth could you hear me?"
Syndra laughed, but it wasn't the laugh that Zed was used to. This was Syndra's true form, the Dark Sovereign. The powerful mage that struck horror into Zed's tough heart, not the innocent young woman anymore.
"A whole legion couldn't stop me.. What chance do you have?"
Hei-An froze on the spot. Unable to move from the sound of Syndra's voice. The rest of the crowd fell silent.
Syndra pulled a dark, shadowed sphere from the air as the other eight orbs surrounding her turned the same way.
"No way.." Hei-an whispered.
The banging of stone could be heard as Syndra mercilessly flung eleven orbs at Hei-An. Everyone single one hitting her. The smoke cleared, and Syndra still floated in the exact same place. She moved over to the crushed, but breathing body lying on the floor, and lowered herself to the ground.
"Are you ok?" Her voice was back to normal, and Zed silently exhaled with relief.
Hei-An slapped Syndra's hand away, to which she sat up, now facing Syndra.
"I've only ever been defeated once.." She was struggling to breathe, Zed and one of the many medics sensed this, and panic struck them, causing them to run over to Hei-An.
"..and it was Master Zed who defeated me.. But this.. This hurt much more.." She coughed up a small amount of blood. Syndra jerked and reach to the medic.
"Please take good care fo her, I didn't intend this. Hei-An, I'm truly sorry."
"Syndra, there is no real need to apologise. He grabbed her face by the cheeks and moved her gaze the the severely injured top-student." He let go, and stood up.
"People of the order, we have declared a winner!" He held Syndra's arm up and the crowd cheered, giving her a little smile.
"As you are all aware.." Hei-an was being carried back to the building behind them.
"..one of my best students has been defeated. Surely, this battle has proved to you that Syndra is worthy of joining the order?"
It stayed silent for only a second, but the crowd burst into fits of cheers and chants.
"SYNDRA, SYNDRA, SYNDRA.."
Zed leaned in closer to her.
"I think that's a yes."