The Fall of the Kinkou Order (Short Story)

This is just a random idea I had after binge-reading lore and wondering about the details of Zed's battle with his master. Enjoy!

Ionia was always thought to be a nation of tranquil beauty, filled with lush forests, mighty mountains, and crystal clear rivers. Made up of a large island surrounded by three smaller ones, the nation was often used as a vacation spot for the wealthy of Valoran, prized for its natural beauty. On one of the smaller islands, just to the north-west of the mainland, the temple of the Kinkou order stood atop one of the highest points of the island. It was the home and training ground of the warrior-clan of ninjas that had lasted countless generations.

The Kinkou order was self-tasked to protect peace and balance throughout Ionia.

Peace.

Balance.

These are lies. Scoffed the shadow ninja inwardly as he marched up the steps to the temple. Balance is nothing but a tool for the weak to survive. It mandates that there must be even amounts of light and darkness, but yet you keep the darkness hidden. You betray your own mandate because you fear the power. I do not fear power; I am strong.

Zed looked back on his followers. At least three dozen ninjas trained in the art of the shadows followed close behind, their armor glistening in the moonlight. He nodded in approval, not a single one of them had uttered a word of complaint from the difficult climb. His soft soled boots made no sound as he turned back and continued to trudge up the temple steps, but as consequence he could feel the small pebbles that littered the ground, stabbing into his feet. The small spikes of pain were inconsequence to him, pain was a necessary part of learning. His ninja have endured much pain. The ones that survived anyway.

These shadow warriors understand the truth, soon the truth will be known to the entire Kinkou order. One way or another. He expected a fight, some kind of resistance as his army of death reached the summit. But instead, he found nobody save for an older man in his late fifties at the door to the temple, meditating.

Zed scowled underneath his mask, his old master Kusho somehow knew they were coming. He held up a hand, stopping his students. He waited for Master Kusho to make some sort of greeting, anything to know what he was getting into.

The old master stood up slowly and bowed in greeting. “Welcome Zed. I see you have brought guests.”

Zed was slightly taken aback by Master Kusho’s seeming acceptance of the path he had taken. Perhaps the old fool thought that Ionia would be balanced by an order of light, and a separate order of shadow. That wasn’t Zed’s intent at all.

Zed was put on alert again when Master Kusho pulled a sword from its sheath. Finally, you understand. He thought with begrudging approval. I will not be talked out of my prize. His approval dissipated faster than a shadow in the light of the sun when Kusho put the weapon at Zed’s feet.

“I have failed you my young student.” Kusho said humbly. “I saw the dark path that you were taking, and instead of taking your hand and leading you down the balanced path I cast you away, leaving you to stumble down the dark path even more. Now you are but a shadow of your former self, and I blame nobody for myself. But you are not yet lost.” He motioned to Zed’s disciples. “These students of yours are following a path of destruction. They will be consumed by the shadow’s lust to have more power and they will turn on each other. Your new order will be an order of one before long, and I cannot abide by such a waste of life. Come Zed. I know that you have long wanted recognition for your deeds. The choice I am giving you is the most important one you will ever have.”

He motioned for Zed to follow him as he went inside the temple. As he went in, Shen came out. He started when he saw Zed and his disciples, and he prepared his sword when Master Kusho stopped him. With a simple shake of his head and a silent command to his son, Shen put his sword away. He nodded briefly to his father then walked up to Zed’s students. “I am to be your host.” He said with a quiet strength in his voice. “Wait here for our masters to return, then we will begin a tour.”

Zed followed Master Kusho into the temple and stopped at forbidding iron doors to the immediate right. His eyes narrowed as Master Kusho went inside. He followed slowly, understanding at last what his “important decision” was.

Master Kusho was already holding the box when Zed went inside. “You can still come back to the balanced path Zed.” He said as he held up the box. “You are not the dark ninja that the shadows whisper that you are. Destroy this box Zed, and destroy their influence on your life. You are still that orphan I found and raised Zed, only you have been lost for much longer this time. I will welcome you and your students into the Kinkou order. All will be as it was before.”

