"So my arrival caused a disaster," Orion muttered disheartened. "Sounds abht at this point..."

  Inhaling sharply, he spped his thighs as if it were just another day, gng between them with a resigned smirk. "Alright! Where's the problem?"

  Kennen blinked before a wide grin broke across his face, snickering, "Hah! Straight to solving the problem, I like it!"

  "Do you think this is a joke?" Mayyam scowled with displeasure when Orion forced a smile. Her icy cold gre rested on Orion as she stood up. "The imbance you've created disrupted nature's spirits and spawned malevolent shadow spirits. Some of our people have been wounded and may never fight again. Children were hurt too."

  Sighing, Orio her gaze with subtle frustration. "That's why I'm to help. Do you think I wahis to happen?"

  "I believe the boy- Orion- is right." Kennen crossed his arms, gng back at Mayyam. "If he had no trol, then this may be the best he offer to restore the bance."

  Mayyam looked visibly flicted, her expression tight. With a relut sigh, she waved them forward, "If you truly wish to make amends, then follow us. No foolish games, nor reckless magic. Do you uand?"

  Nodding, Orion began to stand, only for his legs to buckle beh him, sending him tumbling forward. Mayyam, turning just in time, moved with quick reflexes to grip his shoulders, steadying him.

  "Or perhaps not yet."

  Grimag, her tone softened as she eased him bato the bed. "Rest. I'll have the neophytes bring you food."

  Kennen, boung lightly on the bed, raised his tiny hand, "My bad! I checked his body earlier. Definitely drained."

  "Why didn't you tell me before-" Mayyam's eye twitched, visibly annoyed, as Kennen giggled, "I fot."

  "Ugh." Irritated, she turo leave without another word.

  As she left, Orion finally caught a prlimpse of her on, a strange, elegant scythe- and tucked ly along her waist were throwing knives, or perhaps kunai, hidden within the folds of her garb.

  After she left, Orion sat in silend pondered for a moment before turning toward Kennen. "Did you really fet?"

  The little yodle shrugged with exaggerated innoce, though a mischievous twinkle in his oversized eyes said otherwise.

  'Ah, makes sehey don't know me,' Orion thought.

  Tilting his head, curiosity finally got the better of him now that the tension had eased. "So... what's this Kinkou Order business anyway?"

  "Business, huh?" Kennen hopped to the edge of the bed, his little legs dangling off. "I guess you could call it that. We're protectuardians of baweeerial and spiritual realms. But it's not for power- it's about harmony."

  "Guardians of bance, huh." Orion mused. "What do you get out of it?"

  "Harmony. Life flowing peacefully."

  Orion silently listened as Kennen's oversized eyes glinted mischievously again. "We try to uand and reason first. If reaso work..." He opened his hand, lighting suddenly crag between his fingers into a pulsing orb of energy. "The."

  "If soothing the spirit fails, we se it. We defend the bance- and ourselves- with only the forecessary. The Kinkou Order never acts in aggression."

  'Moralists and idealists...' Orion thought, a frown f. 'Except they're dangerous too.'

  "I don't know how much I help right now, holy..." Orion began, his eyes drifting down to his skeletal figure.

  Kennen nodded uandingly, "You would struggle against even the weakest shadow spirit. Don't worry, we'll give you time."

  "Under normal circumstances, I could fight and heal-" Orion started apologetically when Kennen abruptly interrupted.

  "Heal?" Kennen's ears perked up immediately, his head snapping to Orion, expression shifting to pure i. "We are in desperate need of healers! There are many injured, and Mayyam's-" His oversized eyes narrowed, fog ily on Orion. "What is the extent of your healing?"

  Orioured down toward his body. "It es at a cost. I usually end up very hungry and tired afterward. But I've healed life-threatening puncture wounds aions before."

  As he spoke, the thought of food grew in his mind.

  "Hmm... magic seeking bance. But it's not spiritual magic?" Kenneioilting his head.

  "I don't think so. I don't see spirits- I see threads. I see tless, twisting and-" Orion's eyes widened as he focused on the magic around him.

  pared to Piltover, where magic flowed in a single buream like a river through his sciousness, Ionia was an o. It was flowing in every dire, pulsing with life. And he was standing in the middle of it.

  Kennen demeanor shifted instantly. He must've felt it with his expression tightening and stance being muarded.

  "Careful, Orion." His voice dropped. "Power like that be overwhelming here. We've seen those who could not trol themselves- their unmeasurable power- and nature was forced to restore ba wasn't geher."

  Hopping nimbly off the bed, Kennen's hands moved behind him as he paced thoughtfully. "Do not use yic here without Shen to oversee it. You could bring further disaster."

  Pausing, his tone softened, and he gnced back toward Orion. "But if you seek guidao learn how to master it and help others..."

  The sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Kennen's ears twitched, voice trailing off with a knowing grin "Perhaps we help."

  Orion's gaze shifted to the doorway as a nimble little girl darted inside, bang a rge serving pte of food in her hands.

  "Hey Kennen!" she excimed brightly.

  This child, not older than ten or eleven, had jet bck, messy hair tied bato an uneven ponytail. Her loose-fitting clothes, deep green with gold and brown trim, were scuffed and marked with dirt, giving her a scrappy, unpolished appearance.

  She darted in with remarkable speed- faster than anyone Orion had ever seen in the Uy or even Piltover.

  "Be careful Akali!" Kennen warned her, darting forward as her gaze shifted toward Orion.

  The moment her eyes met Orion's, her bright smile vanished, repced by hostility and suspi. Her shoulders tensed, and her grip tightened on the serving pte.

  Kennen had darted with an outstretched hah the pte, expeg her to drop it- though he refrained from toug it.

  Akali's sharp gaze flickered to Kennen, silently demanding answers, before she marched over to Orion without hesitation.

  "o meet you!" Orioed her with a forced smile, trying to keep things light. "What's your- Oof!"

  She shoved the serving pte against his stomach, the force hard enough to knoe air from his lungs as she set it on his p.

  "Who are you?!"