A Will and a Shadow

Talon looked out on the grasslands of Ionia with a curious look on his face.

He was dispatched by a high ranking Noxian general, one who thought he could order The Blade's Shadow around. But, Talon served the will of Noxus and Katarina asked him to follow orders. So Talon followed orders, to an extent.

His latest task, to assassinate a rebel leader of Ionian resistance. The leader was on the field now, butchering Noxian soldiers left and right. Talon looked at her, followed her movements with his eyes. She was tired. Injured, even. She was making mistakes; moving slowly.

Talon could be down the hill and driving a blade through her heart in no time flat. His mission was to kill her, to rend her flesh from her bones and bring her mantle to Noxus to be hanged on a General's wall. She had halted the invasion, and it was up to Talon to stop her.

He arrived at his commanding officer's tent uninjured and empty handed. His commander scowled at Talon while saying, "You! Assassin! Where is Irelia's head?"

"She put up a hard fight, I could not subdue her," Talon replied, very low and cool.

As Talon then turned and walked out of the tent, one might be thinking what the baffled General was thinking. 'Why was Talon not injured? His armor not torn? His blades not even bloody?' Anyone who knew the Blade's Shadow knew that he did not leave jobs unfinished or clean. There was no fight. And Talon did not fail. He did not try.

Six months later...

Arch Conjurer Nix Deloryn hurried through his paperwork and gave the parchment and quill to Talon. The cold-hearted assassin took the quill and parchment, and signed it.

"Congratulations young man, you are officially inducted into the League Of Legends. The Institute of War gladly accepts an individual with..." he stares a moment longer than he ought to at Talon's daggers and scars, "...Unique talents," Nix said.

"Thank you, your excellency," Talon replies, emotionless.

"Now then, the dormitories are just..."

"I know where they are, Arch Conjurer," Talon said quickly, "I will see myself out."

And with a little shift in the light, Talon was gone from the room.

Talon walked quickly and silently through the hallways of the Institute before turning a corner. When he did, his stride took an almost unnoticeable change, and he bit his inner cheek hard.

Irelia came walking the other way, chatting with the Yordle ninja, Kennen on things Talon could best remember as trivial. Her long silver hair wasn't tied up like in battle, and her mantle and blades were gone, and her body was in normal garb- unarmored. Her orb that the blades hover around was floating around her fingertips, playing with her hands.

She walked past Talon without looking at him, and he not looking at her. Talon kept moving, and sighed almost out loud. Irelia cocked her head, and then kept talking to Kennen.

Talon sped up to his appointed room with the word 'Talon Du Couteau' carved above the door. He stepped in, and with a heavy sigh, went straight to bed. There was a match tomorrow afternoon, and he needed to keep his nerve. Talon's memories of that field in Ionia danced through his mind as he drifted off to sleep.