Orion's consciousness slowly returned, greeted by the fragrance of herbs and incense.
'When was the last time everything felt this peaceful?' he wondered, caught in the brief serenity.
What's more, his bed was soft.
Soft?
His eyes snapped open, staring up at a ceiling woven from intricate branches and leaves. The walls were made of twisting trees layered together, forming a perfect barrier against the outside elements.
Nothing hurt like before. Only mild aches lingered here and there, accompanied by heavy fatigue. As his gaze shifted, he noticed bandages wrapped across most of his body.
"Are you Noxian?"
A sharp, distrustful voice startled him and he turned his head.
Sitting nearby with her legs crossed was a woman in her early thirties. Her black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, her sharp eyes fixed on him. She wore light green, flowing garments suited for both ceremony and combat, bearing patterns similar to those worn by the man named Shen.
Her grip tightened around a weapon Orion couldn't identify.
"No, I'm from—"
Orion began to say 'from the Undercity,' but he stopped himself. He wasn't sure how many outside of Piltover knew the Undercity existed and he wasn't sure what kind of reputation it had beyond the city's borders.
"—Piltover. Where is this place?"
"How did you end up here?" she countered, refusing to answer.
"I don't know," Orion said with a shrug, sitting up carefully. "I don't! I didn't want to come here- wherever this is."
Her grip tightened again despite his tone. After a moment of silence, she exhaled with visible annoyance and finally relaxed her stance.
"You're in Ionia," she said at last. "Forgive my rudeness. I am Mayyam Jhomen Tethi, the Fist of Shadow within the Kinkou Order."
"My name's Orion," he replied, frowning. "I've never heard of the Kinkou Order…"
"Not surprising. You are foreign." Mayyam shook her head. "It may not have been intentional, but your arrival caused a magical disturbance, an imbalance."
She gestured to a stitched and bandaged wound on her arm.
"We've been dealing with the aftermath."
Before Orion could ask what she meant, a high-pitched laugh made him flinch.
He whipped his head around, blinking in confusion. At first, he thought it was a young child because of its size. But no, this was something else entirely. A small, furry creature darted into view, grinning mischievously.
"She's getting slow in her age," the creature teased before somersaulting onto the bed beside Orion, barely disturbing it.
It wore dark blue and purple robes trimmed with gold, marked with those same intricate Kinkou patterns.
Light brown fur poked out from the robes and oversized blue eyes watched him playfully. A pair of large, furry ears jutted from the hood, each tufted with fur at the tips.
His confusion must have been obvious, because Mayyam chuckled.
"First time seeing a yordle?" she asked with a smirk as Orion shook his head.
"No… I'm just surprised to see one here."
"Despite their cute, furry appearances, don't underestimate them," she said. "Especially this one."
"I'm not cute!" the yordle barked, taking a wide martial stance. "I'm dangerous!"
Unimpressed, Mayyam rolled her eyes. "Yes, very dangerous. Why don't you introduce yourself properly so we can return to our duties?"
"So boring…" the yordle pouted, straightening his robe dramatically. "My name's Kennen! The one and only Heart of the Tempest! And you, young boy, have very unusual magic!"
"Our temple draws magic and spirit energy from the land and sea, far and wide. Magic is unpredictable, but it also attracts more magic! Perhaps that is why you are here, swept away in a storm of wild energies!"
Darting forward, the yordle grabbed Orion's face with both hands and declared dramatically, "You! Must! Help us!" Then, just as suddenly, he released his grip and added flatly, "Because you're the cause."
"My arrival brought the trouble?" Orion sighed. "How can I help fix it?"
Kennen blinked before a wide grin spread across his face. "Hah! Straight to solving the problem, I like it!" he snickered.
"Do you think this is a joke?" Mayyam scowled in displeasure as Orion forced a strained smile. "You shouldn't be smiling at all."
Her cold glare locked onto him as she stood.
"The imbalance you've created disrupted nature's spirits and spawned malevolent shadow spirits. Some of our people have been wounded and may never fight again, children too!"
The forced smile faded from Orion's face. Her words struck deep, leaving a sting in his chest.
"Sorry, but I am offering to help," he said bitterly. "That's all I can do."
"I believe the boy, Orion, can only do so much," Kennen said, crossing his arms and glancing toward Mayyam. "If he had no control over his destination, then this is the best he can offer to restore balance."
"You truly had no control over where you ended up?" Mayyam pressed, narrowing her eyes.
"No! I was in Piltover, and suddenly I'm here!"
'Best not mention the jail bit or the Ascended…' Orion thought, eyeing his bandaged body. 'Self-preservation first.'
Mayyam looked conflicted. Her expression tightened before she finally sighed and waved them forward.
"If you truly wish to make amends, then follow us. No foolish games. No reckless magic. Do you understand?"
Orion nodded and began to stand, only for his legs to buckle beneath him and sending him tumbling forward. Mayyam reacted instantly, catching his shoulders to steady him.
