League of Legends

League of Legends

As teenagers, Shen and Zed were both trained by Kusho. Despite their contrasting temperaments, the two worked together relatively well. Shen was cautious but broke the rules without hesitation, while Zed was much more hot-tempered and focused on refining his emotions. As time passed, Zed found Kusho’s methods too lenient. A series of bomb attacks occurred in several cities and holy sites. A relentless manhunt ensued, culminating after months of intensive searching. When Kusho asked him to spare the culprit, Zed’s anger completely consumed him, and he ended up attacking his own master and friend. The murderer escaped, Zed killed his master and returned to the temple, while Shen vanished into thin air.

Years later, Shen rebuilt a small community; the Kinkou order more or less survived with him, the new apprentices and masters who form the order. During a training session, he witnesses his latest student, Akali, defeat a master named Drozan. After summoning them both, he suggests she perform her ritual outside the city. Drozan thinks it’s more than time. The ritual involves exorcising the demons born from the ashes of forest fires. In preparation for her rite of passage, Akali trains even harder, but Drozan suggests she stop, saying she’s exhausted. She asks him how the test is going. The master replies that it varies from case to case, and that, for him, it went well. He ends the training session by saying that a good fighter sleeps well and advises the young apprentice to go and get some sleep. During the meal, Akali confides in her friend Imane, the latter’s generic yet sincere advice brings her momentary relief.

That night, unable to sleep, Akali scans the horizon, torn between panic and excitement. She notices lights in the distance. But by the time she reaches the observatory, the lights have completely vanished. In her bed, she stares at the ceiling. She, who has waited years before being able to consider the rite of passage, a moment she has dreamed of or had nightmares about all her life, and tomorrow, that thrill will materialize. Early in the morning, the young student is awakened by Drozan. She drags herself out of her austere bed and gets ready. Having absolutely no appetite, she refuses breakfast and asks Drozan if he saw the fire during the night. He replies that he did not, but that there are bandits, smugglers and other monsters in the forests, and that it is not uncommon to encounter them on outings from the temple. Seeing the young apprentice’s face fall, he reassured her with a smile that they were easy targets. Akali then goes to her master. Shen quickly reassures her by reminding her of the basics, and the two of them prepare themselves in front of the gates, Drozan and Imane are overseeing the departure. Akali’s best friend hands her a small scarf before smiling and waving goodbye.

During the journey, Akali asks Shen if he has ever faced his greatest fear. The master tells her he only had the opportunity once, and he didn’t seize it. She then asks if there are other people or creatures in the woods. Shen tells her that there might be others, but that she shouldn’t linger with them. The young apprentice tries to hide her fear; every nook and cranny, every bush, becomes a source of anxiety. Shen asks her questions about what she has retained from these teachings. During their journey, the two warriors pass a ravaged temple; traces are visible on the ground, forming human silhouettes surrounded by black ash. The corpse of a warrior lies rotting on the ground. They search the area, but find no further signs of activity. Seeing her master’s closed expression, Akali prefers to pursue her main objective rather than give free rein to her curiosity.

After several hours of walking, and Shen’s incessant questions, they finally arrive before the first demon, which seems to have been born just minutes before. Akali asks Shen to kill it to show her how to proceed, but Shen insists she do it herself. Akali does so, but misses, awakening other ash creatures nearby. Shen gets in action and quickly dispatches the creatures. After Akali’s first failed attempt, the two warriors camp in a tree and scan the horizon. Shen reassures Akali, saying he failed his first mission at the same age. Before Akali can reply, her master spots another demon, this one much larger than the others. As the two prepare to attack, the monster spots them and charges. Shen leads the way but is overpowered. Akali creates a diversion with tear gas, but the monster remains standing. The young student decides to lure it away from her master, and it follows her. She spots a cliff and heads towards it to knock the beast down, but it slows down and understands her plan. The demon is close to grabbing Akali, but it collapses to the ground, its carcass turning to stone.

