On the shore, Shen waited in silence. Clad in his blue spirit armor, his gaze was a pool of tranquility.
As the son of Great Master Kusho, the Eye of Twilight, Shen had been burdened with high expectations since birth. He never slackened, remaining focused on every possibility the future might hold. Today, looking at the merchant ship—specifically at the man standing on the deck—even Shen's eyes betrayed a hint of complexity.
"Is that the man the Master spoke of?" Beside Shen stood a white-haired youth of similar age, dressed in red robes and black armor. His eyes were filled with curiosity.
Shen nodded. "Mhm. It should be him... Xynia's disciple. The genius dancer who insisted Noxus was a threat to Ionia. I met him two years ago at the Seekers' Assembly in the Placidium. His 'dance' was less about harmony and more about unmasked power. He was an outlier in Ionia... talented, mature, but strangely stubborn in that regard."
"And then... he was lost at sea during a study trip, attacked by a monster," Shen continued, his curiosity deepening. "But recently, the Enlightened One, Karma, prophesied his return. I don't know why she would notice a youth our age, but the Enlightened One's wisdom is beyond our understanding. We simply follow her will."
Shen shrugged helplessly.
Though Ionia worshipped harmony, not everyone was born with it. Quite the opposite—monasteries, dojos, and sanctuaries usually required three years of menial labor for any new apprentice just to temper their temperament. Even the most famous masters started as hot-headed youths.
In Shen's memory, this man named Faen was obsessed with the future. No matter how much the masters and sages advised him, he refused to abandon the battle-intent and killing-intent in his movements.
The white-haired youth, Usan (later known as Zed), looked at Faen with a searching gaze. In harmony-obsessed Ionia, such aggression was discouraged. For someone to still be willing to teach Faen meant his talent was undeniable.
While Shen and Usan watched him, Faen watched them back.
He knew them well. Shen was a veteran champion—reliable, if not always the most popular. In the world of cultivators at the Placidium, he was a rising star. His father was the head of the Kinkou Order, and Shen himself had mastered the spirit blade at a young age, sensing the flow of the Spirit Realm with ease.
Beside him was Usan—the future Master of Shadows, Zed. Currently, he was still Kusho's disciple. Usan had risen from the ranks of the menial laborers. His original name, Govos, was a low-class name, something akin to "dog-scrap"—a name chosen for a child so common the gods wouldn't bother taking them.
Usan's talent and perseverance had caught Kusho's eye. Because Usan was more decisive than Shen, many believed he was more suited to be the next Eye of Twilight.
Though the two brothers were competitors, their bond was deep. This was because both were humble at heart. When Usan was tested for his apprenticeship, he had to defeat Shen. At the time, Usan was a frail laborer. Shen, an elite of the Kinkou's North Academy, had intentionally left an opening after hours of combat, moved by Usan's resolve. He allowed Usan to land an uppercut, ensuring his father would take him as a disciple.
The future Master of Shadows owed his power and position to Shen's kindness in that moment.
Faen knew their history from games, novels, and comics, but in this reality, he hadn't interacted with them much. Shen was a known face because Master Kusho visited the Placidium often, and Faen's teacher, Xynia, was a famous scholar. Usan, however, was someone Faen had never even seen—his status had been too low, even as Kusho's student.
As Faen mused, Riven raised an eyebrow and rested her hand on the hilt of the blade at her back.
"Those two are staring at you... are they enemies?"