Piltover—
Jayce stood silently in front of the glass window. His face was calm, but there was a dead, resigned emptiness in him, like he'd already accepted his fate.
Then, all of a sudden, he strode forward two steps and lifted his gaze toward the bags drifting outside the glass. Surprise flashed across his face—because that kind of packaging was Zaunite.
But… how could Zaunite bags be floating in Piltover?
And at that height, too?
A flicker of confusion passed through Jayce's eyes.
"Jayce, this isn't a bad thing. Please believe me. I—I would never hurt you. Zaun's sincerity is more than enough. They truly want to work with us. Otherwise, they could've killed us all and taken this city." Mel's voice sounded behind him.
Jayce turned around to look at her. Her expression was complicated, and there was pleading in her eyes.
"I know, Mel. I believe you wouldn't hurt me," Jayce said calmly. Then his voice tightened. "But what about what I want? Did you ever ask me what I wanted?"
"We don't have the right to refuse." Mel folded her arms, unable to meet his eyes.
Jayce gave a bitter laugh. "So you sold me to Zaun?"
"You all know how bad that place is, how chaotic it is. That's not somewhere people can live!" Jayce raised his voice and stepped closer. "And I'm not even angry about that—I'm angry because you never asked my opinion. You made the decision for me."
"Does my opinion really matter that little?" He lowered his head, looking down at Mel.
Mel bit her lip. She lifted a hand and stroked Jayce's cheek, speaking softly.
"No, Jayce. In that situation, we could only agree. Zaun's leverage was beyond what we imagined. I even believe that even if we built Hextech weapons, we still would've been the side that lost this war."
"Please trust me—you won't be gone for long. I'll push the cooperation between the two cities through as fast as I can, so you can come back soon."
"Then what about Viktor? What happens to Viktor?" Jayce pressed on. "He's been missing for more than a week. Piltover isn't that big. I'm a councilor, and I still couldn't find a single trace of him. It's like he vanished into thin air—leaving behind nothing but the gate I made for him."
Thinking of the state that gate was in made Jayce's worry twist tighter.
Where did you go?
Viktor…
"Mel, I don't actually care about being a sacrifice under politics. Using me to trade for Piltover's future—I support that. I'm willing. But… why did it have to be now?"
"Viktor's already failing. Now he's disappeared and I can't find him—I'm truly worried about him. I'm afraid… I'll never see him again for the rest of my life."
"It'll be alright, Jayce. It'll be alright…" Mel rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and murmured, "Everything will get better. Viktor is smart. He won't just leave like this. I believe that."
"And please, stop putting so much pressure on yourself. None of this is your fault. This… is our problem."
"Jayce… back then, maybe I shouldn't have made you a councilor…" Mel clung to his neck. Jayce slid his arms around her waist, burying his face against her throat, eyes closed, breathing in her scent as he listened.
"From the day you became a councilor, I never saw again the spark you had when we first met. Do you remember? Back then, when you looked at me, your eyes were full of fear and worry—but even more than that, they were full of yearning for the future."
"You were confident, proud. Even when experiments hit a wall, you didn't give up. Every day, you were either in the lab or on your way to the lab. But after you became a councilor… everything changed."
"You stopped having time for the lab. Every day you were on someone's banquet guest list, attending this family's dinner, that family's gathering. You poured your time into networking, into trading favors, into bargaining for interests. That isn't what you were meant to do."
"I'm happy you've become so capable—someone who can move Piltover with a single decision. But I'm also heartbroken, because the Jayce Talis I first knew is gone." The more Mel spoke, the more her voice trembled.
At first, her interest in Jayce had been tied to profit and curiosity about Hextech.
But later, she'd been drawn in—truly drawn in—and she'd fallen for this young man a few years her junior.
He used to be confident, bright, handsome, tall, intelligent…
But when had he started doing nothing but repeating the word "councilor," calculating interests with people, discussing trade goods and shipping lanes?
"No, Mel." Jayce was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "He's back."
He opened his eyes, patted her back gently, then leaned away, breaking the embrace.
He smiled at her. "Honestly, if this whole thing hadn't happened so suddenly, I was planning to resign as a councilor and never touch politics again."
Mel froze, lips pressing together.
"Alright. Don't be sad." Jayce's smile softened. "After hearing what you said, my resentment's gone. I told you—I don't care about being a political sacrifice. Because just like you said, you had no choice: on one side, Piltover; on the other, me."
"And even if you'd forced everyone down and chose me—what would the outcome have been? We still would've ended up dying together at the hands of Zaunites anyway."
"I'm not the Jayce Talis I used to be. I won't act like a kid and say, 'Even so, I still wish you'd choose me.'"
"I understand. There are a lot of things we really can't decide for ourselves." Jayce exhaled. "Don't worry, Mel. The only thing I'm worried about now is Viktor."
"Zaun, huh? Fine. I'll go."
"Thank you, Jayce…"
Jayce didn't say anything else. He only pulled Mel into a tight embrace.
The next day—November 4th, 8:00 a.m.
Piltover, the villa district.
Jayce put on ornate clothes, stepped into polished leather shoes, and walked out of the house with one hand braced against his waist. Outside, the Piltover people assigned to escort him to Zaun had already arrived.
Seeing them, Jayce immediately straightened, his expression going cold.
Damn… last night had been a little too intense. Right now, all Jayce could feel was how sore his waist was.
He glanced back and saw Mel, still in her sleep dress, standing behind the glass watching him. Jayce lifted a hand and waved to her with a smile.
Then he looked at the Enforcer responsible for escorting him, the smile vanishing as if it had never been there, and said flatly:
"Let's go. Take me to Zaun."
"Yes, Councilor Talis."
He got into the electric carriage. Watching the scenery slide past the window, Jayce took a deep breath.
Going to Zaun—saying he wasn't afraid would be a lie.
Since he was little, adults had filled his head with stories: Zaun was chaotic, evil. That it was a miserable place. That it wasn't somewhere people could live.
Naturally, Jayce's impression of Zaun had always been bad.
When he first learned Viktor was from Zaun, Jayce had even worried Viktor might steal his work.
But as they spent time together, Jayce realized Viktor was a gentleman—a true gentleman.
And so, this trip to Zaun…
Councilor Talis's feelings were tangled beyond words.
Resistance. Fear. Worry.
Expectation. Curiosity.
Zaun… Zaun…
What kind of place was it, really?
Whatever.
He'd know once he arrived.
Jayce closed his eyes, preparing to nap for a while.
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