A tall, lanky figure suddenly appeared. Akali prepared to attack, but the newcomer maintained a nonchalant posture, so she lowered her guard. The stranger then introduced himself as Sei, a scaly humanoid shapeshifter trying to manage the fires in this region. Akali introduced herself and thought to herself that if he had wanted to harm her, he would have done so easily enough already. She returned to her master, and Sei followed her. He assessed Shen’s condition, concluding that his injuries were serious but not fatal; he would need to rest for a while before continuing his journey. Given her lack of options, Akali decided to trust the shapeshifter. The two brought Shen back to Sei’s hideout: a network of wood and stone connected to several trees. Sei began treating Shen while asking Akali questions. Akali responded with more questions. “Why do monsters come from ashes?” The shapeshifter explains his theory: the spirits of those abandoned to the flames reside in the reanimated ashes, only fully extinguished when they are satiated. Akali then asks what the beasts feed on, and Sei replies that it is flesh. Sei asks Akali to bring him some tools so he can work on Shen. On the way, Akali notices a well-stocked library and asks Sei if she can take a look, which he agrees to. She decides to consult a book on medicinal plants.

Once Sei finishes bandaging Shen, he asks Akali to help him gather the plants needed to regenerate his skin tissue. She agrees, but spots another large ash demon. Sei quickly throws some kind of powder directly at it, instantly transforming the beast into stone. Akali accompanies the shapeshifter through the forest after hiding Shen in the hideout’s basement. Along the way, Akali asks Sei if the monsters die when they turn to stone or if it’s a way to satiate them. Sei believes it’s a way to imprison them and that if there were a way to free them, he would use it instead. Akali hones her knowledge of healing and using natural resources for survival. She crafts new weapons, but Sei equips her with narcotic plants to put them to sleep rather than destroy them. Especially since some creatures can be tamed once their behavior is understood. As the two return to camp, Shen is awake but weak. Sei suggests he lie down, but he stubbornly refuses and tries to stand. The three eventually sit on the ground and talk. Shen believes Sei’s techniques are useless and that the creatures are among the evils that must be exterminated once and for all. Sei tries to make him understand his point of view, but Shen faints again, and Sei stays by his side to treat him. Akali ventures around the hideout and encounters a small water fox. Having read about these creatures, she decides to try to approach it. Unsuccessfully, the little creature flees. She notices a hole at the entrance, and she also notices that Sei is digging it.

As she returns to the hideout, Akali stays with her master while Sei plays soft music upstairs. Shen tells Akali that he has witnessed the results of gentler methods in the past. Akali pulls up the blanket and tells him she won’t forget what she’s learned from him. Sei goes downstairs and asks Shen to share his experience. Shen replies that he doesn’t want to confide in him. But Sei tells him he has nothing better to do and that he’ll try to think about something other than the pain. Shen tells him that mercy only leads to weakness and gives evil individuals the opportunity to creep in wherever they want. Helping means letting your guard down. Sei asks Shen if he would be willing to try learning from his methods by giving him the right tools. But Shen shuts himself off from Sei completely and tries to fall asleep instead. Akali asks if her master will soon recover, and Sei replies that it won’t be long. She then asks him why he’s digging a hole in his garden. Sei simply replies that he’s being cautious.

The next day, Akali teaches Sei how to make bows so they can project narcotic substances even farther. He is reluctant and clumsy with them but manages to adapt. One day, when Akali and Sei run out of regular narcotics and are being chased by a creature, Akali uses another concoction she made, the result of which she wasn’t sure. Instead of turning to stone, the creature slowly melts into the grass, curling up like an infant. Sei seems reborn upon witnessing the miracle. He asks Akali what she used, and she gives him her formula. The two return and inform Shen of the discovery. The master, still under the influence of painkillers, thinks he’s hallucinating, but says he’s ready to believe them if he sees it with his own eyes. Unfortunately, he’s still weak and quickly relapses. Sei puts the soil back in the hole he had started to dig and plants the flowers necessary for the concoction of the “remedy”. Akali thinks it’s time for her to complete her initiation alone, ready to act. She borrows some books from Sei’s library. The latter helps her prepare, and the two say goodbye.

On her way, the young student encounters creatures of ash, but with her newfound courage, she attacks them and manages to turn them all into plants. As she contemplates her victory, catching her breath, she finds herself surrounded by shadows.