Chapter 22 – The Weight of Change
Steven stood frozen for a moment, his mind racing. The explosion had been close — too close. It felt like the ground was still shaking beneath him, but everything else was eerily still. The peace he'd taken for granted, the calm of the past few days, had vanished in an instant.
Sera was looking at him now, her eyes wide, a mix of confusion and concern crossing her face. "What was that? What's going on?"
Steven opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He didn't know. He didn't know what was happening or why it was happening now. His instincts were telling him something was terribly off, but the details… they were missing.
He clenched his fists. The air felt charged, thick with anticipation, and the slight tremor in the ground told him it wasn't just a random explosion. This was something deliberate.
"Steven?" Sera's voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back to reality. "What do we do?"
"I…" He took a deep breath, his mind scrambling for answers. "We get to the Academy. Now."
His feet moved before he could even think about it, instinct taking over. He grabbed Sera's hand and pulled her along, moving quickly but trying to keep his thoughts focused. The explosions had been close, but he knew they couldn't waste time. People were already running in the opposite direction, panic rising as the sounds of chaos grew louder.
"Stay close," he muttered to Sera, but his voice was shaky. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his head was spinning. This attack it didn't make sense. It was too sudden. Too random. He hadn't felt any signs, no whispers of danger. It was as if everything had changed in the blink of an eye.
As they moved through the streets, the sounds of destruction grew clearer. The acrid smell of smoke and burning metal filled the air. People were fleeing, shouting in terror, but Steven barely noticed them. He only had one goal now, to get to the Academy, where he could hopefully find answers.
But even as they moved, something gnawed at him. He wasn't prepared for this. Not in the slightest.
He wasn't a soldier. He wasn't a hero. He was an inventor. A tinkerer. Someone who built things to solve problems, not someone who could charge into battle against an army. The fact that Zaun's soldiers were now on his doorstep, it only highlighted how small and helpless he truly was in the grand scheme of things.
His inventions weren't ready. The Arc Reactor was still just an idea. His gear, his weapons, everything he had designed so far, they were all half-baked prototypes. He wasn't a warrior. He wasn't someone who could stand against this kind of force.
But here he was, with Sera by his side, and he couldn't just freeze up. He couldn't let fear paralyze him.
He had to do something.
...
...
But what?
They rounded a corner and came face to face with a scene of utter chaos. A large portion of the city's outer walls had been damaged, and the streets ahead were littered with debris. The ground was scorched, and a group of soldiers were rushing to maintain order, though it was clear they were struggling.
Sera's grip tightened on his hand as they took in the destruction. "This is insane," she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief.
Steven's mind was racing, but the panic gnawing at him only grew louder. "We need to get inside the Academy," he said through gritted teeth, pushing forward.
"Steven," Sera said, her voice strained. "What are we supposed to do? They'll just tear the place apart!"
He paused, his mind unable to latch onto a single plan. He didn't have a weapon. He didn't have any real defenses. The only thing he had were ideas. And right now, they felt useless. He needed time. Time to think. Time to build. Time to prepare.
But there was no time.
Sera tugged at his arm. "We can't just stand here, Steven. They're coming."
The words hit him harder than he expected. They were coming. There was no stopping it. The thought that Zaun's soldiers were marching into Piltover, that they were here because of the conflict between their cities — it made him feel small. But it wasn't because of him. No, the attack wasn't targeting him. He was just a part of the collateral damage in a war he wasn't even prepared for.
He had no reason to think he was the target. He wasn't a politician or a key figure — just an inventor with far too many ideas and not nearly enough resources.
Yet here he was, caught up in a war between two powers, just trying to survive.
"I don't know what to do," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "I thought I could handle this. But I… I'm not ready."
Sera turned him to face her. Her hands on his shoulders. "We're going to get through this," she said, her voice filled with determination. "You've gotten through worse, Steven. You can do this."
His chest tightened as he looked at her, her face set with resolve. But the more he looked at her, the more he realized how much he had to lose. If this was the beginning of a war, if Zaun's forces were really targeting Piltover, what would happen to Sera? What would happen to everything he had built?
The reality of the situation hit him with brutal clarity. He was not ready. He was not equipped. His inventions were not enough to protect the people he cared about. And if he didn't do something, everyone, Sera, the city, even himself, would be caught in the aftermath.
The distant rumble of explosions grew louder, shaking him from his thoughts. The soldiers were moving forward. They were closing in.
"We need to act," Steven said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But what can I do? What can I even fight with?"
Sera, sensing his self-doubt, gave him a steady look. "You've got more than you think. Trust yourself, Steven. You can't solve everything with a machine. Sometimes, you have to fight with what's inside you."
Steven stared at her, the weight of her words sinking in. She believed in him, even if he didn't believe in himself. But it didn't change the fact that he felt utterly powerless. The world was crumbling around him, and all he had were ideas.
The soldiers were closing in.
For the first time, Steven realized the full weight of the world on his shoulders. He wasn't just fighting to survive. He was fighting to protect everything he had built, everything he had come to care about. And right now, he was scared. Scared that he wasn't enough.
"Stay close to me," Steven finally said, his voice hoarse. "I'll figure something out. I… I have to."
But the truth was, he wasn't sure he could.
Not yet.
Not with his hands tied.
As they approached the Academy gates, Steven felt more exposed than ever. The feeling of helplessness clung to him like a weight, but he forced it down. He couldn't let Sera see how shaken he was. He couldn't let anyone see the cracks in his facade.
But deep down, the question lingered: How long could he keep pretending that he had the answers when, in truth, he was just as scared and uncertain as anyone else?
The soldiers were here. And Steven? He was just a man with ideas.
He was afraid that might not be enough.