Ethereal Abysses- Viktor [ENG]

Foreword

   It was about five minutes to five o'clock in the morning in quiet Piltover. The silence and the cool breeze invaded the houses where many were already in their beds, in a deep and peaceful sleep. A single bright light was shining through the window of one of the buildings in the center of town, and only one person refused to sleep, trying to unravel the secrets and possibilities of the so- called "Hextec". This technology was the union of science and magic, and after its discovery Piltover took upon itself the title "City of Progress".

   About five blocks from the building where the solitary research was taking place, the guards were closely chasing a figure that moved between the streets almost as if it could fly. This figure was laughing, unmoved by the guards who, for a second, almost reached her flying hair. They needed to capture it, whoever it was, because they were sure that it was a resident of Zaun. As they thought about this, they became distracted and the figure disappeared into the shadows.

   In the building where the research was being done tirelessly, golden eyes flickered in search of specific information, lost in countless notes. The researcher, Viktor, could not find it, and was beginning to get nervous about it. His brilliant mind was not focused on the task of to understand how the "Hextec" technology behaved in the face of decaying organic matter. For the test, a banana peel was positioned in the center of a thin titanium machine, used to contain the intense energy of the blue jewel, magnetically stable on it.

   Viktor, however, had his mind away, racing with various thoughts about the urgency of having a new assistant, since the old one had left the academy. He would need to find someone who was adept at handling the "Hextec" machines, but since this was new technology it would not be easy and might take more time than he had available. The man closed his eyes calmly, while he dropped his journal on the steel table and tried to breathe deeply to control his anxiety.

   His heart stopped for a few seconds, his eyes opened quickly, and Viktor felt his mind begin to spin. It felt as if he was beside himself, and his heart seemed to want to leave his chest with every millisecond that passed. He staggered, leaning his body on his cane in an attempt to stand up and regain control. This attempt failed utterly, as his slender body heaved downward, and with a thud, the man fell to the cold ground. With his eyes wide and a countenance frightened by the impending despair that something would happen, tears streamed down thick and hot, tracing paths down the hollow of his cheeks and finally dripping onto the floor. His body shrank and Viktor held his legs against his chest, burying his head between them.

- I need to get on... I need to work, I need... I need... I need...- He repeated a few times for a few minutes, hir voice hoarse from crying, before she felt her breathing slowly return to normal.

   Viktor often went through bouts of anxiety, many of them really intense, and even though his research partner Jayce was sometimes in the lab to help with this, he didn't stay there for long. Usually he would retire to his quarters after three o'clock in the morning and Viktor would stay in the room, organizing papers and performing calculations. At times when he was alone, the slender boy developed a little method to try to control his crises, which consisted of keeping his body bent over and letting the tears come out.

   When he calmed down, he relaxed his body on the cold floor and turned his body sideways, looking at the old clock above the table. The hands read five hours and twenty minutes. He placed one of his hands on the floor and pressed it against the floor, lifting his body with difficulty, while his other hand held the cane, leaning on it as he climbed. He felt pain in his weak body, felt as if life yearned to let him go.

   At the window, faint rays of sunlight began to escape through the gaps and Viktor walked towards it, limping and his legs, which still hurt, trembled from the thud of his fall. His long, thin, cold fingers met the window bolt, which was then pulled up and raised. Viktor took a deep breath, put his cane under his arm, and positioned his hands on the edge of the shutter, lifting it with great difficulty. He took another deep breath and stepped away.

   As quickly as he could, he walked to the desk and held up his journal. He chose an opening page. He observed the texture of the empty sheet and sat down in the chair upholstered with wine red velvet fabric, taking in hand a pencil that was out of place. "A new theory wanders in my mind after a difficult night of research on "Hextec," which triggered an anxiety crisis worse than the rest: would this technology be able to revive the stars?"