CHAPTER 504 - Akali's Inner Struggle 

"Why can't it be me?" Li Lin's armor instantly transformed into a short robe styled after Ionia. Akali was stunned, her tear-streaked face quickly shifting from sadness to curiosity. 

"How… how did you do that?" she asked, suppressing the hiccups from her earlier sobs, her voice steadying. 

"Technology. I learned this in Piltover," Li Lin replied with a smile before casually changing the topic. "What are you doing sneaking off to such a remote place?" 

Suddenly, Akali seemed to remember something and nervously wiped her tear-streaked face. "I—I wasn't crying!" 

"Hmm… I don't recall saying you were," Li Lin replied. 

Akali froze for a moment, then pretended to glare at him with mock anger. "Don't you dare tell anyone!" 

At only fourteen years old, despite having experienced far more than most children her age, Akali's personality was still similar to that of Seraphine and other young girls. 

Li Lin walked to the lakeside, taking a seat near the spot where Akali had been sitting moments ago. Glancing back at her, he said, "Come sit." 

"This isn't your house. Why are you acting like you own the place?" she grumbled. Despite her words, she returned to sit beside him. 

Li Lin knew that Akali had been struggling with her inner demons for some time now. If those issues weren't addressed soon, she would inevitably follow the path of the original timeline, breaking away from the Kinkou Order and becoming the "Rogue Assassin," dedicated to fighting Noxians. Such a fate would be detrimental to Li Lin's efforts to unite the heroes into humanity's final line of defense—it might even backfire. 

Unfortunately, Akali's mother, Mayym, showed little concern for her. Kennen, as a Yordle, often viewed and handled things quite differently from humans, leaving him ill-equipped to address Akali's emotional turmoil. Shen, burdened by his unresolved grief over the death of his father at the hands of his best friend, was a brooding figure. While his teachings in martial arts and combat skills were helpful, he was hopeless when it came to addressing Akali's deeper psychological struggles. 

It seemed that in addition to resolving conflicts among the heroes, Li Lin now had the responsibility of counseling their mental health as well. 

Li Lin casually picked up a small stone and skipped it across the lake. 

Akali watched the ripples spreading across the crystal-clear water, falling into a momentary daze. 

"When I was little, my dad used to secretly take me out to play. We often walked along the Grass River…" A look of melancholy flickered across her face, but she quickly shook it off, forcing a smile before abruptly changing the topic. "By the way, your name is Li Lin, right?" 

"You even know my name?" Li Lin raised an eyebrow. On his way to the Kinkou Order's hidden temple and throughout his time there, no one had mentioned his name—at least not until Akali disappeared. 

"Heh, don't underestimate me!" Akali smirked, narrowing her eyes with a triumphant expression, as if she'd just scored a victory, completely shedding her earlier sorrow. 

Neither Kennen nor Mayym had known the name "Li Lin" until Shen introduced him. The only explanation was that Akali must have eavesdropped on a conversation between Shen and the mechanized soldiers a week earlier. 

"Alright, alright… clever girl. I think you'd make an excellent 'Fist of Shadow.'" 

Hearing this rare compliment—one of only a handful she'd received in years, and from an outsider no less—Akali's eyes widened in surprise. A spark of joy lit up her gaze, though she tried to hide it. 

"Do you really think so?" she asked hesitantly. But before Li Lin could answer, she frowned and rested her chin on her hands, her elbows on her knees, looking troubled. "You don't actually know anything about the Kinkou Order, do you? Were you just saying that to make me feel better?" 

"I'm from Ionia. Why wouldn't I understand the Kinkou Order?" Li Lin's expression turned slightly more serious. "The Eye of Twilight's duty is to observe the stars, the Heart of the Tempest's role is to chase the sun, and the Fist of Shadow's responsibility is to prune the branches. 

"The Eye of Twilight makes calm, calculated decisions. The Fist of Shadow executes missions, and the Heart of the Tempest delivers judgment and arbitration, maintaining the harmony of the Order.

"Observation's timeless wisdom, pursuit's unwavering determination, and pruning's essential balance—these three are all indispensable to achieving equilibrium. Isn't that the core tenet of the Kinkou Order?" 

Akali was stunned. "How do you know so much about our Order without ever taking the vows to become a disciple?" 

But then, her expression shifted. With an elegant backflip, she landed gracefully a short distance away, her gaze sharp. In one swift motion, four small kunai appeared between her fingers. 

"You're not… an infiltrator from the Shadow Order, are you?" 

