The Dance of Order and Chaos in Four Acts (Act I) (Chapter IV)
Phew, this took a while. Writer's Block is a real pain. But finally, the conclusion to Act 1 is here!
#The Dance of Order and Chaos in Four Acts ##Act I: Convergence ##Chapter I ##Chapter II ##Chapter III ##Chapter IV (Part 2) ##Act II: The Performance Begins
Khada Jhin floated in a white void. A quick look at his hands confirmed he was wearing his costume. He felt strangely self-conscious whenever this dream occurred, and wanted to make sure he had it on.
Twin crimson theater curtains swept into existence in front of him, and Jhin knew the show was about to begin. He fell, and soon landed in a comfy seat of the same blood red. A quick look around confirmed he was in the theater, front row. The curtains were still closed, but it was expected. He was four minutes early as usual.
He looked in the seat beside him on the left, and saw the program neatly resting on it. He picked it up and read it aloud, as he always did.
"Tonight, a shining star performs. A gifted celestial and a healer whose skills are envied by Piltover's finest doctors, she will pleasure you tonight with her angelic dance that can calm storms."
"Wow, this is gonna be great huh?"
Jhin started, not expecting the voice. In the seat to his right sat Jinx. Armed with a giant bucket of popcorn, her attention was riveted on the curtains. She was new. "Why, yes." Jhin said warmly, recognizing his fellow producer. "This will be our first big performance together. I cannot wait to see how it turns out."
"Me neither." Jinx said excitedly. She offered the bucket to him. "Want some?"
"Oh I couldn't." Jhin insisted. "I never eat on the first performance of the season."
"Aw come on..." Jinx pleaded, shoving it in his face. "Do it for me, partner!"
Jhin was the agent of Order, he knew this. However there was no harm in humoring Chaos every once in a while. Besides, as the agent of Chaos Jinx could and should push him like this. In the same way he could push her to being more orderly at times. In this way they could become more intertwined in their thoughts and actions, and create true art.
"Alright." He conceded, reaching for the popcorn. "I'll take some."
Jinx's happiness was palpable, and Jhin had to admit she looked almost like a different person when her smiles weren't motivated by passion towards her art. "Yes! You won't be disappointed, this has just the right amount of butter! There's exactly four pads in this bucket!"
Jhin's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Really? No wonder this was sublime." Have I done it?_ He thought._ Has some of Order rubbed off on her already?
Jinx's eyes suddenly turned mischievous. "However... There's **five **scoops of popcorn in the bucket." She giggled with a devilish grin, holding up five fingers.
Jhin couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you certainly have a gift for surprise."
"Yeah, and you have a gift for that planning stuff." Jinx answered. "A true artist."
Jhin was touched. "Well, I cannot take the credit alone, partner."
Before Jinx could reply, the theater darkened. Spotlights appeared and trained on the rising curtains. "This is it." Jhin whispered, his pulse quickening. "This is our first production."
The curtain raised, and a celestial in a flowing white robe was revealed. There was a strange exotic beauty in her lavender skin and golden eyes, at least Jhin was certain it was the case among her kind. Whatever her kind was. Her white robe reached to the floor, and her head was lowered with her eyes closed. A golden sash adorned her waist, matching bracelets clasped around her wrists.
She raised her head, and her face had a serene expressionless look to it. Jhin leaned forwards to make sure he didn't miss a moment.
Her golden eyes opened and looked placidly ahead. She raised her arms slightly, and twirled around as she began her life's dance.
"One" Jhin whispered, keeping track of the acts he had written.
Part of Jhin feared that the long robe would hamper her movements, but his concerns were unfounded. She moved as gracefully as a Ionian Dreamdeer, and would leap and spin as if the robe wasn't there. She didn't speak a single word. She didn't need to. Her movements spoke bounds.
They spoke of the lonely and sad celestial that Jhin happened upon, under his guise as Khada. Her slow swaying motions showed her despair after being banished from her heavenly realm and her resulting loss of purpose. Every joyous leap told of their long talks, and how they began to become friends. It was Khada that introduced her to the village near her grove. It was Khada who made her hope again, who made her spirit soar whenever he showed up.
"Two."
Her arm movements told of the healing she performed on the inhabitants of her new home, and her brightened face told of how she was not only accepted but embraced. She fell to her knees and acted out the motions of healing, and Jhin recalled all the times she treated wounds he received while pursuing a new art piece. She never knew the truth of his injuries of course, but it was for the best. He very much doubted she would understand his brand of art. Not until the end.
