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A peerless practitioner of lethal shadow magic, Shieda Kayn battles to achieve his true destiny—to one day lead the Order of Shadow into a new era of 
Ionian supremacy. He wields the sentient darkin weapon 
Rhaast, undeterred by its creeping corruption of his body and mind. There are only two possible outcomes: either Kayn bends the weapon to his will... or the malevolent blade consumes him completely, paving the way for the destruction of all 
Runeterra.
 | "The child is gone. The killer remains." — Kayn |
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Background[]
Early life[]
Noxian by birth, Shieda Kayn was conscripted as a child soldier like many others. When he was no more than ten, he and his comrades were ordered to attack the province of Bahrl in Ionia. He and other young soldiers made up the vanguard of the attack. While Kayn’s young comrades fled or were cut down by the defenders before the Noxian regulars came in from the flank, Kayn showed no fear and survived to see the end of the battle.
Zed and his followers arrived on the battleground two days later. There, they found Kayn on the ground, leveling a sickle at Zed. The Master of Shadows saw potential in the boy and welcomed him into the 
Yánléi.
After joining the order, the young Kayn was given food and a home to stay. Growing up training as an acolyte of the order, Kayn was able to master all the weapons given to him while other acolytes spent years training with a single weapon. By drinking the Tears of the Shadow, Kayn gained the ability to cloak himself in the shadows to stealthily assassinate enemies. He was able to spread fear among the survivors through his swift kills, using fear as his weapon. As Kayn's power and reputation grew, he gained hubristic ambitions that one day he could be more powerful than even Zed.
Wielding 
Rhaast[]
- Main article: The Blade of Millenia
Kayn was later sent on a mission to Noxus as his final test: to procure a Darkin scythe recently uncovered in the Noxian city of Vindor to stop the weapon from being used against the Ionians. Accompanied by his fellow acolyte Nakuri, he used his shadow magic to sneak up on the three guards defending the noxtoraa, killing two of them before intimidating the last one, whom was killed by Nakuri. After killing several more Noxian soldiers, Kayn approached the weapon where he heard the Darkin Rhaast call to him from within the scythe. One of the Noxians snatched the scythe in desperation, and began to swing it uncontrollably at his comrades as Rhaast's corruption took over. Realizing that the legends were true, Kayn, using a shadow technique, possessed the soldier's body, where he witnessed the atrocities that Rhaast inflicted over millennia. However, instead of destroying it as ordered, he was tempted to wield the Darkin for himself. Ignoring Nakuri's pleas, Kayn took hold of Rhaast and underwent the same corruption, but Kayn was able to resist his will and control his enhanced power. After a final struggle against Nakuri, Kayn killed his fellow acolyte. Since then, Kayn now duels Rhaast over control over his own body, until one of them wins and seizes control.
Future Scenarios[]
These scenarios are not canon to the official timeline, but future possibilities that have been hinted at in the lore and gameplay.
- Should Kayn fully overcome Rhaast, he will take full control of the scythe's powers, unlocking his full potential as the Shadow Assassin.
- Should Rhaast overpower Kayn, he will completely assimilate Kayn's body and wield the scythe for himself, using his new body to resume his killing and bloodshed across Runeterra. He also hints that Kayn's consciousness has been trapped in the same dimension where he was sealed.
Appearance[]
Kayn is a young man with a thin, muscular build. He has black hair with a blue streak at the right side and a long braid on the back. He wears nothing but large, baggy pants with a rope around it and leather boots. Due to Rhaast's partial assimilation, his left arm has become bright red muscle with grey plating covering his shoulder, left pectoral and left eye. He has a blue tattoo spiraling around his right wrist. His right eye has a yellow iris, while his corrupted left eye has a dark red sclera and a glowing red iris.
As the 
Shadow Assassin, he now has pale white skin, glowing pupilless eyes and lacks the corruption on his body. He has dark blue tattoos on his eyes, torso and arms. His braided hair has been replaced with long-flowing hair with a larger blue streak.