Li Lin couldn't help but roll his eyes at her. Akali, oblivious to his reaction, suddenly felt a gust of wind sting her face. Before she realized what had happened, the kunai tightly gripped in her right hand had vanished. Her instincts told her that someone was now standing behind her. 

As she spun around, Li Lin flicked his thumb against his middle finger, landing a flick squarely on her forehead. A bright red mark appeared on her pale skin. 

"Ouch!" Akali cried out, clutching her forehead as she stumbled back a few steps. She stared at the man before her in disbelief. As a ninja, her tolerance for pain was incredibly high. Sure, the flick stung, but it shouldn't have hurt this much. 

What she didn't know was that Li Lin had calculated the exact amount of force to use—enough to hit her pain threshold without causing any real harm. Such precision was impossible for an ordinary person, but with the data collected by his AI and his exceptional mind, it was child's play. 

Before she could recover from her shock, Akali noticed her four kunai now resting in his hand, deepening her astonishment. 

"You…" Her red-brown eyes widened, her throat dry and words faltering. The man before her moved faster than Shen, her mother, or even Kennen. 

If this had been a real battle… Akali didn't dare finish the thought. A wave of discouragement swept through her. 

"So," Li Lin said with a small chuckle as he walked back to her and placed the kunai in her hand, "do you still think I'm a spy?" 

Akali shook her head, clenching her fist. "You're far stronger than that Shadow Order traitor." 

She added silently, "And that armor of yours that turns into clothing…" 

Returning the kunai to the cylindrical pouch tied to her waist with coarse rope, Akali hesitated, her mouth opening as though she wanted to say something but stopping short. 

"You want to ask how I did all that, don't you? Or maybe why, with all this power, I avoided the war years ago and went to Piltover instead?" Li Lin asked as he sat back down. 

Akali dropped her mischievous demeanor and sat beside him. 

"Well, it's a long story…" 

Over the next ten minutes, Li Lin swiftly recounted his past to Akali: witnessing his parents being killed by a barrage of arrows at the docks of Placidium before they could board their ship; drifting across the Conqueror's Sea for months before reaching Piltover; starting as a lowly laborer and working his way up into the Kiramman household, eventually becoming the Speaker of Piltover, effectively controlling both cities. 

He even mentioned his travels to Shurima and Demacia. However, he left out the events prior to his arrival in this world three years ago, as they were little more than hazy memories. 

His tale, filled with a sense of adventure, captivated Akali. She hadn't imagined the man before her had lived such an extraordinary life. Were lands beyond Ionia truly so vast? 

Li Lin gave her time to process, allowing her to dwell in her thoughts. When she returned to reality, her eyes sparkled with curiosity. 

"You said your strength comes from technological enhancements?" she asked. "What was it called… Na…mi?" 

"Na-no," Li Lin corrected her with a smile. The word was admittedly tricky to pronounce in Ionian.

"What, are you thinking of using it to get stronger and win your mother's approval?" 

Akali's curious expression froze. She raised a tiny fist and punched his arm, only to wince and clutch her hand. Her small face twisted in pain. 

"You're harder than basalt!" she grumbled, glaring at him. "And don't bring up my mother—I hate her!" 

"My bad. That was uncalled for," Li Lin said, shrugging with a genuine expression of apology. 

He had intentionally steered the conversation in that direction, but Akali's limited life experience made it impossible for her to notice. 

The next few seconds were filled with silence as Akali hesitated, her expression uncertain. Li Lin turned his head and gazed down at the still-developing young ninja beside him. 

"Whatever's on your mind, just say it." 

"I…" Akali pressed her pale lips together. As she lifted her head, her gaze met his deep, steady eyes. Quickly averting her eyes, she took a deep breath, summoning her courage. 

"You mentioned earlier that you helped a Demacian soldier regain his sight. Can you… regrow limbs?" 

The question left her mouth before she could stop herself. Realizing how foolish it sounded, she chuckled bitterly. 

"Never mind. I'm being ridiculous. If even magic can't do it, how could you possibly—forget I asked." 

"I haven't even answered yet," Li Lin interrupted, smiling faintly. "Who told you it's impossible?" 

Akali froze, thinking she'd misheard him. Her head snapped back toward him, her expression one of stunned disbelief. 

"What… what did you just say?" 

Li Lin's lips curled upward. "Regrowing limbs? It's no big deal. For me, it's easy." 

He extended his right hand, and under Akali's astonished gaze, countless nanobots flowed out from his sleeve. They assembled into a metallic cylinder about the size of her calf before compacting into something palm-sized. 

"If the person you're talking about is around your age, this is more than enough to solve the problem."

(End of Chapter)