"Three."
She leaped back to her feet and looked to the sky with her arms outstretched, then twirled back into the rest of her dance. It told of her quest of penance for her actions that had resulted in her banishment. Her dance here wasn't perfectly clear in its meaning, as while she and Khada were close, she had closed herself off whenever talks of what exactly she had done to deserve banishment came up.
She then did one more flair of movement then turned towards the silent audience of Jhin and Jinx, and fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she bit her lower lip in a silent protest of what was to come next. Jhin stared. Her beauty was certainly there, but it wasn't perfect. Not yet. She looked so vulnerable, so needy of adoration, of protection. This look would need to be immortalized. He had yet to create art of this kind of emotion.
This was why the fourth act was so necessary. It entombed the canvas in its most beautiful moment, and Soraka deserved this much. Whether she had developed any romantic feelings for Khada was unimportant, as all the emotion she had towards him was present in her face at this moment, to be treasured forever. Jhin himself certainly wanted to treat Soraka well, he wanted her to have the perfect death.
He stood up from his seat, and pulled out Whisper in a dramatic flair of reverence. It was loaded with the bullet of Spring, her favorite season.
"Four."
Whisper's paint of life laced through Soraka's forehead, shattering her horn and killing her swiftly. She fell to the wooden floor, blood escaping the wound in her head. A single rose flew from the seats to land on the stage. A beautiful performance to the last.
It was done. Jhin turned to Jinx and whispered, "Come, the final piece is awaiting us."
Jinx didn't answer. Her face was solemn. She followed him to the stage, still clutching her popcorn.
When they climbed the staircase to the stage, Jhin was beside himself in joy. What he saw was a glorious painting, raised from the floor.
Soraka's body was frozen in the beautiful pose of the vibrant body in flight, from a slanted angle. While her back was flat against the stage floor, her legs were bent on the floor in the motion of turning in midair. Her right leg was extended straight outwards from her body at a slight angle at the hip, and her left leg was bent slightly to create the effect of motion captured. Her right arm was extended as well, her fingers loose and parallel to her right leg.
Her left arm was against her chest, clutching the rose and holding it to her lavender lips. They were slightly parted as if sighing in pleasure from smelling the flower. Her eyes were closed, and the shattered pieces of her horn fell among her loose snow white hair to form a halo.
Her blood pooled around her body in the shape of angelic wings. Not one drop soiled her robe. Surely she was art, an angel of artistic magnificence.
Jhin looked upon his masterpiece in pride, then his world exploded.
Jhin awoke with a start as a secondary explosion sounded in the direction of the coastal harbor. He got up from his nap among the mossy trees that littered the Fyri Forest and stretched, wondering briefly why he didn't sleep in the hotel. He looked down at himself and remembered why. He was in full costume. He checked his pocket watch. It was the day Jinx was supposed to arrive, and she certainly announced her presence well.
He checked his equipment to make sure they were sound, then casually walked down to the harbor.
He was fully prepared to handle curious stares from the townspeople, as he usually came here as Khada. But there was nobody to be seen. The entire city was abandoned, and two buildings were smoking pieces of rubble.
At the very least, Jhin thought, I know what scared them off.
He looked around for signs of Jinx, but he didn't even hear the sounds of her guns blazing. Curious indeed. Did she think he was late and decided to go elsewhere?
He wandered to the city square and noted that the plaque dedicating the city to one of the nature spirits was plastered graffiti. When he got closer he realized that there were words written on it.
HEY, IF YOU'RE READING THIS, THEN YOU BETTER RUN!
BECAUSE THERE'S A SUPER MEGA DEATH ROCKET HEADED THIS WAY TO MAKE THE BIGGEST EXPLOSION EVER!!!!!
IT MAY TAKE A WHILE CUZ I WENT WAAAAAY OFF SO I COULD SEE THE ROCKET TRAVEL!!!!
SO UH, YEAH, UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THE DEBRIS I SUGGEST YOU RUN, KAY?
<3 JINX
Jhin whirled around and his face paled to the color of his mask. He could see the rocket coming now. It was almost close enough to hear. With a startled cry escaping his lips, he took off at full speed towards the ocean nearby.
No sooner did he jump into the cool water did the world above him flash white and rattled his eardrums with a deafening explosion.
He climbed out of the water when he was sure it was safe, then immediately regretted it when he started having to dodge debris that was falling from the sky. One particular plank of wood hit him on the head, and made him see stars briefly.
