[Story] A Deadly Virtuoso
A Deadly Virtuoso
It was nearly dawn, and Shen was walking silently to the Blossom Festival in Jyom Pass. Here, his father was disguised as a calligrapher, planning to find and capture the infamous "Golden Demon" once and for all - the man who had killed hundreds in Ionia and set the three of them on a four-year journey, the man known as Khada Jhin. As he continued walking, he was reminded of that fateful day that began everything; the message from the Council of Zhuyn; the moment when he, his father, and his brother all would begin on a path that would lead them to see the twisted deaths of countless.
It had been a calm morning when the envoy from Zhyun, a province in the mountains of Southern Ionia, had arrived at his father's temple. Shen had been resting after a duel with Zed; he always won, but it never was important to him. He knew already he would have to take his father's place one day as the Eye of Twilight - an emotionless keeper of the equilibrium. It was unwise, his father had warned him, to cling to emotions, for they sway the balance of the world. So Shen, despite his frequent wit and humor, generally didn't hold onto feelings with too much sentiment.
When he entered his father's dojo, a small group of men were standing by the entrance with terrified and pleading expressions. There were three of them: a short man with pitch black hair, an average man with greasy dark brown hair, and another average man with trimmed blonde hair. None of the men paid any attention to him as he entered. Instead, they all looked at his father, who was absently running a hand through his impressive red mane of hair. As he entered, he saw Zed sitting next to his father. When Shen looked at him, he turned away. Why, he wasn't sure.
While Shen took his place by his father, the man with dark brown hair came forward, knelt before his father, and spoke, "Great Master Kusho, we are desperately in need of your help. There has been a terrible monster terrorizing our people for some time now, known only as the 'Golden Demon'. Dozens of travelers and commoners are dead, killed in the most brutal and twisted ways, and we have nowhere else to turn. So we ask for your assistance, great master, to stop this horrible creature."
His father regarded the man before him with no expression, and responded evenly, "And what do you know about this monster?"
The man with dark brown hair stared at the ground, not knowing what to say. However, before he could contemplate a response, the man with blond hair stepped forward and replied, "No one has managed to see the Golden Demon. Whatever it is, it's managed to continue these murders and then disappear without a trace. We've hired armed soldiers, demon hunters, masters of Wuju, but nothing seems able to stop it. So once again, we need your help... Great Master." The blond man said all this while glaring at Shen's father with restrained anger. It was clear he was impatient. The other two men desperately tried to signal for him to be quiet before he managed to disrespect the Great Master, but he was oblivious.
Shen glanced uncertainly at his father's face once more. What would he decide? Silence enveloped the room as his father thought over the situation. He was already well aware of what his father was doing; he always took time to ensure every decision made would be for the good of the equilibrium. Several minutes passed with no sound other than the inhale and exhale of the six men in the dojo.
Finally, the man with blond hair shouted, "Well? Will you help us or what?"
The two other men forcibly restrained the blond man and the man with black hair apologized, "I'm very, very sorry about his disrespect. He's one of our younger members, and unfortunately does not know better." The blond man tried to respond, but his mouth was covered, so all he could do was continue to glare at Shen's father.
Shen's father softly laughed - a rare occurrence - and told them, "Don't worry about that. My choice is already made. I am sorry, but I cannot help you. Good day."
The two men let go of their grip of the blond man, whose face was an expression of both fury and disbelief. The man with black hair asked, "What? Why? We have people dying every day! Why won't you help us?"
Shen's father countered, "I am sorry, gentlemen, but I cannot help you. It is my task to maintain the equilibrium of Ionia. Meddling with your situation would put what I protect at risk. So I am unable to assist you. Shen, Zed, show these men out." With those words, he rose and exited past the disbelieving looks of everyone in the room, leaving Shen and Zed to escort the men out.
Zed was the first to speak once his master left. "Alright, come with us."
"Wait! You... you surely can't do this! You must see that we need help.", the brown-haired man retorted. They were all desperate, and Shen fully well knew this. And he couldn't quite understand his father's decision, but despite this he accepted it.