"Or perhaps not yet."
Her tone softened as she eased him back onto the bed. "Rest. I'll have the neophytes bring you food."
Kennen, bouncing lightly on the mattress, raised his tiny hand. "My bad! I checked his body earlier. Definitely drained!"
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Mayyam's eye twitched, visibly annoyed.
"I forgot," Kennen giggled.
"Ugh." Irritated, she turned to leave without another word.
As she exited, Orion caught a better glimpse of her weapon. An elegant, curved scythe and several throwing knives or kunai were tucked neatly within her robes.
When the room quieted, he sat in silence for a moment before turning to Kennen. "Did you really forget?"
The little yordle shrugged with exaggerated innocence, though the mischievous sparkle in his oversized eyes said otherwise.
'Ah, makes sense. They don't trust me yet,' Orion thought. 'They're assessing me while pretending kindness.'
Tilting his head, curiosity got the better of him now that the tension had eased with Mayyam's departure. "So… what's with this Kinkou Order business?"
"Business, huh?" Kennen hopped to the edge of the bed, his little legs dangling.
"I guess you could call it that. We're protectors, guardians of balance between the material and spiritual realms. We don't do it for power; it's our duty to maintain harmony."
"Guardians of balance, huh," Orion said skeptically. "What do you get out of it?"
"Harmony. Life flowing peacefully." Kennen shook his head. "I understand Piltover is a very different place. It's not like that here."
Orion stayed quiet as Kennen's oversized eyes glinted with that now familiar mischief.
"We try to understand and reason first. If reason fails…" Kennen opened his hand, lightning crackling between his fingers, forming a pulsing orb of energy. "Then we act!"
"If soothing the spirit fails, we cleanse it. We defend the balance and ourselves with only the force necessary. The Kinkou Order never acts out of aggression."
'Moralists and idealists,' Orion thought with a faint frown. 'Except these are actually dangerous instead of just loud.'
"I don't know how much I can help right now, honestly…" Orion murmured, glancing down at his bandaged, skeletal figure.
Kennen nodded sympathetically. "You'd struggle against even the weakest shadow spirit. Don't worry, we'll give you time."
"Under normal circumstances, I could fight and heal—" Orion began, only for Kennen to suddenly interrupt.
"Heal?"
The yordle's ears perked up immediately, his head snapping toward Orion, eyes wide with interest.
"We're in desperate need of healers! Many are injured, and Mayyam's—" Kennen's gaze shifted skeptically over Orion's bandaged and famished body. "What is the extent of your healing?"
Orion gestured at himself. "It comes at a cost. I usually end up very hungry and exhausted afterward. But I've healed life-threatening puncture wounds and lacerations before."
"Hmm… magic seeking balance. It's not spiritual magic?" Kennen tilted his head.
"I don't think so. I don't see spirits, I see threads. Countless, twisting threads…" Orion's eyes widened as he focused on the world around him.
Compared to Piltover, where magic flowed like a single river of bundled threads through his consciousness, Ionia was an ocean. Alive, pulsing, flowing in every direction, and he was standing in the middle of it.
Kennen's demeanor changed. He must have sensed the realization; his expression tightened and his stance became more guarded.
"Be careful, Orion." His voice dropped. "Power like that can be overwhelming. We've seen what happens to those who can't control themselves. Nature will restore the balance, but it's never gentle."
He hopped off the bed, pacing with his hands folded behind him.
"Do not use your magic here without Shen to oversee it. You could create more problems."
Then his tone softened and he glanced back. "But if you seek guidance to help those in need…"
The sound of fast footsteps echoed down the hall. Kennen's ears twitched; his grin returned. "Perhaps we can help."
Orion's gaze shifted toward the doorway just as a nimble little girl darted inside, balancing a large serving plate of food in her hands.
"Hey, Kennen!" she beamed brightly.
The child, no older than eleven or twelve, had messy black hair tied into an uneven ponytail. Her loose, deep-green clothes trimmed in gold and brown were scuffed with dirt, giving her a scrappy, unpolished look.
She moved fast, faster than anyone Orion had seen in the Undercity or even Piltover. Not Ascended-fast, but close enough to make him blink.
"Be careful, Akali!" Kennen warned as her gaze snapped toward Orion.
The moment their eyes met, her bright smile vanished, replaced by hostility and suspicion. Her shoulders tensed and her grip tightened around the serving plate.
Kennen darted forward and hovered his hands beneath the plate, anticipating her to drop it but stopped himself from touching it.
Akali's sharp gaze flicked toward Kennen, silently demanding answers before she marched over to Orion.
"Nice to meet you!" Orion greeted with a forced smile, trying to keep things light. "What's your—oof!"
She shoved the serving plate against his stomach, hard enough to knock the air from his lungs as she set it on his lap.
"Who are you?!"