𝐏𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐎 ☹︎ VIKTOR ARCANE

CHP 11. THE SHIMMER

" Y/N IS FROM THE UNDERCITY "

"Hey... Viktor..?", Viktor hums as he writes notes down in his notebook, his eyes never leaving the paper as he hears Jayce's voice and his shoes come into the room. "I... need to tell you something", Viktor nods and lets Jayce carry on but Jayce doesn't.

"It's really important and I need you to be listening properly... please can you do that, Viktor?", Viktor sighs and looks up from his piece of paper to a puffy-eyed, red-nosed Jayce who looks down at his hands in shame, he sat down on the chair beside Viktor who looks at him suspiciously, "well, what is it?".

"It's already been a week since Y/N hasn't come back to work... so we... we went to check her house, you know how she lets you, me and Sky have a spare key to her house? Yea well, we entered with it and we didn't find anything, no sign of Y/N at all, and it's not like her to do that so do you... perhaps know anything that could lead to her disappearance?".

Viktor's whole world fell at that moment. His eyes widened which quickly turned into tears that Viktor quickly tried to brush away. He remembers how she had practically begged him to go to the undercity with her, but Viktor refused. God, didn't he tell her to NOT go to the undercity on her own?! He took a deep breath and shakes his head. "Not... not that I can think of- can I... can I have a moment to myself please?", Viktor asks as Jayce nods, he leaves the room as Viktor sits in the cold and bare room. No sweet laugh of Y/N's to cheer him up every day, no weird talks with her that he loves.

He yells and slams his fists against the table and grabs his hair, he could have at least been there for her, AT LEAST! But he never was.

...

Viktor really didn't have a lot of time, with his sickness coming in full force and damaging him more and more as the days passed, he decided to go to an old friend of his, a mentor. He took a deep breath as passed the halls of his workplace. Jayce spotted him from his lab. "Viktor? Where are you going?", Viktor turned around and saw Jayce. "I'm going to visit an old friend of mine, he can help with my sickness", he says with a matter of fact voice and started to walk away again. Jayce stared at him with sadness in his eyes. "Be careful, okay, Viktor?". He hums in response, footsteps getting quieter and quieter as Jayce sadly goes back to his works

Getting in the borders of the undercity was quite easy since he works with the higher-ups. But nowadays it is impossible to even cross the bridge if you are someone from the undercity, trades have been cutoff and free-range wasn't allowed. And the walk wasn't quite fair, since he lived in a cave in that same toxic full stream. Viktor couldn't help but grin at the memories, this is where he met Sky... and this is where he and Y/N made up the name "Hexcat" jeez, he misses that adorable cat so much. He needs to visit his grave one day...

But as he stops in his tracks to see the entrance of the cave he finally was able to see the same man he saw as a monster all those years back. But now he was here for the same reason as to why Singed stayed in that cave. For his experiments. To keep it alive, to keep it moving. The mutation must survive. Viktor's eyes spot Rio... what remained of his heart shattered as he sees that sad face, no longer bright colours like he remembers her to be. Singed looked at him. He had already heard the cane noises from when Viktor was still far. And he knew exactly who it was.

"I get it now".

...

"I would very much like to see the device", Singed says, staring at the papers that Viktor had scribbled down on paper messily. "This uh, hexcore". Viktor was staring at Rio, the last of what could make him feel human again was in a tube, no longer happy or colourful, this time cold and in so much pain. He shakes his head and looks back at Singed. "That may be difficult to arrange", he starts to cough as he tries to suppress another coughing fit. "I've tried every combination of runes but it's always the same...", Viktor says almost immediately after his coughs. "The subjects... always wither and rot". He says with a hint of venom in his voice.

"Perhaps the error resides... not in your calculations but in the subjects itself. Nature has made us intolerant to change but fortunately, we can change our nature", Singed announces with a grin if you could see it on his face as he shows the little test tube filled with a purple-pink glowing substance that Viktor has never seen before-- but has heard of. "And this is... Shimmer?", Viktor asks, almost hesitant to take it as Singed shrugs his shoulders.

"A variant, it should provide everything one needs to survive a violent transition".

"Would it work on... plants?", Singed walks towards Viktor, in an almost predator way, high shoulders, a slight lean with his head to the side to look down at Viktor. "You're not here for the plants, I know the look of a doomed man", he shows the Shimmer once more, looking away as to say 'look at it, want it', Viktor had to suppress the urge to take it right from his hands.

"I must warn you if you take this path... they will despise you". His heart couldn't help but quicken at the thought of 'they', Y/N..?

"Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress".

He stares at the small tube that could hold all the progress to his work, but all he has to give up? Was his soulmate.

"Y/N would understand...".

Once he came back a hoard of Zaunites were at the gate, Viktor was sitting down on a chair as Jayce spots him and hurriedly walks towards him. "What the hell were you thinking going down there?!", Viktor responds with a cold tone, "I told you, I was visiting a friend", Jayce scoffs at this. "Well you didn't say they were from the undercity?!", he says and looks at Viktor who looks up at him with such lifeless eyes. "What difference does that make..?", he asks in a genuine tone to his voice. Jayce furrows his eyebrows more in a confused but angry way.

"What diff- they're DANGEROUS!".

Viktor stares up at Jayce with genuine hurt, anger and confusion mixed into his eyes, glaring directly at Jayce.

"Y/N IS from the undercity".

He gets up and angrily walks away as Jayce tries to explain himself but fails so all he could do was watch Viktor walk away from him.

Why did Viktor say 'Y/N' there? He could have said himself since he is from the undercity as well but- ah... it doesn't matter... he said what he said.

...

COMMENTS: okay this chapter and the next chapter have to be my favourites probably because of the amount of emotional distress Viktor is going through from finding out and having to process the fact Y/N is basically missing T-T this will cause a lot of conflict between the lovers once they meet once again~! I hope you guys like it so far!!! And thank you for reading <33

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