“You mean with me never being good enough to please you?” Zed asked with a sneer. “You mean the times that you have always favored Shen in our sparring? You mean the times that I would train endlessly, tirelessly, striving to be better? Do you have any idea how much I wanted to be in your favor? I trained until my knuckles bled, and my muscles nearly torn, and I would still tie with your son! Who never did half the work that I did, I was strong and he was weak, and he would still be even with me! This is your idea of balance old man, and it sickens me. I will destroy something in this room today, but the box is coming with me.” Without giving the old man a chance to respond, Zed lashed out with a shuriken, aiming to end the fight right there.

The master twisted out of the way, and in the same motion swung his sword and knocked the next one out of Zed’s hands. Zed leaped back, and threw his shadow out behind Master Kusho. The shadow rose out of the ground, and became corporeal. Together Zed and his shadow lashed at Master Kusho from both sides, hammering at his defenses with the blades on their arms. But the master was slipperier than an eel. He always blocked or parried the blows with swift movements with his armored arms and hands, even sneaking in a few strikes to Zed’s real body in the process. The master ended with a feint then a leg sweep, knocking Zed to the ground and dazing him enough for the shadow to fade.

“How?” Zed asked in raw hatred. 

“You are not yet skilled in the shadows Zed.” The master explained quietly. “You cannot control them independently; they are forever stuck mimicking your movements. By keeping an eye on you, I always knew what your doppelgangers where doing. It is in fact easier than fighting two separate foes.”

Zed’s eyes blazed as he got to his feet, and came at him again. The same result happened no matter where Zed threw his shadow or how he came to attack. Master Kusho was untouchable. 

At this point Zed began to hear restlessness outside. They can hear me outside. He thought. Soon they will come to aid their master. He could not let it happen. Fortunately, he had one more trick up his sleeve. He stood to his feet for the final time, and beneath his mask his lips played in a cruel smile. He had always wanted to try this technique, but no opponent he had faced was strong enough to warrant it. He felt the shadows course through him as he channeled for his most advanced technique.

He and a multitude of shadows advanced on Master Kusho. The master swung his sword in a defensive pattern, but hit only air and the shadows without stopping. Zed’s laugh echoed across the chamber and Zed appeared behind Kusho, his blades working a wicked slash across his enemy’s back and through his torso. Kusho however bit through the pain and stayed alert enough to stab his sword backwards through Zed’s abdomen. Zed could not keep his cries of pain silent though. He swiftly shifted his mind to one of his shadows, commanding it to take corporeal form. Although the memory of the stab was still fresh in his mind, his body had no trace. Kusho fell forward on his knees, in shock from the wounds he had experienced.

Zed only waited. Kusho only had time to look down at his chest and mutter, “You’ve learned the Death Mark—” before the arcane mark on his chest ignited, multiplying all the pain that he had endured many times over, killing him instantly. Zed rushed forwards and caught the dead master by the hair.

“Do you know see where balance has left you?” Zed asked rhetorically before he lashed out with his blades again, severing Kusho’s head from his neck.

The next few moments were a blur to Zed, lost in the euphoria of claiming ultimate power and for stomping out the weakness that had plagued him with false teachings his whole life. He vaguely remembered stormed out of the temple with the box in one hand, and Kusho’s head in the other. He helf-remembered throwing it on the ground at Shen’s feet.

He did remember his next words however. They were crystal clear in his mind. “KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!” Zed roared as he stomped down on Kusho’s head with a heavy foot. He walked slowly past them all as they rushed past him to do his bidding.

As he walked down the steps to secure his prize in his ship, he mulled over Kusho’s words. So what if his followers turned on each other in their lust for power? In fact, he would encourage it. That way, he thought, only the strong will survive. The strong will live to rule the weak. That is the balance I favor, anything else is a lie. I will be the strongest, a master of an Order of Shadows. I am a student no longer. I am Zed, the Master of Shadows.