"It is what the Great Master wills. Come with us, or you will be thrown out." Zed shared similar ideas, it seemed. The two of them brought the party outside despite begging and sent them off down the dirt path. The blond man gave one final look back, with a mixture of disappointment and anger, before turning around and trudging down the path towards the wooden gates that marked the exit.
Once they left, Shen saw his father emerge from behind the temple. His father came towards both of them holding clothes similar to that of merchants. He spoke in a whisper, "Put these on quickly and gather whatever belongings you wish to bring for the mission."
Zed asked, "Why? What do you mean, 'the mission'?" Shen was just as confused as his brother, but he kept silent.
His father replied coolly, "Put them on and get your things together, then meet me at the gate. Go on. We must make haste in leaving."
Zed attempted to say more, but Shen could tell it wasn't a good idea to stay here spitting out all the questions they had. They would just have to figure things out. Dragging Zed away, Shen went to their respective bedchambers. There, he changed into the new clothes, which were of a typical merchant, and gathered his most valued items, including a painting by Zed of the three of them. Zed might not be the most skilled ninja, but nevertheless he was a surprisingly good artist. Either way, Shen valued him as he would normally consider a brother - that, after all, is why he called him brother. However, before he could continue to consider his bond with Zed, he found he'd gotten all of his belongings, and, not wanting to waste time, he left his bedchamber.
After going back outside, Shen found his father waiting by the gate. Zed remained in his bedchamber. Out of tradition, he knelt before his father after approaching. "My son," his father said, "it's good to see that you are here. I wish to speak with you without the presence of my student Zed." Did this journey have to do with Zed? Shen was nervous but did not dare show it. "There is something I wish to talk of here before we go off. It's about Zed. I'm beginning to fear that...", his father began saying before trailing off and looking towards where Shen had came from. Shen turned and saw that Zed was walking forward, dressed in the new clothes just as Shen was. Whatever it was would now have to wait. Zed joined them, carrying only his signature weapon, a pair of katars attached to his arms. They didn't offer much protection, but they were an excellent offensive weapon. Once Zed arrived next to them, his master signaled towards the gate, and the three of them left.
As the trio treaded the dirt path in the direction of Zhyun, it hit both Zed and Shen that they might be headed to stop the Golden Demon. As usual, Zed was the one to speak first.
"We're heading to stop the Golden Demon, right?"
"Correct, my pupil. The Golden Demon's endeavors must be stopped.", Zed's master responded.
"Then why did you turn away the visitors? Could we not have worked with them? I know that the blond-haired one was disrespectful, master, but I believe it was out of ignorance more than anything else."
His master turned to face Zed as they walked. "And do you think that I simply turned them away because one of their members was disrespectful?"
Zed, who was as loud-spoken as he was bright, promptly stopped speaking and grew red with embarrassment. He didn't reply, and instead looked down as he walked.
Of course, his master noticed this embarrassment and placed a hand on Zed's shoulder "Do not fret. Your curiosity is understandable. I turned them back because we need to act in secrecy to find the 'Golden Demon'. It's clearly a person behind these actions. No animal on monster could kill in such a way as to both leave the bodies in such strange positions and escape without any trace. This is a genius we're dealing with here. We're lucky he does not know that we are headed for him now. If he is alerted that we are searching for him, we might lose the only advantage we have. So we must ensure none know of our presence." Zed nodded vigorously to this, relieved that his master was not irritated with him. Shen did not react to this, although he felt a fear sprout up inside him. Never had his father complimented him or Zed. Compliments, he believed, create arrogance which fells even the greatest ninja. His father always approved of their training and work, but almost never did he give compliments, although occasionally he would remark on Shen's progress. Shen knew that this wasn't a compliment; it was only a reflection. However, he'd called this... this killer, a genius. What could compel him to use such a term? The killer they faced would be no easy foe, and Shen knew so.
