You and Viktor grew up in Zaun. Together, you made a promise that one day you'll make it up to Piltover. But the Lanes aren't made for hopes and dreams. Disaster and despair is what the life in the dark is made of. The only silver lining for you is the possibility that before Zaun demands sacrifices, you might be able to help Viktor get out. Unfortunately, loyalty and feelings get in the way.

[+18] WARNING : substance abuse, mention of violence, explicit language, gore, mental health issues, sexual content MORE THROUGHLY EDITED VERSION PUBLISHED IN PARALLEL ON AO3 || Safely hidden from her past in Piltover, Lyra thrives. She is a second-year student of aeronautical engineering at the Academy, and the youngest partner for the most proficient airship company Topside. But her pearly, if somewhat mundane reality shatters once an old childhood friend steps into the picture. He does not recognize her, and she intends to keep it that way. In the meantime, the damage of her father's biological experiments begins to take a toll on her, particularly when she finds out her powers react to Hexcore gemstones. Slowly descending into madness and the corruption of magic, Lyra attempts to resist the metamorphosis of her nature. But fails miserably to do so. || Set before the events of ACT I, then follows the plot. I do not own any of the characters except for Lyra and a few possible others. Alas, Viktor does not belong to me... truly a tragedy.

She/her reader. You are a young journalist from Zaun, working for The Piltover Globe. You witnessed the explosion of Jayce's lab from your friend's apartment. Your redaction board asks you to investigate on the matter, while the Academy tries to hide as much info as possible. But in a way or another, you meet Viktor, and a few things you did not even expect start to unravel. TW anxiety (mild but still)/death/mourning The "Fringes" idea is not mine, it comes from @Berserkitty and their wonderful fanfic "Undercity Development Section" (I'm sure you read it, if you haven't please do, it's fantastic). I imagine Y/N to be around 24/25, same age as Viktor in season 1 but that's purely personal projection, feel free to change that in your head ! Usual thing: English is not my first language and I tried to make the story as accessible as possible. Please, pleaaase tell me if I made any typos, if some sentences do not feel right or anything, I want to make the smoothest experience as possible for you readers. I will be updating the story regularly (at least I'll try, I have a competitive exam next February so...). I haven't found a title yet, if any comes up into your mind please suggest it :) Also, I decided every chapter should be named after a piece of literary work I like, each reference is at the end of the chapter ! Enjoy ! :) /Disclaimer\ SPOILERS SEASON 2 ARCANE This is more or less set in the alternate universe pictured in Arcane season 2 (I made a few changes to the narrative, don't be surprised if it doesn't exactly match what is pictured in episode 7)

Drawn to Piltover by visions of a powerful rune, (Y/N), an archmage sworn to protect magic's balance, disguises herself as a university student to uncover its secrets. Amid the city's dazzling innovation, she crosses paths with Viktor, a brilliant inventor and professor whose dreams may collide with her mission. As magic and machines intertwine, (Y/N) must navigate ambition, trust, and the growing pull of fate. (Quick update! I've made a Spotify playlist to listen to whilst reading this or any other Viktor x Fanfics, enjoy! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OZ5E0OjddiU5DUQxL0BvU?si=3WFquiXpS5ytUZJPPn3QVQ&pi=a-G79U6MfGQ5mx)

❝ 𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. ❞ Two children have befriended each other despite the growing tension between the cities they live in. Although they have made a promise to each other, it's only a matter of time before they become divided, just like Piltover and Zaun.

❝𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 A living legacy of it's own and a revered spectacle to many who wanted to forge their own path to greater endeavors and an even greater future. Among Piltover's many brilliant minds, elites, and richest families, House Violante was one of the most prosperous and respected, despite it's low stature amidst the clans. (Y/N) Violante was the only heiress and a golden prodigy, whose name rung the halls of the Academy like an echo to any who passed by and one that's become favored by Professor Heimerdinger for many years.....However, even in the most likeliest of places can adversaries find their way through....even from the depths of the Undercity.❞ (Credits: The characters and story of Arcane all belong to Riot and Fortiche, the respective creators of the show. The actions of the reader, storylines, and etc. I implemented that weren't in the show are my writing and any other characters/stories such as from the game/show belong to their respective owners.)

Viktor (Arcane) x Male Reader [18+] Starts cozy, will get darker and have NSFW chapters later on as this is a bit of a slow burn. Story takes place in Zaun a couple years before Viktor is accepted into the Academy in Piltover. After your parents are killed in a raid by the enforcers, you make your living by working as a barista and bartender along with some shady side hustles as Vander starts to prepare for an uprising. Viktor enters your chaotic life with a calm confidence that you're immediately drawn to. You find yourself spending more and more time with him as he preps for his admission into the Academy, but when the time comes to join the rebellion, your life takes an unexpected turn that neither of you are prepared for. About the Reader [Y/n] - He/him pronouns, bi, vers, witty, and still figuring life out even though he had to grow up relatively quickly. Only physical features mentioned is you have muscles and are a smidge shorter than Viktor (newbie mistake, but you're like 18 when it's mentioned you can still grow and be taller, do it :)) [Y/n] also has a backstory/depth/history that impacts your interactions with Viktor as well as other characters. There's some OC tendencies in there, but this is in 2nd person POV so I'm not sure what to call it but just want to be transparent there. Also there's more warnings than this but this is an explicit fic. There's drinking, smoking, sex, sex work, killing, all that good stuff so if that's not your bag you won't like this one.