Chapter 12

After entertaining Summoners at a grand party, Akali was stuffed with good food and good cheer, her spirits lifting from the depressive mood of the previous match with Zed. On top of it all, she was successful in this mission and retrieved a key from one of the Summoners, one of which she was sure that led to the vault that Thresh was talking about. Excited with her find, Akali found her elation was to be short lived as Shen confronted her.

“Akali,” Shen said sternly.

“Shen…I can explain everything.”

“All I know Is that you took something that doesn’t belong to you,” Shen chided. “And you also exploited an innocent Summoner to do it.”

Akali was appreciative that Shen knew that Akali wouldn’t truly cheat on Shen, though his calmness and even tempered demeanor now irritated her. He weas worried more about the key rather than the possibility of Akali cheating on him.

“I need this, Shen,” Akali said as she held the key protectively close to her.

“I suppose that Thresh is repsonsible for your corruption,” Shen said, thinking it over. “You can’t be entirely to blame. But still, return the key at once.”

“I can’t do that, Shen,” Akali said sadly, and Shen shook his head.

“You’ll regret it, Akali.”

“I guess I’ll just have to live with that then, once I do this. I need these answers Shen. Haven’t you everwondered why my mother and I looked so alike? What happens when we die on Summoner’s Rift? Or even why the champions don’t seem to age. It should be natural that we age and grow up some, don’t we? There’s something going on, and I need to figure it out.”

“Akali,” Shen said.” Give the key back and apologize. The Summoners will forgive you.”

“No, I can’t do that. I must do this.”

“Then I’m very disasppointed in you,” Shen said while shsaking his head. “You’re betraying the path that I set before you as your mentor.”

“I’m sorry, Shen,” Akali whispered when Shen disappeared. She looked at the key in her hand and let out a sigh. This tiny key was a predicament that caused all this. No, mot like it was caused by her meeting Thresh and asking him to see her mother. Speaking of which, he hadn’t allowed her to see her mother yet. Wasn’t she a part of his lantern, or was that another lie that the madman concieved to decieve her? Just thinking about being lied to and led on infuritated Akali, and she wondered if she should trust Thresh at all. But the things that he said seemed so convcining, and he said that all the answers lie behind the key that led to the hidden vault.

Akali waited till the coming night, and then slipped in the shadows, prepared to find her answers.

—x—

She entered into the vault are alone, preparing herself for what was to come. It had been guarded, though Akali slipped throlugh their sight and took out their guards with ease. She was experienced in infiltration and stealth as a shinobi, and her training did pay off after all. When she took the key to the innermost vault, her hand trembled. What was she hesitating for? Wouldn’t this help alleviate all the questions and heartache that she had before? Then why was she hesitating? Why?

Akali took a few calming breaths, before she felt another presence watching her. IT couldn’t be anyone else except one person, who was just as expert at stealth and camoufluage as she. Zed.

“Zed, what are you doing here?” Akali called out into the darkness, and Zed materialized in front of her from the darkness, glaring at her.

“I’m going to be needing that key,” Zed said, before Akali held it protectively towards her.

“You’re not taking this key away from me,”

“I will take it from you by force if I have to,” Zed said, brandishing his blades, while dressed entirely in his ninja gear, armor and all.

“If you’re not going to stand down,” Akali said. “Then I will fight you, tooth and nail.”

“You’re going to lose,” Zed murmured, before another person emerged from the shadows.

“I don’t believe so. She has me now by her side,”

Zed turned to look, and saw that Thresh appeared out of the darkness after following Akali through the darkened corridors and hallways.

Zed’s eyes narrowed towards Thresh. ‘You.”

Thresh chuckled. “Ah Zed, you’re another wild card factor that I havent’ considered in my calculations. But no matter. As long as I’m with Akali, then we could both take you down.”

Zed glared at Akali, then at Thresh, before conceding his defeat. He slunk back into the shadows, though Akali felt as though she were still being watched.

“Well then,” Thresh said. “Shall we look to see what’s inside the vaults?”

Akali’s heart thumped in her chest, though every cell in her body was screaming that she should resist the temptation, that Thresh was lying to her and that he was leading her on to something suicidal. And yet…Akali couldn’t just ignore the implications that Thresh todl her about either. She needed to find the answers, whether or not it led to her downfall or not. Whether it disillusioned her or not, or whether or not it would kill her. She needed to know the Summoner’s secrets.

“Let’s go,Thresh.”

Thresh nodded and led the way to the deeper corridors, his lantern glowing eerily in the darkness.