In response to this, Shen attempted to crack a small joke. Fear would just cloud the minds of all of them. So Shen tried to break this fear with his humor. “So, uh… once we get this guy under control, maybe we could sell him. You know, because, he’s golden.” It wasn’t a good joke, but nevertheless it stifled a tiny laugh from Zed. Hopefully it calmed his nerves, Shen thought. As usual, his father did not respond to his jokes. He could only hope that they could stay in good spirits for the task at hand.
After a few hours of walking, they arrived in Zhyun, where they would begin their search for the Golden Demon. For four years they stayed in Southern Ionia, disguised as merchants, attempting to find any lead on who and where the killer was. During this time, they saw things that most would not be able to handle. Images still remained in Shen's mind. One, a field of flowers where a stone pedestal had been erected with limbs attached to it like the petals. Blood splattered the grey stone, turning it red. Another, a woman bawling and holding the mutilated body of her brother, who had come to visit her. His eyes and jaw had both been blown out. Yet another, his father sitting by himself for hours, looking at portraits that he, Shen, and Zed had taken of the bodies in an attempt to find any sort of pattern to the murders that could lead them closer to their goal. Shen’s portraits had been the worst of the three, and he knew it; his skills were that of the physical ninja, Zed’s of the mental, and the Great Master had long since mastered both. All of them had images like these resonate inside of them. There was no way to simply forget the horrors that the Golden Demon had committed. And these images changed them. On this journey, each of them lost something.
For the Great Master, it was his famous red mane. The luscious red atop his head was now as white as the snow atop the mountains. But he also subtly showed changes. His patience, which seemed to be almost infinite, was shortened. When Zed would ask an obvious question, he would reply in a short and biting statement, and he would not console his student afterwards. This soon enough led to a stop to Zed’s questions Shen was spared this, since he generally figured things out himself, but he noticed the change in his father. But he didn’t dare speak of it.
For Shen, it was his humor. He no longer came up with jokes to ease tensions. He’d go from place to place with a somber expression. His tasks still were carried out as usual, but no smiles or stupidly corny jokes would follow him to make things seem less bleak. Also, his kindness diminished. No longer was he adept at showing compassion to the families of victims. Shen would look on at their desperation without the same level of empathy, nor did he ever seem to have the words to bring comfort and relief to their broken hearts.
And for Zed, it was his studies. No longer was he the bright and artistic student that his master had trained him to be. No more did he paint eloquent designs of his adopted family or the world around him with enthusiasm. The only art he did was rushed drawings of horribly disfigured bodies, and they didn’t have any sense of art to them. They were dark and hateful scribbles done by Zed that expressed frustration. On top of this, Zed no longer showed curiosity or innovation. Much like Shen, he carried out his work quietly.
At the end of this journey, while they had lost part of themselves, they also found the pattern of murders. The Golden Demon wasn’t just a genius killer; he was an artist of murder, a painter of violence; a bloody artisan; a deadly virtuoso. He saw beauty in death, and made sure each death was terrifyingly elegant. He didn’t see evil in his work, he saw only majesty. The Great Master was the first to find this out, and upon telling his son and student of his discovery, he gravely told them, “Good and evil are not truths. They are born from men and each sees the shades differently.” With these words, he then went on to explain to them his plan to finally put an end to the Golden Demon. Their killer wasn’t a monster of the night. He was a seemingly ordinary man, no more than another assistant of Zhyun’s traveling theater, under the stage name Khada Jhin. That was why he was able to kill so often and yet never be seen; after all, who would suspect a mere stagehand of committing brutal murder? So now they were headed to Jyom Pass, where all the artists and theatrics of Zhyun would be waiting, eager to show their talents.
Snapping out of his reminiscence, Shen found himself at the entrance to the Blossom Festival. A wooden stage held about two dozen actors, with a large crowd on the dirt ground before the stage, conversing. Not wanting to waste any time, he ran forward and started wading through the crowd. Many people looked at him strange, as to them he was a merchant butting into a place for artists. However, he didn’t have time to explain. He just rushed past them before they might ask the guards to throw him out. His father had been the one to infiltrate the festival, and by now he should have captured Khada Jhin, the infamous Golden Demon.
