"The Void welcomes you."~ Malzahar, The Prophet of The Void
Now all of this would easily be a lot better if I took my time with this arc. But I'm impatient. Basically I'm giving payoff after payoff without any build up. And unless you know of the lore you won't really care about the character interactions.
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"Why can't I be here?" Syndra asked him, "The fate of Ionia is something I can interfere in can't I? And shouldn't you be happy that I'm here?"
Shen sighed, "It is why I'm here. And no...." He looked at the participants, "I am not enthused at your appearance here."
Karma eyed him with surprise, "You know her Master Shen?"
"Enthused?!" Syndra exclaimed, "You are plenty enthused in bed."
Shen shut his eyes before brings his hand to his face.
"Sleeping with the enemy! Is there no criteria for selection of the Eye of Twilight?!" Yunara looked disgusted, "Is this the leader of the Kinkou Kennen?"
Karma looked at Shen with disappointment in her eyes, "Is this true Master Shen?"
"Yes." Shen sighed, "Syndra and I are together. Wedded."
"Instead of beating back an invasion as he should have done.... he was busy cozying up to this.... evil." Yunara did not hold back.
Even Kennen looked at him apprehensively.
Shen could feel the opinion of him fall across the room.
Zed chuckled, "I wondered why you seemed unavailable during the invasion. The balance you preach seems to not affect you. Your father would be disappointed."
"I'm glad to have disappointed him then." Shen answered.
Zed stared at him, his helmet hiding his confusion.
Shen looked at him unamused, "Do you truly believe that I would not know anything? I have seemed unavailable because I have been unavailable. I married Syndra long before Noxus invaded."
"Does not excuse you doing nothing to stop the Noxians." Yunara spoke spitefully.
Shen looked at her, "I have killed more Noxians than all of you put together. Do you think the Spirit of Ionia took care of the twenty of so warships heading here? Do you think the land killed all the attackers in the north? There are no stories about me because I left no survivors. Balance is having an equal amount of allies and enemies. And I evened up their number. There are no stories of me because I left no survivors." He looked detached from what he was saying, "Do not speak to me when I have taken more lives than you have ever seen in your life."
He looked over the entire group, "And do not worry. This incompetent man is giving up his post. The spirits have approved of this. The moment this war is taken care of... my service to them, the Kinkou.... and the people of Ionia ends. My family will not be a part of the Kinkou or any part of Ionian leadership."
"Do not make any rash decisions Shen!" Kennen tried to calm him down.
Shen turned to him, "This was something I have pondered over for years Master Kennen. My duty to Ionia has kept me here for twenty years. Twenty years in servitude. Twenty years of facing all the criticism and hate directed toward the Kinkou. Not Mayym. Not you. I had to face it."
"And so you give up." Zed scoffed.
"Give up? I choose to move on Usan. Or would you prefer to be called Govos.... since you are not part of the Kinkou anymore."
Zed glared at him, taking a few steps forward.
"Balance is a funny thing is it not?" Shen chuckled, "After my mother's passing, I found a brother." He stared Zed in the eyes, "When you and the woman I was engaged to went behind my back, balance... balance led me to Syndra. When my father chose to trust you over me, my relationship with Syndra progressed. And when my father died.... I did not get anything. And then suddenly.... I was blessed with a child."
He watched numerous eyes widen at this information.
"But I did not lose anything, I feared losing something... losing my family. But nothing. A little investigation later I found out that my father had faked his death... in order to start this order of yours." Shen continued, "Then you killed him and took over. I lost my father but became one instead."
Gasps went up across the open council at the sudden revelation that the previous EyeofTwilight had faked his own death.
"Your jealousy and desire to take everything from me has given me more than I could ever ask for." Shen smiled at Zed, "Which is why I pay no attention to you. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Zed looked on, anger filling him at the knowledge of all this.
"If you are leaving.... then leave the SpiritSword behind." Yunara refused to back down.
"Unlike the Aion Er'na, the Spirit Sword belongs to my family.... not the Kinkou. But that did not stop you from staking personal claim on the weapon did it not?" He finally assessed the woman talking to him, "Yunara... the Devoted Shrine Maiden. The myths and stories have made you out to be someone who sacrificed everything to carry out your mission but I know the truth. Binan was my great grandmother. And she left records as to why you truly went into exile." He looked up at Zaahen but noticed his eyes fully focused on the cloaked man beside him, "You fell in love with the Darkin you were supposed to keep in check. You aren't selfless... No. You are the most selfish out of all of us."
"You-" Yunara raised her hands ready to summon her weapon from outside to attack Shen.
But then heavy gravity fell on her.
Her and everyone on the room expect for Shen and Syndra. Most of the room fell to their knees while only a few remained on their feet. But they showed visual struggle to stay up.
"I understand you have quite a lot to discuss." The cloaked man spoke, "But you have a war coming to your lands. I suggest we focus on that instead."
"Caalyx..." Zaahen muttered as he looked at the cloaked man, "Or should I say Gregori."
"Zaahen." Gregori looked at him, having recognized the host, "The good seneschal has passed."
"He has."
Zaahen walked forward and stood facing Gregori.
Gregori then looked toward Zed's OrderofShadows, "Let us get this reunion together properly shall we?" He turned around and walked toward the group, walking around the group that struggled to stand and reached the back wall.
"Are you going to keep watching?"
Gregori reached out and thrust his arm into the wall.
Instead of breaking, his hand sunk into the wall. His hand closed around something and he pulled it out.
Out flew a shirtless teenager. One wielding a scythe made of flesh and bone. A singular eyeballs looking at Gregori at the point where the scythe began to curve.
"Hello Rhaast."
"Caalyx." The weapon replied.
Gregori looked at the child, "Your host?"
"No."
To the surprise of the boy who had begun to fear the weapon in his hands after hearing the prior discussion, Rhaast denied the claim.
"He is the perfect partner. I cannot take over his body. But he can use me to an extent without facing any corruption. Unlike your host."
"The host is the one speaking Rhaast." Gregori said as he moved a wrapped Caalyx into view, "Taking on a full Darkin form is too much for the human body anyway."
"This child will be able to." Rhaast replied.
Gregori raised an eyebrow, "And what of the blood requirement?"
"His magic makes the difference." Rhaast answered. "Blood made of magic that disappears after use. It prevents rhe blood in hos body from corruption. Though he is hell bent no learning that useless ShadowMagic."
The boy, Kayn, looked on at the conversation the two were having in shock.
No wonder Rhaast was averse to him learning Master Zed's magic. He had assumed that it was because it had stopped him from controlling him but this was something he never could have imagined.
"Get up boy." Gregori said as he removed the magic pushing down on everyone. "The three Darking have much to discuss."
He pulled out Caalyx and began unwrapping him.The moment his eye was unsealed a mocking call rang out.
"Well.. well... well. If it isn't two traitors. Planning on who to betray next?"
The eye then froze on a certain Vastaya.
"MONKEY!!!"