Arcane Anew

"So my arrival caused a disaster," Orion muttered disheartened. "Sounds about right at this point..."

Inhaling sharply, he slapped his thighs as if it were just another day, glancing between them with a resigned smirk. "Alright! Where's the problem?"

Kennen blinked before a wide grin broke across his face, snickering, "Hah! Straight to solving the problem, I like it!"

"Do you think this is a joke?" Mayyam scowled with displeasure when Orion forced a smile. Her icy cold glare rested on Orion as she stood up. "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 were hurt too."

Sighing, Orion met her gaze with subtle frustration. "That's why I'm offering to help. Do you think I wanted this to happen?"

"I believe the boy- Orion- is right." Kennen crossed his arms, glancing back at Mayyam. "If he had no control, then this may be the best he can offer to restore the balance."

Mayyam looked visibly conflicted, her expression tight. With a reluctant sigh, she waved them forward, "If you truly wish to make amends, then follow us. No foolish games, nor reckless magic. Do you understand?"

Nodding, Orion began to stand, only for his legs to buckle beneath him, sending him tumbling forward. Mayyam, turning just in time, moved with quick reflexes to grip his shoulders, steadying him.

"Or perhaps not yet."

Grimacing, 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 bed, 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, as Kennen giggled, "I forgot."

"Ugh." Irritated, she turned to leave without another word.

As she left, Orion finally caught a proper glimpse of her weapon, a strange, elegant scythe- and tucked neatly along her waist were throwing knives, or perhaps kunai, hidden within the folds of her garb.

After she left, Orion sat in silence and pondered for a moment before turning toward Kennen. "Did you really forget?"

The little yodle shrugged with exaggerated innocence, though a mischievous twinkle in his oversized eyes said otherwise.

'Ah, makes sense. They don't know me,' Orion thought.

Tilting his head, curiosity finally got the better of him now that the tension had eased. "So... what's this Kinkou Order business anyway?"

"Business, huh?" Kennen hopped to the edge of the bed, his little legs dangling off. "I guess you could call it that. We're protectors. Guardians of balance between the material and spiritual realms. But it's not for power- it's about harmony."

"Guardians of balance, huh." Orion mused. "What do you get out of it?"

"Harmony. Life flowing peacefully."

Orion silently listened as Kennen's oversized eyes glinted mischievously again. "We try to understand and reason first. If reason doesn't work..." He opened his hand, lighting suddenly crackling between his fingers into 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 in aggression."

'Moralists and idealists...' Orion thought, a frown forming. 'Except they're dangerous too.'

"I don't know how much I can help right now, honestly..." Orion began, his eyes drifting down to his skeletal figure.

Kennen nodded understandingly, "You would struggle against even the weakest shadow spirit. Don't worry, we'll give you time."

"Under normal circumstances, I could fight and heal-" Orion started apologetically when Kennen abruptly interrupted.

"Heal?" Kennen's ears perked up immediately, his head snapping to Orion, expression shifting to pure interest. "We are in desperate need of healers! There are many injured, and Mayyam's-" His oversized eyes narrowed, focusing intently on Orion. "What is the extent of your healing?"

Orion gestured down toward his body. "It comes at a cost. I usually end up very hungry and tired afterward. But I've healed life-threatening puncture wounds and lacerations before."

As he spoke, the thought of food grew in his mind.

"Hmm... magic seeking balance. But it's not spiritual magic?" Kennen questioned, tilting his head.

"I don't think so. I don't see spirits- I see threads. I see countless, twisting and-" Orion's eyes widened as he focused on the magic around him.

Compared to Piltover, where magic flowed in a single bundled stream like a river through his consciousness, Ionia was an ocean. It was flowing in every direction, pulsing with life. And he was standing in the middle of it.

Kennen demeanor shifted instantly. He must've felt it with his expression tightening and stance becoming more guarded.

"Careful, Orion." His voice dropped. "Power like that can be overwhelming here. We've seen those who could not control themselves- their unmeasurable power- and nature was forced to restore balance. It wasn't gentle either."

Hopping nimbly off the bed, Kennen's hands moved behind him as he paced thoughtfully. "Do not use your magic here without Shen to oversee it. You could bring further disaster."

Pausing, his tone softened, and he glanced back toward Orion. "But if you seek guidance- to learn how to master it and help others..."

The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Kennen's ears twitched, voice trailing off with a knowing grin "Perhaps we can help."

Orion's gaze shifted to the doorway as a nimble little girl darted inside, balancing a large serving plate of food in her hands.

"Hey Kennen!" she exclaimed brightly.

This child, not older than ten or eleven, had jet black, messy hair tied back into an uneven ponytail. Her loose-fitting clothes, deep green with gold and brown trim, were scuffed and marked with dirt, giving her a scrappy, unpolished appearance.

She darted in with remarkable speed- faster than anyone Orion had ever seen in the Undercity or even Piltover.

"Be careful Akali!" Kennen warned her, darting forward as her gaze shifted toward Orion.

The moment her eyes met Orion's, her bright smile vanished, replaced by hostility and suspicion. Her shoulders tensed, and her grip tightened on the serving plate.

Kennen had darted with an outstretched hand beneath the plate, expecting her to drop it- though he refrained from touching it.

Akali's sharp gaze flickered to Kennen, silently demanding answers, before she marched over to Orion without hesitation.

"Nice to meet you!" Orion greeted her with a forced smile, trying to keep things light. "What's your- Oof!"

She shoved the serving plate against his stomach, the force hard enough to knock some air from his lungs as she set it on his lap.

"Who are you?!"