Pushing a man dressed as a Demacian soldier out of the way, Shen bound up the creaky wooden steps of the stage and ran past the curtain. There, five stagehands were backed against the wall. Zed was in front of them, katars pointed at them. He didn’t seem angry at them by any means; actually, he wasn’t looking at them at all. His gaze was directed towards the corner of the room, where Shen’s father stood over the cowering figure of a masked man. With a chill, Shen realized that this was the Golden Demon. After several years, it was almost underwhelming to see this larger-than-life assassin as a man behind a mask. “P-please,” the man spoke. His voice was deep but by no means intimidating. Shen glanced to Zed. He’d never seen such a look of hatred in his brother. His fists were clenched, and a fire was burning inside of him. There was nothing more that he wanted than the death of this flinching young man, a fair wish considering his record. So it wasn’t surprising to Shen when Zed marched forward, ready to spill blood.
Apparently, the Great Master knew this too. As Zed raised his arm in a killing blow. he was stopped. “No. You will not kill him. He is to remain alive. Instead, we will imprison him for his actions.”
Shen suddenly felt a rush of confusion and anger. ‘He is to remain alive’? He was a murderer! Had his father forgotten all of the crying families? All the mangled bodies in the name of “art”? This man deserved death, a violent death in front of many to show all Ionia that the unstoppable Golden Demon was dead and gone, a bloodstained execution, a-
Suddenly, Shen stopped. His emotions, he realized, were clouding judgement. He might not understand why this man deserved to live, but it was his father’s will, and his father acted without emotion - that was why his decisions were so trusted and he was the Eye of Twilight. They weren’t swayed by petty feelings or grudges. So while he disagreed, Shen accepted his father’s emotionless logic.
Unfortunately, Zed never understood this fact fully. He knew that his master acted without feelings for eq, but he still held onto his own emotions tightly. He did not know how to release them and accept. When Zed heard these words, he couldn’t and didn’t accept this mercy. However, he didn’t speak out his confusion or anger like he usually did. He kept it inside, and just looked at his master with hatred for the first time. It was no secret that Zed questioned his master openly, but never had he shown hatred. Shen didn’t think on it much, though. He figured it would pass eventually. Sadly he was unaware that one day this moment would lead to his father’s death and a lifetime of hatred from Zed.
Khada Jhin was taken away to Tuula Prison, where he remained for years. During that time, he revealed neither his face nor his name. He remained as the masked figure Khada Jhin, or as he called himself, the Virtuoso. He was an amazing student there, and the monks reported he excelled in many subjects, including smithing, poetry, and dance. But he still was grimly fascinated in death. He frequently asked to see the bodies of prisoners who had killed themselves or died trying to escape. His obsession with death persisted for all those years.
And now he was out there, and Shen knew it. Already he was desperately trying to find his brother and show him the path to balance after he killed the Great Master. His tenacious love for Zed was a block in his other perfectly unemotional world. But another problem had arisen. After the Noxian invasion, groups were fighting for power, all looking for a leg up on each other. But none had the Golden Demon on their side. A cabal within the head council of Ionia broke Khada Jhin out of Tuula Prison and gave him nearly limitless funds. Now he was prepared to begin his spread of terror through Ionia once more. But would he act in secret much longer? A serial killer, bidding for attention, would not prefer the shadows. If the cabal that freed him managed to take over the council, Jhin would be free to act as a weapon of terror. And without the Great Master, could Jhin be stopped? Shen wasn’t sure of the answer to any of these questions. He only knew one thing for certain: Khada Jhin would stop at nothing to perfect his art.
So this story is my perspective on the champion bio for Khada Jhin, the Virtuoso (link below). If you have any questions or comments, fee free to leave them below! I'll do my best to reply. Also, if you could, I would really appreciate a like. I put a solid few hours into this, so I'd like as many people to see this as possible. Thanks for reading, and GLHF!
Champion bio: http://na.leagueoflegends.com/en/page/champion-bio-jhin-virtuoso