Chapter Text
Deep within the walls of the Shadow Order, Shieda Kayn strolls into the meeting room where Zed is waiting for him.
“Kayn. We’ve gotten new intel about a strange cult operating along the Ionian coastline. It appears to be Noxians. I want you to go and gather information about what they’re doing. We have reason to think that they’re hiding somewhere near here,” Zed says, gesturing to a marked place on the map spread out on the table in front of them. “The group doesn’t seem to be militaristic, but they’re still Noxian, so I want you to go check it out.”
“Of course, Master Zed. I can leave tomorrow morning,” Kayn says, noting the marked location on the map before turning and leaving.
“No! No more stealth missions! We should just kill them all, instead,” Rhaast chimes in from inside Kayn’s head.
“No, Rhaast, we are not killing them all. We stick to the mission,” Kayn mutters under his breath when he reaches the hallway outside Zed’s quarters. A quick glance shows that there’s no other acolytes loitering around in the hallways.
“Fine. Be a loyal dog to Zed. Who needs to think about what they’re doing or question orders from above?” Rhaast says in a mocking tone.
“Zed saved me. He raised me. Of course I’m loyal. Besides, this mission is for recon. What’s the point of questioning the order if I’m going out to get the information myself? If your only understanding of combat strategy is charging in blindly, no wonder you’re the one trapped in a scythe.”
“And yet you rely on me to feel powerful,” Rhaast says.
“You’re nothing but a tool to me,” Kayn argues. Tired of the same old argument, Kayn concentrates on shutting Rhaast out of his head as best as he can. It feels like putting up a wall in his mind, keeping the Darkin from listening to his thoughts. If Kayn had to take a guess, it’s likely this barrier that makes it so difficult for Rhaast to take control of his body, as well. Whether through time or experience or sheer power, Rhaast seems to have a much easier time of keeping his own mental barriers intact than Kayn.
Making it back to his room, he makes quick work of packing. His room is sparsely decorated, with only the bare minimum that he needs kept there. Since he’ll only be gone a day or two at most, knowing he can make good time using his shadow magic, packing is a simple affair. The next morning, Kayn rises with the sun, preparing to leave as quickly as he can. Once he’s grabbed his bag and strapped Rhaast to his back, he’s on his way.
Kayn’s last mission was so successful that he’s been itching for another opportunity to prove himself. He can feel his own excitement simmering under his skin, combining with Rhaast’s endless desire for bloodshed, creating an uncomfortable mix crawling inside him, desperate to get out.
Kayn is eager to prove to Zed that he’s worthy of taking over the Order, capable of controlling the Darkin and taking its power for himself.
Through most of the walk, they maintain a companionable silence, punctuated with occasional jabs at each other. The forest is calm around them, and the weather is clear. Despite not talking much, Kayn finds it reassuring to know that he isn’t alone.
…Even if his company is nothing more than a possessed weapon that wants to kill him.
By evening, Kayn has found the building that Zed’s informant claimed housed the strange activity. It’s unassuming from the outside, a slightly run down brick building with an overgrown garden. There’s a well worn path leading to the front door though, belying its frequent use. Kayn slows down and makes his way through the shadows of the garden until he makes his way to the door.
It’s unlocked. Rhaast chuckles darkly as they sneak inside.
Inside the building, Kayn hides in the shadows of the rafters, looking down on the people crowded within the main room. They’re oblivious to his presence, clearly preoccupied with...whatever strange ritual they seemed to be performing.
“How cliché,” Rhaast says, and Kayn can’t help but agree, looking at the matching shapeless robes they’ve all adorned.
At the front of the room sits an altar, adorned with idols, and beside it stands a priest leading a chant. The people look and sound Noxian, though the symbols embroidered in gold on their robes seem to be of Shuriman origin.
Kayn may not know much about Rhaast’s past, but he knows he’s from Shurima himself. Sure enough; “This seems familiar,” Rhaast muses.
“Shh. I’m focusing,” Kayn snaps, trying to decipher the chants. Parts of it he knows, while other parts seem to be in a language he has never heard before. The cultists are searching for something they want returned to them, wanting to bring something back. Potentially summoning something?
They don’t seem particularly harmful, more like just weird religious fanatics. They’re Noxian, so of course Kayn wants them gone, but it's a low priority for the Shadow Order, all things considered. Something seems off about them, but without anything to back up the feeling, Kayn moves to leave and tell Zed about them.
Before he can get anywhere, though, a bright light begins to pour from the idol dominating the altar, slowly shining throughout the room, seeming to move right towards Kayn’s hiding spot near the ceiling.
“Shit!” Kayn curses, the beam of light causing the shadows to fail him, making him visible to those below for a brief moment. The light fades almost immediately after washing over him, so he merges back into the shadows and begins to shadow step out of the building, hoping to make his way back to the Shadow Order without them seeing where he’s gone. Hopefully they haven’t gotten a look at his face, or this mission would really be a complete bust.
Throughout all this, Rhaast has stayed surprisingly silent, but Kayn doesn’t have time to dwell on it as he realizes the shadows swirling around him seem strangely thicker than usual.
He can hear the shouts of the cultists, seemingly intent on making chase. They’re still speaking the strange language from before.
Thinking he’d be able to run as soon as he made it outside was a rookie mistake. Outside the building, some more cultists are waiting for him, holding makeshift weapons aimed at his throat.
In a rush, left with no choice, he kills his way out. Rhaast encourages the bloodshed, egging him on from inside his head. As he fights, he can feel his movements get more sluggish as his scythe slides right through the last guard.
Looking down at himself, he seems completely uninjured. What is going on with him? He can’t keep wasting time fighting them, he just needs to get away.
“The weak run, stay and fight!” Rhaast yells into his head when Kayn turns away.
“Did such foolishness lead to your imprisonment? We need to go back and tell Master Zed about this,” Kayn says. He doesn’t want Rhaast to notice how he struggles to control the shadows barely clinging to him.
Running into the woods, he tries to make as much distance as he can. He zig zags and changes his direction repeatedly as he runs to make sure they can’t tell where he’s going or figure out where he came from.
“Coward,” Rhaast growls.
“If you wanna fight them so badly, how about I just leave you here, hm? See how capable you are alone, see if any of those weaklings could make even half as good a vessel as me. Hell, see if they even want to use such a weak weapon like you!”
Kayn can feel whatever magic he was hit with starting to impact him further, flowing through his body and even through the scythe. He prioritizes gaining as much distance as possible between him and the cultists still making chase. Despite putting all his energy into running, the footsteps don’t seem to get any quieter, the crunching of leaves and twigs beneath them giving away their location.
Kayn can feel his control of his body slipping away as the edges of his vision blur. Giving up on running, he stops beside a particularly thick area of brush and hides Rhaast.
“This is a foolish idea and you know it,” Rhaast complains as Kayn quickly stands and glances over his work. He ignores him, and puts one final surge of energy into shadow stepping as far away as he can. He doesn’t trust whatever those cultists could want from a Darkin weapon, nor does he trust what Rhaast would do if allowed to take over a host.
Once some distance is made between them, he turns to fight. Only, the wind brushing past his face doesn’t quite feel right. Huh, he thinks, before hitting the ground with a thud.
Kayn can hear footsteps gaining on him, angry at himself for failing even despite whatever they did to him. Eventually, though, Kayn can feel his awareness of his body slipping away and the edges of his vision going completely black before everything fades away.