Personality[]
Molded by Noxian brutality and tempered in the Yánléi, Kayn carries a deep-seated resentment towards authority while harboring an unwavering confidence in his own abilities. His fearless demeanor masks a simmering anger and a burning desire to prove himself superior, both to his enemies and his mentors. Kayn's arrogance fuels his relentless pursuit of power, driving him to defy tradition and embrace the forbidden allure of the darkin, Rhaast. Yet, beneath his bravado lies a cunning intellect and a calculating nature, always seeking the most advantageous path towards dominating over both his foes and his destiny.
Abilities[]
- Weapon Prodigy: During his training in the Shadow Order, Kayn was able to master all weapons available to him with ease, whereas most of his fellow acolytes took years to master one weapon.
- Shadow Magic: Kayn has been empowered with the powers of the Tears of The Shadow, greatly enhancing his abilities, and letting him control the shadows to his wishes.
- Intangibility: Kayn can turn his body into shadow, allowing him to pass through walls.
- Shadow Cloning: Upon becoming the Shadow Assassin, Kayn is able to create shadowy clones of himself to attack.
- Possession: Kayn can temporarily possess others using his shadow magic. He was shown to have possessed a Noxian soldier's body prior to his corruption from Rhaast.
- Darkin Weapon: Having taken the Darkin Rhaast as a weapon and resisted the Darkin's will, Kayn's physical and magical atributes were greatly enhanced.
- Hemomancy: Due to the Darkin Rhaast's power, Kayn also gained access to Blood Magic.
- Resistant Will: Kayn has a strong will which allows him to resist being taken over by Rhaast, and even allows him to fully overcome Rhaast in order to become the Shadow Assassin. However, his will cannot stop the possibility of him losing the battle against Rhaast.
Relations[]
Zed[]
When Kayn was a child soldier, Zed saw the potential within him and recruited him to be a part of his order, feeding him and giving him a home. Kayn became Zed's favorite and most loyal disciple, trusting him enough to confide valuable information and hoping that Kayn would become the new leader of the Order of Shadow if something were to happen to him. Kayn refused to betray him when Kusho urged him to, because of how he saved him from a hopeless fate and gave him a new purpose in life. Despite his loyalty, Kayn's growing arrogance led him to believe that with Rhaast's power, he would even surpass Zed one day.
Rhaast[]
Kayn sees his wieldership of Rhaast as being his destiny, risking the Darkin's corruption to unlock his true potential. While Rhaast tries to manipulate him into embracing violence, Kayn defies him just as easily. They both fight against each other over control of his body, with Kayn intending to fully overpower Rhaast and claim his power for himself.
Jhin[]
Kayn, along with Zed and other members of the Shadow Order, were attacked by Jhin.
Akali[]
Kayn may have a crush on Akali. She knows Kayn and finds him hot but too crazy for her taste.
Kusho[]
Kusho manipulated Kayn into serving him and ordered him to kill Zed, but Kayn remained loyal to Zed due to the latter being his mentor whom gave him his new purpose in life.
4 Royce[]
Royce sympathizes with Kayn due to them both growing up as child soldiers of Noxus, considering Kayn as a "brother in blood".
Master Yi[]
Kayn fought against Master Yi and his Wuju disciples to obtain the 
1 The Darkin Bloodletters that they were guarding.
Read More
Biography
Starring Champion
Mentioned Champion
Alternate Universes
Trivia[]
- Kayn is around 20 years old.
- He was 'no more than 10' when Zed had taken him in into the Shadow Order.
- He was 'no more than 10' when
- Rhaast is between 3496 and 4396 years old.
- The blue streak in Kayn's hair is the result of using Rhaast.[1]
- In Zed: Issue 6 it is revealed that Rhaast's corruption of Kayn's left arm is able to be reverted back to normal by either Rhaast's or Kayn's will.
- Kayn appears to be left-handed.
Change log[]
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