He thought it was his head injury that made him see the figure walking through the smoke that covered the area, lit by scattered fires.
Jinx tossed her hair back and hefted Fishbones on her shoulder. "Hey Jhin, ya miss me?" She asked with a wide grin.
The legacy of the Kinkou Order followed Elder Kaisi into the depths of Tuula prison. Shen had tried prying the old man for any information on Jhin's current state, but the elder's lips were sealed on that matter.
The elder seemed more interested in talking about the prison, or rehabilitation center as they liked to call it. On and on Kaisi prattled on about Tuula's success rate and how well the inmates, or guests, were treated there. He insisted that their fine treatment contributed directly to their speed in recovery.
"Regular prisons fill them with negative energy." Kaisi was saying. "If they work to empty themselves of this negative energy, the system fills them up again, making rehabilitation impossible. However here we continuously pour positive, lively energy into their lives. We work with them to eliminate their negative energies and they are cured in no time."
"Has this worked with Jhin?" Shen asked, trying to guide the conversation back to a useful avenue.
"Did you know that our success rates have doubled in the past decade?" Elder Kaisi asked warmly.
"Enough stalling." Akali snapped. "Tell us what we want to know."
Elder Kaisi stopped at a large door separating the courtyard from the inner sanctums. A bin sat nearby. He motioned to it while moving to block the door. "As part of our commitment to keep negative energies from our guests, we ask if you would leave your weapons here."
Akali stiffened. "Not a chance."
Shen nodded in agreement. "This is hardly a usual visit. We are visiting someone potentially still dangerous. We would like to keep our weapons. What if we kept them concealed?"
Kaisi shook his head. "I am afraid I cannot allow this. Weapons carry a negative energy about them, visible or not."
"I'm staying outside then." Akali said defiantly, then she turned to Shen and bowed. "If anything happens Master Shen, signal and I'll be there."
Shen hesitated a moment, then conceded. "Alright." He removed his steel sword and his spirit sword and placed them, still sheathed, reverently inside the bin. "Are you coming with me Kennen?" He asked.
Kennen shook his head. "Not a chance. Sorry Shen, but I know they are going to have us just sit quietly in front of Jhin's masseuse door waiting for him to come out. No thanks."
Shen nodded understandingly. "I see. Well, I need some quiet time to meditate anyway. I will come back with the information needed."
Kaisi then stepped to the side and allowed Shen to pass. Closing the door behind them, Elder Kaisi led the way.
Further attempts by Shen to glean information were ignored, and as they walked two more monks joined them.
"They need to give Jhin his supper." Kaisi explained.
Eventually they came to a door numbered 44.
Shen waited as Kaisi knocked softly on the door. After a moment Kaisi said, "He must be asleep."
Shen was immediately suspicious. "How do you know he simply refused to answer, or didn't hear you?"
"He has always responded before." Kaisi said.
"Check if he's in there." Shen said, suddenly very keen on getting inside.
"We have the well-being and privacy of our guests to think about." Kaisi said gently. "He will have to come out eventually. If he is being difficult then he will simply have nothing to eat."
"I don't have that kind of time." Shen said as he realized that they had no intention on letting him in. "You're hiding something Kaisi, and I want to know what it---" CRACK!
His words were interrupted by a sudden stick to a pressure point in his back followed by a swift kick to his face. Shen went down hard, his head spinning as his training slowly came back to him. His reflexes were sluggish however due to the strike to his back, and half of the time he couldn't even move a muscle even if he wanted to.
When the monks to his side roughly grabbed his arms and lifted him up, he noted that he was on the ground a moment before, and the pain of landing came to him a moment later.
Kaisi opened the door and gestured to the empty room with the smile still plastered on his face. "It's Master Kaisi dear ninja."
Shen was thrown into the room, and assigned a guard that monitored his ki flow and struck him in another pressure point when Shen started to get feeling back in his body. When Shen collapsed on the floor again, he was bound by ki cuffs lined on the inside with spikes, designed to restrict Shen's use of his ki.
Shen couldn't speak at the moment, but his very alert and deadly calm eyes spoke volumes.
"Don't worry about your students Master Shen." Kaisi said as he turned to shut the door on him. "They will join you shortly. You must understand, this is all necessary. We will free you after a month, but right now we cannot afford you three looking for Jhin at this moment."
Shen's mind raced. Jhin wasn't here.
His dream was accurate. Khada Jhin was free to terrorize the world once again.
And that wraps up Act I, (or does it)
Be on the lookout for Act II of IV!
