The Arcane Trilogy: Sins of the Past - Book 2

Chapter 8: False Hope

The morning sun was firmly in place when Paul emerged from the access lift that deposited him onto the Southside streets, and with the morning sun beaming down on his face, a breath of fresh air was released from his lungs. He'd worn his respirator for so long, with Paul somewhat relieved to have the cold and leathery straps free from his skin. After shoving the mask deep in his pockets, he noticed the dirt and grime of Zaun that had stuck to his suit. He quickly patted himself down as quickly as he could, not wanting to raise unnecessary questions when he reached Piltover.

With each step he took, the reality he found himself in began to take hold of him. He was knee deep in Sevika's organisation, to a far greater degree than he ever was with Silco. He only met the man once and was almost kept at arm's length from the core group that ran his empire. However, with his death and Sevika taking control, he had a direct link to the head of the faction that was set to battle Piltover. All the people down there who would have known his name, but recent events ensured they would also knew his face as well, due to Sevika's address, so he was just as much a part of the Nation of Zaun as Darren was, arguably even more so. As he felt the sudden change in surface from the jagged cobblestones of Southside to the smooth metallic skin of the bridge, the true scale of his fleeting thoughts that he had contained when conversing with Darren and Sevika hit Paul.

He was winning.

Sevika made the only correct decision she could have made by giving Paul his task. He was there at 'The Last Drop' but needed to return to his business and to Piltover, otherwise the investment they made in him would be pointless due to him not being able to do the sort of tasks he was paid to do. However, to Paul's knowledge, Sevika had no way of checking up on him. They all knew that a war was coming. Sevika would be far too busy keep an eye on Paul, and the only choice she had was to hope her intimidating presence and insistence on what she needed was enough to compel Paul into action. To her credit, it had worked to an extent, but not necessarily to the extent Sevika wanted.

Paul loved the idea of having Sevika's organisation indebted to him, as he knew he could demand a very high price as a reward. However, Jinx was an enemy of Zaun after the scene that they had found, so that meant that she would not be used to keep Paul in line or scare him into obedience. That meant Sevika had no real power over Paul the second he crossed the bridge. There was also the fact that the last time an organised group attacked Piltover, they were crushed, and the impacts of the riots where still felt to that day. Paul couldn't supress the giddy high that had begun to swell as he approached the end of the bridge. The only outstanding task was confirming Hoskel's demise, but considering the circumstances, it would have taken a miracle for his former employer to survive. He felt untouchable, that he had played all sides and with a heavy dose of luck, he had won the game.

He had truly gotten away with it.

As he approached his office, his mind had only continued to engulf itself with feelings of euphoria that lit fires across every inch of his body. He felt like he wanted to scream in joy to the heavens above and throw the biggest party in all of Valoran. His job was not over, but he was in a position where regardless of what happened with his attempts to sway the forging of a new council, there would be no consequence to himself. For the first time in quite some time, Paul could live a stress free life and savour the taste of victory.

He dusted himself down one final time as he pushed on the door to his office, surprised that it was unlocked considering that the 'closed' sign still hung across the wooden surface, quickly realising why that would be. Before he could mentally prepare himself regarding what to say, Josy's alarmed and worried voice shot out.

"Paul?!"

"Hey Josy." Replied Paul in a relaxed tone, unable to hide the smile that crept on his face as he drank in Josy's succulent figure. However, Josy seemed far less amused as she stormed over. She delivered a harsh and lighting quick slap that whipped Paul's head to the side.