"No, you may not." Shen answered his request to heal Faey's leg. His voice remained calm but unwavering, arms crossed with the quiet authority of his position.
"Master Kennen informed me of your magic however. Teaching is one of this temple's guiding principles, yet your presence already disrupts the balance. If left unchecked, it could cause greater harm."
It was clear Shen spoke not out of charity or personal favor, but duty. Shen continued, his tone measured. "I will assist you in learning control over your abilities- at the first light of dawn. Do not be late."
After talking with Faey a little longer, he discovered Shen was the 'Eye of Twilight', the leader of the Kinkou order and his role was observation, understanding, and impartiality- Watching the Stars as they called it.
Kennen was the Heart of the Tempest, was responsible for the core teachings of judgement and action when necessary. He served as the voice of reason, ensuring the decisions of the Kinkou Order were followed and understood by all.
Mayyam, someone Faey deeply admired, was the Fist of Shadow. She represented Pruning the Tree, the elimination of threats when reason failed.
Orion couldn't help but feel Mayyam's teachings contradicted the rest with assassinations and killing, but apparently it was a necessary last resort to restore harmony.
'War isn't okay, but killing those who disrupt the balance is?' Orion puzzled to himself. 'If killing disrupts balance, wouldn't that create more imbalance too? Or is it about stopping further creation of imbalances? Why not fight the Noxians then?'
Ionia was at war with Noxus. According to them, he was told there was no reason other than greed and conquest- which also went against the principles the Kinkou Order stood for.
Shaking his head, Orion realized he had plenty to think about when it came to their teachings.
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The next morning, after a brief training session and recovery, Orion wandered the temple grounds with Akali beside him. Her presence was strange, but he chose to ignore it, captivated instead by the landscape around him.
The temple was located on a hill nestled between many others. Between the dense woods and hills it was extremely difficult to access for outsiders.
It also had a beautiful lagoon of clean, turquoise water, surrounded by fields of beautiful flowers and purple florae lanterns to reflect off the surface and give light.
'This place would be worth a fortune...' Orion thought as he stared out in awe.
What caught him by surprise, though, was that despite Akali being Mayyam's daughter, it was Faey whom Mayyam hovered around, offering comfort and guidance.
She let her daughter walk alongside a stranger, a foreigner who had caused a disaster, while she tended to Faey instead.
Was this a punishment or teaching?
'Or a broken relationship' Orion thought sadly, glancing down Akali. Her gaze was troubled, fingers clutching her kunai pendant as she gazed out with jealousy and resentment.
'For a place focused on balance, this feels pretty unbalanced' Orion grimly noted.
"Was it like this before the incident?" Orion asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Akali nodded, her hurt eyes meeting his briefly before dropping back down. "She told you?"
Nodding, Orion replied, "Seems like you're both holding onto a lot of resentment. Doesn't feel very... balanced, does it?"
After raising the tension with such a statement, causing her to scowl, Orion sighed dramatically and shook his head violently, "I'm not very good at this heart-to-heart stuff. But... I think I could beat you in a race down to the lagoon."
Orion glanced back down at her with a smirk. Her scowl shifted into confusion, "What?"
Bending his knees slightly, as if ready to spring into action, Orion taunted her with false claims. "I'm the fastest runner in the Undercity! Are you scared I'll win?"
"You? Win?" A competitive spark ignited in Akali's eyes as she took her own stance. "In that state?"
"Only one way to-" Orion suddenly broke off into a sprint mid sentence. A furious, "Hey!" shouted out from behind him.
Glancing back, Orion had laughed dramatically and mockingly but was stunned to see her catching up so quickly.
"AH! NO!"
As Orion despaired, this scene caught the attention of Faey and Mayyam. Faey's expression darkened, as if betrayed, while Mayyam's gaze followed them emotionlessly- her face impossible to read.
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Over the next few months Orion trained under Shen's guidance. They would move to an open dirt patch where nothing grew- a 'dead zone' where the spirits seemed to avoid entirely.
Whenever he would draw too much magic, or accidently incited wild magic, Shen would raise a barrier around him, containing the energy to prevent harm to the surroundings.
Not once did Shen teach him offensive techniques, and each session ended with Shen leaving immediately for meditation, offering no further discussion.
During this time, Orion often noticed Akali running off with Kennen. The two played tag, performing somersaults and dancing nimbly between the trees and terrain.
Orion assumed Kennen was just doing this to because of her wild nature- disguised training while keeping her out of trouble.
His so-called 'guides', he discovered, were just there to monitor him. The role would alternate between Akali and Faey.
Akali's energy was boundless, always wanting to explore or train. Orion frequently found himself burnt out around her, but he eventually realized physical activities were the only reliable way to earn her trust.
Faey, however, was the opposite. She frequently questioned his progress, her curiosity bordering on interrogation. Even Mayyam started to ask probing questions on his readiness regarding Faey's healing.
It wasn't even a guarantee he could heal her! Let alone approved by Master Shen!
Frustration finally broke him, and he snapped.
"What about your real daughter?" Orion bluntly asked, growing a little disgusted with her as he met her cold stare. "Aren't you going to ask me questions about her?"
Mayyam's expression remained unmoved, her voice calm but distant. "I'm sure she's doing fine. She has plenty of mentors."