The Demon and The Shadow ~ Kayn x Akali ~ League of Legends

Chapter 8 - Old Friends, New Enemies

The sun was already hovering over the horizon when Kayn and Akali reached the farmhouse. The summer had overstayed its welcome this year and the air was still thick with stifling heat, despite how late it was. Because of this, the pair had lost time, arriving later than Kayn had predicted.

The farmhouse was perfectly quaint, its door wide like a smile and its windows like two bright eyes. The sloped roof sat atop the walls like the hat of a friendly farmhand, its straw gently swaying in the warm breeze. Standing by the house's side was a tall, wooden barn. The door was ajar, revealing the stash of golden hay glistening within. Kayn noticed a bubbling brook running on the house's other side, like a dog loyally sitting at his owner's feet. Finally, a small windmill sat upon a small hill just beyond the stream, its blades softly turning through the afternoon air. The pair stood for a moment and took the scene in, both enjoying the innate feeling of peace.  "Shall we head in?" Akali suggested, turning towards Kayn. Just for a moment, she thought she caught a trace of sadness in his eyes before he turned to her and smiled.

"Yes, let's." With that, they pushed open the wooden door, its hinges gently creaking like a friendly old man saying 'hello!' The house was a single room, save for a small room in the corner, seemingly a modest washroom. There was a wide bed whose mattress seemed old and hard, a small dresser with a cracked mirror and a cold, black fireplace full of ash and half-burned wood. The entire room was covered in a thin layer of dust which was occasionally blown into the air by a passing breeze, revealing shafts of dim sunlight dripping through the windows.

"Well, it's no mansion but it should do," Akali said, smiling. Kayn nodded, smiling in return. He stopped, seemingly remembering something, before moving to the door of the washroom. Peeking inside, Kayn saw the decaying corpse of a man somewhere in his 60s wearing farmer's overalls and a Noxian war medal on his chest. His skull was almost in two, a rift slicing straight down the middle. Rhaast chuckled when he saw it, admiring his own handiwork. "Kayn?" Akali asked, peeking around the door. "Oh, is this the owner you were talking about?" Kayn nodded before hoisting the body over his shoulder, grimacing at the smell. Of course, both of them had seen corpses before, hundreds of them. However, no amount of death can fully numb someone to the sight of a dead person. Unless you are a sentient murder scythe intent on bringing death and decay to all life, of course.

"His skull was unusually flimsy! The look on Kayn's face when his head split in two was simply priceless!" Rhaast laughed, his voice dripping with his signature sadistic flair.

"I was just surprised that it split so easily is all," Kayn replied, remembering the distinct lack of resistance he felt when he buried Rhaast in the farmer's skull. "Anyway, I am going to dump this in the river."

"Alright, I'll unpack and get settled in," Akali replied, smiling, "We'll be like newlyweds." Kayn went bright red and hurriedly walked outside, Akali laughing behind him. With a sigh, he strolled over to the small stream, dropping the body in, watching as it floated away. 

"Noxian scum..." he said quietly to himself. Kayn listened as the wind blew past his ears, hearing birds singing, leaves rustling and-

...breathing.

A shuriken whizzed past Kayn's face, barely grazing the bridge of his nose. Immediately Kayn leapt back towards the house, shouting Akali's name. He caught a glimpse of four or five pairs of bright red eyes glaring through the evening darkness before darting inside, barely dodging four shurikens as they embedded themselves in the walls of the house. Kayn immediately pressed his back against the wall beside the door.

"Who is it?" Akali whispered from Kayn's side, kunai already primed in her hands. Kayn hesitated, his expression dark.

"The Order."